So I registered...

I registered for Baby Thomas at Target and Babies R Us over the last week. And can we say....NOT as fun as the wedding registry? It is seriously intense, y'all! Always having to stress about the brand you are picking and whether or not it is harmful/deadly/ok for your baby? Yeah. Not the relaxing experience I had anticipated. Why I was expecting a relaxing experience, I dont know, but I was. Just like I did for my wedding registry (I'll have to talk about that sometime), I did a ton of research ahead of time and went with my list of must-haves, including the brands that I was choosing. I will share the list I came up with later , and it is a good starting point, but I learned a lot in the process. Let's just say that I ended up not registering for a whole lot of things that all the "must-have" lists told me that I needed. But I think that is another post for another day.

So what did I register for? Glad you asked! I will highlight the big ticket items that I picked, and why.

Turns out that Target is in fact NOT the end-all-be-all that I thought it would be for baby registry. My personal opinion is that they are great for cute items and reasonably priced accessories and even furniture, but not so great for things that require options-like strollers, car seats, etc. I went to Babies R Us to supplement the registry and to get a few more things that Target didnt have or didnt have in the right brand.

Stroller/Car Seat
I chose the Britax B-Agile and B-Safe stroller and car seat. These are often sold as a travel system (it's actually why I picked it) but Target does not have that option actually sold in stores (here it is online though), so I registered for them separately just in case.

Pretty, right? I chose the black because it is easy to clean/doesn't show stains and it will work for a girl if we have one in the future/if the future isnt so far off that these dont get outdated. But mostly I chose it because it is the best travel system for us. It will work for when we want to put the car seat inside as well as later when we just need the stroller. It is lightweight and easy to unfold/fold and the car seat snaps in and out super easily. It is just the most ideal for US and our lifestyle and all the travel that we do. Plus it will work well on terrain that isnt level. So again, perfect for us!

Playtex Diaper Genie

The diaper pail is an item that seems to be super controversial in mommy land. Not that you should or shouldnt have one, but which one you should have. So after doing research, I decided to try out the Playtex Diaper Genie. There are a ton of other brands out there, but this one got great reviews as far as odor lock goes. There was one other option, but after seeing it in person, I went with the Playtex brand. The other option was great and also had great reviews, but it looked like you would have to squeeze diapers through a small hole in order to get it into the pail itself. I dont know about you, but squeezing poopy diapers through a small hole does not sound good to me, no matter how much odor control it provides!

 Fisher-Price Kick and Play Piano Gym

This is one of the cutest things ever. One of the things that I read is that babies need to have a floor mat to play on. But there are like 8,000 different floor mats...so how in the world would I choose??? After more research, I found the Kick and Play. Being a musical soon-to-be mommy, I LOVE that it has a piano at the bottom. I know there will be times when I wish it didnt have it because it is going to make too much noise, but I love that I will be exposing Thomas to music at such an early age.

Fisher-Price Jumperoo-Rainforest Friends

 Ahh the Jumperoo. Another one of those things that moms say are a must. So I picked the one that got the best reviews and that I liked the best. Nothing exciting, but hopefully he likes it!

Dr. Brown's Bottle and Feeding Set

I plan on breastfeeding, so I am not registering for a ton of bottles. I may end up regretting this, but I just dont have the room for extra stuff that I wont need. That being said, Dr Brown's are supposedly the best, so I went with those in a gift set that comes with all the pieces that I might need.

Cloud 9 On the Go Travel Size Plush Sound Machine-Giraffe

How cute is this guy?? I just fell in love with him. So he is a stuffed animal that is also a noise-machine. Doesnt get much better than that! Not only is he cute, but he serves a purpose! He also has straps that attach to a car seat or stroller, so that is totally perfect for the car rides that are bound to happen!

 Baby Bullet 20-Piece Food System

I am planning on making Thomas' baby food, and I thought this gift set was a great place to start. It includes the actual food maker itself, as well as some storage containers. I dont have a food processor or a great blender, so this easy to clean option will hopefully fit the bill.

Diaper Bag

Am I the only one that has had an impossible time finding a diaper bag that I actually like? I just feel like that if I am going to carry a bag around every day, I want it to be pretty! I found this one at Babies R Us and I think it us super cute! It is pretty roomy, so it should have room for everything that I need for baby and for me.

