Baby Stuff

After I got many different funny looks from my OB when I told him that I didn't have ANYTHING yet (at my 37w appt.), I decided I had better make it my #1 priority to set out to find baby gear!

You see, I'm that person that wants to find the BEST deal on whatever I'm buying.....even if it means I'm only saving $5.  I despise buying something then finding that it's less expensive right down the road.  I've also been hoarding coupons for products at various baby stores and I've saved a pretty good amount of money so far.

 I guess you could say all last week, I gave myself a mini shower.



 Thanks, Holly, for the K'tan suggestion.  I've been practicing with Macie's baby dolls.
 I can't wait to see if this bouncer works as great as I think it will.  It's not fancy schmancy, but it has an automatic bounce instead of relying on the baby's movements.  Macie LOVED to be bounced and she probably would have loved this as a baby.  Let's just hope this baby is the same!
 I really liked this pack n play because it has a changing table that isn't suspended in the air like all of the Graco ones I looked at that had horrible reviews because of that (the baby would roll to the side).  Also, it's pretty gender neutral and still a tiny bit girly looking.  It doesn't hurt that it was less expensive than the others I had considered too!!!
After I had Macie, I was convinced I wouldn't have another baby and if I did it wouldn't be for a VERY LONG TIME.  I guess it has been a while, but not as long as I figured back then.  So, I gave most of the big items away along with most of Macie's clothes from her first year (minus a few "special" pieces). 

When we thought we were having a boy, this didn't bother me.  When we found out it was a girl, I was sick that I hadn't saved anything.  So, this time around I bought everything "gender neutral", besides clothing (what's a little girl without foofy bows, pink, and purple?).

I'm not saying we will have another baby, but if we do we will be prepared.  I'm definitely not giving anything away this time!  We have a huge attic and plenty of storage containers, so I'll manage to find somewhere to place everything.

Needless to say, the only things I didn't have to buy were the bed, mattress, high chair, and....yep that's pretty much it.  I wouldn't have had a bed either (because of the "no drop side cribs law"), but my mom bought that a few months back.

It's a Jenny Lind bed - a classic style and so cute!  No, it's not finished and neither is the room.

Words of advice for all of you expecting:  Don't buy gender specific (just in case) and don't give ANYTHING away, no matter how tired you are of looking at it.....unless, of course, you have a never ending supply of $$$.  :)

I bought myself a nice set of pajamas for the hospital after I get to change.  It came with a nursing top and a nice cover up for when we have visitors.  I figure I will get a lot of use out of these and will probably end up buying a few more tops.  I didn't have anything handy like that with Macie - I was totally clueless about anything with her - so I just made do with t-shirts and that proved to be difficult when I had company.  I also have a nursing cover for when we're out in public.

So, here I am - 38 weeks.  I haven't gained a pound, or even an ounce, over the past month.  I'm ready. 

I'm getting cankles on a nightly basis and waking up feeling like my back is going to break and my feet are about to burst.  I'm sure I'm a pretty sight bright and early!

I talked to my OB and we set up an induction date for February 3.  I'm excited and nervous and freaking out.  That's a week and a half away - just enough time to get her room looking presentable.  Hopefully I will be posting a picture of a beautiful nursery, for the most part, BEFORE she makes her debut!  Wish me luck!!!

What a difference a week makes!

The first picture is 36w and the second is just a week later at 37w. I sure hope she's making her way down, because it looks and FEELS like she is. I'm dilated to a 1 as of Monday and I'm hoping for more progress next appt. (on Tuesday).

I was induced with Macie and had a great experience, so I talked with Dr. Howser about doing the same thing this time around and he said any day after 39w, as long as she doesn't make an appearance before on her own.

So, after looking at mine and Chris's schedules, I've decided I want to try and go in to deliver on the 3rd (actually go in the evening on the 2nd and deliver the 3rd). This way, I will have a week and a half with Chris.

I will discuss this with Dr. Howser and, hopefully, have a for sure date that I will be delivering!

What?
Yes, Erin - its already time for baby!

I still can't believe how quickly time flew. I am so thankful for being blessed with this wonderful, uneventful pregnancy.

So anyway, there's more to come on baby gear progress. Right now, I'm going to attempt sleep.

36 Weeks!!!

I just realized that I haven't done a "belly blog" in a while.  With the busy holiday season, I guess I just forgot.  Poor baby, becoming chopped liver around here!

Well, I am now in my final month of this pregnancy and it seems to have FLOWN!  I can't believe I will be a mommy to two sweet girly girls in (approximately) 29 days. So, for a few of my stats and the belly reveal:

How far along?  36 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: As of today, 28 pounds (YIKES!!!).  My goal is to not gain any more than 35....seeing as I only gained 25 with Macie.
Maternity clothes? Been in those for a while.  I’m mainly just wearing maternity leggings from Motherhood.  Those things have been my clothing staple.  Thank goodness because maternity jeans are so uncomfortable for me - constantly pulling them up!
Stretch marks? No, I think I’m in the clear this time around too.
Best moment this week: Finally getting the crib set up.  This one was so much easier putting together than the last one.  I think it only had about 5 steps in the instructions.  Whew!
Miss Anything? Bending over, pulling off shoes, not having to take a whole minute to get up from sitting position, eating a full meal, sitting without having to stretch out, regular jeans, and I’m sure I could name many more.
Movement: A lot of strong kicks and punches to the ribs and hips.
Food cravings: Don’t really have any cravings, just food aversions.  I’m not a big meat eater.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not yet.
Have you started to show yet: Yep!
Gender: Hopefully still a girl!
Labor Signs: Just BH!
Belly Button in or out? Flat and weird looking.
Wedding rings on or off? On most days.  On the warmer days, I have to take them off while at home.  I won’t go out without them though!
Happy or Moody most of the time: For the most part, I’m happy.  I am starting to get moody though....poor Chris and Macie.
Looking forward to: Deciding what we’re going to do with the nursery - "last minute Lucy" over here. :)

