(25) Wednesday

This morning I cleaned and reorganized the bookcase in the living room. I wiped off each book individually and cleaned off the shelves, and then reshelved everything neatly! Then I did the same thing on the cabinets under the sink so that everything I need is right in the front.

I’m working on trying to select one or two things from each area I organize to either give away or throw out to work on cleaning out our house! How attached are you to those paper lamps we have in the guestroom and babyroom? I am going to leave them in the basement for right until I hear from you — the big one in the dining room is staying.

Liz and I met up on base to talk to the JAG officer for the base about fundraising. He wasn’t in and the woman in the office next to him said LT Ferris had stepped out for lunch (because I have a creepy memory I realized he is your doppelganger!) — so I recognized him in the stairwell as we were leaving and Liz and I made a U-turn back to his office. Once I started talking to him he looked less and less like you but his face, build, and fingers look just like yours!! Liz agreed that he looked like you but that the way he talked and his mannerisms made him less Jake-like. We grabbed some lunch at Applebee’s and then went to Kohl’s to look for fake wedding bands to wear in place of the real ones. I found a simple silver band with a single strand of gemstones — it was $40 but after all of the discounts came down to $16. I looked for a gold chain for my rings and couldn’t find one cheap enough that I liked…so this ring is the solution! I feel a lot better with it on my hand 🙂

I think I got home around 3:30 and took Crimson out for a bathroom break. Then I did a couple loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, and thawed out my meat sauce that I made a couple weeks ago with some pasta for dinner. Mom and I did FaceTime tonight and she showed me the rocking chair that she is going to bring up in a few weeks (the 1st weekend in August) — her boss is driving to RI and is going to give mom and the chair a lift. It’s an antique, small (so it will fit in our room), but the seat part is broken … so you have an indoor project for any weekends before the baby is born when it’s raining. Then I think Dad is going to visit the 3rd week of August and then I’m back to work!

Tomorrow Clover as her annual checkup at VCA and then I’m going to work on reorganizing a couple spaces in the guestroom. The bookcase is the area of the room that’s really bothering me.

Elno is definitely on a sleeping schedule. Every 2-3 hours there is a ton of movement and then nothing. It’s getting easier for me to feel the movement from the outside so I know it will be easy for you to feel when you get home!

Time for a little dessert, bathroom break with Crimson, and then bedtime!

love,
Monica

(24) alone again

Dropped Mom @ the train station after lunch today. This morning we gave Crimson a bath and relaxed a bit before packing and driving downtown.

I updated the “For Jake” picasa album with all of the pictures Mom took this weekend.

We moved a bunch of things to the basement and mom helped me with all the recycling from the crib mattress. I kept the box from the crib itself because it looked like a great surface to spray paint or paint on outside. I figured if we didn’t use it before we move we can just recycle it.

Speaking of moving … no update right now on the slate, the website has not been updated yet (neither has the Twitter account they have).

Lots of movement today, it seems that Elno sleeps for a couple hours at a time and then does lots of flips for a few minutes before passing out again.

I’m going to go work on a couple sewing projects upstairs. My next project is to sew a bed skirt for the crib. I’ve got to go to Joann’s to look at their selection of fabric.

Love you very much!
-Monica

(23) Sunday

Moved some more furniture around this morning and cleaned the main floor of the house.

Then we went to Goodwill and took a huge bag of giveaways with us, then we went shopping….of course! Found a couple maternity shirts on sale and a head support for the stroller! Next we stopped at the Indian grocer and finally at the commissary for some vitamins that were on sale for mom.

We ate lunch at home–lefts from Rice Spice Noodles last night and then spent some time relaxing! We cooked a couple dishes together that we ate for dinner and took Crimson for a walk at Fort Trumbull. Finished the night with Popsicles and Law & Order!

Tomorrow I have to go to work in the morning so mom is going to come with me and work in my office while I sit in on some interviews. In the afternoon we are going to put some storage together in the basement and go to Lowes to get some quotes on new carpet. I am curious to see how much they will do, like move furniture and everything, as part of the installation.

The baby has been moving a lot today and can be felt from the outside!! Mom said it feels like a nervous twitch or muscle spasm from the outside, hope that helps give you an idea of what it would feel like. The kicks aren’t too strong but they should be by the time you get back. The baby is the size of a banana and will continue to grow about half an inch each week. I will be gaining about a lb per week until the end (I think I may have already mentioned that in a previous email).

Love you very much!! Not too much longer now 🙂

-Monica

Sent from my iPad

(22) weekend

Thursday:

-picked up mom at the train station

-relaxed at home for a bit and had a snack

-drove to Westerly around 1:30 and had lunch at a Thai cafe I found
right next to my OB

-OB appointment –> Everything looks perfect! Our baby is 11 oz and
was moving around a lot. He/she is exactly the right size for 20
weeks, perfect 🙂

-stopped at the commissary on the way home

Friday:

-put the crib together and moved the furniture around in the baby room

-Christmas Tree shops and walked around the mall

-Ocean State Job Lot, BJs, and Walmart in the afternoon

-dinner at Dog Watch Cafe with the other NH girls!

