Must-have items?

I plan to update more this weekend but really quickly I wanted to throw this question out to you guys: What baby items would you recommend? What could you not live without? What should I put on my "must-have" list?

I am finally getting into the mode where I'm keeping an eye out for items that we may need. So far we have a crib, a car seat (compliments of Amazon - they give their employees a free car seat), a stroller and a bunch of clothes that I have been collecting when I find really good deals (usually second-hand). My sister-in-law, Britney, sat down with me a few weeks ago and made a list of the things she recommends and it was so helpful. I thought I would get even more feedback from all of you experts out there. Tell me what I can't live without.

It's a...

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are very excited! I didn't mention this before because I didn't want to sway your decisions when voting, but I thought we were having a boy. I even had a dream when I was 7 1/2 weeks, while we were in Utah, the night we told our families. It was a very vivid dream - I saw a baby boy and I knew he was ours. I can still picture his face. [Not that dreams are always accurate. I am thankful for that, as I have had some crazy dreams during this pregnancy...the kind where I wake up and say "WHAT?!?" Every night I dream about random people in my life who are not likely to show up in my dreams, but there they are.] The little guy was very active today. I could feel him moving around before the appointment, which I was hoping was a good sign. I had 1/2 cup of orange juice to get him going, but then I asked the tech if that is a myth or if it really works and she said it doesn't really work but that some babies are just more active and cooperative than others.

You can see that his most recent photo is blurry - that's because he was moving around so much. It's cool how you can see his spine in this one. I also liked how we could see his little heart beating during the ultra sound. We're grateful for this happy news and especially to know that so far he is a healthy baby. What a great day!

Growing

My belly is huge!

You know you're showing when

*You're talking to someone and mention in the conversation that you're pregnant and the person says, "I was wondering but wasn't going to ask."

*You feel the need to bring up in conversation that you are pregnant so people don't think that you're just rapidly gaining weight (does that make me vain?).

*You keep putting away clothes that don't fit and buying new ones.

It is fun to be showing but kind of scary to see a picture of how big I'm getting. (But mostly fun.) I told Wendel the other night that I don't know how my stomach can keep growing. I feel like it's reached its capacity (I know it has a long ways to go). [By the way, does anyone want to go walking with me in the evenings? I don't get home until 5:30 and have little motivation to go out in the cold by myself when I am exhausted and have a million things to do, but if I had someone to go with me it would help. I know that is right in the middle of dinner time for most people, but if there are any takers, I'm all for it.]

Wendel told me the other day that he's ready for the baby to be here. I, for one, am not, but I thought it was cute that he's excited.

My stomach has started itching. I've seen pregnant women scratch their bellies in the past and I've wondered about the itching...well, it's here. My back has started to ache and I'm bummed that I can't lay on my back to relieve it. (Massages from Wendel are my new favorite thing.) I also have felt more little flutters, especially today. Maybe that means the baby is being active and will hopefully continue to be that way for our appointment tomorrow morning? (If you haven't voted on what you think this baby is, cast your vote.) I will check in tomorrow to share the news. Yay! Can't wait to find out!