baby f -- in 3D!!

I've had a very textbook pregnancy (knock on wood!!) and because of this, I've needed minimal medical intervention. My appointments consist of measuring the fundal height(aka uterus size, basically) and checking baby's heartbeat. Then, sending me along my merry way because everything always checks out perfect, developmentally.

Of course, we are VERY grateful for this case, as it could be much worse. But, on the other hand, we've only been given two ultrasounds because of it. When you're an anxious parent-to-be, the waiting is tough! There are elective 3D/4D ultrasound clinics out there, and seem to be quite popular lately. You don't need a doctor's referral, and it gives you the chance to see your baby in 3D -- which is amazing. The only downfall is having to pay for it out of pocket, as insurance obviously doesn't cover something elective.

We'd been on the fence about this. We really wanted to, but there is only one place in the Pittsburgh area, and the cheapest package is $225. With it being the holiday season, that's pretty pricey. So, we were just going to forget about it, and suck it up and wait. But then, my sister told me about a place in Morgantown, WV. Their prices were competitive, and much more feasible, so we decided to go for it.

The experience was awesome!! We hadn't seen our little one since early September, which was 18 weeks along. The first thing Ryan said when we saw her on the screen was "wow! she got big!" and she totally did. So big, you can't even get her entire body in one shot anymore. Crazy! But seeing her in 3D/4D was SO COOL. We could see all of the features of her face, right down to the little lines in her knuckles. It was crazy! She was being pretty cooperative, except for when she kept sucking her thumb. It was very cute, and she was very content with her hands on her face. lol. A couple times, she stuck her tongue out and at one point, flipped us off! Too funny.

Without further adieu, I leave you with some pictures of our girl.






and lastly -- I leave you with my latest belly photo.

introducing: the nursery!

I figured the nursery deserved a post in itself. Sure, its nothing special or "designer" by any means, and you probably won't be seeing it on pinterest -- but we're happy with it and I love the colors :)



Back when we found out it was a girl, Ryan requested that the nursery not be all pink, and I was completely okay with that. I mean, I do enjoy pink, but I know it can be overkill. In fact, when I was 7 and we moved into a new house, my parents let us pick our own carpet for our new rooms. Ha! I bet they regret that, because of course, I picked out the gaudiest pink out there. Then, insisted that my closet doors, trim and light covers also be pink. And since my dad is the best, he complied. I just wish I had a photo on me to show you the obnoxiousness!

But anyway, so Ryan and I both agreed on purple and found a nice bedding set we both liked, while registering for our baby shower. It's a nice mix of purple, pink, brown and orange :) One day while I was at work, Ryan decided to surprise me and paint the nursery. This was in November, over his Thanksgiving break from school. I thought for sure that the walls wouldn't get painted until his Christmas break, so I was pleasantly surprised at his initiative -- and he did awesome, it turned out great! It was his idea to do the three alternating colors, with the lightest color strip across the center. Turned out great! We had decided to just do an accent wall so we didn't have to repaint the whole room in the future.



First, we'll show off the crib. That was hand made by my Dad. He does AMAZING work, and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Seriously. My parents wanted to get us the crib anyway, and when I found out my Dad wanted to make it, we were all for it! I knew he would make it with safety in mind, so that wasn't even an issue for us. Plus, its a 3-in-1 convertible crib, so, she can use it as a toddler bed and eventually, a full sized bed in the future. Plus, the fact that her Papa made it with his own two hands, makes it pretty special :)



About a month ago, I was perusing Craigslist to see what I could find. Seriously, that place can be a goldmine when it comes to baby items! I stumbled across a couple selling a changing table/glider together for $150. Not a bad deal, AT ALL. We had planned to buy these things anyway, and I had found both of them, in excellent condition, for the price of one. So happy! We went out one Sunday to pick them up, and I also scored a Bumbo seat with a tray for $15 (those normally retail for about $50) so I was very pleased!



I've been having fun organizing and washing everything. She got TONS of blankets, so we are definitely good on those! She also received a lot of 3 month and up clothes, so we went out and bought some things in newborn size, just in case. That's the tough thing about preparing for a baby -- you don't know what size they'll be! But, we have a few things in different sizes..so until she actually gets here and I can get more of the correct size, we're good for now!



I also got my hospital bag packed, which is exciting! There are still a few more things that need thrown in there, but for the most part, its good to go. Some time next week, we'll probably get the car seat bases installed in the cars. Just a few last minute preps to go before showtime!!

baby shower catch up!

I know, I know..we are WELL overdue for an update on here. It's unacceptable that I haven't done it in two months. Honestly, I think about it every couple of days, and KNOW that I need to just sit down and do it, and of course I don't. My energy level is pretty depleted by the end of the day these days, and composing a blog entry is usually the last thing I want to do. It's just so much easier sitting on the couch, zoning out in front of the TV. But with less than four weeks to go in this pregnancy, its time to play catch up!

I don't even know where I left off..Thanksgiving? The weekend after Thanksgiving was my baby shower. My mom and sister threw it for me, and it was lovely. They worked hard on it, and even threw in a couple surprises for me. If you know me, you know I'm pretty tough to surprise -- but they pulled it off! One being a fun little game involving Ryan. My sister video taped him, asking him a series of questions about babies and a few other random questions, then had me answer how I thought he would respond. I loved it! I think that Ryan, being the clown that he is, got some laughs out of the crowd as well!



We had a great turn out for the shower, and are SO thankful for everyone that took the time to be there, and even the ones who couldn't, that still acknowledged us in some way. Everyone's generosity towards our little girl is greatly appreciated! She's not even here yet, and so many people already love her. It's a great feeling.

In fact, this whole pregnancy, we've experienced nothing but positive words and support from our friends and family, and it's been awesome! We can partly thank technology for that one (ie; facebook) but thats okay, because its the best way to reach out to a bunch of people at one time. What DID people do before the existence of social networking?! :)




Next up, was Christmas. We spent it in Erie with my family, and had a good time. We were spoiled again by our family -- both near AND far. We are blessed, thats for sure. It's weird to think it was our last Christmas without kids. But I know that next year, even though she'll only be about 10 months old, the holidays are still going to be given a whole new meaning. I'm looking forward to it :)


We rang in our last kid-free New Year's Eve in a low key fashion -- which was completely okay. After Ryan got off of work, we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, we swung by the store to pick up some sparkling grape juice (oh yea, high rollers!) and then headed home to relax on the couch until midnight. Once midnight rolled around, we watched the ball drop, then headed to sleep shortly after that. Party animals! ;)



2011 was a great year. Many ups, a few downs, but all in all, it was good to us. I am looking forward to welcoming 2012 in, and all of the wonderful blessings yet to come.