-home and passed out

Saturday:

-moved some more furniture around …you’ll have to wait to find out
what we did 🙂

-walked downtown to check out Sailfest and OpSail but after waiting
for an hour and a half in the sun (the boats were hours late) we gave
up and walked home, completely exhausted

-chilling in our bedroom with the AC, watching Law & Order, with Crimson!

-tonight we are going to Abbott’s Lobster Dock for a greyhound get
together and then home for dinner

love,
Monica

(21) July 4th

Hope you guys had a good July 4th party!

I am getting ready for Mom to visit tomorrow, she’s staying until next
Tuesday 🙂

Once we finish putting together the crib I’ll take a bunch of pictures
and email them to you too! I’m starting to have a little trouble going
up and down the stairs if I’m carrying something so the main floor
hasn’t been vacuumed in a while. Part of it is that I’m exhausted and
the other part is that I’m clumsy…really clumsy (like there are 6
separate bruises on my legs and a huge cut on my foot because I can’t
walk properly). If you were home people would probably think that you
are doing something to me! I haven’t fallen or anything like that but
I tend to trip on (or bump into) everything.

Today I made those spanish roasted potatoes that we made for Easter. I
used about half as much garlic and salt and they taste super yummy! My
dinner tonight is 3 parts: 2 veggie hot dogs, bowl of minestrone soup,
and a bowl of potato salad! (And maybe a bowl of ice cream….we’ll
see how I feel)

Love you so much!!!

-Monica

p.s. No kicking today either.

(20) Lazy day

This morning I was planning a cleaning day but then Cara suggested we go to the beach so I had to break out my new bathing suit!!

I tried on that brown jcrew bikini you bought me a couple years ago and while it fits … I have to be very careful how I stand and move around!! (And I am not comfortable showing that much of my belly now even though it’s “cute”).

We had a great time laying out at the beach – we drove up to Rhode Island and I was home around 4pm. I went to the Commissary for groceries and made veggie minestrone soup from one of the newer cookbooks. It’s great because it’s a fairly bland soup so it didn’t bother my stomach (it’s been a little upset with all of the fried food I have been eating recently) and healthy with lots of veggies, kale, beans, and pasta.

I finished cutting the fabric for a new baby quilt (Molly got me fabric for my birthday) and started sewing it together tonight. This quilt is already going faster than the other ones I have made — I’m getting better!!

A bit of kicking today but nothing that you can feel from outside my belly.

The sun has totally zapped my energy…watching some Law & Order Criminal Intent in bed with Crimson and then falling asleep.

love,
Monica

(19) Monday

I woke up super early today (6am) to got to work. I was part of a search committee to interview a new person for the librarian position at school. We interviewed 3 people today and 2 are being invited back for an observation next week. Melissa is going to get about 10 kids from the area to come in as a pretend class.

After work Crimson and I hung out in the guestroom while I worked on the custom stroller liner I am making for the jogging stroller. I’ll take a picture of it tomorrow and send it to your gmail account. I’m trying to find an easy way to get pictures from my iPad to a Picasa album and it’s pretty annoying so email seems to work the best. Hopefully it’s easy for your to download all of the attachments at the next port call.

I felt a couple of sharp kicks today. Second came after I shouted “hey!” at my belly for the 1st kick. It does feel a lot different than an upset stomach, like being poked from the inside by a piece of asparagus. I can’t wait for Thursday (I have an ultrasound appointment) to be able to see him/her moving around 🙂

love,
Monica

(18) Week 19 – Description

Baby’s now the size of a mango!
Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby’s skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Those nasty leg cramps are probably making it tough to get comfortable. One way to ease the pain: Extend your leg and flex your ankle and toes toward your knees. Or enlist your partner for a calf (and back!) massage. Good news: Your now-bulging belly should get you a little more compassion from everyone around you.

**********

I haven’t had any leg cramps yet but I think that’s from walking around the house a lot and walking with Crimson!

-Monica

Sent from my iPad

(17) Weekend

Sorry I didn’t email you yesterday — we had a long day and I fell asleep before I remembered to email you.

We went to When Pigs Fly for breakfast, took Crimson for a long walk at Ft Trumbull, ate lunch at Captain Scott’s lobster dock, hung out at the casino and finished up the day with dinner at Buckley house.

This morning I dropped Molly and Ben at the train station, stopped at IKEA on the way home, and have been doing some cleaning since I got home. Mom is getting here on the 5th (Thursday) in the morning.

Tomorrow I am going to work because we are interviewing candidates for the librarian position that’s opening next year.

love you!!

-Monica

p.s. No movement this weekend except for one thing that I think was a kick on Saturday night.

(16) Friday!

Crimson slept while I cleaned today and relaxed.

Picked Molly & Ben up from the train station.

Ben installed the air conditioners for me 🙂 — Crimson is enjoying
the cool bedroom.

Getting ready for bed.

love,
Monica

p.s. Only a few kicks today, mainly while I was singing along to the
music in the car. Not sure if this means he/she likes my singing or is
telling me to shut up…