With just seven days until my actual due date (although we’re pretty sure Baby P will make us wait even longer), we’ve officially begun getting ready for her arrival.
Of course you’ve seen us tackling her nursery, but now when we say getting ready, we really mean getting-ready-for-my-water-to-break-and-to-actually-welcome-our-new-daughter-into-the-world. See, pretty much right after we found out I was pregnant we slowly began to wrap our minds around the idea that our family would be growing as my belly continued to expand with every baked potato and chocolate milk craving.
Now you see why I’ve been humming my tweak on an old Beyoncé classic: “I don’t think you’re ready for this belly.”
And only quite recently did we fully digest the concept that we actually made a person. We made a person! There’s a girl in my belly who will walk and talk someday, heck she’ll even have a job and probably be desperately embarrassed about her dorky parents who always have paint in their hair. It’s just such a giant thought that it literally takes about nine months to sink in- which might just be why it takes so long to cook one of these things. It’s probably nature’s way of making sure you’re really ready for the life changing and momentous birth instead of smacking you in the face with a baby after 30 days of gestation. But anyway, now that we have fully been able to wrap our heads around the notion that we’re about to really be parents (!) there are a few things that we’ve done in anticipation of our little miracle’s arrival:
1. Our practical purchase: My obsession with my water breaking in bed or on the couch got the best of me and I convinced John to let me get a waterproof mattress cover to protect our beloved organic mattress and another little waterproof blanket that I can place on the sofa or the seat of the car in these last few days… you know, just in case. And the good news is that they’re not nearly as crunchy and diaper-like as I expected (we picked them both up for $23 total at Bed Bath & Beyond thanks to two of those 20% off coupons). Maybe it goes back to how fiercely I love our house, but it just seemed worth the added security to at least attempt to keep the sofa and the bed (along with the passenger seat of our new car) protected from the wrath of holy-cow-it’s-really-time. Especially since my mom’s water broke in bed with every single kiddo. Sidenote: my absolute dream is for my water to break at Target or Home Depot because I just think that would be hysterical since we practically live there. I know, I’m weird.
2. Our DIY project: This second idea was John’s brain child (I’m telling you, he’s the sweet sentimental one and I’m the neurotic fool who worries about my water breaking). He actually brought it up as my birthday gift back in March by suggesting that we get a fabric covered album and create our own little “baby book” with fun patterned paper and printed prompts that you see in typical baby books like “The First Week Was….” and “First Word…” We love the idea of adding in keepsakes like her hospital bracelet and her little going-home hat along with a ton of photos and even things like her inked footprints (we plan to bring a few pieces of cardstock to the hospital since the nurses will gladly make footprints that we can stick into our little memory book of sorts). So we headed over to Michael’s (with a 40% off coupon in hand) and snagged a sweet 8.5 x 8.5″ album covered in super fun Amy Butler fabric for just $9 after my handy coupon.
We also picked up a pad full of 8 x 8″ patterned paper to use as a backdrop in our keepsake album (to the tune of $6). So our entire DIY baby book project ran us $15 total. And after adding all the decorative paper and leaving room for notes about momentous occasions (along with photos and other memorabilia) we were left with a pretty sweet way to document many of Baby P’s firsts:
And since we made it ourselves we had fun adding in quirky things, like this page of “future predictions” where John and I guessed everything from her hair and eye color to her first word, her favorite subject in school, and even her future profession. It should be super fun for the beanette to look back at all of our goofy (and most likely completely wrong) guesses someday.
Plus the fact that it looks so cute in the nursery is the icing on the cake…
3. Our Burger-meets-baby prep: We’ve actually read quite a bit about how to ensure that your pooch and your baby get along, because there’s nothing we want more than for our first fur baby to happily coexist with our first human baby. And time and time again we’ve heard that bringing home a gift for the dog along with the baby can help your pup associate the baby with good things and feel appreciated and excited upon her arrival. Of course we’ll also be doing the bring-home-a-baby-blanket-for-him-to-sniff-beforehand trick, but ever since John mentioned that his mom got him a He-Man toy when his little sister came home from the hospital I’ve been convinced that something super fun for Burger (like a pup-cake from Three Dog Bakery along with a new chew toy) will make him giddy about our growing fam. So we recently picked up some goodies for him… and can’t wait to see his tail wag when he gets ’em.
4. Our blog backup: This forth prep step was actually right up there on the practical side with my waterproof mattress cover. We’ve been working overtime for over a month to amass enough extra blog posts to “tide us over” for the first few hairy weeks after Baby P comes home. That means we took on a few secret projects and wrote up a lot of extra Reader Redesigns, Look & Learns, Email Answers, and Burning Questions along with some fun new tutorials to keep the blog from stagnating while we get our “sea legs” with a newborn, so to speak. Oh and we have a killer House Crashing post to share as well. Basically, you can rest assured that you’ll still get the same YHL experience even when our day to day has gone from projects and blog posts to diapers, feedings, and no sleep.
