Quick Update on the Peanut & Me

I just got back from the doctor and they've put me on bed rest because my amniotic fluid levels are low. :-( The peanut is still okay and still active (the NST scan today was just fine). But they don't want to chance anything with the fluid levels, so it is off to bed for me. I have to go back on Monday for another scan.

Other than that, the only other news is that I finished up my official author site yesterday and it is now live at www.kimberlypauley.com so you can go check it out if you like. :-)

2 weeks! Ack! (& Betty Schwartz's Intimate Boutique and the Buffalo Restaurant)

I was looking at the calendar this morning and realized that we've got pretty much exactly two weeks to go (or less). Ack! Somehow, it seemed like March 10th was farther away than that when I was talking to the nurse on the phone and scheduling the inducing. And, of course, he may decide to appear sooner than that. There's no telling. We're kind of hoping he does, since the whole inducing thing can have complications.

And by all indications, he's ready to come out. I think he was trying to kick his way out through my belly button last night. Ouch! He's a strong little bugger and I bet he's going to be just as stubborn as his dad. All the stuff you read says babies start to run out of room about now and settle down and don't move as much. Not this peanut. He makes himself known. Repeatedly. No rest for the wicked or the weary.

We've got the bag all ready and packed (officially) as of today. I needed to get a nursing bra, so Tony (poor fellow) took me to Betty Schwartz's Intimate Boutique in Buffalo Grove today. I'd wanted to try it out because they were supposed to carry Bravado nursing bras (though, curiously enough, they didn't). I gather it has been around for awhile, since they had an old black and white photo with a storefront that said "Betty Schwartz's Corset Shop" on it. It worked out okay. This friendly older lady helped me out and I got a pretty comfy nursing bra. Crazy things, I tell you.

We also stopped for lunch at the Buffalo Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor (1180 West Lake Cook Rd. Buffalo Grove IL, (847) 808-1120). We definitely have to try it again when I can eat sweets. They had the best looking sundaes I've seen in ages. Huge. Towering. Yummy.

*sigh*

This gestational diabetes thing is getting old.

Anyway, the rest of their food was good too. I had a taco salad (easy on the beans and I skipped most of the shell, making it pretty GD friendly) and Tony had soup and a burger with some really good fries (I ate one teeny one). I'd thought it was going to be a greasy spoon kind of place (well, it kind of was), but it was also really good and those Fountain desserts...oh man. Definitely have to go back sometime. Repeatedly. Too many options, too little time.

Additional baby shower pictures...& other peanut news

Jill sent me some additional baby shower photos today. This first one is the baby food taste test (some of it is really, really gross).
And I had some helpers for unwrapping gifts...
Man, I can't help but look at this photo and think, "geez, I'm short."


And in other peanut news...I had my weekly doctor appointment today, including an ultrasound. He's such a mover and shaker they have a hard time getting any little ultrasound pics of him. In fact, as I sit here typing this, he's doing a tap dance on my bladder (actually, it's his head that's right on my bladder, but whatever, it feels like he's tap dancing on it).

They estimate that he's at 6 lbs. 1 ounce now. And they've gone ahead and had me schedule the inducing (if he doesn't happen to come first on his own, which he might, since he's getting in position). So, if he doesn't come sooner, he'll be here on March 10th. I'm supposed to go to the hospital the night of the 9th to start off the whole process.

Tony practicing...

Here's Tony practicing for the role of worn-out dad, with Harley standing in for little Max. Sorry, honey, I couldn't resist.

Video Attempt

Tony was trying last night to get a video capture of the room, but it was really too dark. So I tried again today and it's better, but the lighting still isn't great. Still, what the heck. All I'm wasting is bandwidth and pixels, right? If you wanna get a better idea of what the room looks like, you'll just have to visit. :-)

The ARC is here! (Advance Reader Copy)

I got a nice Valentine's Day surprise today -- my editor sent me a few ARCs (advance reader copies) of my book. It's so cool to actually be able to hold a copy and flip through it. :-)

Some details....

Here are just a few details that aren't covered in the pictures below of the whole room. Because I'm nothing if not annoyingly thorough at times.

