It's A Girl!!

This is just the tip of the iceberg... More to come!
Below are the 2 videos that the ultrasound technician recorded for us.

Cribbage!

Last weekend, after a seemingly long wait from the baby box store, our crib arrived and was ready for pick up! Chase was kind enough to help me pick it up and put it together. After I pull up the Pilot and wait out front, they wheel out the crib box. It's easily 4/5 my height and just as awkward. After measuring with the employee and Chase, we figure out it's not going to fit. What kind of crib doesn't fit into a full size SUV with nothing else in it??! Turns out, a big one. After going through some possible options like dragging it on a skateboard, tying it to the top, or having it shipped to our place, Chase finally comes up with a perfect solution. We just removed everything from the box and it fit just fine in the back of the car, piece by piece. Plus, we just left the majority of the box there, reducing the cleanup time later. I was half expecting to have to spend at least a day putting it together with the slats and all, but as it turns out, the box consisted mainly of the four sides, preassembled. So, yay for being preassembled, but boo for a giant box with a lot of extra "give" space for shipping.

Once we got this beast of a crib home, Chase and I spent a total of about an hour putting it together. It was a LOT easier than I expected. Partly due to the whole preassembled thing, which resulted in a lot less swearing than I was expecting, too. The crib is basically now complete and the baby's room is now starting to look like one. Big step out of the way! Now for a mattress and bedding!

We also went to a local lapidary (rock store) and got a little lamp made out of salt in the shape of a sphere with a base and cut out at the bottom for a light bulb (which I replaced with a color-changing LED from an old nightlight). We are trying to find lighting and decor that's more nature-based without being super cutesy. So far, so good! Here's basically what the lamp looks like...

Home-Brewed Vaccinations 102 (Honors)

No matter how you cut it, this year has been plagued with illness for Rachel and I. I know that pregnant women are more susceptible to catching bugs due to a depressed immune system, but this is Riddikulus! (Take that boggart!) Not only is Rachel getting sick, but so am I. I am starting to question my own immune system's motives. It surely should've improved since we quit smoking and various other health improvements, but nooooo. Is there such a thing as sympathy illness? I'm starting to think there might be. Maybe I should go back to smoking and maybe start drinking more habitually. If I throw in some harder drugs, a short prison stint, and an offer to clean up Japan's annihilated coastline with my own toothbrush, maybe that will help. Or maybe not. It's tough to say. I'm just sick of being sick. Cross your fingers that we get better and stay that way... at least for a little while.

Through the Looking Glass

Finally decided on a mirror with a little more personality. Here's hoping it doesn't lead to excessive baby vanity.

"I look just dashing in this onesie!"

Rachel Goes Downtown!

As luck (or rather, skill) would have it, Rachel tantalized her previous employers enough to be offered an open social work position with the same company, but in a different location. She took her job!! Needless to say, she will be able to retain her old benefits, which definitely put my mind at ease. With all the other baby drama flying around these days, it's kind of nice that this worked out as smoothly as it did. Rachel has a greatly increased commute time since she is commuting to downtown Denver, along with everyone and their dogs (believe it or not, this is often the case). So far, she seems to enjoy it overall and it seems to be less stressful for her, which is definitely a good thing.

In baby news, Rachel is still trying to figure out if the strange feelings in her belly are due to gas pockets or a little wiggler. I like to think the latter, though as many times as I've tried, all I feel is Rachel's pulse when I put my hand on her belly. I suppose that will happen soon enough (like in the next couple of weeks). The 20 week appointment is rapidly approaching and I'm as excited as an escaped zoo animal. I've been told that we might be able to bring a flash drive to put video/pics on from the ultrasound machine. We'll see!
Rachel and I have also been reading along every other night or so out of our fetal development book before bed. I figure that baby needs to hear my voice so it doesn't look at me and raise an eyebrow when it hears me like Rachel usually does. ;)

Stuff To Put Stuff In

We spent much of the weekend looking at furniture to cram into our little nursery. Mainly, we ordered a crib and perused the furniture and design selections at a few stores around the area. Guys and Dolls, a long-time Denver-area kiddie furniture store, had a pretty wide selection and nice range of prices. Since they specialize in kids' stuff, we spent awhile in there, gawking at all the crazy bunk beds and castle-style loft beds with towers and other such accoutrements. It was a kid's dream. 

Then we visited a couple of regular furniture stores to see if we could get some furniture not necessarily intended for nursery use, but would suit it just fine. It's never too early to get your kids using bulky adult furniture. Smashed fingers, cracked foreheads and toppled bookshelves? Endless lesson-learning opportunities, right?! ;) Ok, we really may have avoided the big, adult stuff altogether, but the showroom furniture stores sparked a lot of design ideas for the little Kinkster's room. Mirrors, lighting, composition, etc. We want light, and lots of different kinds of it. But it might also need to get a little moody. Not Phantom of the Opera moody. More in the vein of being-warm-and-snug-in-bed-yet-hovering-cooly-in-the-middle-of-outer-space moody. Something like that. Anyway, it's a process that takes time and hopefully we will end up with something the kid likes or at least finds somewhat interesting. Doubtful, but until our little one can talk, there will be no arguments.

All this needs now is some 20" rims and hydraulics.
Gives new meaning to having a monster under the bed.