Baby Registry

Here's the list. It's sort of all encompassing and not just for the registry.. I got some tips and advice from my sister-in-law, now you can have a look for yourself. Feel free to leave advice in the comments! If I've picked out a particular brand or style of something, I also included that.

 

Nursery

• Furniture
  
  
  
  • o   Crib {Cache, Montana}
  
  
  • o   Dresser/ Changing Table {Cache, Montana}
  
  
  • o   Chest {Cache, Montana}
  
  
  • o   Nightstand {Cache, Montana}
  
  
  • Glider & Ottoman {Newco Premium Rosie Glider – Ivory}
  
  
  • Lamps (At least one floor and 2 desktop)
  
  
  • Ceiling Fan & Additional Lighting (White Fan, Pendant Lighting)
  
  
  • Bassinet (Verdict still out for this. Haven't decided whether to get a bassinet or just use the Pack n Play)
  
  
  • Mattress
  
  
  • Changing pad
  
  
  • Storage baskets (for closet and table tops)
  
  
  
  

Baby Gear

• Stoller Travel System (includes stroller, car seat) {Graco FastAction Fold Travel System, Metropolis}


• Car seat cover (for cold weather)


• Play yard {Graco Pack n Play Element Playard, Metropolis}


• Carrier {Boba wrap..verdict still out on this one too. Boba is my favorite, but might be easier for something already ‘put together.’}


• Backseat baby mirror


• Baby seat {Bebe pod}


• Highchair {Fisher Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster}

Diapering

• Diapers (different sizes)


• Wipes


• Diaper rash cream (couple different kinds)


• Dirty diaper pail & refills {Diaper Genie}


• Diaper bag (comes with travel changing pad) {SoYoung, Charlie}

Feeding

• Breastpump + accessories {Medela Pump in Style Advanced}


• Milk storage


• Boppy


• Lanolin ointment


• Hot/cold gel packs


• Breast pads


• Burp cloths


• Bottles (different varieties)


• Bottle Brush


• Drying rack (Boon)


• Bibs (ones with plastic backs for later)


• Sippy cups

Bathing

• Baby Bathtub {Puj Tub or First Year’s Infant to Toddler}


• Shampoo/Body wash


• Hooded bath towel


• Washcloths

Clothing

• Sleepers


• Onesies


• Socks & booties


• Mittens


• Hangers


• Hats

Sleeping

• Swaddling blankets {regular, possibly a woombie too)


• Sleep sacks


• Crib sheets


• Waterproof mattress pads


• Noise maker {Sleep sheep}

Toys/Entertainment

• Bouncer/Swing {Fisher Price My Little Lamp Platinum Edition Cradle 'n Swing}


• Play mat


• Pacifiers (different varieties)

Safety

• Baby gate


• Monitor

Health

• Baby lotion


• Cotton balls


• Clippers


• Bulb syringes


• Saline drops


• Anti-gas drops


• Baby thermometer


• Infant acetominophen


• Baby brush


• Teething toys {Sofie the Giraffe}

 

And we'll be registering at the following:

14 Weeks Pic

14 weeks and 6 days to be exact. So... it's more like 15 weeks. Oh well. I'll get on track with these one day.

[caption id="attachment_330" align="aligncenter" width="560"] That bump is there, I promise.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_331" align="aligncenter" width="560"] You have no idea how many times I took this one.[/caption]

Admittedly, it is quite a small bump. But a bump is a bump.

I'm so glad it's a holiday weekend AND that Cory and I will be home for the duration of it. This is our first weekend at home since the middle of April and we've got a whole lot to do while I can still help do things.

On the list for this weekend are the following tasks:

• Finish the laundry

• Finish mowing

• Clean the kitchen

• Clean out the garage - we ordered a big dumpster that's being delivered today. It's going to be quite the undertaking. Look for home improvement pictures to come.

• Organize the den - we got some new couches from one of Cory's coworkers and they're great. So we're getting rid of the old ones and officially making the den where we spend our time. We have a 'living room' that we do this in now, but we're moving the big TV out and making it more of a formal space. We'll also be moving all of our office equipment into the den, so we'll basically only have to leave it to get food and sleep. Again, look for home improvement photos in the future.

• Clean out the sun porch - not a huge deal. The outer door has been cracked open for the last few weeks, so now there's a lot of spiderwebs and such residing in there. Time to make those disappear.

