More Nursery Demolition!!

The third or fourth bin full of old plaster...this stuff is SO heavy!

Lots of lathe to be burned!

All of this lathe has to come down! There is blown-in insulation behind it...most has settled...that's why this room is so cold!

That used to be the girl's closet on the other side of that open wall. I had the idea to use this space to add a little extra square footage to the nursery. We'll have to build a new, smaller closet inside the girl's room on the other side of the white wall.

I'm so very excited about this...I can just picture it all finished!! And I look forward to when I can share those photos with you!

1st trimester almost over....

Within a week or two, my first trimester is coming to a close, and hopefully so will the nausea. Mornings have been okay...it's the afternoons and evenings that are the worst. I actually got sick 4 days in a row last week...so exhausting and not daring to eat anything for fear or getting sick again!

Yesterday was a pretty good day and I'm thankful for that. I had only slight nausea and around 9PM, I discovered that eating a few handfuls of Kix cereal with no milk comforted my stomach!!

Thursday at 10AM is my next OB appt with sonogram, so I will be asking my Dr about nausea meds. We'll see what comes of that.

I may be posting again later with more demo pics of the nursery...depends on how I feel though!

Mood Swings Anyone???

These last few days have been rough...the nausea is consuming me and it's been very hard to put a smile on my face and keep it there. I am also watching Pam's neices this week for the most part as her and her family are very ill with whatever NASTY bug is going around! The girls are very good when they are here, but with the nausea and my mood swings, my patience is unfortunately very thin(mostly when Caitlin and Sara argue) and I have to really catch myself.

On top of this, our cat Gracie unexpectedly had kittens on Sunday! We thought she was just eating too much and not getting enough exercise! Hah! I wasn't home when Gracie delivered the first one...which ended up dying...Sean had no idea what to do and was totally grossed out. I rushed home with my nephew, Rocco(I was watching him), and got Gracie settled in the cellar until she stopped bleeding, the kitten taken care of and everyone calmed down!

About 3 hours later, as I was sitting in the rocker watching TV with Gracie on my lap, I felt her belly get hard....and OH...she started to push!! She wasn't done delivering, so I took her in the kitchen on a towel and helped her with the next kitten. I had to take the sac off and cut the cord because Gracie was clueless, again. Me playing vet again...this happens a lot! This kitten is a very light orange/tan tiger...and so cute! It may be darker once the kitten fuzz is replaced.

Being pregnant and seeing a precious little kitten dead is really hard, especially when I'm pregnant. Last night I was mad at Sean for not trying to save the first kitten, but then totally understood his aversion to blood, etc...he just couldn't do it. So I'm not mad anymore. I think something may have been wrong with that one anyway...something about it's front leg wasn't right.

So to anyone who prays, please pray for this nausea to subside soon. It's really wearing me down.

Curl up in a ball.....

That's what I feel like doing most days now. My nausea has been so bad the past week and a half, that I just want to curl up in a ball under warm blankets and sleep the day away...sometimes I just want to cry. I've only actually gotten sick once...and that was from brushing my teeth. sigh.

I'm doing okay today so far...but it's only 9:30 AM. I had a couple waffles with peanut butter for breakfast and that seems to be helping. I'm thinking I'm lacking in protein, but when EVERYTHING makes me gag, it's really hard to make anything for myself. I feel even worse that I can barely make anything for the kids or Sean. Even looking in the refrigerator was making me gag yesterday...I think it was the thought of certain things in there.

It was so bad yesterday, that I asked my best friend, Pam to pick up a McD's bacon ranch salad with crispy chicken and ranch dressing. It was the only thing that sounded good and I needed the protein from the chicken plus the fresh greens. It really did help tremendously...
so THANK YOU PAM!!

Due date change...

So my first appointment with my OB was Thursday. I wasn't sure I would be getting an ultrasound or not, because it was also my yearly exam....but was secretly hoping! I did have one and was surprised to find out I'm only about 6 weeks along. By my calculations, I was pretty sure I was around 8 weeks! Must be my cycle was different during the month of December...

Anyway, my Dr said everything looks great and he wants to see me back on February 26th for another checkup and ultrasound. By then I'll be about 10 weeks and we should be able to see little arms and legs forming!! I was very happy though to be able to see the TINY heart beating in the first ultrasound.

Not human babies...but still babies!

Our guinea pig Betsy, FINALLY gave birth to 4 adorable babies on the 27th, in the early afternoon. She required no help and has been a wonderful mother! The baby above is only an hour or so old...I'm helping it dry off a little more. I checked online and the hair style is Abysinnian and the color is golden agouti. The one below is the same color, but with smooth hair. The third baby is jet black and the fourth is a pretty rust color that I haven't decided is orange or red, according to the standards. It also has 2 white spots on it's head...so cute! And they are already squealing like Betsy...they are very loud sometimes!

