Preparing for Baby Hammer

It's hard to believe that I'm 37 weeks pregnant today.  Back in March, I found out I was pregnant just after Noa left for deployment.  Lately it feels like it was just yesterday that I was holding the pregnancy test and trying to frantically call him.  Even though I was overwhelmed and unsure of the future, I still remember feeling like I still had time to process everything.  Not so much anymore.  These days I'm making decisions about birth plans, diapers, and childcare.  It's very surreal and seems like it came about so quickly.

Ready or not, baby girl Hammer will soon be here and we have been trying to prepare as best we can.  According to one of my pregnancy guides, the baby is now the size of a watermelon (eek!) and is considered full-term, meaning that if she decides to come this week, she's able to survive outside the womb. I'm trying to make sure most things are ready and in place, but I still feel woefully behind.  In making decisions, I find that it's hard to know exactly what she'll like - some babies like to be swaddled, others don't; she might like to be in the swing, but she might hate it - and it's the not knowing that drives me batty.  I never know if I'm making the right decision or not.  This is difficult for a type-A personality like myself.  So, I debate the decision, talk to people, and then try to make the best guess.  I know I'll be wrong on some - probably many - things, but I'm going to try my best.

The nursery is starting to take shape.  I'm going for a vintage meets modern look for the nursery.  There will be plenty of pink, but hopefully other warm tones as well.  Last weekend Noa put some of the furniture pieces together, which made me feel like we are finally moving forward.  At least we have a dedicated nursery space now....it used to be a storage room!  

Gunnar had to be in the middle of the action, of course.

We have a DaVinci Jenny Lind crib and an Ikea Hemnes dresser (the knobs are going to get a color treatment soon, so we haven't put those on yet).

I wanted to put a whole custom storage unit in the closet, but after pricing them and feeling like it might not be the best idea for the space, we decided to go with something a little more simple.  During our Ikea shopping trip, we picked up a Trofast frame with white bins.  I think this will work well because I'll still have space for larger items.  And, yes, Gunnar had to be a "helper" with this too.

The closet is slowly getting filled with clothes.  I've been washing, sorting, and trying to figure out how best to store all these itty bitty things!

Perhaps our most favorite item is the chair we picked up yesterday.  While out furniture shopping we stumbled upon some "yard sales" happening at a local storage facility.  Basically people store their yard sale items there during the week and then sell them on the weekends right out of the storage facility.  That's where we met Randy "The Pimp" Taylor (yes, you read that name right), a Bremerton native, who has a history in the pro wrestling circuit. After sitting in the chair and chatting it up with Randy, we realized that we loved the small size, funky yellow color, and the story behind the rocker.  I mean, who else has a wrestler's man cave chair, completely with cat scratches from his ex-girlfriend?  Priceless I tell ya....actually, it's about ten bucks, which is thankfully in our budget.  We happily loaded it into the CR-V.

Other than getting the nursery and baby gear together, we are also in the process of preparing our other "babies" for the big change ahead.  Sadie and Gunnar have officially been kicked off the furniture.  No more lounging in our bed, the couch, or the chair.  The one piece of furniture they can still use is the ottoman and I recently purchased some cushy beds for them.  They seem to really like them....especially when we put them in front of the fireplace.

No baby bump picture for this post....I'm having some computer issues and can't seem to load the most recent ones.  Hopefully, I'll be able to share some photos from our maternity shoot soon.  In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that baby girl stays put until her due date, or at least close to it - I still have a lot to do!!

First Yau Visit

The great thing about having the baby shower here was that our dear friends, Traci, Herman, and little Yau, Millie, came to visit for a week.  It was their first time at our house and the first time that Herman has flown since his medical emergency this year.  We were thrilled to host them.  Much of the visit was focused on the baby shower, but we were able to enjoy the beautiful Washington weather (I think they actually brought the sunshine with them from California) and each other's company.

Millie LOVED the dogs.  I was so impressed with how she treated them and how they listened to her.  One of her daily jobs became giving them breakfast and dinner, where she would toss the dogs their food for them to eat.  She loved it because she got to interact and have a job with the pups and they loved it because they got to get hand-fed.  Win-win!

They also enjoyed running around in the yard.  Herman captured this adorable shot of Millie, Sadie, and Gunnar on the porch.  Total cuteness!

We got to spend some time in the city, of course.  Love this family photo of the Yaus....don't they just look like a fun family?!

We rode the ferry.  Notice how Millie has her little San Francisco 49ers football with her.  Herman had bought it for her and she carried it everywhere.

Herman had staked out a fun burger joint called Red Mill Burgers.  We stopped by for a bite to eat before they had to fly home.  Delish!

We miss having them around already, but I'm sure another visit will be in the near future.  

Baby Girl Celebrated....Again!

This past weekend, Jess* and Traci** (plus Herman and their daughter) traveled to Washington to throw a small shower for me and baby girl Hammer.  I knew they had been planning it for awhile, but I was in the dark about the details.  Saturday afternoon, I was led out to a living room full of beautiful, personalized decorations and much excitement.  I was so glad that Jess had her camera on hand to capture these moments because I was much too busy admiring their hard work.

Traci led me out to the living room before the party started.  I was gripping on to Traci for dear life (my eyes were closed) because I was afraid I would fall off the step.

The reveal!

The food table consisted of finger foods, dips, and pink lemonade.  Did you notice the fringed garland on the wall?  It's so festive and pretty that I haven't taken it down yet.  The colorful bunting in the front of the table was handmade by my friend, and Jess' sister-in-law, Kate.

