Saturday, September 29, 2012

Project: Tissue Poms

I mentioned in this post that we had a few ideas for the nursery.  One of them was getting a dresser (which turned out to be way more awesome than we were expecting - see this post for details!)  Another was making tissue poms.  While my friend Melissa was here visiting, we tackled this project. This was a cool project that was simple, easy, and cheap!  Here's how we did it:
Materials:
  • stapler
  • tissue paper in various colors (7-10 sheets, depending on the size you want - we did 10)
  • fishing line or ribbon
Step 1: Assemble the sheets in a stack, or if you have them in a package like we did, this is already done for you. 

 Step 2: Fold the tissue paper stack in 1 to 1 1/2 in folds.  (I imagine you could lessen this for a smaller pom.)  In this picture, I have unfolded the tissue paper, but you want to keep it folded and then place a staple right in the middle, securing the paper into place.
 Step 3: Use a scissor to round the ends of the tissue paper.  You could do a point instead of rounded edges if you wanted more of a star-looking pom.  Once the edges are cut, begin separating the layers of tissue paper from each other.


Step 4: Use ribbon or fishing wire to secure the poms in place and hang them from the ceiling.  We actually haven't gotten to that step yet, but once we do I will update this post with pictures of them hanging in the nursery. :)
 



Friday, September 28, 2012

Bed Rest Discovery - Downton Abbey

I have not watched much TV since I've been on bed rest, mainly because I'm not much of a TV person.  I hate the idea of spending time in such a productive-less pursuit.  I don't have this problem with movies (not sure why), but TV feels different.  Unless I am watching it with my husband (which feels like a productive investment because we are spending time together ;), I really don't watch much.
(photo credit)

Enter Downton Abbey.  It's no secret that I love anything British and am a fan of Jane Austen movies and the like.  I had heard for some time that this was a great show I should watch, but for some reason I didn't get around to it until my friend Kristin suggested we watch it on an evening Rick wasn't home.  We watched the first two episodes together and then I finished the season the next day - the whole thing in less than 24 hours.  Here are a few reasons I like it:
  • It was only a century ago--the first episode commences immediately after the sinking of the Titanic. It's cool to see how different life was, even just a hundred years ago!
  • The characters--they are witty, believeable, and human.  And they have cool British accents.
  • The hierarchy--there is a very established class system, and even though the Grantham household treats its servants well, there are still moments of serious discrimination toward the servants and "lower classes"
  • The scenery--this show is filmed in an actual British mannor (with the exception of basement kitchen and servants quarters, which are filmed on a soundstage) and it is beautiful
Season 2 is not on Netflix (GRRR), but I think I found it for free through Amazon.  My husband has a student membership which entitles him to the benefits of Amazon Prime at a discounted rate.  So my next week is going to be full of Downton Abbey, Season 2!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

I Can See the Finish Line...

At my appointments yesterday, the doctors found that my fluid level, while continuing to drop slightly, is relatively stable.  All the baby's bones, body systems, and movements look PERFECT, so the doctors have decided on the following plan.

If I can maintain this holding pattern, we will continue with check-ups every week and plan to deliver at 37 weeks - so around October 25th.  She would be considered "term" at this stage and would not spend time in the NICU.  Our son was born at 37 weeks exactly (also early because of low fluid), and he was perfect.

If anything changes with the baby - ANYTHING (the doctor was emphatic about this) - we will deliver at 34 weeks, or, if I'm past that time (around October 4th), immediately.  It is possible, depending on how early she is, that she will have to spend some time in the NICU.

So at least now I have a plan of action.  The doctor told me that if I feel pain, start to come down with something, feel the baby move less - anything that might make me feel "weird" - I am to go directly to labor and delivery to have it checked out.  So I am still in a precarious position, but it is looking more and more like we could have our baby at term instead of pre-maturely.  Whew!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Book: Unbroken

Unbroken

by Laura Hillenbrand


Length: 406 pages
Format: Hardback
Price: I borrowed from a friend, so free!
Author Website: http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/ (photo credit)

Basic Premise: Louie Zamperini is a misfit adolescent who finally finds his purpose in life - achieving an Olympic medal in running.  But after the Olympics are canceled due to WWII, Louie is swept into the chaos of war where he endured unimaginable hardships, including gross mistreatment in the POW camps of Japan.  It is a story of hardship, perserverance, and faith.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)
I had heard of this book many times before my book club elected to read it.  I started it on my trip to LA back in July, but somehow it got shoved at the bottom of my to-do list once school started.  However, now that I am on bed rest, I have plenty of time to read!  I picked this back up and was swept, almost instantly, back to the Pacific Islands in the early 1940s.

