Cribbage!

Just in time to celebrate your 36th week, your crib finally arrived at Buy Buy Baby! Your Mom couldn't wait to go get it. So, after the class on Saturday, we rounded up Mimi, Nannah and Baba and Baba's pick up truck (Pops was out of town) and headed up to the store to get your crib and mattress!

But, your Mom had to wait a WHOLE day to put the crib together (due to pre-existing plans). But, alas, on Sunday night, after the Super Bowl, your Mom and I got busted out our Allen wrenches and put your crib together.

Expecting this process to be as painful as they show it to be in the movies, I was all ready to pull my hair out, get frustrated at poorly written instructions and spackle over whatever mistakes I made.

But, this crib was surprisingly easy to put together! In fact, here's how to do it in 6 easy steps:

Step 1: Get a giant box and put it in the nursery.

Step 2: Open said giant box and remove contents

Step 3: Scratch your head

Step 4: Attach Mobile.

Step 5: Move Camera to take bad picture!

Step 6: Add your parents and a giraffe to said bad picture

And now you're all set! Your crib is built, the sheets are on the mattress (as is the waterproof pad) and all we need now is... you!

Clearly You're Nuts!

We're officially 33 weeks pregnant as of this weekend, and the time is just flying. To celebrate your 33rd week of development, we really kicked the shopping into high gear. This weekend we went to:

• 2 different Babies 'R' Us Locations
• The same Super Target twice (on two separate days (both for baby related returns/purchases))
• A NEW Buy Buy Baby location

I know, I know. It sounds riveting, and all this baby shopping sounds like it would be enough to castrate the most testosterone-filled manly man. You might even think that a man would have to be nuts to withstand this amount of baby shopping and perusing and returning and coupon clipping. But, despite the hives that I still get in Babies R Us (now proven to be hive-worthy in multiple locations!), it's always a great adventure going baby shopping with your mom. And, after all, you're my baby too! So, heck yeah, you'll find me in Buy Buy Baby or the baby aisle in Target without batting an eyelash. But, seriously, Babies R Us- even though I like your coupons (which I then use at Buy Buy Baby) and your clearance items- your stores are probably very close to what H-E-double hockey sticks might be like. So, no, you don't have to be nuts to go baby shopping- in fact, I kind of like it. Plus, then I can talk about the nipples and breast pump adapters we got and freak out our less baby-ready friends and family.

Speaking of going nuts, though, in week 33-34 of your development, your testicles are making their way down from your abdomen to their final destination: your scrotum. I had mine in my abdomen once; but Six Flags closed that roller coaster down after several complaints.

But seriously, though, I think a Mazel Tov is in order! Not only are your testicles descending faster than the ball in Times Square on New Years Eve (yes, I'm questioning if this simile is appropriate for you to read), but you are also growing very quickly too. From here on out, you will be gaining about a half a pound a week! Compared to the fact that your Mom is gaining 1 pound a week, your growth is no small peanuts!

And, considering that your Mimi and Pops are taking your Mother and Me to Texas de Brazil (all you can eat meat!) tonight, I may gain a half a pound or more too! Clearly the nut doesn't fall too far from the tree!

I've got a feeling & a Stroller Coaster

Baby W, you are now 19 weeks old! We're getting closer and closer to that official half way point!

You keep growing, and so does your Mom's belly! This week you're the size of a Mango!

Seeing as how you're really climbing up the produce food chain, and that you're moving like crazy in your Mom's belly, it's no wonder that she's been feeling you kick and turn and move for just about a full week.

But, what was a wonder to me, was that I felt you move too! We were on the couch watching a movie (oddly enough, a movie about an expectant couple called "Away We Go"). During the movie, I had my hand on your Mother's belly and...POP!...I swear I felt you move below and to the right of her belly button.

Was that you in there?

Holly said that she "wasn't paying attention" to know if what I felt was, indeed, you moving...but I'm pretty convinced that was you! It felt almost like being gently flicked, but very quick and abrupt. Was that your foot? Your hand? Did you hit your head?

No matter what it was, it made my night! No, it made my whole week! Maybe you could hit your head against her belly again tonight?

Speaking of moving, you'll be happy to know that your Mother and have moved forward in a particularly difficult arena: registering.

As you'll recall, we were both incredibly overwhelmed by Babies R Us and hightailed it out of there with our tails between our legs. I was happy with never going back to that store again, and figured you'd do just fine in hand-me-downs and old cardboard boxes taped together to create a crib. Little did I know, though, that your Mom found her comfort zone for registering and basically went through every category of everything you'll ever need by registering online. It was way easier!

But, when I got filled back in on the loop, there were still two items that were vexing your mother: your crib and your stroller. So, I figured we should take it up a notch. Biting the bullet, we headed to another baby superstore: Buy Buy Baby.

They even let me park right up front!

This store was A LOT better: each employee is an expert on baby things, and the store is laid out to not induce hyperventilation and vertigo. So that's a plus. On our first trip there, we learned a heck of a lot and saw about 15 million strollers and cribs.

Stroller Over-Load! We felt like this couple, except that I still have my lucious head of hair! (as of this writing)

We definitely still felt overwhelmed...but not as badly as before. I guess going to these baby stores and registering is like being bludgened: the more you experience it, the less pain you feel! But we ironed out a lot of ideas and brainstormed and discussed and talked and thought and thought some more and sought advice and turned inward and...we made a decision on both fronts!

So yesterday, we decided that we needed to go back to Buy Buy Baby to see if our idea would even work! In order to make ourselves feel better about being bright-eyed and deer-in-the-headlights at these baby stores, we decided to bring some folks who would make us feel like old pros: enter the Nodelands! So, with BJ and Kari in tow, and confidence artifically heightened, we went back to Buy Buy Baby to register for more amazing junk for you and test our stroller idea.

Registering can stink. Is that a fake burger patty in your hands or are we in a PetSmart?

After a hands-on demonstration from three different associates, encountering an even-more bewildered couple than us, and test driving (and test lifting) about 10 carrier and stroller combinations, you might have thought we'd high-tailed it out of there again. But no! Consider your stroller and infant carrier registered-for! You're gonna be so comfortable (and safe (and stylish))).

I've got a good feeling about this!

Your new ride! We don't look too scared, do we? Plus, check out your Mom's 19 week bump!