Nursery: Completed!

Sitting here enjoying the warm breeze with the windows open, seeing that all the trees are budding and blooming, and watching all the animals sunbathe as the weather warms (it'll be 85 on Thursday, YAY!) it dawns on me that June is approaching with speedy determination. And as I really start calculating, I cannot believe we have 11 weeks left! Wow, time really does fly!

Our timeline for the nursery wasn't very strict, though we did agree getting it done before my birthday would be the most sensible choice. And while we had the nursery finished a few weeks prior to departing for Vancouver, Dan and I were in full on "prep-for-Paralympics-and-snow-mode" so posting this update took a backseat for a few weeks.
Nonetheless, our little guy's room is all done and as promised I've taken some pictures for those who were curious how it turned out.
And it should be clarified that I have already discovered that "completed" might be an ambiguous term. Even though his room looks completed, we still need to purchase books for the hutch and the changing pad. C'est la vie!
I'm sure we'll be constantly changing the room's look as we start buying clothes, supplies and every day items.


I'll never forget putting his room together. I'm sure some might think it arduous and tiring, but I truly enjoyed spending time with Dan putting it all in motion. We had so much fun cutting the wood, nailing the pieces up, painting everything and then on to decoration decisions, anxiously awaiting the arrival of purchased items, and finally getting it arranged, assembled and organized. We had such a great time.
Thanks honey, for all your hard work and making tasks so much fun!

The rest of our nursery pics are out on picasa.
Make sure to check them out!

Whistler While You Work....And Return Home to 80 Degrees

Our trip to Whistler was amazing. Most importantly, Sean did outstanding! He placed in the top 10 in every event. YEAH! Words can't convey how proud we are of him! I've never heard so many cow bell rings, cheers, whoops and hollers. The whole stage is something to behold; filled with country flags, happy fans, lots of snow, and extremely proud family members and friends.

It was great to see him in action. Dan took a bunch of pictures and even some video; memories we'll never forget. Not only did he represent our country so well, but he sure added a couple points to the already high ranked "Halsted" name. Soooo proud of you Sean!

During our down time, the whole family was able to visit, shop and sight see, including a "peak to peak" gondola ride. Although I did get sick and queasy on the way down (darn pregnancy equilibrium and my easy-to-reignite 20 weeks of morning sickness!), the mountaintop is truly breathtaking. It's where one of the famous Inukshuk rock statues is located. Quite a sight to see.

And though the entire family visited the village a few times, Dan and I took one of the afternoons to enjoy it on our own where we were able to meander, shop, enjoy lunch, and pick up a few Paralympic t-shirts. Of course we also picked up some Olympic onesies to add to our small collection of anticipatory outfits.

Oh, and when the commercials say "Visa, the only card accepted at the winter games", they aren't kidding. Yes yes, we heard the commercials...did it dawn on us? No. Fortunately, the only store adhering to that rule was the "Official Olympic Store" and it seems we weren't the only maroons to have selective hearing because they strategically placed ATM's directly out front! Whew!

The family visits also ranked high on our list of valued time. While we weren't able to see Sean as much as we liked (understandably so, as he was super busy) we did get a chance to take in visits with everyone else including extended family and friends like Aunt Barbara and Uncle David. It was also our introduction to baby Keelie. So cute! Sean and Sarah have another beautiful one on their hands!

The day following Sean's final race in Whistler, the Halsted Party seemed to disperse. Dan and I followed suit and hopped a bus ride down to Vancouver, spending the last remaining day there.
The city is very picturesque: tall skyscrapers with water front views, lots of hub-bub, beautiful parks, etc. As with what I imagine to be indicative of every larger city, we were also bugged every block for handouts. One person was even assertive enough to come in from outside and approach us while we were eating lunch in a restaurant.
Once we got down to the water front, most of the panhandling came to a halt and we enjoyed the long trail along the water starting with the Olympic torch, sea planes landing and taking off, Stanley Park, and even a trip to the local aquarium. At the end of our long walking day, we chose a trendy restaurant close by for dinner. It was recommended to us by the concierge and low and behold...we were followed in and seated close by Lou Diamond Phillips. The ONE time we didn't bring a camera! Dan affectionately calls it our "La Bamba" sighting.