5. And speaking of diapers: We got a bunch of BumGenius One-Size-Fits-All Organic Snap Diapers from a local shop called MonkeyGrass that we love to support (here’s a link to their online shop and for any Richmond people you can visit their store inside It’s Hip To Be Round in Carytown). These cloth diapers alone (which were actually selected as “more convenient cloth diapers” by Cookie magazine) will save us a substantial amount of money over the course of Baby P’s childhood, and we even ordered them in colors that will work for a possible boy down the road, since we definitely want to use the same cloth dipes for multiple kiddos.
Plus our easy to use Energy Star front loading washer and dryer will keep our water and electricity use to a minimum (everyone says you do laundry like crazy with a baby so we figure it won’t be much of a difference to add some diapers to the mix). And since the average baby uses 8,000 to 10,000 diapers between two and three years, we’ll get to keep that many disposables from landing in a landfill. And all the moolah that we’ll save from buying disposable diapers all the time (which is commonly estimated to be between 2-3K per child) means more money that we can put towards future DIY projects (maybe even with the help of our little girl when she gets big enough to hold a paint brush…). Is it weird to be super excited about diapers? Probably.
6. My clothes cleaning ritual: I actually read that washing all new non-organic baby clothing and bedding (as well as the removable covers of car seats and swings) with a cup and a half of vinegar can rid them of most of the chemicals and dyes that aren’t present in organic clothes. So I’ve been busy washing all of our sweet baby socks, onesies, and pretty much everything else I can get my hands on… just so I’m über ready with the purest baby clothes possible. And the funny thing is that they don’t smell like vinegar when they come out of the wash (they’re completely odorless, it’s kind of amazing). Of course I did have one fateful white-blankets-and-onesies-are-now-pink incident (don’t ask- I somehow tossed tiny hot pink leggings in with the whites) but the soft pink cast on everything actually charms me to no end. And I guess I should get used to letting things roll off my back, so it was a good lesson in the whole nothing-will-be-perfect-and-that’s-ok concept.
7. My pillowcase purchase: I actually got a quick tip from a reader that I just had to follow since it seemed like such a simple way to add some cheerful color to the pretty-stark-and-sterile hospital birthing experience. Joni wrote to us and said:
“I have a little piece of advice that may seem stupid but you’ll thank me later. Make sure you have a pretty pillowcase for the delivery of the baby. It will be in a million photos. Mine was so pretty that when I look at the pictures 13 years later, all I see is my gorgeous baby and that fabulous fabric. It’ll distract people from looking at your puffy I-just-gave-birth face”
Well, for those who don’t know me, I can puff up like the best of them. Seriously I broke my nose in college and my cheekbones didn’t come back for nearly a year. I’m a swelly girl (John even calls me Swell from time to time). So the idea of a pretty pillowcase to take the focus off my giant face sounds like a good one. Plus I just love pillowcase shopping. And the best part is that I hunted down this beauty (on sale of course) and John’s family actually got two of them for me as a birthday gift. So springy and sweet right? Just like my May baby on the way. And not only do I plan to use them at the hospital on Baby P’s b-day, but they’ll make such pretty and fun guest bedroom pillows from then on.
8. Our space saving multipurpose solution: We heard from various friends and family members that a white noise machine and a light machine were two secret weapons to help the beanette drift off to sleep (especially in those first few weeks). And although we believed that they both would really make a difference, with limited outlets and surface area in the nursery, we wondered if we could get some sort of a two-for-one solution that would work double duty. Enter our new iPod I-Home dock stage right (we’ve seen it on amazon.com for a good price):
It was another baby item that came highly recommended by friends and fam (since we can upload children’s music and learning songs for Baby P as she grows). And John, in a stroke of daddy-to-be genius, realized that we could download a CD of white noise from iTunes – to the tune of $6 no less – and effectively turn our iPod dock into a white noise machine with the press of a button (we can even leave it on “repeat” for lengthier renditions of “crashing waves” or “static”). Gotta love a $6 quick fix that allows us to cut back on an entire nursery gadget while saving money. But wait it gets better, the particular I-Home dock that we selected actually has a color changing feature, so it can cycle through a bunch of room-illuminating hues (quickly, slowly, or not at all if you turn off the ambient light setting). So not only does it serve as a sound machine and a music player, it’s a light machine too! Jackpot.
