Gardening...




For the first time ever, I have lots of space for gardening. I took advantage of having a camera for the day, and next I will post some pictures of our flowers! These first pictures are of a salad garden. There are a few different kinds of greens in here, and they sprouted from seeds really quickly. This doesn't really do it justice, since the plants were severely shorn the other night for salad for four. It is so wonderful to go outside with the scissors and pick fresh salad greens!

We are also growing broccoli, tomatoes and strawberries. The broccoli is taking off fast and will be ready soon. I need to plant some more so we can keep enjoying it in the summer! In this phase of being a new gardener, I am just completely surprised that the plants are still alive and growing. It's a lot of fun!

Coming along...
So I borrowed a camera to show you how Amelia's room is coming!


The big projects the last few days have been painting, sewing curtains and going to Chinatown to buy some cute parasols.


These curtains ended up being a much more involved project than I had intended, but I have to admit that I think they're really cute...


Jeff's grandma gave him a couple of really sweet insect watercolors she had made for Christmas that are perfect for this little room.


It's weird to see litle girl clothes hanging up like this, ready to go. This is where I could use some help: The closet is really deep on either side, and I am not sure how to store things like clothes, diapers, etc., so it looks cute, tidy and accessible. Any ideas?

What about the paint?

I am currently obsessed with putting together a space for Amelia. Her "room" will be in the walk-in closet in our bedroom. I just moved my closet stuff into Jeff's, in the other room. I'm excited because I have a fabric I picked out to kind of be the palette for the colors, and now I feel like I can't rest until I get it done! So I have been researching and trying to buy paint today. I have come across many opinions on painting while pregnant and what paints are appropriate for children. On the one end, I could buy a paint with no VOCs that is odorless, used in hospital rooms and such. They only sell it by the gallon, and it is $40 per gallon! Someone said to just look for low-odor latex paint, and one source I called recommended something he'll be using for his baby's room. Also only sold by the gallon, for $32 each. Then I called a Home Depot and they said ALL Behr paints qualify, and are sold by the quart and are of course much cheaper. The guy at Uptown Paint said they can't even sell me anything dangerous, most paints are low-odor latex. I am just more susceptible to being irritated by the smell since I'm pregnant, but that it's not actually dangerous at all. What should I do? Is this really a big deal? I know most people in my generation were exposed to lots of stuff while their moms remodeled houses with lead paint during pregnancy, and it seems like we're just fine! Should I just be practical, or purist? Tell me what you think (but try to hurry!)

Here she is! These two are the most baby-looking (versus alien-looking) ones we have. I love the way she is posing with her little arms and hands by her face!


We don't know if she has a widow's peak or if that is her fontanel. We'll have to wait to find out. Isn't she cute?
Thanks to Meg for scanning and showing me how to post these.

And the winner of the genetic lottery is....
So, I finally got an ultrasound this week (at six months,) and we now know who it is that's been flipping around in my belly so enthusiastically. It is Amelia Marie Mullins! She is named after both Grandmas, Amy and (Luanne) Marie. The doctor said it was beyond a doubt, a girl, she passed by there a few times. I had the ultrasound in the Perinatal center, so they used the 3D/ 4D technology rather than the basic outline sonogram. That was really fun. At first, she had both feet up resting on her forehead, then later she was posing with her hands framing her little face. They printed out some really cute pictures for us. I would love to post them, but we don't have a working digital camera or scanner right now. Maybe I will get the local big brother to help? Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, she is extremely active. The Dr. turned the monitor at one point to show me how Amelia was hanging on to her umbilical cord with both hands and waving it around playfully. It's amazing what you can see these days-- a fun time to be pregnant! We are really enjoying thinking about the baby by name, and will be transitioning into preparing for her arrival more actively now.

By the way....
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