Dana Daily

We are scrambling to get the nursery completed before Baby's arrival. Today we walked on installing a shelving unit above the dry sink. It's a place to store diapers, cream, binkies, and other necessary baby items. I love the diamond shape. It adds another dimension to the stripes on the walls and the round poms in the corner. I found them on Overstock.com. We have a few more details to finalize, but we're so close.

I picked up the long-anticipated rocking chair from Premiere Upholstery after work. This is the same chair, just in different lighting. We could not love it any more than we do. Eventually this will end up in Sal's baseball theme man cave so we had to find a fabric that would be suitable in both rooms. I think we succeeded.

I have loved this brand since I pushed the girls around Disney World in City Minis in 2010. I knew it was what I wanted for this baby. I absolutely love this, and a I scored a great deal on albeebaby.com. Sal and I assembled it together, and it was pretty easy. There are also some features and finishes that make paying a bit more completely worth it.

Well, here we are at 36 weeks. I ordered a City Mini stroller earlier this week, and Sal and I took the baptism class at Holy Spirit last night. I think those were the two remaining must-do items on our list. I'd still like to finish the decor in the nursery, but I'm not that motivated to get on it. Maybe this weekend. I also need to pack hospital bags for both the baby and I. I have have stacks for each of us laying around and things sort of organized, but nothing is such that all Sal has to do is grab bags and go. At 36 weeks though I still feel like I have some time. Now if this were 38 weeks, you might find me a little more motivated and concerned. I have aches and pains that I don't remember with my other pregnancies, but I don't have the heartburn like I have in the past. It comes and goes, but it's bearable. As much as I want Dr. Badway to deliver this baby, I really just want him or her OUT. I'm done. Mentally, physically, and emotionally done....

Seemingly out of the blue, Emmy decided she is interested in learning to play piano. She begged Sal to teach her Mary had a Little Lamb and she worked hard on it all day Saturday. Sunday she was still interested so he kept working with her. Sal said he'll continue teaching her songs and if she remains interested, he can get her a beginning piano book. She's excited about it for now so we'll just run with it. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the two of them working, but I didn't want to be a distraction. Emmy doesn't like having her picture taken much so that could have had disastrous results.

Worst case scenario - 30 days to go! The hospital called to verify the date of the c-section and to confirm insurance information. This is really happening. We have a plan in place should I go into labor on a week we have the girls. One of their after school teachers is able to take them anytime day or night, until my mom can get down here to retrieve them. That's a huge relief. There are a few decorative items for the nursery that I'd like to pick up yet, but the room is ready for baby. We need to add towel hooks in the bathroom, but that's not really baby-related. We've been needing those for some time now. Sal has been working like crazy on the basement. The insulation is up and two of four walls are studded. He's adding walls for two large closets next. There will be less finished living space than I imagined, but storage is important, and there is room for a tv, couch, and his drumset. That's really all we need. Baby Development Your baby has ...

We visited the rocking chair this evening.  It looks amazing. The restoration is done, and now it's at the upholsterers. It's a mahogany so there's a slight reddish cast to the wood and it's very pretty. With the lion heads on the arms, it will be perfect in the vintage circus nursery. I may have mentioned this website in the past, but we cannot recommend Peck's Furniture Restoration enough. I basically chose someone out of the phone book, and we are not disappointed. Before and afters to come after the chair is delivered. We were told it would be finished and back home within two weeks.

For some reason, it dawned on me yesterday that since my c-section is scheduled for a Saturday maybe the lactation consultants won't be available. I worked myself into a nice good panic and left a message for them. In the meantime, I called my mom who gave me a pep talk about how I've successfully nursed in the past and that I'll do just fine, even if I'm on my own. Plus, there are nurses to help as well. I was quite relieved from Sarah returned my call and informed that she would be at the hospital that day, and that Diane would be available Sunday through Tuesday. Sarah helped me so much with both girls, and I really liked her. I was prepared to go it alone, but it's nice to know I won't have to. I also started the process for ordering a breast pump. Since pumps are now covered by insurance there is a process to follow.

