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A mango-sized secret, to be exact. Ben and I are having a baby!!! I'm 19 weeks along, so almost halfway (our due date is August 7th). We just had our anatomy ultrasound on Monday, and it was SO fun to see our baby in there, waving and kicking around. And we found out the gender too! It's a...
BOY!!!
We totally guessed it, based on a few old wives' tales: I never got morning sickness, the baby was sitting low in my belly, his heart beat was under 140, and I've been craving sour things instead of sweet (grapefruit is my new favorite). We're thrilled to be having a boy! Well, we'd have been happy either way...but it's nice to know what it (he!) is.
So far, pregnancy has been good to me overall. The main thing I've noticed (besides my growing belly, of course) is that I'm more tired and I have to pee a lot. It's been weird and fun to feel my body change and know that it's because there's a little babe growing in there!
I know our lives are about to change a lot, and I'm trying to soak in as much Ben-and-me time as possible, and take advantage of sleeping in whenever I can. We're also starting to plan a babymoon and of course we have a lot of other things to figure out before the baby comes--buy a house or keep renting, set up the nursery, buy all the gear we need, pick a name (!!!), etc. On the one hand, I feel like I need more time to get ready. But on the other hand, I'm really eager to meet our little one, and August can't come soon enough!
Those of you that have babies, any advice for us? Anything you wish you would have done while you were pregnant, before the baby came? Any suggestions for baby companies and brands to check out? Names? Must-have baby gear? I'll probably do some more specific posts in the future, but I'd love to start gathering suggestions.
P.S. In case you were worried, no I didn't drink any of the cocktails from my Chambord party...I just ate almost all the macarons and half the cake, that's all :)
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I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU! I wish I could hug you. You're in for some serious love. I have a 6-year-old boy. I'm happy he was a boy. The mother-son bond is so special. My advice for pregnancy is to enjoy it. Don't get swept away by the to-do list, the logistical preparation, the worrying, all of that. Try to just enjoy it. And when your sweet baby is born...enjoy that, too! xo
Awww, thank you Katie! ((((HUGS!)))) I am definitely the type of person who could get caught up in to-do lists so thanks for the very practical advice. I will do my best to slow down and enjoy part of this!
congratulations!!! everyone tells you that time flies and IT IS SO TRUE. enjoy every single late night wake because when they are sleeping through the night you'll wish they would wake up every once and a while to cuddle with you. enjoy the new baby smell too because one day, it's just gone and you don't realize it and then it is sad.
my advice pre baby would be to hire someone to clean your house right before the baby comes and then periodic cleanings after that.
as far as baby gear--I LOVE the organic aden and anais swaddle pack (the larger sized ones). I knew that even if the baby cuddled his face into the blanket, it wouldn't suffocate him. Our favorite toy (the baby and me and my hubands) is the oball baby rattle. It is light weight, easy to grip and fun to play with at any age.
the biggest thing i've learned thus far (my baby is almost 1--waaaah) is that the baby will adapt to what you allow them to adapt to. one example would be, i never tried to keep the noise down when the baby was sleeping and now he can sleep through anything and fall asleep anywhere!
Thanks, Caslyn! I've heard the same advice about soaking in every stage (and enjoying the newborn smell while it lasts!)
I also loooove your advice to pay someone else to clean our house. We'll see if we can swing it. And I really like what you said about the baby adapting to the environment you put them in. I definitely want our baby to be able to sleep through some noise! Glad to hear that worked out well for you.
Congrats! My baby boy is four months now. IKEA has an okay looking baby gym (LEKA), and I've been raving to everyone about the Keekaroo peanut change pad - it's fantastic!
Aww, congrats to YOU! I will look into both of those items...thanks so much, Chelsie!
OMG! OMG! OMG! Congratulations!!!!! My daughter is now 2 years old and she has taught me love so fierce I never knew it existed. It's amazing.
I wrote a blog post a while back on my top ten items, here it is: http://oursweetenedlife.com/?p=3813
I would say the video monitor is a must (I seriously don't know how mom's did it without the video monitor!), the Ergo is a MUST (baby wearing is wonderful bonding, PLUS you can get things done), and the Bravado nursing bra is you plan to BF. We also stocked up on cases of various sizes of diapers. Newborns lasted a week. But we had cases of 1s, 2s, and 3s. It helps! Also, I think whenever we have #2, I'll get one of those thermometers that you roll across their forehead. My daughter hated the under the arm kind and the other is so convenient. Definitely get that too!
