Punkin's Room.....more progress

I have had several requests to post some pictures of Punkin's room, but I have hesitated because it is still a work in progress....
A note about the glider....
One of our proud Craig's List bargains.
Using the Baby Bargains book, Bobby and I narrowed down our glider search to 3 brands. Of course you have to go to the specialty baby boutiques to try out those top brands, so we spent a recent Saturday test driving gliders.

The prices of these gliders at the specialty boutiques, quite frankly, freaked us out a bit. So after deciding what brand and type was our favorite, we went home to see if we could possibly find a better deal online.

Bobby & I were both on our laptops searching for bargains on gliders when I came across a new listing on Craig's List for a Little Castle Glider-Recliner. Little Castle happened to be the exact brand we were looking for....

The listing looked good, and from what we could tell the chair looked clean and taken care of. I emailed the seller to see if the chair was still available, and immediately received a reply back. Apparently she was sitting at home feeding her baby and checking out Facebook.
She told me she had just listed the chair the night before, and it was still available. She told me where she lived, and ironically, her house was only a few minutes from ours. She gave me directions, and we were on our way.
About 30 minutes later we left her house with our Little Castle glider-recliner for half the price of a new one. We felt very proud of our bargain find that day, and we are still extremely happy with that purchase....and our luck that day.

The picture of the crib doesn't really do it justice. It is so much prettier in person.
So where is the cutesy crib bumper you may ask?
Well, the Baby Bargains book taught us something we didn't know about crib bumpers. Once the baby starts turning over and moving around on its own, you have to remove the cute crib bumper and leave it out. It is a SIDS hazard and not recommended for use in cribs with babies....same thing with blankets, quilts, pillows, toys, etc.

So once we read that neither crib bumpers nor quilts were recommended, Bobby wanted me to cancel my plans to get the matching Dr.Seuss bumper and quilt. I admit that even though I understood the safety concerns, I whined about this...because those 2 items are the cutest pieces in the set. Since those are the pieces with all the colors, they are what tie all the colors in the room together.

I asked a friend of mine who has a 6 month old about this. She agreed that it is stupid to waste money on the crib bumper. When her baby girl was about 3-4 months old, the pediatrician told her to lose the bumper. So she recommended we skip the bumper, but get the quilt because it can be decor in the room as well as so many other uses. I reported this conversation back to Bobby and we agreed to do as my friend suggested.
So now you all know the latest info about crib bumpers. :-)

Lastly, the combo dresser-hutch. This is to be used as the changing table for now and a nice dresser with shelves later.

We ordered the baby's room furniture from JCPenney. Upon the recommendation from the Baby Bargains book to order baby furniture as early as possible, we ordered the set in late April. Unlike many of the other baby furniture places, the furniture was set to be delivered in just 1-2 weeks.

JCPenneys sends the furniture from their warehouse to a local delivery company. The delivery company calls when they have the inventory to set up a delivery date. Of course they give you 4 hour window for when they will deliver at your house. Bobby worked from home on May 14 to accept the furniture delivery.

We waited until the following weekend to take the pieces out of the boxes and move them upstairs. Upon inspection we noticed a few scratches on the dresser (changer), and one of the shelves on the hutch was noticeably warped. I called JCPenney customer service about the faults and was immediately given a $100 credit on the scratches on the dresser. She suggested they completely replace the hutch with a new one since they could not just replace the one warped shelf.

Bobby worked from home again on June 24th to wait for the delivery company to exchange the hutch.When they arrived Bobby asked if he could take the new hutch out of the box to check for damage before they took the other one away. They told him they could not wait for him to check it, and if it was damaged he would have to call customer service and start the process from the beginning. They left with the first hutch and Bobby immediately took the replacement out of the box. Major cussing ensued when he saw how scratched and damaged the replacement was. I got home from work shortly after and Bobby instantly informed me that I was going to be pissed. He was right. When I saw how damaged the replacement hutch was I immediately called JCPenney customer service. The agent noted all the information I gave her and told me she would have someone call me back the next day.

