Meet my little jicama

Thirty-two weeks pregnant; can't believe I only have two months before meeting this little guy or gal... FREAKY! He or she is about 3.75 pounds or as big as a jicama - which is what, you may ask? On ehow.com it said, "It's a strange looking vegetable that appears to be a cross between a coconut and a horseradish root. But it's the size of about a honeydew melon."

Not only is the baby gaining weight, but so is Mama! It seems like air has calories these days. Everyone keeps saying it's all in my stomach, however I saw a photo from my first baby shower that made me beg to differ! My face was HUGE like a pumpkin. And I still have two months to go. Even though I haven't gained that much weight, since the pattern is to gain a pound a week from here on out, I'm probably going to gain more than the recommended allotment. Oh well I guess.

Speaking of our first baby shower, my coworkers were so overwhelmingly generous! They pooled together enough to give us a stroller/car seat combo, the second base to the car seat and a bouncy seat. Plus one (my former walking buddy) knitted a beautiful blanket. Isn't that amazing? I almost started crying from the kindess displayed.

With the new-baby necessities and my growing knowledge of how to take care of a newborn - I've been scouring baby books and magazine articles this weekend - I am feeling more confident about being a new mom.

Spring Fever!

Boy, do I have a case of spring fever, especially since the weather is at a perfect 72 degrees in Kansas City today - much warmer than it has been in MONTHS! Of course I had to go to work today, but it was still nice to know spring has officially arrived. (Sadly I think the forecast for this weekend is snow - welcome to the Midwest!)

In the latter half of the day, I attended an IABC luncheon/seminar about social media. The speaker was informative and topical, but what really struck me during the event was all the pregnant ladies attending - I swear there were five others plus me. With about 10 eight-top tables, I'm estimating 80 attendees, so 1/15 at the event were expecting. Isn't that crazy? With fashion these days, it's harder to tell if someone is pregnant or not, but I am fairly confident in my estimate. I kept pointing out all the other preggers to my friend/coworker who attended the luncheon. Maria replied that she better not drink the water... good idea. Looks like there's a baby boom in KC!

So our crib arrived the other day - now the hubby needs to assemble it. So excited! One step closer to having the baby's room ready, and next week is our first baby shower with my coworkers. A lot are going, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I think they are purchasing one of our big registry items, like the stroller/car seat or baby's bedding. Can't wait because I hate to buy too much until we see what all we receive from the showers. I did find a good Web article about what is really necessary for the baby when he or she first arrives. I especially appreciated the list of how many clothes or layettes to have on hand at first:

• Two or three one-piece stretch suits
• Two sets of separates
• Four or five T-shirts
• A machine-washable sweater
• Four nightgowns or sacks
• One bunting (a hooded nightgown)
• One hat
• Six pairs of stretchy cotton socks
• Six receiving blankets
• Diaper covers or plastic pants if you’re using cloth diapers

Prenatal yoga pose: modified cobra
Great for the back since we can't do cobra the traditional way (on our bellies) during pregnancy. It's so easy and convenient to do so I try to do this pose every day, like when I get up out of my chair at work.

26 weeks and starting to nest

Feeling an abrupt stream of motivation, I prepared immensely for baby this weekend. Good for me!

Finally began a list of "baby to dos" on Excel, started organizing my maternity leave paperwork, enrolled for a "Baby 101" class at a local hospital, and I think I found a pediatrician for the baby! Pause.... inhale, exhale ... must add to spreadsheet to continue breathing throughout tackling my to-do list.

My mother-in-law Donna and I also began our second store registry for the baby at Target. I was very apprehensive about setting it up there since it has such a Hitler-return policy (Remember to send receipts, people!). However, I adore Target and was actually an employee in high school and college so I couldn't shun the retailer. Hopefully I won't regret it. So now we're all set at Babies R's Us and Target! YAY! Donna and I also made the trek over to Nebraska Furniture Mart, this crazy big furniture store, to look at cribs. Lots of selection and prices on cribs there, but I have no idea how to disseminate between the choices. Good news is my mom informed me she and Dad are going to purchase the crib - yay!

I do have a budget on the crib and am wondering what type to buy. Do I need a conversion crib that changes into a child's bed? Donna brought up a good point that if we're planning on having another kid, then we're going to need the crib for it and the oldest won't be able to use the bed anyhow. Plus they are a lot more expensive. I also saw a crib with a small changer table with drawers attached. Anyone out there have one of these and if so, are you glad you bought it? I thought it looked kind of cool, but I was planning on skipping the changing table since we have one on the pack n' play. Is a drawer underneath necessary because they usually cost extra? I am also debating between white and maple/natural finish. I really like the look of a white crib with the baby bedding I registered for at Babies R' Us (in photo), but my mom thought it looked girly and since we don't know what we're having, I can't decide if white is a no-no for gender neutral.

Who knew cribs could be so complicated?! Help!

Baby registry - I asked, you answered

Feeling much better about starting a baby registry! From soliciting advice a few days ago on my blog, to posting on a Facebook group for pregnant ladies (where I received a really good checklist), to e-mailing recently pregnant friends, I have come up with a fairly strong list. Below are key points for you, in case you're looking for tips as well.

Advice from friends:

• Jumparoo (for the baby when it's older)
• Swing that goes forward and back
• Dr. Brown’s bottles - nine of the small (4 ou.) and nine of the large (8 ou.) bottles
• Bottle warmer
• Bathtub
  
• Play pen or pack and play, one with a changing station on it
• Mirror for your car so the baby can see you since he/she sits backwards
• Bouncy seat that vibrates
• Newborn sleep gowns with had hand covers
  
• Sleep and play outfits
  
• Diaper Champ
• Gymini Melody Maker Play Mat
• Wipe warmer - didn't scream much when diapers changed because wipes were warmed
• Stroller system (car seat and stroller)
• Car seat base (so you only need one car seat)
• I was told not to register for blankets or clothes since a lot of people will buy those on their own.
  

I also listened to PregTASTIC podcast #72 - Registry Tips, Desired Gifts, and To Mini Van or Not? The must haves I picked up from listening:

• My breast friend nursing pillow – take to hospital, even though "big contraption"
• Bottles - Playtex drop-in
• Stroller - Graco metro light; Bugaboo - expensive
• Books with ratings of products - Baby Bargains & Consumer Reports

Here's a list of more generic items to put on the list:

• onesies
• burp cloths
• towels & wash cloths
• bibs
• baby monitor
• bottle cleaner
• baby nail clippers
• diaper bag
  

I'm still debating about where to register. For sure Babies R' Us, but I think I am going to register at Target, even if it is weird about returning items. I think we have to have one place that is convenient for people - maybe we'll just reinforce on the shower invitation to include the receipt (Is this kosher?). Someone else also said to remove registry items once purchased so the chances of duplication decreased.

Hope this is of use to someone and thanks to everyone who helped! Let me know if I missed anything.

Baby registry ... HELP?

I need HELP! My parents are supposed to be visiting this weekend, and my mom and I are going to set up a baby registry. Where do you suggest registering? I was thinking Babies R' US and Target since it's everywhere, and we have family and friends all over the country.

I found this random Web page explaining all sorts of specific registry items.

I started a topic about this as well in a Facebook discussion board - we'll see what people suggest there. However, if you have ideas, please hit comment below and give me some Web sites, stores, specific products, etc. you think I need for my baby!

THANK YOU for your COMMENTS!