Last but not least, let's cover the topic I'm sure everyone will ask...."Was it cold?" And the answer? YES! There were times that were bone chilling and there were times where a scarf, gloves, hat, 3 layers and a coat would suffice. Either way, it was very obvious that Dan and I are not accustomed to that weather. And what greeted us when we arrived back home in Columbia? Well, the temperature is slated to hit 78 degrees today. Need I say more? ;-)

Congrats again Sean! Thanks for giving the family a great excuse to gather and giving us yet another reason to be so inspired by you!
:::Make sure to check out the rest of our pictures!:::

Nursery Sneak Peek

After all the hard work of measuring, nailing, sawing, taping & painting...the nursery prep work is all done!
I've ordered some items that should be here any day and I wasn't going to have a sneak peek before the big reveal, but I figured I'd show off my handsome husband's craftsmanship a bit early.
He did an awesome job recreating my ideas and it was so much fun working with him.
We divvied up the painting duties and we even had a little assembly line going for all the sawing. The windows were wide open during our 65 degree weather days with the iHome cranking out some excellent workin' music. Of course we had Scooter and Ginger overseeing and supervising the process. It really was fun making the room special for our little guy.

Here's the before (in the daytime):
Here's the after (in the evening, no sunlight):

Does he do a great job or what?!?!
Stay tuned! I'll have all the art & decorations up soon...Including the art I got inspired to paint myself. No no, I haven't turned into my talented sister. I'll leave the professional painting to her.

Hurry Grab the Remote...It's Sean!

As promised, here's the commercial that caused me to stub my toe, running for the remote. ;-)
It was worth it though.
I finally found it on the McDonald's website...that's what I get for scouring youtube instead of going straight to the source!
Congrats again Sean! We'll be there to hoot & holler for ya!

How Do You McNugget?

So I was walking past the tv the other day and happened to look up...I was shocked to see Sean on my tv! I did one of those "what, what, what??" double takes, ran for the remote and did a TiVo rewind...yup it's him! And since Dan's "over there" right now, I hit record as fast as I could!
We knew Sean was going to be featured in a few ads promoting the Olympics & Paralympics, but I didn't think we'd see any over here on the east coast.
I was soooo excited!

Here's one of the commercials you'll likely see! (click the sentence)
It wasn't the one I saw, so once we find more, I'll post them.
So proud and excited for Sean!

Nursery: Phase I

Paint: Check

Moulding: Check

New Miter Saw: Check

New Nail Guns & Compressor: Check

Inspiration: Check

Time: PLENTY!

All the supplies have been purchased and all the plans have been designed, including some math equations to guarantee our angles. But even though we have those, Dan's travel schedule prohibits us from getting it done in 2 weekends.

That's completely OK though. Our goal was to have the nursery completed before my birthday; giving us 2 whole months before the due date. We are way ahead of schedule! My kind of living!

The one bad thing about waiting is how we hear the paint cans calling to us every evening! We are so anxious to use the new tools and paint!

And I must admit, it was a blast watching Dan shop for the new tools. You could've inserted a comic book bubble above his head filled with Tim Allen's infamous grunt.

Here are the first pictures: the "befores" and Dan working on the chair rail.

A project in progress, for our little man!

Baby Halsted Pictures

Here are a few of our ultrasound pictures.

I can't believe we're almost half way there! Crazy how time flies!
We can't wait to meet our little guy!

Full view, side profile:

Tummy, bootie, legs & feet (tucked under his bootie), Profile:

The reveal!
On the left side of the picture, you should see the "V" shape of his legs.
You'll see the word "BOY" written, which is adjacent to the leg and directly above the, ahem..."stuff"...ahem. :-)

The Verdict Is In....It's A.....

...

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you might have guessed, this morning we had our level 2 anatomy ultrasound. The Dr. took special care examining every little detail, leaving "the part" until very last. Of course we were both ecstatic once he got "the shot" and of course I started crying.

The first "angle of the dangle" wasn't the best, but the Dr. had no doubt it was a boy. The second shot was perfect and even our Dr. commented how the baby was done being modest. So cute!
Everything went great! All the anatomy is perfect, we're in the 58 percentile for size, and the due date hasn't changed a smidge.

I also received some additional exciting news when I learned that my next appointment will include the glucose gestational diabetes test. :::sensing my sarcasm, I hope::: From what I hear, the orange drink isn't like the orange drink we all love. For that matter, it's not even close to orange Gatorade, which isn't my favorite to begin with! The nurse even mentioned that it's the ONLY reason she wouldn't consider having more children....not the labor, the orange drink! Bleeeeeck!!

We are so excited for our new adventure and from what I understand, Dan is already looking forward to "wrastlin", sharing airplanes, and shopping for boy toys! Oh, and watch out Chris...I'm sure you'll be on speed dial since you're my pro with 2 little boys! :-)