The Pregnant Girls

I was really excited about this picture idea when we first started. Now I'm not loving it so much. First of all, I hate being in pictures to start out with. But being in pictures while you are pregnant? Really not so much fun!!

Kacy is determined to have her baby tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have a new nephew soon!! And I can't believe Janell only has 7 weeks to go. I feel like it's not fair, because I found out I was pregnant right before she told me she was pregnant, but I still have 4 months and she only has 7 weeks!! But then again, I'm not ready for my little girl to come yet, so 4 months is not such a bad thing.

In other news - I turned 31 this past weekend. Wow - 31. It was pretty uneventful - Josh took me to dinner and on a field trip to Babies R Us to test drive everything the night before my birthday. That's all I asked for, and I'm glad we finally got around to doing it, because now I think I have everything picked out that I want/need for our little girl. And wow - having a baby is sure going to be expensive!! I am picking out mostly gender neutral things, though, so most of these things will be a one time expense. My actual birthday was on Sunday, so it didn't really feel like a birthday. We started temple prep classes that morning, had church that afternoon, and our monthly family get-together that night. I did get "happy birthday" sang to me and we had tons of delicious food and eclairs for dessert! Josh's family is doing dinner for me tomorrow night, so I guess my birthday is being spread out over quite a few days!!

I did get my new camera lens on Friday, so I'm excited to start playing around with it. I really want to learn more about photoshop, and I'm hoping to take an online class after the baby comes.

Not much else happening around here!!

Wordless Wednesday

...with just a few words. (Hehe!!) I've seen Wordless Wednesdays done on lots of blogs, and I want to start playing along. I'm getting used to my new camera, and I want to start using it on different things besides food. When I first started wanting to learn about photography, I started a photo a day project, but then my food blog took over. So hopefully I'll at least be motivated enough to post a new photo every Wednesday!

Baby List

One of these days, I'm going to post about something that is not baby related, but right now, my little girl is taking over all my thoughts!!

Now that I know that we are having a girl, I feel like I can really start getting prepared. Or at least getting a list together of everything I want/need, and start researching brands and such. Just about every baby magazine I've read has lists of what you need for a newborn. Well, I know that a lot of things are not necessary, so I'm trying to weed out what I want and what I can pass on.

So I've made a preliminary list, and I need all of the advice I can get from mommies out there!! Is there anything I'm missing on my list - or is there anything on here that you think is a waste?

Clothing

5-10 onesies

5-7 sleepers

1 cold weather sleeper

5-7 pairs baby socks

1-2 hats

Diaper and Bath

2 packs newborn diapers

1 pack disposible wipes

waterproof pad for changing

diaper rash ointment

3-5 baby washcloths

1-2 hooded towels

1 bottle baby wash

baby lotion

baby bath

diaper bag

Feeding

10 burp cloths

bottles

breastfeeding pillow

Breast Pump?

Breast pads

Baby Gear

Car Seat

extra base?

Stroller

Sling carrier

bouncer

swing

Misc

pacifiers

brush

baby mittens

baby monitor

baby nail clippers

digital thermometer

Nursery

dresser or changing table with storage

crib mattress

mattress pads - 2

crib bedding set

hamper

3-4 fitted sheets

5-7 lightweight blankets

There are a few things I'm not sure of. Like a breast pump. I'm not sure I really need one unless I do have to go back to work. And a second base for the carseat I'm sure would be nice, but not necessary. And I feel a little over-the-top with my list making lately, but I just feel like I don't really know what I'm doing!!

I also just found out about the Utah All Kids Sale, that is being held in Salt Lake next week. Maybe if I have a good idea of what I want by then, I'll check it out and see if I can get any good deals!

So please, please, please - give me your input!!

Breaking the Trend

We have a trend of boys going in my family right now. Amy, Kacy and Janell - all with boys. Well, I'm breaking the trend and having a...

x-rated, but definitely all girl!

