5 Month Newsletter

Dear Buggy,

Every month I say I can't believe that you are another month older and its true. I've been staring at you all morning wondering how it is my little 7lb 9oz infant has grown and changed so much! It is a great reminder to stop what I'm doing and just enjoy you. This month has brought about so much change!

look you are all grown up and a Flyers goalie! Where did my baby go?

You started rolling over!! Its crazy watching you because you have to get pretty worked up to do it, you grunt and fuss but eventually you flip over. Once you do you are pleased as punch though.
Also you got two teeth! TWO! On Feb 21st your two bottom teeth came in. I remember the exact moment, we were in the car and daddy was driving and I was riding with you because you were fussing (probably because your teeth were poking you!) You were chewing on my hand then all the sudden you bit me! Wow, those little chompers are sharp!!! Daddy and I are very wary about putting our fingers in your mouth now because you love biting everything! You love kisses too and will just open your mouth and "kiss" all over my face :)

Speaking of biting, you have been so interested in watching us eat lately. Every time I take a drink of water you tip your head back and open your mouth. You watch us most intently while we are eating though. I have even let you start chewing on some veggies; a carrot, celery stick and sugar snap peas. You are VERY interested in that. "this duck is kinda creeping me out"

I'm excited for you to grow and experience new things but the thought of you eating anything other than momma's milk has me so sad. I have loved nursing you, it has had its own challenges but holding you in my arms and feeding you is the most special thing. It allows me the time to slow down and just look at you. I know I'll be nursing you for a long time to come but this coming milestone is bittersweet for me. We will definitely be waiting for at least 6 months to start actually feeding you things (instead of just letting you bite!).
You are so smiley and boy are you LOUD! You love to talk, squeal, sing and screech. Whenever I'm on the phone people are always laughing at how loud you are. You are also quite the flirt, you love smiling at pretty girls. Last Sunday in church you were distracting all the teenage girls behind you (the very gorgeous William's girls) with your smiles. It was so funny! You do that to me though too, I'll want to do the dishes or something dumb like that and you just look at me and smile and a half hour later we are still playing. Making you laugh is like an addiction!

you and your "girlfriend" Kira

You are the ultimate morning person you generally need a diaper change at around 4:30 every day and Daddy generally takes one for the team on that one. You wake up with the biggest smile though, its really adorable. You will just sit and smile and talk and take one hand and put it on my arm and one hand on your daddy's arm. It's so cute, you love our little family :) Most of the time after your diaper is changed you will settle down, nurse and go back to sleep; this month Daddy has even started to need his alarm clock again! Some mornings you will even sleep till 8 or 8:30 (THANK YOU!!), I feel so bad for Daddy when that happens because he doesn't get his special Buggy Time before work. He definitely makes up for it when he gets home and carries you around most of the night. I can't even describe the look you have when you look at your Daddy, just pure Awe. We were in church and singing a praise and worship song to God and you were looking at your Daddy with such love and amazement; I just laughed and told your Daddy it seemed like you were singing to him.

you and your daddy at the Discovery Museum watching HOCKEY!!

We have started being able to go outside more and we both are enjoying that. Although when the wind blows you don't quite know what to do. You just shut your eyes tight and hold your breath!

Another thing you love is BATHTIME!! Oh my you love bath time. You are like a little fish! I'm convinced that you think you can swim as you are always trying to throw yourself underwater or gently lower yourself. You will quietly stick your face in the water and when I lift you out you are like "what? was that a problem?". I can't wait to get you in a pool or in the ocean to see if you are the little water baby I think you are.

making our first craft, Valentine's Day Cards

That's pretty much how things go around here right now. I'm so excited for where we are at and excited for the things to come. While a piece of me mourns every milestone because it means my little baby isn't such a little baby anymore. You are such a sweet boy and your smile lights up my life in a way I've never known before!
Love always,
Your Mama

This Moment

Sitting here with my sleeping babe
Sun streaming in the window
Diapers drying on the rack
Breakfast dishes on the table (Irish Oats)
French Press coffee freshly made

I never knew my life could be so wonderful. This moment of peace fills me for the rest of the day.

Ptosis Surgery Update

So on Dec 23rd, Bug had his Ptosis surgery. It was so hard driving him in while he was screaming in the backseat because he was starving. It took two hours from then for them to take him back for surgery so the poor boy hadn't eating in about 5 hours. When we got into pre-op they had us change him into a hospital gown, dude, baby gowns are soo sad. They weighed him again and he is 97% for height and weight, the boy knows how to nurse! Then the surgeon and the anesthesiologist came in to meet with us. We prayed over the Bug then handed him over, hardest thing I've ever done.

