EALW

Hello Everyone, I had my hearing today and my name is now officialy Emily Annette Lawler-White. Mine wasn't quite as quick as Tracy's but in the end the only thing that matters is that it's done. It's a good thing too because it would of been a little funny if Tracy, Poet and Little One had the same name and me and Mallie were the odd women out. Once we left the court house we hit the social security office and the bank so we are well on our way to get everything done before Little One gets here.

Flushable Diapers?!?

For our shower Lori gave us a gDiapers starter kit and today the care package (picture) arrived in the mail. The care package included a "no landfill required" t-shirt, tote bag, and tons of coupons for $2 off gDiapers.

The great thing about gDiapers....they are flushable...which means no landfill waste! Actually, not the whole diaper is flushable, just the inside pads. The best way I can think to describe them is they are the cloth diapers of the future. I know I can't give a good description of the diapers, but the web site has some great videos to watch that explain exactly how they work. Check it out - gDiapers.com.

When I have more time I'll post pictures of the actual diapers.

Friends Baby Shower

This past Saturday our friends Lori and Michelle hosted a "friends" baby shower. We had some great food, played fun games (although I did horrible at them), and had some time to catch up with friends we don't get to see as often as we would like. Everyone was gracious enough to give us some wonderful gifts and add to our growing library of books for little one.

Aside from the actual baby shower it was so nice to get to spend some extra time with several of our friends who came from out of town. I wish we all lived closer!

One last side note...Shannon helped me get the baby furniture in the house Thursday night, and Norma and Faith helped me put the crib together. Hopefully by the end of the week I can have some photos or a video (if I can make it work) of the room so everyone can see what it will look like. Since neither one of us had posted anything in a few days I posted twice tonight. Be sure to check out the new polling question. :)

Final Results...

It seems like after a week or two the voting on the polls slows down considerable. So to keep it interesting we will try and post new questions each week or two. Here are the results from the first three questions. Do you think we are having a boy or a girl? Boy - 15 votes 62% Girl - 9 votes 32% 24 Total Votes What is your favorite girls name? Madaline Grace - 22 votes 75% Stella Maxine - 7 votes 24% 29 Total Votes What is your favorite boys name? Grayson Nash - 15 votes 50% Jonas Riley - 15 votes 50% 30 Total Votes Be sure to vote on the new question....

The polls are closing...

We had a good response from everyone on the polls for the baby's gender and names. Since it was a hit...and quite honestly Emily and I love seeing every one's opinions, we thought we would close down the polls early next week and ask some new questions. Also....we love reading the comments that people are posting....so don't be shy...put in your two cents and post a comment today! Go ahead....click the "Comment" link below (not the envelope icon) and share your thoughts! :)

It's Official...

I had my hearing today for the name change and....it's official. I have now legally changed my name to Tracy Renee Lawler-White. YEAH!!! The hearing took all of 5 minutes, crazy! Even though the ladies at the court house could use a class in customer service, no one was willing to explain how the process went unless you asked twice, and communicating with the lady at the newspaper office was a mess, it was still worth it to do this on our own without getting a lawyer. I think it saved us at least $600. Plus, I have the satisfaction of accomplishing it on my own! Now comes the tedious part, notifying all of my creditors, banks, insurance, social security, etc. I'm sure I won't start the process until Emily has her hearing next Wednesday. Upcoming posts.... Eggplants and Snasages Whales or Dolphins? Highlights from the "friends" baby shower (Saturday) Stay tuned.....

Nurture by Nature...

In celebration of Earth Day Emily, Little One, and I went to the Nurture by Nature seminar at Babies R Us. Sadly, we were the only ones to attend, but it's great to see businesses spreading the word and offering so many products that are environmentally friendly. On our way out we saw this onsie and bib and couldn't resist. (plus they gave us a coupon and you know how I can't resist coupons) ha-ha

Earth Day...