Oh and while we were prepping left and right we came across this quote, which touched both of us so much that we just had to share it:
“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.” -Anonymous
Pretty sweet, huh? We can’t wait to meet our little one. And we’d love to hear what any of you guys have done while prepping for a new arrival (whether it’s a baby, a four-legged friend, a roommate, or even a few weekend guests). How did you get your house ready for the new company?
Laura J says
Hey John and Sherry! Like everyone else, I’m super excited for you both and your family. I also LOOOOVE the pillowcase idea! (The one you picked out is the exact set that my hubby and I have in our bedroom and we love it!)
We don’t have any children but I’m loving the cloth diapers idea if we should decide to have a baby one day. The colors are so fun too! How many did you get to start out with? I know that babies go through about a zillion diapers so I’m wondering how many is good to have on hand.
Good luck with everything! You both will be such wonderful parents! Sherry – you look beautiful in the baby bump pics – just glowing!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura J,
We started with one pack of 12 (with plans to pick up another dozen once we get into the swing of things and are cloth diaper pros). That should be more than enough to keep from doing laundry all the time and they’ll still save us tons more than buying up boxes of disposables all the time. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristie says
Hey guys!
Great prep work and I agree with a previous reader, I think baby gal bean is coming sooner than you think!
My water broke in the hospital bed, minutes after they had me hooked up to pitocin. I cried hysterically and told the poor nurse that she inserted the catheter wrong (I may have yelled). Poor woman.
Burger will make an amazing big brother. When I was pregs with my first, one of my cats used to lay on top of my belly and jam his face under my chin. Then the baby would kick and the cat would go nuts and start batting at the belly. He was also the protector when the baby came home and 5 years later, that cat still follows him around and insists on napping with him.
Best of luck, you have done some amazing prep work. Everything will be wonderful, enjoy every second!
Condo Blues says
Instead of a white noise machine we found that our air purifier did the job just fine! We got it when we were renters in a house with an old furnace that didn’t use filters and found that it helped my husband sleep because the fan was white noise.
Beth says
The white noise is a great idea. Here’s another trick I learned for the times (infrequent, but unfortunately usually 3:00 a.m.) that baby will NOT sleep and none of the usual tricks will work. My mom told me that this is when you put the baby in the car and drive around. The vibration is magic! Fortunately, I figured out that putting baby in his car seat and setting him on top of the dryer (with it running) works this same magic and you can sleep in a chair while holding him in place! Enjoy even the sleepless moments — they are so fleeting.
P.S. — Better go ahead and make that second baby book while you have time. The second child is quite often UNDOCUMENTED for lack of time!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Beth!
xo,
s
Ashley says
My novel of advice: ha!
-Bring your boppy to the hospital. I used it on the ride home and for sitting…SO MUCH better. I didn’t even think about the bumps on the way home with my first.
-I would also bring your little ipod station to the hospital. We seemed to hear doors shutting and talking all night and couldn’t get any rest. Some white noise would have been pretty handy.
-One thing I always tell people, is to put those little wet pads in everything (under them when they sleep, in the car seat, swing, changing table, etc…). Infants have messy blowouts pretty often and it’s much easier to switch out one of those than to take all of the coverings apart every time it happens.
-I’m sure you know this already, but expect to still look pregnant afterward and bring clothing that you can feel cute, but comfy in. You will go back to normal, but be patient. And…afterwards, spring for a pair of jeans that you feel cute in. Don’t put tons of pressure on yourself to fit back in your normal pants. Even if you could work out right away, everything is different (from your hips to your booty)and if it took 9 months to get that way, it will take some time to go back as well. With my first one, I kept holding out on buying anything new and then finally did. I was so glad to be able to go somewhere in some pants that fit. Totally worth it. Plus, if this isn’t your last, you know you are going to get to wear them again.
-You’ll probably be super emotional the week after. I felt like a crazy woman for a while…crying for no reason, sometimes laughing at the same time. Well, it’s totally normal and that goes away too. : ) So just enjoy the craziness. ha!
-You may be new parents, but the Lord chose you the be her parents for a reason. You can listen to all the advice in the world, but you know what’s best for your little beanette. You guys are going to be AMAZING parents! You have such a way of complimenting each other and being balanced in all you do.
-Last but not least, enjoy every little minute, every little crease, tiny finger, cuddle. It’s all such a gift from the Lord. I even enjoyed the being exhausted part. My husband and I would be so tired we would start cracking up for no reason…fun times. : )
Best wishes!!!
Ashley
heather Jastrzemski says
Sherry,
My advice is regarding preparing yourself for the BIRTH itself. Labor and delivery can be an amazing experience. Nothing like the horror we’re made to believe.
