New Parents Cookout :)

Yesterday, our friends Luke and Amy hosted a "new and expecting parents cookout" at their house. Several of our friends from church were there. All in all, there were 4 couples with babies already (babies Seth, Ella, Isaac, and Kaylee) and 3 expecting (2 due in June and 1 in August). Luke cooked the hamburgers and everyone brought sides and desserts. We had a lot of fun!

This was our first experience with so many babies, and before going, Jason and I wondered why the cookout started at 4 and ended at 7. It seemed like a strange time to us. Well, at about 6:30, we understood why, as all the babies got fussy when their bedtimes approached! We are definitely entering a new phase!

Baby Isaac gets lots of love and attention!

Jason and Ryan stop chatting for a picture.

Debbie shows off pretty Ella.

Another Good Check-Up!

Today I had another doctor's appointment - my first one where I'm rotating doctors. I have gained 7 pounds in the last month! I guess that's why people can tell I'm pregnant! :) The doctor said that was fine, because now my weight gain overall is right on track for how far along I am. Also, baby's little heart rate was 140. All in all, everything looks good, he said.

At my next appointment, I will have the 1 hour glucose test (for gestational diabetes)...hopefully that will go well!

Valentine's Weekend Productivity

Jason and I did do a couple of romantic things this weekend: brunch on Saturday morning at Tex & Shirley's (YUM), sushi (don't worry - no raw fish for me) and a movie Saturday night. But mostly, we were very productive this weekend.

Exhibit A: Babies R Us registry! That's right, we went to Babies R Us yesterday and registered for 90% of our needs and wants for little Russell. I came very prepared: I had my Excel spreadsheet with all the necessary items categorized, and I had written the brands that had the best safety ratings and customer reviews. I had done tons of research and decided a few things like what kind of stroller we needed, etc. However, we were still at the store for four hours! Part of that was because I didn't know what sections of the store contained which items, so we had to look at each section and search our list to see if the item was there. Also, some of the brands I wanted weren't at our Babies R Us, so it took a while to figure that out and decide on a different brand. Regardless, we are happy that it's almost done.

Exhibit B: New space in our home (aka storing and tossing extraneous junk). Jason is really intent on doing a lot of spring cleaning and getting rid of things we don't need or no longer use, especially since we will need space for baby stuff. So for 2 hours yesterday, we looked in closets, storage spaces, and cabinets to organize what we have and throw away the junk. Jason said, "Just like Westover, we're making room for one more." Haha! (For those who don't know, this was our church's slogan while building the new sanctuary.)

Exhibit C: Clean house! Today, we spent a lot of time dusting, vacuuming, washing, etc, every inch of our house, as that has been sorely neglected over the past month or so. (I know, that's gross. My sincere apologies to anyone who has been here in the past month - it was bad.)

So that was our Valentine's weekend. It may not be for everyone, but it made us pretty happy!

Birthday and No More Guest Room

Happy birthday to me :) Today is my 27th birthday, and the last without a little one. My biggest celebration was on Saturday, when much of my family came and we all went out to dinner at Solaris, a great little tapas restaurant downtown. I must say, my favorite part was definitely the fried pickles! (That's probably the first pregnant-lady-food-thing I've said!) I got many baby-related presents, including bibs, some baby clothes, and some maternity clothes. Thanks to all for the wonderful presents and company! Here are some pictures of Saturday's celebration:














Tonight, we are going out to dinner with our Bible study. In late February, Jason and I and another couple will be going to a play as a late bday celebration. So I get to stretch out my birthday over a few weeks!

Also, as you may have guessed from the title, our guest room is now officially baby's nursery. In our little two-bedroom condo, that second bedroom has been many things: first an office when Jason worked from home, then a guest bedroom, and now it is slowly becoming Russell's nursery. It is a work in progress, but the crib and dresser are in place. Now I just have to convince Jason to move the drums out. :)





And one last picture, for those who want a belly pic:




The language arts teacher I'm working with told me today: "I think you've finally popped!" I think so too!

Nursery Potential

Time is really slipping by, especially now that student teaching is in full swing. Today I realized that within the next few weeks, Jason and I need to 1) register for baby and 2) sign up for a childbirth class.

As for #1, Jason had the smart idea to start an Excel spreadsheet of things we will need to buy vs. things we will register for, so that as I think of something or look at reviews I can add it to the spreadsheet. Here are a few of the things I'm thinking about for the nursery:






Max Trend Lab crib bedding - the quilt isn't my favorite, but it seems like no one ever uses those anyway. I wouldn't get all of this stuff, just the bedding and possibly the valance.







Storkcraft Hoop Glider and Ottoman from Sears: This glider matches our crib and dresser color (natural wood), is inexpensive, and I've seen good reviews.

Speaking of crib and dresser, we did buy the set we looked at from CraigsList. It was a great deal, and true to Jason's nature, he talked the sellers down so we bought it at 20% off of their asking price. What a good negotiator!

I'll leave you with my priceless comment for the week, from a little third grade girl: "Mrs. R, you're getting fatter with Russell every day!" Haha. :)