I heart Shutterfly!

I have been using Shutterfly to upload, organize, share and print photos for sooo long! I think I was one of their first customers! :) Anyway, Shutterfly is awesome! I use them for all my photos, and now most of my family does too. Over the years I have created over 50 albums and uploaded over 2,000 photos to Shutterfly. Not only does Shutterfly allow you to upload and store your photos for free, they also allow you to share your photos via email or via a private website.

Besides their photo processing (which is quick and reliable), they also have great customer service. I ordered a bunch of photos and two were cut wrong and crinkled. I immediately called Shutterfly, explained my issue, and within less than 5 minutes my account was credited for the two damaged prints! Easy peasy!

I also love Shutterfly’s photo books, which can be found here. The books are easy to make and very high quality! And who doesn’t love their photos compiled into a book! Also, their personalized mugs make a great gift! See them here.

I really love their cards- I have ordered invitations, “we’ve moved” cards, and thanks you cards from them and love their quality. I will be using Shutterfly this year to order holiday cards- especially now that little Ava is here. :) They have so many great options to choose from. Below are some of my favorites:






Oh how will I choose! :)

It's 9:30 am...

on Monday morning and I've already:

- pumped 12 ounces
- showered / make-up / dressed
- made bed
- ate breakfast
- fed baby bottle and apples with oatmeal
- washed / dressed baby for the day
- put baby down for first nap of the day
- did 3 loads of laundry - folded and put away
- ate lunch?? (I'm always starving!)

I'm exhausted!

24 weeks 5 days

Survey Time!
* How far along?: 24 Weeks 5 Days
* Total weight gain: 10 lbs
* How big is baby?: The length of an ear of corn
* Sex: A Girl! Ava Elizabeth
* Maternity clothes?: Yes
* Stretch marks?: No comment
* Sleep?: Pretty good; I wake up sometimes because of leg cramps or back pain.
* Best moment this week? Feeling little Ava move from the outside
* Movement?: Yes!
* Food cravings?: Anything spicey
* Labor signs?: No
* Belly button in or out?: In, should be popping out any day now
* What I miss: Walking fast
* What I'm looking forward to: Starting Ava's nursery!

Nursery Bedding

So, since we are 90% sure there is a little girl growing in my belly, I have started planning out the nursery. For colors, I like green and pink everything for a little girl. I've fallen in love with this bedding from Pottery Barn Kids:

I think it will look perfect against light green walls, natural wood crib and my antique white wicker furniture. What do you think?

It's been a while...

I'm back and 20 weeks pregnant! I can't believe I've made it this far! Time is going by so fast and our baby is getting so big! We went for the Level II ultrasound last week. This is the appointment where they look at all the organs and take a lot of measurements. They also tell you the sex of the baby if he/she is cooperating. Well, our little one wasn't cooperating very well... so we have to go back on the 19th for another ultrasound. It looks like we have a little girl in there, but we will know for certain on the 19th! I'm so excited!! :)

Survey Time!
* How far along?: 20 Weeks 3 Days
* Total weight gain: Probably 10 lbs... I don't own a scale. I will find out on the 20th at my regular OB appointment.
* How big is baby?: 12 ounces as of 1/5/10!
* Sex: We think it's a girl, but will confirm on the 19th!
* Maternity clothes?: Yes... maternity clothes are so ugly. Why do all shirts have to tie in the back, or the front??
* Stretch marks?: No, and let's hope it stays that way!
* Sleep?: Still great!
* Best moment this week? We are going to our first prenatal class on Wednesday night that I'm looking forward to!
* Movement?: No... I don't feel anything.
* Food cravings?: Pancakes with fresh fruit! YUM!
* Labor signs?: No
* Belly button in or out?: In, but becoming stretched to the max!
* What I miss: Having a glass of wine
* What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the bathroom upstairs!

More Decisions...

Today I got the H1N1 vaccine. It was a tough decision. I thought a lot about getting this shot, did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people about it. I finally decided to follow the advice of my doctor and get the shot. So I did...

I'm still looking at cribs. If money were no object I would go with the Bonavita Peyton Lifestyle Crib, 5-drawer dresser and changing table in espresso. This set is not too expensive, but is considerably more than the Graco crib and changing table I was looking at last week. I'm trying to think of the nursery furniture more as an investment, not pieces of furniture to fill an empty room. Our child will have this furniture until s/he is in college, and maybe longer... Not sure which direction we will go in yet... once we know the gender on 1 /5/10 a furniture decision will be made!

Speaking of gender, I have been looking a lot of bedding sets for this crib. If we have a girl, I definitely want a pink nursery. I love the bedding set below with hot pink, chocolate brown and white. I love the scalloped edge on the bed skirt- very classy! If we have a boy, we are going to do a jungle/safari theme. I love the brown and green on the lion set below. That's all for now!

Decisions

There are a lot of decisions to make when preparing for a new baby. As first time parents, we want the best for our little one, but don't have the extra funds to splurge on the best crib or top of the line car seat. I've been doing a lot of research and have finally found a crib- that's well rated and within our budget. It's the Graco Lauren Classic Convertible Crib (in Espresso). It is simple, yet elegant in style. The sides are stationary, which is extremely important! Have you heard about the major recall on Simplicity drop side cribs?? The mattress adjusts to 3 different heights depending on the age of the baby. It also transitions easily to a toddler bed, daybed and full size headboard. The best part is that you don't have to buy a separate conversion kit to change the crib to a toddler bed or daybed. All of the pieces are included. And get this- it's only $159.99! I found it at Target and hope to purchase it soon! I'm so excited! There is also a matching changing table for $79.99!

P.S.- I got the results from the Ultrascreen (the blood work is in) and everything looks fine! Phew!! Such a relief! I feel like I can finally stop worrying and breath!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I have a lot to be thankful for this year! :)