20 Weeks. The big 2-Oh my goodness......

I am a couple days shy of 20 weeks pregnant.  That is approximately halfway. Yikes.  I'd like to say it has flown by.  In some ways it has, in others, not so much.  The beauty of early pregnancy is that the baby seems so.far.away.  It is an ambiguous, future being.  Sure, you have a due date (we all know how I feel about those) but it is far into the future.  Now, I am skating downhill and I am feeling the pressure.

This pregnancy is different from Porter's.  I was busy buying up e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g I thought babies needed, looking forward to baby showers, reading books.  This one, I am more realistic,  I have a one year old to run after, I work full time have a house etc.  So it has been relatively easy not to be so pregnancy focused, especially because I have had such a low risk, easy pregnancy (Thank you God!).  But now, instead concentrating on what needs to be bought, I am concentrating on shifting my mentality

As this 20 week mark approaches, I am shifting my focus to baby, baby, baby.  I wanna take primo care of myself, my health and start preparing for the birth. Baby Scarlett will be born at home with our fabulous midwife, her student and our amazing doula.  I am wholly committing the last half of my pregnancy to focusing on mental birth preparation.  I have a lot of what I call "birth fear".  I am in awe of and have great respect for the natural childbirth process.  I believe in it 100%.  But, that doesn't mean that I don't fear the intensity of the experience, the pain of the contractions, the unknown.  I do, even though I have done this before.  I listen to natural birth stories and I am revitalized and re inspired.  I remember the "birth high" felt immediately after, the closeness I felt with my husband as he got me through the most intense moments of my labor, the transformative experience of having a human being move through you and into the world.  Nothing in the whole world like it. But I am still scared.  The best I can equate it to is a roller coaster.  I am not a roller coaster girl until I get off the ride.  I feel like pregnancy is like climbing that first hill, you know but you don't know what is coming.  This hill is the tallest, the hardest.  You may know that the ride will be exhilarating, fun and intense, but you have to get over the first hump first. The first hill is still scary and daunting to look down from. But, like always after you are done, you wanna run up and do it again.  That is how birth is for me. So, I am doing everything I can to prepare myself for that hump.  I know you can never know 100% but preparation never hurt.

So..... whats the plan? Couple things.....

On my birthday, I start my first  of 6 hypnobabies childbirth preparation classes.  I feel like there is a lot of misconceptions about hypnobabies.  It is a way for women to relax and handle childbirth better.  It is NOT anti-Christian, you cannot do anything you don't want to do, you are not out of control.  It is simply a method to teach your body and mind to relax together and remove the fear out of birth.  It is intervention prevention.  The results are incredible.  It is like anything else, it takes practice.  I will have to practice daily, it is a partner coached method, so Neil will read me passages.  The result, 70% of women using it report childbirth as being intense but not painful.  Especially in early labor. It can help people like me immensely! I have read some incredible birth stories and an extra bonus is the teacher is a good friend of ours!

 Fun hypnobabies facts:

● Most of our moms use fewer drugs or no drugs, which means less risk of side effects for you and your baby, due to elimination of the Fear/Tension/Pain Syndrome, and using post-hypnotic suggestions
● Most Hypno-mothers have shorter labors since there is less resistance of the birthing muscles when pain and fear are minimized or eliminated.
● Hypno-Moms generally have much more energy throughout first and second stage, due to your total relaxation throughout the birthing process.
● Blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature can be lowered and nausea, back and hip pain eliminated with hypnosis during pregnancy and labor.
● There are fewer interventions for failure to progress and therefore fewer complications during labor for our mothers and babies.
● The deep relaxation in Hypnobabies sessions has also helped many a nervous birth partner to enjoy their partner's pregnancy and childbirth, and the skills that the Hypno-couple learns for relaxation and hypnosis will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
● As a Hypno-Mom, you are easily "deprogrammed" from the usual negativity of childbirth stories and scenarios you may have heard or read, by way of training in Hypnobabies classes and audio CDs which have positive messages and hypnotic suggestions. This automatically allows you to have a much more positive attitude and confidence in birthing. It is truly a gift that you are giving yourself, an amazingly easy way to enjoy your pregnancy more and actually look forward to your baby's birth!

