Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The stockings have been hung ...

The tree has been decorated ...

Gifts for the neighbors have been made and delivered ...

The Christmas Cards are displayed ...

It must be time to sit back, relax and enjoy some Christmas Eve snacks with my husband and baby bump in our home. Merry Christmas! 

Pregnancy Update - 33 Weeks

Wow, 33 weeks. That means we only have 7 to go. Crazy!

I am happy to report that as of last week, when we had our midwife appointment, baby girl is healthy and growing well. She had a strong heartbeat and was still in the head down position (where we hope she will stay). On top of that I had gained 2 1/2 pounds and Marc had lost 2 pounds. This was a relief because there was a couple of weeks where the baby was still growing but I wasn't putting on any weight. I guess I have our trip to Wisconsin and all the yummy food we enjoyed to thank.

This is a picture of the baby belly from the hotel room in Chicago. For once I had a full length mirror I could take advantage of! I'm still amazed by how big my belly looks in pictures because while it feels big in comparison to my "normal" belly, it just doesn't feel that big.

We're also getting closer to having a finished nursery. Two weeks ago I finally finished painting all the walls and trim. We started with a striped wall and had a hard time picking a color for the remaining three walls. With a little help from the Petersik's at Young House Love we picked a color and are loving it. I made a deal with myself that I could only assemble the crib once all of the walls were painted. So that meant two weeks ago I finally was able to take the crib out of the box and put it together. It's a weird thing to enjoy but I really have fun putting together Ikea furniture. Last week the mattress for the crib arrived and this past weekend we started hanging decorations up on the wall. I really can't wait until it's finished so that I can show you pictures and tell you more about how we put it all together.

In the meantime here's an idea of what the room looked like at the beginning of December. I happen to be standing on the painter's drop cloth with about 5 cans of paint, rollers, paint trays and frog tape surrounding my feet.

Last but not least, the most exciting news for the nursery is that I finally found "the" dresser that I wanted at the local thrift store. It is the right size, has the perfect number of drawers, is made of wood and is in excellent shape. Plus when I went to go pick it up they informed me that it also came with a large matching framed mirror. Today I started the sanding process so that hopefully this weekend we can start priming and painting it and get it into the baby's room by the end of next week. Here's a sneak peak of what we are starting with

It's so exciting to be working on the baby's room and to finally feel like we have a place to put the gifts we have been receiving. I really can't wait for the big reveal and to have it finally ready for Baby Aquila to live in.

Uber-Productive

You may remember two weeks ago when I wrote about finally getting around to crossing things off our to do list. Well I'm happy to report that Marc and I decided to make the most of last weekend and be uber-productive.

On Saturday we were up and ready to go by 9 am. I have to admit that lately I don't get out of bed until  at least 9am on the weekends but for some reason I was awake and ready to make the most of the day. By 10 o'clock, 1 hour into our productive day, we had already

• started a load of laundry 
• removed all the remaining garbage from the garage and loaded it into the truck 
• installed the heater cover (that I painted during the week) in the baby's room 
• broke down the overwhelming large pile of boxes in the garage to a manageable pile for recycling 

... and were on our way to the dump. At the dump you drive your loaded truck onto a scale, get weighed, dump your garbage in the appropriate area, reweigh your truck and then pay your fee. Turns out that on top of the xx pounds of  carpeting and bathroom construction debris that we got rid of a few weeks ago, we got rid of another xx pounds of roofing and bathroom construction debris this weekend. Although it took more time then having a dumpster available at our house it was definitely a lot less expensive. Instead of between $400-$600 for a dumpster we paid $149 to dump all of our own garbage. Score 1 for the Aquilas! 

After our trip to the dump we stopped by home depot to pick up a few items for more projects that we wanted to finish that day. We also finally made a decision on what snow blower to buy and went out to a local retailer and purchased it to be delivered later in the weekend. By the end of Saturday we had also 

• started to decorate the baby's room (pictures to come soon!)
• painted the heater covers for the guest room 
• started painting the trim in the hallway
• sanded and mudded the dry wall in the bathroom 
• prepped the bonfire area 
• stored the gas powered yard toys for the winter 

As a reward for all of our hard work we headed into town for dinner at Yama, a Japanese Korean sushi restaurant. This was the first time to Yama for me and the first time back for Marc since we returned to the upper valley and it was exactly what we were hoping for. I was able to order a tempura sushi roll (no raw fish), dumpling soup and edamame while Marc enjoyed some dukboki and some real sushi. Not only was the food delicious but we also really liked our waiter and his interest in sharing Korean culture with us. We both left feeling like we have another restaurant to enjoy in town.