GIRL!!!

I really am so excited. I was scared a few months ago, because I've always wanted a boy first and I was afraid that I would be disappointed if it was a girl. So I started psyching myself up for a girl. And so many people have told me how wonderful it is to have girl first, and I started thinking about all of the good things about having a girl. When we went in yesterday, I really think that no matter what they said - as long as the baby is healthy! - I'd be happy. And I'm so excited for my little princess!

She really is perfect. And if I was planning on waiting until the birth to find out the sex, the surprise would have been ruined, because the tech didn't even have to tell me before I noticed that she is a girl! The ultrasound tech kept commenting about how photogenic and beautiful she was. It was a great experience, and wonderful to finally see our little girl. She's a flexible little girl - she had her feet up by her head, folded up, almost the whole time. She was pretty sleepy, so she wasn't moving around a ton, but it was good so that they could get all of her measurements and the tech was able to get really good shots of her organs - especially her heart. We even got to see her yawn, which was super cute! My doctor office had just upgraded their u/s machine a few months ago, so instead of the video copy most give out, they could do a dvd, which we watched twice this morning at about 1am because neither of us could sleep. I'll see if I can upload it on my computer to post it - it really is amazing to see this tiny baby that is living inside of my belly!

Isn't she beautiful!?!

The only issue present was that my placenta is lying low right now, and if it starts to cover the cervix (called Placenta Previa) then I will have to end up having a c-section. The doctor is not too worried, because most of the time it moves out of the way, but I get to have another ultrasound at 28 weeks to make sure everything is ok.

I'm just so happy that my baby girl is healthy and strong! And grateful that I get to call her a "her" now. Now we get to start talking about names...

Half Way There!

I hit the half way mark yesterday!! And I figured I should start taking belly pictures, even though it horrifies me how big I look. Not just my belly, but everywhere else. I actually had Josh take a picture of me last week in a tighter shirt, and it made me cry. At least in this picture you can only see how fat my arms are! And how white I am - it sure does make a difference when I'm not in the sun or a tanning bed!

But even with how large I am feeling, I wouldn't trade it, knowing that in 20 weeks, give or take, I will have a little human life, part of me and part of Josh, to show for it. And although that thought terrifies me, I am also so excited that I seem to cry tears of joy every time I see a newborn.

And by the way - I changed my vote. I now think that tomorrow's ultrasound is going to show a boy. We'll see in 25 hours!

Take a Guess

So my ultrasound is a week from today - and we have been counting down the days!! I desperately want to know what we're having. But do you believe in the mother's first intuition, or the old wives tales?

• First intuition - BOY
• Heart Rate - GIRL
• Carrying High or Low - I'm not sure on this, because I don't know how to really tell the difference, but I feel like I'm carrying low, so - BOY
• but another says that if you can tell that you are pregnant from behind because of the weight gain, it's a girl, where if it's a boy, you'll carry all of your weight up front - GIRL (can we say back fat and love handles??!!)
• Craving sweet or salty - Definitely salty - BOY
• Breast size - weird one, but it says if your left one is larger, it's a girl, and if the right one is larger it's a boy - GIRL
• Acne - if you get acne, it's supposed to be a girl, stealing your beauty. Well, I always do, but it's actually better now, so - BOY
• Here's a new one I just found - The Mayans determined the sex of the baby by taking the mother's age at conception, and the year of conception. If both are even or both are odd...it's a girl. If one is even and one odd it's a boy. - GIRL
• If you crave the heels of the bread, it's a boy, but if you crave the middle of the loaf, it's a girl - GIRL
• Chinese Gender Chart - GIRL

Right now, it's barely leaning towards a girl. And I know that my initial first intuition was a boy, but if I had to bet right now, I'd say it's going to be a girl. So were any of these true for you? And what is your guess to what we're having? And I know there are a few more old wives tales that I can't think of right now, (blame it on pregnancy brain), so let me know if you know of any!