Master Bedroom Makeover

Baby girl is expected to arrive in about 9 weeks.  We only had one major project on our list before she comes, a bedroom make-over.  We originally painted it green when we moved in and had a quilt that worked with the color, but ended up with a plain white duvet.  We repainted in the summer of 2011 at the same time we were getting Parker's room ready.  We went with a chocolaty brown that I really liked!  Jimmy mentioned wanting to change things up about a year ago and I was surprised.  It turns out he hadn't been a big fan of the color from the beginning, so I let him take the color palette reins this time.  We also took this opportunity to replace the last two doors on our main level.  Our house had old pine doors when we moved in and I had replaced the other five in 2010 and 2011 by myself.  My parents were a big help this time.  They picked up the doors and finished them for me!  Project day was yesterday and I was up early starting with demo and prep!  Jimmy had already moved the bed and furniture the night before, which was a big help.

I had the old doors off, frames removed, and half the taping done when my parents arrived.  Our old doors were a bit shorter than the new ones, so we had to make the opening bigger by about an inch.  Seems like a basic task, but 65 year old wood can be a bit stubborn!

One of our dads is usually more knowledgeable about house projects, but my dad has only installed one door, so I was in charge!  I had forgotten how finicky they can be, but we did it!

My dad has a big finish nailer that was a huge help this time around!  Way easier than hand nailing!

Nothing better than a pregnant lady with pneumatic tools!

Once the dusty part of our job was done, my mom started painting.  It was a gorgeous day in the upper 50's, so we were able to open the windows and get good ventilation!

Jimmy even broke out the Mustang for Parker!

He was so excited to get to play outside without a bunch of layers!

After a long day of work we went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory.  We had a couple gift cards and my parents have never been.  The most my dad knows is from what he has seen on Big Bang Theory (which isn't really close at all!)  My mom headed back to our house for one more coat of paint before the day was finished.  One last stop at Menards for door handle and stops and I could relax!

We still need to finish the trim, but that is a pretty easy job for me to do on my own.  Jimmy chose a more contemporary gray and we found the reversible duvet on sale at Ikea!  We have an old quilt of Jimmy's that is gray and blue.  We are hoping it will work for the summer so we don't have to buy any more new bedding!  The bed used to be in front of the window on the right below.  I have been begging Jimmy to try it this way and he finally let me since it was tore up anyway.  Baby girl's pack 'n play will go in the corner with the tall dresser (which will move to the closet.)  I think it makes the room feel bigger because there are larger open spaces.  We are working on new picture frames for the walls and will add some artwork for baby girl, so she has her own space too!

I am so happy that this project is almost done and so grateful for all the help from my parents!

30 weeks: A Happy Heart Update

It's been 6 weeks since our first echocardiogram and we had a follow-up today.  So many prayers have been answered because we got some great news.  The walls of baby girl's heart now look healthy for gestational age!  Woo Hoo!  We did learn that she MAY have a small hole between the ventricles (lines showing the location below.)  I emphasize MAY because this is a really difficult place to see.  This was noted in our previous scan, but the wall thickening was of bigger concern.  So, we have exchanged one long diagnosis (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) for another (perimembranous ventricular septal defect.)  VSDs are the most common heart defect in newborns, occurring in 2-6:1000 births.  According to Jimmy's dad's cardiologist (and Wikipedia) most of them close up within the first few years of life and don't require treatment.  I also learned tonight that the son of a good friend has a VSD.  He was monitored more often when he was younger and now required follow-up only every 5 years.  We were so happy with this news leaving the hospital today.  This means we can still deliver at our preferred hospital and she will have to have an echocardiogram before we leave the hospital to confirm the VSD.

 We have also Finally started with some real baby prep.  We picked out a new stroller that would accommodate both kids tonight.  I have been going back and fourth on a few and decided a sit and stand would give us the most longevity.  Parker still needs to be corralled when we are out and about, so we needed something.  We picked out a Baby Trend one that will work great.  Parker will be able to sit in the front with the car seat in the back.  Our car seat will not "click" in, but can be secured with a strap until she is big enough to sit in the front.  It will also fold down small enough to fit in our little Mazda 3 trunk.  Parker approved of our choice tonight too!

 We did our first batch of baby laundry too!  We got some adorable girl clothes for Christmas and can't wait to dress her up.

 We are also starting to stock up on supplies.  Target had a great gift card offer this week, so I picked up a few boxes of newborn and size one diapers.

We will make ore progress this weekend by starting our bedroom makeover.  Baby girl will be sharing our room for a while and we have some projects to finish.  Our closet doors are the last to be replaced in our upstairs and we will be repainting as well.  10 weeks or less until she is here!

Colds and Causes

There has been a ton of sickness making the rounds this winter.  We have stayed mainly healthy, but Parker finally got sick last week.  It started on Wednesday with a bit of a cough and developed in to a fever.  The one up-side of a sick kiddo is lots of snuggles!

