week 28

Advice Request:

-What are the “essentials” to bring to the hospital besides the obvious?  Was there anything you wish you had brought that you didn’t?

How I am feeling: 

I really like being pregnant.  I think I am waiting for the other shoe to drop to and to feel miserable or sick or a number of other symptoms I have heard of, but I have just been so fortunate that I have felt great.  Do I wish I slept a little better?  Yes, but that seems to be getting better.  Strangely enough, opening the windows and getting fresh air the past few nights seems to have helped.  I don’t know why, and it might just be a coincidence, but it’s something at least.  Although living in North Carolina, I will obviously not have the luxury of keeping the windows open at night up to my due date.

I had my first Big Mac tonight.  Strangely enough, it had nothing to do with a craving, but Darren had bought a Living Social deal a while back for 5 free Big Macs and fries from McDonalds and since it was St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to also get Shamrock shakes.  I will say, I don’t really see the big hype around a Big Mac.  The Shamrock shake however, was delicious.

I realized last night when a friend I had not seen since I announced my pregnancy asked if she could touch my belly and mentioned that I was probably sick of people touch my belly, that no one except for Darren has in fact touched my belly!  And then strangely enough, Darren and I were out walking Maggie tonight and we met up with some of our neighbors and one of the ladies asked if she could touch my belly.  I thought it was funny because literally no one has asked or attempted, and then twice this weekend I was asked.  Maybe people feel weird?  It doesn’t bother me (with friends of course), so don’t be afraid to ask J  It was so nice seeing our neighbors tonight.  They were very sweet and excited for us about the pregnancy.  It was nice to talk to them since we hadn’t seen them in a while.  It was also nice because the ladies were very sweet and loved my belly.  Well…a couple of them joked that they hated me because my belly is not that big yet, but there is still time!  Speaking of belly…

Here is what I look like at 28 weeks:

Baby movement:

She was really moving and shaking last night!  One of her kicks actually made me flinch!  I was lying on my side like a good mommy-to-be (which apparently she does NOT like) and she was doing somersaults or the backstroke or something because Darren and I both felt these waves of movement over my belly and then she was kicking up a storm.  I love it!  It is hard to fall asleep with dance dance revolution going on in my belly, but it is so worth it. 

She is still relatively quiet during the day, which is good.  But lately in the mornings she has been sitting really low and making me feel like I have to pee constantly.  It’s a little problematic when you are a teacher because I don’t have the type of job I can just go to the bathroom any time I want.  Luckily I usually don’t have to actually go, I just feel like I have to, so I can make it through my classes.     

Shout Outs

I am so excited because my mom, sister and niece are going to make a trip down here to see us in April for our baby shower!  And the icing on the cake is that my girl Jess L. is also going to come!  It’s a long trip for them, so they get a huge shout out for this!

 

Nursery:

Our amazing friends Jared and Carissa sold us their glider rocker with ottoman!  I absolutely love it!  As soon as I sat in it, I told Darren I might start sleeping in it because it is so comfortable.  It is so nice to know that I have a comfy place to spend those many hours during late night feedings.

I am also looking for a touch lamp as a nightlight so I can easily turn in on and off without fumbling with a switch.  Carissa and Jared have one and I think it’s such a smart idea.  However, I cannot find one that does not look like those old, gold Tiffany style lamps.  So if anyone has seen them anywhere, please point me in the right direction.   

We are planning to move the furniture around and figure out what we need for decorations over track out.  I am still on the fence about the tree decal.  I really love some of the art I found on Etsy like the ones below and I am now thinking of using these as inspiration for the décor.  How cute are these???

Favorite Names:

Sorry to disappoint, but I have still not been able to 100% decide on Lilly.  Am I nuts?  Haha.  I know I love the name and Darren is completely sold, but the thought of this decision is so daunting!  I know there is no rush, and I should wait until I am sure, but in the meantime we refer to her as Lilly and others are welcome to as well.  I really do think it helps me to hear the name.

