Decisions, decisions...

One thing I've learned so far in this pregnancy is that having a baby requires a lot of research!  I'm the kind of person that likes to know as much as I can before making a decision.  I can spend hours (much to my hubby's dismay) researching options, pros and cons, and others' opinions. 

I hadn't even considered that there could be options when it came to vaccines.  It seemed very standard to me...everyone does them and our doctors know best, right?  I had heard some controversy about about vaccines due to Jenny McCarthy and her son, but not because I was researching vaccines...I was probably just doing my "celebrity" research through a US or People Magazine.  At the time, I wasn't pregnant and I didn't give it much thought. 

Around a year ago, a good friend posted on facebook that she had read The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears.  I remember she loved the book and felt much more well informed about the topic of vaccines and what her options were.  For the first time I recognized that there were options out there and it was something to look into when the time came.  So once we found out we were pregnant, I knew Dr. Sears would be on my list of "pregnancy reads". 

I just finished the book last week and I'm SO glad I read it!  Dr. Sears is definitely not anti-vaccines (neither am I) and thinks the benefits absolutely outweigh the risks, but does question the standard vaccination schedule set by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics).  In his book, Dr. Sears clearly explains each of the twelve vaccines on the standard schedule and the disease associated with it.  He covers (from the back cover of the book):

*How common or rare, as well as how serious, each disease is
*How each vaccine is made and what its ingredients are
*Which ingredients are potentially controversial
*What each vaccine's side effects might be and how likely they are to occur
*How to recognize, treat and prevent vaccine side effects
*Which brads and types of vaccines are safest
*How to tailor your child's short schedule to minimize risks and satisfy state requirements

For those who are interested, here's a chart showing the differences between the AAP schedule and Dr. Sears alternate schedule:

Like my friend, I feel much more educated on the topic and more equipped to make the best decision for me and my child.  I know this is just the beginning of a lifetime of worry and decision-making for this little girl...I'm pretty sure she's more than worth it!

On the move...

We FINALLY got final approval on the sale of our condo! Which means we also got a "move out" date. Fortunately that deadline is no sooner than when we planned to move anyways. With baby girl on the way, we decided we should move between the holidays, so the 12/20 deadline is actually perfect timing!

We discussed and decided a while back that we would rent from my dad and move into the house I grew up in. I love the house and I'm super excited to have more space. Though I'm looking forward to this move, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit anxious. Living in and potentially raising our family in the same space I was raised in could be...well, emotional. There's lots of memories at that house so I hope it's not too difficult. The place does look much different than when I lived there (minus the bathrooms that are dying for a re-model...wink wink dad...kidding...kinda) and I'm sure once "our stuff" is added it'll feel even more different.

Five years in the condo was about 4 too many and I will definitley not miss...
1- our extrememly inconsiderate upstairs neighbors who think stomping around at all hours, throwing parties every weekend and dragging furniture around the hardwood floor are all fun activities (well, I guess parties are fun, but not for us)
2- going up and down 3 flights of stairs everyday
3- terrible parking for our guests and having to walk back up and down those stairs to let them in

I will miss...
1- our large bathrooms...I think the guest bathroom might be as large as the guest room...
2- the pool...though we didn't use it too often, it's nice to have the option
3- the gym! I'm not using it much now, but I used to go every morning. Despite the fact that it was a shoebox, it was nice to be able to just go down stairs to have a morning workout...no drive, no fees!

Hopefully baby girl will love growing up there as much as I did. I can't wait to bring her home and start our own memories in our new house!

Oh baby!

Brad and I couldn't be more excited to welcome Baby Girl Slynger into our "family" next year! The last six months have been an amazing experience as we prepare ourselves for this next big stage in our life. I've never felt so much love and yet I know it's only going to increase in a way I can't imagine when I finally have her in my arms. I'm so thankful God has blessed us with this sweet little creation growing inside. Feeling her move around (and she does A LOT!) is such an incredible feeling. I fall in love with her more and more each day.

Looking forward to February 7th 2011...or whenever she makes her debut (hopefully not 2/6, Superbowl Sunday)!

Here's a little picture recap of the growing bump so far...