Also, I am going back to yoga.  I am shooting for a 2-3 times a week.  It is a good thing to do mentally and can help a lot for childbirth prep.  It is a great mental support for hypnobabies as it needs a lot of mental focus as well.  A low impact, stretching exercise will help me stay fit and flexible.  I did it 4 times a week all throughout pregnancy with Porter and it improved my health so much.  Exercise has been harder this go round, but I am re-committing in the latter half of my pregnancy.  Even if I do half the class, anything is better than nothing.

Diet.  I am not really bad now, but I want to be much more conscious of it going forward.  Eat more protein, take my vitamins diligently, give in less to cravings, eat fresh produce. Less eating out, more home cooking (ok less comfort cooking, more health cooking).  I do all of these already, but I just want to me more focused on it.  It will help with my energy, keep Scarlett healthy and fuel me properly for the birth.

Sleep more, stress less.  I am going to try and take it easy when I can.  Ask for help when I need it and not try and be Superwoman.  Already I am slowing down.  My back hurts a lot.  I can't move as well.  I just need to take this in stride.  Rest when I can even if it is a few minutes.  I need to trust that the plans I have set in place will work out and I need to take this very small blip of time and focus on growing my family.

Lastly, make it to my mommy groups more consistently.  My midwife runs a pregnancy support group every other week, called Nurturing New Bellies and my doula runs a New Moms support group as well.  I went this last week and it felt so good to be in the company of like women, be able to talk freely and get all the support you need.  It is wonderful.  It is great to take time out to just focus on my pregnancy and my new little girl. It makes a huge difference in my attitiude and mental state. 

On the whole, I am SO excited to meet my little lady.  I am thrilled to have two kiddos.  I know the ride is worth it.  But I also know preparing helps someone like me handle things better.  Wish me luck.... the next 20 weeks are sure to pass much more quickly than I know!

A Vogue Idea

Judging from my previous post, you can probably tell we are really excited to have a little girl entering our nest in October!  And little girls no doubt mean pink.  But, while I like pink and all, I am not totally the pink, ruffly, lace-y kinda girl.  My personal favorite color in green. I am not a super jewelry person or wear a ton of make-up.  But I love love love love style.  Always have.  I am borderline obsessed.  I like fashion and design like none other.  I wish that I had more time, energy and a cuter figure to stylize myself better.  And I love a styled home.  My favorite blogs are the home DIY ones.  So, of course, I have already started day dreaming about baby Scarlett's room.  This is semi-pointless.  We are a co-sleeping family for at least 6 months.  It is easier to nurse and with Porter, it just worked better for our family. But, this blog post is not rooted in reality. This is a day dream of sorts, so enjoy my jaunt away from what is into what could be. This is an eventual.  We aren't even sure how we will configure our bedrooms (we have 3 and a loft..... do we lose our guest room for her room? do they share? Hmmmm). See... reality not so fun. Back to the girl room stuff.

My point is, with baby Scarlett, while she may have a lot of pink, she won't have a pastel explosion in her room.  I cannot stand what I like to call the "marsh mellow" look.  The one where it looks like pastel pink exploded everywhere, there are tons of stuffed animals, bubble letters and lace. Blech.  Just not my style. But, I want it to be girly, just not quite so baby-y (like that word invention?!).  First I thought color schemes.  Brown and pink....... nope, too popular.  Pink and green.... love it, again fairly popular.  Purple.... maybe. But I love crisp and bold.  Even in a baby room.  I loved bright primary colors for Porter.  I let my mind wander (and we are talking about all this mind wandering happening the DAY I found out "it" was a "she". Mildly obsessed... maybe.  Again, we aren't in reality right now.  Enjoy.) and I have always loved fashion magazines.  Particularly Vogue.  I just love the photography.  I have loved them since I was a little girl.  I remembered that old vintage vogue covers used to be kind of cartoon like and not as edgy.  Light bulb!  Quick Google search and I came up with this.  Vintage Vogue. Cirque 1916.  My inspiration piece.



I just love the whimsical nature of it.  And so I thought doing a navy-ish blue, crisp white and pink.  Not hot pink, not pastel pink, more like a bubble gum pink.  I just love it.  Cute, fun, girly.  Kirklands also has really cute wire dress forms that I want to get for shelves and maybe some vintage mirrors.  I love the whole Parisian chic thing.  There are actually several that I found that I liked, so I may actually do a gallery wall above her crib.  I am going with a white crib and mabe simple navy blue bedding/sheets.  Here are some of my other favorites that are in the same realm as this one. 



