Who says the pregnant lady isn't any fun?

Before I got pregnant, I was a little worried that I would be Cap'n Stick in the Mud for nine months. But I think I've done pretty well. I've felt pretty good throughout my pregnancy, and I've tried to take full advantage of it. I've taken lots of trips, been to countless sporting events, and have even been able to keep up our weekly Wings outings. Here are a few of the adventures that we've had over the past 7 months.

November 2009
Indian Shores, FL
My family surprised Mom on her birthday last year by renting a house (ok, mansion) on the Gulf Coast. So I was only about 5 weeks pregnant here, but it still counts, right?


December 2009
Barry, IL
Merry Christmas, Baby!

January 2010
Altamonte Springs, FL
I was able to golf several times this winter and spring, but I have a feeling those days are behind me for now. I can't quite seem to keep my elbows in - they run into a large bulge in my mid-section.

February 2010
Winter Springs, FL
Brian and I adventured to the Scottish Highland Games and Heritage Festival in Winter Springs. If you look really closely, you can see the haggis toss going on behind us. A good time was had by all! Next year we'll visit again, but this time we'll do it with a stroller. Fun, fun!


March 2010
Jupiter, FL
Baby's first Cardinals Game.


April 2010
NBA Eastern Playoffs - Round 1
Baby Fleming has attended many, many Magic games this year. Now that the playoffs are in full swing, the games are much louder and more exciting, and I can feel the baby reacting to the noise. So cool!

April 2010
Chicago
Once a year, some of my favorite people in the world get together and pretend to be ladies for the afternoon while we have tea at the Four Seasons. This year was no different - except that John Cusack and the Queen of Jordan were having tea a few tables over from ours.
So, officially, this was Baby's First Tea with the Queen.


May 2010
Cocoa Beach, FL
Brian took me to the beach on Mother's Day. The weather was perfect, and we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and ocean air. And I enjoyed a VIRGIN strawberry pina colada. Ahh!

Poor Mimi

More than 5 years ago, I convinced Brian to open our home (then apartment) to a cat. We brought Daisy home, and then Mimi joined us a year later. They're both good cats, and they've provided much love and entertainment over the years, and for them, life is good.

Daisy is a good cat. She prefers to be left alone, and it's very unlikely that she ever finds herself in any trouble. Mimi, however, is a different story. She follows us around the house whenever possible. Her favorite spot is behind the TV, creeping around between the wires. She doesn't sleep during the weekend days because she's sure that she'll miss something while we're home. She's less overweight than her sister, so she's much more likely to get into trouble because she can actually jump and because, God love her, she's just not that bright.

We've been wondering about what to do to prepare the cats for the baby's arrival, but honestly, my feeling is, "They're cats. They'll be fine." I expect them to be a little freaked out, but with plenty of love, we'll all get along just fine, right? I recently read an article that suggested things like talking to your cats and preparing them for what is about to happen, having them help after the baby comes home (with what?!), and (so help me, this was in the article) installing a screen door in the doorway of the baby's room so that the cats could see what was happening but could not get into the room. Needless to say, I've not put a lot of stock into these ideas. I've worked very hard over the past five years not to become Crazy Cat Lady, and I'm not going to throw it all away now.

The one issue I'm having right now is that I'd like to start setting up the room to look like it will when the baby is living in it. For example, I'd love to get the changing area set up so I can see exactly how much room I'll have on the end of the dresser for storage, etc, but I fear coming home one day to see little miss Mimi snuggled up on the freshly washed changing pad cover. No good. So I've done nothing. I know I could start shutting the door to the baby's room, but we've got a few months to go and that seems a little cruel for animals that are as territorial as cats.

To keep the cats from exploring the crib, we've left the crib mattress leaning up against the wall behind the crib, so the crib is basically a giant cage with a wire mesh bottom. Not too appealing to our kitten friends, and so far, so good about keeping the cats out of it. Until this Saturday, that is. Our handyman was coming to install a light fixture, so I draped the crib with an old sheet to keep the drywall dust off of it. I swear, not more than 10 minutes after the crib had been draped, I walked back into the room to find Mimi staring up at me, tangled in a mess of sheet and wire at the bottom of the crib. Poor thing wasn't even smart enough to cry out, so who knows how long she'd been that way. What made her jump onto a giant sheet, I have no idea, but for now, I think the crib is a very, very scary place for her. And frankly, I prefer to keep it that way.

Any suggestions for bridging the world of the cats and the baby, I'd love to hear 'em!

Let the Decorating Begin!

We now have the two main pieces of furniture for the baby's room. The crib and the baby's dresser are here, and they are perfect. One more not-so-fun project to go, and then we can let the decorating begin. We have our friendly handyman coming on Saturday to install the ceiling fan/light in the room since, for some reason, this room isn't currently equipped with either. I don't think we're going to have to paint anything, but Mom has generously offered to help with that when she's here in a few weeks, so a painting project is still a possibility.