You guys are so prepared, I’m sure you have thought of this, but make yourself a good playlist of birth music. Something sentimental and inspiring.
Also, just remember, there will come a moment when you think you can’t bear labor for another moment. This is usually the time when you’re THERE, and baby just about ready to be born.
Here’s hoping for a mellow, easygoing delivery. And a baby that’s just the same!
Heidi says
We are also using the Bum Genius Organic diapers! (along with some Flips) Let me tell you, I was practically jumping up & down when the box came in the mail! It’s good to know I’m not the only one who gets giddy over diapers. My husband didn’t quite share my enthusiasm for the cuteness, but he’s definitely all about the savings.
Amy Lipski says
Ok, I am SURE you have heard this before, BUT I have heard when you are preparing your lovely burger for welcoming home your little beanette home, that you should actually take the 1st cap they put on her head and let Daddy bring it home while you are at the hospital. (I am sure he will be popping home for something at some point.) They will usually put one on the baby right away, eventually they will change it to a pink one once she is bathed and all settled. The 1st cap they put on her will have such a strong scent of you and her mixed together, along with a baby blanket that your dog will associate you and your little lady baby together. I don’t have a dog, but have had a few friends say this “did the trick”. My sister in law is due May 30th and plans to do the same. Anyway, sure you heard it but just in case, thought I would pass that hot tip along.
Good luck Mom and Pops!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for all the tips! You guys are the best.
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Congrats on your delivery. You look so fit and prepared!
I was a cloth diapered kid–my mom used the same diapers for all three of us–talk about saving money! I have made my case for this before, but invest in a clothes line. I don’t have any children, but I use cloth/reusable feminine products! It shocked me that I did not realize how irritating the plastic disposable stuff was to my skin. I can only imagine how irritating it must be for wee babies to be in disposable diapers.
I have commented about this on your blog before, but I have to make one last plea as you are such green role model–invest in a clothes line of sorts! Line dry those diapers! It is free for the electric bill! The sun does wonders for sanitizing diapers. It smells wonderful too. My mom swore by it when she diapered!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rebecca,
It’s on our to do list- we promise! We’ve heard how helpful the sunshine can be for keeping cloth diapers looking bright and clean and of course we love that fresh scent (and the eco-benefits). We just have to get our act together and figure out where to hang one!
xo,
s
ourlifeinaclick says
You two are so organized. No big surprise there though. I love the ipod dock (looking for one) and the white noise idea! The lights will be fun too.
I recently organized all of my photo albums with DIY album charms.
http://ourlifeinaclick.blogspot.com/2010/03/here-we-are.html
It’s been such a time saver when I want to look up a particular photo or see where we ate Christmas dinner in 1999. Good luck with everything. You are in for the ride of your lives. Take it easy and don’t worry so much about the blog.
-heather
Rebecca says
One thing we figured out was that it’s much easier to move the changing pad to the baby than the other way around. And changing the baby on the floor means she can’t roll off and hurt herself.
Also, once the umbilical stump falls off and you start actually bathing her, big (non-disposable) plastic cups are great for rinsing, and will make your life much easier.
Finally, lollipops for keeping your mouth from drying out when you’re in labor.
Good luck with this ultimate DIY project.
Kendra says
Just wanted to add my two cents! I have two kids (three year old & five month old). #1 – the first two weeks are the worst – you will cry & be super emotional – with no sleep everything seems like a big deal! #2 – I use fans in both my kids rooms for white noise. I switched to a white noise machine w/ baby #2 but then read a study that using a fan in a babies room can reduce the chance of SIDS so I went back to my fan #3 – try to stay flexible & relaxed – it’s hard being a parent – you want to do everything perfect – just let things roll off you – there are so many things I got worked up about that really were not a big deal! Enjoy every second of your little baby! People will tell you this all the time “they grow up so fast” It’s so true!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kendra,
Great tip about the fan! We actually purchased a sweet little table fan for the nursery since we also read that they’re good for reducing SIDS- and the added white noise definitely can’t hurt!
xo,
s
Meg says
Congratulations on your new little girl soon to be born!
My son, Caleb, is 9 months old! I found reading your blog we have lots in common :)
We wash our clothing with vinegar too! We still add vinegar to each load of baby clothing as to remove stains (spit up, poo-poo, whatever…) works like a charm!
For cloth diapers, sunning them works really well to remove stains…just hang em out to dry in that beautiful backyard you guys have!
Having a baby is a HUGE change, you guys will be awesome parents. Just remember, in the early weeks…it gets better. And better…and better! :)
krstn says
I love your baby book! I may have to do the fabric thing myself. My husband bought me a white album when he found out we were having a baby. I’m about 8 pages into it and will have to make up a predictions page too!
