Is this a complaint? Heck no. Like I said, I enjoy getting her stuff ready for her. But it sure is a funny observation. Those extra pieces are actually necessary in order to make feeding time run smoothly. Tommee Tippee is one of my favorite brands to use because the bottles and sippee cups have interchangeable parts, such as the handles and covers. Also, the formula dispensers fit so snugly inside them for super quick prep when Nova gets hungry. 

Babies sure use a TON of dishes. But it's well worth the sacrifice to have a happy, satisfied, and healthy baby.

Oh and a big shoutout to Munchkin for the awesome Munchkin bottle and nipple brushes, plus the High Capacity Drying Rack. There's no way I could properly wash and dry all of these pieces without them.

Nova's getting so big! She got to play with her Nuby stacking cups today and she absolutely loves them! She played with them in her Graco SimpleSwitch Convertible High Chair.  The high chair is so comfy and the cups were so fun that she enjoyed them for quite a bit. The two videos below, as well as the pictures above depict how delighted and interested she was.

From her first day of birth, Nova has loved her Philips Avent Soothie pacifiers. But in the past few days, Nova has grown up enough to give it up on her own. The photo collage below shows her beautiful pacifier journey from beginning to end.

As you'll see, we have the Philips Avent Soothies in various colors, in teddy bear, and even with a giraffe attached (by WubbaNub, using a Soothie). Nova absolutely adored her pacifiers, but only that kind.

However, lately she has been teething, so we think it's  a combination of that and her growing up and doing more things that made her just give them up on her own. Thanks to the makers of the Soothies for the help with keeping her calm for her first 4 months of life. Now she's apparently ready for lots more adventures!

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

As most of you know by now, Rich and I have been extremely thrifty during this pregnancy, getting things at deeply discounted rates, as well as many for free. Yesterday, we visited two local ARC thrift stores and you will not believe how many good items we found for about twenty bucks total. The details of this amazing thrift store haul, along with their actual value are outlined below.

As you can see, our quick thrift store visits were quite productive. Most of these items were items we had planned on getting at some point, but figured we'd have to save first. We didn't go to the thrift store looking for them. We generally just go and see what we can find. Apparently, we're very good at finding exactly what we need without even trying. The Universe also seems to be looking out for our family a ton lately.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

I've always been a bargain hunter. But during this pregnancy with Nova Skye, I've become a master at getting baby items that are useful for FREE or very cheap. Here's a recent mini haul from our local Dollar Tree in Aurora, Colorado.

This is Dollar Tree, so obviously, since there are ten items pictured here, this trip was ten bucks plus tax.

Babies like to look at interesting things, especially colorful ones that move. The top two items pictured are solar powered figurines that have a moving character at the top. Obviously, a baby cannot play with these. Therefore, they should sit safely in a sunny spot (like a window sill) that your baby can see, but not reach.

Next up, you'll see two brand name (Sesame Street) baby books. They are the soft squishy plastic ones that babies love to squeeze and turn the pages on. This is an excellent find, as baby board books are usually around five bucks or more each.

Next to the books is a teether and rattle, again Sesame Street themed. Babies love to play with these and we needed a few more toys for Nova when we found this. Directly underneath, is a different teether and rattler that the baby can shake and chew on, also made by the Sesame Street brand.

The blue thingy in the middle is a knee pad for the parents, so that no one gets sore while bending over the tub to bathe the baby. With my weird leg issues, I really needed this and at only a dollar, how could I say no?

On the bottom left is a cold pack, which is very useful for those times when baby whacks herself with a toy or does something else baby-like, resulting in injury that just needs a quick cold compress. Hopefully, we won't need it, but parents can never over-prepare. This is not my first rodeo and I know the drill well.

The last item in the middle at the bottom is a square-shaped container. It's supposed to be for snacks. However, since newborns don't snack and we needed a good, sanitary binky container for the diaper bag, we thought this was a good fit.

By the way, in case you're wondering, anything the baby might play with, chew, eat out of, and so on was clearly marked as BPA-free, which is pretty awesome for a dollar store.

*What have you discovered at the Dollar Tree (or other dollar stores) lately? Please share below!

It is entirely possible to get baby items, kids clothes, and toys valued at $10, $20 or more at retail for only $1 a piece. How do you do it? Visit your local thrift stores on a regular basis!

