Hello from Austin!

Several bloggers I follow are participating in a "Blog Everyday in May" challenge.  Clearly, I am not up to that challenge.  I've been away from Blogland for two very good reasons - (1) a partial cross-country road trip and (2) moving into our new house in Austin!

Home ownership is no joke.  My days are full of contractors, boxes, hedge pruning, furniture shopping - you name it.  Oh, and since I'm about 7 months pregnant, throw in a whole lot of doctor visits {found a great OB here, now just sorting through pediatricians} and you get the picture.

Our new home is on a quiet cul de sac with 6 other homes.  It's a beautiful neighborhood and the neighbors are very friendly. VERY FRIENDLY.  As in, "Hi! I'm Mrs. So-and-So! Nice to meet you! Welcome to the neighborhood! Oh, I went in your house while the painters were working on it {and you were still in California} and I took a look around and just LOVE the colors you picked!"

Is this a Southern thing?  I hope not.  Because for the life of me I cannot imagine being so blazé about being a snoop.  I'm sure their intentions are good, but I'm still a bit shocked.

On the whole, however, things are just great and I am so happy to be finally settling in!  I'll be slogging through various projects in the following weeks but promise to have posts up soon about the road trip {it was so much fun!} and house things.

In the meantime, here are some before and after photos to tide you over {please bear in mind that this is still very much a work in progress}:

While the paint job in the kitchen and living room absolutely thrills my white-addicted self, the fireplace project is right up there with my favorite updates.

Behold the mosaic fireplace, which looked like FiestaWare exploded:

Not my style.  At all.  Mum and I got to talking about how it could be retiled, and she said "why don't we just try painting it?"  We agreed that there was no way paint could make it any worse, and after consulting the Google discovered that people do, in fact, paint tile, particularly in low-traffic, low-moisture areas.  Bingo.  We sanded the whole mosaic down with high-grit sand paper, cleaned it, and slapped on the same {oil-based - but we opened all the windows and worked quickly} paint used for the trim.

Two thick coats later:

Much, much better.  For the price of maybe a quart of paint, the seizure-inducing mosaic is gone.  Although you can't see it well in this photo, the tile pieces are still a bit reflective, giving the whole thing a nice, subtle shimmer.  And the ill-fitting screen will be replaced soon, don't worry.

Off to comb the sticks out of my hair and unpack more of the never-ending boxes!

Mother-Daughter Road Trip v2.0!

Almost 6 {six!} years ago, in the summer of 2007, I was about to start law school. With the help of my family and Mr. Curieuse, I loaded all of my belongings into a Penkse truck in Massachusetts and hit the road to California. My travel companion was none other than my lovely Mum.  My hair was extreme in both length and blondeness. {You can read an earlier, more detailed post about our cross-country trip here.}. Mr. Curieuse and I may have looked 16, but we were in our mid-20s. Still babies.

We drove across the country with supreme efficiency. For entertainment we winked at truckers and listened to the audiobook version of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. I highly recommend it {the book, not the winking} if you have the time.

Now, it's time for another big road-trip!  As I've mentioned before, I'm moving to Austin ahead of Mr. Curieuse - his office won't be moving until June, but I want to get the house and baby situations arranged as much as possible before I'm REALLY pregnant. I get a lot of "oh, you poor thing - moving AND pregnant?" comments, but honestly: it's not that bad. Being pregnant does not mean I'm disabled {ok, legally it does, but that's beside the point}.

It's definitely time to go - the movers have come and gone, and our condo looks like this:

Rather than fly, I decided to drive from Los Angeles to Austin. And guess who decided to join me??? Mum!!! Some people don't like their mothers, and I feel terrible for them. Mine is the tops.

We concluded that the longer, more northern route to Austin is preferable for one reason: it does not require driving through El Paso {shudder}. I do not like being that close to Juarez, thank you. I was in El Paso a few years ago, and at night you could see nothing but fires burning across the border in Juarez. Not marshmallow fires, people. That whole city is one big gang war zone. So, we're taking the long route - the famous Route 66! Also known as the Mother Road {read into that what you will}.

This route is about 1,700 miles {2700 km}, and certainly has its perks! Since neither of us have been to the Grand Canyon {point B on the map}, we'll be spending a few days there taking in the scenery. And we'll be stopping to see other Route 66 attractions like UFO landing sites, meteor craters, Billy the Kid's tombstone, and Cadillac Ranch {point C on the map}. Bring on the scenery and the kitsch!

