Weekend Update :-)

Hey, all!
Just thought I'd post a relatively quick update as to our weekend.
This weekend and next we're dog sitting for Callie, Nichole's dog. She's a pretty easy girl to sit for, all things considered, save she has a penchant for early mornings and is a very slow eater so we have to guard her food so the boys don't make off with it :-)
Saturday we ran some errands and hit Cool Springs and Franklin to look at baby things. Turner has been doing tons of research on strollers and there are a few brands that are hard to come by at Babies R Us (at least IN the store) and so we wanted to see them in person. We went to USA Baby in Franklin which was very high-end (read: Expensive) and we're accosted by this pushy salesperson. We did get to see an entire Combi carseat/stroller set which was of interest to us... (I've started to realize that unless you are pregnant or have recently had a baby, most of this is pretty boring stuff). Then we went to Sears and met our friends Frank and Amber and their baby Corrie at Costco briefly.
Then last night we went to Frank and Amber's for dinner. Alas, shortly after dinner we got a call from our neighbors to tell us that the dogs had broken out a window in the living room and were in danger of cutting themselves to smithereens. The neighbors weren't able to get too close to try to calm them down as they kept sticking their faces out and almost cutting themselves every time someone got close. We rushed home in an absolute panic, calling our vet to get the emergency vet's number en route, but fortunately found that all 3 dogs were unharmed and not particularly upset at all. After some super fun glass clean up and rebuilding the window from cardboard (we're nothing if not classy), we watched the end of a movie and then went to bed.
Today we again did some comparison shopping although along with baby jazz, we added replacement windows into the mix (although we could just replace the broken pane of glass, the windows in our house are the originals from 1940 so it would a. be hard to match the glass and b. we'd run the risk of the same thing happening again.) We have appointments set up with American Home Design and Home Depot to get quotes on Monday and Tuesday and have a few other options we're considering as well... We'll see what happens.
In more exciting news, we went to the one store in Nashville that carries the Mia Moda stroller (though not the one we want) so we went to check it out. The store is called Popo and is in the new Hill Center in Green Hills. We were really impressed with the design and function of the stroller they carried, so we have officially (drum roll please) decided on travel system, the Mia Moda Energi with the Mia Moda Viva car seat.


I really cannot express the amount of research Turner has put into this, so I'm very excited that it has all paid off and we both feel satisfied and happy with what we've chosen. If you want to see more about it, check out their website for demos and such at:
http://www.miamodainc.com/strollers/video-demo_energi.asp

Tonight we met Brandon and Michelle for dinner at Broadway Brewhouse. It was a beautiful night out and so we got to enjoy sitting on the patio. Plus, Turner had been jonesing for Brewhouse food for a few weeks so his wish finally came true.
Finally, I thought I'd include a few updated pix of me pregnant. Not sure how much you can tell from the pix, but I'm really starting to look pregnant.


I'd felt kind of frumpy all day in non-maternity clothes when we went shopping, so I decided to try to dress up a little bit to go to Brewhouse. My theory was that this was kind of a pregnant mod-look. Not sure it quite worked, but I didn't feel so frumpy :-)
Hope all of you had a great weekend and have a good upcoming week.
Love,
Jessica

Week 17 Update....

This may get interrupted as I'm at a staffing to determine if we will prosecute child sex cases, but here's your week 17 update....

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

So the Peanut is now a turnip!
Also of interest, in general, I'm suddenly kind of popping out. When I got home last night from painting pottery, two maternity dresses I'd ordered had come in and when I went to try them on, I realized that my belly was really protruding. I swear a didn't notice it that morning, so it kind of freaked me out.

Also of interest in my changes per week 17:
Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling.
Great, already clumsy me will soon be more clumsy. We have just gotten the Wii Fit though, and I can tell you it thinks I am HORRIBLE at finding my center of balance. I'm not sure pregnancy is a time to start working on yoga and balance :-)

Got to go as they are reviewing another case,
Love to all,
Jessica

Beware....Attack Plants may be lurking in your home...

I forgot to let you all know about the bravery of our dogs. In particular, I am giving credit to Garcia as this recent phenomenon has only begun since he has stopped crating during the day so I can only assume that he is the one who is exhibiting extreme bravery in the face of attack.

Starting on Saturday afternoon, each time we come back to the house after being gone, we have found that our very large and therefore, formidible Peace Lily is missing several leaves which are strewn about the rug in the living room. Often times, the ends of the rug are also rolled up, showing a sign of struggle. Clearly, the boys KNOW better than to eat the plant, so I can only assume that the plant has been attacking them and they have responded in self-defense. That said, yesterday morning I set the Peace Lily up on a table in the living room to try and keep it from getting to the dogs, but when I came home, I found more evidence of a struggle and the Peace Lily was sitting askew on the table as though it had tried to jump off and assault the dogs. Garcia had clearly, very bravely, taken several large bites out of some of its remaining leaves.
Today, we've relocated the Peace Lily to another room and shut the door in the hopes of preventing it from going after the dogs again. I have been talking to Kari about sending it to live with her as she doesn't have dogs, so my hope is that it would be more "peaceful" in her home.... (that and it is GIGANTIC and we're running out of room for it). I just wanted to forewarn any of you that had pets regarding the so-called "Peace" Lily's aggressive and violent tendencies. If there's one in your home, keep a close eye on it. You never know when they'll strike.