As a rule, I am not a non-fiction reader.  It bores me.  I like to read stories - novels with all the elements of plot.  And this story, though it is a biography, follows the pattern of fiction.  I loved this book.  Loved it.  Well, wait - didn't love all the graphic descriptions of what went on in the POW camps.  Being a novice in this area of history, I had no idea what countries did with POWs, or rather, what they were supposed  to do.  This novel was extremely eye-opening with regards not only to POWs, but the atrocities of war in general.  It's a wonder any of those men remained in the military.  Even though I didn't enjoy those parts of the novel, they were quite essential to the telling of the story, and to understanding what this man experienced.  The only thing I didn't care much for were the ocassional rabbit trails explaining the types of planes flown, or the types of bombs used, or other such details that come with such specialized content.  Ocassionally I got lost in some of the jargon, and honestly, I didn't care about that part.  I just wanted to know what happened to the character.  And I loved how it ended.  What an amazing cap to an amazing story.  I highly recommend this read.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Thank You: Dresser for the Nursery

 
I mentioned in this post that we needed a dresser for our baby girl's room.  Only a few days after I wrote this post, I was placed on bed rest by the doctor.  Getting the baby's room together just got a whole lot harder.
 
Our good friend Kallie read the post and realized she and our other friend Kristie could do something to help.  Kristie ended up with a dresser she had listed on Craigslist and been unable to sell:
Sorry so small! When I enlarged it was way distorted
She and Kristie volunteered to paint it and put new hardware on for us and then bring it to our house in Topeka.  Seriously?
 
Kristie sent me this picture last week:
 
 
And they delivered the finished product to us on Saturday:
 

Isn't this amazing?  It's exactly what we wanted in terms of storage, but this has so much character!  Kristie asked me what kind of hardware I wanted and I told her to do whatever - SOOOOO glad I did!  Aren't those pulls amazing?  They were original to the dresser and she removed them and painted each one.  Such creativity!  She is so stinking talented - check out her Etsy shop.  I can't wait to start using it in the baby's room, and it will be a piece of furniture she can use for years and years!
 
So a HUGE thank you to Kristie and Kallie!  You guys are the best!  This took a huge load off of us and gets us one step closer to having that nursery ready!


Friday, September 21, 2012

The Waiting Game

 On Monday, I went in for another sonogram and discovered that my fluid level had dropped to a 3 (most women at my gestation are at a 12 or above).  The doctor told me to continue bed rest, water immersion treatments, and serious hydration and he'd see me next Tuesday.  This alarmed my husband and me because up to this point they had been checking my fluid level every few days and hit had been steadily decreasing.  So when I woke up in the wee hours Friday morning with some stomach pain, I called the doctor.  They ordered me to the hospital for a non-stress test.  As always, Lucy's strip was perfect, but they did a sonogram to check the levels anyway.  As of this afternoon, I was at a 7!  That is GREAT news...but I was at an 8 two weeks ago and two days later I was back down to a 4...so what does that really mean?

So at this point we are just waiting.  I have heard that we will deliver at 34 weeks, I have heard we will try to wait until 36, but nothing is for sure.  Obviously, we would rather wait until 36 weeks, as that is considered "term" and would be best for the baby.  However, if my fluid level continues to drop, the atmosphere inside the womb becomes more dangerous for the baby than the outside world, so I guess that is what the doctors will have to determine.

