HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!

We watched THE scariest video of a birth--scary seventies style on Netflix. I thought my mom was exaggerating! EWWWW!!! A c-section is looking pretty good right now! We still have the videos that we borrowed from the hospital to watch... I'm hoping that they'll be a little better... Maybe being newer, without the ugly-scary-seventies haircuts they'll be less traumatic. Haha.
Maybe they could just knock me out, and do the whole labor thing without me "present"... Hmm... Let's get some engineers working on improving this scarier-than-hell process!
Anyway, still no contractions yet...
Ari loves to sleep on Jeff, last night they were both in the same position--so I had to take a picture. Jeff got tattooed yesterday--the tree is pretty close to being done. I think he might be participating in a convention that his artist (Shaun Carroll) is doing. Jeff actually has Sunday off this week, I think we might check out the new art museum in Roanoke--they're supposed to have a pretty cool "pens & needles" exhibit that we're going to check out.

"Go into labor already!"

Said my doctor at my appointment yesterday... I still haven't felt any contractions yet--but I'm feeling very whale-ish! So next week Cadiem is due, and if he decides to be late (like his parents ;), they'll do a thorough check on his health--and decide whether to induce from those results.
Apparently, the placenta has a life span, which I was not aware of and this is the reason they no longer allow pregnancies to pass 42 weeks. Crazy! That's the first thing that hasn't in the book Bri got me! :)

I finally have more pictures of the nursery to post, even though it's not totally finished... I'm still working on a painting with his name that I'll hang above his dresser. I also still need to label the bins that I used to organize Cadiem's random stuff--I'm a freak, I know. I think it's all of that 5S training :)

Cadiem has been gifted some really cute items, I thought I'd post a couple things--I'll have to take more pics. Anita (my stepmom) is a sewing wiz--she made these really cute burp cloths. It's going to be sad when the baby spits up on them. Haha. Darlene & Terri (Marty's mom and sister) also make afghans, quilts and apparently blankies :) I posted pics of those from the shower.

And thanks to my mom and her friend Jennie (and Bri;), Cadiem's feet will be stylin. The "Robeez" are supposed to be really great because they don't have hard soles which are really bad for developing baby feet. How cute are those booties!? Bri actually had dibs on them from when my mom used to sell baby shoes--but she didn't want Cade's little feet to get cold :)

"Look! I Frankensteined that shit!"

Said Jeff, after he had torn up our dessert (chocolate, coconut & peanut butter--oh yeah!) and pieced it back together into "perfect bites". Ha ha ha, I told him I would be quoting that on the blog! We had the yummiest dinner at Poor Billy's last night.
I ordered salmon and we both agreed it was the best we've ever had. Jeff has been craving steak for a good week--and their fillet mignon is always awesome. We also had their baked Brie appetizer (Cheddar is never better when Bri's in the cheese! hahaha). Needless to say, we were stuffed!
This morning we finally got to pick up our chair :) Jeff hauled it up our three flights of stairs--luckily it was in two pieces. And now our nursery is about ready for Cadiem! I have a few finishing touches to add, but we've got the major stuff done. We also had our "pre-registration" appointment today--so when I'm in labor and freaking out, I don't have to answer a bunch of questions. Random comment: We got Flava-Flav some crickets yesterday, and I feel like I'm camping in the living room...

37.9 Weeks... And an exciting evening in...

My evening is encompassed above... Do you have any idea how difficult it is to paint your toenails with a giant baby belly in the way? But, sexy toes are a must when you're a whale (as Ethan likes to call me). Gotta have it goin' on somewhere! While we're on the subject of the whale belly--Jenni gave me some Burt's Bees Belly Butter--it's pretty awesome, and works great on my scaly legs :)
Ari found a long lost bone under the couch tonight--and she and Luci have been stealing it from each other for the last several hours. Somehow, it never gets old (for them that is). Ari likes to camp out under my legs while Luci stalks her, waiting for an opportunity to dive for the bone.
Poor Jeff has been working nonstop since Thursday. I miss him! I told him I'm starting to speak dog--Ah! At least he has Wednesday off, and we're excited to go pick up our new chair in Roanoke.
Last night, I decided to make mushu again--my own recipe. Which I actually liked much better than Emeril's recipe :) However, I couldn't find the Chinese pancakes anywhere (big surprise, right?), so I decided to make my own. Flour, water, and sesame seed oil--how hard could it be, right? WRONG! First off, I haven't used a rolling pin since the last time I made an apple pie, which was about five years ago. No likey the silicon roller! I'd rather use wood. Anyway, I made the pancakes but they were nothing like the ones in the restaurant. I think you definitely need a double sided griddle and some kind of crazy steamer to make them work. Ugh, two hours of work and a kitchen (and belly) full of flour. Never again! Jeff was nice enough to eat the entire tough pancake--and even thanked me for my cooking efforts several times. Isn't he the best!? :)