I decided a few weeks ago that I would take the bedding off of our registry. I couldn't see a reason to pay nearly $200 for something that I could make myself for much less and that would be much more special. As a bonus, I get to make just the things that we'll actually use: a crib skirt and a valance, and of course, a quilt. Sewing is something that I've enjoyed since I can remember, and I've made many quilts for many other special babies, so why not do something for ours, right? My friend Maria and I spent a fun couple of hours at the fabric store a few weeks ago, and I'm thrilled with what we found. Here's one of the fabrics that I'll be using, which should give you an idea of the color scheme for the room. I think it's very cheery and friendly, and I love the colors! I can't wait to get started!

Easter Visit (Part 2)

It seems that it's been a long time since Easter weekend, but I'd promised to put up photos, so here they are!

Two of Baby Fleming's cousins:
Caden (3 months) and Caroline (4 months).
How cute are they?

We were so blessed by being able to share the weekend with friends and family, and we were showered with many wonderful things for the baby. One of my favorite gifts was from my Grandma Moulds. Mom found my old baby blanket that Grandma had made and packaged it together with a new quilt that Grandma made for Baby Fleming. Quilting is something that Grandma passed along to me, and I am so excited to share these quilts with our baby.

I didn't get any good photos of Tom and Mary Anne's house decorated for the shower, so if anyone has any, please send them my way. You can see a little bit of the decor hanging on the mantle. Mom, Lindsay, Kelly, and Amy collected some washcloths, blankets, socks and onesies to hang on clothesline in the main rooms. It was precious, and all of the decor will get to be used for the baby. Too cute and very practical. Great idea, girls!

Kneppers/Flemings

Flemings/Flemings

Home Improvement News

Recognize this?

I think all of you knew this, but four years ago Brian and I bought a purple house that was filled with garbage. We chose this house because of its location, its potential, and because it was filled with garbage we knew we could kind of afford it. We've put a lot of TLC into our home, and over the past few years we've repainted the exterior and 90% of the interior, replaced all of the flooring with ceramic tile/laminate hardwood, updated the appliances, installed new light fixtures, reestablished the front lawn, added a drain and path along the north side of the house, built a bar, and retiled one of the showers. We did all but a few of those projects ourselves. We both love this kind of thing, and we're getting pretty good at it, but there are a few things that I think are worth paying people to do.

One of these projects was completed last week. Up to that point, we had only two major projects remaining on our list: fix the backyard and renovate the master bathroom. We decided to tackle the backyard first. It only took a week, and it was well worth paying other people to do it. It's so nice to have a normal space back there now, and we've taken full advantage of it so far.

I thought you might like to see the transformation for yourselves.

Brian had marked off our plan for the patio before we got started.
You can kind of tell what condition the backyard was in up to that point.
It was not good.

Dirt's here! Not the greatest surprise I've had in my life, but luckily
having a giant dirt mound on our front curb was short-lived.

You're not going to leave it like that, are you?
Apparently, the answer would have been "Yes" if Brian and I hadn't been
adamant about incorporating a grade into the new yard.
I'm no dirt looker or anything, but I think I see a problem with this. You?

Day 4: Lisa begins breathing again.
The workmen added a nice slope to the yard, and they got started on the pavers. Progress!

Ta da! Welcome to a little bit of heaven in our backyard. Washers, anyone?

Baby Steps towards a Baby's Room

Brian and I got busy this weekend and removed the guest bed from what will be the baby's room. Okay, he moved the bed. I "supervised." It's nice being able to see the space without the giant bed in it, and so far, he hasn't complained about being cramped with the guest bed in the den (bless him).

So yesterday I took another big step and ordered the dresser and put a deposit on the crib. The baby is actually going to use what is now my dresser, and I ordered a new one for me. Long story, but the short of it is that the dresser I have now will be perfect for a little one, but isn't so perfect for me. I'll pick my new dresser up in a few weeks, make the switch, and we'll be one step closer to having a place for baby to call his or her own. We've got a lot of work to do, but it's all work that I'm looking forward to doing!

This is the crib that we're getting, but it will be in "espresso" finish.

This will be the baby's dresser (minus the mirror).

Easter Visit (Part 1)

We had the most wonderful trip to St. Louis. We got to visit with family and friends and meet our new nephew, Caden. To top it all off, Amy, Lindsay, and Kelly threw me the most special baby shower. It was great to be able to share my baby bump with everyone, and we were showered with lots and lots of goodies. I think we might actually be ready for this baby now. No, wait. Reality check. We’re nowhere near ready.

I’ll put some more photos up this weekend, but until then, here’s a photo of the cake and one of my mom (and me). She looked absolutely beautiful, and this Grandma-to-be was right in her element with all of the babies around! Do you think that expectant grandmas have a glow, too?

Our friend Erin made this beautiful and delicious cake. It was chocolate with cream cheese frosting and chocopan. How adorable is that?!

No, she's not asking for handouts. I caught her in the middle of putting lotion on her hands. Sorry, Ma.