First Bump Photo

Well, here I am...in all of my early second trimester glory...17 weeks pregnant today:

I am rocking the glasses 24/7 now because my eyeballs are rejecting my contact lenses. My doc says it's normal since all of the increased fluid in a pregnant woman's body can also affect her eyes while she's pregnant but after the baby comes it goes back to where it was. I am still wearing some pre-pregnancy clothes (the capris in the photo above are not maternity pants) but each week I seem to be transitioning more and more into maternity wear.

Good thing I got some great deals on gently used maternity wear from eBay and last weekend at the Just Between Friends event. I picked up two pairs of jeans. a pair of black slacks for work and 3 work tops for $65! Once the weather cools off a bit I will definitely be sporting it all.

JBF was very cool...I got in early as a first-time mom and took my mom with me. The first hour I swore off all things "girlie" but by the end I broke down and did get some newborn and 0-3 outfits that are all girl. The prices were so good (many items were lots of 2-3 things for $4-$5) I figured if, by chance, it turns out that we're not having a girl (we should know for sure on 09.11.09) that I could always resell them at the next JBF event. I got the cutest little boots that look like pale pink Ugg Boots. What else?

A red snowsuit from the Gap (can be used for a girl or a boy and a must-have for our chilly February and March weather here); a Boppy Pillow; a My Brest Friend Pillow; a bunch of sheets and swaddlers; a Lionheart Wipes Warmer (still in the box); baby bath towels; lap pads (waterproof); five sleepers; and about eight one-piece daytime outfits. All for about $150! So I am set when it comes to the baby's newborn layette. No clothing needed until 3-6 months and beyond!

I also updated my Amazon registry...finally deciding upon a crib and matress. We're going with BabyMod Cadence 4-in-1 crib in Honey Oak and Colgate Classica I Foam Crib Mattress in White. Both are rated well for safety and fit our budget. Now the question is...do we order them soon? I chose Honey Oak for the crib since it matches some other furniture we already own that we're re-purposing for the nursery. What's super cool about the Amazon Registry is this Universal Wish Registry application that allows you to add any item, from any retail web site to you registry at Amazon! Too cool!

While researching baby gear, it also dawned on me that I would like a collection of books for our children that include our favorites but that also include some stories with characters/families that look like us (interracial). Sadly, there's not a ton out there! But I did find this:

Black, White, Just Right! by Marguerite W. Davol

I added it to our registry, along with some other books that I like. I want our kids to love books and reading and we plan to ready to them every night as part of their bedtime routine. We'll utilize the library too, but I would like a small collection of books that we own at home.