Saying "thank you"!!!

Feeling a little unloved right now... only my mom commented on my previous post?  I really want to know your opinions and your own experiences...
 
My plans for today include hitting up Babies 'R Us, Target, Jo Ann Fabrics, and Borders all in attempt to sort out many of the millions of questions racing through my mind and to try and nail down some of the things we need and want.  I don't think I'm quite ready to start my registry... today is kind of a "research" day.  I think the "nesting" instinct is beginning to kick in though... it started with my freak out last weekend that lead to the deep cleaning of my dining room.  I know it seems unrelated, but basically the room that will be Floodling's is a storage room right now, so we were wondering where we were going to put all the stuff, especially considering our dining room was overflowing with more junk that we had no idea where to store!  So I cleaned the dining room, Jason brought down the futon from his game room and replaced it with the bed from the guest room (to be Floodling's room), and now we more or less have an empty room ready for baby!  Phew....

Actually, the baby room is definitely not empty.  It is already starting to fill up with baby stuff thanks to wonderful in-laws!  (I dislike using the word "in-laws" though... it seems too impersonal, but I don't really have a better term).  Jason's sister Andrea had a baby boy (Noah!) last June so she sent some awesome bags of clothes!  I had a great time sorting through what was there!  It's actually quite perfect considering Floodling *should* be needing the same sizes of clothes during the same seasons!  Also, Jason's dad and step-mom Donna hit up a consignment sale and bought us a TON of goodies, including some more adorable clothing, a Leap Frog bouncy seat, a little "tent" to take him outdoors, a bath seat, and a Diaper Genie (woo hoo!) WITH refills!!  I believe there was more that I am just not remembering off the top of my head.  They also bought some cute little shirts and sweatshirts at Kohl's yesterday, and I LOVE this little brown fleece sweater that says "Hot Dog" and has a little weiner dog on it.  Too cute!  We are so appreciative of all the wonderful things we've already gotten from people!!  It has been daunting realizing how expensive things might get.

We also have two friends who have a number of the "big ticket" items left over from having their baby girl 3 years ago.  It's all in GREAT condition, and a very neutral theme (animals).  They've offered to let us use whatever we need (play pen, high chair, stroller, infant car seat), which is awesome!  Our debate right now though is if we'd rather have our own things since we're planning on having more than one in the future...  but it's nice to have a back up for now knowing that all of this adds up FAST!

I have a new "fruit" picture again!  He is an eggplant this week!  I read that baby is about 13.5 inches long right now, so I got out my ruler at school (only 12 inches of course) and am shocked!  How can that be inside my belly?  Of course I know that Floodling is curled up, it's not like I have a 13.5 inch stick in my belly, but still... it's really starting to dawn on me just how big I'm going to get!

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.