I’m due in a month, but I’m officially going nuts with cleaning the house. Unfortunately, I get tired too soon and my husband is way too busy to help out so arghhh, I think I’m going to hire a cleaning lady. Or can I hire you? :) I wish you could come make my house pretty like yours.
Good luck with the baby! (I’m 33 days to go but then I think, what if I’m 2 weeks late? Oh no, that would be 40ish days!)
Meg says
PS
I worked at Target for two years…I saw a woman’s water break once. She laughed SO hard. It was so cute :)
erika says
yea!!! you are so close!!!! :-)
I hate to burst your bubble on the bum genius diapers, but they will not last for more than one baby. you will get about 7 or 8 months out of them before the elastic gets busted in the legs and the velcro stops working. luckily, there are wahms who can fix that (all for a price, of course)- and cotton babies sells a repair kit if you’re handy enough with a sewing machine to do it yourself (which you probably are)…
but for me, i was realy disappointed with their product. after investing about $600 in a bum genius stash for my first child when she was 7 months old, most of her diapers were leaking due to elastic issues and falling off due to velcro issues by the time she was 18 months old.
i was hoping to use the diapers for my next child, but sadly, i can’t unless i pay to have the diapers repaired. part of it has to do with the type of elastic that BG diapers (and most commercial cloth diapers) use…they don’t use lastin, which is more durable.
anyway- enjoy the bum genius diapers – they are super cute and i hope they hold up a long time for you!!!
-erika
p.s. i washed my diapers on gentle and line dried them most of the time…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erika,
We actually went with the snap versions of the Bum Genius diapers (over the velcro ones) for just that reason! We have heard from other parents that they’ve lasted at least through two children if not three. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Masitah says
“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.” -Anonymous
I gave birth to Maisarah (a baby girl) last year in November. Six months on, we can testify all the above is very true indeed!
BTW, I love your blog. Wish I could have the time to do all the pretty things you came up for your home. Inspiring!
Take care.
Lorien says
Awesome choice on the cloth diapers! We still do cloth and they are amazing for our little man’s bum and surprisingly easy to wash and deal with, even when going out (Bummis wetbag for the win!). I would definitely recommend more than 12 though… with as many as 10 diaper changes a day in the first six weeks, 12 won’t last too long. You might want to mix it up with a few ‘prefolds’ and covers as the diapers can do double duty as burp cloths and other… emergency cloths. I swear by my Monkey Doodlez all in one diapers for going out. OH, and as environmentally conscious as we are, we were told not to bother with cloth for the first week. Those meconium poops are like tar and you don’t want to do that to your lovely new diapers.
Also, if you haven’t seen it by now, http://www.kellymom.com is an AMAZING breastfeeding resource as well as giving great information about all sorts of new-parent topics. The forums are fantastic and the ladies are so helpful. I cannot recommend them strongly enough.
My experience was that I was so fixated on researching and being prepared for labour and delivery that I kind of forgot that 30 minutes later they hand you a baby. We made lots of decisions in the first few days almost entirely by the seat of our pants and I wish I had read more on what to expect vis a vis breastfeeding, the fussy evenings, and the six-week growth spurt.
Anyway, long-time lurker just wanting to wish you CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes! Being a parent is the single most amazing thing that has ever occurred to me.
Linda says
The beanette is such a lucky girl and I can’t wait until we have kids so I can use some of these tips and tricks!
Anne says
Sherry,
You might want to slip some Tylenol or Ibuprofen into your hospital bag, in case John gets a headache from stress or lack of sleep during delivery time. My husband got a bad headache (which he rarely gets), and we had the darnest time getting some aspirin for him. We finaly had my doctor write a prescription for him for the hospital pharmacy. We always joke about this, as when my husband complained of having a headache, while I was in labor, I didn’t have much sympathy for him at the time!!
A suggestion: Don’t think just a few days of prepared food is all you will really need those first few weeks. The more meals you have stashed away in your freezer, the happier you will be. Newborn babies keep you so sleep deprived and stressed, you will so welcome not having to take time to make dinner for awhile. It will be your treat to yourselves those first few weeks when baby and you are getting adjusted to your new lives together.
Be sure to cherish these last few days together with just you and John. They are so special, as you anticipate the arrival of your first child together. And it will be many a year before you are just a twosome again.
I know you will have a beautiful little girl in your arms very soon! : )
Anne
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for all the helpful tips everyone. They’ll definitely come in handy!
xo,
s
Laura Durrer says
I remember being so overwhelmed trying to pour myself a glass of orange juice and hold my first newborn. It was like OMG. This is real and how does this work? I am now a mom of three. When I get overwhelmed, I always try to remember, THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
Enjoy your birth day. Life will be like Christmas morning every day for months!
