27 weeks!

Here I am at 27 weeks. Last week of the second trimester!

In other news, I have changed my mind yet again on the car seat/stroller combination. Last night, before Baby Basics, Scott and I stopped off at Babies R Us to check out the car seats in person. Remember my love for the Snugride 32? Well, there's also an original Snugride, which is lighter. And you know, it makes more sense to have a smaller infant seat because I highly doubt I'll have a chunky kid. I think Jamie would realistically hit the height limit way before the weight limit, so why lug around a heavier seat? Plus....the matching stroller (the Graco LiteRider) was really nice. I walked around the stroller aisle with it and instantly fell in love. I'm going back today to see if an associate can help me fit it in the back of my car. If it fits, then that's it -- we're getting the matching stroller!

I really hope I don't change my mind again.

I'm also having second thoughts on my bottle choices. Ugh.

Oh, and last night at class -- the nurse told us that ear thermometers weren't accurate (which is what I registered for), that majority of the pacifiers on the market aren't recommended and you're not supposed to use baby powder when doing diaper changes. Well then, why do they even sell this stuff? It just confuses everyone.

Nursery!

We've been busy.

 

 

The crib and changing table are from Todd and Lindsay. The rocking chair was used by my mom, the little clown is mine from when I was little (my dad's coworker's wife made it) and I've had the bookcase since 6th grade.

Good morning.

It's 5:30 am on a SUNDAY and I'm wide awake. I figured that I might as well get up and do the laundry and possibly clean the downstairs bathroom, because I just can't sleep. Is this one of the 'joys of pregnancy'?

I was so exhausted when I went to bed, too. I don't get it.

Well, yesterday was a busy day. We picked up nursery furniture from Todd and Lindsay, as well as, crib sheets (and mattress pads), baby towels, bibs, baby blankets, a boppy, bottles, high chair seat, baby toys....a cargo van full of stuff, basically. It feels like Christmas around here! While Scott and his friend hauled furniture upstairs and assembled the crib, I (not being able to lift furniture, after all) got to sort things into piles to be washed. We really appreciated the fact that we were able to get so many things -- Todd and Lindsay kept everything in great condition.

We didn't waste any time! For our new guest room, Scott found a great deal on a mattress, box spring and frame -- for our guests to sleep in luxury. By the time we went to sleep, the nursery furniture was in place (crib mattress already made up), and the guest room was completely finished (bed made, pictures hung). I promise I'll take pictures sometime today or tomorrow.

Pretty much everything in the house has now been organized and cleaned. Whew. When we initially moved in, we just stored most of our boxes into the second bedroom, and what a process it was to find a place for everything. But now, our house feels cozy and the clutter is gone, or at least, well controlled. It's a great feeling.

26 weeks!

Here I am, at 26 weeks. Again, Scott took this picture before we left for our baby class. And no, I didn't wear my pink slippers out of the house. Although, seriously, sometimes it's very tempting!

The baby class we took, Labor Basics, was pretty interesting. Sometimes I hear that the classes are a waste of time, but not to me. I mean...I've never had a baby before, I've never taken care of a baby, and the only information I have is what I've seen in movies and read in books. So, that being said, I'm really glad we're taking the classes. I won't go into any details, but let me say this -- movies and tv really, really gloss over childbirth. Yikes.

The other day, I got these bibs in the mail from my grandmother. Aren't they cute? These are officially the first bibs I've gotten, and they're by Carter's. Grammy has good taste, doesn't she? It's funny, because I think Scott and I have decided on a monkey theme.

And lastly, here are some booties from my friend, Sarah. She included these in with our wedding present. I'm in love with them -- you can't find stuff like this at the store! The brown fits in really well with the monkey theme.

We're getting the nursery furniture this weekend, from my sister and brother in law, Lindsay and Todd. I'm really excited to see how the room is going to come together.

More pictures soon!

So funny....

Starting today...

I have exactly 100 days to go.

Where's the confetti?

Belly bump!