Our Weekend....

So, Turner posted a bit, mostly about THE FENCE which we are so excited to get done and which he has had to do almost completely on his own. It looks phenomenal and I'm so glad it is finished. I'll try to remember to take a few pictures of it and post them as it really does look wonderful.
I figured while I was at it, I'd update you as to the rest of the weekend. Friday after work we met at Michelle's house so that one of my work friends, Kristen, could meet the supermodel boy puppy Michelle has been fostering, Katz, as well as a little girl puppy that Brandon had found a few days prior (with an abcess above her eye from where some evil person hit her and a limp). Kristen was interested in getting a second dog as she lost one of her dogs some time ago. In the end, she decided to try the little girl who has been staying with her since Sunday and who they love very much. All in all, a pretty successful Friday night if I do say so myself.

On Saturday, we hit a few garage sales in Inglewood (our part of Nashville) to no avail. Lotso f weird old glassware, old fashioned hats, and weird and ugly floral arrangements. NOT VERY FUN FOR BABIES!
But, our friends Craig and Kari were out garage saling and called us as they'd found a good one with a lot of baby stuff, so we headed to Hendersonville and managed to pick up a Diaper Champ, bath tub and back pack as well as a few stacking toys. Then we went to lunch with Craig, Kari and Corbin (who is 1 1/2) and after that, Turner and I hit World Market, TJ Maxx Home Goods and Sam's with Kari. It was a fun and relaxing day. We got a big pack of Pampers Swaddlers at Sam's (per Amber's recommendation), but I later realized we have no idea what size swaddlers we got. I figured swaddlers only came in one size....I've since found out I'm QUITE wrong!
Sunday is when Turner finished the fence and I vacuumed, steam-cleaned the carpet (thanks, Garcia!!) and then touched up the white woodwork (thanks in part to Darwin and Garcia!). We went to Frank and Amber's on Sunday and had dinner and hung out.
And now, here we are, back in the daily grind....
Hope all is well with you.
Love,
J

The Fence, The Fence...

Many of you have heard me gripe, constantly, for the last month, about staining/waterproofing our fence.

Well, I'm happy to report that the fence is finally finished!!! (Well the inside is anyway)
As I finished that and worked in yard, Jessica steam cleaned carpet (which became an absolute necessity, thanks to Garcia) and touched-up trim where the dogs have managed to scratch it up over the last couple of years with their deadly dog toes.

That said, we're ticking down the project list. I think the next stop is office/guest bedroom/nursery rearranging. We'll keep you posted.

-Turner

Drum roll, please.....Week Sixteen Update

So, seems that the Peanut is now actually an avocado.

Here's what happens in Week 16:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Exciting, huh? A growth spurt! Guess I'll grow some too. Thank goodness for all the maternity clothes from Joelle and Kari! Right now I'm sort of doing a 50/50 between maternity clothes and my regular clothes. Like today I'm wearing one of Kari's shirts with a regular cami and stretchy capris (don't worry, I brought a "coordinating" jacket to make the ensemble up to dress code!). Truthfully, I don't mind growing, as in general, I'm just so excited about the baby. I'm annoyed that it is another month until the next ultrasound as I really just want to see it again. Supposedly I'll feel it begin to move between now and week 20 or so, so that's something exciting. In the meantime, I'm actually thinking about borrowing Michelle's stethoscope and seeing if we can hear the heart beat! Creepy maybe, but I miss getting to see and hear him/her.

Elsewise, we are going to do some more work around the house this weekend. Hoping to finish painting the inside of the fence (and the rest will wait until fall) and then get to work transferring the office upstairs and touching up the woodwork before beginning to paint the office (now guest room) and baby room (formerly guest room). Alas, there may be some rain in the forecast so that may slow us down.

Anyway, we'll keep you all posted as to how the weekend goes....

Love,

Jess

P.S. Garcia seems to be doing better. He has not gotten sick in 2 days now (knock on wood). And, I've gotten REALLY good at getting him to take his pills. We're also working with the dogs on being more obedient as I finally got in the books I ordered on integrating the dogs and the baby. They now have to sit and stay before going outside or coming in and before getting their food. We have lots of other things to practice with them, too. Eventually we have to teach them to recognize their toys from the baby's toys, but I figure we'll master the sitting and staying first...

Baby Name Poll

Ok, after much debate and heartache, I think we've managed to narrow down the list of baby names.
For girl names, there is one. Only one. That is why you can either choose our name (which is awesome) or choose to be flogged by a goat.
Boy names are a little more complicated. I think that we have a favorite, but we'll let everyone weigh in.

We both look forward to hearing what you think, but make no promises whatsoever to run with the wisdom of the crowd. We reserve the right to give our baby any horrible name that we can come up with (Jess suggested Ferrari Maserati Turner this morning). If for no other reason than pure spite. Have a wonderful day and feel free to leave other ideas for us to ignore in the comments :-)

P.S. Garcia update - he went to the vet AGAIN!! last night. They gave us another medicine and the million-dollar-puppy rolls on. Hopefully, that will be the last trip for a while and this stomach thing will be done with.