Bargain Shopping

Baby Girl's Closet

This morning I went to a huuuuuuge Children's & Maternity consignment sale and scored big!  There was early admission for first time parents and military and I'm so glad I got up early and stood outside in the freezing weather and pouring rain--it was well worth it. I beat the crowds and found some great deals.  I had a list of things I wanted to look for first-- a glider for the nursery, something in good condition, even if it meant re-covering the cushions, and an Arm's Reach Co-sleeper.  Amongst this huge sale they only had one glider, can you believe it? And it was fugly.  They did have a couple Co-sleepers but they were way overpriced considering their used condition. I've seen them for $50-60 and these were $80-100, so I passed on those as well.  Next on my list was cloth diapers, a baby bath tub and maternity clothes. Why not baby clothes? Well, my wonderful sister sent us home with a ton of clothes! Our little one's dresser is almost full and her closet is already busting at the seams. I think  she's already pretty much set until six months. I don't want to start buying too many things bigger than that because we don't know how big she'll be for the season (and we don't know how much longer we'll be in the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest. I'll blog more about that later.) The closet picture doesn't include this tote of clothes given to us by a friend last night. Our little one is going to be a fashionista!

More clothes!

My mission.

So, I bypassed the clothes and went straight to baby gear. First thing I found was an adorable pair of Minnie Mouse Rompeez, since I'm a sucker for almost anything Disney. These weren't on my list but they were too cute to pass up. The next item on my list was cloth diapers--I didn't really expect to find too much since most moms either hold on to their diapers for future kids or sell them online to make a bigger profit. I was happily surprised though! I found two like new (read: no stains!) small Knicker Nappies that included microfiber/hemp doubler inserts for $14. Retail price: $48.88. HUGE savings and they're in GREAT condition.  I also found a brand new small and medium Fuzzibunz with inserts for $9! Retail: $19.95 each. Another great score! My goal was to stay under $100 so I didn't want to go too crazy. I did put a few things back after looking up the new price with my Amazon app. Why would I pay $15 for a used breathable bumper when I can get a new one for a few dollars more, you know? I ended up spending $100.01 and came out with.........

Like new Boppy still in the bag, changing table organizer, Covered in Love nursing cover, 2 new Fuzzibunz w/ inserts, 2 like new Knicker Nappies w/ inserts, Minnie Mouse Robeez, Gymboree sunhat new with tags, Motherhood Maternity shirt, 13 Green Mountain DSQ orange edge prefolds, 3 rattles and a bath tub. Total: $100.01
Total estimated savings: $157.45

All I have to say is that this kid better still be a girl when I go for my big ultrasound on Tuesday. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Practicing for the Future

 

18/19 Weeks Bumpdate

18 weeks. Doesn't the airport bathroom make for a lovely back drop? 

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been visiting my sister's family in Ohio for the last week and have not been on the computer much. It's been sunny and in the 80s and I've been trying to soak it up as much as I can since the Pacific Northwest is Doom and Gloom 75% of the year.


How big is baby? The size of a mango or about six inches!
Symptoms: Acne, sore boobs, horrible leg cramps while I sleep. Thanks to Zofran I am no longer nauseous or throwing up! Thank GOD. A lovely symptom of Zofran, unfortunately, is constipation.
Total Weight Loss/Gain: +6
Maternity Clothes: All the time except my pajamas. My bump is really starting to fill out the shirts that were too big a few months ago.
Sleep: I am sleeping much better these days.
Best Moment This Week: The surprise pregnancy massage my wonderful husband surprised me with. Two days prior I was awoken by a horrible charlie horse in my left calf that had me sobbing in pain. I couldn't walk without a limp for a few days so he decided to surprise me. (Thanks to my big sister for suggesting the place! Anyone in the Cincy area needs to check out Becoming Mom.) It was wonderful! It was also awesome to go through the gobs and gobs of adorable girl clothes that my nieces have out grown. Thanks to my sister's generosity I think our little one is set on clothes for the first six months of her life.
Gender: GIRL!!!!
Movement: I am feeling a lot of twinges and last night I swear I felt a little tap on my hand when it was on my belly. Maybe I'm crazy but it was after a big Turtle Sundae so who knows! Mike's jealous he can't feel anything yet. :)
Food Cravings: Kettle corn and last night I had planned to have a veggie burger on the grill but all of the sudden I HAD to have a burned hot dog. It was delicious.
Labor Signs: None.
Belly Button In or Out? Still in but getting more and more shallow every day.
What I miss: Beer.
What I am looking forward to: Our big ultrasound on 4/3. I can't wait to see our baby girl on screen again.
Next Appointment: 4/3 for our big ultrasound.
Weekly Wisdom: Drink lots of water and eat bananas to ward off the leg cramps. They may not always help but they don't hurt either.
Milestones: Feeling our little one move more often! One week closer to V-Day. Hearing her heartbeat on a home doppler my friend loaned to me.

