I finished it!! I think I started it when I was about 12 weeks pregnant. It's the biggest thing I've ever made. I'm so happy with it, imperfections and all! 
The pattern is slightly modified (to make 16 smaller squares instead of 4 huge squares) from Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'N Bitch, and the yarn is Debbie Bliss Stella (60% silk, 20% rayon, 20% cotton), pretty, soft, and machine washable. I haven't blocked it yet, but it should measure 32' x 32'. 
"I get a kick out of you!"
Hmm, not much to report this week. I had my 28-week appointment on Wednesday, and everything's good. My OB measured my uterus for the first time and announced that it's measuring a bit large but it's "nothing to worry about." Baby's heartbeat seemed louder than usual, possibly a result of his increasingly cramped quarters.
I think I'm slowing down a bit. My hips and legs are occasionally sore and achy. I get a massive head rush if I bend over. It's hard to kneel down. But these are minor complaints; I'm still feeling quite good overall, and I'm so grateful that this pregnancy has been easy and uneventful so far.
Sometimes Keith yells "Hello in there!" at my belly. I've tried to explain that it's not necessary to yell; it's not like the baby's going to distinguish the syllables and understand the words. He just needs to hear the voice, and he'll get that through ordinary conversation. (At least that's what I think.)
Keith has been trying to feel kicks for a few weeks now, but he never leaves his hand in place long enough. He gives up too easily. But yesterday, at 26w6d, he finally caught a particularly active few minutes and felt a kick for the first time! So cool. I'm hoping this helps him "bond" with the baby and make feel more involved in the pregnancy.
The movements are getting stronger and more distinct now. There was a particularly powerful flurry of motion in there at about 3:00 a.m. last night. I'm sure it would have woken me up if I had been sleeping, but alas I was still up finishing the stupid freelance project. I finally stumbled into bed at 3:17, only to stumble out of bed at 6:30 to get ready for work. It was a long day, so I enjoyed the luxury of a longer-than-expected nap from 7:00 to 9:00 this evening, and wouldn't you know it? Now it's almost midnight and I'm wide awake.
I think I mentioned my freelance project? The one that allowed me to feel all right about splurging on our awesome glider? Well. It's due on Monday, and I've really barely started. I've procrastinated away the last three (almost four) weeks, as per my usual crappy work habits, and now I'm paying for it. I actually took a vacation day from my full-time job to allow me time to work on the freelance stuff today. So stupid. I'm really kicking myself. I haven't felt this way since, oh, about June. I am vividly reminded why I quit my old job in the first place.
So I'm spending this weekend more or less chained to my desk, except for a few hours tomorrow, when Keith and I go downtown for a nice dinner to take advantage of the biannual restaurant promo event the city puts on — three-course meals at a selection of restaurants for a fixed price.
And this blog post is really yet another manifestation of my rampant procrastination. Wasting time right down to the wire. Go, me!
A girl at work is just two weeks behind me in her pregnancy. She has a cute, round, obvious baby belly, while I just have a large swell. Today we were standing together near our cubicles chatting about baby/pregnancy stuff, when another co-worker came up to us, put one hand on each of our bellies, and said, "Wouldn't it be cool if both of them kicked my hands at the same time??" Uhh, yeah.
She's only the second person (besides DH) who has felt up my pregnant belly. (The other was my brother-in-law's girlfriend when I was just 12 weeks.) Weird.
We returned to baby store A today and put down a deposit on a crib and a glider! They're like the pictures below but different colours. The crib is a lighter cherry wood colour, and the glider is cream with a pattern of brown and blue circles. I can't wait to hold my baby in this super awesome chair! It glides, it reclines, and it's totally comfortable enough to fall asleep in. And today the saleslady told us our order would be ready in four to six weeks, instead of the twelve weeks she'd estimated last time we were there, so I guess we'll get it sometime in March. I'm excited!
It seems it's time to start building the nest (the best we can in our one-bedroom apartment)! I dragged Keith to a baby store last week, not really thinking we'd buy anything there — maybe bedding — but just wanting to browse and admire the pretty furniture.
But then Keith says, "So, which of these do we like?" And suddenly we're seriously talking about buying one of these cribs and maybe also one of the awesome gliders. I had been assuming we'd buy a crib from Toys R Us or maybe Sears and that we'd skip the glider altogether and make do with the ugly black "leather" one we have in the living room. We've been in complete savings mode for so long (well, except for the TV Keith HAD to have last year, oh and let's not forget the PS3) that it was a bit shocking to consider spending so much more than we absolutely NEED to spend. But I have a bonus from work coming, and I'm working on a freelance project, and the extra income from those two things will more than cover what we're now thinking of spending. We quickly justified it.
So we inquire about one of the cribs, and the saleslady tells us it could take up to 12 weeks to come in. That puts us at the end of April. I'm due on May 11. Um, if we're going to do this we have to move fast!
But I feel like it's irresponsible to buy this stuff from the first place we looked at. I need to comparison shop! Men don't understand comparison shopping. Our conversation went something like this:
Keith: You like it? You think the price is okay? So let's buy it.
Me: But there might be something better and cheaper out there somewhere. You can't just buy from the first store you look at.
Keith: You've looked at other stores.
Me: Yes, but I wasn't looking with an eye to buy. Browsing is an entirely different kind of shopping.
Keith: [rolls eyes]
And so, on Thursday, while Keith's out with his buddies, I'm dragging my cousin back to a baby store I've already been to just so I can feel like I've comparison shopped. I'm about 90 percent sure the cribs and gliders at this store are much more expensive than the ones we're thinking of buying, but I need to look. Then Keith and I will go to place our order at the original store this weekend. LOL
Exciting stuff, huh? I'll post pictures after we've taken the plunge.