If you didn't know, Tuesday is Earth Day, so I listed some of my favorite 'green links' on the left side of the blog. Many of you now about the changes we've made this year trying to lead a more natural, eco-friendly lifestyle. We're not perfect, and we've agreed that if we try something and it doesn't work for us, then we won't do it. You should feel good about the changes your making in your life not like they are a chore. Every little change makes a difference. If everyone made one small change in their daily life the impact on the earth would be huge! Here are some of the changes we've made:

Recycling - we recycle office paper, newspaper, magazines, card board, plastic, aluminum, tin, and glass. Unfortunately, we don't have curb side recycling (although I heard KCK might actually get it this year) but I feel very strongly that this one of the best steps we can make. It's amazing how little trash goes into the landfill when you recycle all of these things. On a normal week we only put out one bag of trash. To find a recycling center in your area, visit the earth911.org link under 'green links'.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs - we have changed many of the frequently used lights in our house to energy efficient.

Canvas Shopping Bags - this is by far our favorite change. I get highly annoyed when you buy one item at the store and they automatically put it in a nasty plastic sack. At the very least, I think businesses should ask the customer if they want/need a bag for 1-3 items. We love using our Earth Bags for grocery shopping and the Chico Bags fold up into a small bag and are great to carry in your pocket or purse for those unexpected items. I added links to both websites on the left.

Green Cleaning - we are removing many of the typical household cleaning/laundry supplies and replacing them with earth friendly products. Some of them I have purchased and others I make from common items such as vinegar, backing soda, and dish washing liquid. Not only are they better for the environment, but it's easier on your pocket book....bonus!!

Ditch the plastic water bottles - it's amazing how much waste comes from water bottles. Instead of drinking from plastic water bottles use glasses or my new favorite appendage (it goes with me everywhere) Sigg bottles. They last forever, and come in cool designs! I also added a link for Sigg bottles on the left.

Eat Local - this is our newest addition and still a work in progress. Shop farmers markets or join a CSA in your area. Not only will you get great food that doesn't have to ripen on the truck ride to the store, you get to talk with the people who grow the food. Eating local also helps small farmers stay in business and reduces green house gasses needed to transport the food across the country.

These are just a few of the things we have recently changed in our lives and we love it. Just like investing money in your future, once you make one change and see the progress....it's easy to get addicted. I challenge everyone to choose one small thing in your daily life that would benefit the earth. Make the change for 30 days and you'll see how great the rewards are.

The Hospital Tour

Tonight we had our hospital tour. It was nice to get a chance to see the maternity area before hand. I don't know if it's always like this or only because they are under construction, but you get free valet service...where else will give you FREE valet service? Some of the rooms have flat panel televisions and hot tubs...is this a hospital or a hotel?!? The couch/cots look much more comfortable than what I slept in when she had her gall bladder removed, so I'm happy about that, and I get to give the baby the first bath! There is also an emergency doorbell/phone in the drop off area in case you don't think you can make it to the door. I think Emily's tempted to accidental lean up against it even if she could walk in. :) They also explained the security at in the maternity area and although they said we weren't supposed to discuss the details of it. Let's just say she said they have cameras strong enough to read lips of people sitting in their cars! Is that amazing or what? Our birthing class is next weekend and I think we are also going to sign up for the baby CPR class. Oh...and we need to make an appointment with the birthing coordinator.

Family Baby Shower

Yesterday was our family baby shower. Emily and I had an excellent time with our family. Tonight was the first time we had to actually sit down and go through all of the wonderful gifts we received from everyone. We are very thankful to have so many great people in our lives.

The collection of books for the baby's library is off to a good start. Tonight I'm going to read "Earth Day" to Emily and Little One so we can post some eco-friendly tips tomorrow. Just incase you've forgoten...Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22nd!!

P.S. Thanks to all of the people who adopted our new "greener" lifestyle, and did not wrap their presents!!

Yeah for Stella...

Finally, someone other than me (I actually voted twice...sneaky huh?) voted for Stella. This was my grandmother's middle name and I've always thought it was a beautiful and empowering name. The fact that the majority of the people like Madaline better makes me love it all the more! Everyone knows that I've never been one to follow the rest of the crowd. Keep up the polling....it's fun to see what people think....even though no one agrees with me! ha-ha

NFM Failed Us...

