Another Packer Fan

We brought Madelyn to her very first Packer game today! The Packers played the Redskins, and WOO HOO….the Pack won 17 -14! It was a great game…very close! The weather wasn’t that wonderful, but I always say the yuckier the weather, the better the game. Maybe next year we’ll even get snow! (That’s truly the BEST kind of Packer game, in my humble opinion.)

Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill treated us to the game, and we had so much fun! Aunt Linda has officially lost her voice, but I know she thinks it's worth it! :) Now we're all ready to put on our Packer jammies and relax for the night! Tomorrow we head back to Phoenix...we never look forward to that, but we've already started talking about another trip next summer. :)

Surprise Baby Shower!

We arrived safely in Green Bay Friday night and have been enjoying every minute of our stay (as usual). We made our usual trip to the Packer Pro Shop (Chris has a serious addiction) and this year we added the Packer Tour to the list. We spent some time in the Hall of Fame and then got to tour the stadium! What fun! We really enjoyed getting to run through the same tunnel where all the players run to get to the field each game! We felt like real players..well, almost. :)

Yesterday, my Aunt Mary and Aunt Linda surprised us with a baby shower! They invited my cousins and aunts and uncles (from Dad’s side of the family). I was so surprised when the little kids came running out to say hello! We certainly did not expect any of it, but it was such a treat! Madelyn is spoiled already! I told Chris he really needs to get to work on the baby’s closet…it’s going to be full before she even gets here!

Madelyn Claire

Yes, we have finally chosen a name for our sweet baby girl…Madelyn Claire it is! It was fun going through everyone’s ideas...we have some pretty creative friends! (even Zona who was very persistent with her Little House on the Prairie names…she still refers to her as Nellie) But ultimately, after going through all the books and everyone’s lists, it came down to our original plan for Madelyn. We are excited that we can now officially call her by her name!

Cha-Cha-Cha

Over the past several weeks I have been feeling little movements here and there. They were few and far between and very faint. But now things are starting to become a little more obvious to me! She has some specific times during the day when she likes to make her presence known: 9:30 AM and then again around 3 PM. Of course there are times in between, but these two always seem to be the most active. That is until it’s time for bed! ;) It’s funny because now I am so excited for nighttime because I can lie down and spend some time feeling her move all about. Chris has spent some time lying with his hand on my belly, but hasn’t been able to feel her…….until this morning! We both woke up real early for some reason and I mentioned to him that she was awfully active. He put his hand on my belly and what do you know? He actually felt her move! Of course he says he has a hard time deciphering between her moving and my growling tummy. :) But I think now that he knows what he’s feeling for, he’ll be able to take part in it a little more often!

Potty Break

If you have ever visited my office, you know that in order to use the restroom you have to walk across the parking lot to get there. Now, this used to be a bigger feat because while walking across the parking lot you also had to dodge school buses. Fortunately, the buses are gone, so now it’s just a matter of bolting across the parking lot when in need without falling flat on your face (which I have already managed to accomplish once this trimester). This never goes without at least one comment on how much of a pain it is to get to the bathroom.

Today, however, I learned just how much I love that little bathroom. The workers who are finishing up the fiber near our office hit both the water and sewer lines. Hello! Didn’t someone tell them there’s a pregnant lady in the building!? So I waited. And waited. And waited a little more. But when you’re pregnant, you get to a point where waiting just won’t cut it. So, after an hour and a half of hoping they would get it fixed soon, off to McDonald’s we ran! This made Cindy and I giggle because it took about the same amount of time to get to McDonald’s as it does to get across the parking lot and through the maze to the bathroom! Hopefully it will be fixed by tomorrow!

Thank Goodness for Aunties!

Baby Nielsen has already received boxes of clothes from her Auntie Kristin. (Thank you, Auntie!) Chris and I were so excited to sit and look through all the great little outfits we’ll soon be dressing our baby in. Kristin saved many of the outfits from when Olivia was a baby, all of which are from her favorite store, Gymboree. We were so happy to get all of the cute outfits, mostly because Mommy is a bit style-challenged and Daddy can use all the help he can get when it comes to coordinating the tops and bottoms! Gymboree is perfect for both of us! We now have several crates for each of the ages (03, 3-6, 6-9, etc.)

Not that this is the end-all be-all. Many people have already started shopping, too, since they know what we’re having now. It’s a good thing we’ve decided to make the office the nursery because now she will have a big walk-in closet! :) (Thanks, honey!)

Shopping Time

This weekend, Chris and I decided (since we finally know we’re having a girl) to do a little shopping. I have been spending lots of time browsing through catalogs to find just the right nursery ensemble. Since most of you know I really thought I was having a boy, we had to change the plan just a bit. Not that our little girl wouldn’t enjoy some of the more masculine items we had in mind, but we wanted to make it special, just for her.

So, we headed out to USA Baby. I knew this store was way over-priced, but I thought it would give us a palce to start and eventually compare prices to once we got to Babies R Us and Target. Well, over-priced is understated. Although they had many adorable things to choose from, everything seemed to be priced at $500 or more. And that was just the bedding. Ugh. We did manage to get some good ideas though, and by the time we were on the road to Babies R US we had a better vision of what we might end up with in her room.

Have you been to Babies R Us? If you haven’t and you are like me (easily overwhelmed with too many choices) stay away. From the minute we walked into the store to the second we walked out I was in a state of fear. Now, I’m not sure if this was fear for all of the things staring me in the face that I knew would soon be a part of my daily life, or fear of trying to pick out one style of stroller out of about 25. Fortunately, our goal for the day was to try to find a crib and dresser. We spent a little time browsing the other isles, but soon found ourselves in the furniture section. We must have walked around this section 6 or 7 times before I finally sat down in a glider (of which I must surely buy). Here Chris and I discussed the fact that although our sweetest little angel deserves the very best, it is absolutely outrageous to pay $600 for a crib. We decided since she will only use it for a couple years, it would probably be wise to get something nice, but less expensive. We picked out a style we liked there and left with a flyer.

Once I got home, I decided to check the old standby….eBay! It’s amazing what they have listed. I’m not sure we’ll go that route, but it sure is tempting! I think if we get things organized in the next few weeks we’ll be okay even if something has to be ordered. We don’t want to get anything too quickly because Daddy still needs to do the floors! :) Grandma R is also anxiously waiting to paint the nursery. She apparently LOVES to paint, and by all means we are going to let her! Of course, that will require us to come up with a plan for the room. We are getting closer on that, too….think pink and green (very trendy, but lots of options there).

Everyone is still asking about the name. We are close to deciding, but want to make sure we haven’t left out any ideas. We have enjoyed getting everyone’s comments and ideas about their own personal choices, although some have us a little scared. Perhaps once we have it narrowed down a bit we’ll add another poll and let you have some fun with it. OR…we may just tell you what we’ve decided. :)