And while you have time, as it got closer, I stocked our freezer with soups/baked pasta dishes/etc, so that we didn't have to cook for a while. That was a major help in the beginning when you both are trying to figure out what you're doing, before you settle into a groove.
I'm SO HAPPY for you guys! I hope we get to see more bump updates as you progress!
XOXOX
Dianna! You're so sweet. Thanks so much for your excitement and advice. It means a lot! I will DEFINITELY read through your post on your top ten items. And I'll do my best to stock our freezer beforehand! That's a really great idea.
Also, YES, I will try to get myself in front of the camera more to document how the bump progresses!
Ahhh! I'm so excited for you!! I just had my third 6 weeks ago so I feel like I have lots of advice.
Baby gear- register for nuetral stuff. Like ppl register for a $400 hot pink stroller and then they get upset when they have to buy a new stroller for their second. So big pieces go nuetral. Love our moby wrap, love the ikea modern high chair, it's just silver and white and not too loud baby colors and it takes up only a small amount of room. I think it's $20? Crazy. If you are going to nurse you can get a pump through insurance for free! Carters has the cutest baby clothes for reasonable prices.
Are u planning to go back to work? How much maternity leave will you take??
Yay I'm excited for you guys.
Aww, thanks Jen!!! Congrats on having your third!!!
That's such great advice about getting neutral stuff, especially for the big pieces. WILL DO. And I hadn't heard about getting a pump through insurance! I'll definitely look into that--awesome.
The plan is for me to go back to work, yes. I'm taking 3 months of maternity leave! And Ben is taking paternity leave too. We can't wait. :)
I am so happy :)! You look beautiful! So fun to see you as a mommy. You guys are amazing that you could keep this a secret for so long. Great job!! My advice is to enjoy every day. The only must haves are diapers and blankets. Other than that, the rest is optional until he's mobile. You will receive LOTS of advice. Stay one with your hubby, and stay happy. You will do well. Lots of hearts and smiley emoji....Debbie.
Thank you so much, Debbie! My belly is definitely starting to show, so we figured it was time to spill the beans, haha. :) Thanks for the advice too!
Congratulations! I've found with having kids that the quote "the days are long, but the years are short" is so very true!
Ahh, I can totally see that! I already feel like time is speeding up...
From the very beginning set up date nights. Ask friends, family neighbours to watch the baby so you can have at least an hour together to grab a coffee, eat out, take a walk, and remember why you got married. It's very tough to do this, at first, but it is very important to carve out time for each other. I've seen many marriages faulter because the wife got all consumed with the children. This was the best advice I received 40 years ago, I used it and am now passing it on. Good luck to you both.
Love this advice, Mary! I've heard the same. Happy parents = happy kids. I definitely want to make sure we keep our marriage and relationship a priority!
I am a mother of five, and a grandmother. It is so much fun to shop for baby things, but think hard about it. A baby is small for so little time, and really needs very little. Unless you live in a giant mansion, you will hear your baby cry - no need for a monitor. He can lie on a blanket on the floor; you can change him on a pad on your bed. Especially if you want to buy a house soon, I would suggest you look at all the cute/cool/ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL stuff, add up what it would cost, and put that amount into your house fund. I recommend you check out this page on my favorite personal finance blog, Mr Money Mustache: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/09/mrs-money-mustache-what-do-newborn-babies-really-need/
My personal peeve? Those seats that come out of the car and into the grocery cart, etc. It is waaay easier to carry a baby than one of those things, and babies benefit from moving and being moved. Sorry if this is a rant; I just hate to see young parents thinking that so many things are needed. All the baby really needs is you.
Hi Karla, Thanks for sharing your thoughts! That's actually very encouraging to hear that all the "stuff" isn't necessarily important. It's definitely fun to shop for, but can be overwhelming too. So it's great to be reminded that the baby really just needs its parents :)
OMG AILEEN!! This is amazing news!!!! I'm so so happy for you, congrats! No advice here, just a ton of excitement <3.
Awww thanks, Amy!!!! We're super happy about it too :) xoxo