Registering for Your Baby

We registered for just our bedding at JCPenney and everything else at Babies R Us. We got most of our necessities.

I didn't register for any clothes, blankets or bibs- You will get so many. I didn't register for bottles b/c sometimes babies have preferences, but we've used the Evenflo Purely Comfi and never had any problems. (David washes bottles and if cost were no object i think we'd use playtex drop-ins so there wasn't so much washing going on) I registered for one set of towels and wash clothes and got plenty others. If you don't get enough of these you should get some gift cards. I will say that his most used blankets are one that are MY favorites and i got them on sale usually.
Water-proof crib mattress pad.
Lap pads(We change him on these, we don't have a changing table)
Gerber Cloth Diapers (for burp cloths)
Extra sheets for crib and/or pack n play
Graco iMonitor Vibe- LOVE IT
Fisher Price Bouncer- Love it, He sits in it while i shower and plays with the toys and coos.
Boppy floor mat- he is beginning to really like this.
Gas drops- we've used these since he was 1 week old. They do make a difference.

I got our second carseat base from craigslist and our travel swing for a consignment store.
If there are things you don't receive like that, in my experience 2nd hand has been just fine! We've also found that Target brands are = to anything else, so when we're out of the stuff people bought us we'll get target soaps and lotions. We're already strictly using Target formula. And target makes baby tylenol too.

Oh, and put diapers on your registry so people know what you'll be using. I only got one package of diapers pre-Lincoln. I did start buying diapers early tho and that has helped alot. And i watch for diaper/wipe sales and coupons. Diaper coupons usually come out the 1st Sunday of the month. If you do pre-buy diapers, only get a couple Newborns, 4-5 of each size going up- they grow fast! The big boxes are a good buy, especially if you have a coupon (BRU has $5 off this week). Oh and you can get huge boxes of wipes at BJs/Sams club and they're a good buy too. We go through a package of diapers & refill of wipes per week.

Oh, babies get baby acne- i've been able to keep lincoln from getting it by putting vasaline lip stuff on it. keeping milk from sitting of his face makes a difference too.

Mama Survey

1. WAS YOUR FIRST EVER PREGNANCY PLANNED? Kinda, when faced w/ chemo and the possibility of never having a child we tried and got pregnant on the first try! holy crap! (side note, cancer is gone!)

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes, for like 9 months.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? overwhelmed, excited, happy!

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? took a pregnancy test after a missed period

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? David (the hubby), my mom and david's family, work, Michelle, Nats & Em

7. HOW DID YOU TELL PEOPLE? well I usually communicate by speaking. in person or over the phone

8.DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? we thought that there were enough unknowns last year. no surprises

9. DUE DATE? December 1, 2008

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes! Until almost 16 weeks and I lost 15 lbs!

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? slurpees, grape juice, Life cereal, fruit, Subway sandwiches,

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? waiting, worrying about David's stuff and our money...

13. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD'S SEX? He's a boy!

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? We have 5 nephews and thought it might be cool to have a girl; but couldn't be happier w/ our boy!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 11

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes.. one in Massachusetts and one here in Virginia! Both were amazing! Our family and friends were incredible generous!

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The MA one was supposed to be a suprise, but was blow as soon as we arrived in MA. I knew about the VA one, but Nancy kept alot of specifics a surprise

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? low weight gain for me, but that never affected the baby

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Virginia Beach General Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 25 Hours

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? David

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? David

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? C-Section

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? The epidural was the best thing ever, but I never could move my lower half after I got it! I really appreciated the pain meds.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lbs 9oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? Novemeber 26, 2008 at 9:40p.m. Next year his bday will be one Thanksgiving!

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Lincoln Oliver Lucier 31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 11 weeks today

25 Random Things About Me

25 Things: Random? I dunno.
1. I believe in God and rely on His presence in the craziness of my life. I seek comfort in knowing that he is our ABBA Father and knows every step and breath we take.

2. I used to be an exaggerator. I find no use in wasting my time with that anymore. It’s either a big deal or its not. And people will either care, or they won’t.

3. I think 2007 was the last year that will ever be all about me. I married the love of my life and rode the Griffin (a roller coaster) 8 times (6 in one day)!

4. I think 2008 was the year I grew up, became an adult and decided that the responsibility for what I do and what happens to me lies only with me.

5. I hope that 2009 is a year when I can focus on my life with my son and husband and we can really enjoy each other and our friends and families.

6. I hope that the recession doesn’t dismantle my hopes for 2009.

7. I hate confrontation, but have decided that nothing is worth me taking a back seat to someone else’s happiness. I deserve to be happy too.

8. I never had goals that amounted to being anymore than someone’s mom.

9. I found out why I was born on 11-26-2008. I was always meant to be Lincoln’s mom!

10. I spent my 6 weeks of maternity leave holding my baby and watching One Tree Hill and West Wing re-runs. I told Lincoln I was lowering his IQ with OTH and upping it with WW. I love to sit at home and be a complete bum. I no longer care if anything is clean or complete- I just refuse to waste a moment with my son

11. I hardly make a decision or say anything without David’s input- What we do affects one another.

12. I can word-for-word repeat the dialog for Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing and The Notebook. I am proud of this! What movie will be next?

13. I love to sing, but only for me, David and Lincoln now. I am hoping Lincoln likes John Mayer.

14. Last year on the John Mayer cruise I saw John Mayer in the “Borat thong”. Not something I hope to see again. I prefer John fully clothed and singing/playing guitar. (Embarrassment= deleting pictures you wish you’d never taken!)

15. I LOVE my 2004 Corolla and the only reason I will ever change is to get the 09 with volume controls in the steering wheel.

16. I love to drive long distances, including Tennessee and Massachusetts.

17. I like to listen to my music way too loud when driving long distance. This led to 3 speeding tickets in 2002 and 2003. Ooops!

18. I thought Lincoln might’ve been a girl, only because we have 5 nephews and everyone convinced me. There was no mistaking my son at our ultrasound- it was like he was sitting on a copy machine.

19. I have taken well over 1000 pictures of Lincoln in the 10 weeks he been alive but, I have yet to have any pro-pics done. 20. I have read the Harry Potter series 3 times. But didn’t see a movie in the theatre until The Prisoner of Azkaban. Now I always count down until they come out.

21. I have a blankie. It was retired in April of 2007. Until then I took it to summer camp, vacations, even a semester of college. My mom was convinced I’d walk down the aisle with it. I have since gotten it out- it’s not that same. Now I cuddle my son.

22. I sucked my thumb- I don’t remember when I stopped but it wasn’t until probably middle school. I never need braces because of it.

23. I am a Navy brat but have only lived in 6 states. 7 if you include Tennessee for a semester.

24. I loved my visit to Seattle last year and am hoping to get back this year. Go Seahawks!

25. CANCER SUCKS but never would anything have made it clearer to me that nothing is more important than making David (and now Lincoln) the #1 priorities in my life and thanking God for them every single day. David is the strongest person I have ever met and we are committed to kicking cancer’s butt if it ever decided to mess with us again. Lincoln is a lucky little boy to have a daddy who fought to get better to be there for him. I am blessed to have them both!