Best. Class. Ever.

I think we may have had our best birthing class ever last night. Why, you ask? Because Chris got to wear "The Empathy Belly." (And when I say "got to," I mean the instructor forced him to. Love her.)

Behold -- The Empathy Belly. Thirty-five pounds of simulated pregnancy goodness. Complete with boobs and belly.


While the instructor was talking, Chris kept sitting there and hoisting the belly up off his lap with both hands, because he couldn't lean forward like normal and get comfortable. Then he would look at me with this pained look in his eyes, like "this is so annoying and uncomfortable, I want to take it off!"

And I laughed a silent evil laugh.

(I just can't get over the boobs! They're too hilarious.)

I even made Chris bend over and try to tie his shoes while he had the belly on. As he was bent over I asked him if he could breathe. "No," he panted, as he struggled to reach the laces.

And I laughed another evil laugh. This time out loud.

More New Moon Awesomeness

Oh my, the release of this movie causes me stress. I want to see it so bad!

Stay put, you little Bambina! Mommy needs some vampire movie love!

The Crazy Chicken

Chris and I drove down to Lehi this week to sign the closing papers for the refinance of our home. Word to the wise: never use a friend for your refinance! It was nice to finally put an end to a four-month ordeal that involved our first lending company going out of business two days before we were to close, and not one -- but two home appraisals within 3 months. Oh, and then signing papers saying we were to be locking a 20-year loan but getting there and finding out they locked a 30. Ugh. I have no patience for people who can't do their jobs correctly even when I'm paying them to.

Alas, I digress.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we decided to stop at El Pollo Loco on the way home to celebrate the end of the madness. Chris loves fried chicken, so he was in heaven. He said it reminded him of when he was little and they used to go to Disneyland. They would always eat at El Pollo Loco when they were in California. It was fun to hear him reminisce.


The best part? The churros. I had three.

32 Week Belly Pic

Sometimes our birthing class instructor gives us "homework" to do before we come the next week. At the beginning of class last week she stood up to ask who had completed their homework. Then she pulled out a bag of Mamba candies and tossed one to everyone who raised their hand.

Do you remember Mambas? It's been years since I last had one. As I unwrapped mine and put it in my mouth, I was instantly in love again. During the rest of class, the teacher continued to hand them out for each question answered correctly.

You better believe I was the annoying smart kid in the front row who never gave anyone else a chance to raise their hand.


Must. Have. More. Mambas.

On the way home that night, we stopped at every grocery store between the hospital and our house in search of my very own giant bag of Mambas. Mmm-mmm. And they were delicious.

(I'm starting to sprout the "basketball" look this week!)

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 32w1d
Gender: Girl
Current Cravings: Mambas and Twix candybars
Weight gain: +21 lbs
Best moment this week: Watching Chris learn how to swaddle and change a diaper on a doll in our childcare class. Hilarious.
Funniest moment this week #1: Trying to reach my feet yesterday morning to put socks on for the first day of fall. It was a no go. I skipped the socks and wore the closed-toe shoes anyway.
Belly button in or out: Out!
Labor signs: A few braxton-hicks here and there. I can tell they're stress-related.
What I miss: I still miss laying on my stomach.
What I'm looking forward to: My first baby shower this week!

My Own Personal Chef

We've had busy evenings for the last few weeks with birthing classes and other obligations. It's been making it hard to find time to make dinner after work but before class (...unless I use the crockpot...but it's still too hot for that).

So I made a menu plan for this week and bought all of the ingredients over the weekend. Chris always offers to cook if I tell him what to make, so this week I've been leaving recipes out on the counter for Chris. I told him if he wanted to have any dinner to eat, he was going to have to help cook it (since he gets home an hour before I do).

Every night this week when I've walked in the door from work, dinner has already been in the works! I think I have the best husband ever.

Last night's creation -- BLT pasta. Oh-so-yummy.


In other news, we watched two birth videos in our childbirth class last night. And they were real-live birth videos. When they finished I looked over at Chris who was sitting there in his chair, wide-eyed.