Labor and Birth:

We had our first day of our two-day childbirth class today.  It was in downtown Raleigh…on St. Patrick’s Day…with the parade down the street.  Luckily we arrived early enough and left late enough to avoid any traffic.  However, Darren and I ordered lunch from Roly Poly sandwiches and we had to cross the parade route to get there and back.  We waded through the sea of green and made it fairly easily, but I was definitely a little bit nervous that we weren’t going to get by. 

The class was great.  I was a little uncertain at first because I thought the content was lacking in the beginning and the instructor seemed like she had a few too many cups of coffee, but things were much better after lunch.  We rehearsed various laboring positions as well as some focusing and relaxation techniques.  It was really helpful because I was able to try out positions that I either didn’t know about, or didn’t think would work for me and I liked them.  We also learned more about the different stages and phases of labor, which was helpful to get details about since I am planning to labor at home as long as possible until we hit early active labor. 

She also had some very helpful visual aids (nothing graffic!) that helped us to see how the positioning of the baby is so important in labor and pushing because of the different angels of baby’s head and mom’s body.  That might not make sense, but it was very interesting to learn.  We also watched a video of various women going through the different stages of labor and then (skipping the actual birth) we saw an elated mother holding her baby and him latching on for the first time.  I couldn’t help it, I cried!  The instructor asked me if my tears were from fear, but I told her it was very emotional to see that.  It is amazing how well nature has prepared both baby and mom for this experience.

I am really looking forward to next week’s class and learning more. 

Week 27

Advice Request:

-Foam or Coil crib mattress?  I have read about a lot of mattresses lately and was leaning toward foam, but I don’t know.  Please share your thoughts/experiences.

How I am feeling: 

Hello third trimester!  It is hard to believe that 6 months have passed and in just 3 months our little baby girl will be here!  I am still feeling really good!  I think I need to come up with a more clever or interesting answer for this question because it is definitely asked of me a lot (not that I mind).  I keep waiting to feel nervous or scared about having a baby, but that hasn’t hit yet.  I am sure it will at some point, but the only thing I feel is joy and excitement at the thought of Darren and I being mommy and daddy.  It’s lucky for me that I will be very busy over the next few months to keep my mind occupied otherwise I might start to get nervous.  It may sound weird, but I’ve felt ready to be a mom for a long time, so this just feels right to me, not scary. 

I am more nervous about the preparation aspects than giving birth or being a mom.  There is definitely a LOT of planning involved in bringing a little one into the world.  (see my experience with registering below). 

Here is what I look like at 27 weeks:

Baby movement:

My favorite thing is when I am sitting in bed reading at night and I prop my book on my belly and she literally bounces my book!  She definitely has some strength now and can get even a 500 page hardcover book rocking and rolling!  I also love when I can see her little nudges.  Her movements are so much bigger now (yes, I know that seems obvious since she is bigger…but remember, “mama in training” here).  Sometimes I actually gasp out loud and then laugh when she kicks.  It doesn’t hurt but it just feels so strange. 

When I went to the doctor the other day, I had to do the glucose test.  Not as bad as I thought.  The little bottle of juice was kind of like super sweet Hawaiian Punch, and thanks to some good advice, I made sure it was cold and I was armed with a straw.  Anyway, I had to leave school right when my free periods started in order to get my blood drawn and make it to my 2 o’clock appointment.  At 1:50 I was in the waiting room waiting to be seen.  At 2:50, I was at the reception desk asking what was taking so long.  I think it’s pretty good that I made it a whole hour without complaining.  So finally, the nurse manager took pity on me and took me into the back, even thought he midwife I was supposed to see wasn’t ready quite yet.   As soon as she placed the heart monitor on my belly I heard a big “BOOF” and felt baby girl kick exactly where the monitor was.  The nurse laughed and said she was a healthy, active little girl.  I laughed to myself and silently thought, No, she is getting back at you for making me wait an hour in the waiting room!  Hehe.  My little girl already has some of her mom’s personality.      

