Changing up the game plan!

Normally, I don't have enough time to even think about doing more than a post a week, but today, I'm doing two posts in one day. Hah! 

Well, we figured we wanted to get this out there on the heels of discussing baby clothes and gear. Are you ready for a big shocker?

Derek has talked me into not finding out the baby's gender. *Gasp!* I know, I know. Mindy has no patience and never will. How will she survive?! 

He has wanted to have Baby Ratcliff be a surprise from the beginning, but I'm impatient and love to plan out colors, etc. Since we're doing mostly gender neutral gear, we figured that part won't be affected. That pretty much leaves me with the crazy impatience.

Derek and I were having a chat with some of his co-workers and boss. Henry, Derek's co-worker, was surprised to hear that we'd find out the gender. He waited with his little boy, and then Derek's boss, Michele, joined in on the conversation. She said she also waited with her daughter, now a teenager, and she said she wouldn't have done it any other way. 

As Michele aptly put it, "You don't get many surprises as an adult," and Henry added, "It's the most exciting feeling to find out right there as the baby is delivered." After that, I thought about it, and Derek has finally convinced me to wait. 

We figure that humans have waited to find out throughout history, and it seems much more natural to just wait. We also agree with Henry and Michele when they say that you don't get many surprises in life. Either way, we'll be ecstatic, and we'll just have more time to decide on names :) 

I plan to cancel my gender scan appointment, and I plan to look away when they check the baby in the ultrasound in November. Two of my coworkers recently did it, and I think they would agree that it's totally worth it. 

So folks, we'll find out in April what Baby Ratcliff will be :) 

Registries

We've been getting a lot of questions from family about registries. Yes, Derek and I have two registries, and we're going to list them here for your convenience. 


First, we want to announce to everyone that we plan to use cloth diapers. Please do not purchase plastic diapers since we'll have to give them away! If you're looking for something cheap to get, look at the price on this thing! Under 20 bucks! I don't think you can buy a pack of Pampers for that cheap! :D 


When I told my mom that we plan to use cloth diapers, she was a little surprised. However, they've changed a lot since my mother used them on my sister (who is now 36). I mean, look at this:

so cute!

The snaps prevent sticking the baby, and they're waterproof! I think it's awesome. 

Basically, I'll wash them myself, and since we'll be breastfeeding, the "mess" will be easy to clean up - or so I've heard. In short, if you're looking for a gift under 20 bucks, go for a cloth diaper of any variety. They come in all-in-one, pocket, pre-fold. We've sincerely looked at hybrid diapers by gDiapers which basically are cloth but have biodegradable inserts that you can flush in your toilet. Our washer has a sanitize cycle, so that will make it super easy to just wash them with the wet bag and get everything nice and tidy for Baby Ratcliff. 

We're trying to be economical and earth-friendly, so please don't purchase any plastic diapers since Baby Ratcliff won't get to use your gift :( 

I hope that doesn't sound pushy or anything, but my mom immediately said, "Well, you know people will buy diapers for you!" We're just trying to save your money, so please accept my apology if I've offended you.

 On to the registries:

We've registered at Target since Target is near most of our family and it's easy to order online. Just search for my name or Derek's name, and it will appear. You'll notice that we've tried to include big items as well as small. We sincerely appreciate any gift! You can also get a gift card which would also be very special and easy to ship since we know we're far from family. 

https://www.target.com/registry/baby/KRTVQES35BQS

The other registry is on Diapers.com which has free shipping (yay!). Here is the link:

http://www.diapers.com/baby-registry/56536/Mindy-Ratcliff

Diapers.com has several cloth diapers on there!

We haven't really included any clothing on our list since we'll be excited to see what our family and friends choose. Shopping for a baby is supposed to be fun, so we want you to pick things you like :) 

For our nursery, we're planning to do mostly browns and beiges. I've chosen mostly organic and natural items, and we'd like to stick with that. We're also planning to stick with natural wood tones. We want Baby Ratcliff to be very earth-friendly from the start :) We're also thinking that it will be nice when Baby#2 arrives some day since those are mostly gender neutral tones. 

I know my mother is currently planning to have the Porter family legend Aunt Betty make a quilt for Baby Ratcliff (yes!), so I'm super pumped about that. I absolutely adore the quilt she made for me while I was in college. She's very talented! With that said, we LOVE handmade items, so please feel free to knit, crochet, or sew something for Baby Ratcliff. It's all the more affordable and made with love.  

Derek and I have planned a trip later this month to go shopping in Atlanta (and I so love ATL!) for our nursery furniture. I hope we have some success and we'll be able to update everyone with what we've got! 

I hope this helps! We really aren't picky people, and we'll just be thrilled that our family loves us and wants to contribute! We know we're just finishing up our first trimester, but we wanted to give everyone plenty of time to plan. We live far away, and shipping isn't always cheap. That's assuming you don't go with the free Diapers.com option! ;)