Am I greedy?

I set up another registry for Ella...maybe it's her that's greedy! Check out the link to the left for Abby's Lane. I registered for cloth diapers, diaper covers, and accessories. I also registered for BabyLegs, which are the cutest darned things if you've never seen them. Here's what they look like:

They come in a ton of different patterns, and I registered for quite a few. I actually didn't even finish looking at the patterns because there were so many! Their real purpose is to keep the baby's legs covered when being held or in a stroller (when the gap appears between the pants/skirt and socks). Honestly, I just think they're cute!

Only one house now...

The other house closed, and now we are the proud owners of only one house! :-) We are loving it here, and the setting is just so beautiful. No, there are no pictures. Because we are SOOOO far out, we had to get an air card for the computer to serve as a modem. That pretty much means that our internet connection works like a cell phone (the service is actually through Verizon wireless). Unfortunately, that means that we can only upload/download a limited amount of data each month. I'm not sure how much a few pictures would use up, but I don't really want to chance going over this early in the cycle! I will post another belly picture as soon as we have a clean place to take it, and then I will see where we stand for further uploads right before our cell plan cycles. If we still have plenty of space left, I'll upload pictures of the house!

In Ella news, she is becoming even more active than usual! She used to only move around when I would rest (sitting, lying down, etc.), but now she'll give me a swift kick while I'm walking around trying to get things done. If I lean over a counter that's at belly-height, she'll kick in protest! She still likes to get REALLY active when I lie down at night, so I have to lie down about 30 minutes before I actually want to get to sleep.

I am going for the gestational diabetes screening next week, which I'm not completely thrilled about. I think it's kind of weird that they measure how well your body deals with sugar by asking you to consume something very quickly that is way sweeter than anything you would normally eat. Well, duh! My body probably isn't going to handle it well! I will probably get a headache or feel nauseated. Actually, about 25% of women who take the test "fail" it. Out of those, only a tiny percentage actually has gestational diabetes. If you "fail" the test, you have to return for a 3-hour long test which requires you to fast beforehand. Ugh! No fun! I kind of wanted to opt out of it, but I think Chris really wanted me to take it since I have a bit of a sweet tooth and my sister had GD. I just don't want to fail it!

Wish me luck!

We closed on the house!

Well, it's done! We officially own two houses...but hopefully only for a few days. The new owners close on our current house early next week (I think Monday). I'll post pictures this evening if we go out and visit the new house!

Picture Update!

Well, you would think that I would be nice and tan from a week at the beach, but it's just not the case. I'm still as pale as can be, especially on my large pasty tummy! In other news, it appears that my belly has officially won in the race against my boobs :) I'm about 3 weeks behind in posting pictures, but things have been hectic. That's my excuse.

Week 26 aaaaaaaaaaaaaa Week 23

As you can see, I've done quite a bit of growing in the past three weeks! I am also convinced that she will become a Kung Fu master since she does nothing but kick the crap out of me ALL the time! My belly button is slowly disappearing, and I can feel a little knot on the top edge. I think it's going to pop out eventually, but it might still be a while. It's weird!

I'm incredibly anxious about all the changes that are about to take place. Here's our schedule for the week:

Monday: Walk-through on new house
Tuesday: Close on new house
Wednesday: Carpet cleaning and PODS delivery at new house
Thursday: Dinner with friends (no house stuff!)
Friday: MOVE!

I don't think I could have been teaching summer school at a worse time! I am trying to figure out storage solutions since we won't have an attic or a basement OR a shed, and I'm getting very frustrated! I also want to make sure that the house is very well organized (not to mention upacked) BEFORE Ella is born so that I am not frustrated and looking for hidden things while trying to deal with a crying newborn. Anybody up for helping me unpack and organize? :)

Shopping Bonanza!

Well, Chris has always said that I spend more money in the summer because I'm not working or at school, and he's definitely right! I've gone on a little shopping spree, and I need to stop! :) I bought a set of cloth diapers from bumGenius:

I got 2 of each pink, blue, yellow, and green. I also bought microfiber inserts to make them more absorbent. I also bought cute girly inserts from a WAHM (Work-at-Home-Mom) on eBay, and two more cutesy diapers from WAHMs on eBay. I am also buying some very basic cloth diapers that will require covers to keep them from leaking. I also bought a used Baby Bjorn from a local person off CraigsList. I think that's it for the moment, but there's so much more I want!

I added a registry/wish list section to the left of these entries that I will try to keep up to date. I know that I don't want to be too materialistic with Ella, mostly because I don't want a bunch of stuff junking up the house! I think the whole "15 weeks and 4 days Left" thing is starting to make me anxious, though. I feel like I need to get things ready, but I can't do that right now since we haven't moved. So...instead of cleaning, organizing, painting, and assembling, I'm buying! Please stop me before I exhaust our checking account! :)

Babywearing

I get an extra entry if I post this link here:

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

I'm really looking forward to wearing Ella!

And another extra entry for cloth diapers:

Win a Bum Genius 3.0 Starter Kit from Nature's Child - Wholesome Goods for Mothers and Babies

Adventures in Bead Land

I am so excited because I finished attaching the messages to my beads for a bead swap today. I am a member in a due date club with Mothering.com/discussions, and several (about 40) of us are participating in a bead swap. We each buy 40 of the same kind of beads, write a message/blessing to send along with it, attach it, and mail it to a coordinator. The coordinator sorts the beads so that each person receives 40 different beads from the others and then mails them back out to us. Once we receive our package of beads and messages, we string together a piece of jewelry (necklace, bracelet, etc.) to keep with us during labor. It's supposed to help up focus on positive energy and support us through the birthing process. It's such a neat idea, and I can't wait to make my necklace! I bought beads made of unakite (the state stone of VA) that look like little donuts. They are a lovely green and pink color, and they just make me feel good when I look at them and hold them :-) I looked up the "meaning" of the stone, and it is supposed to help with emotional stability and increase self-awareness. I don't really believe in that stuff, but it's still a nice thought. I'll have to post a picture of my necklace when it's finished!