Pretty

Special thanks to Auntie Lisa for the pretty new look on the blog. Isn't she smart!?!

I'd planned to post a few pictures of what me and The Muffin did on Friday, but the camera is downstairs and I refuse too go and get it. Our day involved a breakfast tea party (tea, oranges and porridge, a.k.a. oatmeal)and picnic for lunch. We also went to Muff's favorite greenhouse, played outside and had a nice walk. we took full advantage of the 68 degree weather.

Our little family spent the biggest part of today shopping and messing around out of town. The Muffin went to bed an hour early and I am ready to shower and go to bed myself! I'll probably be up with Muff at 5:00 tomorrow morning making chocolate chip pancakes, but at least we'll be on time for the early service at church!

What have you been doing this weekend?

Growing and Glowing

I've never understood the whole "pregnant glow" thing. I know that there are hormonal reasons why you "glow" during pregnancy, like rosacea due to increased blood flow and increased oil production. I can't say that I've ever seen a pregnant woman that had the glow without it being helped quite a bit by some sort of expensive product and airbrushing.
Like lots of other preggies I've had dry skin due to hormones and the cold weather. After some mild flaking (in the T-zone, no less) I decided it was time to pull out the big guns. No, I'm not talking about "our" extensive handgun collection, I'm talking about my little stash of pick-me-ups!

-I LOVE baking soda. I mean, like in a way that's totally not normal. I like to use it occasionally to add a little something to my teeth-brushing experience. I make a paste with water and baking soda to scrub the showers with. I've used it to remove build-up from my hair. Then, I was looking at the baking soda website to find even more ways to use this cheap, wonderful stuff and found out about washing your face with it. It's like a mini micro dermabrasion! (I use it in the shower, because it's easier to rinse off.) I wash my face as usual and then grab a palmful of baking soda and rub it all around. It makes your skin feel nice. You really need to moisturize well after wards, and using it once a week is more than enough. It will dry your skin if you're not careful, but it's great.

-Next, the oil cleansing method. I read about this on Big Mama's blog and decided to try it. She loves it! It will make you have that glow.

-And then there's the lips. Special thanks to Laura for sharing what her bloggy-friend Hollie shared. I'm not going to say that it will work miracles on dry, cracked lips, but it probably will and it is divine. It's Alba's lip balm. The Muffin and I found it on sale at W.algreen's. I picked up the "passion fruit nectar" and the "coconut cream" that Laura loves. It's a nice change from my C.armex and it's divine. It's one of my "must haves" for the hospital bag. You can even add a little lip gloss over it and it still feels great!

I'm not claiming that I now have "the glow", but my skin feels so good. Now, if I can just keep the baby belly moisturized so that it doesn't look like the alligator that Laura talked about!

Baby On The Brain

I so have baby on the brain!! It's all I can do not to load up The Muffin and go shopping out of town.
I saw this and decided to make it for both girls' room. I'm going to use two scrapbook papers that coordinate with their room colors and use their first name in stead of just the monogram. Mine will look a little more girl-y and not quite so elegant, too. Of course, I donated my old frames to the women's shelter thrift shop so I have to buy new ones. I'm also going to work on hair bow holders because Muff could use a bigger one and I'm sure Ellie will want her own! I'm hoping to get the supplies sometime soon. My mom has offered to keep sweet Muff for two nights next week when I have my monthly midwife appointment. That means free time for me to get a few things done around the house and maybe work on a couple of projects! I miss Muff when she's not here, but I can finally touch up the trim and doors in the baby's room (without help!) and maybe even prep the walls for painting later on.
The Muffin has a collection of "M"'s (for Maggie, of course) around her room. I'm going to buy a plain, cheap lampshade for Ellie's room and try doing this. Her bedding has a damask print in it, but I may try doing the letter "E" on the shade. I loved it when Maggie was really young and would pick out the letter "M" everywhere we went!
I'm probably going to pack the baby's bag for the hospital soon. I just can't wait! And I'll probably start on my bag as well. I love packing and planning and I don't want to forget anything...because we live all of two minutes from the hospital and I'd hate for Big Daddy to have to make a trip all that way because I forgot something. I'm going to try not to over pack this time and just take the things that we'll actually use. Hopefully, Big Daddy will not forget my special present if I get one this time. He gave me a string of pearls and pearl earrings when The Muffin was born. (The baby book said that "Maggie" meant "pearl") He had my mom and sister stop by our house to get it on their way to the hospital. (He told me they needed to get solution for his contact lenses!) I would prefer no present this time, but it's up to him.
I'm trying to finalize the list of stuff that we need. As long as the baby is an "Ellie" and not an "Eli" we are all set on clothes and blankets! I've gone over my registry and made a mental note over need vs. want. I'm planning to use disposable diapers at first, but then switch to primarily cloth diapers, so I'll have to purchase those. We'll be using washable and disposable baby wipes. My mom fixed new burp cloths for me and we have socks coming out of our ears! There are plenty of hats and headbands and pretty things for our baby.
I don't think I felt quite so impatient about The Muffin's arrival. I quit my job a month before she was born so I guess my mind was occupied by other things. I want this little cupcake to bake for the full 40 weeks so that she comes out strong and healthy, but I am so anxious to meet her! After having The Muffin, I realize how exciting it is to meet and get to know the little person that grew in my belly. She was in there for 40 weeks and 4 days and she came out part stranger and part baby-that-I-felt-like-I'd-known-forever. I still look at her and think about all of the things that go through her little mind that I don't know even though I know her so well.
I just can't wait to do everything all over again!