I have been in such a state of aggravation over all of this.  I know that, as time passes, the baby is getting stronger, but I feel like the world's laziest bum on the couch all day.  I am finding things to keep me busy and did have a very productive day last week, but I am still feeling like a lump.  I am praying for patience and trying to remember that in a year, this little stint on bed rest will feel like it was nothing.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Productivity, Despite Confinement

So today was the first thoroughly productive day I have had since I've been down.  I'm so proud I decided to list it all out:
  • Spent some quality time with my son watching Bob the Builder while Daddy got ready for the day
  • Did my Water Immersion Treatment #1 while reading a chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (book 2)
  • Showered, dressed in regular clothes (not sweats) and put on make-up!
  • Worked on school stuff for two hours:
    • graded retake quizzes
    • responded to emails
    • wrote test questions
    • reformatted the test (thanks to stupid auto correct, this took nearly an hour!)
  • Paid and mailed three bills
  • Made two phone calls - one to the pharmacy and one to the office processing my disability claim
  •  Planned this project with my mom for the baby's room - yep, that's right!
  • Made a to-do list with my husband of things that need done before the baby gets here...yikes
  •  Wrote two devotions for Upward Soccer
  • Did my Water Immersion Treatment #2 while reading another chapter of HP
  • Played play dough with my son
  • Listed this Halloween costume for sale online:
  • Filed paperwork in the ISN I have created for my daughter's medical info
  • Watched NO TV!
And that was all before 6 PM!  Being productive has today is SO good for my heart.  I am greatly encouraged by the fact that I have been able to get things done - and especially help my co-workers out - even though I am home on my couch.  (Actually, I moved to the green chair today, you know, for a change of scenery :)

Hoping to recreate this tomorrow!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 by (the one and only) J.K. Rowling

 Length: 249 pages
Format: Paperback
Price: A student gave it to me - it's autographed!  I didn't see it get autographed, but it looks pretty real to me! Go to her website (below) and see her signature - looks pretty good!
 Author Website: www.jkrowling.com

Basic Premise: Harry Potter leads a miserable existence until a giant shows up on his doorstep to tell him he is a wizard.  He is whisked off to wizarding school where he learns about magic, friendship, and his own dark history involving the most evil wizard of all time.

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
I read this book for the first time when I was in college.  My friend Kristin, who was a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, had tried to convince me to read them for some time, but, not being a huge fan of fantasy, I passed.  However, when she offered to read the Narnia series (a favorite of mine since childhood) in exchange for me reading the Harry Potter series, I took her up on it.  I read the whole series (well, books 1-5, which were all that had been released at the time) in, like, three months, which was lightening-fast for me at the time.  I also got in trouble with my mom because while she was planning my wedding "You're upstairs with your nose in that book!" (Sorry, Mom.)

Anyway, the book.  I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the American version, as "philosopher" means something different here than it does there), but this time I read the British version and was thoroughly delighted at all the references to jumpers, hoovers, rubbish bins, cinemas, timetables, etc.  I also enjoyed seeing the growth that occurred from book one to even book three, and on.  JKR was a talented writer in her own right at the time, but the appeal of this book is originality and concept.  As the books go on, the storyline continues to be impressive, but the way in which it's told - the masterful characterization, the quick-witted dialogue, the attention to detail (not so much that it feels tedious but certainly enough to put a picture in my head) - makes the books stand out head and shoulders above the rest of fantasy - heck, of all genres of literature!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Banana Bread

I obviously wrote this post prior to last week, but I'm sick of talking about bed rest :)

I don't mean to brag, but this is the best banana bread ever.  Other people say it, so that's how I know it's true and I'm not just biased.  It can be found here in its original form, but I have made a few changes to the recipe over the years, and that is what you will find here.

Here is what you will need:
  •  2 c flour
  • 1 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1/4 t cinnamon
  • 1/8 t nutmeg
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 c apple sauce
  • 4 lg bananas (okay, so I know these bananas look disgusting - this is after I removed them from the freezer and let them thaw for several hours! Brown bananas are the best for banana bread!)
  • 1 c sugar
1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  (I always eyeball the cinnamon and nutmeg...and it's possible I went a little heavy on the cinnamon!)
 2.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.
 3.  Beat the eggs and add sugar.
The original recipe calls for oil, but I have recently discovered that applesauce can substitute for oil in baking and is considered a healthier alternative.  I decided to try it out!  So instead of the 1/2 c oil, I used 1/2 c applesauce.  (This is cinnamon applesauce, but I figured it would be fine since cinnamon is one of the ingredients.)
 Add to the sugar and eggs.
Now for the bananas.  I usually use bananas that have turned brown or ones I've thrown in the freezer that have turned completely brown.  Either way, I peel the bananas and put them in my Magic Bullet.
 Like this.
 After a few seconds, they look like this:
Add the bananas to the eggs, sugar, and applesauce, and mix well.
4.  Pour the mixture into the center of the well.
 Stir until moistened.
5.  Pour batter into greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350.  Since I have four small loaf pans, half an hour to forty minutes is plenty of time.  If you are using one large loaf pan, bake for 50 or so minutes.
And when it's all done, it's ready to be eaten or wrapped up and frozen for another time!  Delicious!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Baby Girl Update: The Latest