So, eventually, I hope to see this fantasy come to light.  I would like to print off some of these gorgeous covers and frame them.  I am gonna look for (or do myself) a shabby chic, distressed changing table.  I have lots of ideas in my head about how I see it coming together.  It is so fun to daydream about.  I already LOVE having a girl!  And even if it is not the most practical thing, I will do her room the same as I did Porter's.  Bit by bit and on the cheap.  You can still have stylish space withour forking over tons o cash.  So this is my little jaunt from reality.  My style haven for me and my little Scarlett girl!

Meal Plan Wednesdays?

Yeah. Doesn't sound quite as quippy as Meal Plan Mondays but whatev's.  I have given up on blogging my meal plans, but I want to do this 10 day round to basically keep my own head on straight.  We are going on vacation in a little less than 3 weeks, so fugality is the name of the game.  I want all of our extra going to our cash only vacay fund.  So, even though we get paid inbetween now and the next 10 days, I want to stick with the $100 we have allocated now and stretch it for at least 10 dinners.  Not so easy.  But we have a lot of ham leftover, chicken and steak.  My meat purchase this round will be ground beef at Costco, but other than that, trying to use what we have already.  I am hoping writing it down helps us stick with it!  They are in no particular order at all, I am not regimented enough for that.  Some not so fancy, but will get the job done, some are great recommendations from people.  Here it goes!

1. Burgers on the grill & Baked French Fries

2. Grilled Ham and Cheese Sammiches with Mrs. Grass Soup

3. BFD (Breakfast for Dinner)- a Porter-man favorite

4. Chicken Souvlaki/hummus/feta/cucumbers (idea stolen from Joanna)

5. Steak, baked Potato & veggie tbd.

6. Grilled Sausages, pasta w/marinara and breaded eggplant

7. Tacos

8. Blackened Ahi Tuna pasta thingy that Neil makes SO good

9. Terriyaki Chicken and homemade broccoli rice au gratin

10. Home made Mac & Cheese w/ diced ham, corn, peas

Alternate Dinners:

1. Beef stroganoff

2. Chilli

3. Ahi Tuna Salad

*** yes, I eat Ahi tuna while pregnant.  It is fine to have once a week (truthfully, I haven't had tuna once while pregnant thus far) and Neil fully cooks it for me.  I like it better cooked through anyway. ***

Be Consistent. Be an Example.

First time mommies (and all mommies really), especially control freak ones like me, like to research the heck out of everything.  I did when I was pregnant, I continue to do so as Porter gets older and reaches developmental milestones.  I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to foster a learning environment, that I am encouraging him, stimulating him.  After all, we want our kids to be smart right?  Well, yes of course...... but maybe it is best to relax the reigns a little bit. 

I have hit my own mama milestone in this past week. He he.  Wanna know what it is? I learned to stop putting my child in the proverbial "box". You know, the one that they say babies and children to be in.  I learned to let them be exactly what they are.  Guidelines. Nothing more. I am here to help guide him, but I need to let him develop in his own time as long as it is within reason. Since about 13 months to about 1-2 weeks ago, it has been rough. Very rough P-man stage.  Porter threw fits and tantrums like no kid I have ever seen, he was constantly frustrated, cried a lot. This was due to multiple things.  He got all 4 of his one year molars, the are communication barriers and he was sick a couple times as well.  I was one frustrated mama as well.  Other kids didn't act this way.  Other kids still slept through the night.  Other kids used their hand signs and Porter didn't. Porter used a bottle and other kids his age were drinking through straws. And of course the constant comparison to other kids and those dreadful baby books that inspire guilt if your child is not right on track.  If I can give any mother one piece of advice, it would be be consistent and be an example yourself, you child is watching. Nothing is wrong with your child.  And trust me, when they are all in kinder garden, it will not matter who rolled over first, walked first, talked first or any other thing.

