newborn must-haves...Adeline's list

I've decided to do a series of posts about our must-haves and what have gotten us through the various stages of welcoming our sweet girl into this world.  First off, are our must-haves for a newborn (beyond the obvious necessities like wipes and dipes).  This list is definitely based on Adeline's preferences--if I've learned anything the past few weeks--it's that every itty bitty is different, you can't solely rely on the books, and just because something worked for another baby, it doesn't mean it will work for your baby.  I am loving getting to know this sweet girl and what works for her and her personality.


1.  Receiving blankets---LOTS of them! We have used these to swaddle, to cover, as a stand-in burp cloth, to prop her up in her vibrator seat, to keep her in place sleeping, to prop her up on her side sleeping, to lay on the floor for some tummy time, etc. etc.

2.  "Sally the Seahorse" (aka Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse-Pink).  This toy has been crucial to get through fussy diaper changes before a feeding.  Adeline talks to her, sucks on her nose, and stares at her for solid minutes.  She loves her Sally.  (The name was given to her by Justin. ;) She hangs out on our changing table and goes for long car rides if needed.  Her belly glows and she plays soothing music--the great thing is, you can hold down on her belly to turn her off to save battery.  We highly recommend this!

3.  Fisher-Price Calming Vibrations seat--Adeline loves this for some of her play times (it plays music and has lights), but she also adores it for an afternoon snooze.  It's also a great item to pull into the bathroom and allow Momma to get a shower in the morning.

4.  Tiny Love Mobile (Tiny Princess version) I first saw this on Ashleigh's blog and was amazed with the remote control option to turn it on and off.  Adeline loves this.  Even though she's not sleeping in her crib, it allows for a few interactive playtime moments for me to get some laundry folded and put away in her room or for me to turn on the monitor and hop in the shower.  The light on this draws Adeline in each time.  Plus, I love that you can remove the mobile part of this when babies start pulling up and you still have a music and light box.  Perfection!

5.  Daddy's chest and Mommy's arms--Sometimes it's the only thing that will calm her down during her fussy time in the evening.  Nothing beats holding this precious girl in my arms! I love that she loves to snuggle.

6. Pretty notebook This neat notebook was made by our friend, Amy.  It has been perfect to record important things from the hospital and on.  I record all of her feedings and bathroom times in this notebook to keep me on track.  I also make sure to jot down important firsts each day...b/c let's be honest...these first few weeks are way too busy to do anything super special as far as memory-keeping goes.  I love that I'll have everything recorded to transfer to a more special memento like a scrapbook or baby book once we are beyond these busy,busy newborn days.  I also used it in the hospital to record her birth story before I forgot the details.

7.  Bassinet We have loved having a bassinet in our room for Adeline.  She sleeps right next to my side of the bed. This has been really handy for middle of the night feedings.  At first we thought we would just use our pack-n-play.  However, we got spoiled in the hospital being able to wheel her right to the bedside.  We just found our bassinet at Wal-Mart and are really happy we chose to purchase one instead of borrowing one--it's already faced some spit-up. ;) I really like the nightlight feature on the bassinet.  Addie can take or leave the mobile feature.  It's also nice to be able to wheel it into the living room if needed.

8.  Sleep sheep The white noise that this provides has been crucial in helping Adeline go to sleep in her bassinet without our help.  There are four options (whale sound, ocean, waves, and rain).  You can conrol the volume and it goes for a long time.  (I think Justin and I are even getting to the point of needing this to get to sleep. ;) We also have the giraffe.  You can find these almost anywhere--ours are from Target. 

