Maybe Next Time

A friend posted these adorable hospital gowns to her Pintrest page this morning.  It's too late for me (as it would have to ship, and god-help-me I am hoping Molly arrives before any other recently ordered packages), but I thought I'd share with y'all.

Love the snaps up the back, and looks like they would be a great nursing nightie afterward!
Here is a link to the Etsy store.

The 39th Week-- A week in guesses

We've officially started our 39th week.


Here's the update from Baby Center:


Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.


And, here are this week's guesses:


Feb. 27 Mama Murphy
Feb. 28 Auntie Michelle
Feb. 29 (Leap year!) Auntie Tracy, Auntie Quinny P., Papa Doug
March 1 Godmother Marcey
March 2 Auntie Patricia
March 3 Cousin Steph and Auntie Katy Mac

And then, of course, next Sunday, March 4, is our due date.  Interestingly enough, Molly's auntie Sara guessed March 4.  Perhaps because Dani was born 13 minutes into her due date last Jan?

Baby Shower & Decadent French Toast Souffle Recipe

Quick update: Still pregnant.

Other news:

Jeannie and I spent the day running errands and finishing up final Baby M details.

We're ready.  Jake also got a bath, so he is ready to meet his newest little sister.

We had a delicious dinner at my folk's in Gig Harbor last night.  Dani is cuter by the minute.  She's smiling away and loves to be rocked and bopped around the room (Grandpa Doug is especially good at this). Other likes: ceiling fans and bath time.

Dani Girl on her quilt my mama made her.

Also, a quick pic of the beautiful "Miss Molly"cookies Trena Carpenter made for my shower at her house a few weeks back. Adorable, yes?

And, by popular demand (and for those who may have misplaced it the first time it was released (wink, wink Auntie D)), here is Trena's decadent French Toast Souffle recipe. Make at your own risk-- it's addictive.  

Also-- Ryan and I are currently accepting brunch invitations...

Decadent French Toast Souffle

5 large croissants (baked)

8 oz whipped cream cheese

½ cup of butter, 30 seconds in microwave

¾ cup maple syrup, divided

10 eggs

3 cups half and half

1 tsp cinnamon

Sauce:

½ cup butter and ½ cup maple syrup

Spray 9x13 inch casserole dish. In food processor, coarsely chop croissants. Spread evenly on bottom of

dish.

Put cream cheese, butter, and ¼ cup maple syrup in food processor and blend. It needs to be a little

soupy, so add just a little of the half and half while blending. Spread evenly over the chopped croissants.

In large bowl, beat eggs, ½ cup maple syrup, and half and half. Pour over mixture.

Wait until it soaks into bread, then sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Cover and place in refrigerator

overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake 45-50 minutes or until golden. In small saucepan, heat

½ cup butter and ½ cup maple syrup. Pour over soufflé.

Happy Birthday Mr. Mike!

So many wonderful birthday wishes today!

Happy birthday to Mike!  Hope you have a wonderful day! We definitely miss you and Lynn over here in Brem!

Hope you have fun celebrating!

These guys miss you a lot too...

Happy Birthday Papa Martin!

Today is Papa Martin's birthday!

We hope you are having a beautiful day in sunny Tucson!

Today's expected high in Tucson: 78
Today's expected high in Brem: 46

Ouch!

Loving these pics from a March trip we took to Maine a few years back! Looking forward to a warmer trip next September!

Ry and Papa on Eagle Lake 

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park

Eddington, ME

Visit from Nana Jeannie (Part 2)

Jeannie arrives from Tucson today and we couldn't be more excited!

I was a little nervous she wasn't going to arrive in time for Molly's arrival, but it looks like she will after all! Hooray!

We had a doctors appointment Wed. afternoon and were told I'm dilated to nearly a 3 (TMI? Sorry), after having about six hours of irregular contractions the evening before.  I had a few more hour's worth last night (they always seem to come in the evening!) so I imagine we are at a 3 now, though nothing currently to report.

I am happy to report that my late night insomnia and contractions have been help me speed through Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods (about his hike up the AT).  He logged about 30 miles last night, and I read about 100 pages.  There is something about his story of slogging up the AT that makes my own predicament a little more bearable.  We'll see if it is still helping when I am dilated at seven.

Ry and I have also been reading a bit from Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk With Me aloud each night, which I love (I just had to renew it from the library so we could finish it). Birbiglia is a regular on This American Life on NPR, which is my favorite radio show.  We've enjoyed reading his essays.  On that same note, I just picked up The Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell, which I am looking forward to reading (she is another NPR regular).  My number just came up on the library hold list for Blue Nights by Joan Didion as well.  Though I'm thinking it may be a little dark for me right now.

So that's what's new with us, which really isn't all that much, unfortunately.

All Right Already

I didn't get a new baby today, instead I got a new stretch mark.  Wonderful.

For the record Molly, you can feel free to come any time.  Tomorrow would be a good day.
You could share a birthday with Nina Simone.