It really takes away the joy of your child's individuality when you are so frustrated. What is the point in putting that amount of pressure on such a small being? I don't get it.  Now, I am not an advocate of a total lassiez faire attitude, I believe in guiding your children and staying wholly present in their development.  Key word there.  Their development.  As I said before, the last two months..... rough.   I was worried I had a "high need" baby (that is what those silly books calls them) or he was slower than other kids. Um, no. He was growing, watching and learning this whole time.  I was to busy putting him in boxes to realize this little fact. If you catch yourself doing that, do yourself a favor.... stop.  It will not make your baby get there any faster to worry.

My son, who I thought would have a meltdown over his missing bottle, hasn't skipped a beat yet and is using sippy cups just fine.  This little boy who I frantically told Neil "we have to start working with him on his utensils at meal times, he should be doing that by 18 mo", picked up my small fork 5 days ago, completely unprovoked and on his own and started using it. He has been watching us. He watches us take a bite and mimicks. When he was ready to try on his own and bam... just like that it happened. Now, I help him of course, he is not left to fend for himself, but it is much more enjoyable when he is as excited to learn as I am to teach him.  His words have exploded along with gestures.  He has learned to make a "thisssss/dissss" sound when his points, to let me know what he is talking about.  The tantrums are MUCH less frequent.  I used to worry because he didn't want me to read to him.  "We have to read to him 20 min a day, that's what they say," I would tell Neil. Well, it isn't much fun to read to someone who runs out of the room or throws the book. Now, we sit and flip through the books together.  I learned you don't HAVE to read the words for goodness sake.  He is happy with "Where's the bunny?" and "do you see the red balloon"? He is happy to point out those things.  Jeeeez..... that is a much more fun experience.  I have no doubt that my child will read and be read to just the same as any other kid even though he can't sit through Goodnight Moon at the current moment.

Unbeknownst  to me, he has been a sponge the last two months.  Soaking up everything.  Now, he is ready to show us what he has been learning.  He knows shoes go on his feet, he will get them at the babysitters to go bye bye.  He picks up signs like crazy and watches very intently.  We couldn't get his to show us his nose for anything, even though we have been working on it for months.  Now, tell him earmuffs and he can find both his ears.  He knows where his feet are.  Tell him to sit on his dupa (Polish for butt, my family is all Polish and we use a few key words with the kids) and he knows exactly what that means. He signs "more eat" consecutively and consistently, just like Neil has been doing since we went to sign class 6 months ago.  It just sank in all in the alst two weeks. Huzzah!

Now, it seems silly.  It isn't a race.  No need to freak out.  It did no good.  He was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing the whole time.  I don't think there is any such thing as a "smart" 15 mo old.  I mean, none of them can do calculus.  All of them are learning to interact with their environment and when they feel comfortable, they show outwardly express it. And we celebrate.... yea! I am a proud mama.  I think he is the best toddler in the history of ever.  But because he is mine (and my husbands) not because he eats with a fork or brings me his shoes. I have learned more from my son I think than he has learned from me.  Through him I understand patience, perseverance, unconditional love.  Life has smoothed out some.  We are all sleeping better, eating better and having more fun and less stress. We just had to get over a hump and hopefully come out on the other side with a better grasp of what truly is important.



Ahem..... May we have your attention please?!

Operation not find out gender of New Baby......FAIL!


If you cannot tell already the Smith Family is expecting a

GIRL

YEA!!! In all fairness we were not going to find out up to when we were sitting in the waiting room. I mean seriously. Neil looked at me and sighed and said, "I kinda wanna know too, I am not sure I can do it." And I sighed too and said "I'll just cop to it. I WANNA SHOP! And I just want to know. Yes I am impatient and silly but I just do!" So, we still went in the room on the fence. Our lovely ultrasound tech did some measurements and Neil and I hemmed and hawed. When it came time, it was ultimately Neil's choice, I wouldn't have been mad to wait but I really wanted to know. So, he looked at me and said OK, lets find out.

She positioned the wand, as if the baby was sitting on a Xerox machine.  I knew instantly, before she said.  I counted the dots.  One, two, three. GIRL! I blurted it out and she confirmed! It was every bit as wonderful the second time as the first.  This time was really special because it was spontaneous and just Neil and I .  It was perfect. 