-Laura
Natalie says
We have a waterproof mattress protector on every bed in the house. With a 2 and 4 year old they come in very handy for leaking nappies, spilled drinks or even a child who purposely sits on your bed and wees to be naughty!!
Best wishes. Enjoy. There is nothing more special than those first few moments after giving birth. All the pain quickly fades and your “Mummy hormones” kick in.
Laura @ youngDCliving says
Hi! I was reading your memory album idea about the baby footprints and just wanted to chime in. I actually worked in a newborn nursery this past summer, and I’m not sure if it was just the hospital I was in, but they don’t use actual stamp pads for footprints anymore (I actually did the footprints myself)! They have these special plastic sheet cards w/ stamp ink on the bottom side and then they press the baby’s foot against the opposite ink-less side so that the indentations can show up on hospital’s certificate paper! So definitely ask the nurses for additional ones (usually are done before first-bath) if this is the case at your hospital as well, since they most likely won’t be able to use your cardstock. Hope that made sense!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Laura! On our recent hospital tour they mentioned they were happy to do a second set of inked footprints for memory albums and scrapbooks so we’re thinking our place is still old school and uses the ink method. Either way we’re so excited to see those tiny footprints!
xo,
s
Anna, Sydney says
So exciting! Can’t wait to open the blog one day soon and read that she’s arrived.
Something for the parent-educational bookshelf? (hehe)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416915060?tag=unclutterer-20&link_code=as2&creativeASIN=1416915060&creative=374929&camp=211189
Belle says
I’m so happy and excited for you guys! Having just met the little boy we made a few months ago, I can honestly saw you are about to start the most exciting adventure of your lives. You will spend the first months just staring at her in awe.
Congrats, you guys! And good luck!
linda@LimeintheCoconut says
You look fab…I don’t see swelly at all!
Concur with Happiest baby on the block! I teach it! Also as a lactation consultant… Do not forget the amazing value of skin to skin…Keep that baby right on your bare chest (with a blanket over both of you)let her just be, explore, nuzzle feel your warmth, your smell…it IS a panacea.
A great and safe sling…got one? I highly recomend the DVD Tummy to tummy…even shows you how to make a sling/wrap.
And BTW…70 percent of mom’s water won’t break until they are in good hard labor…
Best to you…ooooh and last bit of advice…swim these last
few weeks (or just bob) The pressure of the water is AAMAZING at getting rid of the water retained around your feet/ankles/hands…Plus, it connects you with your little floating baby! AND use your birthball now. Helps allow the little girl to get in the right position for birth…and a possibly quicker birth. Ok…Done. Phew.
jja says
You are really well organized! And your baby will be so happy to arrive in such a loving, nice familiy. I wish you all the best.
“In fact we think that he believes it’s his room.”
:-))))
jessica says
Hey I’ve been having baked potato (with melted cheese and ketchup) and chocolate milk cravings too! I’m not quite out of my first trimester, but I have been soaking in all of your info about getting ready for Baby P and your nursery ideas (definitely going to build those shelves). So thanks! One question that I’m just curious to know: when did you “pop”? I am also 5’2″ and 115lbs. I have always had a belly, but I can’t tell if I’m really showing or if its because I’ve been too sick to exercise?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jessica,
By 12-14 weeks strangers were stopping me to congratulate me at the store. Yeah, I popped suuuuper early! Especially since we didn’t tell our families until 14 weeks (so I had to do some creative dressing until then). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Danielle says
The one thing I used the most after each of my 3 children was the Bissell spot cleaner (I don’t recall its exact name). All three of my kids threw up like nobody’s business and that little machine saved my carpet and upholstery countless times.
Kim says
ohhhh reading this takes me right back to 10 months ago when I was SO completely worried about my water breaking in bed..which it did by the way ( I think I may have manifested it!! lol) its an amazing, exciting, surreal, crazy beautiful experience…here are my bits of mommy advice: 1. drink up every little second with your little one, even at 2am when you, your husband and your baby ( and mayber burger too) are so exhausted you are all crying.
2. if you plan to breast feed, pray that its easy, but if its not, stick with it, it will happen! it took me 7 weeks and its the best thing ever.