I did get a call the next day and was informed that the furniture had been discontinued. DISCONTINUED!!!!! It certainly wasn’t discontinued when I ordered it in late April…just 2 months earlier. In fact we actually steered away from another set of furniture that we liked because there was a “low inventory” warning message.

So the agent that delivered the bad news said she had checked everywhere and there were no hutches available. I told her I wanted to get the original hutch back. (I planned to replace the one good shelf from the replacement shelf with the warped shelf in the original one.) She called the delivery company to see if they still had the hutch in Austin, but unfortunately they had already sent it back to the warehouse in Reno, NV. It is scheduled to be delivered at the warehouse on Monday, and I will be getting a call back then about the condition of that hutch.

When I updated Bobby with all the new information, he informed me that when the delivery company took the original hutch, they did not pack it back in the box. They didn’t even want to take the box with them. They simply loaded it back in the truck as is. So I am guessing that the original hutch is now destroyed from delivery back to the warehouse. Great. I am not sure what we will do at this point. I am just going to wait until I get the call on Monday confirming that the original hutch is too badly damaged to ship back.

Now I completely understand why it is recommended to order the baby furniture as early as possible. I cannot imagine how pissed and stressed this would make me if I was dealing with this closer to the due date or even after the baby is born. So I am glad we are planners and allowed time to deal with this sort of thing. I am not really stressed about this now, just annoyed.

On a different note… I think we are finished with the closet in Punkin’s room, but I forgot to take a picture.

Next on the list:

- new white blinds

- a rug for a "punch of color

- red (black-out) curtains - that my Mom is making

Lastly, I want to recommend the book Baby Bargains to all the new and future Moms-to-be. It has obviously helped us out tremendously, and I truly believe this book has completely saved us from being completely overwhelmed by the many, many choices in baby land. I already have a pregnant friend pouring through the book, highlighting information she wants to go back to.

The writers also have another book called Baby 411. A new mom has already told me I have to have that book on hand once the baby comes. Apparently it serves as the first line of defense for all those new parent questions….before you pick up the phone and call the doctor.

~~~

My search continues for the perfect Diaper Bag......

Still on the search for the perfect diaper bag, I have found another one to add to my list of favorites:

StorkSak Claire

New mothers no longer need to abandon fashion for practicality with the arrival of the new Storksak diaper bags. The Storksak range of trendy diaper bags are celebrity favorites of Liv Tyler, Kate Winslet, Gwyenth Paltrow and Julia Roberts.

Storksak presents a shoulder bag with patent leather trim that converts into a backpack. Made of a toughened water resistant heavy canvas, it features dual thermo-insulated side zip pockets to keep liquids hot or cold for five hours, two front zipped pockets, a large black storage pocket, zip top opening with five internal pockets, detachable key holder, inner detachable make-up bag, padded changing mat and a wipe-clean lining. The Claire bag also features an adjustable strap and stroller clips which attach to stroller handles.

Size: Height 14" x Width 14" x Depth 7"

It has my attention because it looks like a purse, has a top opening (no flap), and can be used 3 ways:

· Shoulder Bag

· Backpack

· Stroller Bag (with specially designed stroller clips)

I have read lots of reviews about the bag and for the most part, people who have used the bag, love it.

Although I am digging this bag right now, I’ve already changed my mind several times, so I’m still not ready to commit. :-)

Here are a few of my other top choices:

Skip Hop - City Chic ~ Fleurville - Lexie Tote ~ Petunia Pickle Bottom - Touring Tote

Let me hear your opinions!!!

~~~

Happy Father-To-Be Day!

My husband got the Ultimate Father's Day Gift this year.....it may never get topped.

He is officially a "Dad-type".....now that he is the proud owner of a LaZBoy recliner. :-)

He is loving his new ultimate comfy LazBoy.