My partner Lyn is a self-proclaimed #‎ThriftStoreAndBargainMaster‬. I’ve found this to be the case the entire time that I’ve known her. But today was perhaps the most incredible thrift store trip that we’ve ever had. We got 8 valuable items for $7 total. One was from the Sisters Thrift and Boutique in Colorado Springs on a random day-trip that we decided to take. The other 7 are from a local ARC Thrift Store in Aurora. ARC is a charity-based company located only in Colorado that is perhaps the most inexpensive, but quality, thrift store I’ve ever seen. No single items cost us more than $1 a piece, and three items came in a bag for $2. When you see the value of the items we bought at thrift stores, you will be amazed at what is possible.

Here’s our amazing haul!

VTech Care N Learn Teddy
Value: $34.99
Our price: $1

It was obvious that this was an expensive toy. Unfortunately, you can’t listen to his heart without a special stethoscope that came with the Teddy. It’s the price you pay when you get items at thrift; you often simply can’t find the accessories. But there’s obviously plenty of value here, just as a teddy alone. And most of him works just fine.

Lamaze Freddie Firefly - Baby Developmental Toy
Value: $17.99 (Amazon)
Our price: ~$1

Here’s another example of how expensive baby toys are at retail. We paid less than $1 for it. Apparently, the price is sustained by being a baby developmental toy. It was actually developed in part by child development experts from Yale University. The link clip makes it easy to attach to strollers, car seats, and high chairs, which helps keep it from being lost. This particular one is quite rare now. Newer developmental toys from Lamaze range from $10-20, so this was yet another steal.

Baby Einstein Musical Panda
Value: $19.99 (Amazon)
Our Price: $1

The Baby Einstein stuff is usually pretty expensive. This is one of the less expensive ones. Finding it for $1 is absurd. These Pandas in particular are pretty rare nowadays, too. He plays sounds from a bunch of different instruments. Very cool. They’re probably worth the $20 or so they retail for, but keep in mind that these end up at thrift stores.

Bun Bun Pip Pig
Value: $15.99 (Amazon)
Our Price: ~$1

I have no idea why this little pig has been listed as high as $20, but whatever. We paid less than $1 for it. What makes it so valuable? Apparently, Pip Pig is a collectible. According to Amazon, Pip Pig is available in 4 different sizes, and there are other characters to collect. This appears to be the 4-inch size, which oddly is less price-wise than the 11 inch version on Amazon. It’s cute, but I’d never pay that much for it. Well worth the $0.67 or so we paid for him, though.

Gymboree Booties
Value: ~$10
Our Price: $1

This is the one item we acquired from Sisters. Nova still needed some booties. The general retail price for these sorts of booties are about $10, according to the Gymboree website. They don’t make these particular ones anymore. Still, $1 is a steal, even at a thrift store.

Carter's Sleeper
Value: ~$10
Our Price: $1

This sleeper would have ordinarily sold for $2 at ARC, but because it had no price attached to it, we got it for $1. Carter’s sleepers are very popular, and we actually have some already for Nova. When it comes to sleepers, it’s easy to find them for $1-2. That’s a good thing because you can get 5-10 for the price of one from a big box store. Babies outgrow them fast, too, so it’s easy enough to re-donate them and pay it forward.

Discovery Toys Clown
Value: Unknown
Our Price: ~$1

We couldn’t track down a value for the clown toy. But since it was in the bag of 3 toys for $2, it hardly matters. I did find an EBay listing for about $15, but it didn’t sell at that price. Being a retired toy from 2000, it definitely has some collectible value. We paid about $0.67 for it, so it’s worth a lot more to us.

Corolle 17-inch Mon Classique - Lila Cherie Interactive Baby Doll
Value: $99.99 (Brand New from Toys R Us), ~$86 (Amazon)

While she was missing the clothes, she did come with her original binky and her interactivity works. The sleeping noise sounds like a baby Darth Vader and some of the other sounds are a bit odd, but she’s cute.

This is the second interactive doll we’ve found at the same ARC for the same price. The other was a Zapf Creations Interactive doll worth around $80 or so. That one even had the outfit which came clean in the washer, but was missing the binky. You simply can’t leave these behind with a $0.99 price tag.

