25 weeks (well 25 weeks 3 days, but who is counting?)
There has been some painting going on... but this week we'll bring you a few belly pix instead of mural pix. I'll take more pix of that later in the week! it's coming along nicely, the hummingfish have eyes, and the brownbarbaloots have fur! I'm glad we have another 13-17 weeks (hopefully) before this baby arrives, as it's taking some time to paint! Ryan has also been painting the hallway in front of the bathroom he renovated, and the dining (soon to be laundry also) room. The hallway is a lovely jalapeno shade, and the dining room is a deep red. So much color! Makes me so happy! We also purchased a delicious stained glass/tiffany pendant light fixture. I'll post pix when it's all done!

So... in baby news... Goonie is a kicking fiend! some nights it's hard to get to sleep, as that seems to be disco hour in my uterus. Apparently the goon has Night fever!

Listen to the ground:
There is movement all around.
There is something goin’ down
And I can feel it.

On the waves of the air,
There is dancin’ out there.
If it’s somethin’ we can share,
We can steal it.

Then I get night fever, night fever.
We know how to do it.
Gimme that night fever, night fever.
We know how to show it.

Seems that goonie is also in a bit of a growth spurt, as I've been hungry non stop for a week now. I mean, i've been hungry for 6 months, but for the past two weeks it's been a bit obscene. I've gained at least 4 lbs in the past two weeks, not that I'm complaining! I'm sure an OB would be worried, but my MW told us to expect big weight gain the next month or so, and since I'm pretty sure I lost a few lbs in the first trimester, I'm not too worried I'll too porky. Ok.. so I've been non stop hungry for 2 weeks.... the sad part of that? I'm SICK of eating all the time. I'm BORED with eating (yeah, that doesn't sound like me, now does it???) When I start feeling like I'm STARVING 90 minutes after being stuffed (and I'm eating FULL meals here, folks) I actually dread having to figure out what to eat next. So sad, folks, so sad. However, I will take one for the team, and keep packing it away!

So...without further ado.... here's the growing goonie!

I had to take off my PJ top, as it made me look a little frumpier than reality... It's still cold here, don't worry!


The side view sans tank



And the front view... I am starting to think the Om tattoo is getting a little bigger... Maybe in a few weeks we'lll do a side by side comparison to see. We'll also see an ode to the belly button!

Painting, day 2

So, I went to work this morning, feeling pretty crappy. Felt like allergies, but after a while, I just decided to throw in the towel and go home. I had a slow afternoon, so I rescheduled everyone for tomorrow, and came home to rest. Ryan had the day off, so we spent the afternoon hanging out and doing projects. He primered the dining room, and I worked on the mural.


I added some brown barbaloots and some hummingfish!



A close up of the BrownBarbaloots - yeah they look a little creepy with no eyes, but I'l get to them.


A close up of the Hummingfish. They make me sooooooo happy.

And... He's shortish and oldish and brownish and mossy......


And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy!

Don't you just love him?

24 weeks - Painting!!

Well, knowing that we only have a few months before the Goonlet makes an appearance (at least, that's the plan!), we thought we should start working on the room that will house all the baby stuff. The baby will actually be sleeping with us, but we wouldn't mind a cute place for all of his/her gear/diapers/clothes.

Here are a few 'before' pix. It's a small room - about 7-13, and it's got the angled wall, but heck, the kids gonna be pretty short for a while, so it should work out for a few years. Besides, it's not like the goon is going to be sleeping in there! This little room is just off of our room, so all stuff will be within reach. Someday, when the kidlets are grown and ready to be in their own rooms downstairs, this little oasis will be my craft room. Someday... many many moons from now!


This is the big wall where most of the mural will be. Brown Barbaloots, Hummingfish, and SwameeSwans. Oh my!

Yes, it looks like Ryan is about to attack the stool, but he's not, he's describing where some piece of unbought furniture will be.

And here is a veiw from the door, where you can see the angled wall, and the crawl space. We're ( this should read : RYAN) is going to build some cubbies into the wall next to the crawl space that we can put baskets in for diapers and clothes and such. Since the room is small, we need all the space we can get, so one less dresser/shelf would be good. Also, it will be a good hide and seek place in a few years. ;)

Now... after a few hours of work.... No this wasn't free handed. We scanned the pix, and then used a power point projector to sketch it onto the walls. Before you say "oh it looks great!"... wait and see what it ends up like.. I could easily mess it up at the end!


Here is the Lorax pix after one coat of paint. He can't speak for the trees yet since we haven't actually given him a face.


Here's that big blank wall that will soon house hummingfish and whatnot!... now just a lake and some tree outlines.


And... after a snack and some more paint... The lorax lives!

