Holiday Edition from the blog slacker

I was just informed that I am a blog slacker, and alas, it is true. However, in my defense, I have the world's lightest sleeper, and the tapping of the keyboard wakes him up. I wish that was hyperbole, but it is not. Lightest sleeper is napping with daddy however, so maybe I will get to blog. Let's find out. I am WAY behind on monthly posts, thank god for photos to remind me, but since I may not have all that much time before the little dictator reappears, I am going to skip that and do a holiday edition and general comments on life.

Christmas with a baby is amazing, if and only if you have the balls to tell everyone that you don't really give a shit, it is YOUR baby and you will do what you please, and what you please is to NOT eff up the slight schedule you have and spend time at home with your baby. That is what we did. We had Christmas morning at home, in our pajamas, with out little family. And it was amazing. Then X took a nap and my mom and brother came over. And you know what, I didn't wake the baby up because they get to leave. I don't care that it was Christmas or that they had gifts. Nope. Baby sleeps. And everyone was FINE. Then Mike's parents came over and played, then left. BLISS. We did not leave our house all day. Best Christmas present ever.

Mike and I had very strick budgets for each other this year. And while it felt odd to not blow a ton of money on the man I love most in the world, I was very happy with my gifts and with the lack of debt. It was actually really nice, and I still got tons of stuff I wanted. I hope Mike feels the same, although he did buy a video game he didn't get the next day. Oh well. X was supposed to get 4 gifts: something he wants, something he needs, something he wear and something he reads. We sort of failed. He doesn't want anything, he is 7 months old. Buy we got him a Fisher-Price walking dinosaur and it is AMAZING. I was afraid it was too old for him since it is meant for a 10 month old, but it is perfect, and within the last week he has pretty much learned to walk. X took his first unassisted steps on January 1st! Holy Cow! Luckily, he has lost interest in that endeavor and continues to crawl about instead. So...that was the want. For the need we went with sippy cups and bowls, wear we did a hat and shoes and we totally slacked because I couldn't find the book we wanted. So I just got him Barnyard Dance the other day. He doesn't know. Besides, my mom got him lots of books. It was a great first Christmas.

We Bought What?

No, this is not about Betsy, the cow in the freezer, although that would be an appropriate title for a post about her. This is about all the crap we have accumulated for X and what was worth it or not so worth it. I have wanted to write this for a long time, but just today X put himself to sleep (no crying) for the first time, so I am taking advantage. Okay, here is my list of invaluable items and worthless crap :)

Best things we bought:
Fisher-Price Newborn to Toddler Rocker--HE IS SLEEPING IN IT RIGHT NOW! Enough said. But it is really cool and it grows with them eventually turning into a little rocking chair.
Organization cubes for his nursery--nurseries get messy, these make life so much easier and give me a chance to maintain some sort of order at least
Cloth wipes warmer--I really love it because you can just add water and a solution cube and let it dissolve, add wipes and voila. Disposable wipes suck and they are expensive.
Mei Tai Baby Carrier--X is too big for a Moby style wrap, I can't figure out the ring sling and it is too damn hot for the Ergo with baby insert. The Mei Tai is perfect--completely adjustable, comfortable, pretty and X fits in it.
Newborn photos--they change SO fast, he is completely different than that little bundle we brought home, and as much as I wanted to, I was too tired to take a lot of pictures. These photos were totally worth it.
A gazillion receiving blankets--we don't use them as much now, but those first few weeks we actually ran out of them. We have like 25.
Breastflow bottles--he uses them, we have no issues nursing (besides all of our issues nursing). Does the bottle matter? No idea, but it worked so I am not messing with that.
Mother Love Nipple Cream--helped me get over my allergy to lanolin and possibly continue to breastfeed
Large wet bags--lets face it, you aren't going to change the baby in its room all the time, these are a life saver.
Diaper Bag--it doesn't really matter, but get one that you like. I love mine. Was it ridiculously expensive? Yes. Is it huge? Yes. Do I love it? Yes. Mike has his own. Get one you love, it will be your ONLY accessory.
Dinosaur Art Cards--no idea why, but he has LOVED them since he was days old. 
Nice Play Mat--he spends a lot of tummy time on it, it is clean, bright, easy to move and as he grows there are toys to play with.
Extra Waterproof Pads--They are so much nicer than puppy pads for naked baby play time.
Gas Medicine--Seriously. This stuff is pure gold when you have a screaming baby at 3 am. I am not sure if he always had gas, but the medicine always made him stop screaming, so I am not sure I care either way.