They sent us to a waiting room for the parents of kids in surgery, we were at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania). I thought CHOP handled this part really well, they had people coming in and updating all the parents on that status of the surgeries about every 30-40 minutes. When Bugs surgery was done the surgeon came in to talk to us and told us it was successful and that we would be called back to see him in a few minutes, once he woke up from anesthesia.

Nothing could have ever prepared me for what we saw when we went back. My boy had so much attached to him (IV, blood pressure cuff, pulse oxygen monitor, heart monitor, etc). The first thing I saw was a bottle though and I think all my anxiety flew onto the nurse. I was soo mad they gave him a bottle, don't they know that Breast is Best?!!! They finally gave him to me after what seemed like forever and I couldn't believe what I saw. He was swollen and bloody. The hubs and I were horrified that we had chosen to do this to our son. After about an hour they let us bring him home.

He seemed to be fine once we got him home. He just seemed like he was in a little bit of pain so we gave him a dose of Tylenol. I just kept staring at my poor boy. His right eye was swollen shut that day. He nursed fine on both sides though, which was one of my worries. We have to put ointment in his eye every two hours and he's on an oral antibiotic 3x a day which is interesting to say the least. He is a very strong, very stubborn little boy.

As the dust settles and the swelling goes down the hubs and I both realize how he needed this surgery. He looks around at things like he's never seen them, its so easy to tell that the surgery was necessary. He loves his swing now and sitting up; before he would fuss at either (I think because his eyelid would shut so he couldn't see that well in that position). Its so nice to see him sitting up and looking at me with his big dimply smile. We are blessed.

Praying tonight for a bloggy mommy that I read who was blessed with twin baby girls only to lose one. My heart breaks for her.

Fun at the Docs

So we've been hanging at doctors offices but we've been trying to make it fun. Thankfully the Bug is a pretty silly guy. Here's him figuring out his tongue :)

2 Month Letter

My Dearest Buggy,
Its hard to believe another month has past! You have changed so much in the past month, and even though I didn't think it was possible I love you more. You are such a fun little guy, your daddy and I are really enjoying having you interact more with us. One of our favorite times is Saturday mornings, you usually wake up pretty cheerful and we love cuddling with you. You LOVE kisses and we play a little game where we sit on opposite sides of you and take turns kissing your cheeks, you turn your head from side to side with big smiles!! Your smile is the best thing I've ever seen, I love making you smile. Whether its a sweet little sleep smile, or a nursing smile or a big old giggly smile they all make me melt. I've had a hard time capturing it on film because usually my focus is on making you smile more.

We've definitely caught our groove with the nursing, and we've even nursed while walking around Target! Don't worry you were all covered, we weren't flashing anyone :) Last month I was scared we would never leave the house but we have and even took our first trip to Hershey Park! Your dad and I celebrate the anniversary of our first date by going to Hershey every year during Christmastime, its also the place where your dad proposed to me. the exact spot where your dad proposed to me

You slept for most of it but we're so excited to do it every year and can see how fun its going to be as you get older. It was sooo cold, your dad was worried if it would be too cold for you to be outside but you were nice and cozy with me wearing you in your Moby wrapped in a blanket.

thats you under that blanket all snuggly!

You still LOVE to be worn and I wear you most of the time, I can count on one hand the number of times you've been in your stroller. Sometimes I just bring it to store the diaper bag and still wear you. Its so nice holding you as we go through our day, I love my snuggly little man. busy playing on your playmat

I brought you into the office this month and you were so good, I was able to work for 4 hours both wearing you and having you play on your playmat. You've been letting me work a few hours a day at home as well, you entertain yourself really well with your play mat and just looking around. You have started to look around more and take in whats around you. I love watching you discover things, the funniest has been your tongue. Its so cute watching you stick out your tongue and play with it. You've even started licking us sometimes when we kiss you its pretty funny.

You are sleeping better, in the past few nights you've gone for like 4-5 hours of straight sleep. Umm seriously this has been AMAZING! To tell the truth though I went in expecting you not to sleep so even though I was tired it didn't bother me to wake up to change and nurse you. Taking care of you has been the most rewarding job of my life, I love being your mommy!