19 Weeks

Cloth Diaper Co-Op

Not sure if any of you are planning to cloth diaper like me but I wanted to let you know about this diaper co-op going on right now. The co-op is for Alva.Baby diapers. I've never used them but I know a lot of moms who swear by them and they're a super economical way to get your diaper stash started. By participating in the co-op you receive discounted product because the co-op host places one bulk order--the more people order, the more we save. Based on my calculations I am saving at least $2/diaper by ordering through the co-op rather than the website directly, which is great because the diapers retail for under $10 to begin with.  The downside is that these dipes come from China, which I'm guessing explains their price.  I thought about it for awhile though, about where the diapers are coming from and the distance they need to travel, and I figure that cloth diapering is more eco-friendly no matter where the diapers are coming from. I can't attest to the quality since I don't have a babe here yet but I'm going to order some newborn sizes to go with my pre-fold stash. If I like them then I will probably order more in the future for once LO gets bigger. Their regular size diapers are one-size (snap or velcro) pocket diapers and will fit your baby from 12 pounds to potty training. Plus, they have some of the cutest patterns! Shopping for fluff is addicting! This co-op ends around the end of March and there is talk of another one in June or July.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SarahsCoop/

PAIF Blogroll

Points to sidebar --------------------------------------->

If you are currently pregnant after struggling with infertility then I suggest you take the time and check out the Pregnant After Infertility Blogroll. Anyone who has struggled can tell you that being pregnant after infertility is not only a dream come true but is also an extremely scary time. It took us so much to get to this point that we're scared to death that it will be taken away in an instant...and sometimes it is. It's easier to talk about our pregnancies and our fears with other women who have been in our situations, women who understand what it's like to walk a mile in our shoes. That's why the PAIF blogroll is such a great idea. You should check it out!

17 Weeks

How big is baby? The size of an onion.
Symptoms: Lots of nausea and vomiting any time I eat anything substatial. Doesn't baby girl know that one can not live on Ramen? I think I am going to ask my midwife for some Zo.fran when I see her this week.
Total weight gain/loss: +3
Maternity clothes? Definitely. My non-maternity shirts ride up now and the bottom of my belly peeks out. 
Sleep: Either I'm sleeping really well or not at all.
Best moment this week: A spurt of energy on Thursday when Zero and I took a nice long walk. I was exhausted when I get home and was feeling quite a bit of movement. I had to tell her that it was time to  take a nap. I also went back to the re-sale shop and bought some adorable girl clothes! It's so much fun to shop for teeny tiny clothes.
Gender: GIRL
Movement: Butterflies and tap, tap, taps. Still pretty inconsistent though.
Food cravings: None.
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In but it looks like it's starting to flatten. Even Mike noticed this week and said to our little girl, "What are you doing in there? You're pushing mom's belly button out!"
What I miss: Having energy and being able to eat real food without getting sick.
What I am looking forward to: Buying more girly stuff and beginning the work on the nursery. We bought a beautiful antique dresser on Friday. Shabby chic antique white with blue hues--from the early 1900s. LOVE!
Next Appointment:  3/14 with my midwife.
Weekly Wisdom: Water, water, water! Sometimes I swear pregnancy feels like one endless hangover.
Milestones: I feel like I really popped this week. I know my belly has been growing steadily but I feel like I woke up and all of the sudden it's there and starting to get in my way. It's a little hard to bend over now and when I sit down my belly rests on the tops of my thighs. I also got asked how far along I was by a stranger so I guess that means I look pregnant and not just chubby! It's strange--I've known for quite awhile now that I'm pregnant and that that would mean we will eventually bring home a baby. Now that we know what we're having and that we're starting to buy clothes, baby gear and things for the nursery, I don't know. It feels more real. It's still so surreal. I can't believe I'm going to be a mommy!

