It's a Boy! Oh ... and It's a Girl!

For those of you that were able to make it to my shower amid your busy fall schedules and the funky New England weather, Ken and I are immensely appreciative!

For everyone else, we're so sorry you missed it but hope we are able to catch up in the New Year!

The shower was held at the Stonehenge Inn & Spa in Tyngsborough, MA. It was a wonderful spot although the muggy weather left little to be desired that day. It was a fall festival theme so guests were greeted with cotton candy upon arrival, cider donuts during lunch and kettle corn and caramel apples to take home.

We were happy to see so many friendly faces before these new ones arrive!
Food and company were excellent! 

Is there anything more blissful than that?

Special thanks to our friends Allison and Angie for coordinating this whole event into a stressless time for this one somewhat stressed lady!

Below are some pictures for you to enjoy :) 

(Disclosure: Ignore the fact that I take up the ENTIRE space in the pictures I happen to be in!

And why did I think wearing stripes was a good idea?  You've been forewarned!)

The shower was a great success and I hope everyone who attended had a great time. I know we all enjoyed it immensely!

We also disclosed the names of our little ones.

Matthew Douglas & Aria Yong. 

Both middle names are our respective fathers' first names and the first names are ones we chose that were special to us.

Today, I am 32 weeks along and counting down the days until they arrive. Doctor still says the week before Thanksgiving is the magic day but we'll see what happens!

I've invested in a maternity support belt (strong support). It is the anti-sexy belt and there is no hiding it but it's well worth the money and the purpose it serves. This stomach is starting to run away from my body and that isn't the most pleasant feeling I've experienced.

Otherwise, I don't think I'm faring too badly. I'm moving a lot slower these days especially if I have to walk a long distance.

I've had my first experience riding an Amigo a few weeks ago at our local Lowes Home Improvement at my hubby's insistence and my subsequent embarrassment. BTW, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about ... its basically one of those ride on carts for the elderly and handicapped. I'm not sure I fall into either category but the thing beeps when you put it in reverse and it doesn't go more than 5 mph ... maybe even less than that.

Life brings one new experience with the next ... I embrace them all.
Even ones like that.

Preparation

Last weekend, Ken and I finalized the registry. Now I'm actually glad that I did most of it online because going to the actual store armed with a scanner with floor to ceiling baby items (you know how small they are, right?) was so overwhelming! I only wanted to touch and feel a few things such as the stroller, playmats and swings. We weren't there too long (much to Ken's delight).

The nursery is just being started now. We seem short on time but I think we will be able to finish it within a month. It could also be wishful thinking on my part. All the walls and ceiling must come down. The windows also need replacing and the hardwood floors installed. Ken is doing most of the work himself so the task is time consuming for someone who lacks such a commodity.

Babies, however, are oblivious to all of this business of preparation. They are happily kicking and punching (hopefully not each other) within. I can feel their movements all the time now and even though I don't really know which one is which, it's comforting to know that they are active.

Have we already talked eggplants last time? In the sixth month, that's about the size of these little guys. I can't imagine how much room they now have in there. In an attempt to gain more in utero real estate, they are stretching my stomach and I have the stretch marks to prove it (much to my dismay).

By the way, as an aside, stretch marks are not totally preventable and lasering them afterwards is the only way I've found (other than fading over time) that will totally remove them.

Ladies who've been there, there now or plan to be there:

Stretch marks are part of the pregnancy journey and should you be part of the majority that get them, it isn't as traumatic as you might think it will be. Now, I won't be modeling my bare buddha belly for a portrait either but I'm comfortable in my skin ... even if its a little dinged up.

Registries & My Baby Shower

I have FINALLY finished registering for all of my items but it doesn't mean I won't continuously be going back to add, delete, re-add, re-delete and question all of my choices.

Isn't that normal?

I love hearing suggestions on what people have tried and what others cannot live without. In my opinion, a personal review is the best marketing tool.

Oh!

* kick *

* squirm *

Baby must know I'm talking about baby things. I can tell that this baby is already more hip to what's going on than I am and you know what? I'm ok with that!

Isn't that the unspoken hazing that goes on during pregnancy and officially initiated at birth?

I've also JUST emailed off my guest list and registry sites to my best good friend who has graciously accepted my bullish assumption that she would (of course) be planning my shower. It's just that I'm that lucky to have the sister I always wished I had in her.