Shout Outs - Registering

Huge shout outs to Carissa, Michelle and Amber for giving me so much advice about registering!  Registering is definitely a strange experience.  I was warned ahead of time how overwhelming it can be, so luckily I came armed with lists from both the internet and Michelle to make sure we had something to go off of and were not just wandering through the aisles trying to figure out what was actually needed and what was a waste. 

It actually turned out to be pretty fun!  We looked at a lot of cute stuff, and though we didn’t register for much cutesy stuff (mostly the stuff we really need), it was fun to think about wrapping our baby in that really soft blanket, or sliding her tiny feet into the little ruffled socks. 

We toiled about where to register for a while, but finally decided on Target, Babies R Us and also Amazon.  Since neither of our families live locally, we wanted to give them a very simple way to shop if they so desired.  Plus, Amazon’s prices and selection is amazing.  I was able to find everything I couldn’t find at Target or Babies R Us at Amazon, and I did a lot of price comparing to make sure we registered for an item wherever it had the best deal.  It was a little challenging to coordinate and make sure we didn’t have duplicates, but I am nothing if not organized, so of course I created a spreadsheet to help with this.  Maybe a little overkill to some, but it really helped me to make sure we covered everything and that we had a variety of items at a variety of prices at all three places. 

 

Nursery:

Décor is the next step!  We are trying to figure out if we want to get a big tree wall decal or not.  I love the idea of it, but I don’t know if it’s too much.  I have also heard from quite a few people that the trees can be a pain because of all the leaves/flowers.  I know my amazing Aunt is painting a couple of things for us, and I happen to have a very talented artist for a husband, so maybe we’ll just stick with their talents instead.  It’s a tough call though.  More to come…

Favorite Names:

The other day a friend of mine referred to baby girl as Lilly and then apologized because she remembered that we hadn’t settled on a name yet.  I of course told her it was not a big deal, and in fact, I liked hearing someone else call her Lilly.  I really love the name.  It helps me to hear it and know that I won’t get sick of hearing it…or saying it over and over!  It’s not official still, but I think Lilly Rae is a pretty safe bet at this point.  ;o)

Labor and Birth:

We have our birthing class next Saturday and the Saturday after that as well, so I am looking forward to that.  Darren is reading a lot about natural childbirth right now and it’s amazing to hear him talk about it now and to know that we are completely on the same page with this experience.

Recently I have started thinking about the details of our birth like what we will do with the dog when we have to go to the hospital, how much video and/or photography I am comfortable with, what items we need to bring, what I want to wear and how we will get the word out once baby girl arrives.  I guess knowing it’s only 3 months away makes it all seem so much closer and more real and, being the planner that I am, I want to be prepared.

I have also started thinking about help when we come home.  I know I will definitely welcome any help we can get and I know our moms want to come and my girl Jess offered to come as well.  It’s so nice and comforting to know we have that support even though our families and some of our close friends live up north.  I also know that we have amazing friends who are tracked out during that time, so mommy and baby will hopefully not be cooped up in the house all day every day ;o) 

Week 26

Advice Request:

-This isn’t really advice as much as I think it’s just fun to talk about:  What was the strangest thing you craved during pregnancy? 

-We are registering next weekend, so if you anyone has any additional advice about that, PLEASE send it my way.  I still find the process very overwhelming since we are basically “guessing” what we need. 

How I am feeling: 

I am feeling really good overall.  This week felt like a long week and I was pretty tired, plus my eyes have been a little bothersome.  My left eye had a twitch for a while, which has now migrated to my right eye and my left eye instead was sporting a burst blood vessel for a few days.  From what I have read this is due to stress and lack of sleep.  I really don’t feel that stressed, but I know I am not having very restful sleep.  My lower back pain is still bothering me when I sleep, but I think it is getting better now worse, so that is a plus. 