 I ended up staying home with him on Thursday and we had a pretty good day.  We played and got lots of rest.

 Parker has only thrown up one other time and it was at Perkins, so we haven't had much home experience.  He started coughing really bad on Thursday night and we thought something might come up.  Thankfully he didn't lose all the cookies, but he did have a few moments we thought he might.  This was our first snuggle with a puke bucket.  Jimmy stayed home with him again Friday and he started feeling much better.  Unfortunately I think the sickness has moved to me...

Parker and I headed to the Mall of America Saturday morning for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund walk.  It was a crazy packed house, literally thousands of walkers!

 A team was organized by my work and I was excited to join.  My niece was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year, so it was a great way to support her.

 We went for brunch at Lucky's 13's.  We got monkey bread to share and I got sage fried chicken and it was amazing!

 It was such a fun day and I was happy to see Parker feeling better!

Valentine's Day

We had a great Valentine's Day this year.  We went to church in the morning and got a delicious red velvet whoopie pie from my friend Cindy!  Then we headed to the hospital to have lunch with Jimmy's dad.  He ordered food from Moose Bar and Grill.  The teriyaki wings were delicious and the onion rings were yummy too!  We also got a french dip, but they forgot the au jus, so it was a little dry.  Jimmy's mom joined us too, which made for a fun visit!

 We kept up our fondue tradition for dinner, with an added treat of tater tots!  I mentioned to Jimmy's mom that I do oven roasted potatoes and she suggested tots!

 We didn't exchange any gifts this year and just kept it low-key.  I did break out our heart champagne glasses and toasted with a little ginger ale!

 We hope you had a day full of love like we we did!  And for the record, the tots were amazing!

Pretzeldent's Day 2016

Another Pretzeldents Day come and gone?  Where does the time go?  You may remember last year's inaugural celebration.  I ended up going solo this year and carpooled with a friend.  Last year's menu was mostly pretzel themed, but the Presidents were highlighted this time around.  It was perfect for a chilly Minnesota night!

These were my contribution! 

It was a more low-key celebration this year.  There were games and activities planned, but we just enjoyed the conversation.

 A party isn't complete without dessert!  There were a ton of delicious treats provided by Frosted Forest, a bakery owned by hostess Brianne's sister.  I took a small to-go plate and shared with Jimmy.  Everything was delicious!

There were a bunch of pretzel snacks to complete the theme!  Another great party Brianne.  I love that this has become a fun tradition!

28 Weeks

28 weeks today!  12 weeks or less until baby girl makes her appearance.  I had an ultrasound this morning and she is growing well, estimated at 2.6 lbs with a heart rate of 167.  We got a better profile picture this time.  I love her puckered lips!  She is still head down and was kicking herself in the head when the scan first started.  It was a pretty quick scan and appointment.  I had to get my TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster and Rhogam shots, which weren't too bad, but the TDAP arm is starting to ache a bit tonight.  Rhogam is given to moms with a negative blood type.  If baby has a positive blood type (Parker does) it it possible that my body would produce antibodies to attack her in the event our blood mixes.  This can create a whole host of issues, so it is good that this shot was invented!  They will test baby girl's blood when she is born and I will have another shot if she has positive blood.

 Even though I only take belly pictures every 4 weeks, I struggle to see the growth.  I did notice it getting in the way last week.  I kept running into doors and gates that I have been using forever!  It's all part of the journey I guess.  I will probably do another update in two weeks after our echocardiogram.

Hope you have a great week!

Twix Taste and Vote

This is one of those posts that makes my dad think "you guys have too much time on your hands!"  I just think it is fun!  We were at Menards on Sunday ordering doors for an upcoming project when we saw a new Twix bar.  They now have ones marked "left" and "right" Twix and "Taste and Vote."  Of course we had to try it out!  We eat tried both sides in the car and made our initial judgement.  We agreed that right Twix was sweeter than left Twix and Jimmy thought left Twix tasted more like original Twix.  We decided to do another blind taste test once we got home and those results are in the video below.  The two sides don't appear different, but they sure seem to taste different.

So, based on our highly scientific research, the two sides are different.  We aren't sure if they are both new or one is new and one is different, but we definitely think they are different!  Taste for yourself and let us know what you think!

Family trip to the Children's Museum

Jimmy finally got a chance to check out the Children's Museum with us last weekend.  Below is fun comparison from our first trip on his first birthday.

We checked out a new area for us with lots of conveyor belts.  Parker loved turning all the wheels.

We were also able to squeeze in to the water works exhibit for some splashing around!

Our last stop was the mini Our World exhibit.  A bigger version of this will be in the newly renovated museum next year.  The bike causes the big wheel to spin.  You can place a car on the road and houses along the sides.  I just thought it was cute to see his little face on the video board!

We are making great use of our membership so far and can't wait to have more fun!