Somehow I thought it would be a lot easier to compile this list and send it off. In reality, it took me several weeks to consolidate all of my addresses from my address book (a regular, non-electronic address book), my Outlook contacts, my Blackberry and finally my email contact list. I never realized that I had names and addresses scattered all over the place until trying to get together the baby shower guest list.

So not only did I finish the one of the few duties of my baby shower that I'm allowed, I also organized my contacts. This made me feel more accomplished than it should. Small victories are celebrated.

My next project is to dust off my sewing machine and start the baby crib quilt. I had bought all these fabrics last year but had tucked them away out of sight for a little while. Now, these fabrics have magically resurfaced to remind me to waste not, want not. I also signed up for a machine quilting course in November.

When I retire some many years from now, I'd love to craft and quilt all day in my own little cottage shop.

Who says you need a lot?

Moby Wraps and Baby Bjorn

I've been slowly building my registry and came across baby carriers. I hadn't really given them all that much thought but wondered if it might be something that I would enjoy or if parents think it really is a must have.

There are two that especially pique my interest.

Moby Wrap

Baby Bjorn

I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on baby carriers, personal experiences and if you'd recommend them or not. If so, which brand? If not, why?

The only thing that makes me wary is this article lurking in the back of my mind taken from CNN.com (March 24, 2010):

Grieving Mothers Blame Baby Slings for Infant Deaths

It wasn't a long walk to Lisa Cochran's car in the Costco parking lot, but by the time she got there her infant son was near death.

Cochran and her grandmother had just enjoyed a hot dog at the Salem, Oregon, wholesale outlet.

She had 7-day-old Derrik out of his baby carrier as she ate and people at nearby tables asked about the infant's age and expressed amazement that Cochran was already out and about after the pregnancy.

She put Derrik back in his Infantino "SlingRider" and headed out to the parking lot, but something was amiss when she reached the car, she said.

"He was not the right color. He was yellow. He had purple spots from where the sling rubbed marks on his face," said Cochran, 27.

Cochran called 911. Her fiancé, Jerrid Fowler, administered CPR. An ambulance arrived and paramedics also tried to revive the infant.

"By the time I got to the hospital, they told me they weren't able to save him," she said.

Cochran filed a lawsuit in January, asking for millions of dollars in damages and alleging that Infantino was negligent and liable for her son's May 7, 2009, death.

The death certificate cited compression asphyxia/suffocation as Derrik's cause of death, Cochran said.

Infantino issued a recall Wednesday of two baby slings, the "SlingRider" and the "Wendy Bellissimo," offering customers replacement slings.

The San Diego, California-based company said consumers should stop using the recalled slings immediately but did not take responsibility for any deaths.

"Our company is comprised of moms, dads, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents and we care deeply about the quality and safety of our products," President Jack Vresics said in a statement. "All of our products go through rigorous testing and we work closely with governmental agencies as well as other third-party testing organizations continually to ensure the safety of our products."

Earlier this month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about the use of certain baby slings, saying it had identified 14 deaths with sling-style carriers, most of them in children younger than 4 months. On Tuesday, Health Canada issued a joint statement with the agency, saying three of the deaths appeared to occur in one of Infantino's slings.

About 1 million of the slings were recalled in the United States, and about 15,000 were affected in Canada, according to the joint release. Around 14,000 of the slings have been recalled in Europe.

Building a Registry

Things have been fairly quiet (baby-wise) these days ... ahhh bliss! More movement down below and completely in maternity capris and pants. I haven't told too many folks at work yet but I'm going to let the baby make himself/herself known in his/her own way.

I have started to put together a registry but found it hard when it came to gender specific items. Hopefully that won't be an issue after this Friday! Eke! We're both so excited! Our last ultrasound pictures were at about ten weeks so I expect the ones we see on Friday to be mind blowing. We still don't have a preference for either sex as long as the baby is healthy. Ken flips between saying that the baby is most certainly a boy ... or a girl.

No real strange cravings (yet) ... well, at least I don't think so! Ken might have different opinions about that :)

Back to the registry: Other than the cutesy boy/girl items, I'm also seeking out suggestions for types of bottles, baby products and must haves from my mommy friends. So please keep the ideas coming frequently even if you've sent them before. I've gotten some great ideas and trying to keep a cohesive list of these items (pregger brain doesn't help here!).

I've learned how to ask for help and completely appreciate the great people who have offered their womanly wisdom. Muah! Muah! Thank you!!