February General Chit-Chat « Back to Group Discussions

[MaerynPearl]

Another month closer to holding our babies!

[fruitfulmomma]

Just picked up our carseat today. Stopped into Target to get a few things and walked by them and they were $50 off.

[sjdragonfly]

This is a carry-over from the January thread - Congrats to you, ms.shell! Your smiley party made me giggle. So happy for you! 

We've decided we don't want to find out and I almost question that with how excited everyone else is getting from finding out. I have until February 20th to decide.

Good buy on the carseat, fruitfulmomma! I need to start researching those things. I need to start making a list of things we need for the baby. We don't really need much so I'm just going to put it all on our registry. Since this is the first grandchild for my mother and both of DP's parents, I'm pretty sure we'll get some of the bigger things like carseats and such covered for us, which is awesome. 

I've been a bit slower at work for the past couple of days so I've been surfing Pinterest and Craftgawker for ideas on decorating the baby's room. We can't paint since we're in an apartment, which is a bummer, but I want to make a bunch of fun stuff for the walls. That baby won't even be using that room for anything but storing baby stuff for a while, but still! I'm thinking of doing some cute things with owls and trees since that can be gender neutral and not something that would be grown out of too soon.

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by sjdragonfly 

We've decided we don't want to find out and I almost question that with how excited everyone else is getting from finding out. I have until February 20th to decide.

We're not finding out!

I've never NOT found out before so this is all new to me. Exciting and a little nerve wracking... lol... what if it's a girl and my kids are upset? Meh. They'll get over it. I don't think they would be honestly upset they just seriously think I'm going to have a boy.

[Choaners]

We didn't find out w/ our first and won't w/ this one either.   I understand you're feelings sjdragonfly, it seems so tempting when everyone else is sharing that news, it's hard to wait.  But think about it, it's the only time in this little being's life that it won't be categorized as a gender.  it's a wonderful little mystery growing inside you, who will this person be? what will they want to do? the possibilities are endless!  then they are born and immediately the pink and blue begins (which you can limit as much as you want, but by not finding out you will start his/her life with so many colors to choose from!!) and they begin a new journey w/ you as your son or daughter, but for that wonderful, never before had, never again experienced, nine months your little one is just simply your baby, your one, your mystery.

as well, it's super entertaining to field the 100's of predictions you'll get AND to test your own intuition!  

[MaerynPearl]

oh oh oh and, i bought hubby a valentines day present today! two onesies... the Marines wear two different colored cammies during the year, I got a onesie in each pattern. He's going to LOVE it. And the best part is, cammies are totally gender neutral. All I gotta do to "girlify" it is match it with a headband or something.

[sjdragonfly]

That's an awesome Valentine's gift! That's going to be so cute!

I hear ya, Choaners. I'm really not wanting to do the pink and blue thing anyway. I'm going to try and steer more towards bright colors instead of pastels as much as I can, too. Nothing wrong with some strong reds and greens and browns! Even if we did accidentally find out the gender, I wouldn't tell anyone that I know IRL. It was part of our decision not to find out to avoid getting too much gender specific stuff. Plus, having lots of gender neutral stuff will make it easier to reuse when we have a second one.

DP and I had a long talk about homebirths and doulas and such last night. I think we're totally going for it on the homebirth and I'm getting really excited about it. I was reading through Ina May Gaskin's childbirth book the other day and the chapter on the mind/body connection really got me to thinking. I think I'm more scared of unneccessary interventions and doctors and being in a strange place than I am about anything surrounding a homebirth. So yay on that one! We're still trying to get our doula situation squared away. The woman, Jen, who does my acupuncture is also a doula, but hasn't really been practicing for a couple of years since she had her son. She's excited to be my doula, though she's trying to find a backup in case I go into labor while she's at the clinic or something. I'm really hoping she can because it would be lovely to have a doula who I already have such a wonderful relationship with.

[inkandpaper]

We've decided not to find out after all, and I think I am possibly most excited about being able to steer away from the pastel pinks and blue, particularly at the baby shower and gifts from excited grandmothers/great-grandmothers.    There are so many other beautiful colors to choose from.  

I can't believe January went by so quickly.  I wonder if the next few months will fly too.

[fruitfulmomma]

playiing  with my new taablet hubby bought me.  

got some super cute flanelfrom joanns today oon sale ffor making baby stuff.             

we are opposite on the sex issue.this will be our first time finding out.

going tomorow to a kids clothing swap. hhope to find some cute stuff.

