We've picked a name

but we're not telling! I made the mistake of discussing possible names (before we had decided) with a couple of family members. Big no no. I don't know what it is with people, but they seem to think they have cart blanche to say whatever they want to pregnant people. It's as if they know what is best for OUR kid and what names would be acceptable for OUR kid. The unsolicited advice on naming was really annoying. "Don't name him that because people will call him ___", "When *I* was naming my kids I made sure to think about X,Y,Z" etc. My mom made some comment to me and I said "I guess it's a good thing you had seven chances to name kids. This is OUR kid and we're naming him what WE want to."

The baby is kicking really hard now. I have fun watching my entire tummy shake when he kicks. I can see a giant bulge wherever his feet make contact. I haven't thrown up this past week from brushing my teeth. Knock on wood that this trend continues. Boobs feel massive. Hair feels oily. Back pain is horrible. I spoke with my doctor and she said I've done everything she would recommend to help the pain. She's going to write me an order for physical therapy if I want it. I would love to go and get stretched out by a pro, but the only problem is that we are still so busy with the move and remodel that I don't have time to go. Hopefully things will slow down a bit when we are officially moved (out by the 4th!!!!).

That's all for now. Back to packing...

I. Am. Exhausted.

I'm taking a quick break from the packing and house stuff that is my life right now. I wish I could go to sleep and wake up and have February be over with all the remodel decisions made and the house packed and appointments attended. There's just not enough time in the day right now. I'm sick of people telling me that I need to make sure I relax and that stress isn't good for the baby. Well DUH! Unless you are volunteering to do all this crap for me then shut up! I guess that's it really. I just needed to vent.

Nothing really new on the baby front. He's discovered that he really likes kicking my ribs. My belly button is in limbo between being an inny or an outy. I discovered a really long arm hair the other day. I thought it was a white cat hair, but when I went to remove it I found out it was attached to my arm. I feel like it was award worthy. There are awards for growing giant gourds, so why not have one for record long arm hair?

I guess it's back to packing now...

So much to update...

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of baby decisions, house decisions, and family stuff.

After doing much research on crib safety, I finally found a crib/bedroom set I like. It was really pricey, but Brian and I figured that it would be used by all our kids so it's worth it to invest in a set that is really nice and durable. My in-laws told us they wanted to buy the crib for us, which was an unexpected surprise. When I went into the store with my mother-in-law, she announced upon paying that they wanted to buy EVERYTHING

! I was shocked and argued for a bit, but she was relentless and we could use the money for all our house stuff. Here's the set I chose...

As I said, we have a lot of house stuff going on and the extra money saved, thanks to my generous in-laws, has bought us new lighting for the entire house and a new bedding set (the bedding set has yet to be bought, but I'm just thinking ahead about where the money will go). The new house is a mess. Both contractors are living there, which is okay because they work for our family exclusively and we know them well, and are working 24/7 to get the upstairs finished before we move in on the 26th. The popcorn ceiling had been taken down, the walls and ceiling are retextured, new drywall has been put up in some areas where we had it torn down to inspect suspected termite damage (luckily it's not extensive everywhere), and prepping for upstairs painting has begun. It's going to get a lot messier before it gets better. Wood floor carpet, and slate tile samples are on their way, paint is in the process of being picked out (hopefully I'll finish today), all kitchen remodel materials have been chosen (minus appliances) but the floor plan still has some minor modifications to be made, windows are all being replaced, furnace and air conditioning are being replaced, and I'm sure there's more and I just can't think of it right now. I ordered our master bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, and living room furniture. Finally, all adult furniture that matches!!! I never thought the day would come!! Needless to say, between dealing with all this in addition to termite and appraisal appointments I am burnt out.

On a higher note, to me at least, my amazing grandmother passed away on the 10th. After over a decade of dealing with heart failure and three recent strokes, God finally brought her into heaven. Our whole family was at the hospital on Saturday to say goodbye to her and comfort each other. It took her several more days before she was finally freed of her worn out body. I always wondered how her larger than life spirit was able to be contained in such a small vessel. Our entire family feels relieved that she is now an angel, but I suspect she always was.

So on to today's agenda: order more light fixtures, finalize paint choices, send in termite work order contract, send in loan papers, and *hopefully* start the baby registry. I've been dreading the registry. I hope I find the time to breathe.