Tuesday, January 18, 2011

"How can someone so little need so much stuff?"



Two weekends ago Adam and I had the pleasure of registering for Baby Spoor, and let me tell you, registering has [so far] been one of the most stressful experiences of my pregnancy. Pottery Barn Kids was easy, however Babies R Us has got to be the most overwhelming store I've ever been in. Don't get me wrong -- it's fun when you're shopping for someone else's baby -- but when you're there for your own it's a little intimidating. I had been doing research for about a month prior on certain cribs, swings, car seats, strollers, etc, and I swear none of my research seemed to help. Questions starting pouring through my mind, like, How do we know she'll like that pacifier? There are 30 infant car seats to choose from, which one will be best for her? Does she really NEED a bathtub, or can we stick her in ours? What if she's too big for those clothes? What if she's too small? Huggies or Pampers? The options are endless. We ended up going through the five-page recommended "must-haves" and making some decisions on the spot, while leaving others to register for later. Since then we've spent countless hours online looking at Consumer Reports, user reviews, and recalls, and as of yesterday we've finally completed our registry! Perhaps we put TOO MUCH effort into this process, but I feel good with our choices and know that if we hadn't gone through these motions I'd probably second guess myself for months to come. It's amazing how much stuff one little person will need in the first few months of their life.

One of the most interesting things we've been doing is asking every mother or father to name three things they could not live without with a newborn, and oddly enough the most common item listed has been the diaper genie. Don't get me wrong, I think the diaper genie seems wonderful, and had we not previously had a "Litter Locker" for our kitties we would probably be registering for one. The Litter Locker was great because you could scoop and not have to walk downstairs and outside to the trashcan everytime you cleaned the box out, however the downside is that all of that crap [literally] molds into the bags, and when you go to completely change out the bags once a week, you're hit in the face with the most overwhelming disgusting smell in the world. NOT OKAY. Adam and I both agree that it's much more worth it to us to scoop and walk a target bag out to the trash can once a day than to ever have to smell that smell again. [Needless to say, we decided against the diaper genie.] Some other common items that people couldn't live without were the pack and play, a baby bjorn, and bottle warmers, all of which we are now registered for. I think we may have gone a little overboard on the bibs, bottles [we chose three different kinds to try out], and towels, but hey to each their own. I will forever be grateful to my girlfriends Shanna, Hailey, Katie, Meredith, and Meridee for allowing me to bombard them with an overwhelming number of questions during this process -- you girls are LIFESAVERS!!


It feels good to finally have this behind us, and to now be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of our "alone time" together. I'm twenty-eight weeks today, and it's becoming even more real that in just twelve weeks time I will have my little miracle in my arms. Until next time....

Sunday, January 2, 2011

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.

HELLO 2011! With the New Year upon us I figured there was no better time than the present for a new blog. Don't get me wrong, squarespace was very good to me in 2010, however with a new baby arriving in a few months we're taking every opportunity to save a little dough. 

That being said [and for those who are new to this blog], yes, we are expecting a little girl in April! This is our first child and we couldn't be more excited. The past few months have changed us greatly, namely in wanting to simplify our life as much as possible while we still can. Starting a family is going to be a wonderful challenge for us, one that we're ready to take head on. 

2010 was a pretty spectacular year, therefore 2011 has a lot of owning up to do. Some of the highlights of 2010 were: 

     January
  • Turned 27 and spent the evening with the most amazing friends!



     February
  • Spent Valentine's Day with my husband and my parents at Morton's Steakhouse. Hands down the best meal I ate all year. 

     March
  • Anniversary trip to Disneyland! Three nights in an amazing hotel with the love of my life. 
  • Went to see the musical Wicked for the first time... such a phenomenal show!
  • Attended my first Sharks game!! If only San Jose was closer I'd become a regular. 
    
     April
  • Hot Country Nights concert in Oakland. Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Dierks Bentley all under the same roof. Love <3
  • Attended the Brooks and Dunn Last Rodeo Tour with my mama. We were three rows from the stage, and they performed for almost three hours. A night I will truly never forget. 

    
May
  • Walked for Breast Cancer on Mother's day with my mom, mother-in-law, and both families. Such a moving experience. 
  • Met the most wonderful girl from Italy, Elisa, leading me to have a pen-pal halfway around the world. 
  • Went to see Wicked.... again!

    
June
  • Got HORRIBLY sunburnt. [How in the world did this make the list?]

    
July
  • Met my niece for the first time! 
  • One of my closest and oldest girlfriends, Katie, welcomed her little boy Brandon into the world! 
  • Went to the state fair [only my favorite place to eat in the entire world]. 

    
August
  • Discovered we were pregnant! 

    
September
  • My best friend Shanna welcomed her little girl Taylor into the world! I pulled an all-nighter and waited at the hospital until she was born. Such a moving experience!
  • Went to my first [and last] 49ers game. They lost [of course]. And that stadium is G-H-E-T-T-O.

    
October
  • Went to a World Series playoff game [and watched my Giants kick some Phillies ass]!

    
November
  • GIANTS WIN THE WORLD SERIES! 
  • Drove 2800 miles [through seven states] with my hubby to visit his brother and family in Denver. Note to self - New Mexico is the most boring state EVER. 

    
December
  • My baby sister got her Masters!
  • Spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the most wonderful families in the world.

I have never been more excited for a year to start, and knowing I will be a mommy in a few months is even more bittersweet. Here's to 2011 being the best year ever!