Home Repair vs. Nesting

Hi Family & Friends,

Over the past couple of weeks we have had new windows put in throughout the house. Jorge and his Tio Ezriel worked hard to install new windows, new indoor and outdoor trim, and new storm doors. As a result of the window installation the inside of the house was a complete mess which was totally conflicting with my desire nest and get the house ready for the baby.  Every day when I came home from work the house would be blazing hot and there would be dust and dirt everywhere! I usually had to escape to the the nursery (which was the first room that was completed). Fortunately, the glider is a comfortable spot to kick up your feet and relax after a long day at work. 


As you can see in the picture the nursery probably got the worst of the mess because a lot of dry wall work needed to be done. All of the dry wall patching created a coating of fine dust on every possible surface of the room. Once the window was installed we (as in Jorge) had to repaint the wall around the window. We also shampooed the carpet and wiped down the walls just to make sure that the room would be dust free whenever we brought the baby home. 

All in all, Tio Ez and Jorge worked really hard and did a great job. They even managed to avoid getting stung by wasps living in massive nests in the bathroom and laundry room windows (see picture). Tio Ez finished everything up last Thursday and we have slowly restored the house back to order. The only thing left to do is prime and paint the walls around the bathroom window and then we are done! (That is until the next DIY issue comes up) 


Last week Jorge returned to work. This semester he is teaching two Honors Precalculus and one Algebra I class. He is glad to see his students again but he definitely had a stressful couple of days getting his classroom and lesson plans ready. This week is likely to be my last week at work (I am 38 weeks along now). I may go in a couple days next week if the little one hasn't made his/her grand entry yet. I know I should be at home resting but if the baby comes past the due date I do NOT want to be at home doing nothing for another 2-3 weeks. 


We are hoping the baby comes sooner rather than later because we are SO excited to meet him/her. Steph and her mom are a little bummed that he/she wasn't born today (8/29) because today then they would have shared a birthday with Steph's favorite singer ever Michael Jackson! Oh well, it wasn't meant to be. Anyway, hopefully the next entry will be announcing the arrival of the little one!


Love Always,


Steph and Jorge

Baby Shower Surprise!!

Family and Friends,

Last weekend, I (Steph) was surprised by an awesome baby shower. Amazingly nobody leaked the secret to when and where the shower was going to be for almost two months! In order to maintain the surprise, Jorge told me that we were meeting some friends of ours for lunch at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. When we arrived at the restaurant I had a feeling that something was up. In the parking lot we passed a Pontiac Vibe (the same car my parents drive). Now ordinarily this would not be a huge deal because there are hundreds of thousands of these cars on the road. But there was something about this car that made it stand out amongst cars you typically see in NC....there was an EZ Pass tacked to the windshield. We do not have toll roads in NC so an EZ Pass would definitely not be something that a car in the south would have. I still wasn't fully convinced that there was a baby shower planned because I had just talked to my mom and she told me that she was in the middle of grocery shopping (a lie!). 


When we walked into the restaurant, Jorge told the hostess that we were meeting friends. The hostess proceeded to guide us to the back of the restaurant. When we arrived at the entrance of the party room I knew that I had been fooled. Jorge opened the door and a big group of people yelled "SURPRISE!" I was definitely overwhelmed by all of the love and support that I felt when we walked into the room. It took me a few minutes to calm my nerves and I joked with everyone that they shouldn't scare a pregnant woman like that because they could have caused me to go into labor!


There was a wonderful mix of family and friends, many of which we had not seen in awhile. My mom had lot's of great activities planned and everyone had a really fun time. We received so many great gifts that helped us to be even more prepared for the baby's arrival. We are so blessed by all of the support we received by those who attended the shower and by those who were unable to attend. You are all awesome and very much appreciated!


This week we are entering our 37th week of pregnancy and are getting anxious knowing that the baby can come any minute. Last week Jorge's uncle started to install new windows throughout the house. So the house is currently in shambles and is definitely making me uneasy about bringing a baby back to house that is a complete mess. Hopefully all of the windows will be installed by the end of the week and we can get the house straightened up. We are excited to finally get the nursery completely ready for the baby's arrival. Until then we (mostly Jorge and his uncle) will continue working hard to get the house ready for the baby. 


Until next time,


Steph and Jorge

Much Needed Beach Break

Hi Family & Friends,


Over the past couple of weeks Jorge has been extremely busy with his last grad school class for the summer. After 6 weeks of working hard and staying up late he finally had his final class last Friday.  Fortunately, all of the hard work paid off and Jorge ended up with an A in the class. Yay! Jorge was super excited about this grade because his professor is known for being pretty tough. Now Jorge's got about three weeks before Durham schools are back in session and he has to head back to work. 


As we approach 35 weeks in the pregnancy, I (Steph) have been feeling more and more tired as the physical changes associated with pregnancy are becoming more noticeable. My feet are killing me. My back aches and my fingers are so swollen that I can't wear my wedding rings anymore. Thankfully, Jorge's mom let me borrow one of her wedding bands. Despite waking up at 6 AM for work every day I still find the energy to work out five times a week. Having the elliptical at home has definitely made exercising less cumbersome. 


Since Jorge just wrapped up his summer grad school classes we thought that it would be a great weekend to get away for a bit. After getting some much needed sleep last Friday night, we headed off to Topsail Beach early Saturday morning. Fortunately, we aren't in the middle of a heat wave like we were a couple weeks ago so the weather was very comfortable. The few hours we spent on the beach were very relaxing. The heat wave from the first half of July warmed up the water a lot compared to the last time we were at the beach. We spent about thirty minutes playing in the water even though I was really nervous about getting into the water since we've had two shark attacks off the NC coast in the past three weeks. Fortunately for us the largest sea creatures we saw were a pack of hermit crabs. 


As you can see in the picture, the baby is continuing to get bigger and bigger. I feel the baby kicking me pretty consistently throughout the day. At my last doctor's visit I was told that I needed to start keeping track of the kick count. This means that for an hour every day I have to lay on my side and count the number of times I feel a kick, punch, tumble, etc. A normal kick count is considered to be 4 movements in an hour. Our baby is super active and I've been feeling four movements in the first five minutes of counting. After an hour I feel approximately 70 distinct movements. Now, we have to keep in mind that I do my kick counting after my nightly cup of ice cream so the baby is most likely hyperactive from all the sugar I've eaten. Whatever the reason for all the commotion in my belly, it's really comforting to feel her/him move. Jorge has also been reading to the baby a couple times a week. Our favorite book is Oh Baby the Places You'll Go. This book is meant to be read while the baby is in the womb and we definitely notice more movement when he is reading. 


Over the next couple of weeks we are going to continue getting ready for the baby. Pretty soon we will be getting new windows throughout the house so hopefully the baby doesn't make too early of an entrance into the world so that we can avoid bringing home a newborn while there is work being done on the house. Anyway, thank you all for your love and support and please continue to keep us in your prayers.


Love Always,


Jorge & Steph