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We're leaving this Sunday and will roll into Austin some time the following Friday. It will be a much less efficient road-trip than our earlier one, but there's no need for speed so we'll have plenty of time to smell the {desert} roses.

Have you traveled this stretch of Route 66 before? Any attractions we should see on our way?

I'll be posting updates on our trip on Instagram, so make sure you check in!

Bump Update: 27 Weeks

This past week was so busy that an Instagram selfie pic is all I have to document Week 27.  But to be honest, I'm pretty happy that I managed even that much - I'm moving to Austin in 6 DAYS!  To say I've been busy is an understatement.

Aside from the moving prep, I've also created a master shopping list for all things Bebe {it's 6 pages long, single-spaced - but it's such a comfort to my Type-A self to have a list of every single thing we'll need to consider the basics covered}, set up interviews with five Austin OBs and four Austin pediatricians' offices {I think it's so important to find competent AND personable docs - but harder than it should be}, compiled all of my medical records into one file, planned and reserved hotel rooms for my road trip to Austin, and somehow also managed to fit in time with friends and Mr. Curieuse.  WHEN IS IT NAP TIME?

Significant gains have been made in the Bebe nursery department: I've ordered some furniture!

Land of Nod - Straight Up Crib

Land of Nod: Jenny Lind 7-Drawer Dresser

Land of Nod Changer Tray & Pad Set {seen on the dresser above}

The crib required the most research - I wanted something (1) with minimal chemicals/bad stuff, (2) made in North America and (3) made of solid wood.  All signs pointed toward New York-based El Greco Woodworking, Inc., and I settled on the Straight Up crib.  I'm not a complete green freak {Happy Earth Day, btw!}, but it seems like a no-brainer to try and eliminate as many toxins from a baby's sleeping area as possible.  True, it's not the cheapest option, but peace of mind is definitely worth something.

Once I found the crib, I simply looked for a dresser with good reviews.  The Jenny Lind fit the bill. I was thinking about refinishing an old dresser I used as a girl, but then I remembered that it grew mold a few years ago {thanks to living so close to the beach} and while it's perfectly mold-free now, it's probably not a good idea to put it in the Bebe's room.  So, a new dresser it is.  And rather than get a separate changing table, I threw in the Changer Tray & Pad Set.  This can be attached to the dresser and then removed when diaper-changing days are over.

Yes, everything is white.  I hope you're not surprised.

And without any more rambling, here are this weeks stats:

Weeks Cooking: 27

Weeks Remaining: 13 {10 until full-term!}

Size of Baby: about 2 pounds.  At this stage, brain development is kicking into high gear, so I'm trying to think deep thoughts. Ha! Seriously, though, I'm taking a pre-natal vitamin with Omega 3s {as I have been all along} and using the Belly Buds to stream stimulating tunes into those teeny ears.  Can't hurt!

Weight Gain: about 20 pounds.  There it is.  The tops of my thighs rub together when I walk and I'm developing what can only be described as "fat arm."  I think it's more funny than anything.  Must be those hormones!

Maternity Clothes: nope!  Maxi dresses are in heavy rotation, though.

Symptoms: that second trimester energy is starting to wane, but not completely.  I'm trying to get as much done as possible before I start waddling!

Food Cravings/Aversions: banana creme pie has been up there on my dessert wish-list lately, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere!  Maybe I'll have to make some when I have a little more down-time.

Sleep: more or less the same - I'm always waking up in the middle of the night, but am still getting plenty of sleep so no real complaints here.

Sex: Boy!  I'm having lots of fun working on his "layette" {btw, I had NO IDEA what the heck a layette was when I first saw the word - I figured it was probably a piece of nursery furniture. For the uninitiated, it's basically a fancy word for "baby wardrobe."}.  Bring on the baby loafers, seersucker, and bow-ties!

Movement: I think he's trying to get as much jiving in as possible before things get really cramped.  And I'm pretty sure he got a case of the hiccups the other day, which was pretty funny to feel!

What I Miss: being able to park my car in tight spots.  Now I need more door clearance to get in and out!

Looking Forward to: Seeing how much he's grown at my next appointment in a few days.  Hope you've been bulking up, little man!