Aside from Thanksgiving (of course!) , our major development for November was the Ultrasound appointment where we found out the gender of our upcoming bundle of joy! =) I've already blogged the discovery from that appointment (another little boy--if you somehow missed it) since we were stoked to share the news! Already having one of each, I personally did not have any preference. I would have been happy with either gender. I'm just excited to know now so that I can move forward with the nursery and other preparations. And we definitely have!
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| ***Cute Jams*** |
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| ***I'm addicted to buying fun baby things*** |
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| ***Newborn diapers are sooo tiny and cute*** |
I dug out all the baby boy clothes, washed, folded and put them away already. The rest of the nursery is almost done. As it stands now, it is almost completely functional. We just need crib bedding. Since we got a mini-crib for our *mini-nursery*, the crib bedding we had for Justin is too big for this crib. Aside from that, there are just a few decorative type things I want to get to cute-sy it up a bit. I want to find some boy-appropriate wall decals so the walls don't feel so bare. I also want a cover for the changing pad we've got. Another thing on the list I just remembered is to sanitize and clean the old baby toys we've got from when Angie and Justin were babies. Also wash some bottles. Other than these few details, I think we're physically ready for this new little guy! Now if only we could agree on a stinking name.... =P
I'm really excited about this *mini-nursery* idea that we've decided to go with. I was stressing a bit about having to squish 2 kids into one bedroom. Both kids' rooms are decent-sized, but because they're both so spoiled, they just barely fit in their rooms with all their toys as it is! So I was stewing about how to make 3 kids work in a 3 bedroom apartment.
The mini-nursery thought process started as I looked at our large walk-in closet and began brainstorming... but I quickly realized that our full-size crib would not leave room for much more in the way of furniture. So I got online and started researching MINI-cribs. They looked so cute! Most of them look as if you had just taken a full-size crib and shrunk it. In my research, I stumbled upon tips for a small nursery, and then found TONS of other parents who use walk-in closets as nurseries! I was thrilled to discover I wasn't the only one who wanted to shove my baby into a closet. =D LOL! I'm not abusive OR insane! Hooray!! So, we ran with it!
We purchased an armoire/wardrobe thing and moved all of our clothing and other stuff out of our closet and into that. It fit everything and worked PERFECTLY! I then had an empty room to create with.
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***The beginnings of the closet transformation***
(view from outside doorway) |
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***Corner for the crib***
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We moved a dresser we had in there that not only fits all baby's clothing perfectly, but also doubles as a changing table! So, next we got one of those table-top changing pad things. Voila! Dresser and changing table! Then we got a small trash can for random garbage as well as a diaper pail. It's like a diaper genie, but supposedly better. I guess we'll see!
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***Other end of the room with the dresser***
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***Some additions***
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I wasn't really impressed with the diaper genie I had for Angela. It didn't seem to work very well at containing the odor. But, being in an apartment, with the dumpster a good 100 yards away (okay maybe 50), we don't particularly want to hike out there several times a day with hazardous waste. =) And management doesn't look kindly upon leaving said hazardous waste in the hallway. Go figure! So hopefully this *new and improved* diaper pail works well!
Next we put in a small fan for air circulation and white noise, a lamp, a nightlight and the baby monitor. We were finally able to find a gorgeous mini-crib and got it ordered and set up. We then added a super-nifty diaper-supply organizing thing which hangs on the wall right by the changing area.
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***More additions***
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***The crib!!***
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This brings us to our current state. Just have the *finishing touches* to add. I can't wait to see the room in action! =) It was a fabulous idea in my opinion! Everyone gets to keep their own room, and the baby is close to us for late-night partying, but still in his "own room".
A good friend of mine (who is also expecting her third in Feb!) came over and together we sewed our very own baby pouch slings! We picked out our fabric from the craft store and got sewing! It was really easy to do and they look super cute! I'm excited to try it out since I've never done the sling thing. It seems as though it may come in really handy, especially with already having 2 little ones that will need chasing. =)
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| ***The fabrics I chose*** |
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| ***Finished product*** |
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| ***Angie even had a go at the sewing machine*** |
The day we found out the gender of our little bun in the oven, we had friends and family over that night for games, cake and ice cream, and most importantly to unveil the news! I had pre-made 2 cake layers that morning. I then bought white frosting and food coloring. After the appointment we got our kids and went out to a special dinner to celebrate and share the news with them. Justin didn't really get what we were talking about, or perhaps he was too "busy" to care! =) Angela had been hoping and praying for a little sister, so when we told her she got an exasperated look on her face and said, "Aww maaaaaan.... Brothers are TROUBLE!" LOL!! We all got a good laugh out of that. But in all reality she's just as excited as the rest of us about a new little baby. Even if it's going to be another "troublesome" little brother. =)
After dinner we returned home, and Angie helped me mix up some BLUE frosting which we then hid between the 2 cake layers. The rest of the outside of the cake we frosted plain white to hide the blue. After some visiting and game-playing we served everyone dishes of cake and ice cream (which were covered with paper towels). Then once everyone was served, we all pulled off the paper towels at once and chaos erupted. Most everyone was guessing it'd be a girl, so it was a fun surprise! =) Then while everyone was eating we watched the recorded ultrasound. We visited a little longer and then called it a night. It was fun to have everyone together to share such a special announcement, and we wish those that weren't there could have made it. It's always fun to throw parties!
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| ***The mystery cake*** |
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| ***Remains of the cake--notice the blue frosting!*** |
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***Cute profile pic***
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***The Tell-Tale Picture--notice the arrow =) ***
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| ***27 weeks*** |
For Thanksgiving it was relatively quiet and calm. Lots of family, fun, and food! My 3 favorite things! We started by sleeping in (yay!) and then headed over to Mom and Dad Christesen's for our first feast. Yummy dishes that I can remember from years ago, still tasting just as yummy! Then we played some games and relaxed a bit before heading over to Mom and Dad Knobel's for our second feast. We ate some more delicious food, and took turns going around the table saying what we were most Thankful for this past year. We all laughed and enjoyed each others' company. After helping to clean up, us brave (or perhaps INSANE) shoppers gathered around, armed with the Black Friday ads, and discussed our game plan for the next 24 hours. We ended the feasting with some scrumptious pies at Grandma and Grandpa Dean's (Kaleb's grandparents). I was DEFINITELY ready to go home and just pass out in bed. But, did I??? Of course not! ; )
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| ***HAPPY THANKSGIVING!*** |
Every year I go shopping in the cold, dead of night with all of the other *crazies*. And every year I find myself wondering, --WHY???? I stayed up all night and stood outside in lines, cowering in 10 layers of clothing and a large quilt. It was freezing cold and everywhere was a total MADHOUSE! But I got most of the Christmas shopping done and got some pretty good deals. And after a large, warm, yummy breakfast at Village Inn and a nice, long nap, I found myself thinking, "Ok... maybe it wasn't THAT bad..." And I am pretty sure I will torture myself once again next Black Friday. =)
