New yarn for new baby.

My yarn from Lion Brand arrived today, and I started on my latest project, which will be a blanket for the baby's crib! It's a very dusty rosey pink that will match the crib sheets I ordered from Pottery Barn. Its funny, the differences between what you do in preparation for baby #1 vs. baby #2. Baby #1 got a ridiculously expensive convertible crib from the fancy baby furniture store. He also got a refurbished dresser and a new separate changing table for the nursery. I also registered for a complete bedding set with sheets, quilt, dust ruffle and bumper, with coordinating curtains and lamp for the nursery. Baby #2 will be getting a crib from Target (that looks identical to Owen's fancy crib). She'll also be using the old antique dresser in my basement that I'm going to paint white and put a changing pad on top of so it can do double-duty as a changing table. And instead of a full bedding set, she gets a beautiful sheet from Pottery Barn, and a blanket I'm going to make for her (vs. the $300 full bedding set from Pottery Barn). And Aunt Sue is going to sew a coordinating dust ruffle for the crib. And I couldn't be happier about all of it. I think the old-school furniture and handmade accessories are much more my style anyway.

The blanket is a new pattern I've never made before - I'll post pics when it's all done!

Hot dog.

Hudson and I hung out in our bedroom all day today. It's the only place in the house with air-conditioning, and it was (still is?) 97 degrees out today. I think when you're a furry black dog, it's probably unbearably hot, so I welcomed Hudson onto the bed with me, where he could feel the breeze from the A/C all day. Since we've moved our mattress to the floor after the sale of our bedroom furniture, Hudson thinks our bed is the worlds biggest dog bed anyway, so he was in heaven.

The bummer of it is, if I wasn't pregnant, I'd be outside lounging in this heat. I really don't mind it. I find it soothing to just sit and, well, sweat in the humid sauna that is Michigan in the summer. But it's too hot out for it to really be safe for the baby, given that my temperature would probably rise pretty quickly if I were lounging around in this heat. So instead we settled for a day in bed, reading vampire novels and watching lots of Netflix.

Also, good news today on the new house front! After a nice phone conversation with the Planning and Building director today, he told me we were good to go to move into our new house next weekend (the 18th/19th), despite everything on the city's punch list not being done. We just have to give him a call when we do finish everything so he can come out for the final inspection (I told him maybe a month or so). Phew. That's a pretty big weight lifted off our shoulders, as the move is a week and a half away! Despite that, and despite this heat, my dad and cousin Charlie are over there right now, scraping old paint and finishing up the tile in the bathroom. I will say, once again, that we are truly blessed to have such great friends and family helping us with everything from making dinners to tiling a bathroom. We've got a long list of people who are going to have some seriously good karma stocked up by the time this summer is over. We love you ALL.

Jailbreak.

It's 90 degrees in metro Detroit. Before this morning I had 2 maternity t-shirts and one tank top, both of which are dirty. Owen has 2 pairs of shorts and 3-4 t-shirts we've been washing every other day. He came home yesterday in his "spare" daycare clothes, which consisted of warm winter-months pants. I felt awful. We clearly needed a few things. So I did something I probably shouldn't have done, and made a VERY quick trip to Target. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. Grabbed a few tops for me (didn't even try them on), and grabbed a summer's worth of clothes (complete with a new Lightening McQueen bathing suit) for Owen. I walked verrrry slowly through the store (to the chagrin of a few shoppers who sped around me - who is in such a hurry at the Madison Heights Target on a Tuesday morning?), and didn't do any other browsing of any kind (which, if you know me, is pretty much a Target Miracle). I felt anxious and guilty the whole time, my head full of thoughts of: "What if something happens to the baby, all because I needed a new tank top? I should have ordered Owen some clothes online. I should be riding around in one of those power scooter things with the basket attached to them..." etc. I even got a little light-headed towards the end of my quick trip and had to grab a Sprite from the refrigerator at the register to cool off and calm down. Yikes.

But things appear to be fine. I have been laying down since the second I walked in the door a few hours ago. Baby girl is kicking me so violently today that I put the TV remote on my belly to watch it jump around and she managed to kick it right off. Pretty impressive. And now at least Owen and I can survive this early summer heat wave with some summer duds. Now I just need someone to come over and wash them for me!