Meanwhile, Danika is darn near grow'd up.  Check out the most recent pics from her first trip out to Madronita yesterday.

Snoozing with Papa Doug.

Doesn't she look way bigger than she did when Ry and I visited recently?

Side note: I'm way bigger too. Sigh.

All right, I'm headed to bed.  I'm trying to get lots of rest so Molly can finish cooking.  Hopefully more to report tomorrow.

And Happy Early Birthday Nina Simone!

Ring-a-ding

I didn't notice I had swollen hands and feet until I couldn't get my wedding ring off.  After some twisting and squeezing I managed to pop it loose and it is now on the trunk of my elephant ring-holder (thank you Grammy Squeak!)

Ry and My's wedding rings

Today is the day that I guessed for Molly to be born on our guessing calender.  It is four weeks from her original "drop" date.  Most of the reading I did said babies are usually born 2-4 weeks after they drop (or lighten), so I was thinking I was being conservative.  However, with no new news to report in the past few days, it now appears she may stay in the oven for the long haul.  Which is wonderful news. sigh. And also very difficult, as we'd sort of been expecting her any day.

Ry is back at work today after a long weekend of "nesting."  I prepped and taped and he painted all the baseboard in the nursery and hallway, and we're working on all the last minute projects to get our home baby-ready.  We've got our hospital bags packed and ready, and I even filled out the first few pages of our baby book, which was actually a bit stressful (I didn't want to mess anything up!)

According to our 38th week Baby Center report (which came this morning) baby is as long as a bunch of leeks (about 19 inches) and ready for life on the outside.  We're ready for her out here too, the next move is all hers!

In exciting news that we CAN plan on, Nana Jeannie is headed back up to the Northwest this Friday! I'm looking forward to another trip up to Port Gamble (the brunch spot in the back of the general store was just highly praised by Sunset, one of my favorite mags), as well as maybe some fun crafty projects (how adorable is this little project she just posted on her facebook page? And I just happen to have some minky about!

Happy Birthday Nana Jeannie!

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.

Emily Dickinson

Hope you are having a beautiful day in Tucson!

According to reports, it is supposed to be mid to high sixties in Tucson today.  It is currently 40 degrees and rainy in Bremerton! We were going to walk a 5k with friends in Gig Harbor this morning but cancelled due to raindrops.

Can't wait to see you soon! (fingers crossed!!)

A Shower From my Aunties!!

Here are pictures from the beautiful shower my Aunties put on for me! Thank you so much to Tracy, Michelle, Kristin and Loni!!

Beautiful table! And all the flower arrangements by Auntie Kristin.

Dani was the hit of the shower.  She met her Great-Grandma Squeak and Great God-mother Marcey for the first time!   

Fun "Guess that Baby" game.  (#16 is Ry, #18 is me!)

Everyone put their guesses for Baby M's arrival date on a calendar.

I guessed the first available date of course! Feb. 20!! (Which is coming right up!)

Other guesses this week:

Lauren: Feb 22

Kathy Bauer: Feb 23

Nana Jeannie: Feb. 24

Morgann Matthaei: Feb. 25

Thanks ladies! I am really hoping one of us got it right (and that Great Aunt Elaine is waaaaaay off with her guess of March 17.  Dang, that would mean Baby M is still a month away!!)

A snuggle bunny bouncer from Nana Jeannie

A quilt from my mama.

All 8 Thoreson sisters!!

A bunch of us Thoreson cuzzy's with Grandma Squeak.

Thank you so much for the beautiful afternoon! 

A Visit From Nana Jeannie

Nana Jeannie came and stayed with us for the first weekend in February.  She came to the beautiful shower that Molly's "Aunties" Katy and Quinn hosted for us, and helped us get the house prepped up for the big arrival!

We also spent an afternoon up in Port Gamble, after a tasty breakfast at the Farm Kitchen in Poulsbo (french toast stuffed with citrus infused cream cheese? Yum!)

We discovered during Jeannie and Woody's last trip to Washington that the town of Port Gamble (about a half hour away from our place) is modeled after East Machias, (current population 1200), the town where Jeannie grew up in Maine.  Small world, right?

Here's Ry and I at the general store.

The Port Gamble Church (a popular wedding venue) is modeled after the one in E. Machias.

Here are some photos from the beautiful shower at Katy's (with help from Quinn and Mugs):

Outfit from Pike Place Market

Quilts from Great Grandma Viola Martin

A Sounders sock monkey from Mugs

A handmade afghan from Nana.  Auntie Jodi also made a beautiful receiving blanket for us!  Can't wait to post more pics!

Of course, one of the big hits of the weekend was this hound dog guitar from nana.  Ryan played it for some quite some time the day it arrived.  I found it out the other day and asked if he'd been playing again, "practicing" he corrected me.  So he will be an expert by the time baby arrives.

In that regard, doc says it could be any day...between now and March 18th.  Argh.