Baby Gear

I am a pretty low maintenance kinda mom. We are not getting a crib set, heck we aren't getting a crib. Arabella will be in the adorable pack and play my sister got us, until she out grows it. We have the usually travel system (also from my sister, she is crazy generous) and clothes (a lot, damn girl stuff is cute!). We are planning on using cloth diapers and I REALLY hope to breastfeed.

You would think with kid number four, I would have all this down, but a lot has changed in the 6 years since I had Isaiah! I am thinking we will need a swing and a bouncy seat, but I am wondering about how these will work around 3 rowdy boys and a 1yo lab.

I think the swing will be fine, but I can't fathom putting her on the ground in a bouncy seat. Milo is the sweetest dog, he would never hurt anyone or anything on purpose, but he is huge and still a puppy and doesn't quite know his own size.

So mommas with dogs, is it worth it to get a bouncy seat?

And since I am rusty let me know your baby gear must haves!

High Risk Update and 27th week

I mentioned in the last post how nervous I was about her growth scan. I was pretty much in a full panic attack by the appointment and of course it was mobbed and I had to wait f.o.r.e.v.e.r. But once I was back there it was totally worth it.

Miss Arabella had not only grown, but mostly caught up to where she should be! She is about 2 lbs and we could even see that she has he daddy's lips.

getting bigger
It's amazing to think that I only have 8 or 9 more shots (get them weekly) to go and she can safely be born! My baby shower is this weekend and I am so excited! Pics of course to come on Monday.

Week 26

I have been pretty lazy about keeping a pregnancy journal on here.

People warned me that being pregnant with a girl messes with your face. I was all NOOOO that just an old wives tale.... uh yeah notsomuch.

Things are still going pretty well.

Arabella is getting bigger and stronger all the time. When she kicks now, my belly jiggles like a bowl full of jelly. I look hella jolly.

I am feeling overall good. Still holding with weight loss of 18 lbs. I am tired and get winded from walking to the mail box, which hubby finds hilarious. This pregnancy in mid-thirties thing is nothing like pregnancy in your early 20's!

I go for another growth scan on Monday. I get really nervous about these. That positive NT test I had could also be an indication of placental issues, that can slow growth. She has been measuring on the smaller side with consistent growth, but I am trying not to worry since the boys were not exactly bruisers and hidden all this fluff is actually a tiny person. I am really hoping they let me catch a peek of her in 3d this time!

I still have to pinch myself a lot to know that this is real. That there is a baby inside of me kicking away. It's fantastic.

My Thoughts on the Casey Anthony Debacle

I am local to this story, for three years I have heard almost daily reports. Little Caylee's face will forever be etched in my brain. Just about the same age as my youngest, my heart was crushed when it was announced she was missing, then again later when they found her body.

I judged her mother, unable to understand how someone doesn't report her child missing for 31 days, all the while partying it up and smiling.

I was ready for the trial to start, so this could all be over. I found myself glued to the tv watching pretty much the entire trial. Waiting...for some form of proof from either side of what happened. Maybe a glimpse into the mind of a woman who potentially killed her small child. Morbid, I know, but I think all mothers wonder, HOW THE HELL DOES THAT HAPPEN?

The problem was proof never came. While I couldn't stand listening to her pompous ass of a lawyer, he was poking small holes of reasonable doubt into the state's case and the state's case was weak to start. They had nothing. No cause of death, no DNA, no finger prints, NOTHING to prove how or when she died.

I felt a sense of trepidation when they announced the verdict was ready. As much as the mob mentality in the court of public opinion had seeped into my brain, I couldn't say that the state had shown those jurors enough to convict her. IF she was found guilty, it was not formed from evidence, and that would have been a failure on our systems part. Still, jurors are human and it would be very hard to be in their place and manage to be completely objective.

When three not guilty verdicts were read back to back. I felt conflicted. In my mind the system worked. The state failed to meet the burden of proof. Plain and simple. However, there will be no justice for that little girl now. Her mother, whether she killed her or not, didn't report her missing for a month, and no one will ever know what happened to her.

This is how our systems works. Like it or not. It is meant to protect the innocent and sometimes it means that even if WE think a person is guilty as sin, the courts will not agree.

*Have to edit to add:
NO the jury could not have convicted her of child neglect, abuse, improper disposal of a body, or failure to report a death, because those were NOT charges brought up by the state. The state chose to pursue felony murder/death penalty charges. This is not the jury's fault. They had seven charges to consider, four of which were lying to the police, the other 3 were all murder charges. THAT IS IT.

Adding even more, if these jurors decide to never reveal themselves, that is their right. They blood hungry media and public want the names to be made public so that they can relentlessly attack them and make them the focus of public anger. SUUURE sign me up for jury duty.

A New Look

And no I don't mean my ever expanding belly, boobs, and nose...

I am no longer just a mom to three boys. I am a mom of three boys and soon to be a little girl. No, we weren't trying for a girl, we never were, but I am pretty damn happy about it. Little things that I never thought about keep popping up in my mind; daddy daughter dances, ballet classes, little pony tails, and tutus. I cried like a baby watching Cake Boss of all things, the other day, when he danced with his daughter at her first communion. Of course we aren't Catholic, but you get my point. Do I think Neil would have been a happy complete father without those moments? Of course, but my heart leaps when I think about him getting to have them. Just like I would have been fine getting pedicures alone forever, but now I will have a potential salon buddy.

Annnddd I am rambling. My whole point is my blog is changing. We wont be all the color blue and missing the toilet stories, though they will still be there. I am not sure it will stay as it is right now. But TADA!