Obsessively shopping for baby

Y'all, there is just way too much cute stuff in this world for babies.

Last week we got our stroller and carseat, swing and some other stuff at a huge consignment sale called JBF (Just Between Friends). It's held twice yearly and people take their stuff there to sell from all around the area. It started last Sunday and we didn't get there until Thursday so we didn't expect much from it. So as we're walking in, and there she sits -- the exact stroller that we have on our registry...same color and style and brand. I thought to myself, this is way too good to be true. We checked it out -- "kick the tires" if you will -- and didn't see a flaw or stain on the thing. The note said the seller's baby grew out of it too quickly and they didn't use it more than 6 or 7 times.

It's a travel system where the car seat fits into the stroller, but then it is a regular stroller after he gets bigger than 22 lbs. I have no idea when that'll be because I know nothing whatsoever about babies. But I do know that this is like, the mid-range sedan of baby strollers. I am going to say the "Caddy" of strollers because clearly it's not, but it does turn on a dime and folds up REALLY easily (with one hand).

The best part was that this stroller retails for over $300 and we got it for $200! It was a steal.

We also got a baby swing:

Luke, if you're reading this later, let me tell you how much your Daddy LOVES zebras. It's his favorite non-domestic animal and there is a zebra right there on the tray, so he felt that it spoke to him. It also has jungle critters all over and matches our monkey pack-n-play. This is a Graco swing with 6 settings, nature sounds and classical music sounds. It retails for probably $80 to $100 and we got it for $40!

We also picked up some cheap Christmas stuff, since he'll be around 1 month at Christmas:

STUPID CUTE. Look at the little fake boots! Now all we need is a santa hat!

Also stupid cute! Two bibs for the holidays and that little hat was only 50 cents. I have a plan for that hat and his newborn pictures...stay tuned.

We are pretty much good to go on clothes, so the only other thing I found at the sale was a little sleeper that was $1. We also found a diaper warmer for $8, some little toys and some safety equipment (latches and that kind of thing). All together we spent $289, which is less than JUST the stroller retail! I think we made out!

Week 31 doctor's appointment

I just got back from my bi-monthly doctor's appointment and all is well. My blood pressure was up at the beginning of the appointment, but then dropped substantially by the end. I think I just get nervous about the appointment (even though I know what's going to happen) and then calm down by the end. I have to tell them that every time. I think it's weird that they can remember my jewelry or shoes, but not something like that! But I can't complain because the staff at my clinic are really amazing people. I gained I think two pounds. I can't remember what my weight was last time, but if I remember correctly, I was 2 pounds more today. Notice I don't put my weight on here. I'm not that bold!

I didn't have any swelling and really haven't much at all. Sometimes when I get hot or I haven't drank enough water, my feet get a little swollen, but overall I've been feeling good as far as that goes. She put the doppler on my belly to hear his heartbeat and as usual, he squirmed. He really shows his personality when she does this. He will move away from it and she has to literally push on my belly and pin him against the doppler, then his heart speeds up like he's mad. I would be mad too if my room suddenly got smaller! I mean honestly, I get mad when Kelsey is "in my space" in our queen sized bed! So he's moody like his Mom, I guess. She said she could feel some kicks from "an extremity" and she couldn't feel his head at the top, so looks like he's pointing toward the exit (although he still has lots of room to move around and she said he still flip flops a lot, most likely).

As far as that goes, Luke is moving around pretty much all the time. Starting probably Sunday night until this morning, he was moving constantly. it's not just kicks, either, it's full turns. I'd really love to know what he's doing in there!  I also wish I could find out how big he is. There are just so many questions I still have, like what he looks like, when he'll get here, how big he'll be. It's a lesson in patience, that's for sure!

I've been feeling really good so far.It's starting to get a little more difficult to get out of chairs and turn over in bed. Sometimes I'll drop something and wonder if it's worth it to pick it up. But I really can't complain..I've had a really healthy pregnancy so far and haven't experienced many of the really bad symptoms (yet) that other women have. Maybe that makes up for the rough first three months! I haven't had many cravings, although I'm starting to notice a little food aversion popping back up -- things will smell "off" or bad to me that I liked before. I still crave sweets of all kinds, so I'm thankful my glucose was normal! That would have been bad news bears. Today's specific craving is hash browns..how weird is that?

Here is my week 31 picture, and thanks to "Aunt Sis" (I keep wanting to call her that) for reminding me about it!

I feel like I look like a house! But dresses always make me look bigger, I think. The arm is strategically placed to minimize flab. Mom didn't raise no dummy.