Snack Attack!

Last night Jeff and I decided to make a midnight run to Kroger... Bad idea! We ended up coming back with pizza rolls (which always remind me of the days when Bri and I would share a bottle--or two--of wine with pizza rolls:), doritos, ice cream, chips & salsa, refried beans, popcorn, coke and some magic hat for Jeff :) And we ate it ALL! Nutritious and delicious! At least we had a good dinner (lunch for us!) while we were in Roanoke at Carrabbas :) Haha.
We were also watching SNL "shorts"--and if you haven't seen "I'm on a boat"--you should check it out. It's hysterical.
I have a large scale organization planned for today... Which I'm kicking off with about 6 loads of laundry. Oh the excitement... Isn't life grand!? ;)

We have a winner! (the winner being the chair)

We found a chair! Ironically, it's the first chair we liked a couple weeks ago at Haverty's. But we wanted to check some other places and finally made it to the VA Furniture Market before they closed--which is on the edge of the earth (past Roanoke). But, we did not find love with any chairs there, and returned to Haverty's from the edge of the earth :)

37 Weeks (Tomorrow!) AHHHH!

We're getting down to the wire people! I think Cadiem is really piling on the fat--my trips to the bathroom are definitely more frequent! I'm also feeling a little stretched. I can't believe I'll be back in normal clothes soon (yay!)--and that whole baby thing too... hahaha. When I went to the doctor's on Thursday, my doctor could feel the baby's head, he's in position! His little heartbeat was around 165 beats/min, since he was moving around, and the doctor said that's a sign of health :) The baby is mooning me as we speak--he likes to push his butt up to either side of my belly.
I am putting the finishing touches on Cadiem's room in the next couple days, I'll be posting pictures to show the final product :) Jeff has tomorrow off, and we're planning to go to Roanoke (yet again) in search of a chair. We will conquer! We got the rest of the furniture put together, along with the stroller (jeff's new love) and the swing. I'm pretty sick of assembling things--but at least it's done! I was pretty frustrated after I put the changer tray together and it didn't fit on the dresser... What the hell!? But I plan to attack it with Jeff's saw. I will make it work!
In non-baby news... ;)
Saturday Eric & Nichole had everyone over for a BBQ since the weather was so nice (and still is--yay!). We had some damn good burgers and Nichole made some tasty bruschetta that even received Jess's stamp of approval. The smoked mac&cheese from Gene & Nickie also made an appearance--yum! Can anyone tell my focus is on food?! Haha. The Crouthamels are also throwing a luau party on Valentine's day (SCAM!). How do you dress for a luau while pregnant? Anyone have ideas?

36 Weeks! You're killin' me smalls!

Isn't this ugly doll the cutest thing ever!! I love it, and the baby needs one! They have a cute dragon too--I'm torn between the dragon and the ice bat...
Yesterday while I was putting together M&M's dresser, I realized just how limited my range of motion is. It is impossible to be comfortable while pregnant and assembling furniture! Haha. The baby should now be around 6 pounds, he's a little fatty :)

I watched the Superbowl with Nickie & Gene on Sunday, poor Cardinals! I didn't think I cared who won, but it was sad when they lost. At least they finally made it there! Luckily, I had some spectacular smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese to comfort me, made by the future Mr. & Mrs. Matthews (wink wink!). Tasty tasty!
Monday Jeff and I went to the Cellar for dinner and got to catch some of Doc's blues. The harmonica guy from Radford was even there--I wish they were still together. They always remind me of when Bri, both Ians and I would go see them and drink mass quantities of Yuengling. Ah, the good old days ;)