Grateful

There are too many things to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving it would be silly of me to even try to name them all. But a few have to be said, especially today.

I feel overwhelmed by my abundance of blessings and the people in my life I get to share them with. I am grateful for the simple things like disposable diapers, paisley fabric, fresh hydrangias. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband by my side who loves me at my worst and makes me laugh every day. I’m grateful for my sweet and silly toddler who is my joy (and let’s be honest- sometimes the bane of my existence) every single day. I am thankful for good friends, close family, and a career that I love. I’m grateful for our home, the cheeb, and all the things that make up a normal day/week in my world. I am grateful for a sister and brother-in-law who drove 12+ hours out to California this week just so she could massage my feet and brush my hair out of my face as I was in labor (now that’s love!)

But most of all, on this particular Thanksgiving, I am grateful for this little girl. She decided that the best way to make me happy would be to come into this world just in time for turkey day, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to a) not be pregnant anymore, b) not be in labor anymore, and c) to be holding her in my arms at last on the day when we celebrate what we are thankful for. Thanks my little Zoe, for giving me another reason to be thankful.

Zoe Meghan MacAskill

7 pounds, 13 ounces.  20 inches.  1:18 AM today.  Mother and daughter both healthy.  Father and mother both exhausted.  There was a very scary moment during labor that I’m sure Meghan will write about in a separate post.  But it all turned out alright.

More photos.

Our Home Makeover

Never before would I have described myself as someone who is passionate about home decorating, but this pregnancy has done something very strange to me and gotten me interested in things I never pursued before. Case in point: decorating our house. I have always enjoyed having things neat and tidy and over the years I have bought some cheap decorative things to make our space pretty and stylish, but I would never go so far as to say that I knew what I was doing in that department.

Now I am obsessed. It’s all I can think about, and many of my internet surfing time these days is spent looking at home decor and decorating tips. I visit this blog every day, I can’t get enough of it.

Which brings us to the decorating nightmare I like to call my “living room project”.

It all started with me wanting to “prettify” our living room. I thought I had a photo to demonstrate the dire circumstances of this room only two months ago, but alas, I cannot find it. Let’s just say the carpet was brown, the couches were black leather with holes in them, the walls were tan, and the rest of the room consisted of Mark’s ode to watching television (aka 7 speakers, a subwoofer, and a 42″ TV). It was a “man room”. It bothered me somewhat before but now in my pregnant nesting state it became an eyesore I could no longer bear. So Mark and I had “the talk” and I convinced him of my need for some femininity in that room, stat.

So I went to work. Of course we do not have oodles of money to throw at such a project, so the possibilities were not endless. I surfed craigslist, I enlisted the help of my good friend Elena, and I started dreaming of a room that I would love and feel comfortable and beautiful to spent a large quantity of time it during the upcoming months of confinement after the baby arrives.

Phase 1- We bought a used bookcase, something we needed since moving in- our old one did not fit. Only after we got it home did I realize that it was an antiqued white that looked awfully yellow next to our tan walls. So then I started the arduous project of refinishing them in pure white. They look great but man, what a project!

Next, I bought a blue rug for a great price that I thought I loved. Mark and I had both loved our old rug but it just didn’t work with our black couches (try explaining that to your hubby though, mine just did not get it). The plan was to relocate the brown rug to our bedroom since I couldn’t bear to part with it. After a week with the blue rug Mark and I agreed that it just didn’t work. I loved the colors, but not the pattern and it just didn’t feel like “us”:

Phase 2-So we resold the rug on craigslist (at a huge profit mind you), and took the plunge- selling our black couches and ottoman as well and buying a used couch to match a brown leather recliner we already had. The room finally started to take on the feel I had hoped for. I was starting to see the possibilities. Unfortunately, Mark was not happy with the level of comfort with our new furniture since he requires the utmost reclining, relaxing, comfyness to make his evenings enjoyable. Can you blame the guy? He sits at a computer all day! I had finally gotten my dream couch and it just wasn’t satisfying knowing that the hubs couldn’t chill out, max, and relax the way he had hoped. Bummer.

So at this point we were at a loss for what to do. Does anyone else struggle with having such different styles as their spouse? I never realized before how differently I would decorate our home than Mark would. I never bothered to ask him what he liked before, and now I see that we do not have the same style at all! It’s frustrating but at the same time I am enjoying getting to know this side of Mark I didn’t know before.

