Registry Advice!

A couple of my mommy-friends here can attest to the fact that the impending baby registry has me FREAKING OUT. I have yet to step into the actual stores...I've just started registeries online. I feel completely overwhelmed and have been picking friends' brains to get an idea of what I need and what I don't. I've been given some great advice, but I want to take advantage of the fact that some of y'all might have helpful tips to share with this mommy-to-be.

I am registered at Babies-R-Us and Target. What are a couple of things that you swear by and would consider must-haves? Anything I should do without?

21 weeks...

Let the Nesting Begin!

Apparently I've been nesting. Actually Grant's exact words, last weekend, were "I can tell when my hen is nesting". My guess is that with it now being 2011, I feel like I need to get down to business. Baby Q finally has a name and now he needs a home to come to in June. We moved into our house in May, but have been ok with letting lots of things slide. We've had an entire empty dining room, plenty of bare walls, and zero paint. I want Barrett to have a cozy, warm home to grow up in and this is the best time to get everything in order.

Monday I had to work, but Grant had the day off. I came home that afternoon to find one very busy dad painting his son's nursery. It was so heart-warming to see Grant putting such time and effort into Barrett's future room. Grant chose everything from the paint colors to the design. I know he is more than capable, but I was still very impressed!

I know the fancy dress socks make you swoon.

Grant said that measuring and taping off the checkered wall took over three hours. That doesn't include the painting!

The finished product! I absolutely love this wall. Grant is already Father of the Year!

Our new dining room table from World Market. There is also a painting of cowboy boots to the right from Garden Ridge. We are thinking about painting the center wall with an accent color. Any suggestions?

I finally found the perfect clock for the wall next to my kitchen sink. Things are falling into place at the Qualley house!

Introducing...

Today I am officially 20 weeks...half-way to the big day where we'll meet our little guy. And to celebrate this milestone, we happily announce Baby Qualley's name. Drumroll, please....

Barrett Ryan Qualley!

Grant fell in love with Barrett immediately and said that if we only have one boy, this is the name for our guy. It's a very masculine name, meaning "bear-like". It doesn't hurt that there are a few famous athletes named Barrett and if you know Grant, you know how important this is! Ryan is a family name on both sides and a name that I stubbornly clung to. It is Grant's middle name and I wanted our firstborn to have something special passed down from his father, besides good looks, of course.

Please continue to pray for a healthy baby as we move along this journey and now you can call him by name!