I had fully intended to keep this lovely photo hidden in my photo a day album where only my true fans would find it, but since I didn't have any other baby appropriate pictures on hand, you are all being graced with my pregnant presence. My due date is in exactly four weeks, so I've been busy getting organized and putting preparations for this baby into full swing.
I laugh when I think about how overprepared I was for Ella's arrival, but that's just how first time parents are, right? (Say yes, so I don't feel like such a nut.) I'm pretty sure I had her crib fully set up a good four months in advance. And I had her car seat installed
when I was 35 weeks pregnant, so since she was a week late I drove around with
that silly car seat base in my backseat for six weeks! This time I'm
trying to slowly pace myself in getting ready, because if all I had left to do for the
next few weeks was sit around chase my almost 3-year old everywhere and wait for this little girl to arrive, I would go insane.
Of course, since I've done this baby girl thing once before, I have most of the major necessities on hand already. Still, the list of things I still need to get is plenty long. The biggest item that I need is a double stroller, but I really don't have a clue about which one I should get. I love the single Maclaren stroller I have now, but I'm not sure I want their side-by-side double. I have enough trouble getting through aisles and avoiding pedestrians on the sidewalk with my regular stroller, so I don't think doubling the width would help matters. Also, I don't think I could put a newborn in that stroller. My next option is this jogger with this kit added to make it into an in-line double stroller, but I need a few reviews before I spend that kind of money on this setup. So if you can, please enlighten me with your abundance of double stroller knowledge!
In return, I will share with you a couple of my favorite baby products:
This was a lifesaver for me and Matt when Ella was a newborn. She had to be swaddled in order to sleep, but no matter how tight we swaddled her with regular blankets, she always figured out a way to get her arms free and wake herself up. Well, there was no way for her to break out of this thing. Seriously, go to the website and watch the video. This thing is intense. I just stocked up on two new ones!
The baby will sleep in a bassinet in my room for the first few months, but once she moves to the crib I will make sure to snap on one of these sheets on top of her cute crib bedding. With this sheet, I don't have to wrestle with the crib mattress or take off the bumper when the sheet gets dirty, I can just snap it off and throw it in the wash. Genius.
In addition to getting the house organized for the baby's arrival, I've been re-organizing all my photo files. I have taken 7,000+ photos since Ella's birth, so this has been no small task but I am glad it's getting done. Now if only I could get some of those photos actually printed and organized, that would be even better. Hopefully this class will help me get that accomplished. I've also done a couple of scrapbook pages recently, and there's one more for Ella I really want to finish before the baby comes. (You can find credits for these pages here and here.)
One last thing before I go. Just for fun, I set up this online baby pool.
If you feel so inclined, go ahead and enter your guess. I don't have any great prize to offer the winner, except the satisfaction of knowing you are a really awesome guesser. The baby is a girl, so if you get that wrong you have nobody to blame but yourself. For reference, Ella was induced 8 days past her due date, weighed 7lbs 7oz and was 20 inches long. And if you want bonus points, leave me a comment and let me know what you think this baby will be named. Matt and I have finally settled on a name, but I think we'll wait to share it until after she's born (aren't we annoying?!).