We actually bought 2 rocker/recliners recently. The LaZBoy for the living room downstairs, and a glider recliner for the baby's room upstairs. We decided it would be a good idea to have a rocking chair available both up and downstairs when Punkin arrives.

We already have an agreement that whoever is in the LaZBoy, gets to hold Punkin. ;-)
~~~

Baby Registry...CHECK!

With the help of some awesome girlfriends, I can now mark one big item off of my Baby To-Do List.... REGISTERING!!! With my husband's blessing, the four of us descended upon Babies R Us and Target this past Saturday to get my registry done. I had done some preparation work so the event itself would not be painful in any way, and it worked. With a team effort we were able to get finished at Babies R Us in just 2 hours, and Target in less than 1 hour.
Our only hangup of the day was a ridiculously long lunch at BJ's. They tried to make up for it with a free dessert, and it did help. But the fact that we were in the lunch place longer than we were in BRU, was a bit absurd.
We topped off the day with some much deserved pedicures. I could not have asked for better friends!!! Thanks Ladies!!!


I do have to note that I took one item off the registry that my girls helped me pick out....the baby swing. I know G is gonna be bummed because she fell in love with the little owls....but her time is coming and she can have all the owls she wants. ;-)
After spending all day in baby world, one of my overwhelmed girlfriends sent me some swings she found on Craigs List. So that led me to start checking out what all was available...used.
Swings are one of those items that I keep hearing are hit or miss with babies. They either love them or they hate them. So many people end up selling them for way cheap on Craigs List after only using them a few times.
I found a cute one on Craigs List close to my neighborhood. I emailed back and forth with the seller several times last night and she told me that she already had 2 other people interested in it, but I could go by and look at it this morning (Monday) if I wanted to. Bobby & I decided it was worth the few extra minutes in the morning, so we made arrangements to be at her house at 7am.
Bobby was looking at her emails to find the address and directions to her house, and noticed her last name. He asked if I thought it could be the wife of a bar owner we know (who helped me throw Bobby's 40th B/D Party). I told him I doubted it....

HA! we were in her house this morning waiting for her to bring the swing downstairs and I saw a picture on the wall of her and the guy we know!!! Small World! :-)

ANYWHO.....We got the swing, excellent condition, and it is way cute!!! Even though I was really only looking at gender neutral ones, I really like this pink and brown one. I guess I'm ok getting non-neutral stuff at the right price!!!
I am glad, of all things, this is an item we could save some $$ on and get 2nd hand.
We are LOVING Craigs List for this baby stuff!!!
~~~

Does your dog remind you of.....Yourself?

I recently read an article on PetPlace.com that I found intriguing. It asked the question, "Does your dog remind you of yourself?"
I immediately knew the answer for me was yes, but I had to think about why...
Collectively my husband and I have 4 dogs. But the truth is, I have 2 dogs and he has 2 dogs...and we all live together and make it work like the Brady Bunch.

So my 2 dogs are both Chihuahuas. They have been with me through everything....all the important and not-so-important highs and lows in my adult life. A little history...