• Pick up trash (inside and out)

• Prep office for the move - I currently have a conglomeration of miss-matched desks that make up my workspace, so I ordered a new one that should be delivered Tuesdayish. So I'm going to get everything ready to move out. Cory can go ahead and move his stuff out when he's ready. We need to clean out the closet in there too. And once that's done it's ALL ready for Baby Taylor's nursery to start being assembled!

Hopefully most of this can be done and out of the way. We've got someone coming to take a look at the electric next week too. I'm so glad we're getting a move on things.

Oh and I don't know if you've noticed, but I also added tabs for crafts, home improvement, and cooking. I'm hoping to get started on some of those things very soon!

Hope everyone has an excellent Memorial Day Weekend!

12 Weeks Pic

Hot off the presses. Here's a couple from 12 weeks. I couldn't decide between goofy or normal... so I went with both! No real baby bump yet, though. At our 12 week appointment I had lost a little more weight, but you kind kind of tell where the baby is pushing up which is starting to make my food belly stick out a little more. Pleasant.



Also, why did no one tell me about maternity shirts before now? They're the most perfect shirts ever. I plan to wear them forever, pregnant or not.

 

 

Pre-Baby Bucket List

The time has come to get all of our ducks in a row. And by ducks in a row, I mean a list of all the things that need to be done around the house before Baby Taylor arrives in November. Most of these things have been on the list since we moved in almost exactly one year ago, but now it's time to hop to it.

And here it is:

• Remodel Master Bathroom - Time to say goodbye to the blue tub and toilet, the faded old linoleum, and the popcorn walls.

• Finish the Remodel of the Guest Bathroom - The shower has been re-tiled, but they left the grout haze which is seemingly impossible to remove. And the small space outside the shower needs to be tiled. And the walls need a splash of paint.

• Landscaping - The monkey grass is out of control. All the beds around the house need to be cleaned out and the hedges need to be trimmed.

• Critter Removal and Blockage - Squirrels, groundhogs, squirrels, raccoons, an army of squirrels... You name it and it probably lives in our attic or crawl space. It's a bit unnerving to be sitting in the office and hear scratching and jumping above you.

• Rewiring - We live in a very old house. We have one three-pronged outlet. Yes, I said one. And, let's be honest, almost everything electronic in this house has three prongs. Not to mention the wiring itself is old and probably half-eaten by the critters mentioned above.

• Find a New Home for the Office - Ahh. I spend more than half of everyday in the office because I work from home. Unfortunately the office is the closest room to the master bedroom and is really the only nursery option. But where to put all of our work stations?! We need to keep the other guest rooms open because we like to have company over. I've been tempted to put my office in my newly remodeled studio but with that comes the need for new windows and some way to heat and cool out there. Something to look into and ponder.

• Hang Smoke Detectors - I didn't even realize we didn't have any up until my mom asked me if I needed any. I have one up now, but need to get the rest up.

• Clean Out and Organize the Garage - Certainly not an easy feat. So much furniture and junk. Of course, I say junk, but as I'm a bit of a hoarder, it's all junk I want to keep. Somewhere along the lines I have to rid myself of that mentality and purge.

• Clean Out and Organize Everything Else - Closet spaces and such in the house. Must buy more plastic bins so I can store more things in the attic. Or maybe I just throw everything into the burn pile out side and get rid of it that way. :)

• BURN THE BURN PILE - It's more of a mountain of collected limbs and branches that have fallen over the last few years. It's huge. And it's probably home to a billion snakes. But the key to getting it all burned... is doing it without burning down the well house simultaneously.

• Hang New Eaves Around the Porch - Our front porch is being destroyed by boaring bees. Time for them to find a new home. Not to mention they interrupt my front porch swinging time.

• New Doors - It's possibly time to update a couple of our flimsy doors.

And last but certainly not least,

• The Nursery - It needs new paint, furniture, and of course, Baby Taylor.

That is a huge, and quite ambitious list we have there. And it's a big list of thing I really can't do myself. (Except the smoke detectors... totally got that one.) But alas, it's in writing now. If you're interested in helping, let me know ;)

Beating Hearts, Baby

Went to the doc today for our second check-up, and boy was it a quick one! I hope most of them are like that.

We did get to listen to the heartbeat which was fancy. I'll have a new chalkboard photo to post in a couple of days if I can bring myself to erase what was left from the first one.

