- Today is February 28.
- I am due on March 28.
- 28 more days to go!
Bath Time
Scott made this video of our cat giving himself a bath yesterday. He was seeing how fast he could shoot, edit and upload a video. He did it all in about an hour. Stay tuned for baby videos very soon!
35 Week Checkup
I got a bit of a surprise at my 35 week checkup today - my doctor told me I was already two centimeters dilated! That doesn't necessarily mean that Baby Girl will come early, but it's a possibility and that was surprising to hear, because I don't feel like I've had any contractions or false labor yet. My doctor just told me to take it easy over the next week or so and they will begin with the weekly checkups starting next Tuesday.
I am so looking forward to seeing Baby Girl, but have loved being pregnant and thinking about it almost being over makes me a little bit sad. For the past nine months, she's gone everywhere with me and been with me every second of the day - my little papoose. I can feel her every movement and twitch and I know she's safe all curled up inside of me.
Thinking about her entering this big scary world makes me a tiny bit sad and anxious, but I know that it will be a million times more exciting than pregnancy itself. Everyone always tells me you forget about being pregnant once the baby comes, but I hope I don't. Even with the worry, anxiety, fears and discomforts, I've loved every minute of it.
A Sneak Peek
Here is a sneak peek of Baby Girl from our 3D ultrasound today. As you can see, she's cupping her chin in her hand and looking quite thoughtful. Although she was being stubborn and would not turn her head, it was still quite amazing to see so much detail, even if we could only see her in profile like you see above. She is in the head down position, and you could even tell that she already has a lot of hair on her head! Seeing her was a wonderful was to spend Valentine's Day and we can't wait to meet her in just six short weeks!
Good Gosh, Ganache
Can I just brag for a minute? When you work with THE Bakerella, you get cake pops like the one above at your baby shower. You also sometimes get her amazing leftovers in the work break area, like the delicious cookie cake she made last week. I nibbled on a piece or seven during the work day and decided that I must make this cookie cake for Valentine's Day. Now, I didn't have the heart shaped pan or the cute pink M&Ms, but who has time for all that when there's ganache?
If you don't know what ganache is, you might want to stop here, because you might just have a heart attack if I told you. Click the link above for the recipe - if you dare. I don't know what's come over me. Maybe it's some kind of nesting thing, or maybe I think that I'll never have time to bake another cookie after the baby comes, but I have been seriously obsessed with baking lately, even more so than usual. Sorry co-workers... there might just be another cookie cake coming your way next week. Hope you like ganache.
Baby Gear
When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I began researching was baby gear. It was a foreign world to me with way too many overwhelming choices - hundreds of strollers, dozens of car seat options - how could you make sense of it all? A lot of my friends recommended the book Baby Bargains, which was a huge help. It's sort of a Consumer Reports-type book of baby gear that rates all of the products based on safety, price and parent feedback from the author's extensive online message board. I used this book as a jumping off point and then did additional research based on recommendations from friends and reading online reviews.
Price played another factor in our choices - I hated the thought of spending a lot of money on low quality, cheaply made and possibly UNSAFE baby gear (and there is A LOT of low quality crap out there) so I worked hard to familiarize myself with the best brands and find the highest quality gear at the lowest prices. And I am sure this is just a symptom of First Time Parent Syndrome, but I also wanted whatever baby gear we purchased to not scream BABY. I hated the thought of our home being overrun by plastic, pastel junk!
Below are some of our picks for major baby gear. Of course, we have no practical experience using it just yet ... check back in a few months to see how these recommended items have worked for us!
Car Seat: Graco SnugRide 32
This is one of the most popular and highly recommended infant car seats on the market. Prices on this car seat vary, based on the cover you choose. We chose the "Rittenhouse" cover, which was a little more plush and the color/pattern is a gender neutral black and tan that sort of just blends in with our cars. We ordered it from target.com last week during their baby sale and have received it in the mail. We deboxed it and are pleased with the quality, although we have not attempted to install it in my car yet. This type of infant carrier car seat is popular because you can buy and extra base to install in a second car and easily transfer the car seat from one car to another. It's also compatible with most inexpensive, lightweight stroller frames. Many friends recommended skipping the bulky "travel system" and going with the infant carrier and stroller frame instead.