I had a few cravings last weekend, which I happily indulged in!  After Darren and I left On the Snap where we had dinner and played pool, I really wanted a root beer float, so we went to the store to get some root beer (we already had ice cream).  And while I was at the store, I really wanted an angel food cake!  So I bought the mix and made one.  I have to say, angel food cake is SO easy to make (the mix and water…that’s it!) and it’s such a nice sweet treat with some cool whip and fruit.  It’s fat free, too ;o) 

Here is what I look like at 26 weeks:

Baby movement:

Because I have to sleep on my side, I have started sleeping with a pillow to support my growing belly.  The funny part is when I sleep on my side, baby girl is positioned all the way on my side so when she moves and kicks, it feels like she is on my hip!  It’s very weird!  This morning when I woke up and felt her kicking, I was actually freaked out how far over she felt and I had to get out of bed to look at my stomach!  She has also felt like she is sitting really low this week.  I don’t know if this is TMI or weird, but there were times this week when she would kick and I would feel like she was jabbing a foot or fist into the birth canal!  I know she’s not, but I am used to feeling her kicks on my stomach, not that low. 

Shout Outs

HUGE shout out to Chad S. for coming over last weekend and helping Darren paint the nursery!  Also to Michelle S. for letting us steal your husband for the day J 

Shout outs to everyone who has said I am “cute” this week also!  I don’t always feel cute pregnant, so the boost in confidence is really nice!

Nursery:

The nursery is painted!  I am so excited.  The light green came out so well and I am so happy with our choice.  It brightens up the room and already looks beautiful with some of the pink accessories we have and the beautiful dark wood furniture that we have.  We still have a ways to go with decorating, but the pictures below at least show the next step in this process.  I took these pictures at night, so the room looks a little darker than it is, but you get the idea! 

Favorite Names:

This is the question I am asked the second most (with “how are you feeling?” definitely my most frequent question).  We are still trying out Lilly.  I love the name and I love having a name for her when I talk to her, but I am so NERVOUS about this decision!  I think I am more nervous about the name than childbirth.  It’s such a permanent decision.  I just want to make sure it’s a name I want to say hundreds of times a day and that I will still love it.  I am guessing we’ll make the final decision in the next few weeks.

Labor and Birth:

I am getting excited for our birthing class which starts in two weeks.  I think it will be great to meet other couples who are going through the same thing and also to get some new and helpful information about coping with labor.  We are also going to be touring Wake Med Cary over our next track out in April, so I am excited to see what they have to offer.  I have heard great things about their facilities for women who want a natural childbirth. 

What I am reading:

I have been reading Baby Bargains and also Baby Gizmo after the recommendations from friends on this blog.  I am trying to get prepared to create a registry and these books have both helped me know what we need and then what particular products might be the best for us.  There are SO many baby products out there and it is so scary because it feels like every day there is a new recall on a product that is a new baby death trap!!!  No pressure on parents or anything…sheesh! 

I also just borrowed The Womanly Art of Breast Feeding by Diane Wiessinger.  I literally just picked it up last night, but I am very excited to learn more about breast feeding because I feel very strongly about breast feeding from the first moments of baby girl’s life until, well as long as it works for both of us!  I know a lot of women do not think breast feeding past a certain age is acceptable, but I don’t think you can put a number on it.

I am also proud that my husband is reading Husband Coached Childbirth by Robert Bradley (founder of the Bradley method of natural childbirth).   The very first night he read it, he was already marveling on how much he learned and how much Bradley’s method makes sense.  It’s great to both read the same book and be able to discuss our ideas about baby girl’s birth together.  Call me crazy, but I am looking forward to the experience.    

Week 25

How I am feeling:  I am feeling really good overall!  My only minor complaint is still that I don’t sleep as well as I would like.  I am trying to find comfortable ways to sleep, but it’s difficult.  I have an eye twitch now which is very strange and I have read is brought on by lack of sleep/stress.  I am trying to relax a lot so even if I am not sleeping, my body is at least getting time to relax.  Of course, yesterday I spent literally 12 hours on my feet at work, but I am trying to make up for it today by reclining with my laptop ;o) 

Other than this minor complaint, I feel very lucky and I have been feeling great!

Here is what I look like at 25 weeks:

Baby movement:

My little dancing girl likes to make herself known whenever she can!  She is bumping me right now in fact!  I

Shout Outs

This week I want to thank my amazing husband, Darren!  He is doing a great job of putting up with my mood swings and keeping me laughing.  We had an amazing mini “baby moon” to Asheville to visit the Biltmore Estate last weekend for our Valentine’s Day.  