FANCY
Fancy is my heart (and the one this blog is named after).
She is 14 years old, and has been the most consistent part of my life for the last 12 years. I picked her up in Midland, TX from a lady who was moving from a house to an apartment that did not allow pets. This lady worked with the mother of a friend of mine, and my friend knew I wanted a small dog that was potty trained, so she connected us.
I remember the day Fancy stole my heart like it was yesterday. After the introductions my friend and I sat down on the lady's sofa. Fancy came into the living room from the hallway and looked around for a minute to see who had come in. The lady called Fancy's name and she went over to the lady then sniffed around at our feet. (Here is the kicker...) Fancy then jumped on my lap and pawed at my hand when my petting her slowed down too much. She stayed on my lap for the duration of our visit. It was like she just knew I was there to take her and love her forever. She had me at Hello.
During the visit the lady told me all about Fancy's 1st two years of life....we all cried.
The lady had been a foster Mom to a little boy from age 2 until age 5 or 6. He was neglected and abused as a baby and toddler, so when she took the boy in, he already had some problems. He first asked her for puppy, which she gave him. But it turned out that when the dog got big, the boy was scared of it. So then he asked for a small dog. This time she made him save up his allowance to pay for the next dog himself. He did so and found a mix Chihuahua puppy in the newspaper. They brought the Chihuahua puppy home and the little boy named her Fancy. I have no idea why he chose that name, but 14 years later it still fits her perfectly.
Soon the foster Mom started realizing that the little boy was abusing Fancy. He would chase her, hit her, swing her by her tail, and more. The foster Mom tried to teach the little boy to respect animals and how they should be treated, but she had a really hard time with this and had to keep a close watch on Fancy whenever the boy was around.
Apparently the boy had several severe episodes that led up to the final straw... One day the boy pulled a knife on the foster Mom and told her he hated her and wanted to kill her. She immediately reported the incident to the case worker and the boy was taken away.
The foster Mom was so upset about losing her foster son that she decided to get rid of everything that reminded her of the boy. That led to her moving to an apartment and giving Fancy to a good home.
The lady told me that Fancy never takes to strangers very well (especially kids) and usually runs and hides after she sees who the visitors are. (Which Fancy still does.) She was completely shocked that Fancy had so easily and quickly taken to my lap and stayed there. She knew I would take excellent care of Fancy and could see the instant connection. I, of course, left her house with a new best friend that day. I wish I had kept her contact information so I could tell her now how Fancy is still with me and has had a nice life.








PENNY
Penny is my soul.
She will be 10 years old this September, and I have had her since the day she was weaned from her Mommy. I decided I needed to get Fancy a "friend". Honestly though, Fancy was totally fine with being my only girl...so it was just my excuse to get another dog. I decided I wanted a blond Chihuahua, so I searched for weeks through the newspapers and finally found a breeder who listed her AKC blond Chihuahua puppies. I called her about the puppies and found out she had decided to only sell one of them, and lived in New Mexico...a few hours from me. We agreed to meet in the middle so I could meet the newborn puppy. It was absolutely love at first sight. There was one sister who almost didn't survive the delivery. The breeder had to revive the sister puppy and there were obvious effects of that trauma. The breeder had grown so attached to her little survivor that she decided not to let her go. So that left the one I had immediately fallen in love with. Since the puppy was from a long line of AKC show dogs, the breeder had already sent in for the puppy's AKC registration.....thus, she wasn't a cheap purchase. I paid my deposit and set up a date we would meet again for me to take the puppy home. The puppy was still very young and not yet weaned from her mother, so I had to wait a few weeks to make her mine.
On the drive home from having my heart stolen that day, I tossed around several puppy names. It was harder than I thought it would be to pick the perfect name. I had dogs all my life, but I never had the opportunity to choose the name....it had to be perfect. PENNY popped in my head and it stuck. It stuck for the next several weeks until I was able to take her home. I tried out the name on her and it just seemed to fit.....still does.
She was the cutest, tiniest puppy and I think that she still is! She has a funny, playful personality and never meets a stranger. She doesn't love children, (I don't think Chihuahuas typically do) but she will tolerate them for a while. She has a few toys that she loves to play fetch with, but she does have a favorite that has been her favorite for her entire life....a squeaky carrot. When she was younger she would wear the things completely out, so I bought all the carrots I could find and kept a stockpile. Penny would visit friends and family we would inadvertently forget the carrot. So she has left a trail of carrots behind her that other dogs have claimed as their own.
As Penny has gotten older I have tried to broaden her horizons and bring out different toys to play with. She learns the names of her favorite toys quickly and is always up for a game of fetch. Some of her favorite toys have been her purse, ducky, puppy, Tigger. But even still to this day, when I bring her carrot out of hiding, she forgets all else and that is the complete focus of all her endless energy.