Baby Girl Smith is an active little girl! I mean really! Bouncing around everywhere.  So so so so so sweet to see.  Feisty little thing she is. (like all the she's?? she she she she OMG having a girl ppl!) Health wise and measurement wise she is perfect.  Measuring right at 18 weeks.  She has no genetic markers that require any further testing, all systems are formed and running well, brain looks good.  Thank you God for not one but TWO healthy kids.  We are so, so blessed (and a little in shock still!).

On another note, I have to include this cause I was really emotional over the potential of what could have been after the measurements in the ultrasound. I just wanna encourage all women and any parents to be to know and trust your body and find a trusted care provider.  I swear I can never re-pay our Midwife for preventing even hypothetical circumstances from happening.  She trusts me and listens to me. Here is why. I have an uncommon 40-42 day cycle.  Traditional maternity calendars are built on a 28 maybe 30 day cycle, whether or not you have one or not.  Most women fall within a week of 28 days so no big deal.  I do not.  That is a 12-14 day difference.  If I were to have had more traditional care, I could have been forced into that box.  That would make my due date Sept 22 not Oct 5 even though the baby wasn't conceived on a traditional cycle.  Therefore at "40 weeks" the baby truly would have been only 38 and maybe not ready.  Most doctors like to induce at a week late.  If I were forced/convinced in that box, I would deliver a 39 week baby that my care provider's convinced me was "late" even though she just wasn't ready and was actually right on time. I know my body and my cycles.  Whether or not you believe is natural childbirth is irrelevant.  That choice right there, her choice to believe me and to figure out the right "box" changed the course of this entire pregnancy and how this little lady's birth story could potentially go. She potentially was saved many unnecessary interventions right out of the gate.  Lucky little girl she is! Don't second guess yourself and please find your own "Stephanie" or you can borrow mine.

So that is the news!! Bring on the PINK! Well, I am really not a total pink, ruffle girl. I like purple more, but this little girl will be decked no doubt. The Smith score is even. Blue team:2 Pink:2. Neil is already talking about a tie breaker......

Now to decide on her name.  Hmmmmm..... to be continued.

Elbows up!

We have a similar picture of Porter!

Find Your Bliss.

I am not decisive by nature. I am just not.  I hem and haw.  I have really very few things that are absolute.  When I asked what I wanna be when I grow up, I could see myself do a bazillion things, not just one.  Sometimes I am envious of those that have a specific calling or affinity. I wish I had just one.  I change my mind all the time. It drives me (and my husband) crazy that I am so flighty sometimes! 

  


Folly Beach at sunset.

 

But, one thing I do know, I have a favorite spot in the whole wide world.  My bliss spot.  My geographical soul mate.  Charleston, SC but more specifically, Folly Beach, which is very near it.  Charleston is pure charm and magic.  Folly Beach is even better.  I can't think of a spot I would rather be. Have you ever gone somewhere and you just "know".  It just fits, feels like home.  Folly Beach is Jimmy Buffet-esque, quirky, artsy and quaint. Pretty much perfect, at least to me.  If I am in SC and I say I want to go to the beach, I want to go to Folly.  Sure, there are "nicer", "fancier" beaches.  Some where movies have been shot and crazy mansions have been built, but me, give me Folly Beach any day.  It is where I got engaged (that is when all the pictures on the right were taken, just minutes before the proposal) , it is where I have spent some of my best days and where I cannot wait to take my kids to.  If I had any dream in the whole world, it would be to have a beach cottage on the ocean at Folly Beach.  I don't want big, I don't want fancy.  I want fun, colorful, vintage, cottage charm. 

I was reminded of this today when I was reading one of my many blogs, when I stumbled upon an article about a beach cottage.  A fabulous designer rescued it and it is brilliantly called it 99 Steps (as in 99 steps away from the beach!). I fell in love.  Decorating styles (along with everything else) is something I can never decide on.  Modern, contemporary, traditional, I like em all.  Until now.  My absolute favorite.... vintage beach chic. I emailed Neil the article of the house (which is not on Folly, but this is my fantasy remember?) and said "This house, on Folly Beach, a Jeep Wrangler, kiddos and pups and I would die one happy girl".  I followed it up with "If I win the lotto and you can't find me, look for me and Bailey (our water dog) HERE."  And I mean it.  It falls in line with my desire to live on less but live beautifully.  I get it, it is a beach spot, still bukoo bucks, but when I picture my perfect spot, it is small and lived in.  Cozy for my family to enjoy.  It isn't safe, it is playful, fun and carefree.  Kinda how I wish I could be.  For now, I will live vicariously through my imaginary real estate that has all the traits I wish to embody myself.  And it is glorious! Gimme a beach cottage, a beach cruiser, a jacked up Jeep Wrangler, my kids & hubby and my doggies and you will never hear a peep outta me!  But check it out... can you blame me?!



