Baby Fever

The theme of last week seemed to be “baby fever.”  The bathroom project was finalized and JD hung up all the fixtures.  We have transformed it from a 90’s mess to a fun, baby-friendly bathroom.

From the paint color to the wallpaper border, there were many atrocities in this bathroom.

Lighter and brighter- the monkey theme comes to life.

I had started looking at nursery furniture at places like Babies R Us and Rooms To Go Kids, when a friend saw a Craigslist posting on Facebook and shared it with me.  Ah, the beauty of social networking.  I hadn’t really been checking Craigslist because there’s so much junk on there and I didn’t have the patience to be checking it all the time.  Plus, a lot of the nicer stuff I could find wasn’t priced much below the brand new stuff I was looking at, so it didn’t seem worth it.  That is, until we received the posting from our friend.

They had listed a crib, dresser, and changing table for just over what I was going to pay for a crib alone.  The best part is that the pieces were HAND MADE by one of their friends, so they are beautiful, unique, high quality pieces.  JD and I drove over to look at them Wednesday night.  The couple selling the furniture is SO warm and friendly, and they seem happy that the pieces will be going to a family that appreciates them.  We still need to buy a glider, but getting this furniture is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  (For now, I'm holding off on pics of the nursery until it's finished).

I had 2 (yes, 2!) doctor appointments last week.  The first was just a quick checkup at my regular OB.  They took my weight, blood pressure, and listened to the heartbeat.  At first, all we could hear was muffled noises as the baby moved around (definitely an active one!), but we were eventually able to hear the heartbeat, which is strong and healthy.

The next day, we had to go to another doctor to get my level II ultrasound.  This is the ultrasound where they measure the baby, check for any abnormalities and determine the gender!   I’m very pleased to report that everything looks perfectly healthy!  The baby measures up to the right size, all of the organs like the heart, brain, and kidneys are developing normally, and there are no signs of any defects.  How thrilling and what a relief to know that!  The baby was once again very active in there, touching its face and even rolling over during the appointment.  At our last ultrasound, our little one was still just a tiny peanut, but this time we could see limbs, the spine and some of the facial features.  There’s no turning back now- there’s definitely a baby in there!

At the very end, they revealed the gender.

When they said girl, I cried.  Actually, every time I tell someone it’s a girl, I cry.  I mean it when I say I would have been happy either way, because I think a boy would have been so much fun too, but I think most moms want to have a little girl of their own.  I’ve always had a close relationship with my mother, so I hope that I can have the same with my daughter.  Plus, I think JD will be SUPER CUTE with a little girl.  She is going to be such a daddy’s girl.  He quickly announced, “I’m still going to take her dirt biking and teach her to shoot.”

I laughed, “Of course, babe.  Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do those things.”

Then I could see him start to get nervous.

“She’s not wearing makeup till she’s 18…. And no dating till 30!” he announced.

He is happy to be having a girl, but I think he’s afraid of having one too, because he feels he will have to be more protective.  I’m not too worried about it.  Once it gets around that her daddy is a police officer who answers the door with a shotgun, I doubt she will have many dates :)

Over the weekend, a good friend was visiting from Indiana and we went shopping.  JD suggested we make a Build-A-Bear as the baby’s first stuffed animal (I love that this was JD’s idea).  It’s really special knowing that we made something for the baby with love.  When we signed the certificate “With love from Mommy and Daddy,” I almost cried.  Things are starting to get very real. 

"Teddy" waiting patiently in the crib

She is now a “she” and not an “it.”  Her nursery is coming along.  She’s starting to get some clothes and toys here and there.  She is well on her way, this little person we made.

 Coming soon!