What were we thinking?
Newborn clothes--these things go up to 8 pounds, he was 9.5 pounds, enough said?
Cloth diapers--I LOVE cloth diapers, but I wish we would have waited until he was here and tried a bunch of them. I am not sure we have ones that will work for him.
Black and White Toys--They can only see black and white so they will need something to play with right? Babies don't play. They want you, not some stupid, overpriced toy that is supposed to stimulate them. Babies are easily over stimulated, don't buy into the stupid toys.
Huge stroller--I am torn, part of me wishes we would have just gotten a BOB and a snap and go. The stroller is really large and he hates his carseat anyway so we don't use it much. When we do use it it is nice though, so not horrible, maybe just not the best choice. 
Muslin Blankets--People swear by these, and they are super soft and big, but they are too big and get bunched up really easily and X gets tangled in them and it scares the shit out of me. I like the regular blankets, thanks. Plus, they are $20 a piece. For a blanket.
Ergo Infant Insert--it is a big piece of super soft, fabric to wrap baby in and put in the carrier. I live in CO and my son was born the end of May. What the hell was I thinking. It is SO HOT. It would be awesome for November babies, or those born in Alaska.
Pack and Play--not horrible, I just wish I would have gotten a co-sleeper instead. 

Baby Shower Mostly Presents

I had my baby shower today. It was pretty great. I was surprised by who showed up. I have a lot of aunts and very few of them made it, as well as very few cousins. I did have a lot of friends come though, which was pretty awesome. The party was also supposed to be from 1-3. Quite a few people got lost so they were late arriving, so we didn't even start presents until after three and a lot of people had to leave around then. It was totally fine with me, it just made it more of a staggered party, which is sort of nice in a way. I felt bad that so many people got lost though. It was good we didn't do games, that would have been a disaster. It was just a party--which is what I wanted. I forgot my camera though and therefore only have pictures from home. I will get pictures from other people though. I finally got a few pictures from my mom.


Here is all of the awesome stuff we got though :)

We also got a stroller and this swing--but they are in the garage and I am not carrying them up. Okay, so what is in these bags? I lot of cute soft things. The softest of which being loveys which are apparently irresistible since I got so many :) I admit, they are the cutest, softest things on the planet.

Next on the list of "way more than I expected" are receiving blankets. I read that people get you a lot of these, but I was still shocked. We got 16 (4, 4-packs) actual receiving blankets and two thermal blankets that my aunt said she liked more than receiving blankets because they have more stretch. I guess someone gave them to her once and she loved them, so now she gives them to first time moms. Seems reasonable. You use these blankets for everything--swaddling, burping, diaper changing, wind blocks. But 16? I am not sure I need all of those, and I am not sure I don't. Time to whip out a book :) We also got a really nice, soft blanket that is actually warm.
I have a very talented aunt who does interior design who made me these beautiful wall hangings and ottoman. The ottoman is also to help the baby learn to walk since it doesn't move and it has places to hang toys and other items that the baby wants. I love that she made them for me and I love how well they match a nursery that she has never seen.

Along the lines of the nursery are these great pillows and decor items from my other aunt. I think they are super cute.

Here is all of the super practical stuff we got--first aid kit, comb and brush, bath tub, bottle rack, bottles, dishwasher basket, pacifiers, butt paste, teaching ring, sippy cup, mattress cover, sheets--you get the idea.

Clothes!! First up we have the cutest baby gap outfit ever! Mike will totally love it and it is so soft. You just can't beat Gap for softness. Next we have a four piece outfit that is actually for 9 months, which will be awesome because we have no clothes for that age and the clothes are wintery which is perfect. We also got a sleep sack which is just like a giant blanket for sleeping. After that we have the froggies, which I suppose is why you shouldn't shop until after you baby shower. Whatever, I have the receipt and obviously my friends and I have the same great taste--except now I have matching pants, bibs and shoes (with little froggies in them)!! Then we got three packs of onsies, a pack of hats, a couple pairs of pants and these awesome kimono style shirts with pockets on the sleeves to prevent the baby from scratching himself. Brilliant. Last we have super cute overalls with a polo and a cute romper thing. I think I want more romper things like that, I like them.