Annalisa: "What are you thinking?"
Chris: (Shaking his head.) "Holy shiz, holy shiz, holy shiz!"
Annalisa: "Use your words, honey. Are you thinking it looked painful? Are you thinking it looked gross? What?"
Chris: (Still shaking his head.) "Holy shiz, holy shiz, holy shiz!"

So there you have it, folks.

The Baby Bedding!

Remember the fabric swatches I showed you for the crib bedding? I got an email last night saying that our custom bedding was all done. The woman who made it said she loved what I designed so she named it the "Ava" bedding, took a picture of it in a crib and put it up on her site for sale!

That means we should be receiving it in about a week, because it ships from New York. Lets hope our carpet is all stretched by then so we can set up the crib & bedding and then stare at it's pink adorableness and sigh.

The fabric swatches.

The adorableness.

(How cute is the blanket!? Can't wait to wrap our little Bambina up in that one.)

The Finished Product - Our Hall Bath

I thought this day might never arrive. We began remodeling our hall bath five months ago and it's finally done! It's been mostly done for a while now, but that last 10% is always the hardest to finish. Good thing we've got this Bambina on her way to kick our rear ends into gear.

BEFOREThis is the layout of the bathroom before. We had a GIANT vanity with double sinks and a lot of wasted space.

Here's a picture of what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house. As you can tell, it was very vintage. (I actually sold the towel rings and light fixture on ebay. Who buys that kind of stuff?!?) We gave it some quick loving that we thought would last a few years. Then when we found out the showers were leaking, we had to give it the real fix.

Here you can see the giant vanity with the double sinks, and some of the hardware we updated. I paid $60 for that HUGE mirror the day after Thanksgiving, and $70 for that GIANT light fixture. The towel hardware I found online for super cheap.

The toilet cubby.

The linoleum in here was permanently dirty. Seriously. It didn't matter how hard I scrubbed it.

Gotta love those 1968 cabinets with no drawers whatsoever. Who's idea was that!? Oh, and a space for a vanity bench. I love the idea of sitting down while I do my makeup, but I never found a cool one to go there, luckily.



AFTERWe did some rearranging in the bathroom to create a laundry room upstairs. Since this bathroom was so big, we had no trouble shortening the vanity a little bit and moving the toilet.

The finished vanity with new countertops and sink, as well as new hardware and mirror.

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE having drawers in my bathroom? Best. Invention. Ever.

The new toilet and new towel hardware. We have a little less wall space than before, so we had to upgrade to the double towel rod, but the other hardware stayed the same.

The new tub and tile surround.

No more black linoleum! I love how easy to clean this tile is.

The linen closet that hides the washer & dryer. Someday when we move the washer and dryer back downstairs, we'll put shelves in this closet and use it as a real linen closet, since we're lacking in storage space in our house.

Ta da! The washer and dryer! I did my first load of laundry upstairs this week and it was oh-so-glorious. However, getting these machines in that closet was no small feat...

With the help of Chris's dad, it only took them 4 hours to get the machines upstairs and in the closet. After they got them slid in and hooked up, I was afraid Chris might be stuck back there forever. Luckily he's limber and was able to climb out over the top. Heaven forbid these things ever need any repairs!

I'd just like to say that I have the most amazing and brilliant husband in the world. The things he "just knows" how to do blow me away every day. We couldn't have done such a great repair on our bathroom without all of his skills. Plus he puts up with all of my nagging and pickiness. Love you, Chris!

Drive Up The Canyon

Yesterday Chris and I went for a drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon. The leaves hadn't started to change much, but it was green and beautiful right after it had rained. We drove all the way to the top of the canyon past Alta, and the view down the canyon was amazing.


Later that night Chris and I were brushing our teeth before bed. Chris was standing behind me brushing away while I rinsed. "Honey," he said in astonishment, "I think your hips have gotten wider!" Then he proceeded to put a hand on each hip and try to squeeze them towards each other, as if he was going to "fix" them for me.

Yeah. Good luck with that, Chris.

Remembering 9/11

I wore my red, white & blue today. All day I've been remembering 9/11 and thinking about how life has changed since then.

While driving to work this morning I saw some anti-American words regarding 9/11 written on an overpass and it made me angry. This video is hard to watch, but I think it's important we never forget.