Before Bobby came over to my apartment for the first time, I told him about the personalities of my 2 girls. I told him that Penny would take to him immediately, and if he threw her toys for her she would be his friend for life. I explained that Fancy was quite the opposite. She would come out of her cozy bed in the dark closet, look around to see who was home, then after she realized there was a stranger in the house she would run back to her bed and stay for the rest of the stranger's visit. That is how it always went, even when I tried to get her to socialize, she would take off back to her bed at her first chance.
So Bobby came over for a visit and Penny did exactly as I said she would, but Fancy surprised me. Fancy came all the way out to see and smell this new person. Bobby pet both the dogs and Fancy stayed near him. Bobby threw Penny's carrot for her and as I suspected, won her over immediately. When Fancy didn't run away, Bobby picked her up, petted her, and put her in his lap.....and she stayed with him the entire visit. I was shocked! I had never seen Fancy do anything like that....other than the day I met her for the first time when she took to me immediately.
I guess that is when I knew that Bobby was the man for me (and my girls).

Sometime later, the girls & I made the big move in with Bobby and his two big dogs. It was a huge adjustment for all of us. As a family we have been through some rough times just trying to get the "pack" figured out over the last few years. We have a system figured out now that seems to work for us. It will be VERY interesting to see how the new addition fits into this already too big pack.

Wow, I got really sidetracked. So back to the original question....."Does your dog remind you of yourself?" To answer this question I had to lay out my dogs attributes....

Fancy is, above all else, loyal. To her I am #1 and that never waivers. She always knows where I am and even if someone else is holding her, she demands to have her eyes on me. She is low-maintenance, sweet, and caring. She knows if I am hurting or upset, the best thing she can do is snuggle up with me and hope it will make me feel better. Fancy is a fighter, and even as a small dog, will stand her ground and not take crap from bigger dogs. She can be independent, but always prefers to be with the one she loves. She has a big heart and it has a direct connection to mine.

Penny is crazy and likes to have fun. She wants to be where the fun is and loves to be the center of attention. She makes friends easily and remembers the ones who really know how to make her happy. She loves to make her friends happy too. She is not a multi-tasker....once she gets focused on something, she gets tunnel vision on that one thing. She can fit in with any "pack" and she quickly realizes her place and accepts it. She is happy with what she has, but is always looking for ways to get more. Her soul is lively and sunny and complements mine perfectly.

