A weekend full of good news!

First, Saturday morning Brian got a call from his accountant, who informed him that he owes about HALF of what they originally estimated he'd have to pay in federal taxes!! Yay for write-offs and deductions! What does this good news have to do with the developing baby or the pregnant mom-to-be? Well, because I will be huge and uncomfortable during one of the hottest months of the year, I anticipate running the AC a lot more this summer than we normally would. So paying less to the tax man means we can go ahead with having our heating/AC system inspected and likely completely replaced this spring. I'll be glad to not have to worry about our inefficient system wasting money or leaking gallons of water into our family room when the AC is cranked on a humid day.

Secondly, I found maternity clothes I love on Saturday, and they were WAY, WAY CHEAP! Stopped in at Ross to look for discounted bras (Janelle -- no luck there or at Marshalls :( ), and decided to explore a little for maternity clothes. They only had one rack, but on that one rack I found four pairs of pants -- three for work, one casual -- and four basic tops that can be dressed up or down for work or play. Throw in four pairs of undies and I walked out with a stash of clothes for $75!

Also at Ross they have baby clothes for ridiculously cheap. Everyone keeps telling me not to buy baby clothes because I'll end up with a ton anyway, so I stuck to basics. I got five onesies for each stage through nine months old and three Carters sleeplikely gowns. The onesies came out to $1 to $2 each, even though MSRP was about $6 each for the unbelievably cute Calvin Klein Baby onesies. Brian loves the designer frocks for his little guy. And I got the discounted sleep gowns at Jess's recommendation. The are open at the bottom for better ventilation for sleeping babies in the summer. I also splurged on a pair of cargo shorts for baby. They were $4.99, but I couldn't resist.

FYI for anyone else in the market for cheap baby clothes, Marshalls also carries them, but the discounts at Ross seemed to be a dollar or two cheaper per item. However, Marshalls has something Ross did not: Polo Ralph Lauren onesies that look like striped golf shirts and button-down dress shirts for infants. I resisted the urge to splurge for now (they're about $12 each), but I may return to find a classic dress shirt for a baptism outfit. If Brian had seen these shirts, his label-loving self couldn't have walked away.

And finally, Sunday night we got a call from our mortgage broker, letting us know the pieces are falling into place for our mortgage refinance. This good news means we'll be more comfortable searching for a new car in the next couple of months, since money that had been going toward the mortgage each month can be shifted to a car payment. I love my little Saturn coupe (Brian hates it), but it's not a practical car for a baby: the "wing" (third door) just won't cut maneuvering baby in and out, and I can't fit a standard-sized cooler in the trunk, let alone boatloads of baby crap. Here's what I'm trying to convince Brian would be a safe and responsible investment for a family car. He's not yet sold. Why? Primarily because he thinks it looks stupid with "HYBRID" across side.