This month we also found out you need to have minor surgery on your eyelid. Its the first time that I really feel like I can't protect you and it kills me. I know that this is just the first time of many that I will have to watch you go through trials without being able to take them away from you. You are my gift from God, so I trust you in His hands and place you in them every day in prayer. I know that your life experiences and how you choose to view them will make you the man you're going to be; good or bad. So even though I can't take this trial from you I plan to model my faith to you that you will learn that through anything we can trust God.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."Matthew 10:29-31

God has numbered the very hairs on your head, He loves you my boo. Its hard for me to believe but He loves you even more than I do.

I love you so, my Bug, and look forward to getting to know you more as the months go by. Sometimes I just wish we could pause it a bit, its going so fast! I can't wait to see where this month is going to bring us and what new tricks you're going to learn. I can't wait to make the memory of your first Christmas! To celebrate the New Year with you, you've already shown me so much more hope and promise than any new year could.

Love Always,
Your mama

Most used infant products-the first month

So I thought it might be useful or interesting to hear my most used baby items so far.

1. My Moby Wrap- I have LOVED this. The bug adores being in it and will snuggle right up. I love having him so close to me and rarely if we're out do we use the stroller. Its just been easier to use the Moby.


2. The My Brest Friend Pillow. I love this pillow and love how secure it is. Those first few weeks of nursing can be tough so anything you can get to make it easier do it. This was one of my favorite things that I had.

3. My Kleen Kanteen- The hubs makes sure that this is always filled and I don't think I would drink anything in those first weeks unless it was right there for me. I love these and bring them EVERYWHERE.

4. Zippy Pajamas-I loved not dealing with buttons or snaps in the middle of the night.

5. Sophie the Giraffe-This toy is so cute, I love it. The bug tracks it with his eyes and will bat it with his hands too :)

1 month letter

Dear Buggaboo (Bugs, Bugsy, Chunky Monkey, Boo Boo Face, Sweetie Boy),
I can't believe it was only one month ago today that we first saw your sweet face. It seems like forever ago and just a moment ago at the same time. To say you've turned my life upside down is an understatement, but the biggest change was my heart. I've never loved so much. When I was dating your dad I said that it made me understand God's love for me a little more because I had never known love like that before. You have shown me yet another depth of love, and I'm amazed again at God's love for me. I keep saying I can't believe that God gave his only son for me, that is a love that I cannot even fathom. I pray every day to live that out in my life that I can be an example to you of this great love.


We are starting to catch our groove with each other. Nights are sometimes rough, you usually wake up about 2 times a night. A good number of those nights though I admit to staying awake much longer than needed to just look at you. Nursing has been one of the sweetest experiences of my life, it has come with its own set of obstacles but nothing out of the ordinary. I'm amazed that the only sustenance you've ever had has come from me. I'm still not so great at nursing in public so we haven't gone out too much or for too long, I'm hoping to get better this month and get out of the house more.

I love watching you with your daddy, he loves you so much. Every night you fall asleep on his chest, he usually falls asleep too. I didn't think it was possible but you've made me fall more in love with your daddy more. I'm amazed that God used the two of us to make you, I love looking at you and seeing all the ways you look like your daddy, EVERYONE says you look just like him. I pray that you grow up to be a good man just like him.
You are out of newborn clothes and some of the 3 months are a stretch for you as well. Daddy has weighed you a few times and the last time we checked you were around 11.5lbs, we'll find out next Friday for sure what you are up to. I love wearing you and it seems your favorite place to be is in the Moby. One day daddy came home and kissed your head and said you smelled like Chicken soup, well that's what I had for lunch and I'd been kissing your head all afternoon. You don't seem to mind though so I keep wearing you.

I love you with all my heart little one, and I'm so thankful that you've made me a "mommy". I feel like all my life I've been waiting and preparing for this, to be a wife to your daddy and a mommy to you. I promise to do my best by you.

Love,
Your mama

Cloth Diapering so far

pic of my Bug's cute little cloth diapered tush!

Some of our parenting decisions were made automatically for us; cloth diapering and breastfeeding being the biggest. It was VERY important to both of us for me to stay home to raise the bug and for that to happen we had to lessen the cost of having a child. Diapering a child comes with an obscene cost, cloth diapering seemed like the best way to cut that and it has been. Thankfully we had purchased some cloth when we took care of my nieces twins and one of my friends handed me down some of her cloth diapers as her kids outgrew them; so even the cloth diapers didn't really have a significant impact on our budget. Even if we did have to purchase them it really just does make sense financially to go cloth. There are other bloggers who have gone into the cost analysis so I'm not going to do the math, I'll just link up a few here, here and here. I also like the environmental aspect of cloth diapering and appreciate how my frugal choices also tend to be green.