Stroller: Maclaren Quest
This was one of the first baby gear purchases I made and I really lucked out. I found a Maclaren Quest at TJ Maxx for half of what it retailed for online. Discount department stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's mostly have baby clothes but they will occasionally have baby gear and other larger items. The key is living or working near one of these stores and being able to check in once or twice a month, because their merchandise selection is constantly changing. If you find something that's a good deal, you have to be ready to snatch it up because it might be gone the next time you're in there. We may also get a jogging stroller in the future, but will be our every day stroller once Baby Girl is old enough to hold her head upright and we don't need to keep her in the infant carrier any more. And this is purely cosmetic, but the one I found was in the Lulu Guinness "I Love You" fabric, which I just think is so cute! (I bought this before the Maclaren recall but have since received the hinge covers.)
Crib: Million Dollar Baby Jenny Lind
I knew I did not want a convertible crib (the kind that converts to a full size bed) so this narrowed down my options significantly. I also knew that I wanted a vintage looking crib and the "Jenny Lind" style crib is the classic crib that you see everywhere. Babies R Us sells a Jenny Lind crib by a company called Delta, but it seemed sort of flimsy. We purchased the Million Dollar Baby version instead and it was much more sturdy. This company has also never had a recall.
Mattress: Colgate Classica I
This is the most highly rated and recommended crib mattress. I didn't do a lot of additional research because this seemed like the one to get, based on safety ratings and online reviews.
High Chair: Svan
I didn't really have a high chair picked out because all of the affordable ones were just so ugly - giant plastic monstrosities with these huge puffy cushions that seemed like food and germ magnets. I loved the expensive European-style high chairs like the Stokke, but could not justify the high price. I figured I could wait to make a decision since we would not be needing this item right away, but the Svan was featured one day a few weeks ago on mamabargains.com for more than $100 less than the retail price so I grabbed one. It got excellent reviews online and can be used for a long time because it converts from infant high chair to toddler seat to booster seat to full-size adult chair. It's all wood and has a clean design that's free of food-trapping nooks and crannies. I highly recommend bookmarking sites like Mama Bargains and checking them every day. They typically sell one item per day at a deep discount, so you have to know what you're looking for and know when to pounce on a good deal.
Pack N Play: Boppy Happy Place
This was another TJ Maxx find. It was $50 less than what it retailed for online. It had the features I wanted (raised bassinet mattress and changing station) and I liked the neutral fabric. I didn't want something loud or garish since it will be a semi-permanent fixture in the middle of our living room!
Nursery Furniture: Variety
All of our nursery furniture is IKEA and repurposed family hand me downs. I didn't see a reason to spend a lot of money on furniture just because it was marketed in baby stores as "nursery furniture" - a dresser is a dresser! I purchased the dresser and night stand from IKEA and the rocker and twin bed were family hand me downs that were freshened up with new upholstery, mattresses, bedding or a fresh coat of paint. I liked mixing different furniture in the nursery and not having a totally matchy-matchy bedroom.
Diaper Bag: Buzz Busy Bee Backpack by The Bumble Collection
Another TJ Maxx find for half of the online retail price. I liked this diaper bag because it was black (so Scott could carry it, too) and came with different straps so it can be carried as a messenger bag, backpack or can be clipped onto the handles of a stroller. This boxy bag sits upright on a flat surface and the front of it unzips like a backpack, with the fold up changing pad inside the front.
Those are most of our major baby purchases so far. It's been an interesting experience and opened up my eyes to an entirely new universe of brands, products and reviews, but I have enjoyed it. Now, I just can't wait to actually USE all of this stuff!
Here's a survey for you parents and parents-to-be out there:
- What baby gear purchase have you been most pleased with and what have you found to be a complete waste of money?
- What gear did you find was worth splurging on?
- What's OK to save on?
- Where are your favorite places - retail and online - to shop for baby deals and bargains?
33 Week Checkup
I had another good appointment this morning. The heartbeat is strong and everything is measuring correctly, even though I feel about one million billion times too big for having about seven weeks left. Seven? Seriously? And all of my books say that the baby will be rapidly putting on weight during this time - almost half a pound a week. Gulp. Is there a web site where I can order a push cart to carry this belly around? The doctor said he thought that she was in the head down position, so that's good news. I hope she doesn't do any somersaults before her due date. When I feel her move, I sometimes can feel a hard lump up above my belly button and I guess that's her butt! In two weeks I have my last twice-monthly appointment then I see the doctor every week until she's here!