I would describe my own decorating style as casual and eclectic. I like brown leather, “pops” of color and interesting and bold patterns and prints. I like large photos, mostly of our family, for the walls. I like a room that feels “lived-in” and practical, but with my own loud personality evident. Mark tends toward the side of comfort and practicality. He wants things to be as comfortable as possible and doesn’t like things that don’t serve a purpose.

We threw around the idea of reselling the couch and moving the recliner back to it’s spot in the den, but what to replace it with? We tried to find a couch that meets Mark’s need for reclining and my need for stylish appearance but I tell you- such a couch does not exist! We did find a sectional we both could live with, but it was massive and would not fit in our space. I kept feeling like there was something important I was missing. Like the magic solution was right under my nose and I wasn’t seeing it.

Then my friend Elena came up with a brilliant idea. Why are we pushing so hard to have everything in that one small living room? We have two living spaces. Our other living space is currently a den that we use mostly for our computers and nothing else. It’s off the kitchen, further from the bedrooms and it it not being used to the fullest extent we should be using it. Why not give Mark his “man room” by moving all the TV equipment to the den and buying a reclining couch that Mark loves? It can be as casual and comfortable a room as Mark likes and we can spend many a relaxing evening watching movies together on our comfy cozy couch. I won’t feel the need to decorate it since it’s not the first room you see when you walk into our house. Then, the living room can become my “girlie room” where my home office will be and I can feel free to decorate as much as I want and even toss a few throw pillows on the couch without fear of ruining the comfort of my hubby. Brilliant.

So we went to work yet again. This time, though, I had a renewed excitement about the project. I finally felt like we had stumbled upon the perfect solution. Even though it saddens me a bit that Mark and my styles cannot really co-exist in one room, I am happy that we found a solution that we can both live with. So last month, while our houseguests were in town, we made the switch. We then lived for another few weeks with the rooms unfinished as we awaited the arrival of Mark’s “man cave couch” (think dark brown leather with built-in recliners). Now we have put the finishing touches on our spaces and while I’m not sure that my room will ever feel “completed”, I am really happy with it. Reese and I spend so much time in it every day and I love that she has the space to pull out her toys and play on the floor nearby while I work at my computer. I also love that the furniture I worked so hard on allows me to easily ans quickly clean up the room and hide away my desk. So if you ever stop by at a moment’s notice and are impressed with the cleanliness of my front room, know that I was probably madly tossing toys in baskets moments before you knocked on the door. It feels farmiliar, warm, and stylish. Best of all, it feels like home.

Here is the result, and we love it!

For the record, pretty much everything you see was a craigslist find. I am especially proud of the computer armoire which I found of craigslist for $40 and persuaded Mark to go pick up for me. It was off-white and needed a little TLC, so I refinished it last month in the rich red it is now. I love that I can hide away my desktop by simply closing the doors and yet I spend much of my time working on my computer and it’s nice to have it in this room where Reese and I spend most of our days. The bookcases also were a craigslist find and I refinished them as well. I got some tips on styling the bookcase from this YHL post.

Another refinishing project I completed in the last month was this dresser for the baby’s room. I found it on craigslist and it has some scratches and gouges in it so I sanded it down and repainted it the same color.

The makeover is almost complete. I still have a few things to hang on the walls and a few room arrangement changes to make but it feels so nice to be on the other side of things now and just in time for the nesting instinct to wear off. I love walking into our home now and feeling that homey feel I so love. It was a lot of work but I am happy with the result.

Now who wants to come over and visit?

Due

It’s the 22nd of November.

I should be at the hospital having a baby.

I have been patient for 9 months now. There is a limit to how long that patience will last.

Baby, we had an agreement. For the last 40 weeks I have given you a nice cozy oven to bake in. I gave in to your “need” for ice cream, Halloween candy, and other sweet and fattening foods. I made sure you had plenty of water even though it meant I had to visit the bathroom multiple times during each night. I gained weight for you. I vomited because of you. I had to buy new clothes to wear to fit you here in my belly. I did all this because I love you and I wanted you to grow and be ready to join our family.

We had a deal. 40 weeks. Then I get my body back. 40 weeks. That’s all you get!

Yet, here we are. 40 weeks to the day and you have made no indication that you plan on vacating the premises any time soon. What gives? Haven’t I kept up my end of the bargain?

Today I am supposed to be having a baby. Instead I….