What we didn't realize is that when we left the hospital they would give us TONS of disposable diapers, we literally left with 5 packages. These 5 packages proved to be a great incentive to start with the cloth, we both HATED them. The bug some how leaked so bad that every time we changed him at night we were changing the sheets and his clothes too (some times ours as well).

It was so irritating, and both brands that they gave us let to the same effect. The hubs and I were so happy when we started using cloth because they really held the business in. We honestly haven't even noticed the laundry part of it too much, it works out to be an extra load every 2-3 days and you don't have to fold them!

So yeah, we cloth diaper and it isn't at all horrible like everyone insisted it would be when we were pregnant (all while giving us knowing looks and saying "we'll see how long that lasts"). It just works for us and for the boy, although I could see how if you were working full time or didn't have a washing machine cloth diapering would be hard. Also breastfeeding has its own advantages on cloth diapering so if I was formula feeding I might be singing a different tune.

The one thing that bothers me when people talk about cloth diapering is that they believe you have to buy the fancy expensive diapers. You can go crazy with cloth there are many many different options and some of them cost over $20 a diaper but you can go way cheaper than that. We opted to purchase prefolds, cheap prorap covers
and snappis to secure. Diapering with those options it costs about $50 per size and you can reuse for subsequent children, super cheap!

So what do you do? What made your decision for you?

A Moment

He sighs contentedly in his sleep, nestled up against me. He grasps my necklace with both hands. We sit like this for hours each day, he finishes nursing and I hold him. I know this won't last long, that my tiny man will grow so much quicker than I will like; so for now I will let the dishes sit in the sink and the clothes will lay unfolded. I'll take a deep breath and breathe in his baby smell. I'll make myself remember how tiny his hands are, how soft his hair, how he fits perfectly all nestled against me.

I know this is special.

The Birth of my Little Man

Baby Bam Bam

So this week has been a bit busy. About 4 hours after I wrote that last post I went into labor with my little man. After a long labor he was born on 10/5/10 at 3:11pm weighing 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches long. The labor, birth and reality of having a son have rocked my world. I feel so incredibly blessed right now.

Birth Story-Long version ** I am a doula and I go into detail here so if you don't feel comfortable reading the birth story from my perspective do not continue**

Monday morning I woke up about 4:30 shivering uncontrollably. I went to the bathroom then came back to bed to get under as many blankets as I could. About a half hour later my contractions started. They started out about 5 minute apart lasting about a minute each, I jumped in the shower to see what would happen. They got a bit more intense and the hubs popped his head in to see what was going on and if he should go to work that day. We figured it would be a good idea for him to stay home, and called my awesome doula, Mama K at about 6 am, and did a few laps around the block. We lapped the block a few more times, watched Flight of the Conchords and I took alot of showers. It started to get pretty intense at about 11:30 am and I felt best laying in bed; the contractions were about 2-3 min apart. The hubs called the midwives and they said to head on into the hospital.

I was extremely anxious about going into the hospital; terrified of having unnecessary procedures, of having my blood pressure go up because of anxiety. The whole hospital part of the birth scared the tar out of me and I think the decision to go in then stalled me out a bit because after that the contractions spaced out again at around 3-4pm. We ended up going out to dinner and while there they picked up a bit then we went over and walked the mall, then we headed home. Mama K headed home to see her little guys for a little bit with instructions for us to call her when things got going again.

They did start picking up again around 10pm, and at about midnight we headed to the hospital. My thinking was that I would sit in the parking lot until I just couldn't stand it then head in, and maybe walk around the parking lot in the meantime. Well it was raining and freezing so that made that difficult, the hubs and I did lap the hospital a couple of times but ended up going home again as the contractions seemed to space out again.