The Peanut Room (i.e. Max's Kingdom) aka Where the Wild Things Are Murals

So all the furniture came yesterday (even in the snow). Very exciting. ;-) I think things actually look a bit better in person vs. in the pictures since I can't seem to quite get a good angle to include everything, but you can get an idea of what our "Where the Wild Things Are" nursery room is looking like.
Here's the changing table / dresser. The little dragon guy in the corner actually hangs up on a wall, but we're not sure where he goes yet, that's why he's all slumped over there. The curtains have leaves sewn on to match the lamps that I made all forest-y. And the flying dragon guy was a Christmas present to me from Tony.
Here are the closet doors. We put some puffy wallables on them (Max, Moishe, Emil, and Tzippy) that we'd found on the Internet. They are 3D and soft.
Here's the crib (currently sans mattress). There's room next to it for the glider/rocker and a small table for mommy's water (or martini, as Tony mentioned). Just kidding, mom.
So here's the corner showing the other light, the chair, and part of the armoire. I imagine peanut will be getting most of his meals here. I do need to find a little stool for the chair. The one that you could order with it was way too high. I just need a little tiny one. You can't really see it in this picture, but I made a little round leaf topper for the table by the chair so it would match the other stuff.
And here's the armoire. And our current outsize dilemma. The big giant leaf. We got it from Ikea ages and ages ago for the nursery but until we just put it together we had no idea exactly how big it was. We'd thought it was 1/3 the size it actually is. It is kinda cool though. So we haven't actually attached it to the wall yet. We're debating about whether or not it goes in the room. If it doesn't, I'll find a place for it in the basement in my craft-y room (once it is built).

So if you have an opinion, please share. Should the big giant leaf stay or go? If it goes, I'll probably make a shelf to put up there with some leaves hanging off of it for the stuffed Wild Things to go. Any comments welcome. :-)

Peanut Shower (i.e. Baby Shower)

Yesterday was our baby shower (I say "our" even though Tony ducked out; I think it was too girly for him). It was at Jill's house next door (good thing it was so close, since yesterday was one of our coldest days up here...I think the high was 4 degrees Or maybe the high was 0 and the low was -6. Whatever...it was COLD.). She threw it, along with some help from Liz and Ann. It was a tea party (various pots of tea, finger sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit & chocolate fondue) and we played a few baby-themed games.
The room was decorated with a clothesline of baby outfits (for the peanut!) and some baby photos of me and Tony (what happened to all Tony's dark hair??)
Here's the food. The cucumber sandwiches and the salmon sandwiches were particularly yummy, as were the homemade cupcakes (yes, I was bad and ate one but overall my sugar levels for the day weren't bad, so I planned pretty well.).
We all decorated a onesie for the peanut with fabric markers. They all came out really cute. And we played the baby food game where you have to guess what's in the jars of baby food (I got two mixed up...the ones with meat...I have to say...yegods, they are godawful...pureed beef and mac & cheese? yuck!). And the game where you can't say the word "baby."
The peanut got gobs of stuff. It's all so little and cute. Tiny, even. I have a lot of thank you cards to write. It was mostly people from the neighborhood (Treva made the long trek in from the city) and it was just really nice. It's great to live somewhere where people care about you and like to do things for you...even on days when it is so cold you don't want to leave the house.

Where the Wild Things Are Mural, one side done!

Tony put the finishing touches on the "Max Howls at the Moon" mural in the baby's room today. Woot! One side of the room is done! (well, okay, except for the touching up of baseboards and things like that). Here he is putting in some stars.
Here's a close up of Max's red boat. I like how it came out.
And Tony had to do one real constellation -- here he is putting in the Big Dipper.
And here's a shot of mostly the whole wall. I'll take more pictures once we get the furniture and stuff in the room and of the other side once it is complete. I'll try and get one without the flash washing out a portion of it. You should definitely click through to see the stars / detail.

Where the Wild Things Are Mural, continued again...

The baby furniture will be here on Tuesday, so Tony's been busy working on the mural(s) this weekend. I helped a bit, just with the detail bits. So here are some more in-progress photos. Note that we've got the moon up on the wall now too (it's really cool).
The big things still missing are leaves for some of the trees, the detail stuff that I couldn't get to without a ladder (I've been forbidden) and the stars. And he's going to do grass across the bottom of the wall with the windows to where it meets up with the other mural wall. Tony hopes to get that done tomorrow. I've got my baby shower (!) tomorrow that Jill is throwing for me, so I'll be mostly out of his hair. Which is probably just as well. I let him do Max's face while I did the rest of Max because he was looking so nervous. Tony, for anyone that knows him, likes to do things his way.
Here's a detail pic of Max howling at the moon. Face by Tony, the rest of the detail by me. :-)
And I don't think I'd put an updated picture of the other mural since he finished the grass. There's still some more leaves and detail stuff that need to be done at the top, but it is just about done. And there's the ladder I'm not allowed on.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the rat, which is going to be interesting, since both Tony and I are rats...and now we're gonna have a kid also born in the year of the rat. So we'll be a house of rats.

It's a good thing, though (at least in the Chinese calendar). The rat is actually the most respected, in many ways, as he was first to answer the call (which is why the rat is the first in the cycle).

