Baby Buys

Some cool stuff we've bought. 

We've been buying for baby! Here are some of the things, big and small, that we have acquired over the last month or so. The UPS man is always at our house :) 

1. Flip Mino HD 16GB- We have had a Flip for as long as I can remember and it's always been our go-to video camera of choice. Last night Cole was "reading" this book he memorized and it was ADORABLE... the camera taped everything but when we went back to watch it, the sound was muffled and static-y! We looked at each other like "no way is this ever happening again!!!!" and today I splurged on a new one with 4 times as much memory and it's HD. No more ruined memories for us... especially with this new baby on the way! 

2. Aden+ Anais Swaddle Blankets- they're made of muslin, soft, and HUGE. Perfect for wrapping the baby and for cleaning up baby barf. I have never used these before but they're supposedly awesome (and they better be for the $$, holy crap!). Hopefully worth the splurge! 

3. Vulli Sophie Teether- another fad in the baby world... Everybody and their mother has one and raves about it so  I was lucky that my mama picked one up for us. Ours is the teething ring version and I know it will come in handy someday when our kid has some teeth!

4.Gownie Delivery Gown- How cute is this? So much better than the nasty ones I wore when Cole was born. I am actually tempted to buy another one because I'll be in the hospital for a few days. My friend Jessica tipped me off to these and I feel in loooove. Thanks, Jess! 

5. Boon Lawn Countertop Drying Rack- I fell in love with this on Amazon.com and then even more so when it arrived. It's a bottle/sippy cup drying rack and it's awesome! We're using it already for Cole's cups , silverware, medicine syringes, etc. It is really cool and you need to get one! 

6. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags- nothing super special about these other than the fact that if you're looking for storage check on Amazon because they definitely have the best deals for buying these in bulk. Why I can't keep breastmilk in a regular sandwich bag is beyond me and I think it's crazy how expensive milk storage is! Regardless, buy them on Amazon, they're the cheapest!

7. Infant Optics Video Baby Monitor- Buying this was a big risk. It's over $100 cheaper than the Summer Infant monitor we had with Cole so I was a little worried it was going to be a piece of junk... WRONG! It is really awesome and you can even add 3 additional cameras to watch other rooms in your house. We have the one camera now and as soon as our old monitor completely gives out, we'll be buying another so we can watch both kids on the same device. 

8. Baby Jogger City Select Stroller- This thing was an investment that we've already been enjoying with Cole. There are about 20 different ways you can customize this stroller to fit your needs. It has an infant carseat adapter so we'll be able to use it for both kiddos right from the start. When the baby is bigger, we'll buy the second seat attachment. The only drawback to this thing is the pricetag. We are going to build on it in stages because everything is a la carte. Kind of annoying but if you like to spend money a little bit at a time like I do, it works. It's a smooth ride, very sturdy, and has some cool safety features that others don't have. 

Everything mentioned above is available at amazon.com! I purchased the stroller through Albeebaby.com (because they're almost always less expensive for big ticket items!) 

Easter and some others…

We’re all sick around here this weekend so I have time to make a little post…Don’t have much to report but I am now 34 weeks pregnant and SUPER uncomfortable. I feel pretty unprepared for this baby and I just know I am not going to make it till my scheduled c-section on May 21st! I need to get my butt in gear this week and pack a bag, finish the nursery, and get lots of last minute things scheduled before it’s too late! I’m hiring a maid for a one-time deep cleaning because I just can’t clean anymore and we’re also getting the carpets shampooed! Full time job and toddler leave me no time to do this stuff by myself so it’s time to outsource. Enjoy these pics (grandmas) from the last couple of weeks!

 

Spring time :)

It’s finally spring time! I have been waiting for this for a million years, it feels like! It’s depressing being stuck inside but now that we can get back to our “normal” routine of going to the beach and playing outside, I feel more energy and I am generally in a better mood… Which is crucial for an extremely pregnant person such as myself. We have been having lots of outdoor fun the last week and I just thought I would share some photos. Here’s one of us from today. It’s hard to believe that in a couple of weeks we’ll be a family of four! Don’t mind Cole’s nasty little face… .  