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9.  Footy pajamas After about a week and a half or two weeks, Adeline was completely over swaddling.  She hated it and would kick fiercely until she had herself unswaddled and then would go to sleep.  We even tried the Swaddle Me blankets--she wouldn't even consider it.  We decided it was like a baby straight jacket on her since it wasn't soothing to her like it is some babies.  From there it also got to where we realized she didn't even want a blanket loosely laying on top of her.  She just loves to kick and move her feet and legs.  So we tried nightgowns to at least keep her warm and comfy...what did she do with those? Kick fiercely, pushing her feet straight against the fabric, trying like crazy to get her legs free and out of the hole at the bottom.  Finally, we decided footy pajamas were the trick.  She was warm enough if she kicked her blanket off and her little toes were covered.  Her legs are free to squirm...and a happy, warm, sleeping baby makes for a happy mommy and daddy.

 

our road to you (the ending)

To read the previous parts of this story:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

On the way to the drug store to pick up prenatal vitamins (um, yes, this wasn’t planned…so I was only taking Flintstones occasionally), I called to make our first appointment with the doctor…March 25^th.  My next step was deciding how to tell Justin.  I only sent him a text to let him know about my bladder infection because we had already discussed that I may test the next weekend if I hadn’t gotten my period.  I didn’t want to have to lie to him…I wanted to tell him in person.  So he called me a few minutes later.  Thank goodness he didn’t ask me about if they checked to see if I was pregnant, because I wouldn’t have been able to hold it in and would have had to tell him on the phone.  (Later, he told me he didn't ask on the phone on purpose....he didn't want to find out that way if I was pregnant.)

So I decided to go to a local store to pick up a cute pair of baby socks at a store near our house to put with a card for the in-the-dark daddy-to-be.  Well this plan was thrown for a loop.  I pulled into the parking lot and what else do I see but his work truck? So I quickly left and came home.  I got a call a little later from Justin letting me know he was stopping by the house quickly to get a tool they needed on the job.  (This was after I had already tested again at home…you know…just in case the whole doctor’s office test was wrong.  Two pink lines.  Again.  Yep.  Pregnant.) I prayed he wouldn’t ask.  He didn’t.  He grabbed the tool, came back into the living room, and then it came…. “So you’re not preggers, huh?” (so nonchalant!) ;) I looked at him slowly and he knew.  

I let him know that I was, for some crazy reason that only God knows, that I was.  I got the smile I hoped for.  The smile that reassured me that no matter how scared and alone I felt moments ago, that I wasn’t alone in this and that everything was going to be okay.  He was in total shock but hugged me so excited.  I went over all the details as the shocked grin remained on his face.  “So when am I going to be a dad?” I let him know that it would be sometime in October or November and that the blood work would confirm how far along I was.  I cried in relief that he was happy.  I wasn’t sure how he would take it.   

As he left, we talked about how we’d been praying God would open doors…and for some reason…this is the door he opened.  The door to being mommy and daddy.  So now I know exactly why God placed Jeremiah 29:11 on my heart for us to memorize as a couple a few weeks before…because He would use it so many times over the course of the next few months as we prepared our minds and hearts for a precious blessing…a baby.

our road to you (part 4)

Read part 1, part 2, and part 3 first.

Little did I know that right around that same time God was also working in Justin’s heart and planning His miracle to send to us.  Later in February, Justin came to me to tell me that he had decided that he was okay with having a baby.  He didn’t want to start trying by any means, but he was okay if it happened.  For some reason, that made me happy, but I was also in a very stressful/emotional point due to lots of stress between work and school and wasn’t able to fully appreciate that and love those words as much as I thought I would.  I guess I wasn’t at a point of whole-heartedly being ready…my mind wasn’t there at that point.   

I started to feel on-and-off sick in many different ways over the next couple weeks. (I’m only documenting these specifics because I want to remember them for future pregnancies.  These details will probably be cut from sweet baby’s version of this story.) It started with horrible indigestion that I thought was turning into a stomach virus.  I’ve always had stomach issues, so really I thought nothing of it.  That went away within a couple days.  Next came a sore chest and cramping.  I was excited, because I thought this meant my period was coming.  Since starting the pill the summer we got married, I had not felt one measly symptom of anything related to PMS and had only had my cycle once.  So feeling them made me sure that something was up.   