3. ( this was a biggie for me) not only is the world new to your little babe, you have never done this before, so take time to appreciate every little step that goes right!! :)
Mary Kathryn says
Congratulations! My little boy just turned 6 months…Here is my advice- accept all help that is offered. The first couple of weeks are really hard so if someone offers to clean your house, let them! We have 2 big dogs and a very sweet neighbor who walks them for us every once in awhile which is wonderful for them since they are fairly neglected :) Take a comfy nightgown to the hospital that can be unbuttoned (that way you have easy access below for the nurses and above for the baby- your body will not be your own!) Sit still and hold your sleeping baby. I took lots of very early morning naps with mine and now he is too squirmy to nap with me and I miss it! ENJOY! It’s the most amazing thing in the world. I have a little blog- http://mkelkins.wordpress.com/ that is all about life as a new mom in case you are interested. Best of luck! I freaked out about my water breaking in bed too so I totally understand that!
Amy says
My best friends are pregnant with their first child (she just hit the 100 days to go mark on May 1) and they have purchased cloth diapers as well. We live in an area of upstate NY that has an amazing recycling program and it’s always on the forefront of the public’s mind (we have friends that only have one very small garbage bag that goes out every two weeks because everything else is recycled).
What I want to know is what is your absolute favorite organic reusable or recycled item that was also inexpensive? Unfortunately up here in the icy tundra of upstate NY organic tends to mean pricy.
The idea for the pillowcase is AWESOME! (I never would’ve thought of it!) I’ll make sure to tell her!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
That’s a hard question. Check out our “Healthy & Green Living” category on our How To page (see that tab up under our header?) for lots of reusable and recycled ideas & projects. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Fee says
You guys inspire me so much! Even though I’m only 21 and am not married or don’t have a house yet, I just know I’m going to use this blog a lot for all your wonderful tips, tricks and super fun ideas. I also know that the both of you are going to be awesome parents!
Jennifer says
Hey guys…I love your blog and keep hoping I run into you both somewhere in Richmond. Of course, I wonder what I’d say to avoid sounding crazy but it’ll probably come out something like “I love you guys!!!” ANYWAY…I hope you keep all this baby info in your archives because I hope to refer back to some of your great tips when it comes time for me to have a little one someday.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jennifer,
Yup, we’ve created a category called “Baby Business” which you can access by clicking the Topics tab next to the search box up near our blog header. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tucker says
oh my gosh you are too cute in your pregnancy clothes!! where do you buy them? I’m a petite person and want clothes that hug my belly like your cute pregnancy wardrobe. You must tell me where you shop!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tucker,
Basically all of my maternity clothes are from Target (Liz Lange’s maternity line) or Old Navy (but not usually maternity, I just buy medium or large tops and they stretch right over the bump thanks to my short torso). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristine Quick says
I have a 5 month old girl, she is great and has taught me a few things
1) Don’t bring tons of stuff for yourself to the hospital. All you really need is slippers and undies.
2) Bring your smallest sleeper for the baby. All newborn or 0-3 month sizes are not created equal!
3) Read “Heathly Sleep Habits, Happy Child” by Marc Weisbluth. BEST book ever for helping to get a good nights rest.
4) Invest in a rocking chair. It will sooth the baby and also sooth you! If you don’t have one, you may end up pacing back and forth for hours which is exhausting.
5) Get an epidural!! I highly enjoyed mine and it allowed me to enjoy the best day of my life.
Good luck!!
Lindsey says
Hey guys!
I haven’t read through all the comments, so you may have already gotten this suggestion (if so, ignore me!). I am due with our first in a week and we are cloth diapering in our house, too. I have heard that most diapers are just a little too big for a newborn, so I did a 3 month rental program with Sunshine Diapers. You get 24 diapers (some used, some new) and you keep them for 3 months. Once you return them, you get a big credit to use at the store on the rest of your diapers. They have a few newborn rental options, but this is the one I went with (they’re organic and I hear they do really well containing infant messes!). Plus, the owner is SUPER helpful by email if you have any questions. Here’s the link, hope it helps if you need it:
http://www.sunshinediapers.com/WebStore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=228
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for all the kind words and suggestions everyone! So helpful!
xo,
s
stephanie says
so this is my first EVER post to any type of blog! i have been following you for about a year and a half and have really appreciated all you do! i just HAD to comment on this post because i am super excited for you and your growing family and am SO excited that you have chosen to use cloth diapers!!!! with everything that you have done so far trying to be good to the earth, i figured you might consider this method, but i wasn’t sure. cloth diapers have come soooo far since even 5 years ago – they are easier to use and so much better for baby. there is a great article in the may-june 2010 issue of Mothering magazine all about cloth diapers. they gave a great statistic too – a baby wearing regular diapers (5/d – which is low if you ask me!) for an average of 34 mo. would go through 5,000 diapers and when a cloth diaper can be used about 150 times, you would need only about 34 cloth diapers!!! what a BIG difference! hopefully with your influence, more moms will consider using cloth diapers. anyway, congrats and keep up all the great work you do!