Since the weekend I've been making everyday this week a productive day. After about three rounds of mudding and sanding the bathroom wall I can officially tell you it is done and painted. I have also been busy painting the trim in the hallway, finishing up sewing some burp cloths for the baby, and installing heater covers. Tonight we might actually get around to decorating our Christmas tree. 

Wisconsin and Chicago

A little over a week ago Marc and I chose to take advantage of a business trip he had to Milwaukee by extending it and visiting some of our friends located in Wisconsin. We left on Saturday and flew from New Hampshire to Chicago and then drove up to Green Bay, Wisconsin. This was the first time to Green Bay for both of us and it didn't disappoint.

While in Green Bay we stayed with our friends Jennifer and Brandon. On Saturday night they took us to Lambeau Field for dinner at Curly's Pub. We were impressed with how accessible the stadium was both outside for parking and once you entered the atrium inside. I can only imagine what it's like on game day when the stadium is full of packers fans sporting their gear.

On Sunday we had a full day of watching football, catching up and relaxing with Jen and Brandon. I have to say Jen is one of the best hostesses. Not only did she have a bar of chocolate waiting for "the baby" but she also cooked us some delicious food while we were there. Homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, firecracker shrimp for appetizers and chicken with salad and truffled potatoes for dinner. To top it all off we had some pear cranberry crisp for dessert.

After watching the snow fall all day Marc and I decided it was probably best for us to make our way down to Milwaukee on Sunday evening instead of early Monday morning, so at half time during the packers game we loaded up and headed out. But not before Jen could deck me out in Packers gear for a photo.

It was so great to see Jen and Brandon but bittersweet that it was such a short trip. Next time we see them will be for their wedding in June and we'll have a little baby girl following us around.

On Monday, while Marc was busy working away in Milwaukee, I was lucky enough to meet up with one of my previous coworkers from Virginia. Jackie and I have kept touch via Facebook and it was so lovely to have a chance to see her in person and catch up. Seeing her again reminded me of what an amazing, caring and thoughtful individual she is and why I enjoyed having her as a coworker and friend in Alexandria. She also brought us the sweetest outfits for our baby girl which was completely unexpected.

Monday night we headed out of Milwaukee and into Chicago where we met up with some of Marc's coworkers. In case you didn't know the office he works out of here in Vermont is the main office but they have other offices in both Burlington and Chicago. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Sushi Samba and then a nice evening walk through downtown Chicago. From dinner back to the hotel we walked across the river and took in some of the city's architecture and art.

This was my first trip to Chicago, outside of the airport, and it was so much fun. Not only did we walk around and admire the Christmas lights at night but I also spent some time at the Millenium Park where I finally saw the Cloud Gate in person and I wandered along the shore of Lake Michigan.

The Cloud Gate - can you find me in the reflection? (I'm wearing green)

The Shore of Lake Michigan - don't let the sunshine fool you.
It was cold and windy. 

I have to admit though the highlight of Chicago was when we were upgraded to a suite at the Palmer Hilton Hotel. Being our last trip pre-baby it was very nice to have such a luxurious room with not only two bathrooms but also a dining room, wet bar and living room. It was almost like we had planned one last hurrah for just the two of us.

The lobby ceiling

View of Chicago from our room on the 13th floor

The wet bar and dining area in our suite. 

The living room, bathroom 1 and hallway to our bedroom. 

Our bedroom with en suite bathroom.

All in all it was a pretty fabulous trip out to Wisconsin and Chicago. I can't wait to go back in the summer!

It's Happening

Now that Marc and I are back to feeling healthy we've been busy checking items off of our to-do list. I'm pretty sure it was the midwife appointment where the tone of the class changed from "You're pregnant!" to "You're having a baby!" that lit the proverbial fire beneath us.