Safety First Satellite Premier Play Yard

 The play yard (or Pack and Play) is a must have for mommies, or at least so I hear. Thomas will be sleeping in our room in the pack and play for a while, and it also will go with us on car trips, so I wanted one that had it all. This one is pretty cool. It has a changing table, basinet, AND a storage tower that will be perfect for hotel rooms. I'm pretty excited about it!

4moms mamaRoo Classic Infant Seat

This is one of those dream items. It is SUPER expensive, but is basically the best of the best. Its a rocker and a bouncer and it takes up  no space at all. It is definitely a dream thing, but I put it on there because I am a dreamer:)

So what do you think about these items? Did you have good experiences with any of these brands? Want to see everything I registered for? Check out my Target registry here and my Babies R Us registry here!

Memory Makin' Moms Feature

I am so excited to send you to Memory Makin' Moms, a website dedicated to all things Disney!! I am this week's "Featured Fan," so please go check out my post here! And while you are there, look back on all their past posts-lots of goodies for you!

Bumpdate Week 25

Once again I am a day late on this post. But better late than never!

How far along? 25 weeks

Weight Gain: 9 pounds

How Big is Baby? Cauliflower

Maternity Clothes? It has been pretty warm here lately, although I'm sure that will flop flop back and forth. Going to need to pick up some shorts soon!

Stretch Marks? No new ones to report

Sleep? What's that? Cant sleep for more than a few hours at a time. I guess that's my body's way of preparing me for what's to come. 

Best Moment of the Week: Making major progress is organizing the nursery! I also started the registry, so it was exciting to pick a few things out for little man.

Movement: He is still just a moving like crazy. Some days he moves a lot, some days he doesnt. It is definitely the best part of being pregnant :)

Food Cravings: Fruit. Fruit. and more Fruit.  

Gender: Baby Selman is a BOY!!!

What I Miss: Sleep. Not crying at anything and everything.

What I'm looking forward to:My parents coming this weekend! We will be painting the nursery, so that is going to be major!

Symptoms: It's just pee city over here.

Emotions:When I'm good, I'm good. But Lord help you if I'm not. I have never felt rage like this in my life, and can only imagine how much more momma bear is going to come out once Thomas is born!

Belly Button in or out?  Pretty shallow but still in My doctor says I apparently have a deep belly button so mine may not pop out at all.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on during the day and off at night. I did have a day where I had to take it off completely, but my mom and I chalked that up to having had more sodium than usual. Drank lots of water and it was fine the next day.

Things I Need To Do: Paint the nursery. Finish the built ins and paint those. Build the crib. Finish registering. Order the chair. (Doing both this weekend!)  

These pics are the best I could do. Sorry for the rough look!

Thomas' Nursery Inspiration

As many of you may know, I purchased the bedding for Thomas' nursery this week. It was so exciting to finally cross something off the list, and I am so happy with my choice! But before I get to what bedding I chose, I wanted to share some inspiration with you. This next picture started it all. I fell completely in love with everything about this nursery, and helped me make my final decision for the color palette.

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I mean. How amazing is this room? I just fell absolutely head over heels for everything in here. Especially that dog print. I cannot deal with how cute that is!! So-color scheme? Navy blue and kelly green with grey walls. I doubt I will use the yellow, but I might use it an a few tiny pieces around the room. I also found what I THINK are the exact curtains, and at $15 for 2 panels, I am going to have to snatch those up!

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On to the bedding. Mom and I had planned on making a trip to this huge fabric store in Daphne to get fabric to make all the crib bedding, but I stumbled upon this set from Pottery Barn Kids and it was onsale for a pretty great price, so we snatched it up. I'm happy because it's perfect, and mom is happy because she doesnt have to make the bedding anymore. Win win for all involved.

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I LOVE this color for accents. I'll show you some places I want to use this later in the post.

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I like the pop of green on this changing table. I just dont know if it will be overwhelming in the space.

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Ben is building me some built in drawers/shelves (a lot more on those in later posts), and I also like the idea of painting the backs of the shelves green. (I also really love the striped curtains!)

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Of course, me being me, I will have to have some striped accessories. Here are some that I've found that I love.

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Ben is also going to be building the crib. Here are my inspiration pictures for what I want that to look like.

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I have my eye on a few other cute accessories, like these.

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And a little bit of inspiration for the closet redo.

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And just for fun, maybe (depending on how much green is in the room already), doing the closet a kelly green.