30 Week Belly Pic

Annalisa: "Who do you think is more excited for this baby to come -- you or me?"
Chris: "Me."
Annalisa: "Why?"
Chris: "Because I'm not the one that has to push it out!"

Touche, Chris, touche.

I have to say I'm impressed by Chris's keen perception of my anxieties these days. It means that when I've said to him once a week for the last 7 months "I'm nervous about going into labor," he was actually listening.

Kudos.


Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 30w1d
Gender: Girl
Current Cravings: Twix candybars and Hostess cupcakes
Weight gain: +20 lbs
Best moment this week: Starting our birthing class.
Funniest moment this week #1: Despite having gained 20 pounds in the last 7 months, my bathroom scale still tells me I have a BMI in the "normal" weight range. I'm pretty sure this irks Chris when he steps on it and it tells him otherwise.
Funniest moment this week #2: Arriving at our birthing class and noticing two "life partners" in attendance, and then watching our instructor struggle to find another word to use besides "daddy" to describe the non-pregnant persons in the room.
Belly button in or out: OUT!
Labor signs: None.
What I miss: I still miss laying on my stomach. And blue cheese. And being able to eat chicken without dry-heaving.
What I'm looking forward to: Setting up the crib.


In other news, our nursery is clean and ready to go (seriously...I dusted every blind of every window and every baseboard of every wall last weekend. Nesting, anyone?). We're waiting on some carpet people to come stretch the carpet in that room before we set the crib up for good. We had the carpet installed less than 2 years ago but there is a wrinkle or bubble in nearly every room of our house! So irritating. Luckily it's all under warranty so they're coming to fix it for free.

But good luck getting me to be patient about it. Hmph.

Crib box a la bambina.

Dresser a la bambina.
(It's really not dusty...I'm to OCD for that...I just have a crappy camera.)

Sisters

Here's a picture of Michelle, Amy and I sitting in a chair at my parents house last Sunday. (Nevermind the fact that I'm taking up half the chair all by myself.)


In related news, I had my 30-week doctor's checkup this morning. The nurse weighed me, did a double-take, and weighed me again to make sure she hadn't made a mistake.

Hmm. Do you think it's time to give up my daily 10 AM Twix bar?

A New Low

I keep a water bottle on my desk at work to drink throughout the day. It helps me keep track of my fluid intake so I'm making sure I get enough. Plus, I've been ravenously thirsty lately. Like, I-wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-multiple-times-and-drink-a-huge-glass-of-water thirsty.

Sometimes when I'm working, my water bottle will fall empty. And even though I'm thirsty, I'm on such a gosh-darn-roll with what I'm working on that I can't bring myself to stand up and walk the 30 feet to fill it up. An hour or two later when I'm practically dying of thirst, I hoist my pregnant-rear out of my chair and finally walk to the water jug.

So today, I reached a new low. I went to the store and bought a HUGE water bottle for my desk, with the sole intent that it will keep me from having to stand up and walk to the water jug too many times each day. Because, heaven-forbid I should get too much exercise.

Way to go, Annalisa.

Exhibit A: The lazy-man's refreshment of choice.

Vicky's, Specialty Stores and TMI

(Men, you might want to avert your eyes...we're about to have a conversation about bras.)

I bought a new bra last May when I was about 14 weeks pregnant and my old one was so uncomfortably small I couldn't stand it a day longer. It was a horrifyingly embarrassing experience that included me purchasing a garment from the "full-figured" rack of a department store (because I had long outgrown anything at Victoria's Secret). And the only one they had in my size? Leopard print. Awesome.

Fast forward to now. My band is starting to feel so tight that by the end of the day I feel like I can't breathe. I've been tempted to take it off in the car on the way home from work a few times. But don't worry, I haven't yet.

There's no way I'm heading back to the department store to buy a new one that I'm going to outgrow again in 2 months anyway. So. I've been doing the only reasonable thing, which is to search for a bra extender.

Exhibit A. The bra extender.