So, we spent a grand total of $7, and acquired about $200 worth of items at retail - not even including the retired clown toy! After acquiring a great many of Nova’s items from Listia and other thrift stores, mostly several different ARC locations and Safari Thrift here in Aurora, it’s become quite proven to me that you should almost never buy anything at retail. Granted, sometimes you can’t help but buy something new if you can’t find it at thrift stores. But the things you will find if you keep checking your local thrift stores are pretty incredible. They usually are still perfectly good items, even if they are missing accessories. Many just need batteries.

When you’re done with them, you paid so little for them that it feels good to simply pass them onto a friend or family member, or another thrift store. So when you’re out shopping for your child, especially when it comes to toys or clothing, keep your eyes peeled. You never know what a single US Dollar will buy at a thrift store. It could save you hundreds.

I know it's been quite a while since we've posted any updates. There isn't a 32 or 33 week post and that's due large in part to my health in the pregnancy, as of late. So, here's what's going on, as well as fetal development info for 32 weeks, 33 weeks, and 34 weeks. We're 34 weeks pregnant with Nova Skye Rowell, as of April 23, 2016.

What’s Nova Been Doing During 32, 33, and 34 Weeks?

Nova’s been doing excellent. She still moves around very actively and all of her ultrasounds, including a high definition one have shown us excellent things. She’s small, but perfect. I mean, Rich and I are only 5’2” and 5’3”, respectively. So, she probably isn’t going to be too huge, no matter how long she stays in there. Haha

We had a preterm labor scare at 32 weeks that is being controlled under careful medical supervision, which is a huge part of why I haven’t been able to get much written. At the high definition ultrasound, received during that visit, Nova weighed in at around 3 pounds and 9 ounces. Her length was 17 inches. That’s relatively small for that gestational age. However, again, both of her parents are small.

The key info from that ultrasound, other than the small size, is that she is doing extremely well and is fully developed. As with most babies at this stage, lung (and other respiratory) function after birth is the main concern if she were to be born early. There’s no way to know how that will go until they are born, so it’s always best they stay in as long as possible until the due date, or at least until term, which is 37 weeks.

The follow up appointment on 4/21 went well. Nova’s heartbeat is still super strong and all of my measurements are as they should be. I may not be doing that great, but despite that, she certainly is thriving and that’s the goal. As my mother-in-law Deb pointed out, she’s definitely a fighter.

When’s the Next Doctor Visit?

The next prenatal visit is May 6th. But of course, if anything happens that requires further evaluation before then, my OB will see me and in an emergency, the ER is obviously available. Hopefully, all will be as uneventful as possible and that appointment date will remain as it is.

How’s the Momtrepreneur and Daddy-To-Be This Week?

In short, we’re both very stressed and I’m very sick, but we’re making the best of it and know that Nova will be well worth it all. Yesterday (4/23/2016), I was vomiting severely, some containing a small amount of blood after a while. The severe pain increased. So, I called my OB to ask what I should do.

He increased the dosage times of my medication and told me to lay only on my left side and eat the BRAT diet and drink water, chew ice, or drink ginger ale and not move at all. He said the blood was likely due to my insides getting irritation from so much vomiting. That makes sense since it was a small amount and only occurred after that was going on for a bit.

He said if I were to go to the hospital like that, they'd likely admit me to bed rest there and he'd rather have me be comfortable at home if possible. We agree. But if it gets worse or certain other things happen (such as more labor signs), he wants me to call him and have things reevaluated. Obviously, if it's an emergency, we'd head straight to the hospital and call him on the way.

His recommendations have helped so far. The medicine is quelling the contractions to a point where I don't have to go in and the vomiting has stopped. I'm still in massive pain, however. So, if I'm not as responsive as usual, that's why. Don't worry, I'm resting as I post this and I'm stable enough to be at home, rather than the hospital.

Rich has taken over everything I do, on top of what he does. Plus, he is there to comfort me and take care of me. So, if he's also less responsive and less active at posting, that's why.

Thanks for all the love and support, everyone. It really means a great deal to us.

Accomplishments During Week 32 , 33, & 34 of the Pregnancy

We actually accomplished quite a bit, considering all that's happened. In fact, making it to 34 weeks has been a huge accomplishment, in itself. I would say that’s the biggest accomplishment so far, in light of all the issues I’ve been having. If we can get to at least 37 weeks, that’s even better. So far, so good.