I have been down for one week and two days.  I have taken seven days off work so far.  And according to the doctor, it is unlikely I will be "well" enough to return to work before the birth of the baby.  Depending on how my fluid looks, it does look like we'll be having a baby between 34 and 36 weeks, which is between October 4th and October 18th.  Three to five weeks from now.
Right now, it's difficult to think about the prospect of a baby coming because of the HUGE life change we have undergone in the last ten days.  My husband joked about how much better the situation would be if our places were flipped - he is MUCH better at relaxing than I am.  Going from a full-time employee, wife, mommy, church volunteer, etc. to doing nothing but lying on the couch has been quite the transition.  Work seems to be in place - my sub and students have started a novel and I am good on my lesson plans.  My sister-in-law has got a rotation of meals coming our way, and I have almost all my paperwork completed my leave.  I'm running out of things to do, so I am working on a project.  More on that later!

A HUGE thank you to all of our family and friends for being such a great support during this time.  We couldn't do this without all of you!


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Baby Girl Update: Settling In

It is now looking very unlikely that I will be able to return to work - at least, not in the near future.
My fluid level is doing all kinds of weird stuff.  It was low, then low again, then back up on Monday, then back down yesterday.  I'm doing everything they are telling me - drinking TONS of water, sitting and lying down, and only climbing the stairs once in the morning and once at night.  This week they have recommended "water treatments" to try to help circulation and blood flow to the uterus.  We will see.

At this point, I am really starting to fight some frustration and anxiety.  Everyone keeps saying things like "it must be nice to get a free vacation from work!" and I suppose I can see their point, but I cannot believe how much I miss being at work.  I miss my kids, I miss my co-workers, I miss having everything under control (leaving unexpectedly in the middle of a unit I've never taught before + in the middle of quizzes and retakes = STRESS!), but mostly, I miss social interaction.  I could never work from home or on a computer all day.  I need other people too much.

Speaking of other people, we have been so blessed by our friends.  People have been praying for us, sending us cards and words of encouragement, and offering right and left to take our son if we need it.  A few have brought us meals, two read this post about us needing a dresser and are going to refinish one for us, and the girl who cuts my hair offered to come to my house and do it.  I also have a great friend in Derby who is doing a bunch of freezer cooking for us as I type.  She's going to drive it up at the end of next week so that our freezer is stocked.  We are so blessed.

And I don't think our finances are going to take as big a hit as I thought.  I will run out of sick leave in about 10 days, but I have a few options to extend that and, I signed up for disability coverage last year and it will cover both my bed rest and my maternity leave.  I just have to figure out how to get all the paperwork submitted!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Baby Girl Update

In case you missed it, we have had a pretty eventful last few days.

On Monday at 3:30, after waiting ALL DAY to be seen by the perinatal specialist, we were finally wheeled down to his office.

They did a very long and involved sonogram (which was doubly interesting because the woman performing it was British and had a lovely accent), after which the very kind, grandpa-like doctor arrived.  He told us that since Friday, my fluid level had doubled.  He had no explanation for this other than the rest and extreme hydration that had taken place since I was admitted last Wednesday.  He also told me that our baby girl looked perfect in every way, though the length of her femurs were noticeably higher than the average baby at her gestational age.  Not surprising.  :)  He scheduled a follow-up in 48 hours and sent me home on bed rest.

Obviously, we were overjoyed with this news!  At this point I was going on six days in the hospital and so ready to go home.  Our experience at the hospital could not have been more pleasant -seriously, the staff were all FANTASTIC and worked so hard to keep us comfortable - but there's no place quite like home.

So now we are home and I am trying to keep my busy-body self from going stir crazy.  I have worked on lesson plans, reading, TV watching, and breaking my Spider Solitare record (4 minutes, 26 seconds).  My husband and mom have been so awesome at taking care of me and my son is even figuring out that he can bring me stuff and sit with me on the couch.

Tomorrow we'll find out how my fluid has behaved and whether I can continue on at home or must be readmitted to the hospital.  I don't know how far off base "returning to work" is, but I'm still hopeful!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Update: Part 1 of 1, I Hope?