The Biltmore was absolutely beautiful and we were so fortunate that the weather was equally as beautiful.  I loved walking around the house and the grounds hand-in-hand with my amazing husband.  I also love that one of his favorite things is to point out cute babies right now (especially cute babies in cute baby carrier backpacks), and the huge smile he gets on his face when he sees them.  I am getting a little teary eyed just thinking about it.  I can’t wait to get a front row seat to see Darren with our baby girl and showing her the same love he has shown me as long as I have known him. 

Nursery:

Darren plans to paint this weekend!  I am so excited.  Look for pictures on next week’s blog. 

Other than that we haven’t changed anything.  I keep thinking about what still need, but I also know we have time!

Favorite Names:

We have started referring to baby girl as “Lilly” out loud as a test run.  It’s really fun to get to “try out” her name for a little while and make sure we love it as much as we think we do.  Nothing is official yet, but I have a feeling it is going to stick ;o)

Labor and Birth:

I know a lot of people think I’m nuts for wanting to have a completely natural childbirth, but I truly believe it is what is best for me and ultimately, baby girl.  I also truly believe that it is not for everyone and I am glad that women have choices and options that make them most comfortable.  

I am trying to work on relaxation techniques at home to prepare for the birth.  I am not the best at relaxing because it’s very hard for me to turn my mind off and not think of other things I could be doing.  I read about a technique where you picture a movie screen split in two, and on one half is something you are worried about or struggling with, then on the other side, you create a way to overcome this.  I am not very good at it yet, but I think it could really help me get myself to sleep now and then help me cope with the stress/pain of birth later. 

  

What I am reading:

I am going to take a short break from birthing/pregnancy books and just focus on reading some of the books I have wanted to read for a while!  I am still always reading articles and I am keeping up with my pregnancy week-by-week book because I love learning about how baby girl is growing and changing; however, I don’t want to get burnt out.   

Week 24

Advice Request:

We are planning to register next weekend, and the idea is a little daunting!

-What is a good resource for deciding what to register for?  There are a lot of "lists" out there, but they all seem WAY too extensive.  If anyone made a list or found one that was excellent, please share.

-What is something you didn't register for and wish you had?

How I am feeling:  It’s crazy to me that I am starting my 6^th month!  I feel like I was just watching that pink line appear on the stick!  There is definitely no hiding my bump at this point and I definitely do not want to.  The weight gain is still a little bit of a mental battle sometimes, but I try to remind myself that I am eating well (overall…minus a few treats here and there of course!), I am working out and I am feeling good, so the weight I am gaining it to keep baby girl healthy.  But ladies, let’s all admit that gaining weight (even for the miracle of pregnancy and birth) is hard.  Luckily I have a husband who makes me feel beautiful!  He surprised me on Valentine's Day morning with beautiful roses and a card with a gift certificate for 3 massages.  We weren't supposed to get each other anything, since we are going on a trip this weekend, but he said he wanted to get me something anyway.  What a guy, huh?

Here is what I look like at 24 weeks:

Baby movement:

Sleep does not always come easy for me right now.  If I had one complaint about being pregnant, that would be it.  I have been a “stomach sleeper” for pretty much my entire life, so the adjustment to sleeping on my side has not been easy.  I have been using a body pillow, but lately I have had really bad backaches in the morning.  The nurse I spoke with suggested putting a separate pillow under my stomach when I sleep to prop up my uterus which can put strain on my lower back while I sleep because it is so much heavier now.  So far it’s better, but when I put the pillow under my belly, baby girl thinks it’s time for a major dance party!  She goes nuts and kicks harder than ever J  Don’t get me wrong, I love the kicking and feeling her move, but she is kicking pretty hard and it’s not easy to get to sleep while that is going on.