Here's Caitlin holding the smooth golden agouti...can you tell she loves them??

And Betsy in her little box with her babies.

Nursery Renovation...the beginning!

This room is quite small, about 7 x 8' or so. It was the lowest priority for updating...but now that we really need the space, it will be completely remodeled before September! There is only one window that is on the back of the house...and this is where the morning sun comes in.

Behind this wall is Cara and Caitlin's closet. Sean wants to use part of the closet for a built-in dresser/closet for the nursery...save on space! Our house was built in 1913-14, so the electrical is old as well as the framing. A couple of the boards in this wall are starting to crumble a bit...time for reframing! The lathe and plaster has been completely removed from this wall...Sean won't do the other walls until we have the supplies to finish it quickly...ie.. insulation and drywall!

The one window, which is very low and the original pine plank floors that were painted who knows how many years ago!

The door is new though...when Brendan used this room as his bedroom, he had folding doors that needed to be replaced.

Cravings...

So the cravings have begun...and the heartburn continues. Today's, or should I say, this evening's craving, is Tostitos Lime chips...how I wish I could go to the store for them, but there's no one here to stay with the kids. Sean's still in CT. Boohoo.... Maybe I'll call Pam and see if she has any! But does my craving trump the necessity of going outside in the freezing cold??
Maybe not....

See the pantry?? It's full, but nothing, and I mean nothing is appealing...guess I'll have to raid the fridge!

That's our youngest cat, Angel, in her favorite spot. She can see everything from up there...and loves to watch me cook!

PROOF!

So here it is! This is the second test I've taken...because the first was taken too early and showed a negative. Any test I've ever taken when I thought I was pregnant(and actually was) within the first 2 weeks of my missed cycle comes out negative. So this time I waited an extra week to take the second...no denying that positive sign!! :) I knew I was pregnant, but having not been to the doctor's yet...this completely confirmed it in my mind.

Today was tough. I was completely drained of all energy within the first 2 hours of being awake. It made it even harder to babysit my neighbor's nieces, even though I only had them until 2. After they went home, I tried to lay down and take a nap with Caitlin on my bed. What a wiggleworm! I just got frustrated and forgot about the whole thing. I'll try again tomorrow. This time she'll go in HER bed and fall asleep first!

It's too cold and I wanted to sleep all day.....

Today was mostly a do-all-you-can-to-stay-warm-day! When I woke up at 8 AM and checked the temps online, it was 4F with a wind chill of -13F!!! I just wanted to crawl back in my warm bed with my new pillow and sleep the day away. But with 3 children...I couldn't do that. The house was looking like a herd of elephants stampeded through and the kitchen sink was overflowing...and that needed to be remedied. But I felt quite drained early on...just because I'm pregnant. So not a whole lot was accomplished...just enough to make the house somewhat presentable.

I ended up avoiding the kitchen until later in the day...it was freezing!! I snuggled on the couch, wrapped in blankets with Caitlin while she watched some cartoons. I worked on my latest knitting project, an adult hat made from my handspun yarn. I decided on a very simple stripe pattern...7 rows of a rusty, sparkly Corriedale wool blend yarn and 2 rows of light fawn alpaca. I'm finishing up the crown of the hat tonight. I haven't decided if I will wear it, give it as a gift or list it on Etsy. When it's complete, I'll post a photo.

I'm so very glad I took up knitting...and have been doing it long enough that I can make really nice things! I enjoy knitting for others and now with a baby on the way, I can't wait to make more little things like thumbless mitts and hats and maybe I'll even venture out and try a sweater! Thank goodness for patterns for no-seam sweaters...I really do despise seaming!

Today was my best friend's youngest daughter's birthday party...she turned 12 on the 13th. It was a full house and very loud, but it was nice. Danielle received some very nice things and a little cash to go shopping on her own. She's a good kid...and she's extremely excited about our new baby on the way. She loves babies and I know she will help me out a lot.

On another note, I actually felt yucky for much of the day...but not nauseous. Right now, I'm hungry, but NOTHING is appealing but water. Maybe a little is knowing Sean will be gone to Connecticut for a week starting tomorrow afternoon. I'm not worried, I just really miss him when he's gone for more than a day. :( It's not the same just talking on the phone...we love to watch a movie or read in the evenings, just being together after the kids are in bed...that's OUR time...and I relish it!

I don't want to babble on, so I'll go finish up that hat and then fall asleep soundly! The photos above are just a few of the ones I'd like to frame for the nursery if Mini Who is a girl. Enjoy...they were taken either here or at my MIL's over the past 2 summers.