The Weekly Photo

Climbing our tree! Tyler was up there teaching Elanor how to climb.

37 Weeks

These last couple months have gone by really fast as we were back and forth in Utah and Oregon (working on the play). Now I am 37 weeks, which means the baby is full term and can come at any time! We are so excited to meet this new little girl. However, I would prefer if she came after Easter as we still have a lot to get done before she comes. 

So, here I am at 37 weeks:

Elanor really wanted to be in the picture!

These pictures were both taken at 37 weeks. I'm pregnant with baby #2 in the one on the left and with Elanor on the right. I think I look pretty similar in size.

I am really grateful that I have really easy pregnancies. I am not too easily tired, have plenty of energy, I don't swell anywhere, and I generally feel good! I had an appointment this past week and I am already dilated 1cm, and today and last night I felt like I had some minor contractions or pressure of some sort. As I said above, I would prefer her to come after Easter, but who knows? I would be excited either way! Elanor was born five days early, so it is possible this baby could be a little early or I could be pregnant for another month! Whatever the case, we will have a baby soon!

The Weekly Photo(s)

Well, we are back in Utah and the play is over. The play went really well and Elanor had so much fun being in the show. She certainly loves being onstage. We had a super busy last couple weeks with dress rehearsals, shows, family and finishing up last minute stuff for the play, which is why I did not blog. So here are two Weekly Photos:

Weekly Photo, which should have been posted on March 16th:

My mom's birthday was on March 11th, and for a nice break from the play we went on a beautiful hike.

Should have been posted this Monday:

Elanor as a squirrel in the play, "Willy Wonka".

I promise there will be more posts up soon, as well as some updates on the pregnancy (I am almost 37 weeks!).

What Does Baby Need?

I have read so many different articles and blogs about what people think are essential for babies to have. Sure there are some important things, but often I find that people are saying things like swings and wipes warmers are essential. Much of what is essential depends on when the baby is born (winter vs. summer baby, etc.), personal choices (cloth diapering, etc.) and what is important to you, and also how much emphasis you put on convenience and ease over necessity and budget.

 I believe that having a baby does not need to be expensive. I do not have a large budget to spend on this baby, nor did I have much at all to spend on Elanor. We did get a lot of help from family (our stroller was bought for us, along with tons of clothes, a start on our cloth diapers, and numerous gift cards). We were very blessed by this and grateful. Elanor did happen to be the first grandchild on both sides, so everyone was pretty excited! 

Here are some items I do think people should have :
{I did not use "need" as a baby really only needs to be fed and loved (also maybe some clothes or blankets)}

A cradle/bassinet/box-- 

something to put your baby in while they are small and still nursing at night. I never felt comfortable co-sleeping and could not sleep soundly if baby was in bed with me, so something for the baby to sleep in while in my room was important for us.

A crib-- 

we got ours at a garage sale for cheap and the mattress at IKEA. Elanor slept in her crib until she was just over 2--climbing out had become an issue. 

Clothes--

Of course your baby needs something to wear. So much of this depends on what time of year your baby is born. Some essentials are: onesies-at least a weeks worth, pants/ leggings-- a couple pair, socks/booties-if a winter baby this is much more important, a nice dress/outfit, a cardigan, a snow suit if a winter baby, a couple hats and 4 or so zip up pajamas. Everything else is just nice to have. It is fun to dress up a baby, but again you don't need it all. Let your family and friends take care of that if possible with baby showers, etc.

Diapers/wipes--

We do cloth, which I really love. You have to initially spend a bit more, but you save so much in the long run. I am going to do cloth wipes as well this time around. Cloth diapering is so much easier than one would think. I love the Green Mountain Diapers website.

A carrier/stroller--

It is really nice to have a way to transport your baby other than carrying. My parents got us a jogging stroller, which I highly recommend as it is versatile and can go on dirt, gravel, etc. I did not have a good carrier with Elanor but I just got an Ergo (for a great price at Kid2Kid, as it was barely used!). I am really excited to try it out. I've been told that having a carrier like an Ergo or some sort of wrap are better than the main steam brands such as Evenflo or Baby Bjorn as those types of carriers can cause damage to the baby's hips. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it often.

A car seat--

Of course if you have a car, you have to have a car seat. I prefer the convertible typed that go from 5lbs to 40lbs. It saves you money and I'm not a fan of the infant car seats as you can't use them that long and they are super heavy and it has always bugged me that some people keep their babies in there all the time.