Shout Outs

Thanks to everyone who advised us on possible “babymoons” – especially Rachel, Jess and Jen for your comments!  We are heading to Asheville on Saturday to explore Biltmore for the first time as our Valentine’s celebration, and we just bought a two night stay at a Bed and Breakfast on the coast.  We are also thinking of making a quick trip to Charleston over our track out.  So we are hoping to have a few “mini-moons” instead of one big trip. 

Also, big shout out to Chad and Jared S. for their help with the dresser!  We are so excited to have it home!  

Nursery:

Speaking of dresser, the dresser is here!

Big thanks to Aunt Mare for her generosity on this.  The nursery is really starting to come together!  I can’t wait to get the paint on the walls so we can decorate and really make it special for her!

Favorite Names:

I have started thinking of the baby as Lilly now, and not just baby girl.  I think part of it is because Darren is already pretty set on it (and I love the name as well), but I also like silently getting used to it myself to make sure it seems to fit her.  I know it’s weird, but I want to make sure she feels like a Lilly.  So I am trying it out!  No promises yet ;o)

Labor and Birth:

We met with our Doula, Helene, today.  It was very comforting to speak with her and know we have a real advocate who will be with us during the birth.  I am very passionate about having a natural childbirth, and having Helene there to guide us through and ensure that our wishes are being met will be so great.  Darren will be an amazing coach and advocate as well, but since he and I are obviously new to this, we’re both happy to let an expert join us on this journey. 

  

What I am reading:

I have started reading through Baby Bargains, although I am not reading cover to cover, especially since I accidentally bought an older edition, so now I need to get a new one (oops!).  I am also reading a book that Michelle loaned me that details each week of pregnancy and what to expect.  It’s really nice to have that to look forward to reading each week as my pregnancy progresses.   

Week 23

Advice Request:

Here is an unconventional request:

Darren and I want to go on a “babymoon” before baby girl is born.  We don’t want to spend a lot, so a massive vacation is out.  We would be traveling in the end of March or beginning of April.  Any ideas are welcome!

How I am feeling:  Not too much has changed, especially since I posted a little late last week.  I love that people are looking at my belly and telling me that I look so “cute” pregnant.  I actually feel cute pregnant, which I did not expect.  I am even looking forward to my belly getting bigger.  I have been so lucky to have felt good the entire pregnancy so far, so the whole thing is just so joyful.  I am also a lot less overwhelmed right now because we have most of the basics for the nursery done.  I was driving myself crazy with those decisions.  I think we’re going to take a break from shopping for a while and wait until her arrival is closer to see what we still need.   Here is what I look like at 23 weeks:

Baby movement:

The last time I was at the midwife’s office and the midwife, Heather, was listening to baby’s heartbeat, she was moving up a storm and I could hear the “thunks”!  The midwife asked if she was very active and seemed very pleased when I told her how active she was.  Darren still loved feeling her move and marvels at how weird it must feel to me.  Weird yes, but in the best way possible.  It’s like a secret language she and I share right now. 

Shout Outs

Thanks to Melanie, Shannon and Carissa for your advice on breast pumps and car seats!  I ordered a copy of Baby Bargains as you suggested and am definitely going to go with a Medela breast pump J  I have some research to do about car seats, but I appreciate your input!

Nursery:

We should be painting soon!  Maybe not this weekend because we have 3 murder mystery shows, but soon!  Other than that, nothing has really changed. 

Favorite Names:

Darren has started referring to the baby as Lilly now.  His mind is made up, but mine is not.  A friend of ours asked today “who gets the final say?” and I sort of looked at him and laughed.  Really?  Who do you think???  ;o)

Labor and Birth:

The book I am reading is recommending some strange things to prepare for labor!  One of them is “pelvic rocking” which is sort of like doing an impression of a very happy dog for 10 minutes at a time, four times a day…needless to say this is NOT getting done during the day at work.  Could you imagine a student walking in to that?  I don’t think I could explain that one too well.  Some of the other things make sense though.  For example practicing squatting to stretch the muscles, and also sitting Indian style and leaning forward when possible to help the position of the uterus.  I thought I would hate this, but I have started reading like this each night and it’s very comfortable.  I have also traded my hard desk chair at work for an exercises ball to help keep my core strength up and maintain good balance.  Plus, let’s be honest, it’s a lot more comfortable than a hard chair.    