A HUGE congratulations to my dear friend Allie from Project Open Hearts! She welcomed her miracle baby boy into the world on Monday. Arie Jackson is so precious,  isn't he? She is already a breastfeeding rock star and doesn't look one bit exhausted. I hope I'm able to cope with new motherhood half as well as her! Congratulations, Allie!

Wordless Wednesday

16 Weeks and Gender Reveal

 

We are TEAM PINK!

 Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. It was my 28th birthday, I spent the day sewing with my mom (she came out to help us move/clean) making a mei tai carrier and after Mike got off work we went to have our elective gender scan aka my birthday present. The sonographer was super nice and very patient--our little girl was being extremely stubborn. Her butt was against my uterine wall and he just couldn't get a good shot between the legs. When her butt did move up, the cord would be in the way or she'd have her legs crossed--what a modest little girl! FINALLY he got a good peek and it was definitely a girl--hamburger all the way. One look wasn't enough for him though, he wanted to be sure. He had me lay on my right side, then left and then finally walk the hallway to try to get the baby to move again so we could get another peek. Such a sweet and patient man. We got a lot of really great pictures of her and I was crying tears of joy as I laid there in the dark. I've blogged a few times about how I've always dreamed of having a baby girl and now my dream is coming true. My sweetheart of a husband told me last night that he has been wishing for a girl (while secretly pretending to want a boy) because he knew it was my dream. Our entire family is so excited and my mother in law, who has two boys, has already started shopping. This will be the sixth granddaughter for my parents and my nephew, Ben, is still apparently "the chosen one." 

Already a football fan? Doing the Tebow.

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Sweet little baby foot!

16 Weeks

Mei Tai carrier my mom and I made. Fashioned after a Baby.hawk and modeled after my 24 year old bear, Lucy. Hopefully our wee one isn't as fluffy as her and will fit better! =)

How big is baby? The size of an avocado.
Symptoms: Evening nausea, throwing up, terrible break outs, stretch marks on my boobs, insomnia, peeing.a.lot. I've thrown up almost every night my mom has been here. She joked about her cooking being the culprit.
Total weight gain/loss: Not sure. I haven't weighed myself since before the move.
Maternity clothes? A must. I scored two pairs of maternity jeans (Old Navy and Gap) and three Motherhood Maternity shirts at a consignment shop for like $20 bucks.
Sleep: Meh. The insomnia around 0300 is back.
Best moment this week: There were a few. Around Tuesday/Wednesday I realized that I had been feeling something for a few days in a row. It's very hard to describe. It wasn't really bubbles but more like tap, tap, taps and sometimes butterflies. After the third day of this I figured that it's probably the baby. This morning I had a glass of orange juice and immediately started feeling butterflies. That's my baby in there! The other best moment was find out that I have a healthy baby girl growing inside me. A dream come true.
Gender: GIRL
Movement: Butterflies and tap, tap, taps.
Food cravings: None.
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In but it looks like it's starting to flatten.
What I miss: Having energy.
What I am looking forward to: Buying girly stuff!
Next Appointment:  3/14 with my midwife.
Weekly Wisdom: Eat constantly. It will help with the sick feeling.
Milestones: Buying my first ever C cup bra! Finding a great deal on a Chicco stroller, deciding on a car seat, unpacking our new house and referring to the third bedroom as "the baby's room" instead of "the junk room." Finding out we're having a wee baby girl!