Originally, I had planned to take pictures of the new baby furniture this evening, but when we visited the "acreage" that is known as Nebraska Furniture Mart, they didn't have what we wanted in stock. Considering it would take 3-6 weeks to order it from the warehouse, we decided to check Babies R Us...one more time. Uncle Shannon and I were able to talk Emily into a bedroom set similar to the one at NFM. Although, they didn't have it in stock, the wait (7-14 days) was much shorter.

One of the things we loved when we bought the house were the unique light switches. Over the years we've found great joy in placing photos of loved ones throughout the house. Since I didn't have any pictures of the furniture, I took a photo of the the light switch I made for the baby's room.

Ode to Joy

I think it's official, I'm not going to pass Joy in her ultimate baby belly. I know there were rumors that I was on track to be as big as she was but I think you will always have that crown.

Girls Name Mispelled On Polls

I just realized that Stella is missing the "a" at the end. Emily also told me last night that she wanted to spell Madeline with an "a" also. I can't update the spelling on the polls, so here are the correct names. Madaline Grace (we will likely call her Maddy/Maddie) or Stella Maxine (named after my grandmother and Emily's mom, both have passed away in the last few years)

31 Weeks and 5 Days to be exact...

According to the doctor, that's the amount of time we have left until Little One's due date. We had our first appointment with Dr. Schlicter today. She is WONDERFUL...and we like her much better than the other OBGYN. It's never a good thing to change doctors (or anything major) this far into the pregnancy, but we are both elated that it turned out so well. Doctor said that we will do another ultra sound in four weeks to see how big she thinks the baby will be for delivery. That means it now official that (if all goes as planned) we will be delivering at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Overland Park.

I kept to my promise of getting the room cleaned out and ready for the furniture. Now, I just need to find someone to help me get the furniture in the house! I'll post pictures when it looks more like a room.

Here is the address to the hospital so everyone can find directions. I'm sure we'll post it again later.

Shawnee Mission Medical Center
9100 W. 74th Street
Shawnee Mission, KS 66204
913-676-2000

Em's checking out the glider in the empty room with our current baby. :)

My First Post

Hello Everyone, Little One has been kicking up a storm since Tracy told us about the blog she set up. I thought I had better get a post on here before I start bruising from the inside out. Actually, this baby has been a major kicking machine since I started to feel it except for the weekend Michelle was here. I can't speak for Tracy but I think Little One may be a bit stubborn (I don't know where it gets that from). I'm just enjoying the little bit of time we have left together as one. Our friend Lori always said that she loved being pregnant and it took me a long time to appreciate that statement but in the end she was right, it's the best thing in the whole world.

8 Weeks Left

Can you believe we only have eight more weeks until little one's due date? The doctor has been telling Emily that her uterus is bigger than normal so Em thinks she is going to have the baby sooner.

Tomorrow we go to see the new doctor in Kansas. For those of you who don't know, last week I went to speak with our lawyer to have him look over our paper work for our name changes (my hearing is April 23rd and Emily's is April 30th). While I was speaking with him he asked if I wanted to adopt the baby. I was flabbergasted, I didn't realize that it was even an option in Kansas. The only catch...the baby has to be born in Kansas. This presented a problem because we had planned to deliver in a Missouri hospital. The next day I scheduled an appointment with a new doctor in Kansas, and tomorrow is our first visit.

This weekend I finished removing all of the stuff from the office. Man we have a lot of "stuff". I'm taking the day off tomorrow in hopes to wash the windows and walls, touch up the paint, hang new blinds, mop the floors and put together the stroller. If all goes well tomorrow, we will pick up the furniture this week after work and I will be able to get some of it put together. With the family baby shower next weekend I would like my mom to be able to see it while she's here.

As you can see from the picture, Emily's working hard at taking care of our precious package. She keeps wanting to help move things and clean, but I keep reminding her that she should take it easy. These things are my part of the baby process.