When we got home, I tried to sleep. The contractions were making that impossible, I was exhausted and in a good amount of pain. I called my mom for her advice knowing that if I got too tired there was no way I was going to be able to push this kid out, she basically told me the same thing. What finally made up my mind was that if we got to the hospital and things petered out at least I could get some sleep if they didn't then woo-hoo baby time. So we called Mama K and headed on in. I had to be on monitors for 20 min out of the hour but for the other 40 minutes I was able to labor in the shower, walk around, use the birth ball, listen to music,etc. The 20 minutes in bed were the hardest for me, the contractions just slammed me with back pain. Mama K and the hubs were wonderful in here; offering counter pressure, sips of water, walking with me, distracting me. It was funny I would be doing one thing then remember, hey if I were my doula this is what I would say and it would really help me, the one thing that really helped was the vocalizing making the low hmmmm noises and focusing. I remember during my contractions in bed I focused so hard on the bassinet which was directly in front of me. Towards the end I was so tired I was delirious, I remember just mumbling gibberish then realizing it was gibberish.

Here is the timeline for my dilation during all this at 4 am they checked me and I was 4 cm dilated, at 0 to -1 station and 80% effaced. Then at 6 am I was 6cm and 90 % effaced, at 8 am I was 8 cm and 90% effaced (see a pattern here??). At 10 am I was still at 8 cm and 90% but by noon I was at 9.5 cm with an anterior lip and 100% effaced. The midwife asked me if I wanted to have my water broken at this point and we decided that it probably would just help move things along. She broke my water at 12:30.

At this point we had that lull that they promise every laboring mom. Oh it was so appreciated as I was so incredibly tired from being up since about 5 am the day before laboring. The nurse walked in at one point here and I jokingly asked her if I could have my epidural now. She did such a double take cause I did it with a smile on my face calm as can be, lol. I was pretty happy because this was the only point that I asked for anything and I was just kidding around. What really helped me with this was I requested not to be offered any type of pain medication, they abided by my wishes and my stubborn Irish self wouldn't ask to save my life :).

I started pushing at 2:07. Wow, NOTHING could have prepared me for that. The midwife gave me full discretion to push in whatever position felt good to me and it seemed to be hugging the back of the bed on my hands and knees. I just remember while pushing having such doubt if he would ever come, if I could do it. I started praying in between the contractions asking God to help me, to give me strength, to get this baby out of me! The nurse told me later that I also politely asked the baby "Get out of me! Please!!". After pushing in that position for awhile I moved to stand next to the bed bent over the bed pushing, I kept feeling the midwife underneath me putting the monitor on my belly to get the heart rate and wondering where the heck she was to be doing this. At this point they realize that my hep lock (port for IV) came out so they were trying to clean up the blood on my arm from that, that gave me something else to focus on while pushing so that was good. I could feel his head coming out but no one was saying anything so I figured I was wrong, I was having so much self doubt here. I remember thinking if that isn't his head this labor is going to kill me. The midwife said for the next contraction she wanted me in bed using the squat bar so I did that and his head came out on the next push. She wasn't ready and didn't have her gloves on so she was yelling at me to stop pushing!! I started crying because its impossible to stop and I thought there was something wrong with him (ie cord wrapped around his neck, not breathing). Oh I was soo mad when I found out that it was just because she didn't have gloves on!!

All that was quickly forgotten at 3:11pm when she placed my sweet man on my stomach. I was so overcome with emotion, I couldn't do anything but just cry. I was so in love with this little baby boy and with my husband, I couldn't believe that one room could contain it.

Baby Shower

So a couple of weeks ago my friends and family threw us an amazing baby shower.

The threw it at my parents house and it was a gorgeous day; it was so special to have so many of the important people in my life celebrate our little man with us. We were so touched with the hard work that went into the party. There were alot of people there and everything was just so special, I loved it! Instead of a guest book they had alphabet coloring pages that they'll put into a book for the baby. The theme was birds and trees and Mama K outdid herself with handmade birdie garland and little birds and birdcages all around. The trees were easy since my parents live in the middle of nowhere!

just one picture of one of the strings of garland. Its hard to tell here but the picture frames are filled with my siblings and my wedding pictures and the one closest to the camera is the hubs and I.

One of my oldest friends, T, made the cake and it was soo delicious. Each slice had four layers filled with lemon curd and a marscapone cheese filling. It was soo delicious!!! I normally don't eat cake but I still drool thinking about that one!

Another friend Eminstiches made these awesome bird nest favors! They were so cute and tasty!

My siblings were in charge of the food and they didn't disappoint, I've never seen such a spread at a shower. There were other tables full of food as well.

We were completely floored by the generosity of our friends and family. I loved this onsie it says Mommy + Daddy = Me :)
It was such a great day celebrating Baby B and seeing friends old and new. I'm so thankful to have such wonderful people in our lives. We are so blessed.

