The Next Nielsen

Short and sweet this week. We went to the doctor this morning but there’s nothing to report other that Steph is gaining weight at a good rate, baby’s heartbeat is strong (140 bpm), and someone’s belly is getting big!

So this past weekend we went to Orlando and registered and we will be ordering the crib and dresser this weekend.  We bought the bedding for the crib and got some really cute clothes from the Carters outlet.

We registered at Pottery Barn Kids, Target, and Babies R Us.  Lots of fun and what a whirl wind of a day.  We actually got to see the furniture in person and it was super nice.  We are excited and look forward to working on setting the nursery up and getting it all put together.

Here we are at Week 21

Because Momma is so cool I found the outfit that Chris was talking about.  Just so you can get an idea.

So here you are week 20 and two belly shots.

Steph’s been feeling Linnea kick for a while– even before we knew she was a she, but I haven’t felt her myself. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying. I have lost track of how much time I’ve spent with my hand on Steph’s belly, only to feel nothing or to come to realize that little bump I felt was my own hand (with a healthy dose of imagination).

But finally, last night, my timing was just right and Linnea let out a kung-fu kick and I finally got to feel her. I haven’t felt her since, but hopefully I will get to feel her more frequently now. Until then, I’m thankful that she saved up her strength and gave me a big high-five.

It’s pretty incredible stuff really. I’ve seen pictures. I’ve seen video. I’ve heard the heartbeat. Nothing compares to touch though. I am looking so forward to the day when I can see her, smell her, kiss her and hold her and now that I’ve reached out and touched her and had her touch me back (whether she knew it or not) I feel one very large, important, and heartfelt step close to that day.

Update:
Tuesday morning now. I felt her again last night and once again this morning so it’s definitely not my imagination and the kicks are definitely strong, as long as your timing is right.

So, I am not all that well versed at this whole baby gear thing. We’ve done a little shopping and seeing as we’re not in a huge hurry yet) we’ve pretty much limited ourselves to clearance racks. We’ve looked around at target and old navy and I must confess we’ve fallen victim to some full price items, but they were still very cheap. I think we’ve pid $10 at most, for a full blown outfit.

So imagine my surprise when we went to Baby Gap for the first time yesterday.  Nice stuff for sure, but my mind was blown when we spotted a very cute t-shirt and jeans combo that we liked so much we were hardly inclined to look at the price tag. We liked them so much that we had that “it doesn’t matter, we’re getting it” mentality. But then we did. Can you believe $34.50 for a pair of newborn jeans??? I don’t spend that on my own jeans. On a good day I would hope to get two pairs for that.