Swaddle blankets--

My sister is getting me some muslin ones which I'm excited about, they are great for the summer as they are so light. 

Not as Important, but nice to have:

Some sort of bouncer or swing--

It is nice to have somewhere to put your baby when you are showering or cooking.

a bumbo--
I did not have one for Elanor, but my mother-in-law got me one for Christmas and I'm really excited to have it!

breast pump/bottles/formula--
I did not ever use these, but I know for some people these are on the necessary list. If you breast feed, it is nice to have a pump, so you can go out at times when the baby needs to be fed.

Food mill--
This is basically a super inexpensive way to make baby food. You just put your steamed vegetables/fruit in and it mashes up the food as you grind the top.

Quilts/assorted blankets--
These are nice for baby to lay on, sleep with, take outside/out on walks. Plus, who doesn't love a homemade quilt or a cozy knitted blanket?

Baby toys/mobile/books--
I pretty much think books are necessary and we read to Elanor right from the beginning. As for toys, I do not like plastic toys or toys that require batteries. I like wood and fabric toys. We also made a lot of toys, which Elanor actually liked more than the toys people bought her. Also, a mobile with black and white designs really fascinate babies.


I am not sure if this is helpful to anyone, but it was fun for me to think about. Are there any items I left off the list?

The Weekly Photo

Practicing some Oompa Loompa makeup on Elanor.

Trying on her squirrel costume!

The Weekly Photo

Exploring in the forest.

We are in Oregon again and super busy with the play. My mom is a director and I have often done the choreography for her plays (which I love doing). My mom is doing the play Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and of course Elanor really wanted to be in it. Elanor has a variety of parts, a village child, a squirrel in the nut room, and the narrator reads the book to a little girl played by Elanor as well. Elanor has had so much fun being in the play. She loves watching all the bigger kids act and knows almost every song by heart. She is constantly singing and acting out scenes from the play. I am glad she loves it so much! The only drawback is that since we are not moved up to Portland yet, Tyler is still in Utah. We miss him so much! He will drive up here to see the show and then we will all drive back to Utah together. I will then have a baby within the next three weeks after that!

If you are in the Portland, OR area, you should seriously consider coming to the play, especially if you have kids! It will be a really fun show. Here is the poster (drawn by my sister), with all the info:

The Weekly Photo

I know this picture has already been on the blog, but I want this one to be my Weekly Photo. So don't bother looking at this post; I'm just saving this here so I can later put it my Weekly Photo photo album, which I order every year.

Nature is Free

Well sure, National Parks cost money, and sometimes if you live in the city you have to drive out to nature, but really this beautiful natural world is pretty much free to roam. 

We love to go out and hike, explore and observe. There are so many beautiful things to see and you do not need money to see them, just the will to go.

Elanor and I are back in Utah briefly and Tyler had quite a few days off, being President's weekend. On Valentine's Day, it was 60 degrees here (crazy, right?) but we decided to enjoy it and went up to Little Dell Resevoir for a dinner picnic and some exploring.

Silly girl.

A beaver dam.

On Monday, it was a little cooler but we still wanted to do something fun outside. We decided to go to Little Cottonwood Canyon and walk up the stream. We anticipated some snow (though there should have been 5-6 feet), there was a little left over snow, but it did start snowing while we were up there! I love snow. We brought lunch and hot chocolate, which made the experience so pleasant!

We brought snow boots for her, but she would not wear them! Luckily, the snow was so hard that she did not sink through at all.

Slipping and sliding on some icy snow.

We love going on these adventures together and are so excited to add a baby into our family fun. I am getting really excited at this point and can't wait for her to come! Only about  nine weeks to go!

Also, I don't mind sharing name ideas, so here are some of ours (feel free to comment on which ones you like best and why):

Rosalind or Roseline

{we would also probably call her Rose}

Anja 

{pronounced An-ya--it is a Scandinavian name}

Alice

{Elanor really likes Alice}

Olivia

{unfortunately, it is the number two most popular name in the the U.S. right now}

Hermione

{I do love this name, it is a Shakespeare heroine name, as well as very obviously being from Harry Potter}

Thoughts? Any other suggestions? We have had a hard time picking a name this time around! I also don't like naming a baby until I see her, since I think how she looks/feels can determine a lot.