Busy Busy Parents-To-Be

It has been far too long since I posted an update! And lots of exciting things to report. We are thirty weeks along now (which is amazing!) and doing well. The second trimester really was a breeze - I have felt great. Only issue is low iron which I am taking supplements for on top of my prenatal vitamin. I haven't had any heartburn or back pain, really. My feet and ankles are pretty swollen, though, which I hoped wouldn't happen...and I have also gained a LOT of weight. The bridal shower is in a couple weeks (April 30th), and Daniel and I are very excited to see all our loved ones in celebration of our little girl's pending arrival. Her room is looking more amazing every day! We got a great deal on a bookcase from a Border's bookstore that is closing and were selling all their furniture. $40 for it and a LOT of elbow grease on Daniel's part to get it all sanded and re-stained to match the dark furniture we have in Chloe's room. We also got her dresser the other day & put it together pretty easily. Her crib we have had for a few weeks and of course the bedding. I went shopping with my mom yesterday and got some more really cute clothes. Christine Tafoya gave us a bunch of books that her boys used to read when they were little, so I got those all cleaned up and ready to get organized onto the bookshelf. But there's still so much we need to do! Our roof was having issues, so we just got that repaired. Hopefully it stays in great condition for many years now haha. We also want to get a new dishwasher (we have yet to have one that actually cleans since we have been together - frustrating!), and we want a piece of carpet for the living room so Chloe won't have to crawl around on dirty tile floor. Other than that, I feel like I am constantly fighting a losing battle with keeping our house clean. Daniel is always busy now - finishing up a class for his degree, studying for the CRPC, and now in a class for the CFP. This is all very good, and I am so happy he is able to juggle it all - but our house just seems to get dirtier no matter how hard I fight it...sigh... One thing that is of a lot of comfort to me is that my sister Lyndsey will be coming to stay with us for a few weeks once the baby is born, and Daniel goes back to work. I know I will be overwhelmed by myself, so even just having another adult (sort of) around is wonderful. I am going to attach some pics of Chloe from her most recent ultrasound, but Daniel needs to get on the computer for some of his never-ending homework so farewell for now!

Prepping for Baby

So Daniel and I have been hard at work getting little Chloe's bedroom and other parts of the house ready for the new addition to our family. Her room is painted, but I discovered with all the rain we have been having that her room has a leak. We've put in new windows, but the stucco still needs to be painted. Daniel has even half-started a project to upgrade the guest bathroom to something we won't hate. The backyard is a disaster-area, but we are supposed to be having an excavation company out this week to haul away 15 tons of gravel so that we might (someday) be able to have grass. It is really exciting to have a house of our own that we can make all these changes to, but it seems like a never-ending series of projects! I hope Chloe appreciates all that we are already doing for her and will continue to do for her throughout her life. Maybe it won't be immediately...and that's fine. I didn't always appreciate all my parents have done, but I definitely do now!
On top of all these not-cheap projects, we are also working diligently to pay off debt. So far my student loan is gone, and my car is almost paid off. I have never had such a nice vehicle and never really expected to have it be mine after only a year-and-a-half, but we are committed to raising our family without the burden of debt hanging around our shoulders. This may mean that Chloe won't always get every "thing" she wants, and that she will have to learn the value of money and what it means to save, give, and spend (thank you Dave Ramsey!), but I think this will help her become a self-sufficient young lady who can accomplish all the goals she sets out for. Daniel and I made some stupid mistakes with money starting out, through no one's fault but our own. We still have his truck to pay off and his student loans, but the plan is to get everything wiped out in a few years.
So to work or not to work? This has been a crazy internal debate of mine. I'm not sure we can accomplish everything we want to do without me working for now. But I do not want my daughter in a day care like the one I worked in as a teenager. There just aren't enough people to take care of the needs of the children in their care. Maybe if Daniel and I can adjust our schedules in a way that would minimize the hours she needs outside care...but still, I do believe that no one will be able to take care of my baby the way I will be able to. Maybe the answer is for me to work for the short-term and be as diligent as we have been throughout our relationship in money smarts...so that eventually I can be home with her.
In the meantime, Daniel and I had a conversation with Chloe last night about all the fun things we want to teach her. She was being pretty calm until we started talking to her. Then she started kicking and moving around like crazy - it was hilarious! She seems to know we can't wait to meet her - we were telling her all about the people who will want to hold her and play with her and love her. All her grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins and extended family. But we did tell her that above all, no one will ever be able to love her as much as her two parents.

*****Can't wait to meet you Chloe Joyce!*****

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...It's a GIRL! :)

We had such a good experience at the dr yesterday! We got right in to see the ultrasound tech, who did lots of measurements of the baby - we got to see the heart beating (strong heart!), and see little arms, legs, hands, feet, spine...she was being quite the little squirmer. I had to go empty my bladder at one point in hopes that the baby would move so the tech could get a better angle of her head. Then of course we got to find out "its" a "she"! Daniel and I were both ecstatic! And still are!
We went right away to Home Depot and picked out our paint color - pink, pink, pink. Still the same plan for pink on top of the molding, chocolate brown on the bottom. I will post pictures when the room is ready for display. Our families were very excited to learn the news as well. I like that there will now be two boys, two girls on my parent's side, and on Daniel's side two boys and one girl. I am sure she will be loved, adored, and spoiled by all! (Not least of all her parents).
I also got to ask my doctor a few more questions about concerns we have had about the hospital we will be delivering at - Paradise Valley Hospital. She has pretty much alleviated any and all fears, and I know we still need to arrange for a tour so it's not completely unfamiliar territory, but we are pretty settled with the idea. I have really enjoyed having Daniel with me for the last two appointments - this was his first time seeing little Chloe through ultrasound, and he was just amazed. It's one thing seeing it in movies, or seeing pictures of the children of friends and family, but it is life-changing to see your own creation up there in all her full glory.
We are at just about 20 weeks, so only 20 more to go. It feels like ages away! Everyone says it will fly by, and I can only hope. Can't wait to hold this little bundle in my arms and get her out of my ever-expanding belly!

Blue or Pink?

So we will be finding out the gender of the baby on February 1st! We are so very excited and impatient to know. Also our good friends Weston & Christine will be having their little girl sometime in early February as well, so we've got lots to look forward to.
Daniel and I have lately been spending some time working on the baby's room. We bought some molding that Daniel painstakingly put up around the walls at chair-rail height. We're going to be painting the bottom half a chocolate brown and the top half a color that depends on the baby's gender. Maybe pink, purple, green or blue depending on what we finally decide on. My mom acquired a glider rocker for us which I am really excited for. I will probably be spending a lot of time in it this summer and fall with our new baby! I have seen a few cribs I like but have yet to settle on any in particular, and the other night Daniel was sending me a link to site with these strollers he really likes (very expensive ones that we probably won't be getting haha).
I am so grateful that I have Daniel to go through this experience with. He knows how I feel about him, so I try to spare everyone else around me with words of gushy emotions, but I just cannot imagine being happier that this man is going to be the father of our baby! Ok, enough gushing. But just so everyone knows, I do appreciate and love him very much.
My next post very well may be to declare BLUE or PINK! CAN'T WAIT!