So in answer to the question.....YES, ABSOLUTELY YES! Both my dogs remind me of myself in an uncanny way.

~~~

20 Things You Should Never Feed Your Pet

By Dr. Karen Halligan http://www.parade.com/pets/articles/070927-poisonous-food.html

The following list contains 20 common foods that are given to pets — usually with devastating results.

1. No Bones About It
Bones are very dangerous for animals. Every year thousands of animals end up in the emergency room from eating bones, usually given by their owners as treats. The fact is that dogs are omnivores, not carnivores. Most dogs and cats can’t tolerate bones, since they can splinter or lodge in the intestinal tract with disastrous results, usually requiring surgery. Bones can also get stuck in your pet’s mouth or throat, which is just as dangerous. Bones of all kinds are bad, including pork, chicken, and beef. So the next time you feel the urge to give your dog a bone, just make sure it’s a Milk-Bone™ or a Nylabone™. Your pet will love you for it.

2. Chocolate Can Be Lethal
A potential lethal dose of chocolate for a 16-pound animal is only two ounces of baker’s chocolate or 16 ounces of milk chocolate. Chocolate contains theobromine, which causes increased heart rate, central nervous system stimulation, and constriction of arteries in pets. Clinical symptoms range from vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, and excitability to cardiac failure, seizures, and death. A serious reaction can occur as quickly as four to six hours after ingestion.

3. Alcohol Is Toxic to Pets
It doesn’t take much alcohol to intoxicate a pet. Animals will stagger and bump into things, hurting themselves. Alcohol also causes them to urinate uncontrollably. In high doses, it will suppress the central nervous, respiratory, and cardiac systems, and can even lead to death. It’s best to just give your pet water.

4. Milk and Cheese Are Harmful for Adult Animals
Many pets are lactose-intolerant and develop diarrhea when drinking milk. Pets lack the enzyme that’s required to break down milk sugar, and this causes them to develop vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Even though your pets like it and were nursed as infants on their mother’s milk, refrain from giving them milk. Cheese, even in small amounts, is too high in fat and can lead to a life-threatening pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

5. Ham and Other Fatty Meats Are Very Dangerous
Like cheese, ham and other fatty meats are high in fat, which can lead to a life-threatening pancreatitis. In addition to being high in fat, these foods are very salty and can cause serious stomach upset if eaten by your cats or dogs. Furthermore, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may drink too much water and develop a potentially fatal condition called bloat. The stomach fills up with gas and within several hours may twist on itself, causing the animal to die. So avoid giving ham and/or rich/salty meats to your pets.

6. Onions and Garlic Are Poisonous to Pets
Onions and garlic contain toxic ingredients that can damage pets’ red blood cells and cause fatal consequences. Pets may develop vomiting and diarrhea, which may progress to anemia, weakness, and labored breathing. Onions, either raw or cooked, are more dangerous; a cat or dog can be seriously harmed by only a small amount. Garlic is less toxic, as pets need to ingest large amounts to cause illness.

7. Caffeine Is Risky
Refrain from giving your pets coffee, as caffeine is unsafe for them. Like chocolate, it contains methylated xanthine, which stimulates the central nervous and cardiac systems and, within several hours, causes vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, and even death. So make sure your pets stay away from that early morning brew.

8. Avoid Avocados
First, avocados are high in fat and can cause your pet stomach upset, vomiting, and even pancreatitis. Second, the pit, besides being toxic, can get lodged in your pet’s intestinal tract, leading to a severe blockage that may require surgery. Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement, and abnormal fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen.

9. Tuna Is Treacherous
A cat’s heart muscle requires an amino acid called taurine to maintain normal strength and function. Canned tuna fish does not have this amino acid, and cats that eat too much tuna fish will develop heart problems. If you want to give your cats the taste of tuna that they love, just make sure it’s tuna fish for cats, which has the amino acid taurine added.

10. Just Say No to Raisins and Grapes
A recent study found that raisins and grapes can lead to gastrointestinal signs like vomiting and diarrhea to life-threatening kidney failure, which starts in about 24 hours after ingestion. Small dogs can also choke on grapes, so it’s best to make sure that you provide your pets with a well-balanced diet that’s formulated for their life stage.

11. Mad for Macadamia Nuts
These tasty nuts contain an unknown toxin that can seriously affect a pet’s digestive tract, nervous system, and skeletal muscles. Clinical signs include vomiting weakness, depression, diarrhea, panting, difficulty walking, and muscle tremors. Dogs have become violently ill from ingesting as few as six macadamia nuts.

12. Tobacco Is Taboo
Tobacco contains nicotine, which rapidly affects the digestive and nervous systems of pets. This may lead to salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, collapse, coma, and even death.

13. Liver Is Lethal
Eating large amounts of liver can cause vitamin A toxicity, which severely affects muscles and bones. Hypervitaminosis A causes severe changes including constipation, deformed bones, weight loss, anorexia, and neck, joint, or spine stiffness due to excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine.

14. Fat Can Be Fatal
A pet’s consumption of fat trimmings can cause pancreatitis, which leads to vomiting and diarrhea. Pets with pancreatitis are usually lethargic with severe stomach pain, and often become dehydrated. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal.

15. Potato Peels and Green-Looking Potatoes Are Indigestible
Potato peels contain oxalates, which adversely affect pets’ digestive, nervous, and urinary tract systems. Symptoms include lethargy, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures.

16. Yeast Dough Is Hazardous
If ingested, yeast dough will expand in a pet’s stomach or intestines and produce large amounts of gas in the digestive system, causing severe pain and even rupture of the stomach or intestines. Secondly, as the dough ferments it produces alcohol, which can be toxic as well. Symptoms include vomiting, abdominal discomfort, lethargy, or depression.

17. Moldy, Spoiled Food Really Is Rotten
Dogs and cats get food poisoning, like humans, and actually die from eating moldy or spoiled food, which can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, shaking, and seizures. Garbage gut is definitely dangerous, so don’t feed anything you wouldn’t eat to your pets.

18. Rhubarb and Tomato Leaves/Stems Are Hard to Stomach
These plants contain oxalates, which adversely affect multiple systems including the digestive, nervous, and urinary tract systems. Pets will experience vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing, abdominal cramps, weakness, convulsions, muscle twitching, and seizures from ingesting these.

19. Hold the Mushrooms
Mushroom toxicity can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are ingested. These can contain toxins that may affect multiple systems in your pet’s body leading to shock and eventually death. Clinical signs include abdominal pain, seizures, hallucinations, depression, vomiting, and diarrhea.

20. Plums, Peaches, and Pears are Perilous — as well as Apricot Pits and Apple Cores
The pits and cores of these delicious fruits contain cyanogenic glycosides, which, when eaten by cats or dogs, may result in cyanide poisoning. Signs of toxicity include salivation, apprehension, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, dizziness, collapse, coma, seizures, hyperventilation, and shock.

Excerpted from Doc Halligan’s What Every Pet Owner Should Know.
~~~

