Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Baby Girl

To answer the most common question: We don't have a name picked out and I can't imagine having one picked out any time soon. We can't agree. D's going to look through the girl section of the baby name book this weekend page by page and mark the names he likes so that should help.

Also, my sweet nephew will be the best helper. I know people think he's going to be upset that he's outnumbered but I don't think that's going to be the case. The little girls will be so much younger than him that I don't think they'll be much in the way of playmates. Plus, he has a wonderful group of little boys his age at church who he really enjoys playing with so he isn't lacking in the playmate department :) What's wonderful to me is how close these little girl cousins will be and how much they'll be able to experience and grow together. That excites me so much and I know Caleb will be a wonderful example to all 3 of them. It's so exciting to me to be going through this with my sisters.

Yesterday we went for our 3:30 ultrasound appointment and waited 45 minutes to see the ultrasound tech. I guess she was running behind. It's no fun to have to wait 30 minutes past your appointment time when you're sooo close to finding out if you're having a little boy or a little girl. While we waited the baby was doing flips and kicking me like crazy thanks to the 10 oz of orange juice I drank prior to the appointment. However, once the ultrasound started the baby was face down and would not flip - she'd just kick and squirm. The tech even tried to shake my belly a little bit to get the baby to move but she wouldn't budge. We'll go back in a couple of weeks to get another ultrasound so the tech can get a good look at the 4 ventricles of the heart and also she needs to see the profile shot that baby girl wouldn't give.

Here's a video when the tech told us the gender. We have a 12 minute video of the whole thing but I'll spare you :)



We had a good time telling the in-laws the gender of the baby. I made a white cake that I colored pink and iced with chocolate frosting. When they cut in to it, that's how they found out the gender. I went online to show my mother-in-law and sister-in-law the bedding I had picked out for a girl and realized that the bedding had been discontinued. After a lot of searching, I found it online at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $80 cheaper than anywhere else. I was so ecstatic and I bought a couple of matching accessories that weren't included.

I'll post a picture to the right.

Here's what's included:

Fitted sheet
Bumper
Crib skirt
Window valance
Diaper stacker
Quilt (hanging on the bed)

What I bought to go with it:

The two pictures on the wall
The blanket on the changing table

Just in case you're wondering, we won't be painting the room pink or even purple. I feel like that might be overkill with how girly the bedding is already. I'll probably do a light blue to simulate a sky or I'll do a green. Either way, I think we're considering putting up wainscoting on the lower portion of the wall and have white baseboards and a white chair rail. The crib and changing table will also be white.

The news is still sinking in for me. I can't wait to see my little girls' profile at our next ultrasound. All I know is that I won't be listening to "It Won't Be Like This for Long" by Darius Rucker any time soon. I tried to explain that song to a director here at work this morning and had to stop because I was getting choked up. She then tried to explain a commercial to me about a 5 year old girl asking her dad for the car keys and then you realize at the end of the commercial that the girl is actually a young woman but her dad still sees her as a 5 year old. My nose is burning and my eyes are getting watery just explaining it now.

Does anyone have experience with the Eddie Bauer brand of car seat, travel system, or pack-n-play? They caught my eye so I'm just wondering.

Have a great Wednesday!

7 comments commented:

Anonymous said...

LOVE the nursery!!!!!

Mainly a midwife said...

eeek!!! I'm so excited for you. Love your bedding choice. Little girls are so much fun to play with, shop with and do big girl things with AND they do have a very special place in their daddy's hearts. I love the book by Staci and John Eldridge called Captivating! It's all about the daddy-daughter relationship. I'm so happy for you Jamie! congrats!!

forever folding laundry said...

The bedding is so sweet! I really like it.

(Is it just me, or was that kind of a weird thing the ultrasound tech said to you about 'it would have been nice to have boy'?)

Dahlia said...

Love the bedding! Painting the room more neutral is good as well, in case the next one isn't a girl and you want to put him in that room!

As for car seats, I'm a totally car seat geek and have researched them to death! So ask away if you have questions. For the travel system (baby bucket) type carseat I would really recommend a snugride or snugride32. They really get good ratings and recommendations from carseat techs. Just make sure it has a front adjuster, as the back ones are a real pain and you will be tightening and loosening the harness all the time. I wouldn't recommend the Evenflo. They aren't very good about recalling (they want proof of children dying before they will) and their fixes have been terrible. I know others like the chicco key fits and peg perego, but I think they are more expensive.

As for the convertible carseat (which goes rearfacing to forward facing for older baby/toddler), don't buy it yet. They expire after 6 years (most of them) so you'd just be wasting good time that the seat isnt' being used. That being said, I would HIGHLY recommend not getting the Eddie Bauer 3 in 1. They only harness to 40 lbs, have low harness slots, and make terrible boosters. I'd recommend looking at the Compass True Fit (a new model comes out in a couple of months), Britax Marathon or Boulevard, Sunshine Kids Radian (this one is good for 8 years) or Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE if you want something that will easily last you to booster age. If you want a cheaper seat that will get you to 40lbs and then you can buy a forward facing higher weight harnessing seat, get the cosco scenera. It will harness as long as the eddie bauer 3 in ones, and nearly 1/3 the price.

The other thing to know is that Ikea in renton has free car seat inspections the last wednesday of the month. When you get a seat you can take it down there and get a tech to show you how to instal it properly. Since something like 80% of car seats are installed improperly, and the most dangerous thing most kids do on a daily basis is ride in the car, I highly recommend having it checked/getting help. And it's free! I've taken the boys seats in and they were really nicea nd helpful. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/seattle/environment

The Bridges said...

So cute! I'm glad you're having a girl too! Target has adorable things right now that should match your theme.

Diane said...

Super cute bird bedding! Great find.

I can't tell you how many times I cried at commercials when I was pregnant. My best friend and I laugh (and still cry) at tender phone commercials. Your emotional level reduces by about 35% after you have the baby, but you'll always be a softie now :)

Becca said...

We bought the EB Deluxe Convertible Car Seat at Target, and I'm actually not as thrilled as I'd hoped. We tried it out in the store, and my only gripe is with the headrest and back support. The headrest sticks out too far forward causing her head to tilt forward slightly, and there isn't enough back support to keep her head from falling forward when she falls asleep. Now I wish we would've bought one that reclines. When we travel, I have to put a pillow by her side so her neck doesn't cramp up from leaning forward! I already put a small travel pillow behind her back, and it's helped some. Here's the link to see a picture: http://www.target.com/Eddie-Bauer-Deluxe-Convertible-Seat/dp/B0010754JY/ref=sc_iw_r_1_0/175-5229766-5924424.

The other features are great...seat belt adjusters, detachable cup holder, should strap adjusters, etc., but I can't say I recommend it overall.