Nursery

So we're in our 37th week here and anxiously anticipating the birth of this little guy. I'm totally loving watching him moving around my belly though, I will miss having him inside of me. Things are definitely getting real; we have the nursery together, bags packed and carseat installed. When we left church on Sunday I realized that there are only a couple more times that we'll be leaving church and its just me and the hubs. The nursery is done, clothes are washed and put away, diapers are washed and put away. There are a few things left to do; like scrub the house and bake an insane amount of dinners and snacks.
Without further ado, here is a look at the nursery.
This is a look at the corner of the room; I love the crate that holds the books you can't see it but it the fabric has awesome numbers and letters in different fonts. The books were the wishing well at the shower, we really got some amazing books that I've been enjoying reading to Baby B already. I have some handmade things from when I was little the Strawberry Shortcake figures were made for me by my sister and there is a little duck finger puppet that my cousin made me. We've been calling this baby our lobster because thats how he looked in the ultrasound and there is a cute lobster hat from his Auntie and Uncle. I also love his Piggy Bank gifted from Eminstiches. Our quilt is also hung here, the theme of the nursery is birds and trees but its really just a loose theme.
I love this crazy mobile. Last Christmas I used some money I received to purchase some things for our nursery. This was before we found out we were pregnant and I was so happy to find out a few weeks later that we were expecting. The birdies are Christmas ornaments from Anthropologie, and I just really liked all the colors, a few of them have little shiny bits as well. Baby B will have a good amount to look at there!!
This is a pic of the shelf above the crib. The garland was decoration from my shower made by Mama K, the cute birdie print is from Mama K as well (you can't tell here but the birds totally match the ribbon from the mobile!). The cross is St. Brigids cross, if Baby B was a girl his name was going to be Brigid after this saint. The cross is made by weaving reeds from the River Shannon, to me its just a beautiful way of using God's creation to tell the story of redemption. The angel is hope, because we hoped and prayed for this little boy.
We received some really beautiful homemade goodies for Baby B; the Froggie was made for me by Eminstitches, this blanket was made by Granny Dirkey for Baby B. When he's born I'm going to be posting some more of the handmade goodies we received, I really do treasure the hard work that goes into those types of gifts.
I love this present that we received; its Baby B's name, meaning and a scripture (2nd Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. "). My friend did the calligraphy herself and I love that its the first thing that we see when coming into the nursery.
here's a look into the room with the little toy basket and hamper at the base of the bed. I really like how the room turned out. We purposefully wanted it to be pretty gender neutral (in hopes of future little ones) and think we accomplished this. Every time I look around I see all the love that surrounds our family and Baby Ben; he is so blessed to have so many wonderful people in his life.

Nursery Update

We bought a crib today! Yay, well more specifically my parents bought a crib for us! Woot Woot thanks Mom and Dad!
Its this one

Which can be found here
I'm surprised it took this long for me to find one I like but apparently I decided to become ridiculously picky about this which is pretty out of character for me. The hubs might be rubbing off on me, as he once spent 2 YEARS looking for brown dress shoes (side note when we found the "right" shoes I wanted to buy like 15 pairs). Anyway I ended up going through Babys R Us shaking all the cribs and this one was the nicest one that endured my shaking test. This reminds me of my parents story of buying their kitchen table, they were VERY rough in the store as they had six kids and wanted to make sure that it would last (to the point where I believe one of them was standing on it or something but I could just be making that part up who knows). That kitchen table is just as strong as it was when I was little though so I guess its good to do things a little goofy when buying furniture.

We aren't doing the whole traditional nursery thing where we're redoing the whole room. Our guest room was painted a nice pale green color when we moved in (with future babies in mind) and we'll keep the current furniture in there. The furniture that is there is from my great grandparents and matches the crib. My idea is to still keep this as a spare room/baby's room. The baby will most likely sleep with us for the foreseeable future and just use the crib sporadically for naps and such for awhile. When he's sleeping a bit more we'll move him over to the crib and then when he is old enough we'll transition him into the big bed that is already there and keep the crib in there for future kidlets. With that in mind we got a pretty gender neutral bedding set that looks like this

Actually the walls in our room are a similar color and I got a dark blue comforter for the bed to "boy" up the room a bit.

I am excited to set up the crib and do some rearranging in the room. We might have to move one of the dressers out for space issues but we'll see. Mostly I just need to sell some stuff before this baby comes so we have room for him. The hubs and I have collected some crazy stuff that we don't use but could bring in a pretty penny on Craigslist.