What I Learned This Week

I'm joining the "What I Learned This Week" Carnival with Jo-Lynne at Musings of A Housewife again this week. Here's just a few things that I have learned.

-Kindermusik rocks!
-The Muffin and I love Big Daddy, but having him back at work does wonders for our routine.
-Sometimes the only way to get Big Daddy to do something is for me to have a pregnancy- hormone-induced-emotional breakdown.
-I feel so much better with our new baby name, Ellie Grace.
-I love going into Ellie Grace's room and looking in the closet and drawers.
-I love S.wiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensations Cocoa Mix in my morning, afternoon or night time cup of coffee.
-The coffee grinder is music to my ears.
-Having another preggie (due the same time and with another kid the same age as The Muffin) in our Sunday school class is really nice.
-I am so happy that I can take B.enadryl while pregnant because my allergies are driving me crazy.
-The curtains that I already have in the baby's room match the bedding and I don't have to use the new ones that I bought that don't match.
-That new lip balm that Laura wrote about is awesome and W.algreen's has it on sale!

The Baby Belly- Week 25

Our Baby-to-be (the newly named Ellie Grace) is approximately 14 inches long and weighs nearly 2 pounds! She can respond to noises from the outside world and proves it on Sunday morning during the Praise and Worship service.

I still can't believe that we are this far along!

I know it's still early, but we're trying to get ideas together of how we want things to happen when our Baby-to-be arrives. I talked to my sweet friend Linda at church today and she is on "the list" of people who we can call to help out with The Muffin if something happens and we need to go to the hospital and feel she can't go with us. Linda is one of my friends from my time in real estate and we also go to church together. Muff has to visit Linda in the sanctuary every Sunday before she goes to spend time in the nursery. The other will be "Gammy Gladys" ( I have to ask her first!) who also happens to be a former real estate agent. I'm pretty sure that The Muffin thinks that Gladys is really her grandmother. She loves going to her house for visits. My family is only about an hour away, so I feel sure that Muff should be able to hang out at the hospital with us unless there is an emergency. We're trying to be prepared.

Big Daddy and I will be discussing how we want things to be handled during and after the labor and delivery and then we'll talk about it with my mom and sister. I'm getting really excited and feel the need to be prepared.

Baby Has A New Name

We have decided on a definite name...unless "she" turns out to be a "he".

Looks like we'll be welcoming Ellie Grace into our family!

The Muffin was determined to go with the "M" name, but changed her mind this morning. Big Daddy likes the name and my mom prefers it over Pacey. My sister and Auntie Lisa liked Ellie the best from the start. Of course, we're happy that they're happy, but we would have named it anything we wanted and they wouldn't have said anything mean.

