Seventeen Weeks

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I am seventeen weeks pregnant and in full nest mode! This week I am working with my mom on getting the baby's room ready. Right now it's used as our office. But soon it will be ready for baby (although one side of the room will still be used as an office until next summer). I have made some more decisions about the gear we need and have updated my registry with Amazon.com .

We're going with BabyMod Cadence 4-in-1 crib in Honey Oak and Colgate Classica I Foam Crib Mattress in White. Both are rated well for safety and fit our budget. Now the question is...do we order them soon? I chose Honey Oak for the crib since it matches some other furniture we already own that we're re-purposing for the nursery. I also like that it is non-drop side...safer for baby and fine for us...we're tall (I am 5'9" and Mr. Divasaur is 6'3").

What's super cool about the Amazon Registry is this Universal Wish Registry application that allows you to add any item, from any retail web site to your registry at Amazon! So I've used it to add Indian Cotton Prefolds from CottonBabies.com to my registry. Too cool!

And here's my first bump pic (since "popping" last week):

I am rocking the glasses 24/7 now because my eyeballs are rejecting my contact lenses.

Good thing I got some great deals on gently used maternity wear from eBay and last weekend at the Just Between Friends event. While there, I picked up two pairs of jeans, a pair of black slacks for work and 3 work tops for $65! Once the weather cools off a bit I will definitely be sporting it all. Let's just say that Politisaur's last post has scared the hell out of me! Thankfully, I am feeling more energized and have no more nausea, so I can get on my treadmill. My goal is to do 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace (about 2 miles/hour) at least 3-4 times a week. Oddly enough, even though my belly has expanded, I am still three pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight.

By the way, I highly recommend Just Between Friends. It was very cool...I got in early as a first-time mom and took my mom with me. We were there for three hours! The first hour I swore off all things "girlie" but by the end I had broken down and did get some newborn and 0-3 outfits that are definitely for a girl. The prices were so good (many items were lots of 2-3 things for $4-$5) I figured if, by chance, it turns out that we're not having a girl (we should know for sure at our Big U/S on 09.11.09) that I could always resell them at the next JBF event. Oh and I got the cutest little boots that look like pale pink Ugg Boots! What else?

A red snowsuit from the Gap (can be used for a girl or a boy and a must-have for our chilly February and March weather here); a Boppy Pillow; a My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow; a bunch of crib sheets, swaddling blankets and blanket sleepers; a Lionheart Wipes Warmer (still in the box); baby bath towels; lap pads (waterproof); five footed sleepers; and about eight one-piece daytime outfits and a couple of two-piece outfits. All for about $150! So I am set when it comes to the baby's newborn layette. No clothing needed until 3-6 months and beyond! This Saturday is the last day and everything will be 50% off so we may go back and try to snag a bottle warmer for cheap and a car seat stroller frame. They had them there for as little as $25!

While researching baby gear, it also dawned on me that I would like a collection of books for our children that include our favorites but that also include some stories with characters/families that look like us (interracial). Sadly, there's not a ton out there! But I did find this:

Black, White, Just Right! by Marguerite W. Davol

I added it to our registry, along with some other books that I like. I want our kids to love books and reading and we plan to ready to them every night as part of their bedtime routine. We'll utilize the local public library too, but I would like a small collection of books that we own at home.

So our Little Being is all set! Here's what's happening with her this week:

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Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.