22 Weeks = The Bedding is Here!!

We want to thank all of you for your comments about what bedding we should/could get. It was helpful yet made things more difficult at times (thank you Maria ;). We decided on the the purple bedding from Land of Nod called Maria's Flowers. I love the way it looks in the pictures but it looks better in person somehow.

We ended up getting the bumper, skirt and a ladybug pillow that goes with the twin set. We got the ladybug pillow because Adelle's middle name will be June which was Gram's middle name and she loved ladybugs! The pillow isn't as yellow as we thought it would be but it is still beautiful.


Now we are starting to think about paint colors. Do we paint the walls white or a pale color? If we end up painting the walls a pale color, how do we decorate? Do we decorate with cherry wood and white? If we paint the walls white we figured we would decorate and accent with the colors from the bedding.

What are your thoughts? How does that sound?

Adelle is growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, she is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily. Just 126 days left!

21 Weeks = Dresser

Since we found out we were pregnant I have been looking for/at furniture. I wanted the pieces to match and I wanted them to be cheap. Now, when I started looking I thought it would be impossible. Baby furniture - well, any furniture really - is expensive. We will be using this furniture for a long time but golly....

Well, our friend Bri found a crib and changing table on Craigslist for a reasonable price for both pieces. Since we got those pieces I have been looking for a dresser. Craigslist didn't have anything that we really liked or that would work in our tiny room. We looked at new dressers and didn't really find anything that caught our eyes. I was really starting to get discouraged.

Then I remembered that my parents still had dressers from when we were growing up! I asked Mom and Dad if we would be able to buy one of them and they agreed!!

Dad, Maria and Brian brought it into our house a week or so ago. It was white with multi-colored knobs (one color for each drawer). Brian and I decided that instead of keeping it white we would take the paint off and stain/paint it to match the other furniture. We began by trying to sand the paint off but it didn't work out so well. The next day Brian went out and purchased some citrus scented paint stripper. He has been using that on the dresser for the last couple of days and while it looks awful it has already come a long way.

I don't have batteries for my camera so when I do I will post a picture!

Baby V is growing:
Adelle weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. It is starting to feel like she's practicing martial arts - Auntie Maria will be so proud - as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. I am also supposed to discover a pattern to her activity as I get to know her better. In other developments, her eyebrows and lids are present now, and it's crazy to think that her vagina has begun to form as well. Unreal! Only 130 days left!

Bedding - Narrowed Options

We have narrowed down the options for the bedding and are very excited about it (well, I am anyway). You made really great suggestions and gave great reasons to choose the bedding you chose. That made it more difficult for us to be honest.

In no particular order here is the narrowed list and the reasons:

First we have the animal print bedding. We have always thought this bedding was adorable but agreed with Kelly when she said that EVERYONE is doing an animal themed room. Most of the people we know have done one and we wanted to be different until Maria said this, "My vote is for the one with the fox because eventually you can point to the animals and say, 'Your last name means bird song, and Grandpa and Grandma Volpe's last name means fox.' I feel like it's more personal because it's got both sets of animals, and I can imagine Gram going ga-ga for it." Now, she was talking about the darker set, but we like this one better so this is the animal option.


Our second option is the ABC bedding. There really wasn't an opinion that stood out like Maria's did. This got the second highest number of votes and being a teacher, how can I NOT like ABC's?


The third option is Maria's Flowers at Land of Nod. While we thought that Kelly's comment on how pink was pushed on her and she ended up hating it was a concern, Angela said that she regrets making her nursery so neutral. Nicole said, "I can't promise I won't be doing something really girly if we have a girl!" While Stephanie appealed to my planning side and said that we could use the quilt longer. If we are going to go girly, we thought this would be a good option because we can tone it down or make it SUPER girly.




Out of these three options, which would you choose? This doesn't mean that we will agree with you - this isn't a reality show plot and we reserve the right to veto, but we like opinions!

20 Weeks = Half Way!!

I am SO excited to make it to this point in my pregnancy! Just to know that I am half way through it makes me feel that things are going to be fine... like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders (or belly). I can't really describe it but it's a GREAT feeling!

We are going to celebrate this milestone with a doctor's appointment tomorrow (Monday) - how lucky! This is just going to be a chance to talk with the doctor about the perinatologist results/findings - which I remind you were inconclusive - and to answer any questions we have. We have a few questions for him and since we can't see her this visit I will ask if we can HEAR her! Listening to the heart beating is such a wonderful sound!

There are other things that we have been discussing this last week as well... bedding, decorations, paint, toys, etc. We have narrowed down the bedding - thank you to those who put your two cents in - and now we are looking at how to actually decorate the room itself. Before we can even START on that though we need to figure some other things out like storage and electrical! We'll keep you posted though!

Baby V is growing:
Adelle weighs about 10 1/2 + ounces now. She's around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. She's also swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. You don't want to know what she is doing with everything she swallows, though if you want to change her first diaper you'll get to see it! Only 140 days to go!

Bedding = I hate making a decision!

So I want to know who actually reads our blog and what you think! Here are some bedding options for Adelle's room.

The first (in no particular order) is one from Land of Nod, an online store that I came across after finding out I was pregnant. The set is called Maria's Flowers which I think is completely fitting because of Auntie Maria and the color! I LOVE purple! We aren't sure if we should get a crib blanket or a bigger quilt since we shouldn't have blankets in the crib anyway. So I posted both the crib bedding (because we would get the bumper and skirt) and the twin bedding with accessories.





