Baby Girl Clothes: Frills & Thrills

One of my first thoughts after finding out we are having a baby girl was, "Carrie, prepare yourself for the onslaught of pink." I'm not completely opposed to pink, a little touch here and there is nice. But the overcoming power of it frightens me.

This weekend while in search of maternity clothes [that were remotely fashionable and decently priced], I decided I should buy the baby's first outfit to celebrate finding out the gender. Unfortunately [or maybe it was fortunate?], everything in stores is summery. Since the baby will be born late October I thought she probably won't wear little rompers and sundresses. For the first few months I think it will be mostly layettes and cozy, cuddly outfits. Thinking about snuggling up with my little babe makes my heart swell with joy and excitement.

I decided to put together a little board of some girly [but not solely pink] items that I like. Just for funsies. Once there are more fall/winter clothes in stores I'll have to do another one.

Trousers: Zara; Shoe: Baby Gap; Hat: Baby Gap
Yellow Romper: Nordstrom; Pink Dress: Zara
Gingham Romper: Nordstrom; Cardigan: Baby Gap


I'm really excited to be taking a short little trip to Seattle this weekend for a friend's wedding. I am sure it's going to be absolutely gorgeous. Max can't come because of work, so I'm bringing my sister as my date. Now that I'm married and moved out we don't spend as much time together, just the two of us. It should be a fun time. I'm hoping I don't laugh so much that I pee my pants. Sister times can get a bit out of hand. I'm especially looking forward to a little stop at Gap Outlet for some baby and maternity clothes.

What are your favorite stores for baby and maternity clothes?

It's a...Baby Girl!

We had the mid-way ultrasound Friday, and it was probably the highlight of my pregnancy so far.

Finding out the gender was plenty fun, but even more than that I loved seeing all her little details and hearing the tech. say that everything was developing perfectly. A little heart with all four chambers, spine [which I thought was the most amazing] with the vertebrae all lining up, toes, stomach, brain, and umbilical cord. Everything was perfect. I've never experienced anything so amazing.

And something else we saw, she's a thumb sucker! It was adorable, she kept trying to get her thumb into her mouth but instead hitting her forehead and nose. Seeing her little tiny mouth open and close as she made her most valiant efforts was so beautiful.

Max and I got some pink balloons and took a few pictures to remember the day.

 

 

I'm sure I'll have real maternity pictures at some point later on.

I also celebrated by buying my first pair of maternity pants. If you think finding jeans is difficult when you are not pregnant... you have fun times ahead of you. I was thoroughly exhausted after looking all over, but managed to find some cute and comfortable skinny jeans.

I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend.
Mine was full of all the right things.
Fun, friends, worship, and relaxing.

Ciao!

A Season To Enjoy

As I bit into a deliciously flavorful strawberry the other day I thought to myself how wonderful fruit is when it's in season. Right around my birthday the strawberries start to get really good and so I usually have something strawberry for dessert. I think of it as a celebration not just of my birth, but the summer that is on it's way. But this time of year I don't buy apples, they're just bland. Strawberries and apple are both good things, but the thing that's in season is so much better.

I've been thinking about things "coming into season" and asking the Lord what those things are for me. Sometimes I stuff my life with so many concerns that I can't be open or receptive to the beautiful things around me. How unpleasant for the Lord [or my husband] to come to me expecting life and sweetness, but instead get a rough and dry response. I don't like my fruit like that.

So I'm teaching myself to enjoy this season. To choose excitement of the life growing inside of me, instead of worry. To enjoy this bonding time with my baby, instead of rushing around to get things done. To browse the internet for baby things, instead of thinking about what we can and can't afford. To wear fitted shirts and loose skirts, instead of thinking about summer dresses that won't fit. Enjoying. Every. Detail.

I had [or rather, am getting] the revelation that it makes no difference the fears I have, I really don't control what comes into and goes out of my bank account. No amount of worrying will add an extra zero to our balance. I wish that wasn't so hard to remember.

So for now...

flower background: lulie wallace

Birthday Things

Although we both had to work all day and he had worship practice at night, the Mr.'s birthday was still a good one. The night before we enjoyed some delicious food with wonderful friends at restaurant along the river. I love this time of year, when restaurants open up their patio seating and it doesn't require a parka to enjoy it. We got up extra early (which Max doesn't mind one bit, weirdo) to get some birthday treats at Rockwood Bakery before heading to work. Some friends came over later that night for a little frisbee at the park and ice cream sandwiches. If the object of Birthdays is consuming sweets and laughing, this was a successful one indeed.

I have to say I am pretty proud of the presents I found for Max. I love buying things that I know he'll love, but are still a surprise. Thus Head Hunters on vinyl and a new tee (see both below). I was also proud of that fact that I didn't go way over the budget. We are terrible when it comes to buying each other stuff. One of us always goes overboard. Gift giving as a love language is a dangerous thing. :)

I thought I would share a couple items from my wish list. I hardly ever want big expensive gifts (in comparison to the $1000 synth Max would like). It's the little things in life that make me happy. A new pair of sandals, a new purse, a new skirt. Oh, and pants to accommodate my growing belly. :)

1. 2. 3. 4.


Ciao!
And happy Friday to you!

C.

Oh baby, this is for real.