Second Thoughts

I' d hoped that this wouldn't happen, but alas, it has. I'm having second thoughts on our Baby-to-be's name. Shocking, right? I've said from the day I made the name public that it could change, but I really didn't think it would.
Big Daddy and I were comfortable with the name and The Muffin had gotten used to it. She was more than excited when I gave her a choice of two other names. The funny thing is, she has stuck with the same name from the very beginning. The name that starts with an "M" just like her name and Big Daddy's name and our last name. And it totally sounds silly with our last name. She is adamant that we use the "M" name. I have to think on it some more, but I've already called my sister so that she and my mom can discuss it and "come to a conclusion" (as I told them) by tomorrow. Big Daddy says that we'll talk about it more tomorrow, so I'm hoping for clarity by Monday.
I never would have made the name public if I had thought that it might change. We never planned to be an "M" family, with a lonely "J" (me) thrown in. We're not the type to think that any of our names have to start with the same letter or end with the same sound.
On the bright side, we haven't actually called the baby by the name of Pacey Grace, so it won't really know the difference. I've used the name here on the blog and Muff and I have used it, but usually she just says "baby" when she talks to my belly. And, I have nothing monogrammed.
I'll keep you posted, but don't be surprised if the name on my little baby ticker changes sometime soon.

Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I'm ready for bed. We spent the evening at Big Daddy's friend's house having dinner, holding a sweet baby boy and letting the big girls play together. I was able to discuss everything pregnancy, labor, delivery, big girl and baby with the mommy. Big Daddy talked guns and ammo and business stuff with the daddy. Muff played so hard with the little girl that's about her age. We all took turns holding the six month old baby boy and being amazed by his sweetness and good behavior. The Muffin also found out that baby's drool and she doesn't like that.

Oh, Baby!

The Muffin woke up around 5:30 this morning and when I walked into her room she had her arms open and said she was ready to come to bed with me. I put her in the bed beside of Big Dady and went to the bathroom. She was fast asleep when I returned. I tried to lay there with them, but my pregnant-stuffy-nose and asthma would not cooperate and I was downstairs by 6:00 with a delightful cup of coffee.
I heard her start fussing at 6:20. She wanted me. She needed me. I decided to sit on the couch and wait it out. Big Daddy quickly came down the stairs and plopped her on the couch beside of me. I sent him back to bed and Muff and I cuddled until 6:30...then it was time for chocolate chip pancakes.
The Muffin loves her Daddy unless she's hungry, tired, hurt or it has anything to do with sleep. I know she thinks he is totally incapable of caring for her because I have always been in charge of anything related to her physical well-being. (To be honest, I think he's incapable sometimes to.) We had breakfast and discussed how much her Daddy loves her and wants to take care of her and how I can't always be around. I asked her what we would do if I was giving the baby "baby milk" (aka, breastfeeding) and she needed something. I asked if Daddy could help then and of course, she had a solution. She told me that she would give the baby it's milk and then I could help her.

How long after the baby gets here do you think it wil be before she's trying to nurse it?

Nesting

Blogging is the last thing I should be doing right now, but I need a break. Big Daddy and I have been working hard on clearing out he Baby-to-be's room before he heads back to work on Monday. He took The Muffin out to lunch and I had to sit down for a break.

Muff's closet is now rid of baby debris. I've been storing the pack and play and a few other baby items in there. The green armoire is back in her room and the white chest of drawers is now in the baby's room. I just started going through our stash of newborn baby clothes and I'm so excited about using them again! I'll be packing a few of the same items in the baby's hospital bag. If the clothes were washed, I'd start packing now!! I will be packing girl clothes this time, so it's sure to be a boy. Ha!!

I've been looking at the sweet white and pink outfit that Muff wore for her first visit to church and our baby will definitely be wearing that (if it's a girl) for her first Sunday. I lost the matching shoes during my first solo outing to get Muff's picture taken, so Pacey will have to wear matching socks.

Then, there's the outfit and matching blanket in pink and tan from Auntie Lisa. Muff only wore it a couple of times and I can't wait to put another baby in that. And the cute little striped footed pants and matching shirt...delicious.

Of course, the picture doesn't show the true cuteness of these clothes !

We truly do not need one more article of clothing if our baby is indeed a girl. If we were to have a boy, we'll only have three gowns, two diaper shirts and a few yellow sleepers.

Blessings

Big Daddy received a call from his employer today and has been offered (and accepted) a "new" position. It's a recreation of the role that he received during the first phase of restructuring. We're cautiously optimistic about his future with the company, but we feel like we have a little breathing room. The past two weeks have reminded us that the economy really sucks, we should always strive to save our pennies and that we are in much better shape than many people out there. We are still praying that things will work out for the best and also for Big Daddy's former co-workers that aren't as blessed as we are.
Now, we have a long list of things that need our attention before life gets back to normal on Monday morning.