My cousin is also a midwife and will hopefully attend X's birth. She gave me lavender spray, an awesome book of affirmations for delivery and a baby sling. My mom, on top of everything else she gave us, and gave me an Ergo carrier and baby insert--so I am all good to carry the baby (my mom also got us the car seat and stroller which I didn't photograph because they are in the garage).

Mike's aunt got us this diaper bag filled with stuff. I am super picky about diaper bags, which is why didn't register for one, I just bought one for myself (let's face it, a diaper bag is really for the parents) and Mike registered for a backpack. Although this is a nice bag and was filled with stuff, I will probably donate it to someone else because we already have one (that I love) and Mike really wants a back pack.

We also got a variety of cloth diaper necessities. We got three wetbags (we already have one) and a wipes kit (it comes with wipes, glycerin soap pellets to make solution, a spray bottle and a tub). Aren't the wetbags gorgeous? To think, all of that for poopy diapers.

Finally, toys. We didn't get many, but we did get a few rattles on the ottoman above, a mobile, some keys and stacking toy and an awesome sound machine that is also a plush giraffe.

Overall, we got some really awesome stuff. I learned a few things too, I will not buy people stuff that is not on their registry, unless it is homemade. People spend a lot of time on registries and need that stuff so unless you know it is amazing, or it is clothes or one of a kind, just buy the bottles they wanted, okay? Second, I learned to not register for so many darn blankets, I never thought we would get so many. Maybe we need that many? Finally, people do really want and need practical stuff. Baby stuff is cute, but people need bottles and baby shampoo.

We are pretty well set at this point. There is still a lot of buy, but nothing too critical. We have to get a mattress, pack and play (to use as a bassinet) and sheets for the pack and play. And a breast pump and accessories, which I didn't register for because that would be awkward. I think those are the only things we really, really need.

Half Way

At nineteen weeks a lot of books consider me half way, although at twenty weeks I think I will be more comfortable calling it half way. I can't believe I have been pregnant for so long. I am definitely starting to show more constantly, rather than the baby playing hide and go seek every day. I can also feel my belly more, like I bump into things and I feel a hard lump when I lay down or against something. Mike says he can feel it too when I sleep against him, just like a constant pressure. The baby definitely kicks now--or punches, headbutts, something--it is more like a thumping than a fluttering or a vibration. I feel the fluttering more still, but there have been a few thumps in there. I am excited to see it moving all over the place in the ultrasound and to finally be able to call it something other than it! 10 days and counting until our anatomy scan.

It is also time to start making real decisions. We are completely registered on Baby's R Us and Amazon.com, although I need to add some gender specific items and update the amazon registry to include our stroller and car seat choices since those changed. We started the nursery, or we cleaned the room and picked out paint. Jill is going to bring me the crib on Wednesday. We are going to do the closet ourselves, but it is going to be really hard for me to wait on buying stuff. At the very end of pregnancy both registries will give us a one time coupon to get everything still left on the registry at 10% off, but that doesn't leave a whole lot of time to actually finish the nursery, so I think I will end up buying some stuff early. Even though it is a good deal, there are certain things we do really need for the baby and there will be plenty of other stuff for people to buy, like clothes and stuff. We will see how I do on self-control. I also need to put in for my leave of absence at work. I think we have book decided that it is best for me to take a year off, but it makes me really nervous. I am not good at depending on someone else and I am very worried about how I will handle the stress of dependency plus the stress of loosing so much money all at once. Neither of us are very good at budgeting, and we sort of need to figure that out now. I have been trying to get out of debt before the baby comes, and I have made some good progress, but I still have outstanding debt and although we have plenty of money it doesn't seem like we are rolling in it.

The hardest thing is that I need to come to terms with the fact that I have to actually have the baby. You always know you have to, but it seems so distant. We need to take some labor classes and I need to read a lot of books on how to have a natural labor so that I am prepared. Right now The Bradley Method of childbirth is all the rage with natural birth advocates, but I don't like it, it creeps me out. I am not sure why. So I need to find books on other methods and prepare myself. Mike also needs to prepare to be able to help me, or something. I am not sure. I think I want my mom there with me to help. She really wants me to get a doula, and although I can see the benefits, I can also see the expense. I am just not sure having yet another person in there will help. I mean, they are supposed to advocate for you and your choices, but I want to be able to make those choices as the happen, although I am not sure that is realistic. I need to talk to Mike and see how comfortable he is in making choices or being assertive while I am in labor. If he isn't then maybe I will get a doula. I just don't know. Regardless, really big deal that I need to deal with soon :)