  

What I am reading:

I am still reading Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth by Robert A. Bradley.  It doesn’t help that I am also reading several adolescent literature books on the side as well to keep up with my 40 book challenge at school.  I read Parenting magazines as well and I have started ripping the pages out and creating a binder of things to access later.  Some of the advice is great and I know I will forget it if I don’t keep it. 

Week 22

Advice Request:

Here is this week's advice request as we prepare to create a baby registry:

-What is the best breast pump out there?

-Is it worth it to get a video baby monitor?

-How the heck do you choose a carseat????

How I am feeling:

 I am feeling good.  I feel like I am showing more and more each week, but what’s the strangest for me is how much I feel like I grow from morning to night!  This might sound nuts, but I feel like my belly is so much bigger by the time I go to bed than when I woke up.  I know food and water play a part in that, but it’s pretty funny.  I am still working out 4 or 5 times a week, which is keeping my energy level up and hopefully it will help me with labor, especially since I want to have a natural childbirth.

Here is what I look like at 22 weeks:

Baby movement:

I love feeling her move.  I like to think she’s dancing, but I am not sure there is much room for that ;o)  She moves sometimes when I am at work and it puts a big grin on my face because, in the word of my friend Amber, it's like I have a secret that no one else knows about.  She still moves the most at night, which I love because it’s the time of day when Darren and I are relaxing together and we can bond with her.  I was singing to her the other night and she was moving a lot!  I know it’s probably a coincidence, but it definitely made my night!

Shout Outs

Huge shout out to Aunt Mare for her generosity and for getting us our dresser!!!!  (see below)  She saved us from having to toil over the decision between composite wood and solid wood.  We love you Aunt Mare!

A long overdue shout out to Michelle S. for lending me her maternity clothes, because believe me, those elastic waist pants are starting to really come in handy!

Also, a long overdue shout out to Sarah and Jeff H. who were so generous and gave us a basinet, swing and pack and play.  We are over the moon thankful!

Big thanks to Carissa and Jared S. for the STACKS of baby books!!!  I am obviously a book nut, so this was a wonderful addition to baby girl’s room.  They also loaned us some painting supplies so we (and by we, I mean Darren) can paint the nursery!!!

Nursery:

We have made a LOT of progress on the nursery in the past 10 days.  It is so exciting!  First, we decided on a paint color (and bought the paint).  We chose the light green shade called “seafoam green.”  I think it’s going to be perfect!  I can’t wait to see what it looks like once it’s actually on the walls.

We also finally made a decision on a dresser and a bookshelf.  The bookshelf is here and set up, but the dresser is on order and we’ll have to pick it up at the store in a week or two.  We went with a solid wood dresser from Babies R Us.  We originally went into the store to order one we saw online, but we found one that was almost the exact same for $70 cheaper, and then an amazing sales associate saved us another $100 by tracking down a few coupons and promotions for us.  Thanks Stormie from the Cary Babies R Us!

We also bought a bouncy seat (yes, I had to get something pink!), a clothes hamper, a blanket and a sleep sheep.  We had a very successful shopping day yesterday in case you can’t tell. 

Favorite Names:

We seem to agree on our two favorites!  We both like Lily and Madeline as her first name and then Rae as her middle name.  I think we’re leaning toward Lily right now.  But I am not ready to decide for sure.  We’ll also need to decide on the spelling. 

Labor and Birth:

We officially signed up for a birthing class!  We decided to go with a class that would meet on two consecutive Saturdays.  The class is taught by three doulas: http://www.thebirthingwell.com/ on March 17 and 24.  I think it will be great for us to get prepared, get some questions answered and also meet other people.

Next on the agenda is to sign up for a tour of Wake Med.

  

What I am reading:

I am still reading Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth by Robert A. Bradley.  There is definitely a lot of good information about natural birth, but this is actually a book meant for coaches/partners to read.  So Darren will be reading this once I am done.