Next, came awful symptoms of a urinary tract infection.  Lovely.  Waking up miserable one morning (March 1^st) I decided to leave work early that day to go to the doctor.   When I went into the office, the nurse asked me what was going on.  I explained that I thought I had a bladder infection, but I also wanted to be cautious because I was so irregular with my periods and wanted to make sure I didn’t take any antibiotics that could be harmful if for some crazy reason, I was pregnant.  She understood.  I sat in the small office waiting on the results on the infection.  Sure enough, the doctor told me I showed all the symptoms.  This is when I decided to remind her of my concern for possibly being pregnant.  (My body was telling me something.)  She decided to yell, yes, yell out to the nurse, “Hey run a pregnancy test on that urine.” That’s when I heard from the hall, “Pregnancy test? Okay.”  At this point I was already mortified because of the smallness of the town I live in.  I wasn’t mortified I might be pregnant.  A little scared, nervous, anxious maybe.  But the mortified feeling came from the fact that I didn’t want the whole office to know, which some of whom also know most of my family, before my husband even had the chance to know.  It’s humorous now that I look back on it.   

So I sat up on the bed for her to feel my stomach and back due to my bladder infection.  She sat down on the chair to discuss any other symptoms I was having due to my infection.  That’s when I noticed her eyes look in the direction of the door as it cracked open.  Mind you, I couldn’t see the nurse.  I knew this meant something.  My doc exclaimed with wide eyes, “Oh, no doubt about it huh? Ok.” She turned and looked at me… "Well, it does look like you are pregnant.  Congratulations.”  My reaction was shock as I put my hands on my cheeks as I exclaimed, “No way.”  We sat as I tediously waited for her to make her decision on the antibiotic to prescribe since I was pregnant.  What? I’m pregnant?! I still didn’t believe it.  Next was a blood test to determine how far along I was.   

The sweet nurses oohed and ahhed over the exciting pre-lunch news in the office.  I was still praying no one I knew was in the office.  After having blood drawn and sweet congrats from the nurses, I was out the door with this life-changing news that I couldn’t share.  Yet…

Final part coming next!

name game

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With our gender ultrasound coming up very soon...May 16th!...we are in full-force speed trying to determine a precious name for this sweet baby.  I'm picky.  Very picky.  And I'm indecisive.  Very indecisive.  So with that being said, it hasn't been easy.  The names I've had in a list since I was probably in high school and have revised since then are almost all out the window.  Either I've had a student or known of a kiddo that really ruins causes me to dislike the name a little (or a lot) or they have been over-used like crazy.

While Justin is pretty laid-back about it all...which he is with about everything I like (and which I adore about him), I have my strong opinions.  Thankfully he has turned me down on some name ideas...because it's shortened my list. 

My thoughts on names...

-something strong
-something that will hold up with time and age
-for a girl...something girly
-for a boy...something masculine (not a unisex name...no offense if you like those)
-something biblical/faith related and/or something family-related
-if I know of someone with that name, I have a hard time going with it (I told you I'm picky)
-Justin and I are the only ones discussing it...and we aren't even sharing our likes and ideas...even our family won't know the name until we know what the gender is and are set on a name.  We don't want to be persuaded in any way whether they would mean to or not.
-even though I'm not putting pressure on us...I would really like to have a name set in stone for either a boy or girl for when we find out what the gender is
-we would really like to stay away from nicknames (although I know it's almost impossible to do that)...and as we're thinking of names, we are thinking of all possible nicknames that could come from the name.  So if we don't like the nickname...it's not an option for a name

You may be rolling your eyes at me at this point. Ha! Or you may be right with my on your own name-choosing "pickyness".

What we do know...

-the entire name (first and middle) if it's a sweet little girl
-the middle name if it's a boy 

Our dilemmas...