Well, with the baby's birth date confirmed, I guess it's time to finalize the the To-Do List and start checking things off. The rocking chair should be going to the upholsterers this week. I need to ScotchGuard my new diaper bag. I need to buy a bouncy seat and maybe a stroller. We also need to finish decorating and preparing the baby's room. I should also think about packing my hospital bag, and one for Sal too, but we have some time for that. Since I'm having a c-section, there are a lot of items that I won't need. We plan on having my mom stay with us the night before so that she's there when Sarah and Emmy wake up. She can also take them to swim class, or maybe I can see if their dad can take them that day. Either way, plans are coming together. Baby's Development: As your baby continues to grow in length and weight, he or she should weigh close to five pounds and measure between 15 ½ and 17 ½ inches. Most of the organs are almost fully matur...

Baby has a birth date, February 21, 2015. We had an ultrasound this evening. The baby is head down, weighs about 5lbs, 4oz (or so they say), has hair, and has grown normally since the last ultrasound. The placenta has also resolved and moved completely out of the way. The baby's heart rate was 147, and I'm still guessing boy. 38 days and counting.

The nursery still isn't finished, but we made progress over the weekend. I went ahead and did baby laundry over the weekend just so I could feel like I accomplished something.  I need a few more items for the decor, but I have ideas and we should be wrapping this up very soon. Some shelving, book ends and a bunting should round out the room quite nicely. Here are a couple more sneak peeks. These curtains came with tie backs, but I'm struggling to find black out curtains to put behind them, so for now they stay closed. The ruffles add a girly touch, but the color scheme lends itself to a boy. It works. The crib is waiting. I've had one or two friends offer up their own children if we need to test it out, but I think we're good with waiting. I can't remember if I mentioned this is a prior post or not, but we went with a  vintage carnival or circus them. Since Sal and I found out we were expecting the morning we went to Disneyland, it seem...

The winter session of swim class started today. The girls are repeating the same levels they were in last fall. Moving up is based on the Red Cross Certification Program so they have to master certain skills before moving on. Most children repeat these levels multiple times.  As long as they're in the pool that seems to be good enough for them. They are also going to start a six week art class in February on Fridays, taught by their school's art teacher. It's held after school for an hour and introduces the kids to new techniques and new mediums. It's an alternative to their usual aftercare routine, which generally includes snack and a movie. Monday - Choir Wednesday - Hand bells Friday - Art Class Saturday - Swim With the exception of swim all of their activities are associated with the parish/school and don't require me driving them anywhere. I can't be at school at dismissal anyway so they have these activities to keep them busy. So far i...

Pertussis was once thought to be eradicated, but with the recent trend of people not vaccinating against such diseases, it's made a comeback. The CDC now recommends  that pregnant women get the whooping cough vaccine in the third trimester of every pregnancy. It offers the baby some protection until s/he can get the shot for themselves, around 2 months of age. The most common side effects include erythema, swelling, pain, and tenderness at the injection site, body-ache, fatigue, or fever. The pain I experienced at the site of the injection is no worse that that of the flu shot, but it does last for a few days. Vaccines do make me nervous because of the additives and such that are included, but a larger part of me feels the benefit outweighs the risk. I just hope I'm right.

I can get comfortable enough to sleep, but there's some kind of crazy hormone that makes me wide-eyed and bushy-tailed at the strangest times. When I do manage sleep, I wake up in pain. My hips are killing me. The bones are moving, and it just aches. It used to be my leg muscles would wake me up and even just swinging them to the side of the bed worked to alleviate the pain. Nothing is helping me know. While Sal and I were off for Christmas we organized the nursery and put some things away. Probably the biggest thing that needs done now is baby laundry, but I feel it's a little too soon yet. I also need to check on the status of our rocking chair. I know it'll be amazing when it's finished, but I'm concerned that we're now on month five and I haven't heard anything about it in weeks.  My next doctor appointment is tomorrow and the burning question is. . .will my delivery date still be February 21? Baby's Development Your baby should weigh betwe...

Sal and I received a gift certificate for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse from the Steubenville Band Parents last year for our wedding. We decided to cash it in this New Years Eve. We had a very nice dinner, even though the women seated at the table next to us left a lot to be desired. There were three, an elderly mother and her two middle-aged daughters. One daughter complained about the draft, and they were eventually relocated, to the other side of us. Then she insisted on having a Merlot that the restaurant did not have. Apparently they had run out so the wine director (he introduced himself as such) stopped by their table and made a few other suggestions. The pretentious attitude was what got to me. Hello, you're in Pittsburgh! From there we walked over to the ice rink at PPG Place and took in the sights. Neither one of us really likes ice skating though, and I'm certainly not going to try it with this big ol' belly. We had tickets to "Motown, The Musical" ...