First Big Baby Purchase

On Thursday night, Ryan and I met at Babies R Us to start our registry. I decided to spare him the time it will take to pick out all of the little items, so we just agreed to register for the big stuff: carseat, high chair, umbrella stroller, bouncy seat, pack & play and swing.

We were ridiculous in the store! We had to ask for help to figure out how to release the infant carseat from the base and then had to figure out how to fold up these supposedly easy quick fold umbrella strollers. Ryan was a good sport and we got done what we needed to do. Needless to say, I will be going back next weekend with my Mom for the rest of the items!

We did manage to make our first big purchase for Baby Holt: his infant carseat! After I researched the options and had it narrowed down to two, we decided on the Chicco Keyfit 30. Ryan voted for the orange!



We're ready to bring Baby Holt home! :)

25 Weeks

We're back to the new fruit, or vegetables this week! Baby Holt is the size of an eggplant. Not that I'm super familiar with eggplant, but that's getting kind of big! He will be staying this size until Week 29.



"Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes."

In other news, we're going to Babies R Us register tonight! We've started some stuff online, but we need to see things in person. Ryan is only going to be forced to help me do the big stuff. I think I'll take my Mom to do the little things that he will be too bored with to walk around the store with me. We're also making our first real baby purchase, an infant car seat. Yikes!

The nursery walls are almost completed. We just have some touch-up to do on the paint and the room will be ready for furniture! I found some curtains on super clearance at Pottery Barn, so I ordered them for the room and they should be arriving in mid-February. I have an armoire that I plan to refinish this month, get the furniture, bedding and crib mattress ordered at the beginning of March and hopefully be ready for the final touches and accessories at the end of March. We'll see how my plan goes! :)

This is my belly at 25 weeks. I don't know about you, but I am seeing a difference between 23 and 25 weeks:

23 and 24 Weeks and Viability Day!

I've been kind of bad at updating lately. I guess not having any new fruits the past 2 weeks have messed me up!

At 24 weeks, the baby is considered viable outside of the womb and has a 40-70% chance of survival. Obviously, a baby that small would require a lot of medical attention for a long while, but at least he would have a fighting chance of survival.

We had our second ultrasound on January 19 and it is confirmed that we are having a boy! Everything looks good, but I will have to have another ultrasound at some point because they still could not get great photos of the attachment of the cord to the placenta. Baby is doing well, but he's a little on the small side for now. He weighed 1 lb. 5 oz. at the second ultrasound and he's in the 38th percentile for growth. His heartrate was 156 beats per minute. The doctor said everything else looks great! I only have one more 4 week appointment and then I start going every 2 weeks. That means I'm quickly nearing the end!

In other news, Ryan finally felt the baby kick! Our little guy is moving around so much that he kept me from falling asleep last night. His little kicks are getting stronger and stronger almost by the day.

I did not take a 24 week photo, but here is my belly at 23 weeks:

Camera Savings Update

I added $105.50 to my camera savings this week! Not bad, since I was previously on a $100 for 2 weeks budget (we just increased it to $150 every two weeks). Not going out to lunch as much really makes a difference! I also put that $50 extra directly into the camera savings. I figured, if I could live off of $100 for 2 weeks before now, I can keep doing it at least until I have enough to buy the camera. :)

Canon or Nikon?

As of my last post, you know that I'm saving up my spending money to buy a digital SLR camera before Baby Holt arrives in May. I've been researching cameras for a while and I've come down to either a Nikon or a Canon. Based on the cnet.com reviews, I'm 90% sure I'm going to buy the Canon EOS Rebel XS. It's reviews are only slightly better than that of the Nikon D60, mainly due to photo quality.

We'll just have to wait and see if anything changes between now and May. The good thing is that the Canon prices are slightly less than the Nikon. I'm all for a bargain!

If anyone has any real-life user input on either of these models, I'd love to hear it!

I'm Saving My Money!

I desperately wanted a digital SLR camera for Christmas, but I didn't get one. So, I've decided to save my pennies to buy one, hopefully before the arrival of our bundle of joy. I'm not sure which one I want, but I have narrowed it down to either a Nikon or a Canon.

This means fewer lunches out (sorry Holly and Elisabeth!) and a lot less shopping. Ryan and I already budget our fun money, but mine will have to be budgeted even further! I already have a little bit in a savings account, $15.08 to be exact, so I'll be adding to that one. We'll see if I can make it!

22 Weeks

Baby is growing fast! He's now the size of a papaya. I guess they're running out of fruits since there won't be a new one until Week 25.



"Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop."

As promised, photos of my growing belly are back. This is my 22 week photo, taken with my BlackBerry because I still can't find my camera cord.



I started working on the baby registry this week. There is so much stuff out there for babies that it's overwhelming! We still need to go to Babies R Us and do the majority of the registering in person, but at least we have a few things started online!

Lazy Weekend

I'm thrilled to have no plans this weekend. We've been so busy with the holidays and then having family in town last weekend that it's nice to know we can do what we want for these two days.

I slept in until after 10 this morning! It's pretty unusual for me, especially lately. I haven't slept well at all this week. I'm still getting over a cold that started last weekend. The cold has resulted in me waking up multiple times during the night. I also woke Ryan up every night, so he didn't sleep well either. He blames it on my snoring (I had a cold!).

Weekend to dos:

-work on the nursery
-laundry
-install new shower head
-clean and tidy the house
-lunch with the ILs tomorrow

Sounds good to me!

Happy New Year and the Beginnings of Baby's Nursery!

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Sorry I have been slacking so much! We had a great Christmas with our family and friends. It was just over so quickly! Happy 2009 everyone!

We have some plans for the house for 2009, the first being the nursery. We found out on December 22 that we are expecting a boy!

Ryan got started on our baby's room during his winter break and it's coming along beautifully! This photo is the inspiration, but only for the wall trim. I found this nursery on HGTV's Rate my Space. Ignore the bedding, window treatments, and the nautical-inspired items.



Using his new nail gun, Ryan put up all of the trim and has painted the upper portion. It's the same color as our master bedroom, Sherwin Williams' Icy. The bottom half of the trim will be painted the same cream as the rest of the trim througout our house. He's also started on the crown molding and despite the fact that he only has one piece up so far, it looks great!

I'll post some progress photos as soon as I can find the little cord for my camera! I seem to lose it frequently.

21 Weeks and I'm sick!

As of last Thursday, I was officially 21 weeks pregnant. This week, Baby Holt is the size of a banana. I guess that means length, rather than weight or anything else!



"Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch."

I'm feeling daily movement now and it's amazing. It mostly feels like taps or thumps from the inside. I'll be excited once Ryan can feel him move, too. I think he's really starting to grow quickly. All of a sudden, I feel huge compared to just a few weeks ago. I will update my photos as soon as I find my missing camera cord!

I came down with a nasty cold over the weekend. I need to blame someone, so I will place the blame on my brother-in-law, Reggie. He was miserably sick over Christmas, gave his cold to Ryan who gave it to me. I cannot remember the last time I had a cold. This one is especially bad because of course I came down with it over the weekend and I couldn't find anything at the drugstore that was on my doctor's approved list. Rather than risk taking what I bought, I toughed it out until I could call this morning. I just hope my cold medicine kicks in soon and I start to feel better!