Baby Sewing To-Do List

Per a previous post, you should know that I have been craving sewing time more and more this pregnancy. Which I guess makes sense since I haven't had any weird food cravings so far. As I sewed happily along on Project Linus quilts for my "after the baby comes" stash, I began making plans for all the things I wanted to sew for Baby Billy Bob.

One afternoon I finally sat down to make a list ... and I was scared by the number of items on it. I quickly finished up the quilt I was working on so that I could dive right into my Baby Sewing To-Do List.

So far, I have accomplished the following with very cute (if I do say so myself) results:

Billy Bob's First Quilt

Crib dust ruffle

Chiefs outfit (to match Daddy on game days)

Sling

Two Hooter-Hiders (AKA nursing covers)

Two on-the-go diaper changing pads

Still left on the list:
An ACU diaper bag
Two window valences for the Nursery
A pair of Chiefs pants
Hand-made birth announcements
etc...

Dog Days of Summer

This summer has definitely NOT been the most comfortable one we've had in El Paso due mainly to the fact that we're living with a crappy evaporator air conditioning (i.e. swamp cooler). To keep our minds off the heat, we have been enjoying our time with our first baby, Athena.

She's grown quite a bit since we got her in January and now tips the scales at 65 pounds. She has learned the names of all of her toys and even a few tricks, including "Shake" and "Roll Over", though she's reluctant to perform them unless there is some kind of treat available. She is eager to make new friends (unless it's the "uber-scary" UPS man) and is usually loved by everyone she meets! She's always ready for a game of tug-of-war and loves to be under foot, no matter what you're doing.

Latest Hiding Spot = Under the Computer Desk

We recently trekked to a park across town to try out their Doggie Park. Unfortunately, she was the only doggie around and wasn't too keen on performing the agility course beyond what it took to get her treat. We think she had WAY more fun running and sniffing the grass while on her leash in the rest of the park!

Cam Placing Treat

Athena Retrieving Treat

Athena Preparing to Jump Off Side of Ramp Once Treat is Retrieved

Lately, we've been researching different techniques to introduce her to the baby, when the time comes. We've tried playing crying baby noises, which don't seem to faze her. We're not too worried about her; she does GREAT with the little boys next door!

Are you ready for some football?

Are YOU ready for some football? The NFL held their first pre-season game last night and college football is in the full swing of fall practice.

We can't wait to see our beloved Cougs take on the tough challengers from Oklahoma State in Stillwater in less than a month...so we're definitely ready!!!

Even Baby Billy Bob is ready for some Cougar Football - be it the 2011 season when this shirt will actually fit him/her. I've also added an NFL-themed project to my sewing to-do list, but that will be a secret until I actually get it done!

Baby Smith Update

Today marks the 32nd week of pregnancy and we're starting to count down the days until our due date: October 3rd. We still do not know the sex of the baby as Army medical only pays for one ultrasound ... unless there is something serious that needs to be checked out. So, we've resigned ourselves to be excited for it to be a surprise! (Plus, it's fun to see people's reactions when we tell them we don't/won't know!)

The nursery is slowly starting to come together. We agreed upon a decorating scheme (sage green, pale yellow and brown with Jungle Animals). We ordered posters of said Jungle Animals and now just need Hobby Lobby frames to go on sale. Our crib arrived this week (Thanks, Mom & Bruce!!!) and after Cam spent an hour this afternoon putting it together, the room actually looks and feels like a nursery.

I promised Cam's mother that I would document the assembly process, so I thought that I'd share with everyone else too!

Step 1: Open all the boxes and deal with mountains of Styrofoam

Step 2: Figure out which pieces are which

Step 3: Giggle at the number of "dummy" labels on each piece

Step 4: Get annoyed at the photographer documenting each step

Finished Product with the Proud Daddy

What did I do the whole time? I read the instructions, of course! (with a little help...)

Now that the nursery is nearly complete, I'm starting to feel the pressure to get all my baby-related sewing projects done. First up: a crib dust ruffle. I already have instructions and fabric, so I just need to find motivation to dive in and get it done!

I'm also being pestered for a "bump picture", so for all of you (you know who you are!), here's the little bump that's poked out from under all the "normal" chub:
,

After the Ultrasound, It's a ...

BOY! ... Or GIRL! After our "official" ultrasound appointment, we still aren't sure if Baby Billy Bob is of the male or female persuasion.

The good news is that he/she appears to be healthy, is super active (must have gotten those Leber-ADD genes), and looks to be done baking around Sept. 21st. The bad news is he/she would not cooperate for the ultrasound tech, no matter how hard he tried to push and prod to get the "money" shot. So it will be a surprise whether Baby Smith is really a Billy Bob or a Bobbi Sue. Either way, it was amazing to go in and see our baby and listen to the heartbeat! All the goop, on the other hand, was not so fun.

As for me, I'm feeling really well! No sickness, no weird cravings, and only slight little reminders of the little guy/gal kicking away inside ... mostly at night!

(Left to Right) Head and Spine

(Left to Right) Two feet, two legs, two arms, one head

Baby Smith Update

Some random updates on the Baby Smith area of our lives (and I'm allowed random thoughts/blog posts, right? Just chalk them up to pregnancy hormones!!!)

Ever since we "officially" announced the pregnancy, I've been dying to do some baby shopping. It's always so much fun to do it for all my friends' kids that it was finally time for me to do some for me! As always, Cam was the voice of reason and helped calm my cravings to spend money...until we made a trip to Clothing & Sales.

My brother, Tim, called from Afghanistan requesting additional bladders for his Camelback so we set off to Post to purchase them for him. While we were there, I decided it was finally time to pick up one of these CUTE bibs I've been eyeing since last September. After that, my shopping appetite was quenched ... for now!


On our last visit to the doctor, the nurse/midwife whipped out the portable ultrasound machine to help us better determine the age of the baby. While the machine was on, we watched Baby Billy Bob (AKA William Robert, as Cam affectionately refers to him/her) wiggle around, saw his/her head, an arm, a leg, spine and ribs. We also listened to the heartbeat which was an emotional event for me... I'd waited so long and watched so many TV shows where others got to experience that, I could hardly believe it was my turn!!! Anyway, the baby is doing well and we are scheduled for our "official" ultrasound in two weeks. Until then, here's a blurry 1st photo of Billy Bob:

It's a ... SMITH!

If you haven't heard already (and then why haven't you taken our phone calls or read your email???), we are excited to announce that we are expecting a baby in late Sept/early Oct!!! Nothing too exciting to report just now as I'm only about 3 months along, but here are some answers to questions we've gotten so far:

1) Yes, we are overjoyed at the news! It was somewhat "planned", but if we were really doing it right, our kid would not be finishing baking (Hint, hint: bun in the oven reference!) just in time for El Paso's extreme heat in Aug/Sept.

2) We have NO IDEA when or even if Cam will be deploying this year and therefore, around for the birth. Let's just hope they decide to postpone any trips overseas until 2011.

3) We're not sure if we are going to find out the sex. The Army Healthcare plan is very stingy with Ultrasounds, so if we find out: that's fine; if we don't: that's fine too.

4) No, I haven't suffered from any sort of morning sickness (Thank goodness!)

5) No names are picked out yet, though we have a few floating out there that we like. It's not like we can just name him/her John or Jane Smith. (Because we're now in TX, Cam's pushing for William Robert. If you can figure out why ... you get a gold star!)

Keep checking back for further status updates on Baby Smith!

Do you see what I see?