Sunday, March 27, 2011

Week 26 Update

Well, technically this update is for week 25 and 26! We have had quite an eventful past couple of weeks. The house is coming along nicely and we should have everything wrapped up downstairs in about 2-3 weeks. The tile installation is almost finished and looks great - here is a sneak peak of what the finished product will look like:

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Shower tile in progress
Also, much progress has been made on the living room since our last post.  The new support beams are now enclosed and new sheetrock, texture and paint have made the room come together quite nicely.  The only thing left in this room will be installing the ceiling fan, laying the wood floor and finishing everything off with new crown molding.  Piece of cake, right?  We love how everything has turned out.  It has really opened up the bottom level of the house and it is much more inviting.  George and I are very excited to move all of our furniture back in and sit and relax for a while!
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Living room back wall (where soffit and bookshelves used to be)
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New kitchen entry way
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No more living room wall!
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New closet lighting
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Grandpa Dan hard at work on the bedroom flooring!
We have been beginning planning Baby Horton's nursery and went to look at furniture today at Babies R' Us with Papa and Nana Marple.
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One of the perks of being pregnant! :)
We also got our baby registry started. I've decided that I need to do some homework on baby items so we can finish up the baby registry. There was so much to take in and it was hard to make decisions. We found a crib and dresser/changing table that we like and will get it ordered soon.

Next, we went to PF Chang's for Mom's 50th birthday celebration. We had a great time and got to enjoy each other's company. Say cheese, Nana!  Everyone got to feel Baby Horton move at dinner, it was really neat!
Happy 50th Mom!
Happy Birthday Mom!
This past week has been Baby H's most active time.  I will always remember this past Thursday.  She pretty much moved around from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. that night!  She was bouncing off the walls, moving non-stop!  I had a meeting during the afternoon and at one point, she kicked me so hard that I nearly jumped out of my chair.  I love getting to feel her move around and I'm thankful for this blessing.  It helps me know that she's OK and that everything is normal.  She must know that I worry from time to time and I need the reassurance.  I can tell that she is growing lots - and my belly is showing it too!  According to BabyCenter, Baby H is now over 14 inches long and weighs over 1.5 pounds!  It's hard to believe she's grown that much already.

I've been feeling great for the most part.  Today was pretty hard because my muscles are really beginning to expand and I'm quite sore.  Bending and moving around is not the same anymore!  Sometimes I feel like an old lady having George help me get around, haha!  We have really enjoyed the last few weeks because I have been able to get in the kitchen and cook.  I have been able to reward George for all his hard work on the house with all kinds of yummy meals.  It's been nice to be able to eat at home and enjoy each other's company.

Tomorrow I have my glucose test which I've heard is lots of fun.  Luckily, it is in the morning so I can get it over with early in the day.  I've got my orange drink in the refrigerator, ready to go for tomorrow.  It will be worth it because I'll get to hear her heartbeat :)

Last but not least, a belly photo for Week 26!
week 26!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Finally! Week 24 Update

Whew! Time flies by when you're having fun - or when your house projects overtake your schedule!  George has been working hard this week since he's off from school.  The beams are now up in the living room and the walls are gone completely!  Today we have our workers coming to wrap up sheetrock and take care of mudding, taping and texturing.  We will be able to paint by Friday.  We also found out that the closet and bathroom vanity built-ins will be delivered next week.  Hooray for progress!  Below are a few photos of the beams from the living room.  This project has expanded the size of the den and makes the kitchen area feel more airy and open - I love it!  George and Dan (FIL) will be finishing the floor in the bedroom this weekend which will be great.  Everything is coming together nicely and we should be able to move back into our bedroom within the next 3-4 weeks!

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Largest support beam
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View from bedroom door into breakfast area and kitchen
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Backside of den, view of old soffit area
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I never thought exposed lumber could be so beautiful!! :)
OK, so down to the real business. I'm sure each of you want a Baby Horton update too.  She is doing great!  My waistline continues to expand and this week people who may not have known about the pregnancy are asking me when I'm due.  I feel really good and even got to cook George a nice meal Sunday night before all the construction hit this week.  I can't wait to get back into the kitchen after the living room is done this week.  I've really been in the mood to cook.  Baby H is still moving lots.  This week, we can really feel her from the outside.  George has enjoyed getting to feel her kick - which is quite frequent!  Each morning, when I wake up she wakes up with me.  She is also quite a night owl and likes to kick me into a slumber.  When sleeping, it is getting harder to move around.  I usually flip from side to side during the night but I've noticed that it is not as easy as it used to be.

We have been looking at nursery colors and designs and as of yesterday, cross your fingers, we have finally decided what we want to do!  We already knew the nursery color would stay the same (soft green) but I wanted to find a fabric that would tie the whole room together.  I feel much better with those decisions being made so I can focus on picking out all the matching pieces.

This week was also a very exciting one for me as well because I began my MBA graduation paperwork!  So glad that I'm on the home stretch...and I think Baby H is too! :)

Week 24!
Week 24!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Horton House Update

As you saw by previous pictures, George has been working hard in the house!  This week we've made even more progress.  Here is a list of what's going on:

  • Installation of bathroom lights (which includes a beautiful chandelier over my new jetted tub!)
  • Begin tile installation
  • Removal of excess sheetrock from living room ceiling
  • Living room walls being framed for new room opening
  • Ordered custom closet & bathroom vanity
  • Removal of soffit above old living room bookshelves
We can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Everything seems to be coming together well and I can't wait to see it all finished.  We'll probably be posting more pics after all the work that gets done this weekend. 

Baby Horton is doing well, kicking like always.  In fact, she's kicking me as I type this! :)  We have been pulling ideas together for her nursery and have been thinking over more names.  

We hope each of you are having a great week so far.  I'll be posting another belly photo later in the week.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Week 23 Update

We went to see Dr. Henry on Monday and everything looked great he said.  Her heartbeat is doing well and all tests came back normal.  This week he began measuring my abdomen and we discussed my upcoming glucose test next month.  I've already heard lots of fun stories about this test so I'm ready to get it over with. :)  Again, this week I experienced lots of kicks from Baby H.  She is pretty predictable and tends to move around most at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I also felt her up towards my ribs for the first time which was pretty interesting.

We have been reading lots to Baby H as these last few weeks they say her hearing is really developing.  This week, George read Peter Pan to her and I did all the fun sound effects.  Especially when pronouncing Hook's first mates name, "Smee!"  This was a longer book than usual so we had fun with it.  According to BabyCenter, Baby H is now over a foot long from head to toe and weighs over a pound (similar to a large mango).  It's hard to believe that she is already this big!

As you can see from the picture below, our little "mango" is not in hiding any longer!  This week, I have developed a love for Braum's waffle cones and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.  One of the perks of eating for two!
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Week 23
George has made even more progress on the house today.  He tore out the rest of the old bookshelves, wood paneling, sheet rock, ceiling faux beams and even scraped the popcorn off the ceiling!  This coming week, they will be tiling the bath surround with our new mosaic tiles that came in!  The picture below shows the floor tile and bath tile.  We have also ordered all the built-ins for the master closet .  The millworks company will be delivering our closet and master bath vanity soon.  We can't wait!
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Living Room
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Kitchen Entry
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New tile!
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Bath surround mosaic tile