Baby Shower

This past Saturday, my mom's best friend Marilyn and her daughter Shana threw me a baby shower- it was tons of fun! Marilyn and Shana did a fabulous job, everything was beautiful. There were about 19 of us and I think everyone had a good time eating and socializing with each other. Marilyn came up with the idea of making a donation to Avenues Pregnancy Clinic- so in the invitations we asked all the women to bring their "purse change" to donate to the cause. We raised almost $80!!! Way to go ladies! Here is a pic of the gift table:

Marilyn and Shana also made me a diaper cake- and out of pure coincidence they just happened to buy a box of 100 Pampers Swaddlers, the very diaper I had heard was a favorite among moms for their newborns. The "Feeding Your Baby" class we took at the hospital last week said that at first your baby will eat 10-12 times a day and require at least 8 diaper changes per day. So that box of 100 should last us about a week and a half- that's a lot of dirty diapers in a such a short period of time!

Here's a picture of Judith, Kristin and May. I thought this was a funny picture! Silly girls.
All in all it was a great day. Baby Michel got some very nice gifts, I feel very blessed by the generosity of my friends. We received most of the stuff on our registry, so we have very little that we'll need to go and buy, mostly just a few basic necessities. I'll post more pictures when I can.

Productive Day

Yesterday morning I slept in until around 9ish- it was soooo nice to not have to get up at any particular time. And since I haven't been sleeping terribly well the past few weeks, I jump at the chance anytime I can sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep.

I met my girlfriends for lunch at 11:00- yummy Cheesecake Factory. I already knew I was going to stay away from the navajo chicken sandwich because I was still feeling guilty about my weight gain. But, pregnancy is a funny thing. By the time we were seated, I knew I wouldn't have been able to eat that sandwich even if I wasn't feeling guilty! I was just way too bloated yesterday, my stomach felt like it was up in my chest and the thought of eating a big meal wasn't appealing at all! Instead I ordered their lunch special- a bowl of soup and a salad. It was perfect, just what my body needed and I was able to enjoy it and not feel too full afterwards. My friends showered me with baby gifts, they were so very generous. Baby Michel is going to have lots of cute things when she enters this world :) We walked around the newly remodeled mall (I of course had to top in and get a piece of See's Candies!) and window shopped. I felt pretty good, I think the walk after eating really helped. After saying good-bye to my friends I decided to go home and get started tackling the house.

I finished altering a new pair of maternity jeans (on sale for $25 and so so cute now that I've "fixed" them!), emptied the dishwasher, refilled it with the dirty ones filling the sink, cleaned the kitchen, baked three dozen snickerdoodles, and finally sat down for a break. But I found that I couldn't sit still- I was actually feeling pretty good! So what else could I accomplish? I went to Osh and got the crimping tool that I've been trying to hit my neighbor up to borrow but can never seem to run into, I resolved my lighting problem in the nursery (I am not a big fan of florescent light, but I am going to give it a try), came home and ate a quick bite for dinner. Then I was up again and busy finishing up two of my nursery projects. Then I vacuumed the house, dusted, and windexed all by the time Franz came home from hanging out with the guys.

By the time my head hit the pillow I was pooped, but all in all it was a very productive day!

Same 'ole, same 'ole

Well, I haven't posted in awhile because to be quite honest I haven't really had anything to post about. Today I hit 28 weeks, I am officially now in the third trimester, the home stretch, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and definitely starting to wonder "what were we thinking?!?!" In about 12 weeks we will be parents.

Yesterday I took the glucose test- to see if I have gestational diabetes. Everyone is required to take this test at this point, and all it involves is fasting for an hour, drinking a horrible sugary orange drink, and then having your blood drawn. Let's hope I pass because I can't imagine the holidays without sweets! The only bad news is that I gained too much weight this month, although my doctor didn't blink an eye. She said I am doing just fine. I need to do better next time.

Baby Michel is bouncing and kicking around like crazy! She definitely has her own schedule that she likes to follow, but unfortunately it doesn't coordinate with mine very well. One of her most active times is 2:30 am! She likes to hang out on my right side, so that's where I feel most of her movement. It's weird to look down at your stomach and see it twitch, spasm and move on its own.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with three girlfriends. I don't get to see them that often, so I am definitely looking forward to it. We're meeting at the Cheesecake Factory- yummy! And if it wasn't for that weight gain this past month I'd be ordering their chicken Navajo sandwich (my mouth is watering just thinking about it). Now it looks like I'll be ordering a salad.

My Rocking Chair

I don't know why it's so hard to find an updated, modern, contemporary but won't break the bank rocking chair these days. I searched high and low for weeks and weeks for something that would fit this description- with no luck. And I'm not the only one- there are tons of mommies-to-be on the internet all asking the same question. Now I know you're all probably thinking, "Jen's a designer, how hard could it be?" I'm telling you now, it's hard. Even with all the resources available to me through my job, rocking chairs are expensive. Throughout this process, I've often thought that I should design a line of affordable modern rockers- surely I'd make millions.

So this was my compromise. I found this rocker on Overstock.com for $130. The cushion it came with was 3" too wide and didn't fit the chair. The foam inside the cushion was barely an inch thick, I doubt it would hold up to the many times during the night I will be up rocking away. The black "suede" fabric was practically threadbare and sagged like there was no tomorrow. I know, I know, what was I expecting for only $130, right? Well, something had to be done it was just so sad and pathetic looking, so I took it to our upholsterer and explained what I was envisioning. I knew there was potential, I just had to find it.

And here is the end result! Not bad I'd say for $130! I love the new glossy black finish and the fabric is beautiful. The new and improved cushion fits the chair properly now, the foam is wrapped in a layer of extra softeness for those long nights and best of all it's super comfy. In fact, I think it's going to come in handy these next few months as I'm finding it harder and harder to get up from the sofa. I figure I can use the forward rocking motion to propel me up out of the chair to a standing position!

A special day

No not because of the election, but because today is our two year anniversary! So much has changed over the past two years. As we were heading out to dinner (more about that in a minute) I got a little teary eyed. Tonight would be our last anniversary together without kids. Franz and I waited a long time to find each other, and we were both a little bit older when we married. The past two years that we have had together have been wonderful and my love for him has only grown stronger each day. But at the same time, it doesn't seem like we've had enough time just the two of us. The clock is counting down, and come February our lives will be forever changed. The first chapter of our lives together is coming to a close, while another is just about to begin.

This is my absolute favorite picture of Franz- taken on our wedding day. I remember seeing him for the first time that day and thinking how handsome he was and how lucky I was to become his wife. Tonight for our anniversary dinner we went to Holdren's Steakhouse in Newbury Park. Now I wouldn't exactly call this area the mecca of great food, there are tons of awful restaurants (just ask the Gourmands). However, Holdren's was fantastic. I ordered the filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes, Franz had the salmon and twice-baked potato. We also ordered their famous mac and cheese- it puts Kraft to shame. What made my entree was the peppercorn sauce- yummy! Franz said the sauce made his entree as well, but he can't remember what it was. Of course we had to order dessert, it was our anniversary afterall. Franz ordered the cheesecake and I got the chocolate brownie sundae- double yummy! Now we're sitting on the sofa in a food coma.

Franz,

Marrying you was the happiest day of my life. I thank God everyday for bringing you into my life. You bring so much joy to my life, and laughter, and hope, and adventure. I promise to continue to love and cherish you in good times and bad, sickness and health, for richer or poorer as long as we both may live.

All my love,
Jen

Introducing...

the dignified and respectful Mr. Froggy.