-we cannot decide on a boy name.  oh my! it's not we can't agree...we just can't find one we fall in love with
-our boy middle name starts with a vowel...putting it with the beginning of our last name "G" causes a lot of first names to be out of the picture because we aren't giving our precious little boy a horrendous "word" with their initials
-I would like to plug my ears and I may or may not want to pray that I don't hear of a little girl being named what we are going with.  Once May 16th hits, and if it's a girl, I'll be okay...because I'll already feel like that's "her name"...but before then when the name is still just a possibility...I just don't want to know! ;)

Our favorite resources right now are nameberry and The Complete Book of Baby Names.  Have any baby naming resources to share? Please do!

our road to you (part 3)

Just getting started? Read part 1 and part 2.

I heard about an amazing book, Starting Your Family-Inspiration for Making Babies by Steve and Candace Watters (which was highly recommended to me…and I highly recommend it to any couple desiring God’s plan in starting a family for His glory).   

At this time, I also felt as if God was answering many prayers of my heart.  He was giving Justin the desire to pray for God’s will and timing in starting a family.  Justin was praying and being open to the idea of starting a family sooner than he had thought.  He started to desire being a dad himself (whenever it happened)…and couldn’t wait for it.  At times we thought it might have happened accidentally (although there are no accidents with God), and each time he came to me explaining that he had handed it over to God and was excited for whatever God’s plan was.  These times of course did not result in a baby. We still weren’t at the point of taking the plunge to try.  Obviously, it wasn’t God’s timing yet.  

In reading this book, I started to learn the importance of prayer.  The importance of handing every.single.desire over to God.  Jeremiah 29:11 became more and more prominent in my heart, mind, and prayers.   

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.”   

I battled daily with talking to Justin more about it.  Until one morning on my way to work (February 14, 2010), God reminded me… “Give it to me.  Just give it to me.”  I did.  That morning in my car at a stop sign.  I prayed to God, “Lord take this away.  I don’t want to give it to you.  But you want it.  I need to give it to you.  Lord I’m handing it to you to control.  I’m just here.   Waiting.”  That was a prayer I had battled with tremendously.  I hate losing control. And yes, I’m even naive enough to loathe giving control to my Savior.  However, I did.  And then I waited…

our road to you (part 2)

If you are just getting started...read part 1 here.

For some reason, God wouldn’t let me move on.  My early morning car rides to work started to become an impatient plead to God.  “Lord, please make your will be known.  Align the desires of our hearts.”  I knew God was working in my heart.  It was also at this time, after a lot of issues with my desire for intimacy since starting the pill, and after much research, I went off the pill.  This decision wasn’t at all one we made considering getting pregnant.  We did it as a way to regain the intimacy in our marriage and to help me get back to a point where I felt like I had control over my body.  Both of which the pill had completely taken from us.   

During this time, my cycle was very irregular, and finding out it was a common occurrence when going off the pill, I was so happy that we had made this choice well before we were trying to start to have a family in hopes that those “issues” would be worked out before we took the leap of faith with trying to have a baby.  Once this happened, however, we then both started considering the fact that this was a big jump of faith, because we knew it meant we could possibly become pregnant (even though we were still being cautious).

When the desires didn’t go away after much prayer and reflection…and honestly, just became more prominent and stronger…I knew this was something God-breathed and God-designed growing in my soul.  At this point, I realized it was only a matter of time.  Time.  A word this impatient person isn’t fond of.  Justin and I had many conversations about starting a family.   

At this point (late 2010) we even started a “Before Starting a Family” list.  I thought…okay…if we get it down on paper…make it concrete…once the list is checked off, he’ll be ready.  But then God reminded me that His plan is not about a list we created.  It’s about His perfect timing.  His perfect plan.  The list went out the window.  Amidst this time…friends started having babies.  Friends announced pregnancies.  And my mind continued in the “I want to be a mommy” whirlwind.  Forget my masters…I could complete it after.  Forget being financially stable enough for me to stay home (if that's what we decided on) on paper.  I was ready.  Justin…still was not…

our road to you (part 1-written from my heart)

