Mommy-to-Be Seeks Wisdom

All right, all you mamas out there, this first-time mama needs help! When Randy and I were getting ready to register for our wedding, we got some great advice (i.e. register for plenty of bed linens and forget all the one-use kitchen gadgets and appliances! My small cupboards have been thankful many times for that wisdom!)

So now I'm looking for advice on registering for baby. Give me your top ten list of things you registered for or wish you registered for now that you know better. This can cover anything from the big things to the little necessities no one tells you about but are vital. Are there gadgets that look great but aren't really all that necessary? Let me know those, too. My small house will thank you!

So get thinking and get typing! I'm looking forward to reading all of your sage wisdom!

The Bump

So here you have the Bump. This was the 16 week + 4 day Bump. The 17 week + 5 day Bump is bigger. You know how when you're around someone on a regular basis, you can't really see them grow? You certainly can't see yourself grow, or your hair, or whatever you're trying to grow or lose. So the Bump has been a strange experience for me. I feel like I can see Itty Bitty growing. Everyday, the Bump is just a little bit bigger. Of course, gaining SIX pounds in two weeks helps that, I'm sure. (Thankfully, I'm on track. They say I was just "catching up.") And Itty Bitty is just picking up speed...and kicking his/her way right along!!

My Dancer

This week's update would be the same as the past few weeks...IB's heart rate was 154, everything looks great...except for one thing.

The past week or so I've been feeling the flutterings at night. But they're off to the side and pretty light and I'm never really be sure if that's Baby or just gas. I'm becoming more convinced that it's Baby, but at only 15 weeks, I'm waiting.

This morning I was sitting at my desk, munching animal crackers and wishing desperately for something more tasty than lions and tigers and bears. (I really would have taken a food run, but it was pouring and cold outside!) All of a sudden, there was thump on my stomach, right in the middle of IB's house. That could be nothing other than my munchkin letting me know he/she is here! I swiveled my chair around so I wasn't facing the door and stared at my belly and just started laughing. Baby really is there and continued to prove it to me for the next hour or so. Way to go, IB!

Oh, and last week I gained nothing...actually I lost .2 pounds. This week? Added 3. So for all of you who are wondering, week 15 has also been the week that IB really is getting noticed by multiple people. There's a definite bump!

Tomorrow marks 16 weeks...and only 5 weeks left till we find out who IB is going to be. At least his/her gender.

Happy Halloween!

Itty Bitty Update

Tomorrow marks week 14 for Itty Bitty, who is now the size of a lemon according to babycenter.com. Much better than a 13 week medium shrimp. (That description induced a bad dream!) Baby's heartbeat was a strong 150 today, and I got measured for the first time. And even though I've been eating a LOT, doc says my weight is right on track. Woohoo!

My fully functional kitchen.

I just realized that I never finished updating the kitchen project. Randy really did finish it a couple weeks ago, so here are the pictures.
Number 1 - notice the pretty red wall
Number 2 - notice the light switch for the halogen (NOT flourescent!) lighting.
Number 3 - notice the outlet WITHOUT a microwave and light plugged in. That means that when we want to use the toaster or the mixer, we don't have to unplug the light. THAT means I get to cook in the light. Ahhh, it's amazing.

My Husband, the SuperHero

You know those home improvement projects that look so simple, but lying underneath are a nasty mountain of issues and suddenly the project is a MUCH bigger pain. So started our Saturday. Really, Randy's Saturday.

Today we replaced the LAST two windows on our house, closing out a 3 year project of 2-4 windows per year. The final two windows were the living room windows. We decided to leave the big plate glass in the middle because replacing that didn't come close to fitting the budget, so we special ordered the two on the sides. We knew that the sill was pretty rotten. We painted trim last year and the first hail storm we got this year left a mountain of paint chips on our landscaping. But Randy figured that wood filler would do the trick and keep him from replacing the entire long sill. That is, until he started chipping away at some of it this morning.













The previous owners had already taken his trick, actually putting loose pieces of wood and styrofoam in with the wood filler. Following came a trip to HD for wood, cutting a new sill, priming, painting, and finally new windows.

This was a little earlier in the day. As of right now, all the windows are in place and the clean up has begun!

I know this was not at all was my superhero husband had in mind today. We talked about replacing the sill last night, and he was definitely NOT for that. But he did a great job with a positive attitude!




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Follow up on the Pants...BIG fan. They're like PJs...even after lunch!