These are a few pictures of my friend Chris and I. I will be at 38 weeks on Tuesday and Chris' little boy is at 28 weeks today... the day before her birthday!

These two little guys are going to be the best of friends. These are their first photos together.

Three weeks and counting

Tomorrow Charlie begins his 37th week 'in utero'. By the end of the week he will be considered full term - hard to believe.
We had a great visit with Dr. Bozeman today. My blood pressure continues to creep up but, Charlie is doing extremely well. Because of my blood pressure they are being extra careful with the little guy. They hooked me up to a few different monitors for about a half hour and did another ultrasound to check how much fluid Charlie has to float in. Apparently he has plenty of swimming room and, it was a blast to listen to his little freight train of a heart for such a long time. All the nurses were amazed at how much he was moving (it was making their job difficult since every time they found his heartbeat he would move and they would loose it). They have been telling me for weeks to make sure he is moving at least ten times every two hours... today they realized how silly that sounds. He moves ten times every twenty minutes (at the very least).
Dennis had a great time following the heart rhythms. I had a little button to push when Charlie moved and you could see his heart beat get faster after each move. The best part was when Charlie started to hiccup. With all the monitors on it was incredibly loud. One of the nurses and Dennis think that they also saw Charlie swallowing on the ultrasound - apparently that is pretty rare to see but, I had had peaches this morning so maybe he was tasting a bit of Colorado peach goodness.
I have to get to work as I have a big mural bid due tomorrow but I wanted to blog since I know that a few of you are keeping track of when my appointments are. I see Dr. Bozeman again next Tuesday and they'll monitor Charlie for another half hour then. In the mean time I have to have another blood pressure check on Thursday.
I'm very comforted by the level of care Charlie and I are getting. I don't think that anything is going to be left to chance. I just have to stay off my feet but that won't be too hard since, by tomorrow afternoon, I should be finished with all my 'work' related work for a few months.
Take care everyone. We love you all.

I'm a Pod

I can't believe that it has taken me four days to write about Charlie's shower. Granted, it has been a busy four days. The entire upstairs has been torn apart and, mostly, put back together in order to replace the thirty year old nasty carpet. Our bedroom looks great so, one room down, the rest of the house to go.
Thanks to the shower we are feeling much more prepared for Charlie's arrival. We still have gobs to do but we have most of the essentials (car seat, changing pad, baby monitor, receiving blankets, the play yard and, cute clothes galor). I have said it before but, I feel that I need to say it again... Charlie is soooo lucky to have all of you! The shower was perfect thanks to my friend Amy Stone (a.k.a. Martha Stewart) and the gift intake was unreal. A few of the gift opening highlights were The Smith Income Tax gang getting us both the car seat and stroller (amazing) and Britta making Charlie the most spectacular collection of hand knit goodies ever! She even out knit (in quantity, never quality) my Auntie Anne. I don't believe that this feat has ever been accomplished before. Since Charlie received a blanket, sweater and hat from his great Auntie Anne you can imagine what this means he got from Britta. Everyone went overboard and we couldn't be more grateful.... Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I can't believe that I'm already well into week 36. Time is flying but, this week has been very productive. If Dennis and I can keep up this pace we'll be ready for the little guy for sure.
Sleeping is getting harder and harder and my bladder is getting smaller and smaller. I saw the nurse practitioner on Tuesday and Charlie is head down, facing left and has not dropped yet... I really can't imagine what will happen to my bladder when he does. Everyday I feel less like myself and more like a pod. Dennis woke me last night to tell me that I was snoring like a water buffalo and I felt horrible as there wasn't much I could do about it. My body is full of muck and snot and I can't make it go away. I suppose that this will all be over soon and, if not for this blog, I would forget all about it.
Thank you everyone for your generosity.
Thank you Jenn for the blow drier and nursing bra advise.
Thank you Cheryl for creating and raising Dennis - he is going to be the greatest dad ever!
Thank you Karen for making the time and driving all the way to Denver just for a baby shower.
Thank you Ginger and Travis for taking the duck and
Thank you Smith/ Stone family for the greatest baby shower ever!!!

Saying good-bye and good ridance to allergens

Our latest step in preparing the house is getting the new carpet in upstairs. Yesterday I spent the afternoon tearing up the old carpet and the carpet pad. My allergies were really put to the test with all the dust. We are going to both feel great when the new carpet gets layed in today.

Michelle and I worked last night installing the new carpet pad and so everything will go in quickly and we will be able to sleep in our bedroom again. We have been sleeping in the guest room on a full size matress like we did when Charlie's room's floor was being painted.

I am much more aware of Michelles getting up in the middle of the night when we sleep in the guest room. Supose I will get used to getting up in the middle of the night soon enough.

Last night was such a nice night outside that I decided to just sleep in the backyard and give Michelle the bed to herself. As I layed out my sleeping bag last night Dalai (our little dog) curled up on the sleeping bag and from then on camped out with me. She is a great sleeping bag warmer.

In looking at the work we have a head of us I feel we can get it all done. It continues to be a little overwhelming at times but we are taking it one day at a time. Once this carpeting is installed Pogue (our cat) will be shut out of the upstairs by a baby gate.

The next project will be the living room. Until then, best wishes to all (Achoo!)

Oh the anticipation...