We got some low odor paint that doesn’t seem to be bothering my allergies at all, so that’s good. The kids are helping get that done, since I am pretty useless at this point, as far as doing the things I usually do (home improvement, normal household duties, work, etc). We wanted to finish up the walls before the baby comes, as that is really the main issue in our area of the house.

We also got some great bargains on baby items, as well as some items for Aja and Nathan. Our local thrift store saved us once more and we were able to get 160 clothing items for only $16. No kidding. We don’t really care too much about brands. However, most all of them happened to be brand name items.

Guess what?! We aren't selling our vehicle anymore. Not that we don't need the money, but all we kept getting were scam offers anyhow and we really do need the vehicle with such a large family. So, instead, we put it back on the road. We had already fixed the alternator previously. So, all it took was a battery and registration. Yay! It's an older model ('97 Toyota 4Runner Ltd), so it's not like we were going to make a huge enough amount to be able to move and maintain rent and bills anyway. We just thought it would help.

Let's see, I also cut my hair because, unlike the other pregnancies (which made my hair awesome), this one has done some serious damage to it. I'm not exactly happy about having short hair because I prefer it long and my hair takes FOREVER to grow. But it was super unhealthy. It ended up getting straight and full of split ends and my hair is normally curly and shiny. I'm not well enough to spend the time it would take to revive it. So, I opted for cutting it. There's still some more work to be done on the style I actually want. But, for now, it's manageable and healthier.

The animals have been awesome helping everyone else take care of me. I also managed to get some more cloth diapers done and fix up the page I'll be selling them on here once I'm done making enough for Nova. I have to make hers first and then I can focus on making more to sell. We desperately need the money, so hopefully I'll be able to get that done soon.

Also, we’ve been receiving even more generosity than ever, between people reaching out with love and emotional support to a couple people helping once again with the baby registry. If you’d like to help, the main thing we need on the registry is fragrance free baby wipes. If you can’t afford to help, it helps us a ton when our links from this site and the others we own are shared via social media. And, last but not least, Love, Love, & More Love is hugely appreciated.

For fetal development info in relation to 32, 33, and 34 weeks, continue below the galleries.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

We decided from the beginning that we would not be polluting the Earth or spending tons of money on icky disposable diapers. I took to making them for several reasons. I'm having fun making cloth diapers and you can too!

Not all of the cloth diapers we found were exactly what we had in mind. They're also hard to find in stores, unless you want flats or pre-folds. Most of the all-in-ones we found in stores require the use of disposable inserts, which seems to defeat the entire purpose of cloth diapers. There also seems to be this trend of diapers that is in between cloth and disposable. Not what we wanted.

So, I started searching online. We bought a few that were okay. But, adding up the cost, I knew that in order to stock enough to be worthwhile, we'd have to spend a lot of money. Being the frugal person I am, there's no way that was happening, no matter the diaper option we chose. Cloth is still cheaper than disposable when adding up the cost over time. But I wanted to save even more.

I also wanted to come up with a unique design that would avoid the use of liners, rubber pants, pins, and the like. My homemade cloth diapers are used just like disposables, except they don't need to be thrown out. The unique design prevents leaks without the use of extra bulky accessories that are uncomfortable to the baby.

We had a ton of fabric and other sewing materials just lying around, so I figured I would make good use of it. I don't use patterns because I like to make each diaper completely unique. However, for those who need one, there are tons of free cloth diaper patterns all over the web, if you simply do a search. Be sure to check for all-in-one designs for the easiest time changing baby.

If you just don't have the time or energy to do it yourself, once I'm done making Nova's cloth diapers, I'll be making and selling super unique ones at a fraction of the usual cost, under the brand name, Mommy2Lots.

Pictured above is one of my unique all-in-one cloth diapers. Look at the gallery below for more.

All Images © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

Aaaaand OMG! We saved one of the best things for last (besides the super free swing)! Our super awesome friend San over at Informed Sharing sent us a ton of stuff! Some of it we can use right away and some will be for later, which is perfect. The right-away items are things we can now take off our needs list and the later items will fill some of the holes we had for when she gets bigger.

^^^^^^^^ Above is all the super awesome stuff San sent us ^^^^^^^^