According to the page linked above, Tony and I are both Water Rats (Being guided by the Water element means these Rats have a knack for influencing people. With their strong intellectual powers and great insight, they are also great puzzle solvers. They are quick to understand others and are incredibly practical people. Rats apply their talents to their everyday lives, making them obliging, generous and compassionate to other people. Generally, they are liked and respected by everyone. Like all Rats, however, they can be determined to seek their own gain, and will not mind using these talents to achieve it - though generally without losing anyone's respect in doing so.).

The peanut is going to be an Earth Rat (The Earth adds solidity to the Rat's personality. An Earth Rat is conventional and a good achiever who likes to establish roots early in order to make a secure future for himself and his family. These Rats have the typical Rat ingenuity and mental capacity, but a strong sense of reality often alludes them preventing them from going after anything that could be impromptu. Earth Rats are honorable and love to be stabilized. Slowly and steadily acquiring wealth gives them a sense of inner peace. Although they are capable of being stingy with their finances, they do possess warm feelings for their family and friends.).

Career-wise, I'd say being a rat is dead on for both of us: Writers, Broadcasters, Actors, Advisors, Counselors, Lawyers, Politicians, Designers, Engineers, Managers, Directors, Administrators, Entrepreneurs, Musicians, Stand-up Comedians, Researchers, Historians, Race Car Drivers

....since I'm a writer and Tony is more or less a combo advisor/counselor/designer/manager.

This I think is kind of funny:

Rats Like:
Color Preference: Light-Blue (Tony refuses to have a favorite color. I used to be a big fan of green, but I'm rather partial to red now)
Gems and Stones: Diamond, Amethyst, Garnet
Suitable Gifts: car accessories, art books, gym memberships, geographical maps (I like the books and the maps, but I could definitely skip the gym membership)
Hobbies and Pastimes: Interior design, playing basketball, crafts, painting (I'm definitely a crafts person and we both like painting)
Rats' Dislike: Doing without things they want, strict time keeping, any routines, being at the end of the line (neither of us wears a watch. And Tony at the end of a line? Heh, it ain't pretty).

And, since we're going to be a whole family of rats, I suppose this part is very important:

RAT PARENTS AND CHILDREN
Rat parents are dedicated to their children. They encompass their little ones with love and attention and enjoy watching their offspring grow and experience the world. When their children are small they brood a great deal over them. Rats become concerned if their babies don't develop as quickly as other children. They anguish over whether or not they are raising their youngsters correctly. With the mental capacity to pick things up easily, Rats tend to get agitated with people who are not quite as quick-witted as they are. No wonder this trait could lead to conflict between Rat parents and their children should any of their children be late bloomers or harbor learning disabilities. Overall, Rats are indulgent parents who don't like denying their youngsters of things they want, and the children soon learn how to wrap their parents around their little fingers.

THE RAT INFANT AND CHILD
Rat babies love to be loved and cuddled. When they are young, Rat babies tend to depend tremendously on their parents, but later in life they develop natural leadership qualities. During their baby years, Rats mature slowly, but gain momentum as they become toddlers. Eventually, they begin to exhibit active mentalities, so, in the early years, plenty of sleep is necessary. In school, the young Rats are eager to learn. It is then, too, that Rats begin collecting things, and like to fill their bedrooms with pebbles, shells and keepsakes of every kind. Generally, young Rats are smart little people who are artistic and literary students. They are well-rounded and many of them do well in sports, too. Being born in the first sign of the Chinese horoscope motivates these children to be pioneers and gives them a need to be first in line.

RAT PARENT/CHILD KINSHIPS
Some parents click immediately with their children and others find they will never have a close relationship no matter how hard they try to make it happen. Following are the compatibility ratings between Rat parents and their children.

Some Serious Snow

The newscasters weren't lying about the snowfall today. Looks like we might get up to a foot of snow. Shoot, looks like we've practically already gotten a foot of snow. Here's pictures looking out the front door. You can't really see out of any of the windows. The snow is coming down kind of sideways due to the wind and the screens are full. Click on an image to see the "big picture" and really see the flakes. It's a blizzard as far as I'm concerned!
We don't normally get much snow on the porch, and definitely not all the way up to the door. The winds are supposed to be gusting up to 35 mph, but it looks a little more than that to my untrained eye.
I had to actually move my doctor's appointment today because there's no way I can get out of the house. They haven't plowed yet (not that it would do them a lot of good if they did, it's coming down so fast) and I don't think I could get out of the garage anyway. Right now you can't even tell exactly where the road is supposed to be, other than that there are mailboxes on either side.