I'm not sure if it can be attributed to physical changes, or if our getaway last week gave me some much needed processing time, but in the last week I've gained a new excitement in the reality that there truly is a baby in my belly.

I shared about our trip to San Diego, but I thought I would give some updates on baby.

A couple weeks ago we purchased our first piece of furniture for the baby room.

It's pretty much my first baby anything purchase.

Isn't it great?

If you can't tell, it's a dresser-changing table combo.

Once we buy a crib we are going it re-stain the dresser to match.

As I was trying to fall asleep last week I kept having to wipe my nose. I thought it was weird and joked to Max that runny noses are probably a pregnancy symptom. It took a few minutes for me to realize that it was the first-ever-in-my-life bloody nose. Pretty inconvenient timing. There was blood on my pillow, on our sheets. Gross. My dear husband had to change and wash all our bedding while I held my nose. How does a baby growing inside of me cause such a seemingly unrelated event?

I will also note that I have been experiencing the itchy, dry eyes and skin. And I have to pee more frequently. But I don't think you need any further details on those topics.

RESEARCH!

Oh my, there is so much of it to do, but I've been enjoying it for the most part. I like input from people, but I try to avoid posting questions on forums, blogs, facebook, etc.. It is way too much for me to hear 40 opinions on strollers, birthing methods, and diets. Every person has their own unique perspective and preferences. So I just ask the people who I feel have the most similar to me. [Don't hate on me if you're a mom and I haven't asked you anything.]

Here's the "travel system" I've currently got my eye on-

A topic most worthy of discussion though is this, the gender of our wee one! The appointment is set for May 25th and we are so excited to find out. That's only two more weeks! Surprisingly, I can't believe it is coming up so soon. As far as preference, I would like if it's a boy, and Max says he is on the fence but I'm pretty sure he wants a girl. Either way we will be thrilled.

Did I mention that in the last week I have felt a couple kicks and witnessed a bouncing tummy from what I believe was a case of the hiccups for our babe? They were both very exciting and amazing occasions.

And last, but not least,

THE BUMP!

I have noticed a change in my physique for a while now, but every time I took a picture it was less than attractive. Vain, I know, but who really wants to post a picture that will eternally tarnish the world wide web? Isn't there already enough of that out there?

So here it is...

Crazy, crazy.

With all the excitement we have somehow slipped into May! Birthday month for the Mr. and me! His is on Tuesday and mine is the following. We don't have any big plans and we're just doing little presents for each other, but I'm excited to celebrate another year older. How am I another year older? Time sure flies faster than a...a... pregnant lady to an ice cream shop?

:)

San Dee-Aye-Go-Go

Well, one week later I am finally posting about our trip to San Diego. It was wonderful. The weather wasn't as sunshiny as I had hoped, but we managed to still really enjoy ourselves. After almost 4 years I flew on a plane again. The flights were both pretty short, which was nice. I had forgotten how excellent airports are for people watching. And language listening. I miss regularly hearing different languages.

It took a few bus rides (and me getting frustrated) to get to our hotel, but I am so excited to say that my husband is an excellent travel companion. I wasn't sure how he would deal with confusing maps, smelly&strange people, and waiting for buses, but he was the best. It comforted my soul greatly to know that he is very capable of figuring out nonsensical transportation systems. Not to mention his calmness and sense of humor in it all. It made me feel very safe and loved. sigh...

After grabbing a bite to eat, we took a walk along the bay enjoying the new sites and smells. I could feel my travel-love-tank filling by the minute. After being up at 4am, we were exhausted. So we went back to the hotel and watched a movie, which resulted in a 3 hour nap. I forgot how tiring it is to travel.

Day one we had a big BIG breakfast to get the energy we needed for the zoo. While waiting for our bus we took a little looksie at the ocean, and I fell in love with it all over again. The soft sand, the salty air, the soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore. Ahhh...I daydream of it frequently.

The zoo was uh-mazing. I felt like a little kid. It was wonderful. More details on that below.

I could go on and on about the next few days, but basically it was a lot of good food, some shopping,  encounters with weird people, and lots of walking. My body hasn't been that sore in a long time. But my heart was so happy it was worth it.

And now for some pictures!

Gotta love 6 o'clock flights.

Travelin' times!

Evening stroll on the boardwalk, enjoying the new plants and the smells that accompany them.

Starting the day off right.

I love big delicious breakfasts.

My heart feels at home by the ocean.

One of my favorite parts of the zoo was taking a gondola over it.

We walked (with no breaks) for 5 hours without seeing everything,

 and in 5 minutes we got a bird's eye view (I'm so funny right?) of it all.

I really loved the camels.

Have you ever seen the Claymation Christmas movie with the camels singing in We Three Kings?

I think that's why I like Camels.

Fabulous French food and coffee. 

There was gelato too, but we were too busy eating it to take any pictures.

Our last day concluded with dipping our feet in the freezing cold ocean, a nice barefoot stroll on the warm sand, and buying my dear husband's first-ever flip-flops. He was pretty cute trying to figure out how to walk in them. Tricky stuff.

On our way to the airport we had to pick up a little treat to get us through the many bus rides.

Being home has also been wonderful (other than the terrible smell in our kitchen and the fact that we cannot figure out what went bad when we were gone).

There are some baby updates too, but I'll save that for another post.

Until next time!