Traci designed the invites and all the cards for the events.  I love the soft watercolor background.

The drinks all had labeled straws that matched the invitations.  I loved the gray, white, and pink striped straws.  Shouldn't all our drinks look this good?

And there was no shortage of sweets!  A candy bar (I've always wanted one of these), caramel-toffee dipped pretzel rods, and Bella Bella Cupcakes were up for the taking along one of the bookshelves.

Ball jars filled with ranunculus (my newest favorite flower) filled the room.  The jars made me feel nostalgic for home (NH) since my parents use these as drinking glasses.  Guess they have many uses!

And my green-thumbed friend, Connie, brought over some dahlias for a punch of color.

The back table had "Wishes for Baby Girl Hammer" cards to fill out and little wooden dolls to paint.

One of the great things about the shower was the blending of people: the hostesses were friends I've had for a very long time and they were able to meet the people who have become dear to me here in Washington.  It was so fun to see all my groups of friends talking and getting to know one another.

 One very awesome idea (especially for a book nerd like myself) was that everyone brought a children's book in lieu of a card.  Now I have a ton of great children's books to put in baby girl's room with messages from many of our friends.  I love it!

Baby girl received some very sweet and thoughtful gifts.

I asked Jess to take photos of my friends and I'm so glad she did.  Look how great the care group ladies from church look (sorry we missed you, Becky and Anita)!  From left to right: Melanie, Connie, me, Trish, and Loralyn.

Apparently I missed the memo about wearing a cute scarf to the event.  Franchi and Amy look fabulous!

Remember Antje, the beautiful bride from Seattle, from a few posts ago?  I was so touched that she came all the way out from the city to join the celebration.

And of course, my lovely hostesses, Jess and Traci.  I know they worked their tails off for months to make this baby shower just perfect and it showed.  I am so blessed to have friends like them in my life to not only be a listening ear when I'm down, but also to celebrate the great joys in my life.  

Thank you girls.  You are so special to me!

* For more of Jess' fabulous photography, click here.

** For more of Traci's inspired design work, click here.

Parents & Projects

We were recently blessed with a visit from Noa's parents.  With baby Hammer's arrival a little over a month away, we have a lot to do around here, especially in terms of house projects.  In come the parents and things started getting done!

We did some serious yard work....we were able to clear out weeds, lay out weed blocker, lay down mulch, and get a hole dug for a tree (we hope to plant a Japanese maple soon!).

The weeds are gone!

The mulch is down!  Now we just need to get that tree.

Sadie enjoyed playing a supervisor role while basking in the sun.

They taught us how to prune our trees the correct way.  This maple in front was looking really full and completely covering the front window.  Now we can actually see the trunk and look out the window at our yard.  Don't you just love the color change going on?!  I love fall!

Carol helped me with some other garden activities, like what to plant in this box since the last plants kicked the bucket.  We decided to plant this colorful kale.

We (Noa and his parents, I chose to stay away from the fumes) finished painting the kitchen cabinets.*  This was one of those projects that had been going on and on.  I have a few minor things to finish on them, but overall, they are good to go!!

White on top and gray on the bottom.  I love it!

Carol and Noa also hung shelves in the hallway closet, but I've yet to organize that, so no photo for the blog....sorry, folks.

It wasn't all work and no play.  Carol and I got in a little shopping in downtown Poulsbo.  We had to stop for coffee, of course.

And we all went out to have a belated birthday dinner for Noa.  We ordered one of each of the desserts offered on the menu.

I'm so glad Jack and Carol got to make it out before the baby comes.  It was fun to get prepared for her arrival and visit with them before the craziness of life with baby begins.  I'm already looking forward to their next visit.  Thanks for everything, Jack and Carol!  You two make things happen!

*The kitchen cabinet project deserves a whole blog post, which will come at a later time.  

Dog of the Day

I haven't done a "Dog of the Day" post in awhile and I thought that it might be time to do so.  One of the HUGE perks of my job at the Kitsap Humane Society is the opportunity to have canine visitors in my office.  I try to choose dogs who would benefit from experiencing the sights and sounds of an office without getting too wound up.  This time away from the kennel is often referred to as "real room time" at the shelter.  Experiencing real room time is a great training tool for these shelter dogs because they learn to behave and experience an environment similar to a home atmosphere.  This, in turn, helps with their transition into a new home when they do get adopted.

So, here are some of my canine friends who have visited the office lately.  I love them all!!

Here's Buster:

He loves the Kong.  It's filled with peanut butter and food.

And, sweet, shy Missy:

She loves those head and neck scratches.

And today's pal, Elvis:

Awww.....

Birthday!

Today is Noa's birthday.  Unfortunately, it's a pretty standard work day for us and tonight we have our first childbirth class scheduled.  So, it's pretty packed.  We'll celebrate this weekend while his parents are out visiting.  I did try to make today special for him with little treats, like German chocolate cupcakes from Bella Bella Cupcakes.  Hopefully, a few of these birthday touches make today just a little more special for him in the midst of a busy day.

One of the many things that I appreciate about Noa is his ability to tackle change and uncertainty head on.  Whether it's going on deployment, climbing a mountain, or preparing for a child, Noa accepts these challenges to the best of his ability.  Sure, there is always doubt when facing the unknown, but Noa doesn't back out.  He is teaching me to stay strong and press on. 

So, happy birthday, Noa.  You are loved by so many....

...but especially me.