A sneak preview...

Look at all of the hard work Tanner did to get baby's room ready! We're not quite done, but we're making progress. (never mind the mess of furniture...)

While Tanner hung things on the walls, I attempted to organize the bookshelf.

And finally, here's Baby G's stroller:

Stay tuned for pictures of a more complete room :)

Happy 35 weeks Lil' G!

If baby's doctor has played his cards right (or has played OUR cards right?!), Lil' G will be here in 5 weeks. Here's a 35-week photo to show baby's growth, and maybe mine too...

Do you like the shadow in the background?! We were feeling creative.

To baby:

We are getting ready for you! Daddy just finished putting together your stroller. It matches your car seat, so you'll be a pretty hip babe cruisin' around town. And since you're coming during a cold time of year, we bought you a nice warm fleece sack to snuggle in while you're in the car seat. I think you're going to like it! We also bought you some diapers today...daddy thinks the pack of 40 will last you for a month, but I think he's just being silly.

It has been a lot of fun feeling you play games in mommy's belly - you are quite the monkey!Thank you for keeping me and your daddy entertained. We are very eager for your arrival. You've still got some growing to do, though, so take your time...but know that we can't wait to meet you and give you smooches.

Getting ready for baby

Tanner and I both had some sort of nesting instincts today. Although I'm on house arrest (see posting below), I'm not on strict bed rest. So it's okay for me to fulfill some of these nesting-related needs.

I guess Tanner's behaviors maybe weren't brought on by hormones and motherly instincts, but instead his love for our big garage and warm fall days. He spent much of the day winterizing things, cleaning lil' white car, etc. He also helped a friend build a shed. Such a handy man! I hosed down some window screens, dusted, cleaned bathrooms, swept inside and and a little outside, vacuumed up those annoying lady bug animals, and took a really loooooong nap. Sigh. It was lovely. The most fun activity of the day, though, was washing some of baby g's items. All of the adorable onesies, sleepers, and hats are ready to be worn! The cradle sheets are ready to be slept on! The changing pads are ready to be pooped on!

That does not mean we're totally ready for baby, though...baby needs to get a little bigger yet, and mommy and daddy need to attend baby class these next two weeks.

Here's Hannah trying out her baby g cousin's cradle:

And here are baby g's freshly laundered clothes and other baby stuff:

WARNING: This one's about pee

Well folks, baby g is having a little fun with us. After a great check-up with the doctor on Thursday, my blood pressure apparently took a turn...or maybe a couple of turns, both up and down. After a somewhat wild Friday morning, I was placed on house arrest (for medical purposes, not because I spazzed in the clinic and got arrested) for one week and had to collect my pee in a big brown jug for 24 hours. The reason? To better estimate how much protein is in my urine. Protein in urine is not "good" - it's a sign of high blood pressure, and something we really want to avoid in life if at all possible, especially when a little baby is involved.

Throughout the course of this pregnancy, I've become a pro at peeing in a cup (you mothers out there can share in this glorious achievement). Afterall, it's a requirement that must be fulfilled before seeing the doctor at every visit. I didn't think twice about having to pee in a cup, then dump it in a jug, for a measly 24 hours. Bring it on!
Well...it was brought on. I forgot that the doc didn't want just a small sample of each peeing session. Instead he wanted the whole thing. Ooofdah! That's a lot of squatting! I'm tired.

In any case, mission accomplished. I hope the lab technician is paid really, really well.
I know my husband wasn't paid enough to go through this experience...

Brrrrr!

It was a chilly day in O-town! My guess is that it was a chilly day throughout Minnesota... News anchors were eager to report that parts of Northern MN even woke up to snow on the ground. I made the mistake of leaving 4 windows slightly open when I left for work this morning. When Tanner got home this afternoon, it was 57 degrees in the house. Oooops! He called me in cold disbelief and said, "If we had a baby right now, you would not be able to bring it inside because it's so (bleep) cold in here." Good thing we don't have a baby right now! I think Baby G is plenty warm inside my belly...

I'm most worried about sweet Hannah girl, as she will be in town this weekend and hasn't exactly experienced this "cold" weather yet. Just another reason to snuggle snuggle snuggle!

Here's a cute picture of her to warm us up in the mean time:

Keep out your swimming suit!

Well folks, our beloved home narrowly escaped another flood last night. Ooofdah.

After spending the day in Mankato with mom, followed by a lovely dinner in St. Peter with her and dad, I returned to a very rainy Owatonna around 8pm. There was a small stream of water leading to the drain in our back yard - really nothing unusual and no reason to be alarmed. As I was brushing my teeth and anticipating a great night's sleep, I decided to take a final peek out the window. It was apparant that moments early, the drain decided to stop acting like a drain... UH OH. Within 15 minutes we had Lake Nokomis in our back yard, minus the pretty scenery and jogging path.

After reviewing the predicament -- phone calls were quickly placed to mom/dad, our neighbors, and Natalie up the street -- I called the police dept and spoke to a surprisingly pleasant dispatcher (who was no doubt being bomarded with calls). She said utility crews had been dispatched and the "EOC" was being opened. If anyone can define EOC, leave me a note and I'll send you $5.

Anyway, it wasn't long before the front yard and street looked just like it did 6 weeks ago during the Flood of the Century. Our sump pump was working like a good sump pump should and was able to keep up with the demands. Whew!

We're lucky to have good neighbors who were all looking out for each other. I was a bit lonely (okay, and very stressed) without my husband, and it helped to know that others were keeping an eye on things along our street.

Some women who live a couple of streets over called the mayor and the city council guy from our ward late last night...the response they got?? Mr. Mayor and Mr. Councilman came over to help them empty out their basements. You can rest assured that the next time it sprinkles here, I'm calling the city engineer.

The good news is we stayed dry - woooo hooooo!

To further brighten the mood of this post, here's Hannah: