Starting to get excited

It is starting to settle in that I am having a girl. I am not the over-the-top, everything must be pink and frilly kind of mom, but I am starting to get excited about all the girl things that I never thought I would be excited about. It has been a rough week pregnancy-wise. Dreaming about all the things that I will be able to do with our little girl really has helped me stay sane.

I feel my little girl kicking inside and I think about all the fun I am going to have with her. How exciting it will be to see her go off to her first Daddy/Daughter dance, to watch her get her hair done for prom, to shop for her wedding dress. I know all those things are so far off, but I am excited for them all. I love have\ing a son, but I am starting to get excited for all the different things that she and I will be able to do that just won't be the same with Calan. 

I am even enjoying getting cute baby girl clothes. I stopped by a mom-to-mom sale last weekend to find Calan some much needed pajamas, but I couldn't help myself to some adorable girl items too. Boy clothes have come along way and are pretty adorable, but let's be honest, there is nothing like little baby girl clothes. They melt your heart.

Our little sweetheart will be here in about 114 days (not like I am counting or anything). I can't wait. Now that my excitement level is up, I know that it is going to be a long wait, but a wait well worth it!

Breastfeeding doll?? Umm. Not so sure about that

Have you guys heard of this? A breastfeeding doll. It was released in Spain 2 years ago and now is being released in the US. My first response was "Seriously!" and then it was "No Way!" and then it was "Is there a market for this?"

Here is the article I read about it:

Parents' fury as 'totally inappropriate' breastfeeding doll for young girls goes on sale in the U.S. 

A cloth diapering blog I follow posted the link on Facebook and it was kind of interesting reading some of the comments women had on it. First though I should tell you that the cloth diapering world is very pro-breastfeeding and living a natural life. But their comments made me wonder why I was so disgusted by the idea of a doll marketed to breastfeed. 

One woman commented that her daughter did not need a special doll to breastfeed. The daughter would see the mother breastfeed her baby brother and mimic it with her own doll. That comment made me wonder how many other little girls would do the same thing. Kids want to mimic their parents, so if you are a breastfeeding mother, wouldn't it be natural for your child to mimic you?

Other women commented on why was a breastfeeding doll not OK, but a over the top sexy  Barbie Dolls and those Bratz dolls (which I personally can't stand) are OK?

Why does breastfeeding make people cringe so much? I breastfed Calan and yet, it still kind of makes me cringe. I would definitely stare if I saw a woman breastfeeding in public, but a woman feeding her baby with a bottle I would not think twice about. Why is that? What in our society has made breastfeeding a taboo thing? Isn't it one of the most natural and best things we can do for our children? 

Could this doll or ones like it help change the taboo label? 

Not sure that a $100 doll is the answer, but not sure that it is totally a bad idea either. Where do you guys stand?

Out of commission

Sorry, I couldn't post yesterday. I was feeling pretty awful. I think that I might have had my first migraine, which I hear can happen during pregnancy. It was awful. I was pretty much out of commission all day. I was lucky though, my sister-in-law came and helped me in the morning and Bob was able to come home and help in the evening. Not sure what I would have done without their help.

I had a throbbing headache that made me feel incredibly nauseous all day. I slept off and on all day because it was the only way to relieve the pain. Being pregnant, I could only take Tylenol and that did nothing. 

From what I understand the primary culprit of headaches during pregnancy are hormonal changes. Since I have been a raging lunatic lately, I am pretty sure that my hormones are all over the place. 

The second trimester is suppose to be euphoric. You are suppose to be the happiest, glowing pregnant lady anyone has seen and this second trimester for me has been nothing but a pain. It is making me very nervous for what my third trimester will be like. 

Enough already!

I am so tired of feeling overwhelmed, annoyed, emotional, crazy, insane, forgetful, disorganized, stressed...

You name a negative feeling and I have been feeling it for the past week or two. I know Bob is starting to get pretty annoyed by it, but I can't seem to stop. I rarely feel at peace right now. I never felt this way when I was pregnant with Calan. I have the shortest fuse ever. Not pregnant I am not perfect, but this built up aggression and emotional breakdowns are on a whole new level.

I think the sad part is I know that I am doing it, but I can't seem to reset my annoyance button. Once it is pressed, it is pressed and watch out. I am usually pretty good about rationalizing my emotions to keep them in check, but no matter how many times I tell myself I am acting insanely, I just keep on going.

I really do wish I could breath and relax. I wish I was not feeling this way. I feel pretty out of control all the time and I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to act normal anymore.

I know that even this blog seems crazy, but it is true. I'm so all over the place and my extreme emotions are getting the best of me. I wish I could find the one way to fix this. I wish I could laugh it off and become normal again, but for some reason my mind is getting the best of me. This is one pregnancy symptom I wish I had a cure for right now.

I am just feeling so frustrated by this. I am feeling so emotionally drained and tired. I think that it might be time to cash in my massage gift certificate Bob got me for my birthday. I need to do something because what I am doing now is NOT working.

I couldn't live without ...

Every baby is different and every mom learns the quick tricks to make her baby happy. And every mother will give you advice on what worked for their baby, but the truth is every mother has to do a lot of trial and error to see what works and what does not.

While Calan is a pretty easy baby to please, he does let you know things that work and things that don't. For example while some babies love their swings, Calan hated it with a passion, but he loved and could not live without his bouncy chair. He actually slept in his bouncy chair for the first month next to my bed. As his parents, we swore by that thing. We took it everywhere with us. It was our savior in so many ways. It was kind of a sad day when it was put away in our basement because he had out grown it.

Another toy that has now been put away was his play mat. He would lay on that thing forever if I had let him. It was fun as his mother to watch him grow with it; from just staring at the toys, to kicking and batting the toys, to reaching for the toys, to rolling and moving around to each toy. I used the mat a lot to get things done around the house. I knew he would be content and happy while I did the dishes or made the bed. It was great.

We also love our video monitor. It is the only way we would be able to watch our son sleep. While he is becoming a heavier sleeper, he still sleeps pretty lightly. Sometimes all it takes is the turn of his door knob and his head is up waiting to see what is going on. Our house is not large, so I can basically hear him no matter where I am at, but the monitor let's me visually check on him whenever I want without disturbing him.

Calan has a favorite blanket. It is just a simple green and white knit blanket that stays in his crib, but he loves it. I know that giving your baby a blanket in his crib is a no, no, but he has become pretty attached. We lay him down and he reaches his arms up till we place his blanket down on him. He then grabs the blanket and pulls it tight to his chin. It is pretty adorable. Some babies sleep with a pacifier or suck their thumb, ours doesn't do either. He loves his blanket instead.

Calan loves books, but even in his selection of books there are a few that top the rest. He loves "I'll See You in the Morning," "Where is Babies Belly Button," "The Going to Bed Book," and "Pat the Bunny." I seriously have these books memorized. Basically before he goes to sleep at each nap and bedtime I read him at least two books if not more. I will try to read other books, and he is good for a little bit, but then starts reaching for his side table where the regulars are stacked. When I read to Calan, it is usually my only time of day where he is a little bit snuggly toward me. He just lays back and relaxes. I could not live without books.

I think like a lot of mothers whose babies are on the go, I can't live without his pack 'n play. In preparation for our baby girl, Calan spends at least a half hour in this pack 'n play away from me so he can't see me. He plays independently while I get some things done. The parenting classes that we attend through Growing Kids God's Way (known also has the Babywise book series) really suggest independent play for development. For me, I see it as away for Calan to spend some time each day not seeing me, so when we have a new little one, it won't be a shock to him when I have to step away from him. I need to work in nursing times somehow. We also take our pack 'n play to most family gatherings. Since we usually get together at night, the pack 'n play allows us to keep Calan's bedtime at 7 p.m. and still enjoy ourselves. He goes to bed very well in his pack 'n play. Most of our family is amazed that all we do is lay him down and he is quiet and goes to sleep. We have just been doing that on basically a weekly basis with family dinners that he is just so use to his pack 'n play at this point.

I would say those are my few favorite things. There are of course others and as he is getting older new toys are becoming favorites, but these items, to me, gave me sanity during some of the rough times.

It is going to be interesting to see what tricks that were sure fire baby pleasers for Calan that won't even come close to working for our baby girl. I am sure that I will have a whole new list of items for her. I can't wait to see her personality.

What were some of your mommy tricks to make it through the cranky times?

9 months old today!

My 7 lb. 11 oz. newborn is now a 19 lb. 13 oz. 9-month-old. My itty-bitty baby is moving everywhere and is starting become quite the ham.

Calan's webbed fingers before surgery

The big news this month was that Calan finally has 10 fingers! We finally scheduled and had his surgery that took about 3 hours to preform. It was a little difficult for me to watch him go back with nurses, but the doctor said he did great. When he woke up, he was pretty out of it, but he bounced back pretty quickly. I couldn't believe how well he did the very next day. He was just my normal happy boy. It does not seem to have bothered him one bit. He is still healing, so he still has a wrap and gauze protecting it. We go back next week to the doctor to see how he is progressing, but so far, so good.

He is still army crawling around. He might just be one of the kids who never really does a true crawl. He gets up on all-fours and rocks and then when he wants to move he drops down to his stomach and army crawls. He isn't pulling himself up either, though I am hoping that he is close. He gets on one elbow on his side, but doesn't sit up by himself yet or really grab at things to pull himself up. He does crawl up me, but that is about it. Last week, I had to keep him pretty immobile till he healed more from his surgery. He was not a fan, but it wasn't horrible. Luckily, it doesn't seem to have slowed him down a bit. He is moving everywhere this week and quickly. Elle (our dog) is in trouble to say the least.

He is sleeping great. Naps are getting really regular for us. He sleeps 1.5-2 hours twice a day. Where I use to have a bad nap probably every other day, now those are usually once a week and usually on Saturdays. My guess is he just wants to spend time with dad and hates going for his nap. He is still sleeping 7 p.m. till 7 a.m. This month we dealt with Day Light Savings. He transitioned pretty well. It took about a week to get him back to a 7-to-7 sleeping pattern.

His appetite has been a little all over the place. Some days he devours what I give him; other days he just doesn't eat it all. I wasted quite a bit of formula this month, but oh well. He was hard to gauge, but he was still sleeping well, so I am sure he was getting enough. For breakfast, he usually drinks an 8 oz. bottle and eats plain yogurt mixed with pureed fruit and finger-food toast. For lunch, he has a 6 oz. bottle and a veggie and some oatmeal. Mid-afternoon, he just has an 8 oz. bottle. We finish off the day with another 6 oz. bottle and some veggies and a little more oatmeal. He is eating more non-baby food like toast, crackers, and cheese. I am getting a little more comfortable giving him regular food. We will continue to explore that this month.

We have moved Calan out of his baby carrier car seat and into a convertible car seat. It is nice to not have to carry him in the carrier anymore. It was getting pretty heavy. I am not sad to see that go.

The Cloth Diapering Diaper Bag

Surprise, the bag is no different than a disposable diaper bag. I have diapers, I have wipes, I have toys, snacks and extra clothes. Pretty standard, really. 

When I was planning for Calan, I found this great book that really helped me organize everything from his changing table to his closet to his diaper bag. "The Organized Mom: Simplify Life for You and Baby, One Step at a Time" was truly a life saver for me. It really had so many great tips and checklists that it made organizing for Calan so easy. Here is what it suggests for diaper bags:

• Diapers (duh, I usually pack 2 extras.)
• Wipes (I use disposable wipes still, just because it is easier for me, but you can do cloth. Just wet a few cloth wipes and keep them in a Ziploc bag or small wet bag. I just found that I did not use them enough and didn't want them to get gross smelling before I used them. I know, for the most part, the disposables are ready to go.)
• Changing pad (If you pack your bag with prefolds, you can always use those to save space. But most bags, come with a pretty compact changing pad.)
• Bibs (Calan is an insane drooler. I usually have 2-4 bibs in my bag at anytime)
• Bottle and formula (This does depend on when and where we are going, but I usually do have enough food for one bottle in his bag.)
• Bottle water (I do not pack this. But if you are a mom who wants to make sure that you have water and enough to make you babies bottle with, you might want it. I usually just fill his bottle with water before we go.)
• Snacks (Calan doesn't eat a lot of snacks, but a small thing of Cheerios is in there in case I need to entertain him for a little while.)
• Pacifer (Calan never used one, so never had one in our bag.)
• Toys (Plenty of these. Always need something to keep him entertained.)
• Recieving blanket (Nope, don't have this in there, but did when he was a newborn. Never know when you might let him lay on the ground or something like that.)
• Camera (Not always in there. I usually throw this in my purse if I want to take it.)
• Antibacterial hand cleaner (I don't keep this either. If I need something, I usually use one of his wipes.)
• Cosmetic-type bag (This is to organize things like baby orajel, pacifers, and nail clippers. But I definitely do not have this in mine. Totally not needed.)
• Empty Ziploc bag (For unexpected diaper changes and you don't have anywhere to dispose of your disposable diaper. I obviously do not have this one because we cloth diaper. I have a wet bag instead to put my dirty diaper in when we are out and about.)

Stuffed diaper bag. If you are picking out a diaper bag,
make sure to find one with tons of inner pockets. They
really help to keep you organized.  

Everything that was in the bag. (Clockwise) Changing pad,
toys, wipe case stuffed with disposable wipes, extra cloth
wipes in case they are needed, container of Cheerios,
formula divided container, bottle filled with 6 oz. of water,
2 bibs, 2 burp cloths, extra outfit, 2 cloth diapers,
medium-size wet bag, diaper cream, and sunscreen.

I do have a few items that I would add to the Organzed Mom list. I keep sunscreen, diaper cream, an extra outfit for baby, and burp cloths in there, as well as when I was nursing, a cover-up.  

For cloth diapering, I would say my only extra thing is my wet bag. Everything else is normal. Yes, my cloth diapers take up a little extra room, but overall it is the same as any other mother's diaper bag. 

Our new, large diaper bag that will be great for all-day trips
and our daily diaper bag that we use now.

When I have 2 babies, I am pretty sure that my standard diaper bag will be plenty for the day-to-day trips to the store or whatever. My mother-in-law got me a great (and large) Vera Bradley tote bag for longer all-day trips. 

Some ideas I have to keep myself organized is to keep a checklist in my diaper bag. Not sure how my brain will be working once the baby is here, but right now pregnancy brain is killing me. I am a little nervous thinking about everything that I need to remember for 2 babies and myself. I think having a checklist handy to peak at will help me until I can remember everything on my own. 

I also try to keep things in the bag that never come out unless they need to be cleaned. For example, we all have a few outfits that aren't our favorites in our kids' wardrobes. Those are the outfits that I keep in the diaper bag in case I need it. (Though I have found that once I use it, I do forget to put a new one in. Hence, the need for the checklist.) Snacks, toys, sunscreen, travel diaper cream, and changing pad are always in there too. 

Calan in our new diaper bag about a month
or so ago to give you an idea of size.
It is BIG!

UPDATE: Calan's fingers are healing nicely, the doctor says

Yesterday, Calan had his first post-op appointment with his plastic surgeon to see how his hand is healing. I am not sure what I was expecting at the appointment, but I thought for the most part it would be healed. But, it is a wound and it needs time. Needless to say, we go back next week.

Calan has been acting so normal and perfect that I just thought when the doctor took off his wrap his fingers would look perfect with a little scarring. That is not how it looks. His fingers are still swollen. There is still blood clotted around his stitches and his skin-graph looks like a bad scab that hasn't hardened up yet. It looks pretty gooey to be honest.

I kept asking the doctor if he was sure it was looking how it should. He assured me that it was and that it was healing nicely. I told him I would have to take his word for it because as his mother it still looked pretty rough to me.

On the bright side, he is able to crawl around again. And man, a week off from crawling didn't slow him down a bit. He is everywhere and quickly. Elle (our dog) is not so sure about Calan's new freedom. Calan, however, is smiling and gleefully moving about our family room. I was also able to give him a real bath today and boy does he smell good. It is nice to have a clean kid. The sponge bath was only doing so much.

We go back next Wednesday for our next checkup. Hopefully, I will be more prepared and the wound will look like I had imagined it looking in my head.

Just excited and had to share

I sewed my own cloth diaper today. It is so cute. It is pale pink and adorable. I'm washing it right now, and tomorrow, I am going to try it out on Calan to make sure that it doesn't leak. If all goes well, I'm going to make two dark purple ones that will be newborn size this week. Expect a blog later on how I did it. I am just excited right now because I did it. I am not crafty at all and have never really sewed anything. My mom helped instructed me on my first one and then I was able to do one without any help. If everything works and they turnout, I will have spent $30 on 4 all-in-one fitted diapers with fabric left over to make more. (4 Bum Genius all-in-ones run $12.95 for x-small and $15.95 for small, which would cost $57.80 for what I made.)

The name game

The pressure, the pressure. How do you pick the right name for your baby? How do you know once you have the right name, if it really is the right name? Naming is such a difficult, but fun game while you are pregnant. I really take naming pretty seriously. I have some definite rules and guidelines that Bob and I try to follow. Some rules he doesn't understand, but they all make sense to me.

I have always loved the fact that my name has a story behind it. I have very few friends who don't know how I got my name. I tell everyone. I was the third baby in my family. My father believed whole heartedly that the only option was that I would be a boy and my name would be Joesph John Simons IV. Very few girl names were discussed. There was the chance I would be a Liesel, but overall the only option was Little Joey. Well, surprise, surprise, I am a girl. When I was born, the nurse who delivered me looked at my parents and said, "You don't have a little Joey; you have a little Jodie." And there you have it, and thankfully that nurse was there to save me from Liesel. I am named after my father.

I am pretty proud of that story and love that there is so much behind it. I want my children to have the same feeling toward their name. When they ask me years from now why we named them their name, I want to be able to tell them exactly why and how we came up with their name.

With a last name like Wilson, I do think that it is important to come up with a name that isn't on the most popular lists, but I don't want names that sound too different. I also do not want their initials to spell anything. My husband spells R.A.W. and, since I got married, mine spell J.E.W. I also do not like reusing names. For example, we had a girl name for Calan, but that was his girl name, so I won't use it this time around. If Calan ever asks me what his name would have been if he was a girl, I want to be able to tell him and it not be his sister's name. It was special to Calan even though he was a boy.

We decided on Calan for a few reasons. We decided that we liked the idea of Scottish names since my husband has quite a bit of Scottish blood in his background. The more common Scottish spelling of Calan is Caelan. We just took out the extra E. Bob's brother's name is Calvin, so we also liked that the name was similar, but not the same name. It also is a pretty uncommon name, but doesn't sound off-the-wall crazy. His middle name is obviously Bob's first name. That was an easy one. For those interested, if Calan was a girl, he would have been Andie Elizabeth. Andie because I like girl names that are unisex, but that aren't too trendy and Elizabeth because that is my middle name.

As you can see, I might completely over think names, but can you tell me who doesn't? It is so important. Sometimes I do wonder what other's were thinking. For example, I had a middle school principal whose name was Richard Bitter, and with Dick a nickname for Richard, what was his parents thinking naming their son a Dick Bitter. Just wrong. I also know a Dick Flasher, who actually went by Dick. Seriously.

This time, we have a girl name, but we aren't sharing. I am pretty nervous about it. I feel a bit of pressure this time around to come up with something similar to Calan. Everyone, even strangers, tell me they like his name. I need something that stands out the same way. The name we have chosen I wasn't too sure about it right away, but somehow it has grown on me. Somehow, I just keep reverting back to her name. It has become her name over time and at this point I can't imagine her name being anything different. I hope she likes it and her story behind it when she asks. (And yep, she had a boy name too specific to her.)

How do you pick your children's names?

Mommy's Day Off

Today was pretty nice. My husband took the day off (well, worked from home), so I was able to get a lot done sans baby.

I am able to run errands with Calan pretty well, as long as I work around his naps. He just does not sleep when we are out and about. It limits me on how much I can get done at one time. I am always checking the clock to make sure that we can get home at a good time.

Today, I left at 8:30 for a doctor appointment, had my appointment, stopped at a Starbucks to grab a coffee, ran to get a card and finish a present for a friend, ran to Costco for formula, grabbed food for lunch, and then headed to the hospital to meet my friend for lunch and meet her new little man. Definitely the highlight of my day without Calan. I returned home after 2. It was fabulous.

It was so great to see my friend and finally be able to talk to her and really see how she is doing. Since I have been tethered to Calan this week, I was not able to visit sooner. You can't really bring an 8-month-old to a NICU.

It was really nice to get out of the house and get so much done. My husband held down the fort and was obviously able to watch a little basketball (or a lot of basketball) in the in between.

Though, I am sure I am not the only mom who checks the clock and hopes that their husband is doing certain things at certain times. I can't help but see the time and wonder if Calan is napping well, or if Bob fed him all his food, or remembered to change his diaper. Even on a mom day off, my mind is still consumed with thoughts and concerns.

Don't get me wrong, I still would not give up my days off. They are needed. I just wish I was better at releasing my worries and concerns. But I guess that is just being a mom. It is not a full-time job; it is a full-time life choice.

Ideas on how to save BIG on cloth diapers

It is no secret that disposable diapers cost money. On average each child will cost about $2,000 to diaper till potty training, but that cost is spread out over two or more years. Cloth diapering can seem intimidating to get started because there is definitely up front costs that you don't have to think about when it comes to disposables. However unlike disposables, they can be used for multiple children, saving you even more money.

I would say that my stash and accessories cost about $1,500, but my husband and I probably only spent about $400 (if that). There are some tricks to getting your stash and accessories without breaking the bank.

Prefold held together with a Snappi without a cover. 

1. If you can, register for them. This is how we saved probably the most money. Since we did not know what we were having the first time around, instead of people buying us outfits, they bought us cloth diapers. And let me just say, at my shower, guests were pretty interested in them. Some thought I was nuts of course, but others really wanted to know why we were cloth diapering. Now, I know some people do not decide to cloth diaper till later on, but if you know early enough, register for items. You never know what people might get you. If you do not have a local store you can register with, I suggest using an online site. Even though I have local options, I still chose to use an online registry because it gave me a few more options. 
2. Prefolds and covers are the cheapest way to go. If you are just getting started and you are not sure how much you want to invest in cloth diapering. Buy yourself some prefolds and covers. These are the types of diapers most people think of when they think of cloth diapers. But even these are improved versions of their ancestors. No pins needed. There are great things called snappis that are so easy to use and give the prefold a great fit on your baby. The covers are usually super cute too. There are so many adorable patterns out there to choose from. We used prefolds and covers when Calan was a newborn. It is hard to get the right fit from a one-size diaper on a newborn, but since they are only that little for a little while, we did not want to invest too much money in specific newborn diapers. I was actually surprised when my husband told me one day that out of our newborn options prefolds were his favorite. Who knew.
3. Follow Baby Half Off and Baby Steals. These websites offer great daily deals on all things kids and sometimes moms. But more specifically, they offer great deals on cloth diapers. Just this week alone I got great deals on night time diapers and pocket diapers for our new baby girl. The deals are at least half-off retail price. Sometimes it is because the manufacturer is introducing a new product or that they are discontinuing certain colors or styles. You name it, I have gotten it off of these sites. Sometimes I just a get one to try out; other times I stock up like I did this week. The only thing negative about these sites is having the self control to say no when so many cute things pop up on them. You can also follow these sites on Facebook. 
4. Make your own. Now I know this option is not for everyone, but if you are crafty enough, I hear that it is so easy to make your own. I am actually going to try and do this before our baby girl gets here, but not sure how it is going to go. I just want to make something for her and I figured this might be a good idea. There are several free patterns online. I have heard people like Rita's Rump Pocket and Ottobre patterns. I just bought diaper kits from diaperkit.com. They are having a sale on the kits and I thought what better way to try it out then to use that. PUL (waterproof fabric used in covers) is hard to find locally, but it is easy to find online. 
5. Buy used. Now, this is another option that will not appeal to everyone, but there is a market out there for used diapers. Sometimes they have only been used once or twice, but did not work for the baby or mom, so the mom sells them off. You can even find brand new ones for sale for various reasons. People sell cloth diapers on Craigslist and Diaperswappers. I did buy some Kissaluv size 0 fitted diapers on Craigslist before Calan was born. They are usually $13 a piece and I got 10 for $70 (plus 6 covers). While I bought them resale, the mother said that they were never used because her baby was too big for them. So there are deals out there.
   On a side note, remember when you are done with your diapers, there is a market out there for resale. You can always sell your diapers, too. Or if a diaper doesn't work for you, try selling it to get money for a diaper that will. 
6. Follow blogs and find giveaways. Cloth diapers are always being given away. There are weekly contests on many, many sites that usually require minimal things to enter. The first diaper I ever got, I won. I couldn't believe it. It was actually the first contest I had ever tried and I won. You never know what might happen, so it is always worth a try. A free diaper is a free diaper. The Cloth Diaper Whisper hosts a giveaway every week (a new one is posted each Friday).
7. Watch for package deals. It is always cheaper to buy cloth diapers in bulk. If you have decided on a diaper that you know that you will like, see if there are package deals out there for that diaper. You can save 15 to 20 percent that way. Also some sites like Kelly's Closet offer a lot of weekly deals. Some deals include if you spend a certain amount, you get a free one-size diaper. Since one-size diapers range between $15 and $20 dollars this is a great steal. 
8. Build as you go. While cloth diapers do require a large initial cost, nothing says that you have to stop there. Once you become an addict, it does make it hard to stop. Do not think that you need everything all at once. You need to have enough to diaper your baby and things to store dirty diapers, but you can always add the cuter more expensive diapers here and there.

And the purchases begin!

This has been quite an expensive month for the Wilson household, and it isn't because of my husband. Besides having both of our cars worked on, which we all know is a pain and expensive, we have started to buy items for our little girl. I have a checklist of items that I would like to get before she arrives and the list has started to dwindle.

The dining room table set was the largest purchase. I know that this is obviously more for me than the baby, but it was on the list. Buying the table gives us more room for a second highchair and for more room in our family room for all of our kids' things.

Our first girly item was a second pack 'n play. It is the exact version of what we already have, but it has pink of course. That was kind of fun buying though I felt a little weird buying something specific for a girl. That might sound weird, but last time with each purchase, I would look at it and try to determine if it really could be for a boy or a girl. I really tried hard to make everything as gender neutral as I could. Even when Bob and I were at Babies R Us to buy the pack 'n play, I asked him several times if we really should go so girl or if we should just buy the same one we already have. He just smiled and said let's go girl.

Then this week there were some unexpected deals that I just couldn't pass up. I follow a few baby deal websites. The ones that have daily deals offering around 50 percent off the retail price. This week Babysteals had Earth, Mom and Baby cloth diapers half-off. These diapers are great night time diapers, so I went a little nuts and bought 4 newborn diapers and 4 infant diapers. Her stash has begone. I also have purchased some fabric and patterns to make my own diapers. Not sure if these will ever become diapers, but I'm going to try. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Then last night on Amazon, I saw a crib that was as close to our crib now that I have been able to find and it was half-off. The crib we have now, even though I just bought it last year, only comes in white instead of an espresso color that I want. I was so disappointed when I found out. I even tried e-mailing the company to see if there were any leftover that I could buy. No such luck. So then my search began. Nothing seemed to work. But last night, not only did I find one that is close to it, it is actually better quality and a nicer crib. I was pretty excited. I just looked at Amazon and today it is only 19 percent off. Even happier now that I bought it yesterday.

So, I guess it is game on for baby. Next big purchase will hopefully be a double stroller or a dresser. Then my "need" list will be complete. I have my eye on a couple, but we shall see. You never know what deals I will find.

I just don't know what to say

I had some ideas of what to write about today. I thought maybe I'd write about finding deals on cloth diapers or about diaper bags or about anything else mundane and ordinary, but my mind is just not in it. I got some news yesterday that really shocked me and left me speechless. My dear friend who was due June 17th had her gorgeous little son on Saturday night - 3 months early.

I am in awe and shock. I am amazed at how strong and healthy he is already. And I am in shock that my friend is going through this.

Everything that I was thinking about writing, just seems a little pointless today. Maybe tomorrow, I will feel a little less in shock and ready to write about the normal stuff. Right now the normal stuff just seems so pointless when so much else is going on.

So, I am praying for my friend's little man and praying for my friend, her husband, and their families.

Life changes in a blink of an eye and you just move forward.

For those interested, Calan is doing well. He had a hard time sleeping last night, but he seems pretty rested despite his wake ups. He is still all smiles today. I now feel a little silly for being so worried. He is just fine and just my happy little guy. 

Finally 10 fingers and 10 toes

Calan showing off his webbed fingers when he was a day old. 

Calan was born with his left middle and ring fingers fused together. From day one, I knew today would happen. And I am so glad that today is now over.

Calan had his fingers separated this morning. It was a simple procedure, but it was a 3-hour surgery that included a skin graph from his abdominal/groin area.

As any mother would be, I was pretty nervous. But man was my guy a trooper. He was nothing but smiles all this morning. I was nervous how he would do without being able to eat beforehand, but he was an all-star.

Calan before his surgery smiling and having
fun with all the nurses. (And all the nurses
came by to see the cute little baby.)

Even when Calan was back in surgery, they put his oxygen mask on and he just looked at his doctor and smiled. He didn't cry when he woke up. He was perfect. He made this so easy for his mother and father.

I finally got to hold him after surgery. 

My perfect angel. 

Now, my week begins. He is sleeping peacefully in his crib right now and will be pretty out of it for the rest of the day. But starting tomorrow, my job will be to keep a now mobile baby as immobile as possible and to keep him from chewing on his bandages. It should be an interesting week, but officially having 10 fingers and 10 toes is priceless.

Napping is such a pain

One of my biggest battles with Calan is napping. Why does it have to be so hard? From birth, he was always a pretty alert baby. He learned pretty early how to play with his feet and sing to himself to stay awake in his bed. I know I should be happy that he is just happy and content, but as his mother, I know that he needs his sleep.

Early on, he would not nap in his crib and took almost all naps in his bouncy chair. Which I am sure sounds good, but it was usually a struggle for me to get him to do that and then to try and keep him asleep in it was even more ridiculous. He is an incredibly light sleeper, which let me tell you is pretty annoying. I would love to sneak in his room and watch him sleep, but the second I turn his door knob, he is up. He is amazing.

After realizing that naps in the bouncy chair were not a solution, I began trying everything to get him to nap in his crib and to have good long naps. As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like I have 2 main jobs: Make sure he is fed well and make sure he sleeps well. I was pretty stressed out for awhile, not knowing if I would ever get him to sleep well.

I can safely say he is finally a good sleeper. It took a lot of patients and being consistent, but I can now get him to sleep 1.5 to 2 hours per nap. At 8 months, he takes two naps a day and sleeps between 3 and 4 hours during the day.

I had to figure out my son. I had to realize his sleeping pattern and figure out the perfect wake time amount in order to get him to sleep. It is amazing to me how even if I am off by just a little bit, naps become a struggle. When he was younger, I realized he needed very little wake time between his morning wakeup and his first nap. If I put him back down after just 45 minutes of being awake, he would sleep 2 to 2.5 hours. Now, I have realized that 2 hours is the perfect amount.

Like everything, naps were a huge trial and error and learning experience for me. I can only do so much, but I can't make a baby sleep.

I have decided on a few things that hopefully will help me when there is 2 of them. Obviously, my baby girl will need more naps than Calan and Calan will need a quiet place to nap. So, even though they will be sharing a room, I will have a pack-n-play setup in the spare bedroom for either child to take their nap in (whomever's turn it maybe). I also think that while I am sure our baby girl will nap sometimes in her swing or bouncy chair out with us, I am going to make sure to put her in another room sometimes, so that Calan and I can have some true one-on-one time.

Hopefully, some of the lessons I learned with Calan will carry over and like a lot of things, I am sure that I am not going to stress over it. I know that if I am consistent and patient, it will work out.

If you are having troubles with naps, I loved this blog on troubleshooting: http://www.babywisemom.com/2009/12/naps-troubleshooting-revised-and.html.

If you need a laugh today, watch this

Cloth diapering does take a little getting use to

When Bob and I decided to cloth diaper, I asked him if I should get a little disposable stash just in case it didn't work. He said no because he didn't want to have an easy out lying around. I am so glad that we didn't have an out, but there was a little trial and error in the beginning that made me question what we were doing.

We did not start cloth diapering the first day for two reasons: the first being that we weren't sure how overwhelmed I would feel or what my recovery would be like at first and the second reason was his circumcision, which requires a lot of Vaseline the first few days that can cause repelling on cloth diapers. For the first seven days, we used disposables, and in those seven days we had leaks and blowouts and issues to say the least. But I am so glad that happened because when I had a few leaks in the beginning of cloth diapering, I knew that it could also happen with disposables. That knowledge was priceless to me on the nights Calan woke up and his sheets were wet, which any parent knows is the last thing you want to deal with in the middle of the night. It made me just realize that I had to keep trying.

A lot of cloth diapering leaks are caused by user error and having the right fit. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, and of course, once I would get it figured out, he would grow and I would need to figure it out again.

This post might sound like he was leaking all the time. He wasn't, but it was just so frustrating whenever he did. Most of the time it was because of me, so I would get annoyed with myself. Here are some things that I learned along the way:

1. Newborn diapering is different than baby diapering. Calan had pretty skinny legs when we has born, which a lot of diapers that are all-in-ones or pockets just do not fit well. The best option for us was using prefolds or fitteds with covers. These did give him a rather large caboose, but he didn't leak. He started to fit into his one-size diapers (diapers that fit from baby to toddler) closer to three months. They fit better after the baby is securely more than 10 pounds.
2. Nighttime diapering is different than daytime. Our son is pee-er, to say the least. In order for him to have dry sheets in the morning, he needs a thick, super absorbent diaper. I have found that fitteds stuffed with extra absorbent pads and then covered works best for us. He has four nighttime diapers and when those are dirty, it is time for me to do laundry, which is why I do laundry every 3 to 4 days. These diapers are thick. They would not be good for the day when he is moving all about, but for night they are perfect. Calan sleeps for 12 hours and I can't even tell you the last time he leaked. 
3. Washing is all about the routine. It took me a little while to get my washing down to a routine that did not case repelling. For a little while, I was using too much detergent, which can lead to build up and repelling. But then I was using too little and I was getting bad stains. Then I had to make sure that there was not a left over dryer sheet in the dryer, which can basically ruin diapers (it took several hot soaks in order to fix). Most cloth diapering Web sites recommend to do a cold rinse and then a hot wash with detergent and then an extra rinse per load. However, I found that I like doing a cold wash with a little detergent and then a hot wash with a little detergent and then an extra rinse. It is what has worked for us.
4. The diaper is not on too tight. I use mainly snap diapers and have found that even if I am one snap off in the fit or if on my Velcro diapers, I do not attach tight enough, Calan leaks out the top of his diaper. It might be a boy issue, but I have to make sure that his waist fit is pretty snug. This is one reason I do like snap closures better because I have figured out what snaps work best and each time I can get the same fit. With Velcro, I am not as consistent. 
5. It is OK to go through a little trial and error. Some diapers work better for some than for others. I love Smartipants, but another mother might like Fuzzibunz way better or any other diaper brand. You really need to test out and figure out what works best for you. One of the most popular brands is Bum Genius, but the one diaper I had for Calan just never fit right and it always leaked. It went to the back of the drawer and just sits. Not every diaper is going to work for you. Try and diversify your stash until you figure out what works best. There are so many options out there. Do not feel like because your best friend loves this kind that you have to love that kind. It might not be right for you. Test things out. 
6. Don't be discouraged by leaks. Leaks can happen to anyone who uses cloth or disposable. Yes, I would say that maybe you might have less pee leaks with a disposable, but I have only had one blowout from Calan in 8 months and that wasn't even too bad. It only got a little on his back. Most cloth diapers have elastic along the back that really helps to keep the poop in. Just know that leaks happen. They are annoying and frustrating, but they happen and it is OK. 

I am hoping this time around, it is going to be less trial and error and more dry baby. Who knows. Every kid is different. However, I at least won't stress out as much as I did the first time. I know that I can get it figured out; it just takes time.

Never Felt More Domestic

Well, maybe I have felt more domestic, but the domestic life definitely makes me laugh. I think that it is hilarious that nothing excites me more then when I get something new for my home. When did I become that person? I use to love new shoes, and now I love siding, and faucets, and paint colors.

I am pretty sure that I am not alone. I chuckle every time one of my friends updates their Facebook status with how excited they are for new windows, or wood floors, or couches. For me, it is my new dining room table that has me so excited and geeked for dinner. It arrived this afternoon and I could not be more excited. 

I love making my house a home and I love the way it feels when my family is taken care of. So, I understand where my desire to decorate and organize my house comes from. I do not just see a table and chairs. I see family dinners and fun conversations around that table and in those chairs. 

But, those feelings definitely make me laugh because they came so quickly and naturally. I do not even remember not being the person I am today. I feel like the second I owned a house; I wanted a home. Even when it was just my husband and dog, it mattered to me; just like how I know that it matters to so many of you. 

Cleaning Day

My sister and I joke that when we went to bed as kids, somehow the house magically got cleaned. But it wasn't magic, it was my mom. Since she worked, at night after my 3 siblings and I went to sleep was the easiest time for her to clean the house. I am sure we could have helped more, but I was kind of a bratty child and I do not remember helping too much. Shame on me, I know.

As a stay-at-home mom, it is obviously mostly my duty to keep the house tidy. My husband does help a ton, but I know that overall, I should be the one cleaning. Some days I totally feel like cleaning and others it feels like such a struggle to get started. However, today my mom is coming into town for the night, and of course, that means I must clean.

Shark Vac Then Steam Mop

When I clean my house, I usually decide what my priorities are and then go from there. For example, my bedroom, front room, and basement are low priority rooms; so I do them last. I usually start with throwing a load of laundry in and then get to work on the family room or kitchen, which ever one is bothering me more. After those rooms are cleaned up minus the floors, I move on to the bathroom. From there, the low priority rooms get a wipe down, usually bedrooms followed by our front room. After those are done, I do the floors, vacuuming and then sweeping and washing (if needed) our hardwood floors. This all usually takes me a total of 3 hours if I am doing everything, but I usually spend about 2 hours. And that's my routine.

My number one favorite cleaning tool is my Shark Vac and Steam Mop. It makes cleaning my hardwood floors a piece of cake. I highly recommend it. It was the one thing that I asked for this past Christmas. My father-in-law ended up getting it for me and he thought I was nuts for wanting it. But I love it and use it all the time. It is so light weight and easy to maneuver. Love it!

I asked a few friends on Facebook this morning what were some of their cleaning tips. Here are their answers:

On the flip-side of cleaning, I do LOVE a clean house! It is time to stop delaying and start cleaning. Here I go ...

Everybody follows somebody

While this blog is new, this is not my first and probably won't be my last. I really enjoy writing when I have something to write about and right now, I feel like I have the perfect reason. Hopefully I keep it up!

Just as some of you are following me, I follow lots of others. I love reading about friends and learning new things through others' personal experiences. Blogs are addictive! I have some of the blogs I follow listed on the right. I thought you might be interested as to why I follow them and what they write about.

Chronicles of a Babywise Mom: Not sure if you have heard of "Babywise," but it is just another parenting style like babywearing or on-demand feeding. "Babywise" and others in the "wise" series are books written by Gary Ezzo. It is a style that includes structure and routine and worked great for our family. I know that it isn't right for everyone. The woman who writes this blog has three children and has been blogging for some time. I tend to use this blog as a resource and help when I need to understand why Calan might be doing something or what I can do to help fix a problem with sleeping or eating.

MommyBeta: This is a blog that I have just been following for a little while. Four women contribute to the blog. They all had children over the past year, so it is fun to read about their experiences and compare them to what Mr. Calan is up to.

Dirty Diaper Laundry and Cloth Diaper Whisperer: These blogs have been my cloth diapering resources. Dirty Diaper Laundry has so many reviews and video reviews of all types of diapers. If I am thinking about getting a new style, I usually check to see what she has said about it first. Cloth Diaper Whisperer is a blog run by Kelly's Closet, an online cloth diaper shop. This blog has lots of types and information on the daily ins and outs of cloth diapering. They also have spotlights on real moms, which I enjoy reading.

The Finer Things in Life: This is another blog that I just started following, but I am really enjoying it. I got into this blog for her series on "Why didn't anyone tell me?" She and guest writers have been dissecting different aspects of pregnancy, labor, and post-partum and talking about all the things they wish they had known.

The Rescue of Jaline: A family that I know from church is in the process of adopting a daughter from Haiti. This blog follows their journey. There have been a few road blocks, but so far God has cleared all of them.

My iRISH Twins: Do I really need to even say why I am following this one? Her children are now 4 and 3 years old. She has been blogging for awhile, so I have been going back and reading old posts and learning different things along the way. Her oldest is a boy and youngest a girl, just like us.

It's in the Genes: For those of you that don't know, I am a breast cancer survivor. A woman I had met last September at a fundraising event was re-diagnosed with breast cancer in January and she is writing about her treatments and more.

Journey of Hope: I have been following this blog for over 2 years. It is written by former collegues of my from The Detroit News. Their 3-year-old daughter Hope has CdLS, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, a fluky genetic mutation that isn't passed on or recurring in families. However, Hope's older brother, Will, died in 2005 from CdLS complications when he was 89 days old. They welcomed Oscar, their son, into the mix in May 2010, a month before Calan, and now they are having even more crazy new adventures.

The Gulbernat Family: A friend of mine had twins prematurely over a year ago. She keeps family updated about their adventures here. For the most part, her boys are doing great and it is great to see her as a mom.

Bras for a Cause: Last April, I lost a dear friend to breast cancer. She was an amazing woman who strived to help other young women diagnosed with breast cancer. She began a 20s and 30s support group at Gilda's House in Royal Oak. She also started an amazing fundraiser for Gilda's called Bras for a Cause. In its first year, it raised $50,000 for Gilda's House and last year, in Shannon's honor, it raised more than $100,000. This blog keeps me informed on the latest happens of the event, which is held in September at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Last year, I modeled in the survivor art bra fashion show (2.5 months after having Calan). I don't think that I will be able to this year. I don't think one month is enough time to feel confident enough to run the catwalk in front of 600+ people. However, I will be there to support or volunteer during the event, which will be Sept. 17. (Mark your calendars!)

Babies, Babies, and More Babies

Two of my oldest friends, Lauren, left, Deanna, and myself, at
Deanna's baby shower last month. Deanna is due the beginning
of April, Lauren is due mid-June, and I am due July 23. 

I love it! I swear every week we find out another friend who is having a baby. Two of my oldest friends are pregnant right now; one is due the beginning of April and the other one is due mid-July. Bob's oldest friend's wife is expecting July 21, two days before me, and another friend of ours is due July 25, two days after me. And today I found out another dear friend is due in August a week after me.

It is so fun and exciting. My mother says that it is because of the age that I am and everything goes in cycles, but I am just so happy for so many of my friends. I am so happy that my little ones will have so many playmates when we visit with new and old friends.

Last year, I thought I knew so many people who were having babies. I thought there was no way that this year would be the same, but I was wrong. I actually think there is more this year than last year. It is amazing.

I think that this is one of the many reason that I am glad that I am having another child right now. I love that I get to enjoy this year with so many friends, and I got to enjoy last year with so many friends. My children will have no shortage of play dates that is for sure!

Hello, Cranky Baby

That's my normally happy guy. 

Is there anything else that can drain all your energy, make you irritable, and make you want to go back to bed quicker than a cranky baby?

I love my son, but this week has not been fun. He has just been "off." He is usually a pretty happy and smiley baby, but this week, has been a lot of whining and clinginess because he hasn't been feeling well. I do have sympathy for him. I do feel bad for the little guy. I do wish I could do more to make him feel comfortable. But at the end of the day when you have a cranky baby, you are cranky too.

It is hard every time I think things might be getting better, there he is whining and being unhappy again. I tried so many things, but the reality is that I just have to wait it out. I have done all that I can do and I just have to be patient. (At least, that is what I keep telling myself.)

Patience is a virtue. But I do have to admit the way I stay patient with Calan is to take a little out on Bob. I can't get frustrated with Calan, so Bob tends to get the blunt of the situation. I do apologize to him after I do it, and I do try not to do it. As a first-time mom, it is hard to know all the little tricks to get through the cranky days. I guess it is just one of the misfortunes of being the first born.

I am just praying that next week is better and he is feeling and acting like himself again. I miss my little guy.

Yep, I Cloth Diaper

It is amazing to me all the decisions that face new parents. What kind of delivery do you want? Midwife or doctor? Hospital or home? Who will be your pediatrician? Breastfeeding or bottle? Will you make your own baby food? Will you vaccinate? Will you cloth diaper?

I am so happy that for this pregnancy basically all those decisions have already been made. I am open to using an epidural, I love my OB, I would never have a home birth, I love our pediatrician, I love that I get to breastfeed, I make my own baby food, we vaccinate, and yep, we cloth diaper.

When I dreamt about being a mother, I never dreamt I would cloth diaper. A few former colleagues of mine at The Detroit News told me they cloth diapered, and each time, I would make sure that they knew I would never, ever do that. Well, never say never. I would love to tell you that our reasons are environmental, but the truth is we are frugal. The idea that we would be able to use our diapers for years to come and for multiple children and we would not need to continuously buy diapers really appealed to us. I just had to convince Bob that poop was not an issue.

Let me be the first to tell you, poop is not an issue. Modern cloth diapering is awesome. Diapers are cute, washing is a snap, and I don't touch poop.

Here are some myths that kept me from cloth diapering:

Myth #1: I have to touch the poop to get it in the toilet

There is a great invention called the diaper sprayer that easily attaches to the toilet and does all the work for you. All I do is lay the soiled diaper inside the diaper bowl, touching un-soiled parts of the diaper and spray downward. Poop is gone, hands are clean, and the diaper is ready to go in my diaper pail.

Myth #2: I will be doing laundry all the time

It is true that a baby does increase your laundry loads, but my diapers do not make it any worse. Ever since Calan was about 3 months old, I wash diapers every 3 to 4 days. That is just one load twice a week. When he was a newborn, I did diapers probably three times a week and that is because he went more often like most newborns and I had fewer diapers for a newborn requiring me to wash more often. With two babies in cloth, I will probably have to do diapers every other day, but now that I am so use to it, I don't see it being an issue.

I should also mention that I thought I would have to touch the diapers to get them in my washer, but I do not touch a thing. I take my pail liner filled with dirty diapers and empty it into the washer throwing the liner into the wash too. Pretty easy, right!

Myth #3: I will have to deal with diaper pins

Modern cloth diapering is great and offers so many options. In fact the amount of options can be intimidating, but once you do a little research into the different types, you realize that cloth diapering can be as easy as putting on a disposable. We mostly use pocket diapers for Calan. A pocket diaper from the outside basically looks like a disposable diaper. It closes by either Velcro or snaps on the outside. On the inside, it is lined with usually a soft micro fleece that will wick moisture away and has a pocket that is stuffed with an absorbent insert. We personally like this type of diaper because it requires less drying time in the dryer and once stuffed is basically like an all-in-one, which is actually the closest to a disposable of all the cloth diapering options. I highly recommend looking for a local cloth diaper shop that hosts information classes. If you live in the Royal Oak area, No Pins Required in Ferndale offers a class. We took a class at Little Seeding in Ann Arbor because at the time it was the closest option that we knew about. The class totally convinced us that cloth diapering was for us and explained so much in just an hour.

Myth #4: My nursery will smell like poop

Since you flush the poop in the toilet, my nursery never smells. My diaper pail is nothing special. It is a regular plastic, flip-top trashcan with a Planetwise diaper pail liner and that's it.

Here is a link to a few more myths if you want to learn more.

We have been cloth diapering Calan since he was 7 days old. Since then, I have bought one package of newborn diapers and one package of size 3 diapers, and both packages probably a total of 10 diapers have been used. I keep a few disposables around for babysitters to make it a little easier for them. I actually cannot wait to buy girl "fluff" (cloth diaper lingo). There are so many cute girl diapers. I can't wait to add to my stash!

Diapers shown in video: Smartipants, GroBaby (now called GroVia), Flips, Bumboo Bamboo fitted, Thirsties Duo Wrap, and Wonder Wrap one-size covers (which have been discontinued, but any cover works, I just got these half-off). Not shown were my favorite diapers for night time, which are Sustainablebabyish Organic Fleece Fitted Diapers
 

Follow Me, Please

I know that this is kind of a selfish request, but if you have decided to follow my blog, will you do me a favor and register as a follower? I kind of want to know who I am writing to.

You will notice at the bottom of the right column there is a list of people who are following me. Right now, there are only 5 people. One is me, one is my husband, two are family members, and one is another blogger. I just want to know who's my audience. By becoming a follower, you will also be able to know when I post a new blog. It is a win-win situation.

Also, bloggers love comments. If a blog talks to you, let me know. The more interaction I get, the more I want to blog. If there are topics or questions you have for me, please feel free to ask anytime. Some upcoming topics include cloth diapering, eating, spring cleaning, etc.

Like I said, I know that these are selfish requests, but if you love me, maybe you will follow me.

Thanks!

The Great Surprise

Wow. Yesterday was pretty exciting and quite a whirlwind. It was exciting to share the moment with family. I just think finding out the sex of the child is such a gift that I want it to feel special.

Since we didn't find out what we were having the first time around, everyone wonders how now compares to then. Well to me, it just didn't feel that different. It was just Bob and I in the delivery room when Calan was born and this time it was just Bob and I at the ultrasound. Last time, I was so convinced it was a boy, I'd forgotten that I didn't actually know. This time, I completely felt like this was a girl, so no real surprise there. Last time, we ended up telling most of our family over the phone before they got to the hospital (I had a very quick labor), and this time, I told a lot of my family on the phone, but was able to tell Bob's family in person.

So, what are we going to do next time around? Not sure. I am not sure what I am expecting, but neither time did "it" happen. Each time, I think I am hoping for this overwhelming emotional response, but I have to admit to myself that, that is just not me.

Both times, I was really happy that we found out when we did. I loved the anticipation of the first pregnancy. I loved the excitement that surrounded not knowing. Plus, I was not bombarded with all boy stuff. We got a lot of gender neutral items for our future children. This time, I am happy that we know that it is girl. I am happy that we will be able to organize a few things before she gets here.

Not sure what Bob and I will feel like doing next time, but I have a feeling that we will wait again. That is just my gut feeling, but let's be honest, a pregnant lady can change her mind at anytime.

The Wilson Clan is welcoming a girl!

We can't believe it. While my family is filled with girls, Bob's is mostly all boys. His brothers truly thought that it was impossible even though they do have a sister.

I am so excited. I can imagine the future and how fun it will be for my little girl to have an older, protective brother to watch out for her and care for her.

I also think that it is great to have two different sexes so close together. While I know that there will still be sibling rivalry, hopefully the natural differences of the two will minimize the competition. But who knows!

I am excited to know and excited to go shopping!

Here is a video of how we told our family: (Video is long, but basically everything happens in the first minute. I didn't take the time to edit it.)

Stay tuned ...

Today we finally find out the gender of our latest family addition! I'm so excited. Our ultrasound is at 10 a.m. I'm praying that the baby cooperates. Our local family members are coming over tonight for dinner so we can tell them. So .... I'll be posting after I am able to tell them. Expect a post around 6 tonight. Sorry for the delay, but I hope you understand. I can't wait to share with the world what we are having. Cheers to team pink or team blue!

Got to get out

I love that I have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. I love that I get to schedule play-dates with friends and I love that I get to do so many things with Calan. But I can't help but wonder what it is going to be like with two young ones. Will I be able to do it? Will I be able to get out of the house and enjoy myself? I read one person's advice that said basically you have to and I thought it was great advice.

It is so easy to stay inside our comfort zones and to make life easier for ourselves and our babies by staying at home, but I do not think that is always best. I hope that I will still meet friends for play-dates and go to story-time at the library. I want to make sure that I don't find excuses to stay inside when I have opportunities to go out.

I already catch myself when I am out and about wondering what I would do if I had another one in this situation, whatever the situation would be. And I'll be honest, a lot of the time I do not have an answer and really feel like I might not be able to do it. However, I think each time, I force myself to do it, whether successful or failure, I will gain experience and confidence in knowing that I can do it and that it isn't impossible. I think that I will just have to do it.

I have to remind myself that I am not the first and I am not the last to have to go through this. If someone else can do it, I can do it too. Nothing is impossible.

But, for now, I will enjoy the ease of the situation and I will cherish the moments I have with Calan.