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This is definitely not an exhaustive list of what I am loving, but I thought it would be fun to give you a peek into what I'm loving right now. Stay tuned for more nursery updates soon!

Bumpdate Week 24

This post is a day late (sorry mom) because I didnt take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and instead waited til the last minute to take pictures of the bump. So Tuesday and Wednesday were rainy, cold, and yucky. SO not going out in that to take pictures.We had some great weather today, and my Ellie girl decided to take part in the pictures.

How far along? 24 weeks

Weight Gain: 7.5 pounds

How Big is Baby? Cantaloupe (yum!)

Maternity Clothes? Love my fat pants, but I have been trying to rotate some different tops into my usual rotation!

Stretch Marks? No new ones to report

Sleep? What's that? Cant sleep for more than a few hours at a time. I guess that's my body's way of preparing me for what's to come. 

Best Moment of the Week: Buying the nursery bedding for Thomas. More on that later :) Mom also bought Thomas some super cute smocked outfits at the big sale I mentioned last week. I didnt get to go, but what she got is so adorable :)

Movement: So funny story. Remember last week how I talked about Thomas moving for Ellie? Well it happened again. I was lying in bed awake the other night (I know you other preggos know how I feel!) and it dawned on me that I hadnt felt Thomas move in a while, which I thought was strange since I had been laying there for what felt like FOREVER. I rolled over, and Ellie snuggled up to my belly. Almost immediately, Thomas started to move. I love that Thomas and Ellie are already best friends! I cant wait for them to meet each other on the outside. :)

Food Cravings: Fruit. Fruit. and more Fruit.  

Gender: Baby Selman is a BOY!!!

What I Miss: Sleep. Not having to pee every five seconds. I would KILL for a medium rare steak and sushi right now. And all these spring fashions popping up and the pretty Fall 2014 clothes from Fashion Week are REALLY making me want to be able to wear normal clothes again!

What I'm looking forward to: Clearing  out the baby room this weekend. Ben is building some amazing drawers/shelves to flank the crib, and I hope to narrow down some paint colors this weekend as well. Lots going on over here:)

Symptoms: It's just pee city over here.

Emotions:When I'm good, I'm good. But Lord help you if I'm not. I have never felt rage like this in my life, and can only imagine how much more momma bear is going to come out once Thomas is born!

Belly Button in or out?  Pretty shallow but still in My doctor says I apparently have a deep belly button so mine may not pop out at all.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on during the day and off at night.

Things I Need To Do: Well I found the bedding and curtains, and I am ordering the chair in a few weeks when my parents are here. Ben is working on some cabinets and the design for the closet. Still need to pick a paint color, register (doing that Sunday!), get the crib built, find a changing table and paint/stain it, or build one if we cant find what we like. Then just the little details. But I feel SUCH a sense of relief that the bedding is taken care of! I plan to post my inspiration for the nursery as well as some pictures of the space soon, so check back for all that. 

Linking up to Tucker Up.

Bumpdate Week 22-23

Well, we had some crazy weather last week! Unfortunately, this led to some technical difficulties on  my part! So this week's bumpdate will be a combination of weeks 22 and 23.

How far along? 23 weeks

Weight Gain: 6.5 pounds

How Big is Baby? Grapefruit

Maternity Clothes? Love my fat pants

Stretch Marks? No new ones to report

Sleep? What's that? Cant sleep for more than a few hours at a time. I guess that's my body's way of preparing me for what's to come. 

Best Moment of the Week: Even though it drove him crazy to be cooped up, I loved having 2 days of being "iced-in." I also loved getting to go to the doctor's office and hearing Thomas' heartbeat and having the doctor say that everything is perfect :)

Movement: Still moving like crazy. Thomas already seems to have a personality. He will move like crazy when the Ellie lays her head on my belly, but when Ben puts his hand there, he will stop! It's so cute!

Food Cravings: Fruit. Fruit. and more Fruit.  

Gender: Baby Selman is a BOY!!!

What I Miss: Sleep. Not having to pee every five seconds.

What I'm looking forward to: Hopefully going to a giant baby sale with my Mom this weekend!

Symptoms: It's just pee city over here.

Emotions: Mostly steady.

Belly Button in or out?  Pretty shallow but still in My doctor says I apparently have a deep belly button so mine may not pop out at all.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on during the day and off at night.

Things I Need To Do: Everything. Hoping to get a few things at the sale this weekend :)

Linking up to Because Shanna So and Tucker Up.