Last weekend, after trying a few supercenters and maternity stores but leaving empty-handed, Julie and I stopped at Victoria's Secret at the Gateway. One of the associates stood by the entrance, welcoming customers as they walked in. "Welcome to Victoria's Secret. Can I help you find something?" Yeah, um, we're looking for bra extenders. You see, I'm getting fat but I'm too cheap to buy a new bra. Can you help?

The look we received from the sales associate as she told us no was priceless. I almost wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

A few days passed and I was still bra-extender-less, and I thought I was going to die. In my desperation, I started searching the internet. (Can I just confess my love for Google Shopping right now?) I finally found a bra extender with the proper hook dimensions at one of those online "specialty" stores. You know, the stores where they promise to ship it to your house in a discrete box? One of those stores.

Yowsers.

Please let it get here soon.

First Fruits

We picked our first red tomato from our potted tomato plants this week! After Chris picked it he said, "so, do you think it's safe, like, to eat?" He was convinced that nothing grown from our own yard could ever be edible.

So he made me eat it. You know, just to be safe.


In other news....when I walked in the door from work that day, Chris said to me, "Honey, it looks like you fell and your hair got pushed sideways. What happened?"

No, Chris, my hair was supposed to look like this today. But thanks for asking.

Meet The Basement

A few days ago we got our guest bed moved out of the soon-to-be-nursery and into the basement. Our soon-to-be-nursery now looks like this:

(We've even got the crib mattress! I'm so excited.)

With the exception of this pile of Chris's school books in the corner, it is ready for the crib and dresser to arrive on Saturday!

(The offending pile of school books. Like a good wife, I bought him a file tote to help him get his crap out of there ASAP. And yes, he did graduate over 5 months ago.)

Most people find our basement to be sort of comical, so I thought you might enjoy a tour. Internet, meet my basement.

(And according to this picture containing floating orbs, our basement is also haunted. Wonderful.)

Complete with dark paneling, bright red bowling-alley-esque carpet, and all the hand-me-down furniture you can handle, our basement is a veritable fun-house.

Let's begin first at the far end of this giant room. Here we find our transplanted guest bed and night stand, as well as a few windows with functional yet still beautiful window coverings. Who wouldn't want a guest bed in their family room?


Next to the bed is our collection of antique furniture we're "holding" for Chris's dad. (How long do you think it would take him to notice if I Craigslisted 'em? Just kidding, Stan, just kidding.)

(This picture actually does the red carpet justice.)

In the center of the room is Chris's personal sanctuary containing his couch, a coffee table (aka footrest), a side table (aka beverage rest) and a recliner. Chris likes to sit here and stare at the opposite wall, imagining what it will be like someday to watch a giant big-screen there.

(The imaginary big-screen. For now Chris has to settle for watching his bikes.)

And lastly, we come to the highlight of our basement oasis. I give you, the wall of mirrors.

(I see you've spied our gorgeous pink and gold vintage drum lamps. These were hanging on either side of the master bed when we bought the house. For reals. And they're now on Craigslist. For reals.)

This delightful checkerboard collection of cork and acrylic tiles accented by gold curtains, sits opposite the lava rock fireplace. When we bought our home the seller told us they liked to watch the reflection of the fire in the wall of mirrors. Chris and I are pretty sure they liked to smoke their doobies in there, so we've lovingly renamed it The Drug Room.

(No snide remarks here about our lava rock fireplace. I'm rootin' for these to come back in so we don't have to remodel it.)

Last but not least, no basement room of mine would be complete without at least one corner full of diapers.

(Don't worry, my sister-in-law has already signed me up for Hoarders.)

Baby Shower Bash

In celebration of the upcoming birth of our bambina, I'm throwing myself a virtual baby shower on Slavetosave, my other blog.

(Who says I can't throw myself a party if I feel like it, right?)

Starting today and ending November 30th, there will be at least one giveaway per week. Since my other blog is a Utah-based deal blog, many of the giveaway sponsors are awesome Utah-based companies, as a way of celebrating our great state and the fantastic ideas that have developed here.

So head on over to Slavetosave and check it out. This week's kickoff giveaway is a custom-fit swimsuit from Essential Swimwear. In the coming weeks there will be vinyl lettering, hand-stamped jewelry, custom holiday photo cards, children's shoes, and other fun giveaways!