baby on a budget

My Wednesday ultrasound determined my offical due date of Sept 13, 2006! Today I am 6w2d along, so the baby is about four weeks old and the size of a grain of rice. My weight yesterday was 136, and the doctor says to expect to gain 20-30 pounds over the course of the pregnancy, almost all of which will be in the last few months.

I have my first ultrasound today, and will finally know my due date! I think that will make this all seem more real. Ever since I first found out I was pregnant, I have hardly been able to believe it. If it wasn't for the sore boobs, I would probably forget.

About four weeks ago, I started feeling weird. Not myself. I kept having this voice in the back of my head telling me I was pregnant. After a week of this, I decided to banish the voice by taking a pregnancy test, one that i was sure would be negative. I went to the Dollar Store (ever the cheapskate), bought a $4 test and took it at home. I saw the positive results and thought for sure I'd messed up the test. I even remember thinking I should call the customer service number and get my $4 back.

I went back to the Dollar Store, bought another $4 test, and the clerk let me take it in the rest room. The men's rest room. The women's loo was out of commission. It too was positive. I bought one more test for the following morning. I'm sure the clerk thought I was insane.

I took my third test the next morning before work and even TOOK A PICTURE OF THE RESULTS. I still couldn't believe my eyes. It too was positive.

I called my doc, and they scheduled a blood test for two weeks out. TWO WEEKS! I said no way, and just drove over to the clinic after work. I waited about an hour for someone in the lab to have a few free minutes to draw my blood, and then went home and waited for my results. The next day I received a call that said the blood test was positive, and I was likely four-five weeks pregnant.

I just got my first two pregnancy books from the library. The first is the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. I am really enjoying this book as it goes into much more detail on nutrition, fitness, and weight (I've only read the first couple of chapters) than most websites. I feel like I know why I should do/avoid certain things and I'm better prepared to make healthy decisions. I will probably purchase a copy of this book for myself.

The second book is Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs. A fun and entertaining pregnancy book, and a very light read. This one I will probably be content with giving back to the library once I'm through.

Here's a link from NaturalFamilyOnline that talks about some of the many benefits of cloth diapers versus disposables. Some of them where things I knew (cloth diapers are more cost-effective and much better for the environment), but some of the things they point out are new to me (cloth diapers aid in breastfeeding and disposable diapers can be dangerous to babies).

I've been strongly considering reusable diapers, specifically some all-in-ones that look both convenient and comfy. The start-up costs are high, anywhere from $250 to $1,000, but NaturalFamilyOnline lists the costs of disposables as $2,694.54 for the diapering-life of a baby. I think that number is pretty accurate, as I've seen other figures that were quite a few years old that were close to that amount. The benefit of reusables is that I would have them to use for a second or third child as well, which would save us even more money. See the article for a break-down of the costs of disposables.

I am currently researching the different types of reusable diapers to see if there are one or two types that fit our needs and budgets. I plan to write about what I learn in the coming months.

I still have ten days left until my first doctor's appointment, but already I've made two boppies from Jan Andrea's nursing pillow pattern. I used some scrap fleece for one and baby corduroy for the other, and spent about $12 on stuffing for both of them. Jan's pattern is really easy to follow and the two pillows took less than an hour each to make. I also purchased a pattern for some nursery storage accessories, hopefully I can use up some of my scrap fabric and make something useful at the same time!

My mom called tonight and said she bought two brand-new, gender-neutral, all cotton sleepers at the thrift store. Exactly what and I want and cheap to boot!

I just found out a week ago tomorrow that we are expecting our first baby in early fall. We began TTC in late-November, and it didn't take near as long as doctors have told us it would. They were talking years and it happened in weeks. We have only been married for a few months, so the suddenness is overwhelming, but we do feel very fortunate that it did come much easier than anticipated.

Being completely type-A, I have already started reading, researching, and planning. Like every parent, we want a healthy and happy baby, and to enjoy all the modern conveniences, but we also want to be kind to the environment and do it all on a budget. Over the next several months, I will explore the various aspects of raising a baby from a financial standpoint... breastfeeding, diapering, baby gear, clothing, and more. I will also be writing about the ups and downs of pregnancy (no morning sickness yet!), and how we are preparing for the arrival of our bundle of joy (and poo).