Here's me, with only 15 weeks left to go! Scott took this last night, before we headed off to "Labor Basics" at the hospital. It was the first of several prenatal classes that we're taking; our hospital offers a good range of classes and they're free -- so why not take advantage of that?

I guess I should be taking these weekly pictures on Mondays, because that's when my weeks start, but honestly...either I don't remember to have Scott get the camera, or we get busy with dinner and other things that it doesn't happen. I just want some kind of documentation, and I think I'll be more faithful about getting these weekly shots up -- it doesn't seem like it on a daily basis, but my belly is steadily growing. Jamie's getting big!

25 weeks: car seat decisions

I'm 25 weeks pregnant and I think we've found our car seat! It seems so simple, doesn't it? Just pick something decent off of Target.com and go with it.

Then there's the safety ratings, user reviews, logistics of use, size, durability, how well it fits into your car....oh, and the price. Initially, I fell in love with the Graco "days of hunny" travel system from Walmart. Who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh? It is an adorable system, don't get me wrong, but then I decided to do more research. I couldn't just put Jamie in something because it was cute.

For convenience, the car seat clips onto the stroller. Once Baby is big enough, you can just use the stroller to haul him around. Then I thought....how well does the stroller fit into the trunk of a car? Scott drives a Honda Civic (hybrid) and I drive a Toyota Yaris (the 3 door hatchback). We're not talking SUV's here. I didn't want to get a travel system and then not be able to actually use it. Ugh!

I decided to look through the forums at Babycenter.com, to get some honest feedback, and read the reviews on the Graco models. I was pretty positive that I wanted a Graco system, because I know the brand is well trusted and their products are made well.

Then I found this little gem:

It's the Graco Snugride 32. The 32 means that the weight limit is 32 lbs, which is better than the 22 lb weight limit for most carseats, including the Winnie the Pooh seat. Other parents seem to love this car seat, and while it costs a little bit more, I love that you can get more use out of it. We'll need an extra base for Scott's car, but that's a no-brainer. Now, what about a coordinating stroller?

Graco also makes stroller frames to work with their car seats. Genius, isn't it? Finally, we can get something that will fit into our compact cars. And the price isn't bad at all, compared to some of the travel systems. Once we need an actual stroller, we can look at umbrella strollers, which are also lightweight and easy to pack up.

I'm so relieved, you have no idea. Everything else is just gravy, right? Bottles are bottles and onesies are onesies. Although, I'm still not completely clear on the world of swings and exersaucers. I just don't know.

Latest belly bump at 24 weeks.

Jamie's a Wizards fan?

Yesterday, we went to the OB for my 24 week appointment. My doctor said my weight was right on track, Jamie's heartbeat was strong (in the 140-150 range), and he was measuring well.

The Washington Wizards played a preseason game at VCU last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a lot of fun -- Scott's favorite player, Gilbert Arenas, was finally playing after dealing with a knee injury. We had gone to several games in the past 2 years where he had to sit out, unfortunately. Anyway, a cute thing I have to mention -- during the first quarter, Jamie was moving around a lot, so I'm thinking he had to have known what was going on. Right? When he's old enough, we'll have to take him to some games. There were A LOT of little kids there, actually. Or maybe I just notice these things now that I'm pregnant.

The Wizards won, by the way.

 

Milestone update!

Today, I'm officially 6 months pregnant. Where has the time gone?

Only 16 weeks (give or take a few days!) until Jamie's here!

Baby Mine

Rest your head close to my heart,
never to part,
baby of mine.

Little one when you play,
don't you mind what they say.
Let those eyes sparkle and shine,
never a tear,
baby of mine.

If they knew sweet little you
they'd end up loving you two.
All of those people who scold you
what they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes,
you're not much, goodness knows.
But you're so precious to me,
sweet as can be,
baby of mine.

If they knew sweet little you,
they'd end up loving you too.
All those same people who scold you,
what they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes
you're not much, goodness knows.
But you're so precious to me,
sweet as can be,
baby of mine.
Baby of mine





This is one of my favorite songs; I'm listening to the Alison Krauss version now, but many will remember this song from Dumbo.