25 Weeks: B is for baby stuff

This has been a busy week on the baby front.  Not much growth however.  For a funny comparison, I'm wearing the same dress in week 21 and look the same (if not smaller) in today's picture. Brett was making me laugh and I think that makes my belly go in a little bit.

As a general update I'm feeling great.  No major complaints and I'm loving the second trimester.  I'm still sleeping through the night without needing to get up to use the bathroom and beside feeling reasonably tired after long days my energy level is good and I haven't had any major aches or pains or swelling.  I count these blessings every night as I'm sure they won't last.

Some of the random milestones of this last week are:

• I personally bought my first item of maternity clothing. My MIL bought me some capri's and shirts a while back but Brett and I found ourselves at the mall Friday night and decided to get me some shorts too.  For the most part I'm still wearing my regular wardrobe but considering I've been wearing shorts almost exclusively since moving to Texas in January I was getting a little bored of my options and was anxious to buy something new.  One funny story from the night was at the maternity store I decided to try on one of the "baby bumps" just for fun.  The one in my room was labeled 7 months and although Brett knew I was putting it on, his reaction when I came out was priceless.  He literally laughed out loud and for a good 30 seconds before containing himself.  Luckily we were the only ones in the store because I can't imagine what others would have thought.  Knowing Brett, I know it was just out of shock (I looked large and very different) and not because he disapproved of any aspect of it.  I sure gave him a hard time for it though.
  
• I bought fabric and started working on a baby quilt.  I'm not quite sure what I've gotten myself into since I've never made a quilt or really sewed anything in general but I'm very excited about it and like how it makes everything feel more real.  It took me forever to decide on fabric because I was so torn about colors.  Initially I imagined a calm and elegant yellow and gray.  However, knowing we'd also be stuck with white walls I decided to go with bright and cheery instead.  The material i ended on is a mixture yellow and teal and pink.
  
• Speaking of pink, I think I have finally come to terms with the color pink and its inevitable role in the next few years of my life due to the baby girl.  I've spent a lot of time looking at and analyzing what I like and dislike and realized that some pink things are actually pretty cute.  I'm still not a huge fan of pink on pink on pink things, but in moderation I'm fully embracing it.
  
• Baby stuff.  For the last few weeks I've been researching baby items online and playing around with a registry on Amazon.  The registry has finally reached a point that it feels pretty complete although I still feel clueless about what I'll actually need in the end.  On Saturday I dragged Brett to Target with me to start a registry there.  Initially I was excited to be able to see the items in person but was soon overwhelmed and decided I like doing it online much better because I can check out endless reviews on each item.  I have a good grasp on most of the larger items (already have a glider, picked out our stroller/car seat travel system and have a general idea for the crib) but the smaller ones cause me so much stress.  So, if any of you mothers out there have any advice (what to buy/not buy) feel free to send it my way!  Oh, and have you noticed how many baby items start with the letter B.  Bumbo, boppy, burp cloths, binkies, bumpers, blankets, bottles, bouncers, bibs, the list goes on and on.  

Wow, I thought if I kept it to bullet points I wouldn't write too much, but oh well.  Things are good here in the Smith home and we are slowing getting ready for our little one.  We are enjoying our time as a family of two and enjoying the freedom of being able to make last minute plans.  For example, a member of our ward is a Principle Ballerina for the Houston Ballet and offered us last minute tickets to a showing of Romeo and Juliet.  She danced as Juliet and did an amazing job.  The set and orchestra were also very well done but at the end of the day I'm just not sure Brett and I are the ballet going type.  It was a fun experience though and we were grateful for the opportunity.