God gave us a son!

At 20 weeks, we went in yesterday for my sonogram. We're having a boy! A son! Can I just say that the sonogram experience is amazing. The technician spent about 20 or so minutes showing us different angles and views of our precious baby. With the 3D imaging, we saw his cute face and all the features: eyelids, nose, ears, mouth. We watched as his hands moved to cover his face, and he even rolled over (which we, of course, thought was pretty cool!) We saw his little feet, long legs, tiny fingers, spine, stomach, and four chambers of the heart. I couldn't help but cry. I was stunned and in awe. How could a creation that is only 1 lb., 1 oz. have such beautiful features? How can such a tiny thing have a perfectly functioning heart?

I am in love with a human being I have never met.

God gave Jase and I a healthy, growing, beautiful baby boy! And as I was typing the title of this post, I couldn't help but be reminded that God gave all of us His son. Jesus was a tiny 1 lb. baby inside Mary. He was born in a gross barn, grew up in a good Jewish family, and eventually taught and did miracles among all kinds of people. Many of those people were utterly amazed. A short time later, he was willingly executed. But God's power is way too strong for death, and when Jesus came back to life 3 days later, people were amazed. And confused. And his saving grace has been alive ever since.

I just thank God for this son of mine, but more than that, for His son Jesus, and the fact that He still amazes and saves.

Cheap Finds vs. Safety

While we were running errands yesterday, Jase and I went and checked out Once Upon a Child. I heard they have really great prices on gently used baby stuff, and that was true. There were lots of strollers to choose from with prices ranging somewhere between $30-$125. Most of the strollers were in the middle of that range. Bouncy seats and swinging thingies galore (whatever they're called.) They had a few cribs and bassinets, but the main thing was clothes. Baby and children's clothes of all kinds!
We were thinking about buying a white crib that we saw. I could paint it if I wanted, and it seemed sturdy enough. It was only $80, too! But, two things stopped me. I wanted to measure it against the U.S. safety standards for cribs, which I did not have with me. And I just wasn't confident in my crib-shopping abilities. I felt like there are things I should know about buying a safe, sturdy crib that I am just clueless about. Then I thought, maybe I'm thinking about it too much. It's just a crib, right?

Well, I'm glad we didn't buy it. I did some research and found the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's safety standards for cribs, which I printed out. I also found that the standards are being updated and will take effect in the summer of 2011. The changes include banning the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs, as well as mandating better mattress support, sturdier hardware, and better quality wood for crib construction. The purpose is to reduce the chances of the child getting stuck in or falling out of the crib.

Glad I checked.

Nursery Dreams

So, I am 17 weeks along and feeling well, thanks. All I can think about lately is finding out whether our baby is a boy or girl, which I should be able to do in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I have been thinking about what I'd like the nursery to look like. I'm really anxious to get started on that, but I have been putting it off until we know the sex of the baby.

Now... as with any new chapter in life, there are many things to learn. And one of the most surprising things I am learning is how elaaaaaborate some parents make their nurseries. I googled nurseries to look at photos and get some inspiration, and (this is just my opinion) there are some ridiculous designs out there! Does the baby really know he or she is sleeping in a room with a diamond chandelier, a disco ball, and plush chenille pillows? Maybe the disco ball stimulates the functioning of the child's brain cells or something. Must've been a study on child development I didn't get around to reading... ;) And a life-size princess carriage bed? Really?

Here are a few interesting nurseries that I found.

I think we'll go a little more simple.

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope it's at least informative, and hopefully interesting and entertaining. I created this blog for two reasons. One: to facilitate the sharing of information with friends and family, and two: to keep sort of a record of the thoughts and experiences of pregnancy.

So, I hope you enjoy. Let me know if you have questions or if there's something I need to add or change. I'll try to keep up with this blog often, but you know how life goes. :)

Love,

Marissa