Recent Tidbits

So I wrote a long blog post last week from work and when I went to publish it, an error occurred and I lost it. I was not happy. Let me see if I can remember a little what it was about. I think I just rambled on about the latest stuff we've done to prepare for the baby's arrival. After 3 attempts we finally got the right paint color for the nursery so Nathan got that painted. I can't wait until we get a dresser and put up window treatments and get all of the bedding in place. Our theme is "A Star is Born" and we are sparingly decorating the room with stars and moons. It's really just a nighttime theme. We didn't want anything over the top or too babyish.

We've also registered at Babies 'R' Us. That was an experience. There is so much useless stuff you can register for but we tried to stick to the basics. We added some more things when we had a couple people tell us we didn't register for enough (rightfully, so) but we still probably don't have as much on our list as some new parents do. We just do have a lot of room to store a lot and don't want our small house cluttered and overwhelmed with baby stuff. I actually found a mommy blogger who agrees with us. Here is a little of her wisdom:

If this is your first pregnancy, you're probably ready to start registering for gifts. And you're probably feeling pretty overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. So...allow me to boss you around for awhile then.

There's obviously no shortage of baby paraphernalia you can register for, but so much of that stuff is best if you pick it out later, once your baby is here and you've gotten to know his or her likes and dislikes. And no matter what that crazy wild-eyed blonde woman said to you at the store about which bottle/pacifier/diaper brand is the Best Thing Ever, resist the urge to register for multiple identical items, but instead register for one or two of multiple brands and let your baby make the choice.

As my registry dwindled, I felt obligated to add more stuff and crap to it. And that's how I ended up with 434 receiving blankets and at least 10 of those sleepsack things-- and only three of the blankets were actually big enough to swaddle my linebacker of a newborn, who hated the sleepsacks with the heat of...well, a thousand fleece sleepsacks. He hated the Avent wideneck bottles and pacifers I'd stocked up on, preferring Dr. Brown's standards and Soothies. The vibrating bouncy seat (which I'd gotten in place of a swing, because "everyone" told me their babies hated swings) pissed him off like nothing else. He loved, loved, loved the swing we went out and bought out of sleep-deprived desperation a week later.

I discovered that I hated those elastic-bottomed gowns that "everyone" raved about, preferred co-sleeping (which I'd been deadset against) to lifting him in and out of the Pack-n-Play bassinet attachment, and kicked myself for not getting a sling. And don't even get me started on that freaking awful stroller.

So. If I could go back and do it again, I actually would have registered for a lot less, and resisted the urge to keep the list stocked with low-cost gifts that ended up getting donated to charity basically unused. (Because OF COURSE I ripped the tags off ALL 434 blankets and washed them BEFORE Noah was born. Because OF COURSE I DID.) I should have politely requested more gift cards for use later -- there's just no way to know how many diapers you'll go through, or whether breastfeeding will work out the way you plan, or what kind of exersaucer you'll want six months from now.

Oh yeah, I also tried to post about Nathan's 30th Bday last time too. We celebrated with some Demolition Ball at Adrenaline Zone in St. Charles. Then a few of us headed over to Hot Shots to hang out. We'd like to thank everyone who showed up to either part (or both). We have terrific family and friends and I know Nathan felt very loved. Here are a few pics from the Demo Ball part (You can click on the picture to make them bigger if you want to):









So I've been feeling the baby move a lot. Nathan got to finally feel a kick this past week so that was pretty cool (more so to me than Nathan though I think since he's been through this before). I have appt. this week and I have to do the Glucose test. I am very relieved that my Dr. does not make me fast for this test. I will be 24 weeks on Thursday.

Nathan and I also interviewed two pediatricians and found one we liked. So now I need to fill out the hosptial pre-registration packet and send that in. We took a tour of St. Lukes and that is where I will be delivering.

Last night Nathan and I saw a sneak preview of the new movie, "Whip It" and it was very good. We even got a free t-shirt when it was over so that was nice. It helps me feel not quite as bad about spending $21.50 at the freaking movies (and that's not counting any food!). Today we hung around the house. I made homemade meatballs from the Rocco Family Cookbook. They turned out delicious! I also attempted some cookies from the same cookbook but just as I put the cookie sheets in the oven, I saw the unopened bottle of baking soda sitting on the table. Baking soda was listed in the ingredients but it was left out of the paragraph that tells you what to stir in and when. Grrr! So those didn't turn out the greatest! Oh well, I tried to be Susie Homemaker for a day. Now Nathan is at the Social Distortion concert and I am going to watch some TV tonight and relax.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

-Dawn