So we're at 24 weeks. All is well, baby loves kicking, oreos (ok that may just be me), and loves when dad says "heeeeeey Goonie!" Still have nightly took-a took-a sessions, and enjoy the belly olympics before sleep. In a couple of weeks we're off to Playa del Carmen (about an hour south of Cancun) for a weeks vacation in the sun. It's a much needed trip, as we've had some heavy times as of late.
A very dear friend of mine, Joan (my friend Lyn's mother) died of cancer yesterday. She was ill for quite some time, and the last few weeks have been very difficult for all involved. She passed peacfully and beautifully surrounded by those who loved her yesterday morning, as the sun streamed through the windows. It was a sad, yet beautiful day of stories, singing, and laughter as we said good bye. We will miss her dearly, but are all so glad she is no longer suffering. Good bye Joan! You were one FAR OUT WOMAN. I'm blessed to have known you.

23 Weeks... let the games begin!!

Well, as we approach the next month of gestation, we also are starting the 2006 Winter Olympic Games! We love the Olympics around here.... love the Olympic spirit, love the excitement, love it all! Goonie is all about the winter games. Pretty sure there is some speed skating going on, and lots of curling. I felt a few triple lutz's earlier during the pairs figure skating, and am sure that the Goon is a gold medal contender. We're oh so proud!

Had a midwife appointment this week... All is good. Blood pressure nice and low, nothing amiss in the pee, gained 7 lbs in 4 weeks, uterus is measuring on track and all looks perfect. (wow, nice to be normal!!) Ellie was so proud of Ryan for finding the heartbeat every night. Sigh. he's already a pretty attentive father.

We have been blessed by many friends and family giving us so much baby stuff! It seems we spent most of our money making this baby, not clothing or diapering it. Other than a carseat and baby jogger (if we get a stroller, we'll get a jogger, as the park near our house has great trails) we're pretty set. We have enough clothes and diapers for at least the first 9 months. We've got all the gadgets we could imagine (swing, basinette, vibrating chair) and can't see even using them all. We've got one really great sling (although we will probably need more!) and all sorts of other things. Thankfullly we have a little time before the baby shows up though!

Today we started looking at paint colors for the nursery (although the baby will sleep in our room)... i'm painting a mural on the wall, The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss. The colors are so fun and bright! Of course I'll post pictures as it starts happening... but nothing yet.. still just an idea.

That's all for this week. No belly pix this week.... maybe next week!

One last thing... everyone who is reading has to post a comment... I'm curious who's out there!

22 Weeks

So, I promised I'd mention some names this week..... well it's sort of true. Since we decided not to find out the sex of the goon, it's not so easy to pick a name. Also, it's hard to name a person you've never met. I couldn't name a cat I haven't met, more or less a person! We usually have a pet for hours if not days before choosing a moniker. So... the same will apply to this little goonlet. We are of course collecting names we like, and Ryan has a list. Some nights when I take a warm bath, I'll read names from a name book outloud to see if goonie has a preference. Well, that's when she/he chose their own name..... I read this name and the kicking ensued.........




yes folks, come June, we'll be adding a little La Fonda to our family. My mom told me that La Fonda means "the shack" in spanish.... mmmmmmm little baby shack! ;) Would a boy be El Fondo? El Frodo? La Froda?



Ok... calm down, I'm kidding!


So, last night was the grand opening of my new office. Even though we moved in September, we had to put off the grand opening till February because there was so much going on. First Mona (our Naturopath) got married in October. Then we had the holidays.... and no one wants to host a huge party then, right? So... here we are, February! We had a big party last night, and will have free classes and events all month. The party last night was great fun.... we started at 4 PM with an accordian player and kids dancing (now that was fun to watch!). Then we had a storyteller/puppetshow, more fun! then we had a vocal artist who did a sound blessing of the space, (complete with a digeridoo) and then had a concert with a local celtic band. It was great fun.... we had tons of yummy food and beverages, and lots of friends and colleagues who stopped by to congratulate us and see the office. We moved in over labor day, but didn't get all the final details done till......um lets just say we were puting the vinyl sign on the door and hanging the art at 3PM....
So without further ado... here is the fanciest pix you'll see of me during this pregnancy! My friend Scarlett found this gorgeous silk maternity dress at a thrift store, and it fits perfectly! Yes... i wore heels for 4 hours, and am pooped today!



PS... isn't Ryan hot?!

Here is our whole group - minus Lyn, as she is home with her terminally ill mother. She was there in spirit!

Front row - Mona (naturopath) Theresa (children/adolescent therapist)
Back row - me (chiropractor) gina (massage therapist) Christina (adult and couples therapist) Molly (acupuncturist)