[WendyJo410]

I was looking at car seats last night too! We had a Sunshine Kids Radian XLT convertible car seat for DS (rear facing 5-35#, forward facing to 80#) and we're so happy with it. It's nice to only spend the money on ONE car seat, and the temptation of carrying your baby around in an infant seat versus actually physically carrying them (which is uber important in my book), is gone. Yay to babywearing - lol.  Anyone that has convertibles like the Britax Advocate or the Diono RadianXLT? Any opinion? The Diono then also converts into a booster for up to 120#!

SJ - Congrats on considering homebirth. It's a little unnerving at first, especially if it's your first baby (as it's how we did it). Not many people were super supportive, as no one around us had ever had a homebirth (I think they were more scared for us). But, the more comfortable and happy we were with our midwife, the more comfortable some people became. Definitely take the time to really read Ina May - and if you're feeling even more hippie-ish , read Spiritual Midwifery. Some of it's a little out there, but I loved learning about her journey as a midwife.

Gender... we didn't find out with DS and we aren't planning on finding out with this baby. At my SCH ultrasound yesterday, she said "We can tell you gender if you'd like?!" DH and I both said "NO!" Hah, but then we walked out, looked at each other and said, "Well, we kind of want to know!" It's such a mysterious surprise, but I LOVED not finding out and having DH tell me once he delivered our son in the water. It was honestly the high-light of the entire birth experience to hear the excitement and pride in his voice.

[MaerynPearl]

I'm so excited.... SO excited.

New camera lens, new camera bag, new replacement phone (my screen shattered :() and my son's netbook (he earned it, 3 semesters in a row of straight A's...) should all be delivered today

And then I'm going over to a friend's house... the friend who pointed me towards my midwife... who's hubby is also a Marine and gone for the day... and we're going to let our children loose and just relax as much as we can (with a 9 year old, 2 6 year olds and a 5 year old... we can send them outside without worry in her neighborhood... and then the 1 year old and 2 year old play very well together inside)

Maybe even make a trip over to the beach to see the ships my hubby's on and possibly see his vehicles out on the water <3 

Busy exciting day!

And if I'm SUPER lucky, when I take the kids to the store to get valentines, there MIGHT be a girl scout outside selling cookies. And then today would be a nearly perfect day!

[WendyJo410]

Congrats on your son MaerynPearl! That's awesome and it seems he did earn it. I hope your day is as great as you expected!

[MaerynPearl]

it WAS! I looooove my new lens! Matt won't be getting his computer until daddy comes home (in a week :( wish sooner!) but he is going to be so excited, it even has a webcam and mic so he can call his grandparents and aunts and uncles on Skype... and daddy when he's deployed.

The lens really increased the quality of my pictures a LOT... I had a kit lens for the past year just to practice with my camera. Now... my pictures are coming out way more awesome!

Example, of my little miss Mae:

 

[Nicole730]

That photo is beautiful!  We bought an SLR when DD was born and I still haven't learned how to use the thing.  Sometimes the pictures turn out amazing and other times that stink!  I mostly stick to the point and shoot because I can handle it better.

[sjdragonfly]

Not only is that a great picture, but Mae is so cute I could scream! :)

[MaerynPearl]

Thank you :)

Man I'm counting down til hubby comes home. Being mom and dad and little baby "Ro" incubator does not work together. I can do two of the three, but add the third and I'm dead on my feet. I managed 6 months of a deployment as mom and dad just fine and managed to lose 40 pounds and reorganize my entire house in that time. But 4 weeks as mom, dad, and incubator? That's too much.

[sjdragonfly]

I was reading some of the birth stories in Ina May Gaskin's book last night before I went to bed. Consequently, I had strange dreams all night about being in labor, including one where my midwife was giving birth to a chipmunk as a favor for someone else since I couldn't do it. Weird.... I remember thinking to myself that I had to make sure to stop being in labor because it's too soon to give birth to this baby! I think it's a bit compounded by DP's cousin delivering at 33 weeks yesterday. Poor thing has to be in NICU for a few days, but seems to be okay.

DP is starting a new job today. (We both work on contracts so we're constantly starting and ending jobs.) It's going to be quite strange because I actually got him this contract at the same place I'm working right now. We've never worked in the same place before so that'll be different. We do different things and have very limited interaction with work and will be in different rooms, but still. It's going to be odd. I'm not used to sharing my personal space with him quite like that. But, this definitely will make going to appointments together much easier!

[MaerynPearl]

FINALLY scheduled my ultrasound today.

Hope hubby gets off next monday since it's his first day home in a month... that's the only day they could schedule it for!

[MaerynPearl]

AND EVEN BIGGER OMG!

I heard from my hubby today! First time hearing his voice in almost a week! I could almost cry!

And he knows when the ultrasound is now so he has a week to give them notice to be sure he can come with and that makes me beyond happy.

[scowgirl]

Awesome news, MaerynPearl! I bet you are still exhausted, but I know getting to talk with your DH must have helped a lot.