Baby Registry....WOW

I have been lucky enough to have a good friend of mine go with me and walk me through the registry process all while telling me why I need (and sometimes don't need) all of the various things they sell for babies.  I have also had some valuable emails come through about what worked for other new moms.  And I even have been given a great book that gives reviews about each category and tells me what features I need to look for in each product.

So why, you might ask, has it taken me until tonight to get happy with my registry????

I'll tell you....I am overwhelmed!  So, first things first...you have to bring the baby home from the hospital.  We'll start with the car seat....just pick one right!?....WRONG.  It has to have an extra base for the second car, so they sell those for every model right?  WRONG.  Well...are you going to use this car seat to attach to the stroller too?  So every model has a stroller available, right?  WRONG.  So do you get a travel system, a car seat holder or what?!

Okay so he's home....do you have a crib....check.  Does the crib have a mattress?  Is it foam or innerspring?  Is it firm or soft?  Do you have sheets, mattress pads, and the 900 things they try to sell you just for decoration?!

Okay, he's asleep....can you hear him if he cries?  Monitor...check.  Does your monitor just have sound?  Sound and light?  Sound, light, and vibration?  Can your monitor tell you if your baby has moved every 20 seconds all night long?!?!  Oh yeah, they sell 'em.

I feel utterly inadequate as a mother and I haven't even had a CHANCE yet!  But I have made head-way on the registry/must-have list.  I guess why the Lord in his infinite wisdom gave us 9 full months to get prepared.....but how did they even SURVIVE in Jerusalem without the proper infant car seat that had a 5-point LATCH system to attach to the donkey?!

Joey, The Baby Whisperer

It is so much fun for me to feel the baby move and kick (or whatever he is doing in there) and it's something that I would love to share with my husband when we are actually in the same room.  MERVE will have none of that, however.

There have been plenty of times that he has been kicking away every few seconds or so and I tell Joey, "This is it...you will definitely feel him this time!"  Nope....at that moment all movement stops and there is complete peace and calm.  I have told him to be patient and just wait him out, but the baby knows that trick....no deal.  Then Joey gets tired of it and finally takes his hand away.  Usually I feel him move again within 60 seconds!

And this has occurred ever since I have been feeling him move!  Let's hope that Joey can work his magic AFTER the baby is born, too ;)

Allergies v. Baby

If you have been around me at a time when the trees are filling in with leaves, the wind blows a steady breeze, and Satan's flowers are pooping their pollen everywhere and I haven't taken my Zyrtec, then you probably know how horrible my seasonal allergies have gotten over the last few years....it's badness...for everyone involved as well as anyone who has to witness my mug after such an attack.

This past summer we went to a NY Yankees game in NYC and I had an attack that thankfully calmed itself down (with the help of some dollar store antihistamine and chugging two adult beverages like a champ)...yep, I pretty much couldn't spell my name after that hit me.

Well, unfortunately they frown upon regular drinking of alcohol while pregnant....so that's not an option.  I did not want to take regular medication of any kind while pregnant, but I asked my doctor about Zyrtec and she said that it should be fine.  Thus I have been taking it on a daily basis to keep from having an NYC repeat.  On Sunday, however, I had my first "Mommy" moment and went into a panic because I hadn't felt MERVE move as much as I usually do near my bedtime.  I got up, ate something, drank something, even got on the elliptical for a few minutes to stir him up.  I ended up laying on my stomach because he usually lets me know when he's uncomfortable by giving me a quick jab.  He finally moved a couple of times and I felt a little better.

The next day it still seemed like he was moving less than usual (but I was feeling him on a regular basis) and I ended up in the ultrasound room at the hospital asking for some quick peace-of-mind.  His heart rate was fine and he was moving everything, but he was moving slow and sleepy-looking.  So I skipped my Zyrtec dose yesterday to see if he was having side effects of the drug that I wasn't having and it seemed (and it could have been coincidence) that yesterday he was back to his normal amount of activity.  So I skipped it again today.....

WOW.  I was doing fine until about mid-morning when the itching started....then the watery eye (just one).....then the sneezing.  This cycle continued until I finally gave up, told MERVE that I was very sorry, and I took a Zyrtec.  Two hours later I decided that it was best if I just went home for the day, because anyone who looked at me said either, "You look miserable," or, "You look bad," or some other ego-boosting comment.

So what is a future-mother to do?!  I really don't know the answer because now I find myself in a struggle between doing what's best for my precious baby and keeping my allergies at bay so I can work to provide for my little one!  Ugh....

The Name Game

My family has decided to start a name list for us on Google docs where they can share suggestions and get feedback from the others.  Joey and I were, thankfully, also invited to join in the fun!

Some of the names that came off this list were Millard, Ezra, Roscoe, and Vernon to name just a few.  Joey had the bright idea to join all these together to make Millard Ezra Roscoe Vernon Eason....and call him MERVE!