I'm not sure what type of to-do list you usually keep but we have a ginormous piece of paper stuck to the living room wall with lists for each room in our house. The items on the list constantly change but the list is always hanging there reminding us of what we have yet to accomplish. This is a picture of half the list.

Since last Wednesday not only have we started crossing things off the list but I've also started to rearrange the list with things to complete before the end of this year and projects to tackle next year. It's almost like we're back in the first week of owning our house and trying to get as much done as we possibly can in the remaining 4 weeks of this year. So far we've:

• replaced the closet light in the guest room 
• painted the trim around the closet in the guest room and nursery 
• recycled a bunch of boxes from the basement
• made two trips to the dump to clean out the garage 
• rewired the light switch in the master bathroom 
• hung a door on the stairs to the basement 
• moved some furniture around 
• started painting the walls in the nursery (!!)

We've also started to decorate for Christmas. Over the weekend Marc cut down a Christmas tree from our back yard which now proudly stands in the living room waiting for lights and ornaments. The stockings I made last year are hanging on the mantel  and Marc made our half demo-ed wall a little more Christmas-y.

I'm super excited to be getting more things crossed off our list and can't wait until rooms finally start feeling finished. Why does it always seem that the finishing touches take the longest?

Thursday

Hard to believe Thanksgiving was already a week ago. Marc and I had a fantastic trip to California to spend time with my family. Not only did we get to see my mom and dad, but my sister flew in from England and my brother and his family flew in from San Antonio. Although I really felt like I got to spend some quality time with each of my family members the 5 days we were there flew by way too quickly.

Our hope was to return home re-energized and ready to start making some progress on our to-do list. Unfortunately, Marc and I both picked up a little cold on one of our airplane trips. Which means much of this week has been spent blowing our noses, resting in pajamas on the couch and going to bed by 8:30 pm. Thankfully I think we are both on the mend and we can finally get back to "normal activity".

Last night was our 30 week checkup for the baby. It was interesting how the tone of our meetings has now changed from "you're pregnant" to "you're having a baby". I guess 10 weeks isn't very long but February still sounds so very far away to me. I'm happy to report that baby girl is still growing well and has a very healthy strong little hearbeat. She's also very reactive when the midwife tries to locate her position, lots of little bumps, pokes and kicks. After the checkup I was beginning to feel like we really should get a move on with finishing up the baby's room. First on the list is finishing the painting, here's a sneak peak

We also had a little bit of snow last night and we think the mink might have been out exploring the frozen pond. I know it's hard to see on the photo below but if you look closely you might be able to make out the footprints in the snow (faint dark line) down the middle of the photo.

And that's about all the random news I have to share for today. I'll continue to share little sneak peaks of the baby's room until I can finally share the big reveal. Our hope is to have it done before the end of December, fingers crossed!

Happy Birthday Nixon and Josie

This past weekend Marc and I went to the 1st birthday party for the twins. My sister-in-law Carly did an amazing job with the decorations for the ladies and gents themed party. She baked delicious colorful cupcakes and smash cakes. She made ombre colored "1"s for each child out of hand dyed coffee filters and banners from tissue paper. The most impressive was probably the intricately drawn chalk board wall with all the essential stats for each child (words, foods, height and weight) which also doubled as a background for photos.  Plus, the food was so tasty - tomato bisque with grilled cheese, pigs in a blanket, quiche, and veggie cups.

There was also a table with temporary mustache tattoos in case you didn't bring your own to the party. Here are my favorite men with their 'staches.

Marc and I had such a great time at the party. I always enjoy spending time with my brother and his family but it's also fun to meet their friends and get to experience a little bit of their life in San Antonio. Plus it's a great excuse to play around with my camera.

It's hard to believe these one year olds are the same children we first met in person last December (check out this post to see how little they were). I can't believe how much they have grown and what little characters they have turned into.

Josephine - 1 year

Nixon - 1 year

My brother Andrew, Nixon, Josie, and sister-in-law Carly

Happy First Birthday Nixon and Josie!

It's Baby Pool Time!