Cleaned both bathrooms. I mean- spic and span, on my hands and knees scrubbing the floors- cleaned the bathrooms.

While Mark cleaned and organized his side of the closet.

I cleaned Reese’s room.

I cleaned our room, including stripping the bed and moving it with Mark, vacuuming under it, then rolling out our new rug, putting the bed back together and making the bed and vacuuming the rug.

I got baby things ready like moving the bassinet into our room.

I readied the guest room for my sister Kellee and her husband Jared who will be arriving tonight to help us out for the next week.

I deep-cleaned the kitchen including pulling everything off the counters and wiping behind and under them.

I dusted and helped Mark clean the “man cave”.

And to top it all off, I made this from scratch:

It’s eggpant parmesan. My friend Wendee’s hypnobirthing instructor swears by this recipe. Supposedly it will make you go into labor within 48 hours. It’s been 24 hours and I have had three helpings and I still no baby. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

And what, you may ask, has the soon-to-be big sister of the house been doing today?

If only we could all be so easily amused today.

Well, I think my plans for being home in time for Thanksgiving are out the window. Hey Baby? You wanna give me a rough estimate how much longer you want to stay in there?

Then and Now

Lately I have been acutely aware of how much my little girl is growing up. Maybe it is the fact that we are about to have a newborn around again (weird!) but I keep realizing that Reese is getting older and smarter every day and I feel like it is all going so fast. She is terribly excited to be a “big stister” and talks every day about “baby stister” and how she wants to give her a “baba milk” and that she is going to go over to grandma’s house when “baby stister” is born. She often puts her hands on my belly and asks in whispers if the baby is sleeping. I am not as afraid anymore about having a toddler and a newborn because Reese is so much easier these days. I just know she will be a good helper.

For all those who did not hear, I do not have to have a C-section. My placenta finally moved enough by my 36-week appointment that I have been cleared at this point for a normal delivery. I had mixed feelings when I got this news. Part of me was glad to not have the recovery and scars that come with C-sections. The other part of me was a bit disappointed that it will not all be as easy as scheduling a date for the baby to be born and waltzing into the hospital for a quick and relatively easy delivery. However, we would have had the c-section this week if that had been the case, and I am grateful that I still have another 11 days to accomplish a few things considering I am still training my replacement at SmugMug AND designing a wedding album that needs to be ordered before baby girl comes into my life and makes me a sleepless zombie.

Mark has been cracking me up lately with his nervousness about another labor and delivery. He brought up the need for us to pack our hospital bags when I was only 33 weeks along. He also suggested that if I go into labor in the middle of the night, even if It’s not time to go to the hospital, we should wake up Reese and all go over to his parent’’s house because they live so close to the hospital. Hello! We only live 15 minutes from the hospital ourselves and last time I was in labor for 63 hours. I am pretty sure we can make it to the hospital from our house when the time comes, with more than enough time to spare. I love that he is so worried though. It makes me feel cared for and safe.

I am still nervous about giving birth again and the only thing that makes it worth it at this point is to get rid of this discomfort. The only thing that makes giving birth a little more appealing at this point is the knowledge that I won’t have to be pregnant anymore. I am uncomfortable about 90% of the time and the other 10% I am probably asleep and still uncomfortable but don’t know it. Man I can’t wait to not be pregnant anymore!

So in honor of the soon to be “Big Stister” of the house, I have a little photo comparison for you since I seem to be much better at taking photos of my child around this time of year for some reason…

Reese with the bunnies at the pumpkin patch her first Halloween:

Reese at the pumpkin patch with the bunnies last year:

Reese at the pumpkin patch with the chickies (the bunnies were all caged) this year:

Reese on the tractor last year:

Reese on the tractor this year:

Reese with her buddy Luke at the pumpkin patch last year:

Reese with her buddy Luke this year at the pumpkin patch:

Reese at the orchard with Luke last year:

Reese with Luke at the orchard this year:

Can you believe the hair growth on this little one?

Happy Halloween!

I like to call our costume idea “Just like Daddy.”

See them bigger here.

7×7x7

So even though we generally use OS X at SmugMug, we still game on Windows boxes and have to test/develop on them as well. So when our copies of Windows 7 arrived, 7 of us went down to In N Out and took on 7×7’s (7 patties and 7 cheese slices).

I generally eat much healthier now than I used to, but sometimes I make exceptions.