Our next appointment is in June at 16wks. Then at the July appointment we'll most likely find out the gender. Hooray!

The Baby Bag

There are three things that I think about fairly often when it comes to Baby Taylor.

• The Nursery


• The Stroller


• The Baby Bag

These are the three things that will most likely stick with us for multiple years and so I really want to choose wisely. I want to figure out what will be the most important characteristics for me and what can grow with baby. This seems slightly impossible since I really have nothing to base my *needs* on other than the experiences of my family, friends, and the internet-world, but I think I'll make do. Live and learn, I suppose.

After deciding on a nursery theme, my mind went straight to the baby bag. And yes, I'm fairly certain I've already figured out which one I want. The baby bag is the smallest of the three items listed above (and the one that will be the easiest to replace if I choose the wrong one), so I don't mind that I've made such an early decision without even knowing what really goes into a diaper bag. Well, other than diapers... clearly.

Before I really even began my search, I made a list of things I was looking for (again, without really knowing what I will need) and it looks a little something like this:

-Netural/Nondescript: I don't want a bag that screams BABY! I think the actual screaming baby will give that away all by itself. I want it to kind of go with all kinds of outfits AND be masculine enough for Cory to hold. Not that Cory wouldn't hold a hot pink and feathered bag for his sweet little baby, but let's be reasonable and get the guy something he'd be a little more comfortable with.

-Pockets: I love pockets. I had pockets sewn into my wedding dress. I try not to buy clothes without pockets. It's ALL ABOUT POCKETS. But they have to be easy to get into. If they're all buttoned and zippered, it takes all the fun out of the pocket.

-Insulated areas: I imagine a baby running around in a year or two and getting sweaty.. and thirsty... and hungry... Having an area dedicated to hot or cold items would be excellent. Maybe even room for a bottle of water for myself or Cory.

And uhm. Well that's all I could think of initially. Then I started looking at what other moms carry and what make a good diaper bag for them. A light/wipe-able interior was a common attribute that most women found helpful. So I added those to my list.

That's when I came across the most excellent diaper bag. The SoYoung Charlie Bag.

[gallery type="square" columns="2" ids="265,271,270,272"]

It's a little pricey in terms of diaper bags, but the features on it seem perfect (for me). Here are the features of the bag:

• Can be used with shoulder straps, messenger bag strap, or can be converted to a backpack. It also has straps that connect to the handle of the stroller for easy access.


• Laminated changing mat included. Machine washable.


• Reinforced bottom to protect material.


• Fits a 13" laptop easily.


• Removable key clip.


• Back flap to hold bulky items (e.g. newspapers, umbrellas, yoga mats, sweaters, towels, etc.)


• Built-in sunglasses pocket, wallet holder and phone pocket


• Insulated side bottle pockets


• All compartments are light-colored and laminated for easy browsing and cleanup.


• Full size insulated compartment.


• Front pockets are magnetic and easy to get into with one hand.


• Large interior compartment for diapers, wipes, etc. etc. etc.... with mesh pockets so you can see into them with ease and nothing gets lost.

Andd.. probably some other things that I neglected to mention. I watched a YouTube review of this bag a few days ago that helped me make my decision. It's 15 minute review... so I don't recommend watching it unless you're really bored or really interested in getting the bag, but she's quite thorough.

So that's that. The bag has been selected. Hopefully it won't be discontinued or something terrible like that before we're ready to purchase!

Our New Adventure

Well, as it turns out.. Surprise! Cory and I are expecting our first peanut this Fall! We're both pretty excited and maybe just a little terrified. We had our first ultrasound appointment on April 10 and everything looks good so far.

We were able to keep the joyous news fairly quiet for the first few weeks, only telling close family and super-close friends. Now we're ready to let the whole cat out of the bag and share with the rest of the world.

[caption id="attachment_25" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Our little peanut.[/caption]

We decided on a blog as an outlet to share our adventures through pregnancy and beyond with our family and friends. One of the main reasons is so we're not cluttering your facebook pages with a million pictures, tales of how terrible I'm really feeling today, and future tales of poo and vomit. This way you only have to read about those things if you really want to!

So here it begins! Hope you'll have as much fun reading this as I will writing it. Try not to laugh too hard because regardless of how many blogs and books I read, I still have no clue what I'm doing. :)

Oh! And by the way, our tentative due date is November 17!