I cannot decide!

I have been trying to figure out what temporary sleeping device I should purchase for when Bianca is born. I have 3 options.

A Bassinet like this one:


It has storage underneath and the bassinet comes off so I can carry it to any room in the house, convenient for having the baby sleep downstairs in particular. And once it is downstairs it will be on the floor where the girls will probably disturb her. But it doesn't have much use after she is sleeping in her crib.

A Mini Pack and Play like this one:


It is small enough to move through the doorways so I could pull it to other rooms but getting it downstairs would be more complicated. However, it can then be used to keep her safe once she is able to sit up - but I never really did that with the other two girls. And its good if we travel later on. She can still sleep in it once she is older. Added benefit to this one is that it matches our bedroom exactly. haha.

Or this Rock n' Play Sleeper:

It folds up so I can easily get it downstairs and it is taller than just a bouncer so I can reach her from the bed. But she would have to be strapped in and that is more complicated since I will probably be swaddling her. Oh, it also rocks! That could be useful. Once again it does not have much use once she is in her crib.

I will have a bouncer that will be used downstairs mostly and she could sleep in that occasionally for naps etc. That is what I did mostly with Gwen anyway - had the bouncer in the living room and a pack and play in my bedroom for night time.

Slight side note: My doctor wrote in the date August 16th to induce me so as long as I am dialated by that date I will be having her on the 16th.

Our Dinner Tonight

I think this is pretty good. I kept thinking there was not going to be any flavor to this dish because its basically chicken broth with cream cheese but it was actually quite flavorful. And I like that you can make it a veggie-ful as you like! Ours was probably half veggies.


Creamy One Pot Pasta

Ingredients:
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 jar of sun dried tomatoes*
3 cans (5 and 1/4 cups) chicken broth
1 lb. uncooked pasta (I used bow tie)*
1 head broccoli (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
grated parmesan

Directions:
Cook garlic in 1 tbsp. oil in stockpot for a couple minutes. Add broth, cover, and bring to boil. Stir in pasta, cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, chop broccoli and carrots and slice tomatoes. Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add veggies, cheese, salt and pepper to pot. and stir until cream cheese is melted (do not drain pasta). Reduce heat, cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Brian's Birthday Party

We had Brian's birthday party on Saturday. I did not take any pictures - how strange of me! A bunch of people came so it was a nice turn out and Brian was particularly happy! Our main activity for the party was food. Here was our menu:

Shredded BBQ Beef
Chicken Salad
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Green Salad
And a nice Fruit Salad

I really liked the chicken salad but I think the BBQ Beef was the biggest hit so here is the recipe.

Barbecued beef sandwiches, cooked in the slow cooker.
Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 lbs lean chuck roast or bottom round
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup wine vinegar
2 tablespoons spicy mustard or Dijon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Preparation:

Place beef roast in crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Remove roast, shred meat. Place shredded meat back in crockpot; stir to coat well. Spoon barbecued beef onto toasted sandwich buns and serve with extra sauce, if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.

The girls had quite a few friends there so they were super happy and occupied the whole time. And when they were tired of playing with the kids they had plenty of people to help them play the Wii. The Wii was Brian's birthday/graduation present from my mom! The girls are finally figuring out how to do most of the games on their own. Apparently Gwen is really good at golf which makes sense beacuse she is spinning all of the time.

I think her name is...

We have pretty much decided that the new baby's name is going to be Bianca. Every other name we come up with just won't work for some reason or another. So we are going to start calling her that, but its not set in stone yet since she hasn't been born obviously. Brian says he is already calling her Bianca in his head anyway. I sort of am. We are slowly working on a middle name.

Some of our options for a middle are:
Grace
Eve
Lily
Jane
Hannah
Miriam
Hope
Sophia

Since we had the chance to look at the baby in 3D I have been obsessed with the idea of getting another 3D ultrasound to see more. Its a crazy unnecessary idea but its in my head.

I have started my nesting stage. We are going through every inch of everything and getting together big bags of DI stuff. I'm also very excited for everything we are doing in the girls' rooms. I really need to find my camera hook up so I can post pictures again. Soon!

Another decision made!

So I have been racking my brain trying to figure out if I should squeeze all 3 girls into one room or split them up. I decided that I am going to put Naomi in her own room. So I am all set for everything for the little girls, their room will pretty much stay the same as it is now. Then Naomi is going to move into the toy room. There is an added benefit to this when people come to visit. Naomi can give up her room and whoever is staying gets a real bed to sleep in. Too bad that bed is going to be bright pink! haha. So I have a question about decorating Naomi's room.

Here is what I want to do except that we will be changing the beautiful blue colors to two pinks and the top will be brown or maybe grey.

Keeping the pink and brown in mind what should I do for a comforter for her? Something simple would be nice, but with a pattern. Any ideas? Thanks!

And its a....

GIRL! Brian is ecstatic! Everything looked perfect and was measuring well. We even got a glimpse of 3D and her face looks just like Gwen. I have it on DVD so I will be figuring out how to post some pictures from that hopefully later today. It was another good clear gender shot and it was confirmed by the tech and then the doctor. The girls loved seeing the baby's face and legs and feet on the screen. They were pretty good at making stuff out. SO hopefully pictures later today.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is our ultrasound! Can't wait to find out more about this little baby!