Charlie is very excited these days. I think he is starting to understand how many people out here are anticipating his arrival. The showers have begun and, wow, he is one lucky kid with two very lucky parents.
We had a shower last night which a faux painter friend of mine organized. It was just a small group of us from the JSG showhouse at a pub in the highlands (this is an area near downtown Denver... we did not all fly to Scotland... too bad). Among other things we got all the goodies for Charlie's crib. As soon as I do a load of wash his crib will be all ready for him, mobile and all. The most wonderful surprise was the enormous box that arrived just before we left he house last night. It was from red envelope which meant that Uncles Andy and David had been shopping. Underneath loads of packing material was the most beautiful little quilt ever!!! It has the alphabet on it with little woodland creatures illustrating each letter and Charles N. Vander Houwen embroidered on the bottom. I LOVE IT and I know that Charlie will too. The next onslaught of gifts/ love is scheduled for Sunday and then, out neighbors are doing something for us the following Saturday. I just hope that Charlie doesn't get too excited.
Karen has a friend who just had a baby about four weeks early. Charlie can't do that to us. There is still far too much to do around here. No one who knows me will be surprised that the nursery is still not finished, the house is a disaster zone, we have new (to us) carpet to install upstairs and, Dennis has multiple public shows which are demanding a lot of time and attention. And really, who knows when Charlie might make his grand entrance.
Dr. Bozeman informed me at my last appointment that, although my blood pressure is fine now, he does expect it to go up and, when it does, they will schedule an induction. I don't think that anyone would hesitate to induce early since the boy is so big already so... it is, apparently, all up to my blood pressure.
I better get to work!... without stressing or lifting anything over 15 pounds. I did do the awful chore of nursing bra shopping today. It was almost as bad a swimsuit shopping but, since my butt wasn't involved... Anyhoot, it was a strange, droopy, expensive experience which I hope to never have to duplicate. $50. bras are still a lot cheaper than formula, right?
I am tired all the time but remaining rather calm. Dennis is starting to panic though and the poor man has way too much on his plate at the moment. It is not helping that my hormones are making me needier than I have ever been in my life. He is doing everything he can for Charlie and me and, since the house is a pit and our hospital bag still isn't packed, he doesn't feel like he is doing enough. Silly man!

Take care everyone! We love you for reading all this goofiness.

Zoinks! 5 weeks now....Gulp!

The days continue to click on by and we are starting to get more than just a little nervous about this whole being ready thing. I (Dennis) just got back from my annual Magic convention, "Magic In The Rockies", in Fort Collins. It was really great. I'm not sure how this is going to work next year when we are 3 people. I'm going to have to be smarter about the stuff I am selling at my vendor's booth I suppose. I'm not sure how late I will be able to stay up then either. I guess we will cross that bridge next year. This year's convention was wonderful and I learned a lot as always, but I was also thinking quite a bit about Michelle and Charlie while I was there.

It was also very nice to hang out with some of my magic heroes...including R. Paul Wilson and Charlie Frye.

Charlie Frye (seen in picture to the right) is on the "Charlie name sake list "Michelle and I made of great Charlies we liked along with Chaplin, Shultz, Darwin and others.

Here's Charlie Frye in action on a youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1W4OVrYwaw

I can't wait to share magic with our Charlie. For my first trick...the light switch. OR will it be the disappearing and reappearing dad playing peek a boo? I did vanish a baby once. Man that freaked out the mom.

Michelle is definitely getting larger. Sorry honey, there's no other way to say it. We are both wondering what 5 more weeks is going to look like. Michelle starts going to the doctor weekly now. We continue to watch Michelle's blood pressure. Last night I could feel Charlie going bonkers and kicking away, turning etc. All this while Michelle was asleep. FREAKING AMAZING!

I am a little nervous about a business trip I have at the end of this month up to Aspen Colorado. I am supposed to be going up with a group of people but I am beginning to think a separate car would be a better idea.

That's this week's postings for now.

Only Six Weeks to Go

Hello all. This is Michelle again. I hope that you all enjoyed the 'in process' photos of the nursery. I'm hoping to finish it up this week but, considering how exhausted I am, that may be a pipe dream. I still have some touch up painting, two valances and three roman shades to make, a bit of 'muraling' to do, the side table needs another coat of paint, and I have a curtain to make for the closet. That's without including the quilt I have fabric for and a moses basket (well, three moses baskets... one for grandma's house and one for my friend Chris). I have all the baskets (thanks to my favorite store - Ross) but I need to line them and cover the mini-mattresses. So, I only have six weeks and TONS to do.
We have had a few people ask what we need right away...obviously we don't 'need' everything on the registry. Want yes, need no. Our priorities are the car seat, one baby gate (to keep Pogue downstairs), a diaper champ, the changing pad/ and a cover, toiletries, bath stuff and diapers. That is the stuff that we really need before we bring Charlie home.
I was super excited to get our invitation to the baby shower this past week. Amy did an amazing job... now I just have to be patient and wait a few weeks for the actual event. The invites are so cute that I scanned them to show you.

As for how I'm feeling... BIG. My blood pressure has been slowly getting higher so I'm cutting out the caffeine entirely (as if I'm not tired enough), cutting back on the salt and keeping the blood pressure cuff close at hand. I have so much info on what the warning signs are for preeclamsia that I can't imagine that, if I get it, it will go undetected for long. However, if I get it, Charlie makes an early entrance. I'm not really all that worried but, better safe than sorry. My ankles and feet are growing and my hands are sore (can't explain this one but I hope that it is a pregnancy thing and will go away in a few months). Friends tell me that my belly seems bigger every time they see me and, I don't doubt it. I've started to outgrow some of my maternity cloths already! All in all things are good. Charlie is growing and, as long as I can get enough rest, I don't feel all that bad. Dennis is a huge help and his enthusiasm is wonderful. Anytime that he is away from me for more than a half hour he lifts up my shirt, kisses my belly and tells Charlie that he loves him.
Thanks again to Amy for what I know is going to be an awesome baby shower and thank you for caring enough to keep checking this silly blog.