28 Weeks

Now that we're officially in our third trimester and have less then 90 days to go until our due date (02/07/13) Marc and I have decided that it's time to have a little fun with our pregnancy. So we've decided to set up a baby pool at What's In My Belly. Here's how it works:

• Click either here or here to be taken to the website
• Choose when you think Baby Girl Aquila will be born and what she will look like. 
• Once she has arrived you will be assigned points based on your choices and a winner will be chosen! 

We haven't decided what prize the winner will receive but I promise it will be awesome! And to help you get in the mood here is some info about us.

Christina - 9 months

Marc - 6 months

Marc and I both have blue eyes. Marc was born with red hair which has slowly turned to a light brown now, my hair is and always has been brown. Marc stands 6'3" tall and I'm 5'7". Good luck! 

A man, a mower and a plan!

This past weekend we were lucky enough to have a couple days of 60F sunny weather. Determined to make the most of it Marc and I decided we would take the opportunity to spend some time outside and tackle our upper pasture. Ever since we moved in we've been eyeing the hill just past the pond and dreaming about what we can do with it. During the summer nature took over and it was a chore just to walk a few feet up the hill and through all the brush and grasses. So this fall we have been working on taking back our land from nature and taking the first steps in our grand plan. 

Lower Pasture Path - arrow indicates top of path
by the bridge and apple trees 

Lower Pasture Path - arrow indicates path from the
driveway down a hill towards the stream

As pictured above, Marc cut a few paths through the brush earlier this fall with the help of the ride-on lawn mower and weed whacker. The plan was to make it easy for us to go for a walk on our land. I added arrows to the pictures above because I realized after taking them that if you don't know what you are looking for, it's kinda hard to see the paths. These paths are the beginning of our grand plan which is to create paths throughout our 40+ acres.

Upper Pasture Path - you can see just how thick the brush and grasses were

Marc almost disappears in the brush in our lower pasture. 

Turning our attention to the upper pasture, Marc once again used the mower to start clearing the land. He quickly realized he had to be very careful as he was driving around not just to avoid rocks and small trees but to also avoid some hidden treasures. By the time he was done Marc had uncovered two tarps, a shovel, a pile of wood and a plastic storage container. 

The pile on the right is going to be our bonfire area for this winter. To give you an idea of how big that pile is, here's Marc (6'3") standing next to it. 

By the time Marc was done mowing, our upper pasture was definitely looking more pasture-like. Not only can we wander and day dream on the land but we're also hoping that with shorter grass we'll be able to draw some of the deer out of the woods. 

View of the upper pasture from Marc's bridge. 

View from the upper pasture towards the pond and house.
(Future view from the barn?)

In the future we'd love to build a barn up here to store our mower and other toys we may purchase (utility vehicle, tractor, or whatever else we dream up). We also see it as a place where we would eventually like to keep some animals. Right now there has been talk of chickens and maybe a goat or a donkey but you never know what we might end up with. 

Gordon

Yesterday afternoon Gordon, our peach faced lovebird of 18 years, passed away.

Some funny things about Gordon, he's actually a she. You see our family has never been good at figuring out the sex of a bird but after being named Gordon he laid an egg. I don't think that ever stopped us from referring to him as a "he" but I guess the nickname Gordie could have been considered a female name.

Gordon originally came to us as a finger trained lovebird. However, a few bites of mine or my brother's fingers and he quickly realized he didn't have to stay finger trained. Despite his hatred of fingers, Gordon loved sitting on your shoulder and cuddling up against the warmth of your neck. He would often push his beak against the back of your ear or, if you were brave like my brother, he would mush his beak right up next to your nose.

Oh and if you were ever eating anything, Gordon wanted some too. There has been many a morning in the Johnston household where my Dad and Gordon have shared breakfast - toast, cereal, whatever. Somehow this spoiled member of our family even had his own box of Carr's Table Water Crackers. Although I have to admit, they were usually the stale leftover ones we never got around to finishing.

But what will probably be missed the most is the sound of Gordon's chirp. It was the sound that always greeted you when you walked through the door. It was automatic to say hello to him when you got home. He was a part of the family and he's going to be missed.