This, unfortunately, has stuck with some people....so now we are calling MERVE!  But don't panic...there is no way any of those names will make it to the birth certificate!

Maternity Clothes

I recently starting shopping for maternity clothes.  I feel pretty good that I have gotten all the way to 20 weeks and so far have been able to shop in my own closet for clothes to wear!   That and the ability to wear scrubs to work has really gotten me through the last few months.  But now I am having to resort to unbuttoning my regular pants while sitting, and absolutely after I've eaten, so I thought that was the "go" signal to buy new clothes.  

What I didn't know is that evidently the maternity clothing lines aren't always designed with updated fashion in mind, and, judging by the one store I tried things on in, they haven't learned the finer points of how certain fabrics feel against your skin....they shouldn't make you want to rip them off to get them away from you!  I went to a boutique to see what if that was better...it definitely was....if I was able to spend $200 for one pair of maternity jeans!

I did find a couple of dresses that are cute enough to wear, but I don't think that I can wear dresses to work for the entire rest of my pregnancy (and the time before I can get back into my regular clothes).  I have gone to Beth's advice of trying to stay in normal clothing lines and buy bigger sizes until I absolutely have to buy the other kind!  Thankfully blouse-y style shirts are in right now as are low-rise pants ;)

I'll eventually have to put the belly pants back on, but you can rest assured that I won't be back in the first store looking at their pants though!

I'm SOOO tired!

Today has been a struggle...I guess you could say that I have a case of the "Mondays."  

We had an AWESOME weekend!  We stayed at home Friday night and were boring people.  Saturday we cleaned the house (desperately needed), I went and started our baby registry with Courtney's help (thank you so much!), and then Mom, Dad, and Jack came to our house for dinner.

Sunday, Jack and I went to church while Joey went to work in the morning.  Then we all went over to Aunt Karan's house for Easter lunch which was complete with great food and great company!  We celebrated a whole bunch of birthdays and played left-handed football in the front yard...this brought on some stares from passers-by.  Then Stick-Hat-Shoe-Cup was invented....the craziness continued!

Last night Mom and I went to see the musical Wicked to celebrate her birthday and didn't get back to the apartment until 10:30.  We only stayed up for a few more minutes and then turned in.  So I couldn't have been tired from staying up too late....then what was it?

My allergies have been flared for weeks now so I haven't been able to sleep with my mouth closed in that long.  So I wake up every little while to acquire some moisture via my handy water glass.  I evidently have to wake up to turn over now (not sure why...not that big yet).  I have also started having to use the restroom once or twice in the middle of the night (for those of you who have seen the ultrasound DVD understand why).  And Joey has started a new habit of elbowing me at every turn in the last 6 months.  In the face, in the back, to the neck....really wherever he can.  

So it shouldn't be a surprise that I was a little crabby today!  I don't handle sleep deprivation well.  I try to understand when nurses call me in the middle of the night (but there is always that tone in my voice that says "this better be good"), and I try to understand that Joey is asleep and this isn't his vendetta against me.  But the urge to shove him all the way off his side of the bed is still there especially when he wakes me up for the 5th time in one night when I have already woken up twice to go to the bathroom and 18 times for water because of the mouth-breathing.

What's a girl to do to get some freakin' sleep around here?!?

Pictures of Our Baby Boy!

The "Sleepy Rub."  After this he put one of his fingers in his mouth but took it out quickly.  I hope this means he won't suck his thumb!

You can see the top of his head too....doesn't that look uncomfortable?!

I told the ultrasound tech that he is going to love this picture one day!

What a sweet baby face!

And his sweet baby foot!

Other Pictures

It just looks so crowded!  

He is stretching backwards...probably feeling a little claustrophobic!

BOY OH BOY!

It's a boy and yes, we have lots of new pictures from the ultrasound and a DVD.  I will upload them when I can steal Joey's computer and scanner!

Ugh...House Hunting

For those of you who didn't know what Joey and I did on our vacation:

We went up to Richmond to house-hunt.  We went prepared with a list of our top 40 houses that we were excited to see.  These houses appeared to be the type of houses that you could advertise as "The Perfect American Dream."  But as we all will agree, recently the American dream lacks the luster that it once had and these houses were no exception.

We got into Richmond mid-day Saturday, and after 4 hours in the car getting there, we hopped into the car with the realtor for 5 HOURS more.  Not only was this a grueling day sitting on my rump, but my beautifully prepared, OCD list was cut into shreds.  Gone.  To be no more.  Square one.

So the search began again; this time with hopes that were not so lofty.  But to make a long story short:  After 4 MORE DAYS of looking at houses we found a great home in the city limits in a WONDERFUL neighborhood lined with sidewalks and trees way older than I am.  It's so cute and quaint!  I wish I had a picture of the house, but my camera decided to cut out half the pictures I took (any suggestions for camera replacements?).

We are very excited about the house!  The home inspection was today and there weren't any major problems so it looks like we're good to go!