Lacey's Room- A Sneak Peak

This past weekend was incredibly productive and exciting! With the help of lots of family we were able to get Lacey's room underway. 

There will be many more pictures to come but I wanted to give a little sneak peak of the mural Jen has created. She brought over her sketch to show us on Sunday while the ballerina pink paint was going on the wall. Calvin & I both absolutely love it!

 

We are so lucky that we have such talented family. If Calvin and I were left to our own skills Lacey would have a room full of stick people.

This weekend the mural will go on the wall. I can't wait!

Our Easter Baby

Lacey is due on Easter and I would love if she actually arrived on her due date since all of my parent's grandchildren so far have been born on holidays- Eamon on Labor Day and Devin on Ground Hogs Day.

I think if she is born on Easter she NEEDs this hat from Mudpies and Pigtails.

Of course, there are a bunch of other holidays in April if she doesn't want to make it on her due date.  There is Earth Day on the 22nd, Take Your Daughter to Work Day on the 4th Thursday of April, the Anniversary of the First McDonalds Opening and Tax Day on 15th, Arbor Day on the 29th. 

I can't really think of any cute hats for those holidays so if she could just come exactly on time that would be great!

The Name Game

Coming up with baby names is a far easier task when you don't actually have a baby on the way. Calvin and I have played the baby naming game for years, almost three to be exact. When Sean and Becky were visiting Maine in 2007, shortly after they found out they were expecting their second child, baby names because a topic of conversation in our house.


Despite the fact Calvin and I have thrown baby names around for years, we were clueless on what we would name our baby. We decided to hold of the conversation all together until we found out if we were having a boy or a girl. What was the point of wasting our energy debating names if 50% of the names would just be thrown out anyway.


When we got the exciting news that we would be having a girl the pressure was on! I had a name that I loved- Cecelia. Calvin wasn't ready to settle on that name. Being the incredibly stubborn person that I am I refused to think of any other names. Calvin would say a name that he likes and then asked me what name I liked and my answer would always be Cecelia. 


Over time, Calvin formed a favorite name and we were at a standstill. It was New Years Eve. when we were driving to the party that Calvin put his foot down. He said if I wasn't going to hear his opinion and only suggest my one name than both of our names were going to be thrown out and we would have to start from square one. That is when I realized how stubborn I was being (yes, it took me that long to realize). Though I hadn't admitted defeat yet, I somehow made Calvin's name better but adding a middle name.


The next day I gave Calvin's name suggestion a lot of thought. I wrote both names down and I decided I could try Calvin's name on for size. The name had two spellings, so that was the next decision to make- what spelling we would go to.


That is when things got messy. When I asked Calvin how he wanted to spell the name he gave me the ugliest, most bizarre spelling. I think my jaw literally dropped. He could not be serious. The two things I wanted in (1) a baby's name was a name that was not in the top 250 so the name is unique and (2) a name that wasn't so unique that people have no idea how to pronounce it. Calvin's spelling fit requirement 1 but went completely against requirement two.


Apparently the only person Calvin ever knew with the name had their name spelled this way. As it turns out, she may be the only person who has ever spelled her name this way because when I googled it she came up on the first page as well as some Asian Holiday.


I put my foot down. There was no way that our baby's name would be spelled that way. Calvin also put his foot down. So we had to do a survey. Our survey really only got as far as Laura and Sarah because they were the only ones we could get through to. Despite them siding with my spelling, the debate was not over.


It was another 24 hours before Calvin stepped down on the spelling and we had our name. We weren't ready to announce it. It still needed to try it on for size so we started talking to her with her new name. Turns out it fit. 


Calvin and I both came out victors. He won the name and I won the spelling. Calvin has also given me rights to the next baby's name and Cecelia can be used then if I want.


So I'm sure if you have read this far you are eagerly awaiting the name. Knowing some of you, you probably already scrolled down to reveal it (tsk tsk).


So I present to you- our baby girl's name...

