It doesn't take long after people find out that you're going to have a baby for experienced toddler-parents to start thinking of things they can get rid of.  So far we've scored many, many things that would have cost us quite a bit of money.  I just don't know if there is an end in sight, however.  We now have a baby swing, about 4 RubberMaid bins full of hand-me-down clothes (mostly in great condition), a bag full of colorful toys, a Baby Bjorn and an Ergo Baby Carrier.  All schools of thought are rushing in over the baby carrier situation, so it is nice to have options. 

We finished painting the baby's room when Mom was up visiting for a weekend.  That was about 2 days straight of work, but it was well worth it.  The colors are based off of a whimsical painting Miguel and I got in Argentina, and I think it is going to be a fun room to hang out in for all of us.  Lucy and Mocha already love sleeping on the blow-up bed in there, so they're right at home - even with all the strange baby smelling stuff.  We've ordered a Glider Chair and Crib that have matching wood colors (espresso brown).  The crib is an IKEA-style piece of furniture from a company called "Million Dollar Baby" that converts from a crib to a twin bed.  Who knows if it will hold up for that long, but the idea seems like a good one.  It's also the "mini" style, so it will fit in our little awkardly laid out room with no problem.  

Living in a 2 bedroom 1-bath house poses its problems, though, especially for guests.  All of a sudden we're going to have only a baby's room and guests will be sleeping in the living room with suitcases of clothes lying around everywhere.  That's going to be interesting.   We've searched and searched for a new house around here, but for some reason they are either not in the right location, not enough space, way too much money, or already pending.  We'd go for ugly with everything else, but can't find that, so we think we'll be here for another couple of years.  Plus, they are rennovating the park nearby and it is possible that thing in our neighborhood will become less sketchy as time goes on.  

For now, we're dragging our feet, but we're putting plans in place to make a built in closet for the baby room.  We're taking weekly baby classes called "The Bradley Method" - which we're not totally following, but is helping to teach us the stages of natural birth and give us techniques for getting through it.  I'm feeling kicking every day, usually after eating and if I'm hungry.  Miguel is doing a good job of catching the baby up on daily events whenever he has a chance to talk to my belly.   Dogs are fairly unsuspecting at this time - although Lucy seems a bit more clingy than normal.  Mocha is enjoying the slower paced Heather- walking rather than running on Tuesday nights.  And, apparently I need more Vitamin D - not enough sunshine for people up here in Bellingham!