As far as the baby goes, we have a mango:
Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Your baby is between five and six inches long and weighs about seven ounces—about the size of an apple. If the baby is a girl, early ovaries contain follicles with forming eggs. Soon, half of the genetic material for your potential future grandchildren will be formed. Pictures of babies at this age show them touching the membrane of the amniotic sac, touching their own faces, reaching for the umbilical cord, pedaling their legs, and sucking their thumbs. If you're carrying twins, they may already be swatting at each other. Your baby may already have a preference for the left or right hand. In the brain, areas of the nerve cells that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing are becoming specialized and are forming more complex connections. Loud sounds as well as any feelings you may have of stress or alarm may be communicated to the baby. The baby responds to these stresses by becoming more active. Practicing yoga and meditation can be good for your sense of calm and balance.

And for me:
Those nasty leg cramps are probably making it tough to get comfortable. One way to ease the pain: Extend your leg and flex your ankle and toes toward your knees. Or enlist your partner for a calf (and back!) massage. Good news: Your now-bulging belly should get you a little more compassion from everyone around you.

Baby Book

I really want to read this book, but I don't want to read it on vacation because A) I am not pregnant, B) I don't want the person next to me on the plane to talk to me about it and C) I don't want to tell everyone that we are trying yet, and I assume this would be a dead giveaway.

Anyway, when I get back, Barnes and Noble and I have a date.

Paul, mother of two, probes the business of parenting, exposing the high price of raising kids in our consumer-driven nation. Paul points out that it costs upwards of a million dollars to raise a child in the U.S. these days, especially if one buys into the theory that baby must have everything on the market. Following the money, Paul dissects the booming baby business, including smart toys that don't really make kids smarter, themed baby showers and parenting coaches and consultants. The text is a tireless rundown of parents' seemingly bottomless pocketbooks when it comes to bringing up baby, and according to Paul this is not just an upscale, cosmopolitan phenomenon—throughout the country parents are reaching deep into their pockets to fuel this spiraling craze. Though Paul incorporates the pithy quotes of a number of experts, such as psychologist David Elkind's observation, Computers are part of our environment, but so are microwaves and we don't put them in cribs, readers may find themselves wishing for more commentary and less litany. But Paul isn't preachy, although she does reveal that what babies really need is holding, singing, dancing, conversation and outdoor play.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Nursery Planning

One of the things that I am most excited for is the creation of the nursery. Now, this is rather premature since we have been officially "trying" for three days. However, to be fair, we have been planning on trying for longer so I have had lots of time to think about it. I have at least a month before I am even pregnant and I know that, this is just dreams. I am not actually buying, planning or doing anything, just daydreaming.

My daydreams are very drawn towards gender-neutral nurseries. I like cafe au lait colored walls and jungle animals. I figure I can make it boyish with blue sheets and details or girly with white details and pink frills.

This is the wall color that I want, but I am afraid that it will be too dark. The nursery is pretty small, totally big enough for a baby, but not huge and it only has one window.

I just love how it looks with the pastel baby colors! I know babies can't see colors, and to stimulate eye development you should choose black and white patterns or primary colors in a contrasting theme, but really--who wants a black, white and red nursery? Besides, the baby sleeps here, it doesn't need stimulation.

I think with white trim, window panes and white closet doors it would be okay....maybe.....I think.




My favorite color for any wall is yellow though. Creamy, warm yellow. Ever since I lived in Spain and had yellow walls I have just loved them. We have a cooler color scheme in our house, and I love it. I love the sage wall accents and taupe colors, so the yellow wouldn't really work with the rest of the house, but isn't this adorable?

Upstairs is just a taupe color, no detail colors really. The bathroom is a sick color anyway and we are remodeling it this summer. It will be a very light blue/green. Well, actually it will be mostly white, with blue/green details and I think walls. So, with that across the hall, it may look great with yellow.





I also really like this room but I don't want multi-colored walls. It bothers me. I want them all to be the same. I think the green color could be okay, but it is too cold for a baby. I like how it looks in general, but I just want my nursery to be more inviting, more warm. More.....................yellow? Or cafe au lait?