She gets two middle names because it was important to me to have Cassidy as a middle name for a daughter but we liked the ring of Lacey Grace. If we have another girl she will probably also get Cassidy as a middle name.


You are probably also wondering Calvin's spelling of the name. He wanted to spell it Laesee. Seriously? Seriously? I love him, but seriously?


Correction: Calvin's spelling was Laisee. My bad. Still, though seriously Cal?

Bump Watch: Week 26

According to Planning Family, which sends me an email every week about the baby's progress, this is where we are at Week 26:

Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring about 14 inches long, she weighs just less than 2 lbs!
Her lungs continue to develop and she is taking small breaths of amniotic fluid inside your womb. These small breaths are getting her in shape for her first breath of fresh air.
Her veins are visible through her transparent skin but soon that will change as her skin begins to turn opaque.
The nerve pathways are becoming more and more developed, making her more responsive to sound. Don't be surprised if you feel her jump inside you if she is startled by a sudden noise.

Cravings

Everyone keeps asking me about my cravings. I was fully prepared to have crazy cravings during my pregnancy- in fact, I was excited about it! I thought I would be dipping asparagus in chocolate and making bacon and broccoli sandwiches. At the very least I expected to be eating a lot of pickles and ice cream.
When I first became pregnant I stocked up on pickles in preparation for the pregnancy. Calvin has greatly exaggerated the amount of pickles I consumed. Ok, so there was one night that I ate one jar in a sitting early in the pregnancy but I had a cold was too lazy to make myself dinner.

The truth is, my eating habits have become way more normal now that I am with child. I have had some crazy diets in the past couple years that I don't even understand. Calvin loves to tell people I don't eat tomatoes because they grow at night. However, in the last couple months I have craved things like Apples, Milk, Chicken (well, the baby craves chicken, I'm still a vegetarian), Oatmeal. I have gone on a few unhealthy kicks- Kit-Kats being one of them, Nutella and Fluff Sandwiches being another but considering I was pregnant during the holidays, I am amazed at how little chocolate and sweets I have been eating. I think I ate more ice cream this summer when I was trying to fit in a wedding dress than I have over the last couple months.

I would have to say I have the most boring pregnancy diet ever!

No Pain, No Gain

I have always been very Pro-Epidural. I thought of it as a magical button that makes pain disappear and babies appear. I assumed the only reason a woman would do a natural birth was so people thought she was hardcore. I never once considered any negatives to an epidural. In the second week of our birthing class they went over pain meds used during the birthing process and it turns out an Epidural is a drug, not a magic spell.

The more I have learned about the Epidural, the more freaked out I am by it.

First off, the needle is huge! I have a huge phobia of having needles in my body and not being allowed to move while the needle is being used. Considering I will be having contractions I think staying still will be extra challenging and extra scary.

Second, it isn't just your lady parts that go numb with the epidural. You can't feel your legs. I know I want really be wanting to running around towards the end of the labor, but the fact that I won't be able to support my own body weight freaks me out.

Third, and probably most importantly, the epidural can make the baby sleepy after delivery. I never even considered that the drug could impact the baby. I know it may not seem like a big deal to have a sleeping baby, in fact, it may be a lot of new moms dreams. However, it is incredibly important to me to be an all star breast feeder and I've been told that breast feeding immediately after birth adds greatly to the success. A sleepy baby will not be a hungry baby.

So the one thing I thought I was positive about in the birthing process, is now one of the things I am least sure about.

I'm not putting pressure on myself to have a natural birth. I have never given birth, so I know that I have no concept of the pain, but I also know in recent years I have surprised myself with what my body can accomplish- for example completing a half marathon with NO training. So if when the day comes and the pain is too much, I will get the epidural, but I want to try to go the natural route. Of course, I am going to do a little more training for this than I did my half marathon. I already have started doing more prenatal yoga and I will start a hypnobirthing class next month. Time will only tell if the preparation pays off.