Now take this spot and insert this house.  Um...... amazing.

 

I love the color and how quaint it is.

Insert Neil here

 

Yes, Please.

 

Insert me reading and having some wine, here.

 So this is it, my little slice of heaven, the place I see when I close my eyes and think about bliss in terms of real estate... he he.

Anyone else have a favorite spot they just love and  never get sick of?

Morning Time

Morning time is my favorite time of day.  If my husband is reading this, he is laughing hysterically because I am not a morning person.  Not an early, early morning person. At all.  But my child has not slept past 6:15 AM, um...... ever, so I am getting used to it.  I don't think I will ever be used to 5 AM however. 

Anyway, P-man is up like clockwork. 5:45 to 6:15 every morning.  Neil always goes to get him and he plops in bed with us to drink his morning milk.  We giggle, whisper and give big love, smooches and snuggles as we (ok mom) wakes the rest of the way up.  Sometimes we put on Nick Jr. for Porter and we all watch 15 min together. We do this every.single.morning.  Weekend or not.  Usually longer on the weekends.  Sometimes we all stay in bed an extra hour together and Porter will jibber jabber to us, show us his toys, run around our bed.  Sometimes we fall back asleep for a 10 minute snooze.  Either way, it is my favorite.  It is the best way for this girl to wake up.  I don't remember the last time I set an alarm clock.  No need really.  If my child happens to sleep till 7, I'll take the sleep and be late to work.  That is like Christmas.

I was telling Neil this morning how much I loved my family and how I love that we have grown to do that every AM and I hope we always do, even as more kids come and our king size bed fills up.  I hope sleepy smiling  faces, bed head, sock covered feet shuffle into our bedroom in the AM for some love and comfort.  That they know they don't have to run head first into the day just yet. It is a good way to start off, all together, all love, all snuggles.  I am hoping it stays as constant and necessary as breakfast.  I hope I can start my families days off with thoughts of how blessed we are. It is amazing what 5-15 minutes of being with the people you love the very most, at the very beginning can sets the whole day on the right path. We all get to start off our day with the same thought..... You are loved more than you will ever know.

New Baby Love (and wish list)

Wow.  It is May already! I cannot believe I am going on 18 weeks pregnant! Almost halfway there.  It has gone by both fast and slow. I thankfully have had an easy, breezy pregnancy thus far physically (standard fatigue and minimal nausea) though it has been pretty emotionally and mentally stressful.  But, that is lessening too. 

I must admit I am super proud of myself.  I have not bought new baby one.single.thing.  Not so much as a onesie.  That is good for me, considering the amount of crap stuff I bought for Porter in pregnancy.  But the second time mom in me has a been-there-done-that mentality.  The only things babies need in their first weeks of life are, breasts, blankets, a good baby wearing device, diapers and a onsie. That about does it.  However, now that I am reaching the halfway mark and our ultrasound is on Friday, I find myself getting the itch.  One thing that will save us money, WE ARE NOT FINDING OUT THE GENDER.  I repeat, not finding out. People cannot seem to get over this one! He, he. We just want that surprise. So few true surprises in life.  It is not like we will never know.... in approx. 150 days everyone will know!!

 That will make it easier.  I am letting myself buy two newborn outfits.  One girl, one boy for the "first outfit" and I will get over the waste of one of them.  We do need some stuff that we will compile bit by bit.  Most of the necessary items are "big ticket" items.  Some are just because I want them! I am hoping to use the second half of my pregnancy and first month post partum collecting everything.  Neil even agreed we can skip over the small stuff and get the bigger stuff that we need. 

1.  A nice Pack n Play

I want this for our room.  Our babies are in our room for at least six months.  Plus we need it for travel and guests.