{I found that questionnaire on a blog a while back, copied and 

pasted into pages - wish I had been doing it all along.}

So, yeah, I'm pretty much becoming a miserable blob.  That's how it was with Macie too - everything's great until the last month.  I meant to ask my OB if we would do things just as we did with Macie {an induction on her due date}, but the office was a tad busy and sounded like a circus {seriously parents, make your kids turn down the volume on your iPhone when playing games in an office!}.  Plus, I knew I could just wait and ask him next Monday {since I'm going WEEKLY now}.

My mom and I got the bed assembled, finally, this weekend.  Chris was a busy bee too - he put together Macie's trampoline {with the help of his friend, Jared - thanks Jared!}, little outdoor playhouse, and a picnic table.  That was all on Sunday.  Saturday, with the help of his dad, he replaced the door knob to the garage, replaced the fan for the nursery, and hung new blinds in pretty much every room of our house.  I still have to go exchange two sets because the boxes were missing the hardware.  Seriously, how do you not check your returns???.  He was saying he's already done more this year than he did all last year - he's right.  I'm thankful for all he's done and how sweet he has been to me in my little freak out moments.

This week is Macie's Birthday and her party is this weekend.  How did 4 sneak up on us so quickly?  It still seems like she was born just yesterday.  I'm hoping to decorate tonight and make some cupcakes for her school tomorrow.  I thought about not sending her to school, but I remember loving school birthdays.  She'll have more fun there with her friends than at home {plus, I've already paid for it!}.  She's going to have a Frogs and Fairies party this weekend, so stay tuned for a post about that.  I'll be busy all week getting ready for that - a million things to do!

We're busy, busy, busy around here! 

Our Christmas in a Nutshell

The weekend before Christmas, we went to stay with the Pikes and had Christmas there.  We had so much fun!

Saturday, we had a gift exchange at Chris' Meemaw's house.  That's always fun, I think.  Macie was lucky enough to get a few presents of her own including books, a Princess Yahtzee game, and a very special fairy house made especially for her by her Aunt Sherri {it is precious!}.  We filled our tummies with too much yummy food, visited for a while, then headed over to Chris' parents house for the night.

After a good night's sleep, we woke to a yummy breakfast and great company.  It's so nice to spend time with the whole family!  

Then, it was time for presents--Macie, as well as Chris and I, were given way too many goodies for our own good!  We are most definitely loved by our sweet family.

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Christmas Eve, Chris had to work.....Boo.....but only that morning.  

That evening, we went to see my side of the family at my Grandma and Grandad's house.  Every year, it seems, there is a new addition to our Christmas over there.  My cousin and his wife had a baby this year then next year, there will be 3 more babies {including our girl}. 

We have a tradition of having all the kids run outside to look for Santa in the sky, meanwhile someone {my Grandma aka Santa} is inside placing the stockings in each child's spot.  I can remember doing this as a child and I will forever hold onto those memories!

We all stuffed our faces yet again {I'm dreading the next OB appt when I step on the scale!} and visited.  After we were finished down there, we headed up to my mom and dad's house to have our Christmas with them.

Macie was excited to get clothes, candy, and TWO rolling toys--a pair of roller skates and a scooter {helmet included}.  We all received too much and I am so thankful for our generous family!

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Finally, we made it to Christmas morning.  Chris got up really early to put together Macie's "Santa gift" and I came out a little later to set up everything.  I figured we would just go back to sleep until Macie felt like waking up, but Chris was ready to wake her up.  It took zero coaxing after the phrase "I think Santa was here" came out of Chris' mouth.  She was up and at 'em by then!

Santa brought Macie her very first bicycle!

I was afraid she wouldn't like it because she was asking for so many things, and never said she wanted a bike.  I was so glad to see her so excited.  She also received a few other small things from Santa, then from us she got a book with an interactive Mama bear and a vintage style record player.  We keep it to a minimum because she's given so much from our families!

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After we finished Christmas with our little family of three {the last one ever!}, we went to spend time with my dad's side of the family at my late Grandmother's house.  We wanted to have one final Christmas at her home before my dad and his siblings sell.  It was very nice, we had a great traditional meal just like Grandma Barbara used to cook, did a gift exchange, and spent the day lazing around the house like we used to.  

The gift exchange was pretty fun.  My brother in law, Wade, got a Shake Weight and that was the highlight of the evening.  All the guys wanted to take their turn.  Funny stuff!

After a long day, Chris and I finally headed home.  My body was exhausted and all I needed was a good night's sleep.  Between Christmas shopping for weeks and driving all over, my body was shot!

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Needless to say, we had a wonderful Christmas.  We were definitely blessed with a wonderful family, both mine and Chris' sides. 

After all of the Christmas madness, we decided to stay home for New Year's Eve.  It was nice and relaxing.  We had a few yummy "appetizers", sparkling grape juice, and enjoyed some quality family time.  We are looking forward to the new year and what it has in store for our little family!