II took a few shots the other night after dinner. Chad and Cole have this “thing” about going to see the lake in our backyard. They go every morning before he goes to school and on the nights he’s not working, Chad always takes him back there to see the ducks.

We also took a trip to the beach the other night… just the 3 of us. It looks like we had a good time by these pictures, but really, it kind was kind of a fail. Cole was out of control and kept running away from us so we only stayed about a half hour.

These are from a few weeks ago… Chad and Cole went home to atlanta for a short visit and this was me (crying) saying goodbye to them.

 

I am going to try to take lots of pictures between now and when the baby comes. Everyday I get sad thinking about how Cole won’t be an only child anymore and I feel guilty that I’ll be dividing my attention between him and the new little one… is that normal? I hope. I am an emotional disaster lately thinking about all of the changes coming our way in the next few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I am SO excited about the baby, but very worried about how it will affect Cole. I am hoping everyone is right when they say that our new baby will fit right in, it’s just so hard to imagine. I pray that I can be as good a mom to both kids as I try to be with just one! Sorry for rambling. Hope the grandmas enjoy the new photos :)

30 weeks

I am almost there!!!

I am still here, I promise!!!

What a crazy few weeks it has been! I have a chance to catch up because Chad and Cole took a weekend visit back to Atlanta to see family before the new baby's big arrival! I would have gone with them, but I was blessed to have gotten another promotion at work and didn't want to take time off. Gotta save as much time as I can to cuddle with my new little bean this summer, ya know!? :) I am happy they get to have their last little road trip (just the 2 of them) before the baby gets here. I know our Kennesaw family is excited to have them there :) 
I have been super busy with work and trying to get the new nursery put together. I will give you a tour when it's finished- I am allllllmost there. Putting together a gender-neutral nursery is a little more challenging than I anticipated but it's getting there. My mom was here a few weeks ago to help me paint and restore an old dresser and I am so excited about how everything is turning out.
Update on the boys: they're both doing awesome! Cole turned 2 and a half and he's just growing like a weed. He is a very happy little guy and LOVES his school, friends, and teachers. This summer he'll start the preschool program and I just can't believe how big he's getting! He talks constantly and always surprises us with how much he's learning and understanding. I'm not quite sure he knows what's coming with the new baby but we have been doing our best to tell him things to get him excited. Chad is doing really well, also. He is still working the night shift and going to school full time. He seems to really enjoy his job and his friends at work. He just finished his finals for the first half of the semester (they're on 8 week terms) and he got all A's again! Good thing he doesn't read my blog or he'd be embarrassed that I bragged on him. We're so thankful for the post 9/11 GI bill and the opportunity it's giving him to work and go to school full-time.. huge blessing for sure!
As for Baby and I, we're hanging in...I am getting really uncomfortable and HUGE so May can't come soon enough. I have an appointment on Monday for 30 weeks and then every 2 weeks I'll have ultrasounds to monitor growth and fluid levels. I can't wait to hold this baby and find out for sure what he/she looks like! I am going to continue working as long as possible- basically until you can "see the head!" I am going to make sure I spend every precious minute of my maternity leave with the baby so don't be surprised if you hear that my water breaks at the Marriott come May! Just last night I had a dream that I went into labor at work and my boss had to drive me to the hospital as Chad rushed to meet me there! Luckily for me the hospital is 5 minutes from the house and 1/2 a mile from the office! As far as the birth goes... C-section or VBAC still up in the air...lots of unknowns to factor in so we'll see. I am praying to push and have my friend do birth photos for us! Remember, this is Chad's "first" birth so it will be every bit as amazing as when Cole was born. I am so blessed to have him home with me this time! I need to dump my iPhone pictures from the last few weeks so here ya go! Hope everyone is having a good week! 

 playing in the backyard before school...

 A flower picked for me by my boy

 My boy as a wee little squish.

 big boy reading Davy Crockett

 smiley boy in my bed

 beautiful boy

 this was 2 weeks ago at 28 weeks

 playtime with daddy

 tiger hat

 nursery curtains made by me

 sleeping with daddy 

 time with pops

check up

 play-do snowmen

dino bath time