I've found a new obsession....

OK, maybe it's not a new obsession...but its a new place to focus my fairly new obsession....
It's a Yahoo Group called BabyBags. Yep.....I'm still all about the diaper bags.

And yes, I have researched lots of other baby-related things. In fact, I pretty much have my registry list organized and ready to go register. (Which I am dragging a few of my girlfriends with me to do soon.) However, those things just don't hold my attention like the bags do. There are just so many options out there. I do realize that I won't know exactly what I like/want/need until I start using one all the time; but I can read other Mommy's reviews & rants and get some pretty good ideas. I never knew this whole diaper bag world/cult existed....but it does! The BabyBags group I just joined has been around for 6 years, currently has over 3,000 members, and it looks like their are over 700 new messages every week!

So what is so special about this Yahoo Group you ask?
Well, it's a place for all things Diaper Bags.....buy, sell, trade, review, discuss, ask questions......whatever. Everything, and I mean everything, in this group is all about diaper bags & Mommy bags. I am pretty sure I'll find much better deals in this group than on Craigs List or Ebay, but I can't confirm that for sure until I make my first purchase..... and of course I'll let you know when that happens!

I highly recommend all you new Mommies and Mommies-to-be request membership and check out this little gem. I had a hard time finding it by just searching the Yahoo Groups. I finally found a link directly to the group through a different message board I check periodically.
So I am saving you the time and providing the link here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babybags/

Happy New Obsession to you too!!!!
~~~

Week 22/23 --- 4 months = 17 weeks = 122 days.....and counting.

OMG! Punkin's Due Date is FOUR months from TODAY!!!!!
It is absolutely flying by and 4 months are going to be here before we know it! We we still have lots of preparing to do, but I know we'll be ready.

Bobby finally felt little Punkin move!!!
Sunday morning we were being lazy and stayed in bed longer than we normally do. Punkin was moving around like she usually does when it's time to eat. So I cuddled next to Bobby and put his hand right where I was feeling her move and kick. He immediately felt a big move, then a few small ones, and then a long big one.....maybe she was practicing her gymnastics. ;-)
Honestly, even the "big" ones were pretty small movements, and I am sure there are much bigger ones to come. Regardless, we were both pretty excited that he finally got to feel our baby girl moving around.

We spent some time yesterday figuring out how to organize the closet in the nursery. Last year when we were organizing that room as an office, we installed some Closet Maid shelving. We just got on the Closet Maid website and found some options for kids closets and found one that was close to what we want to do. So we took the information from the site to Lowe's to look at the available shelving options. We have a plan now of what we are going to do, now we just have to do it!
~~~