How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck had an old t-shirt?

I'm pretty sure I'm in the "nesting" phase of my pregnancy.  I have constant cravings for DIY projects and crafts...especially when I can do them for free or with things I already have laying around.  We are in St. Louis right now staying with Giovanni's family during his break between semesters, but did I leave my crafting supplies at home?  Heck no!  I dragged a box and two bags full of random things and tools so I could craft my little heart out while we're here.  I even brought along my friend's sewing machine in case I got the urge. (Thanks Sarah!)  


Well, I've been especially drawn to the idea of upcycling or repurposing old things to make something useful, fun, and new.  My latest target has been repurposing old t-shirts using online tutorials to make all kinds of cool things.  On Sunday I decieved my brother-in-law, Justin, into giving me one of his old t-shirts.  I'm pretty sure he thought I wanted it because my t-shirts are not very accomodating of my ever-growing belly.  Nope.  I wanted to cut it up, rip it into pieces, stretch it out and make this....

Pretty cute, right?  And totally FREEEE!  :)  I still had a bunch of t-shirt material left over, so yesterday I made this...

Still having even MORE material left over from the headband project, I came up with a BRILLIANT idea late last night.  I mean, we're talkin' after midnight here.  That should have been my first clue.  I had heard the term "rag rollers" before and sort of thought I got the idea.  Maybe I should have looked it up online to see if there's some sort of trick to it...but I didn't.  So after I got out of the shower, I started cutting up strips of the t-shirt...rolling my hair around it...and tying it off.  When I was done, it looked like this...

I slept on it all night long.  It wasn't too comfortable, but I think it was better than foam rollers.  I almost couldn't get to sleep because I was so excited to see how my curls would turn out!  (I've ALWAYS wanted legit curly hair.)  I was convinced that I had figured out a cheap, easy way for me to get beautiful curls whenever I wanted without having to use a curling iron.  It didn't exactly work out as I'd imagined...

I thought maybe I could fix it by shaking out the curls a little bit.  I was wrong...

After several more attempts to tame the beast, I finally decided to embrace the mess...

I was alone in the house, laughing hysterically at myself.  I can't decide if I wish someone would have been here to share the hilarity or if I'm glad no one had to witness this tragedy in person.  With the help of some mousse and a little time for the curls to settle a bit, I was finally able to look like a normal person again...

They are pretty goofy, skeewompus curls, but at least they are curls!!!  I may need to practice a bit more with this rag roller thing.  Or maybe I should just stay away.  Far away.

Art Therapy

Last night Giovanni was on campus until midnight studying for finals (which as of right now are officially over!).  I could tell he was nervous for this set of tests because he normally doesn't stay on campus that long.  I was busy until midnight as well, only I wasn't being quite as productive.  I started tinkering around with some crafty-type things I've been working on and got totally sidetracked making this...

Wall art for Baby's room!  I love books, birds, and trees...hence the birds and tree made of book pages.  I felt like I was a kid again because I wasn't trying to make anything perfect.  I didn't even know what I was making when I started.  I was just having fun, cutting out shapes and watercoloring them.  I should really do stuff like this more often...it was almost therapeutic!

What do you want me to do with this information?

Last night Giovanni was studying for an exam while I was indulging in my latest obsession.  He looks up at me and sounds kind of excited when he says, "Hey, Tess..."

I tear my eyes away from the computer screen thinking he had something cool to tell me...like that we'd just won the lottery.

Nope.

"There are four types of acute respiratory failure.  Type one is failure to oxygenate.  Type two is failure to ventilate.  Type three is perioperative.  Type four is shock."  


Good to know, Gio.  Good to know.

24 Weeks

So far, pregnancy has meant:

* Nausea like I've never known nausea before

* Giovanni making me do squats every 2 two hours on our road trip to Utah (to prevent bloodclots)

* Only wanting to eat hard boiled eggs for a week...and then never wanting to eat hard boiled eggs again

* Being sure it was a boy...until we found out it is a girl

* Shopping for baby girl things with my mom

* Having a meltdown in the middle of Target because there are just too many strollers/cribs/baby accessories/etc for any sane person to wrap their head around

* Loving waking up at 6 o'clock every morning because I just wasn't tired anymore

* Realizing that waking up at 6 o'clock every morning was just a phase

* Trying not to be horrified that there is a person growing inside my body (Alien, anyone??)

* Finally having an excuse to be tired and moody most of the time

* Being awestruck when I felt her kick for the first time

* Watching Giovanni be awestruck when he felt her kick for the first time

* Getting over the awe and just being really annoyed when she decides to practice soccer drills the second I lay down to sleep at night

* Praying that I don't develop stretch marks in the night

* Wondering why the only place I have developed stretch marks is on the front of my left thigh

* Cleaning out the closet in baby's room to make space for all the clothes, toys, blankets, and other gifts she has been given

* Being so excited when I woke up one morning and realized that I finally look pregnant, and not just fat

* Bringing home a stroller and car seat, then pushing it around the house with a stuffed animal inside because it's just so fun

* Loving listening to Giovanni talk about how excited he is to teach her how to ride BMX/pack a backpack for a 50 mile hike/do a cartwheel/kick a soccer ball/etc/etc/etc 

* Trying not to gain too much weight

* Watching her hiccup on the ultrasound

* Trying to figure out if I can handle birth without an epidural

* Experiencing chronic back pain for the first time ever

* Experiencing heartburn for the first time ever

* Forgetting to take my vitamin and hoping she's not screwed up because of it

* Being so excited to welcome her into the world sometime around December 12! (hopefully)