The second is from Carter's, which we can get from Babies R Us. It is called Butterfly Flowers and I think it would go well with the general decor of the room. I also think this one is fitting because I LOVE butterflies!



For the third option we have My First ABC. We like this one because we want to incorporate learning into the room and what better way of doing that than having it on the bedding?!



Fourth is Forest Friends from Carter's. Super cute and we love the animals.


Finally we have Tree Tops by Carter's. Again, cute and we love the animals - do you see the fox?!



So... let us/me know what you think!

19 Weeks = Adelle NEEDED Some Cute Stuff!

After we found out that we have a little girl on the way, Brian asked what I wanted to do. I said that I didn't know but inside I couldn't wait to go shopping for some cute girl stuff. Brian suggested we go get some cute girl stuff! That is one of the MANY reasons I love my husband! He just knows....

Well, we ended up going to the Mall of America to check out Carters. I have an old friend who works there who said it was like an outlet. Not so much - so we bought some super cute receiving blankets. I took them out of the bundle they came in and figured I could make some more myself and not pay what I did for them! So I will be trying that in the next week or so.


After Carter's we went to Old Navy - a slight detour on the way back to the car. There we picked up three super cute onesies on clearance! They will be PERFECT for our little one I think!


We were both tired so we went to TGI Fridays to eat then to Target to see what they had. We were both pretty disappointed in the selection Target had at this particular store - and it was a Super Target! My goodness! The selection is better at the Target in Eagan and that is still just a regular Target - not even a Greatland! Anyway, we found some cute hats and a few cute outfits there too.


After Target it was time to rest so we went to Mom and Dad's... I mean, Grandma and Grandpa Volpe's house until Grandpa got home. It was terribly hard to keep the secret until people were there!


Maria got to know first because she had to leave for work. We had her (and all of them) close her eyes as we pulled outfits out of a bag. Then we had her open her eyes to see a few outfits. She smiled and said congratulations. We talked a little bit about how excited we were then she needed to go. When Grandpa got home we had him and Grandma close their eyes as we put an outfit on each of their laps, Brian had an outfit and I had an outfit, then they opened their eyes. Grandma said, "Aww!" and Grandpa said, "I think I messed it up. It's blue." He held up his dress, Grandma held up hers and he said, "Oh, a girl, aww!" When Angie got there we did the same thing for her, she said, "YAY!" and then said hello to Adelle via my belly.


It is WONDERFUL to know that the people we love are excited for us. It means the world to us to know that we have your support and love!

Baby V is growing:
Adelle's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Only 147 days to go!

We'd Like to Introduce Adelle June!

On Wednesday we had an appointment with a perinatologist. We had this appointment because we wanted to make sure that things were developing well and on target with our little one. We met Sharon at the office and went in for a session with a genetic counselor first who talked with us about our family history as well as our medical histories. After that we went into the exam/ultrasound room. I laid down on the table and the technician squirted the gel onto my abdomen and started in.

Immediately we saw Baby V kicking and moving all over! It was amazing! The three of us were GLUED to the screen! Then the technician asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby. Well, both of us said, "What?!" I think we were a little awestruck at that moment. She repeated the question and we both said yes. She said, "There it is, can you see it?" I said, "Is it a boy?" (I had NO idea what I was even looking at!) She said, "No! It's a girl!" Brian and I both teared up and we kissed and squeezed our hands together.


We're having a girl!

For the next 40 minutes or so little Adelle wouldn't cooperate with the technician! She just laid there with her head down and her back up toward us! Because of this the perinatologist wants us to come back in 4 weeks for another look, just to make sure things are developing well. He did say that things, as far as he could see, were great and there is nothing to worry about. Again, just to make sure of that we are going back. HOPEFULLY Adelle will cooperate so the doctor can see what he needs to see and so we can get a cute picture of her!

This is the same as the first picture... just with things pointed out!

We are extremely excited and can barely contain ourselves! Alright, I can barely contain myself!!

We are having a girl!!

p.s.
The tech also said we are measuring ahead... by one day! She said not to change my due date because Adelle could come anywhere from 10 before to 10 days after the due date.

18 Weeks = A Diaper Bag!

YAY for 18 weeks! I am VERY excited about this and the fact that we got a diaper bag! We have been looking at a lot of different brands and styles for a while. We looked at Target, Babies-R-Us, specialty shops and online and we finally found one!

I wanted a diaper bag with an adjustable shoulder strap that I was able to sling around my shoulder, little feet on the bottom, and I wanted a zipper because we are clumsy people. However, after talking with many people I have decided that I don't need a zipper... that I can live with a sturdy magnetic flap. The bag needed to be big enough for LOTS of stuff but not big enough that I could overpack (well, overpack too much). I know that I will be packing a lot of stuff in the bag and that, being me, I will put stuff in there that I don't need (so easy to do), but I wanted it to be a good size.

The bag we found is from Fleurville and is made from recycled plastic bottles! It has great pockets, wipe-able fabric both inside and out, comes with a clear wipe container and changing pad too! It is SUPER cute and I LOVE it!



I've looked online for lists of things to pack in the diaper bag, but was wondering if those of you who have carried one could tell me what you have packed in it or what your staple is... something that you never forget to put in the bag (or leave the house without)! Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.


Baby V is growing:
Baby V is about 5 1/2 inches long - about the length of a bell pepper and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's flexing his arms and legs — movements that I'll start feeling more and more in the coming weeks. If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If we're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable. HOPEFULLY, we'll be able to find out soon! Just 153 days left!