Packing for Two

Anyone who has ever traveled with me knows that I have a tendency to pack more than may be necessary. Some call it overpacking-  I call it being prepared for whatever situation may arise. Of course, I usually forget something crucial, like my toothbrush, but I am comforted by the fact that I have 4 pairs of high heals, a pair of boots, sneakers, and flip flops to choose from when I walk to a nearby store to pick up a new tooth brush.

I don't know why packing for the hospital should be any different, after all I am packing for two. Starting our birthing class has really got me thinking about what I need to bring. I am sure the list is going to keep growing but here is what I have so far. Not all these items were suggested in my baby book.

• Birthday Cake for Baby. I will write more about this on a later date (if you are lucky)
• Baby's First Stuffed Animal- Her Lamb from Grammy and Pop Pop Cassidy
• Our Baby Book that was given to us by Great Grandma Davis. This can not be forgotten because we need to put our hand and foot prints in it.
• Calvin's iPad though the games Angry Bird and Fruit Ninja are banned from the delivery room (unless I want to play, then it is ok)
• Lavender Essential Oils for Armotherpy
• My Own Pillows
• Books to read to the baby
• Outfits for baby
• Two robes- one for before birth and one for after
• A copy of our birthing plan (which is yet to be decided)
• Lolly pops because apparently they help with labor
• Light snacks
• Our Flip Camera

And I am sure the list will continue to grow...

A Lamby from Pop Pop and Grammy

Though Baby Girl Rinck may not know it yet- she had an excellent Christmas. We are all so excited for her arrival so she had lots of gifts under the tree this year. Beautiful outfits, great books and, of course, money towards her college fund. One gift though was extra special, at least to mommy.

Pop Pop and Grammy (aka my parents) got Princess Sunshine a stuffed lamb that plays a lullaby for Christmas. The reason this gift was so special to me is that when I was born the first gifts my father ever got me was a lamb that played a lullaby for me. This too is our baby's first stuffed animal.

I braved our attic and found my lamb. Though it looks more like a black sheep now and it only plays a few notes of the lullaby at a time, it is clear that it has had years of love.

The new lamb makes me want to get her room all in order just so I can put the stuffed animal in her crib and eagerly anticipate her arrival.

Our Tiny Dancer

I feel a little odd posting a video of my bare belly on the internet but I wanted to share the baby moving with those of you who are two far away to feel for yourself. You have to look pretty closely to the left side of my belly see her moving. She was having some sort of crazy dance party. I can only imagine her movement as she gets bigger.

So I present to you...

Bump Watch: Week 24

When you are pregnant people are always willing to carry things for you. This week, Laura decided to carry my blog for me. Here is her update on my pregnancy for Week 24.

This week was very special, in part, because the baby kicked Aunt Sarah and Grandma Lola. Aunt Sarah had a very funny reaction to this kick and flew backwards across the room, screaming, "What was that??" She also kicked her Mommy in the ribs all day on Tuesday. In more baby news, Mariah went to her second birthing class and sat in an uncomfortable chair, thus losing a good night's sleep and leaving us all to wonder, shouldn't they have the world's most comfortable chairs at Lamaze? The baby also "visibly moved" and her parents attempted to catch this on video. Her little ears developed so she is starting to hear her family who already loves her! Mariah and Calvin also met their mid-wife who they really liked a lot and they looked at picking out a crib. This completes Mariah's blog entry for 1/7/11, ghost-written by Grandma Lola.

The Baby's Room-The Theme

Prior to finding out whether we were having a girl or a boy I was at a loss for what I would do with the baby's room. About 24 hours after we found out our little Rinck will be a girl I went into full girly mode. I started googling how to make tutus and looking at everything pink with great joy. It was then that the idea came to me. 

Princess Sunshine is going to be born around my favorite time of year in the orchard- blossom season. It is a short lived couple of weeks but during that time the orchard is so beautiful and smells so good. 