 It's 4:35 AM and I'm wide awake.  This is not unusual - what makes today unusual is that I am waking up in a hospital bed.  And, this is my first official post about motherhood that is centered around my daughter rather than my son.


Long story short, we went for a sonogram Wednesday after school, the main purpose of which was to check my fluid levels.  They were low...like, dangerously low.  I delivered my son at 37 weeks because of low fluid levels, and at 30 weeks, my levels were lower than what they were with him.  Translation - they immediately sent me to labor and delivery at the hospital.  They got me hooked up to an IV, ran some basic tests, and said there was a possibility my water had broken, or at least that the sac had torn and was leaking.  They wouldn't know for sure for a few days but they would keep me here until they knew for sure.  Worst case scenario - I would be here until the baby's born.  Yikes.

So it's Friday morning, and I'm still here.  Right now, it does not appear that my water has broken. They are conducting an ultrasound this morning to check my fluid levels again.  Since the body produces amniotic fluid, it's possible that, with the IVs and antibiotics they've been pumping into me for the last 36 hours, my level will rise.  If this happens, I can go home and maybe even go back to work.  If my levels rise only slightly, I can go home on bed rest with close monitoring.  If I show no progress, I may be here for awhile.

So as you can imagine the normal-ness of our day to day lives has screeched to a halt.  My husband, who was supposed to teach his class at KU for the first time today, has taken a few days off.  My parents and in-laws have stepped up and taken care of our son, including keeping him overnight and driving him to daycare and up here to see me, and I have obviously had to call in a sub for work.  (A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE WOMEN ON MY TEAM AND IN MY PLC FOR TAKING ALL OF THIS OFF MY PLATE! YOU LADIES ARE AMAZING AND SUCH A BLESSING!)

The rock star of this story is, of course, my husband.  Through every step of this completely shocking and upsetting ordeal, he has been the first to remind me that God is in control of what is happening and it is there that we should put our faith.  My husband has diligently provided everything I need, whether it's going back home because he forgot my make-up (I look terrible, guys, and people are coming to visit me), or sleeping on the little bench that is much to short for his 6'6" frame.  (I actually insisted he drive the six minutes and sleep at home.  He refused but I finally convinced him when I said that if I woke up in the middle of the night, I'd like to read or turn on the TV.  If he was here sleeping I wouldn't be able to do that, and that's the only reason he finally agreed.)  He has stayed until I have fallen asleep and been back up by 8 AM each morning.  My parents, his parents, and several close friends have already been in to see us and I can't tell you how many family members and friends from church have offered to help with our son, bring us meals, or just come up for a visit. It's times like these when you realize how very many people love you, and what a blessing that truly is.

Well, it's 5:15.  That took a long time to write because I included a feeling-sorry-for-myself section that I deleted upon rereading.  It's not necessary and I don't want to dwell on the negatives.  The positives are that I feel great, the baby is FINE, and it is looking more and more like we will get to go home in a few days time.  People love us and are taking care of us, my son is deliriously happy at the increased time with his grandparents, and even though I'm not good at sitting still, I can tell the rest is doing my body some serious good.

Will keep you updated!


Monday, September 3, 2012

Labor Day Weekend Goals:

I didn't have many, but here they are:
  • Baby girl prep post - Check it out here
  • Birthday shop for the nephew - He turned 3 on Friday so our son helped us pick out an outfit and a pair of shoes.  That's right - we are the relatives who buy clothes instead of toys.  We did try, but we are just too practical for toys.  My husband even said, "We have a reputation for practicality, so let's just stick with that."  Fine by me!
  • Budget - We set two financial goals for the semester - one is to finish our yard and the other is to save enough cash to purchase Christmas gifts without couponing, deal-shopping, and giftcarding to come up with enough money for everyone.  We are planning on buying for all our grandparents and (shocker!) a gift each for our kids!  There is a first time for everything. :)  We also went over all our monthly numbers again to be sure this would work like we thought.  My husband should be getting his first paycheck this month, so we'll see how it goes!  We are also test-driving the month of September by recording every penny we spend - literally every penny!
  • Switch our bedrooms - The baby is getting our room so that all of us can be upstairs without anyone having to share a room.  Our room just got a lot tighter, so to console ourselves, we bought a new bedding set.  We've been looking for one since we bought our house two years ago, and we happened across one this weekend:
         Obviously, we did not pay the price marked, but it was definitely a luxury purchase!
  • Read - I did read some.  I am still on Unbroken, not because it isn't a great book - it is!  I just haven't had time to read.  I'd better hustle, because if I'm going to keep up with the kids at school I've got to be through the first two Harry Potters by 9/17 - yikes!
  • Bake - I made a batch of banana bread from scratch this week.  Recipe post coming soon!
  • Clean house - yeah...I saved this one for last.  I probably only need to do an hours worth of solid cleaning (less if my husband is home to help) and we can knock that out today
  • Menu plan - I decided to put this one off.  Payday is in the middle of this coming week and we are out of grocery money, hence we will be eating whatever we can scrounge up until then!
  • Something fun - we are going to see Bourne with our BFF this afternoon while the boy naps at Gigi's house.  Whoohoo!
  • One more trip to the pool - this is currently scheduled for tonight.  The pool closes today so it will be our last chance for the year.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Baby Girl Prep!

It's September.  Our little girl is due at the beginning of November.  That's two months away.

Yikes.

Two months before our son was born, we had already done this:

 
Refinished and painted a dresser for his room
Repainted his room a softer blue
Hung a chair rail, and spent hours and lots of frog tape painting and repainting stripes.
Obtained and assembled a crib
Purchased and hung a ceiling fan

Registered

So far with this baby? Zip. Nada. Nothing.

As I said, yikes.

So this weekend we are working on baby things.  For the room, we have a few things going:

Crib Bedding
I bought this at a garage sale during my first pregnancy, before I knew I was having a boy.  While I'm not a huge fan of the pink and purple, I liked the design and the price ($5 for it and a matching bed skirt).  I've hung on to it and I think it's what we are going to use.  We've decided not to paint the room, and this goes with the blue that is already on the walls.  I will probably need a few more crib sheets, but other than that, we are set for bedding.


Tissue Poms
Have you seen these?  We were looking around on pinterest for ideas and found this picture.  We found an YouTube tutorial and are thinking we will make some of these to hang over the crib and the dresser.  The room has support beams across the top so this will be a perfect way to incorporate them into the decorations.

Furniture
She will be using this crib (but with the above bedding):

And this bookshelf will go in her room (we took it out of our son's once he got a big boy bed so that there was no danger of him climbing on it while we were not in the room):

The only thing we need is a dresser.  We opted to go with a dresser instead of a changing table with our son because a dresser is so much more practical once they are out of diapers.  We have looked on craigslist.com, but so far we've come up with nothing.  We'd like to stay with white, and every time I think about a dresser for her room, I picture this one that I saw at Ikea:
It is perfect and exactly what I want.  But even if we could afford the $250 price tag, we can't get it because Ikea doesn't ship and the closest ones are Denver, Chicago, and Dallas, which I believe are all roughly the same distance away.  We haven't looked in any furniture stores yet, but I'm guessing anything we find that we want would be more expensive, not cheaper.  Oh well - we'll figure something out.

And, um...well, that's it.  We already have a swing, a double-stroller, an activity mat, and oh yeah...CLOTHES!  I have two giant tubs full of clothes through 18 months that I probably paid a grand total of $20 for.  My mom and some friends have also contributed. :)

There are a few things I would like to have for her:
  • Bouncy Seat: the one we had with our son was worthless - I sold it at our garage sale.  We ended up borrowing a friend's Fisher Price Kick & Play bouncer (pictured).  It was perfect because it lit up, played music, and vibrated.  Our son was mesmerized.
  •  Medela breast milk storage bags: I am not kidding you when I say we went through nearly 400 breast milk storage bags.  The Medela brand ones were the only ones that didn't leak consistently.  With Lansinoh, about 4 in every 5 leaked, and with NUK, about 3 in every 5.  The latter were obviously cheaper, but definitely at a cost.  That stuff is like liquid gold, and when you see it pouring out of the bag into the sink or onto the counter top, the least of your concerns is the mess.  These don't often go on sale, but I have found eBay is a great place to buy them at a discounted rate.
Hmm...I think that's really it!  We will obviously need diapers and wipes, but I think all the rest is covered!   Now we just have to get to work preparing the nursery.  I'll put pics up when we get there. :)