Sarah Wessel says
Love your blog!! You’ll have to download relaxation music by Stuart Jones from itunes. My baby will be 3, gasp, on June 5th and she absolutely loves going to sleep with this music playing on her ipod (on repeat, of course). Check it out! Best of luck with your delivery!! ~Sarah
Lori says
The white noise worked wonders for our second baby. He loved the thunderstorm track that was programmed into his little alarm clock/radio. It was also super helpful if you have other loud people (like his sister!) in the house while he was trying to sleep. It kind of drowns out outside noise. That can be super helful, especially with a ranch style house. Congratulations on the little one!
Tiffini S says
I love your Beyonce song. I’ve made up many, many songs over the course of our two and half years together. Be sure you write them all down to remember later! He can sing some of them now…
Here’s the one I still sing to my son several times a day:
If you wanna go and change a diap wit me and put a little powder on my booty
Oh why must I feel this way (Hey, must be da poopay)
If you wanna see my little winky then put a brand new pamper on me
Oh why must I be this way (Hey, must be da poopay)
Sara says
Good planning, my water did break in bed and when it goes, it goes! I had a trail all the way to the bathroom and had to sit on towels on the way to the hospital.
We have a 6mth old baby girl (our first), my advice, which was given to me over and over, take LOTS of pictures and video especially recording their noises!!! They do grow and change so fast that it’s great to look back and see it. I am also a scrapbooker but once the baby came I hate to say it but I haven’t been able to keep a scrapbook going or baby book. (I am a full time working mom) I do however keep a baby calendar on the fridge and keep updates of her “firsts” there. Then every 3mths I use Shutterfly to digitally create a scrapbook and hadd in the little things I’ve jotted down on the calendar. I wish I could do more and I know it time I will find a place for all the memorabilia like hospital bracelets etc.
Congrats and best wishes!!!!
beth says
I don’t have time
The first week or two after you have a baby your body is like a hormonal hurricane -which for me and countless others led to have night sweats like a menopausal woman in the tropics.
After I had my first I mentioned it to a friend – and she replied “Oh that is so normal didn’t you know?” Um. How would I know this??? The baby books don’t tell you to have clean PJs for every night of the week – and multiple sets of sheets to change!! So make sure you are all stocked up on comfy pjs and an extra sheet set or two – you will be happy you have them!
PS you are going to want that waterproof mattress pad for after you have the baby for the sweaty nights – as well as the first time you are holding baby p and things come out where they shouldn’t – exactly where you don’t want them to!
Sarah B says
With my 1st daughter my water broke (in bed no less) but I had NO IDEA what it was considering she was 6 weeks early. Needless to say, we just threw on some clothes and went to the hospital in total denial that she was going to arrive 5 hours later. That being said the photos of our happy family just moments after her birth are not to be seen by anyone!
Lesson learned – when my water broke with my 2nd daughter (she’s now 6 months) not only did I know what it was, I totally took a shower, shaved my legs, blew-dry my hair and even touched up my makeup. Believe me – WORTH IT. You have some time and you can thank me later when your pictures look great!
And for the record – 9 or 10 months is still not enough time to really digest what it means to be a parent – ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!!!
beth says
oops I meant to say I don’t have time to read everyone’s notes to see if someone already mentioned this. I guess I didn’t have time to finish my sentence or to proofread!
Wendy says
At the risk of you being already overwhelmed with suggestions of all sorts… here’s something that worked with both my boys (3.5 & 1 year).
The EASY program that Tracy Hogg recommends in her book “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby” really works. It truly takes the guess work out of figuring out what’s going on with your little one.
Of course I didn’t know it then but in retrospect – this little book was the perfect match for me… I’m list person, organization & schedules work well with me so this little book was a fabulous!
Wishing you all the best! Enjoy the moments ~ they grow up so fast… I can’t believe my 2nd little man will be 1 year next week! :)
Lisa says
Love the homemade baby book! But I gotta say (and maybe somebody else already has), on the page where you filled in your guesses for her future, I think it should say “mom” and “dad” instead of John and Sherry! Good luck and congrats!
Grace says
What a great post! Very helpful for us hoping to become pregnant in the future folks! I was wondering if you could post more details about the diy baby book – what other write in questions you put. Love the tip about vinegar.
Congratulations!!! Best wishes.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Grace,
We’re going to try to add a downloadable PDF of our baby book word document (that’s all it is, we just typed them up, printed the pages, cut them out and added them to our book). Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Holly says
I just recently discovered your blog and I’m completely addicted. And I think you have to be the cutest pregnant lady I’ve ever seen!
Good luck on the impending delivery!
Reenie says
You are so stinkin’ cute ~ you’re all belly:)
I can’t wait to see your baby girl.