33 weeks...feeling the weight!

Barry took what I thought would be a very cute picture of Io snuggling up to my belly last night. However, I clearly look like a beached whale! Feeling much like beached whale too. The only time I can say I am really truly comfortable is when I am in the pool, or lying down. I take that back. Even lying down has its challenges. Ahhhh, but the water. I REALLY feel fantastic in the water. Hence, feeling like a beached whale when out of the water.

I did get to work on "the nursery", or that is, the part of our bedroom that will become babified. Organized all the loot from the baby shower 2 weeks ago. I found a reasonably priced organic crib mattress online which I purchased this weekend. Some gals from work are planning a little shower for me Thursday after work. We'll see what comes of that and then its time to pick up the last odds and ends.

Beach Weather and Going Green with Cloth Diapers

It really is awesome to be able to walk to the beach on a day like this!





We have made the decision to go with cloth diapering. I made my initial investment today on the Bum Genius 3.0, an all-in-one ONE SIZE diaper. So you may ask, how can one size fit your baby as she grows? It's adjustable! Very high recommendations for durability and ease of use. I found a website with a package deal and a 5% coupon and saved about $2 per diaper. I am very excited to say we won't be contributing to the tens of thousands disposable diapers entering our landfills on a daily basis. The start-up cost is a little spendy at first, but over the months, we will definitely be saving plenty in diapering costs. There are many benefits to cloth diapering: no trash, better skin, cheaper in the long run. I also have a stash of "G-diapers": a hy-brid diaper that consists of a re-usable cover and a flushable/biodegradable insert. Thought that would be a little easier for traveling, camping, and other lengthy times away from home. Either way, I am not throwing diapers into a landfill! I feel so green.

Thank you everyone!

Io loves his aunties

Barry's incentive to make our own gourmet baby food

Due date buddies! Cathy and Me.

We had a full house this weekend for a baby shower. Beautifully hosted by aunt Tammy in Bothell with the assistance of Cory, Chandra and aunt Shelley. Saturday night we had someone sleeping on every couch and every bed in the house. I didn't take too many pictures, but I will post more when Cory sends me some of hers.

Baby clothes....

Okay, anyone who is thinking of buying us 0-3 month baby clothes, STOP! A friend from work who has a 6 month old baby girl gave me a huge basket full of clothes that her little girl has grown out of (Thank you, Melanie!). I know little baby clothes are SOOOO cute, but please, they grow out of them so fast. The hand-me-down is extremely valued. In other words, if you are thinking of BUYING baby clothes for us right now, take a look at our registries. There are plenty of other useful items there that we would appreciate to get us started with parenthood. Thank you!

30 weeks tomorrow: and a new swimsuit

Swimming diligently 3 times a week has done a number on the original swim suit that was supposed last for the duration of the pregnancy. The old one was lycra which is highly susceptible to chlorine breakdown. This new one is chlorine resistant polyester. I looked for polyester the first time, but it isn't as stretchy as lycra and I couldn't find a good fit. This one has the old-lady pseudoskirt in the front which actually provides a lot more stretch. Plus, I think it simply a little cuter.

Gear and nesting

We received our stroller this week, a gift from Dick and Donna (Thank you!). The carriage part lifts off and the car seat we registered for fits right on the frame. Easily maneuverable and collapsible. Pretty cool.

And the nesting has begun. Spent yesterday afternoon putting the baby's closet together only to discover after the fact that I had the instructions for the wrong size of closet! This meant that the middle section that divides the hanging part from the shelves was 6 inches too short! Home Depot was very cool about it. I brought back the short piece and they cut me the right size from one of the side panels in another box. Great service. The panel was still slightly short by maybe a 1/4 inch, but I was able to use my creativity to fill the gap. It will work just fine.