What else ya got? Bring it.

Apparently the gods decided Eric and I needed just a few more things to contend with in the coming weeks. Me being on bed rest and us trying to fix up and move into our new house just weren't enough.

Here is a lovely visual of what happened to Eric today.

While working with an electric saw over at the new house, the saw got stuck, jammed, and then jammed Eric's hand into the window sill, causing a nice fracture that caused him to spend his afternoon in the ER getting a x-rays and a cast. On his right hand. Yes, he is right-handed.

Oh and this morning a saw-stand in his car was pushed into his windshield, cracking it pretty much all the way across. Which means we need a new windshield in the immediate future.

I've often been told by people that I have this crazy ability to always maintain an "even keel" in the face of adversity. And I do think that overall, I handle things pretty well. Which is why when Eric walked into the house after all of this happened, I took one look at his casted hand and we both just started cracking UP. What else can you do? We have SO much to do in the next few weeks and now we are BOTH pretty much incapacitated. I already have in a few calls to see if we can't hire out the painting of the house. And we have someone coming out Tuesday to look at the retaining wall and glass block window projects. My dad is AWESOME and is totally doing all the tiling in the bathroom and helping with the window locks. So. We'll do what we can, and pay people to do the rest!

And to the gods we say: What else ya got for us? Bring it! We can totally handle it. I think.

Ain't it Grand.

So I was feeling pretty good after that great doctor's visit yesterday. And I've REALLY been wanting to eat a meal OUT of my house. And Owen was at my parents last night. So I convinced Eric (well, it didn't take much convincing) to take me up to the culinary delight that is Grand Azteca for a quick dinner last night. I picked the Azteca because 1. this baby likes Mexican food, and 2. because, like most Mexican restaurants, the food comes out in like, 5 minutes, so I knew it would be a quick meal and I could then get back to my couch. And man, it was GOOD. It would have been even better if I had been able to have a giant beer like Eric (seen above, enjoying his very "tall" Dos Equis). But just to get out of the house for a little bit and eat in a restaurant just me and the hubby was treat enough.

I also want to thank my Fat Nana Pat (she's not really fat), and my Aunt Jan for basically packing my entire kitchen yesterday (and bringing me amazing greek salad and breadsticks from Milford House for lunch). One room down, the rest of the house to go!

Glamour Shots!

Thanks again to everyone for all the notes and well wishes for my appointment this morning. It went really well - PHEW. I'm measuring about 2.3, which is even better than the last appointment. The doctor was so pleased that she didn't even do a full exam (what a nice treat!).

The ultrasound technicians at the Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield are seriously fantastic. Despite the fact that things were running behind schedule (as they always seem to be in the high-risk maternal/fetal medicine office), the tech today decided that this baby was in such a great position and cooperating so nicely that it would be "fun" to take a few extra minutes and get some 3D shots of her. It makes such a difference when doctors and hospital staff are so kind and personable and go the extra mile because they know it will make your day. And while I've always been a little weirded-out by 3D ultrasound images, and the shot is a little blurry, it was watching it live on the screen that was pretty spectacular. I might have even shed an involuntary tear at the sheer awesomeness of it. Or the tear could have been for the baby, who looks like she is going to probably have my giant McMillan nose Sorry baby. :)

The glory of Hot Pepper Thai.

My friend Stephanie brought me my all-time favorite lunch today from Hot Pepper Thai restaurant in Waterford. Number 3 (vegetables and tofu in red curry sauce), no mushrooms, add broccoli, mild (sometimes mild-plus if I'm feeling like a little spice). I generally either go to the restaurant with my brother or coworkers once a week (where I don't even have to order, they know my "usual"), or I call it in as carry out to eat at my desk, and before I can even finish placing the order or giving them my name, the girl will say "Hi Melissa, it will be ready in 15 minutes." While I was still at work and pregnant, I ate there twice a week a few times. It's that good. I mean, it's nothing spectacular to look at - its a tiny little restaurant in a strip mall in Waterford. But man they make a mean curry sauce.

I meant to take a picture of this glorious meal, but I ate it too fast. :) Thanks Stephanie!