2. A Papasan Style Swing

3. Aden + Anais Muslin Blanket's.

Just because I have heard they are great so I wanna try them.  Porter didn't like the swaddling thing.  Maybe New Baby will. This is just a want. A "just because".

4. To Bassinet or not to Bassinet.... that is the question.  I love this one.

Not sure how practical they are.  A pack and play may suffice, but sure is cute!

and this one.....

5. A Mei Tai.

I want to design my own.  This is an expensive carrier but worth it and customizable.  I want it soooo bad. It is an Asian iinspired, soft structured  baby carrier.  So cute.

That is about it for now! I will keep building to my list I am sure.  But it is much less stressful the second time around.  Eventually we will need a second bedroom set and crib for the new baby, probably a double stroller, and maybe a new pump.  But that is a ways out, so we won't rush. I am going to hold off as long as possible but I love to browse and look!  Can't wait for our new bug to get here!

How Do I Love Thee..... let me count the ways......

*** I was editing this post 3 days ago and accidentally deleted it, but had a saved copy on my work laptop, so it is re-posted.  I first posted it on his actual b-day, April 28, 2011.***

Today is my husbands 35th Birthday! Happy Birthday Babe! I am sad to say that he was travelling to Connecticut all this week and there was horrific storms in the South. Hence, he got stuck coming home, had to spend the night in the Atlanta airport and try his hardest to get home this AM (his actual birthday) because he has a super, duper important inspection at work today. Sigh. Not a good way to start off the big day, but we will try to make it up to you.

I was trying to think of something creative, something special to give him (besides his big gift), what I could do that would be different and meaningful. But it is hard being 4 months pregnant, on the budget of a lifetime, taking care of a 1 year old alone AND get my creative on! So, I thought I would write (in garnet, his most favorite color ever) my top 35. Think David Letterman birthday style. My top 35 ways/things/nuances that I love about my hubby.

1. You are willing to read Harry Potter openly for me... and a Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (he did read that too, in the open, on an airplane)

2. You make great breakfast sammich's.

3. "sexy" to you is my $5 target tank top

4. You love red wine almost as much as I do.

5. You are a converted beer snob (huzzah!)

6. You keep bringing up going on a Hot Air Balloon ride with me, even though you are deathly afraid of heights

7. You give people lots of chances, even if they don't deserve it.

8. You make our home open to anyone and everyone, at any time, in any way.

9. You always whisper stuff to me in the night when I am sleeping. I don't know what your saying, but I hear every word.

10. You LOVE being a dad more than anything in the whole wide world.

11. You kiss and love on our boy every day and show him that real men give hugs

12. You get up at night with P because I am not a night person. At all. So you do the lion's share of that work and I can never re-pay that one.

13. You can (and do) unabashedly hold a conversation about co-sleeping, nursing, home births, breast pumps, placenta's etc and still retain your manhood.. tee hee.

14. You try to convert everyone you know that is having a baby to use our midwife cause you love her that much

15. You refuse to miss doctor's appointments for any reason at all

16. You love to travel and see new places and want to take me with you!

17. You love buying houses as much as I do.

18. We both hope to own a house in a foreign country one day.

19. You have a cute butt that looks good in jeans.

20. You gave me one amazing kid and I am sure the next one will be pretty great too

21. The dogs love you more than me now. You are the only one that takes them to the park. Bailey cries when you aren't home.

22. You are extraordinarily protective of your family, we are your whole world.

23. Happiness to you is having lots of kiddos, the Gamecocks, good beer, close family and a home to enjoy them all in.

24. You believe in nostalgia, lasting love and traditions

25. You let me help dress you, c'mon you needed it.... you know it :)

26. You love the beach as much as I do.

27. You and Porter have the same sneeze.

28. Family hugs are awesome....'nuff said

29. Your pretty much a gourmet grill-er.

30. You still have the same pet names for me and still use them daily

31. You self taught and know more about business than I can hold a candle to and I went to business school

32. You make me laugh and you aren't afraid to be silly.

33. You can quote music like a jukebox. For Real.

34. You are still a good 'ol Southern boy at heart

35. You try every day to make me happy in some way, even though I don't always make it easy on you.

Happy Birthday!

We love you.

Linsay, P-man, and New Baby

muah muah muah