30 weeks and an ultrasound

Tomorrow marks my 30th week of pregnancy. My due date used to be November 27, but at the last ultrasound they told us it was November 25, which means he's officially due on Thanksgiving day (sorry buddy, guess Mommy and Daddy didn't think about that). I'm sure he'll at some point in his life have a birthday on Thanksgiving, which is sort of crappy, but the upside is he'll probably get the day of from school for his birthday!

Last Thursday (at 29 weeks) was my ultrasound to check his weight. Last time they told us he was on the "light side" and that's why we had to come back for this one. By the way, the hospital charges $1400 for a level 2 ultrasound! That's just ridiculous, especially since the residents were basically using it as a teaching tool. Anyway, we aren't responsible for all that, but just glad we have insurance. So last week's ultrasound was at my regular doctor's office with a tech. She said he was doing great. He had all his parts growing well, the heart was strong and kidneys were doing their thing. We got to watch him move around a little which was so fun. He was folded in half with his legs over top of his head, and sucking on his little fingers:

The best part was that we learned he's in the 50th percentile, so he's a normal little baby! It's comforting to know he's growing like he should and doing all the things he needs to be doing.

I'm feeling him move all the time now. The first thing he does is kick me in the belly to wake me up and the last thing he does is kick me to sleep. Kelsey can see him move around from the outside now. The first time he saw it he freaked out a little, because it is sort of an unusual phenomenon. He said it looked like an alien was going to pop out! Well, that's sort of true. Except it wont' pop out THROUGH my stomach.

Yesterday I had my regular check-up and it was more good news. My blood pressure was up at the last couple of appointments, but yesterday it was nice and low. I had only gained one pound since last week. Added to the last appointment, I've only gained 2 pounds in the last month, so I was happy about that. I am not as hungry as I was earlier in my second trimester. I mean it used to be that I couldn't stop eating to save my life, but now I can stop after breakfast and lunch and have a sensible dinner with a few snacks in between. I don't need that late night bowl of cereal anymore to get me through the night either! My doctor gave me a Z-Pack because I've been fighting a cold for over a week, but besides that said everything looked great. I feel very blessed so far to have a healthy pregnancy!

Some SERIOUS Monkeying Around

Sarah here, hijacking this baby blog once again to report on Amanda's first baby shower.  I knew I wanted to throw a monkey-themed shower and, thanks to my good friend GOOGLE, I found the most perfect baby invitations from this place called Naptime Productions.

How cute are these? We had numerous discussions over this past weekend over which baby monkey is our favorite (mine is the one on top, holding his toes).  I used leftover invitations as decorations for the garland and cake.

Then my mom found these really cute plates and napkins.  At first, should could only find "It's a Girl" pink monkey plates, but found 1 set of "It's a Boy" blue monkey plates.

There were 2 parts to the baby shower. The first part was the live-and-in-person shower.  It was a small gathering, which was perfect for Amanda because she doesn't like a TON of attention on herself.  We ate sub sandwiches, fruit, chips and cake; played a few baby shower games; and opened lots of presents.

The second part of the shower was a virtual shower.  Our mom wasn't able to come to the shower, but we wanted her to feel like she was there, We set up Amanda's laptop and broadcast the baby shower on uStream, just like Chad Ochocinco used on The Ultimate Catch. We had people from all over the world watching the baby shower, including our parents in Cincinnati, Kelsey's parents in West Virginia, and our friends Dave and Ami in England.

Here is the set up for the virtual part of the shower. I had my laptop set up to chat with our online guests, and my phone beside me the whole time texting with my mom.  I think both parts of the shower were a big success.  My favorite part of the night was when my husband texted me a quote from my mom: "This is priceless" proving that even 800 miles apart, my family can do some serious monkeying around.

Week 28 (?) Bump Pictures

Amanda's sister, Sarah, here. I'm hijacking this blog for the next couple days while Amanda recuperates from a cold. I hear that a pregnancy cold is the second worst illness in the world, only to be topped by the Bieber Fever.

I visited with Amanda over Labor Day weekend and hosted her first baby shower.  It was so great to see Sister's growing bump and to FEEL my little nephew kicking! I hadn't seen her since our cruise in June, so her belly was quite a bit bigger.  ALSO, did you know pregnant ladies get dark lines on their belly? It was the strangest thing to see on MY sister's belly.

I told both Amanda and Kelsey that they needed to get in a better habit of taking baby bump pictures.  I want to see the weekly progress because I'm not there to see the progress in person. Who knows, there might be a baby bump scrapbook in their future!! I'm going to start sending them weekly reminders, but I am officially declaring Wednesdays as BUMP day. To get them started, here are some bump pictures from this weekend (week 28 according to the LilyPie).