Busy, busy, busy...

Lately, Derek and I have been so busy. It seems like every single weekend has already been covered by some chore or some baby-related to-do. 


We did have something on our schedule for this weekend, but it was actually more fun than a real chore. We did our maternity photos today with Liza, and I know she did a great job. I think she could tell how uncomfortable I was - because I'm just so awkward - but she helped me get used to the idea. Derek was a champ :) We even got some shots of us with our pups! I should have the actual photos in about a week or so, and once Liza is finished editing them, I'll share them on here. 

We can also mark off a few more things on our to-do list. Namely, we recently ordered Stella's baptism gown. Phew - those things can be expensive! We got a really good deal on ours, so I'm very happy. I think it's absolutely adorable. 

We ordered it from One Small Child, and I'm really pleased with the quality. It came wrapped in a plastic protective cover, so that's why I didn't share an actual photo of it. 

We also went ahead and ordered our extra car seat base since we didn't want to risk not having it. It was on our registry, but most people like to buy cute fun things. Plus, I found it for super cheap on Amazon, so we went for it.

I managed to pick up a few items for our hospital bag last night while we were out, but I still have a few things to get together. I'd like to have that ready to go for my 36 weeks appt, just in case. 

Overall, I feel okay... okay, I don't. My feet stay swollen, and I'm now at the point that I wear running shoes to work every day. My hands are so swollen that I can't wear my wedding jewelry anymore, and it finally hit me: I'm pretty sure I found a couple stretch marks on my belly last night. I started crying, and Derek was tired and basically told me to quit being dramatic. Still, no girl ever wants stretch marks! I hope I can work them off or something... I feel pretty tired a lot, and I have a lot of back pain. 

Stella moves A LOT. She goes CRAZY anymore, and the other night, I was laying on the couch and Derek looked over and you could tell it was a hand that was pushing out. It was crazy to look at. I felt like I had an alien or something inside me. I had never seen her do that before. I wish I had a picture of it... 

Well, I need to start getting ready. We're having dinner with our friends Emily and Marcus tonight and then heading to a concert in Savannah. It will be so much fun! :) I should also use this opportunity to say congratulations to Lindsay and Neil since they finally had their baby girl, Lila, on Wednesday! :) 

Checklist

I realize I still have a good chunk of my pregnancy left, but I have been stressed out with all of the usual "to-dos" that come with having a baby.


I am happy to announce that we finally have a pediatrician - Dr. Kreh - with Pediatric Associates of Savannah. I had been worrying about that, even though many of my coworkers said they didn't stress about that until well into their seventh and eighth months. 


When you think about it, we don't have THAT much time left. Honestly. Derek and I have about 100 days left to prepare for our baby, nearly in double digits! 


On Tuesday, we start our first of three separate baby-related classes with Memorial Hospital in Savannah, where I'll deliver. The first "series" is the Baby Basics class. We'll go three times in the month of January, and I'm guessing this will just help us make sure we either don't screw up or at least realize when we've screwed up. After this one, we'll have a class on "Prepared Childbirth" on February 5. It's an 8 hour class, so I'm sure it will be interesting. Then, we have a Breastfeeding class on February 22. I figure that we need all the help we can get, so I'm taking it while I can get it. 


I've already ordered some cloth diapers, but we'll need many more. I'm expecting a shipment of three more to come in sometime soon. I try to get them when there's a special deal on them, and I recently found some by GroVia which have biodegradable inserts that we can flush. I plan to order some of those very soon. 


I just ordered our pack and play:

I loved how this one has pink flowers on it. I wanted to be sure there would be a changer with it, too. We ordered it from Target, and we used an awesome gift card from our neighbors, Megan and Justin (thanks, guys!!) so it wasn't super expensive or anything. 

So onto my checklist:

1) order more cloth diapers

2) buy a glider

3) buy a floor lamp for the nursery

4) get more nursery decor

5) buy a breastpump

6) set up the monitor in the nursery

7) buy baby toiletries 

8) get a doggie gate to help control the pups

9) get more baby gear such as a bouncy chair and swing

10) buy a jogger

Weew... I don't think that's all of it. We also need to choose our Godparents for when she's born and buy her baptism gown and get those classes started, possibly in March-ish. We'd like to take care of that pretty quickly since it's so important to both of us. I also need to "formally" notify HR about my maternity leave so I can get set up for short-term disability.

Notice the word "buy" makes a huge appearance in our checklist. We're also trying to save some more money before miss Stella arrives, so that makes the "buy" aspect even more complicated. You could also add to that list "take a nice trip" but I doubt either of us will have time!

We do plan to go to Atlanta soon for another Ikea and Whole Foods pilgrimage, and I think we're planning to do that on MLK weekend since we're driving into Statesboro that Saturday for Derek's grad program. We'd like to pick up the decor and possibly a rocker/glider there so we can get them on the cheap! 

I know everyone says that you're supposed to wait until you've had showers to buy things, but since we're so far from family and old friends, it makes us both very nervous. Let's be honest, you can't count on others for everything, either. My mom and mother-in-law are currently planning a shower for me in Portsmouth, but I can't be there because of work. I can't fly either because I'll be too far along (remember that scene from Away We Go where the airline turns them away and they end up on a train?). 

Phew! Babies are so much work! 

It'll be worth it, though. Just like all of these sinus problems and back pain and swollen feet (latest awful symptom) will be. Today, I had my feet propped at my desk with my shoes off - very professional, right? :( I had no choice! My shoes were literally cutting into the sides of my feet. 

Speaking of swollen feet, I'm going to get off this computer and go lay down and prop my feet! :) I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year! It's going to be a great New Year's Eve for us - our awesome friends Emily and Marcus are visiting! We're so excited to see them again! :)