I Think I Now Understand Pregnancy Hormones
I've had an incredibly easy pregnancy so far (cross your fingers for the last seven weeks). All of the horror stories I've read about and feared have not happened to me. I've enjoyed being pregnant and haven't had too many discomforts, pains or emotional outbursts. Well, this is excluding getting choked up over Up, A Baby Story or that Atlanta Ballet radio commercial where the dad takes his little girl to see The Nutcracker, but that's another story for another day. I wasn't even sure I was experiencing "pregnancy hormones" until last night.
I was coming down the stairs last night and lost my footing for a split second. I maybe stumbled down one or two stairs before catching the handrail and sort of clumsily coming to a sitting position on my leg. Scott immediately came running upstairs to see what was wrong and I told him I was fine - I just had on slippery socks and got tripped up.
I thought I really was fine - maybe just a little shaken up - until I came downstairs, sat on the couch and started sobbing uncontrollably because I thought I hurt the baby. This was completely irrational because I didn't fall forward or impact my belly in any way. Maybe it was just thinking about that split second that I lost control that sent me into a tailspin ... I have no idea. Are these finally the "pregnancy hormones" that I keep reading about? Has this happened to you?
Childbirth Class: The Takeaway
Yesterday we went to our all-day childbirth class. I will recap the eight hour day in one sentence: Your husband must do whatever it takes to focus, calm and comfort you, including giving you a back rub for 14 hours straight, because, um, YOU'RE BIRTHING A BABY.
Diapocalypse
I've received a crash course education in how to shop around, sign up for coupons, scour the web for deals and comb the sales for the best cost per diaper. Apparently it's ALL ABOUT the cost per diaper. My friend says anything under 20 cents per diaper is a good deal and my current diaper stash is 17 cents per diaper.
I went with Pampers Swaddlers because a lot of people said they were the best kind to get, especially for newborns (the newborn size has a little notch cut out for their healing belly button). I got a two boxes of newborn size and two boxes of size 1, but I saved my receipts in case she's a giant baby and we have to exchange them for a larger size. I'm sure I'll "live and learn" and get the cheaper warehouse brand in the future, but for now, I'm pleased with my giant diaper load. (ha ha)
* If any other moms are interested in using diapers.com, you can use referral code MEIM8855 to get $10 off your first diaper order of $49 or more. I found their prices to be reasonable / comparable to stores like Target (but much cheaper when you used the $10 off coupon code) and they offer free 1-2 day shipping on all orders over $49. This free, fast shipping might be useful if you're stuck in the house with a newborn, are low on diapers and can't get to the store!
Lullaby
Scott plays Baby Girl a song on the guitar. I think I can feel her dancing :)
I also think my belly button has popped into the "outie" position... what do you think?
The Car Seat is Here!
The car seat came in the mail today! I can't believe I'll be riding around with a car seat in my back seat... and it will soon have a BABY in it. We picked the highly recommended Graco SnugRide 32 and got a great deal on it during this week's Target baby sale. I love it! O'Malley checks it out and hopes that he never has to sit in a seat with a 5-point harness.
Newborn Care Class: Some Observations
Meet our plastic baby. We'll call her PB for short. She was our companion in last night's 3-hour newborn care class. I wasn't sure what all we would learn in a 3-hour class about caring for newborns, but thanks to helpful instructor, some videos and some books, we actually learned a lot. So here are our parenting class pro tips:
1. Take a bathroom break during the portion of class that discusses circumcision. Not for the squeamish.
2. If you watch a video about swaddling, and the host describes his swaddle fold technique as "down, up, down, up... or D.U.D.U. for short" please try to stifle your laughter. The teacher might give you an odd look.
3. In swaddling and sponge bathing, speed is key. Our little PB up there was a perfect angel, but I doubt that a real live baby is going to stay that still or that quiet.
4. Your baby will look really freaky at first - possibly cross eyed, swollen, puffy, cone headed, flaky skinned, covered in thin hair, a little blue, might have a rash, facial acne and coated in cheese like substance. Do not be alarmed. This is perfectly normal. Really. It's NORMAL.
5. Holding a baby under your arm like a football is perfectly normal and highly recommended. Just don't toss it like a football.
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