There was a time within the last year that I found myself yearning to be a mommy.  Looking back, I know this "baby fever" was completely God-designed.  Justin and one of my closest friends (and maybe my mom was picking up on it), were the only ones that knew about this desire that had been laid upon my heart.  Writing is so therapeutic for me and so one day this winter I just started writing the journey that I knew was leading us eventually to our first child...even though we weren't even at a point of starting to try.  I post this this both humbled and amazed by God's attention to our lives and our desires.  I have chosen to share my deep desires and longings that I recorded, because of how God has played out all the details and it's a story that truly shows His faithfulness to our lives.  I have a hard time being vulnerable...but God has taught me that it leads to depending on Him and His plans.  I am sharing to absolutely, in no way, boast or brag about it being easy for us to get pregnant.  Obviously (from the entire story) you will see this was all God's plan...not ours.  His timing...not ours.  Honestly, I am humbled by how God has worked in our lives and literally have been taken to my knees to pray for those that struggle to get pregnant and are still amidst their journey to a baby.  I write this to simply share my story.  We all have one...and I believe...God wants us to share it to display His glory.

I write this with a heavy heart full of anxiousness, impatience, yet hope and gratitude.  God has been working on my heart in an area I didn’t think he would awaken for quite some time.  Little did I know, he awakened it much sooner than I anticipated.  Justin and I got married with the agreement that we both wanted children greatly.  Never in our minds was it something that was just a “maybe”.  We knew God had always called us to be a mom and dad…and thanks be to Him…He called us to it together.  I cherish and adore this calling.  With that being said, we also both discussed it would probably be about five years before we would consider starting to try to have a family.   

We got married…neither of us considering to be really young parents.  We wanted “our time” together.  Honestly, I think it was so far out in “our plan” that it was something we didn’t wholeheartedly think about or even pray about…for God’s timing to reign over ours.  We knew it would be when Justin completed his bachelors degree and when I completed my masters degree.  Plain and simple.  In reflection, that all seemed like perfect timing.  However, God did something in my heart what seemed like the day I hit 24 (2010), that I wasn’t expecting, and Justin would maybe say he was blindsided by as up until this point, he thought we were on the same page.  I did too.

I don’t know if it was biological (probably) or environmental (maybe), but that clock everyone talks about seemed to awaken in me.  I started to become captive of thoughts about being a mom.  (More so than in the past.)  It started to be something I honestly pictured myself doing (in reality) and literally longed for.  What had been a figment of my way-off-in-the-future imagination, turned to be a real-live-wide-awake desire in my heart, soul, and body.  

I am more than grateful to be married to a caring, patient, kind man.  A man that has always held my heart with tender care and taken every word I say to heart….even when we were just friends.  I am so thankful that God blessed me with a husband that I have absolutely no reservations on coming before and sharing my most deep and secretive desires with after sharing them with my Maker.  I approached Justin with the thoughts I was having in many random conversations.  Poor guy…now that I look back on it. He understood my thoughts.  He understood my longings.  He wanted to be a dad still too (whew.)…just not right now.  That last statement is the statement that would cause my yearnings to become a tad bit dreadful at times.  I shrugged that off for a while, realizing, that maybe I was just letting my emotions get the best of me.  It was my clock.  I should ignore it.  That's what the world says.  Get a grip and move on…

secret

We've been keeping a secret.... 

We'll be adding a little pumpkin to our patch this October November!!

Sweet baby is due October 15, 2011 November 5, 2011!!

and we couldn't feel more blessed!

After hearing baby's heartbeat on Friday, we were near exploding.  Close friends and relatives knew...but hearing that amazing heartbeat reassured us it was time to let the secret out!

This verse has already been a prayer of mine...

that this sweet baby would praise God with its precious life.  We are already so humbled and amazed by God's wonderful works.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139: 13-14

 *Revised 5.18.11*

that b word

It's probably no coincidence or accident that my last post and this post are about the same thing...that b word. 

I'll blame the following...

+

(You do the math.)

This little cutie didn't help anything! :) 

Congrats to our good friends, Kevin and Kendra on their precious blessing, Jacey Grace born Friday night.  We met her last night and she's a doll!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11