To pay homage to this extraordinary time of year and the amazing, loving families she is being born into I want to create an apple blossom tree room. 

I envision an entire wall with a large painted tree. On each branch will be blossoms that have framed photos of our family. 

I was happy to find a baby sheet set that fits the theme. I'm not sure if these are supposed to be apple or cherry blossoms but I'm pretty sure our baby won't know the difference.

Now that a theme has been decided the next step is to recover the future baby's room from the chaos of the wedding. I may have to call in some reinforcements for that task!

Bump Watch: 21 Weeks

We almost missed the 21 week shot because Laura worked from home that day but luckily Peter stepped up and took the photo. I think wearing dresses makes my stomach look a lot smaller.  

Bump Watch: 20 Weeks

Each day I look more and more pregnant. I have gotten to the point where I don't feel as though people will just think I let myself go and recognize that I have a baby in my belly. I have become one of those pregnant ladies who is constantly touching their stomach. I feel as though that is the universal sign for baby on board. You never see a chubby girl bringing attention to a bloated belly that way.

I guess at 5 months pregnant I need to except that i can't wear all of my pre-pregnancy shirts anymore, as this shirt clearly does not fit anymore.

This photo looks somewhat posed but really it was taken mid story. I was telling Laura how Calvin had come home from work the night before and looked at me in bewilderment and said "Hun, you are pregnant" to which I responded "Surprise". Laura captured the surprise moment of my story.

Bump Watch: 19 Weeks

Laura has been very diligent about documenting the pregnancy every Friday. This is greatly appreciated since Calvin and I have only taken one photo ourselves of the Bump and the photo came out terrible. I looked evil and my shirt was all wrinkled. It is clear that we need someone with some photo styling experience to capture this pregnancy.

I am usually called into Laura's office shortly after lunch so we can take our photo. We did just that for the Week 19 photo.

Hours later, though I hadn't had my second lunch yet (yes, I often have two lunches), my belly looked much larger. We obviously needed to document the new size. 

The photos don't lie. I had noticeably grown in a matter of hours! I was a little alarmed that my baby was experiencing some sort of growth spirt and come April I would be delivering a 30 pound baby. As it turns out, it may have just been gas, not that I ever get gas because that would be gross.

Bump Watch: 18 Weeks

A special holiday edition of the Bump Watch. This was post Thanksgiving dinner. I was originally wearing a belt with my outfit but in an effort to be able to fit more food in my stomach I took it off. The belt was much more difficult to get off than it had been to get on and there were a few moments of sheer panic when I thought I may be trapped.

These are the most flattering series of photos but they captured my struggle and eventual victory.

Notice all the food left on my plate that I still wanted to eat. I was rather disappointed in myself because I thought with the help of the baby this would be the first Thanksgiving I really mastered the art of pigging out. In the end though I ended up eating less than usual. I didn't have enough room for a food baby and a real baby. It was very sad!

Bump Watch: 17 Weeks

Bump Watch: 16 Weeks

The Bump

Calvin and I have had this wonderful plan of taking pictures of my stomach every week of the pregnancy. However, time seems to be moving in warp speed and we keep forgetting to do this. 

I am just starting to move from the Frump Stage to the Cute Bump Stage so Laura snapped a photo of me today as proof.  

I am wearing maternity pants now which are the most comfortable things in the world. I think all pants should be maternity pants.

The Blog is changing!

More to come! Like actual posts!

Oh yeah, I have a blog

I have been so busy with wedding planning that I have completely neglected my blog! Things have been productive but crazy. There is much that I could post but instead I will just post what I am working on at this very minute.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our table identifiers are not going to be numbers, but rather things Maine is famous for. This weekend I worked on designing these. I still need to design about 7 more and collect my fun facts for each. Luckily Laura and Peter are currently on a 7 hour car ride with time to kill so they are helping out with that.

Here is a little taste of what is to come. Obviously they are drafts but enjoy and let me know what you think!