Where the Wild Things Are Mural, continued

The painting is still in progress in the baby's room. Tony worked on it some this weekend. Here he is working on the sky.
And here's a bit of the sky that's pretty much done.
And here's the mural on the opposite wall from the "hanging from trees mural". It is kind of a composite from the book: a scene where Max lands his boat near the sleeping Bernard (minus Bernard (he's the one that looks kind of like a bull) and with Max not in the boat) + a shot of Max when he's howling at the moon.
And here's where it is right now, which includes the Max howling and dancing under the moon. We also went ahead and hung the moon up on the wall (the one I got that does the lunar phases). It'll be really cool once it's all done, with the stars and detail.

Okay, here's one of me too.

Okay, just for Pam, here's a baby picture of me too (and remember, girl, I've got that Alien Baby picture of you!). This was in Arkansas, so I would have been about 3 here. I think Mom made that outfit and purse for me.

Look, Tony was a baby once, too

Tony's Aunt Betty sent along some pictures of Tony when he was a baby/toddler. I couldn't resist putting a couple up (besides, it gets my pregnant belly in the last post farther down the page).

What happened to all that dark hair??

Only for posterity

Okay, I'm only putting these damning photos up because I keep getting asked by family for "belly" shots. What is it with people and their fascination with preggie bellies, anyway? So here's me and Gracie (she's going "uhhhhh, what's going on? I was napping here...) in the Family room. Those are some quilts I'd made on the back of the chair. Haven't made one for the peanut as yet since my sewing machines are buried somewhere in the basement. My hair could be better, but I did just get out of the shower, so there you go.
And here's the belly in all it's paleness. I guess I should have turned the other way, since you can see my scar from my appendectomy in this one. Didn't think about that. Wow, do I need some sun. For the record, I'll be at 34 weeks on Monday.
Grace, of course, is supremely uninterested.

Snow Day and Lazar's and Convito Cafe & Market and Burhop's

Well, this is a snowed-in kind of day. It started coming down last night while we were in the child care class (we were a little worried we weren't going to get out of the hospital!) and stopped for a while, but now it is snowing steadily again. It is seriously winter out there right now. No question about it. We officially live in the far North, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not leaving the house today unless there's a baby emergency (you hear that, peanut? no tricks from you today). He has been kicking up a storm and positioning his butt directly in the center of my rib cage, but other than that, I think everything is good.

Tony went into work (on the train). I'm waiting to hear back to make sure he got there okay. It's really crazy out there.

We did have a little dramady last night after the class. We got home and it was nearly 10 and the furnace wasn't working. A guy had been here earlier to work on the humidifier (long story, but it probably hasn't worked since we moved in) and somehow the gas line thingy got tripped. The heating element was coming on, but no heat. The guy was about to make the long drive out here in the snow when Tony figured out what it was. Yay, heat! Good thing, it would have been a bad night to not have any heat.

Anyway, in the spirit of getting rid of things to do, here's a write up or two I should have done back in early January:

Convito Cafe & Market
1515 Sheridan, Wilmette, IL 60091 (847) 251-3654

We'd made a trek southward to check out a baby store (Lazar's, which carries nice stuff, none of which we've bought there...though we did wind up getting the Orbit baby stroller online that we had trekked out to Lazar's to see, since they are one of the only places around here that carry it). While we were on our way back home, it was time to eat (I'm kinda on a strict schedule now with the whole gestational diabetes diet), so we stopped off at a little collection of shops and stores in Wilmette.

We had lunch at the Convito Cafe & Market, which is primarily an Italian-ish place (used to be 2 different places: Betise Bistro & Convito Italiano -- they merged) . One side is a cafe and the other is a market (I think you could have guessed that) / deli. It's nice inside, pretty elegant with an upscale (but small) menu. Definitely a bit of an "old world" feel to it. I wound up having a burger on wheat bread. Can't remember what Tony had, but he liked it. The service was a wee bit slow, but nothing terrible. It was a bit of a task to find anything low carb for the GD diet, but I managed. That's not a knock against it though...it's pretty hard to find that out anywhere, especially as restricted as I am right now.

Also in that same shopping center is Burhop's Seafood (same address as above, 847-256-6400), a seafood market I'd heard was a "must stop" for the area. So we went in there after lunch to pick up some fish for dinner. It was late on a Sunday, however, and they were fairly wiped out, so it probably wasn't a good day to judge them. They didn't have a great selection out, but our timing was bad, so it's hard to know what to say. Not sure if we'll be back or not since it is a heck of a jaunt from our house, but if we're out that way again, we might stop in. What we did get was good quality though. And the people were friendly.