Last week I had my first meeting with the woman who will be my doula. They are not delivering the baby, as JC said, but are more of an advocate for you in the delivery room. I don't like the "birthing coach" label as I can only think of Bill Cosby and his routine about breathing and natural child birth.

It is an additional cost for us, but it was really my husband's choice to go ahead with it. She's also a massage therapist so she will use her birthing experience and that to try to keep me as comfortable as possible - hopefully increasing the chance I can get through this without drugs. I'm flexible about the drug thing. I have high hopes but don't feel I can make the decision until I realize how this will really feel.

My husband likes the notion of the doula as he feels like he will have a wing-man so to speak. He's not used to seeing me in a vulnerable state, and he's the type of guy who wants to fix things...this he won't be sure what to do and the doula will help him navigate the process. She's also available to me for pre and post-natal massage and given how my back is constantly aching these days, I may take her up on it.
I'm 31 wks/7.5 months now...we're frantically progressing with the remodel, but that part is fun.

Congrats to JohnCline! How exciting to have made it though pregnancy with your wife so well. She is my hero.

lol. not quite Sarah but we're doing really well. (to answer your questions from TC)

I really wish I had time to keep a blog on this stuff. It's been such a wonderful experience getting to know our daughter (I just love saying that btw) over the past three weeks. I only want to try and preserve it somehow.... I'm always a proponent of documenting process and what better thing to document than your own child's growth?

Rowan had a doctors appointment yesterday. My wife was worried because she's become increasingly fussy and has been spitting up a lot more lately. It turns out she's perfectly fine. It's apparently normal for newborn babies to projectile vomit (and I mean exorcist style!).

With my wife's incredible patience, Rowan's been pretty good about breast feeding. There are moments when she gets cranky and acts like she wants to rip of poor mommy's nipple but otherwise it's smooth sailing.

I will say on a side note, as a male, I cannot even begin to fathom the enormous amount of pressure women feel to breast feed their children. I had an understanding of it's importance, benefits, etc. but when it comes down to learning how to do it and then doing it a dozen or so times a day, I can see how it wears on women (and even fathers), especially if it proves and continues to be a difficult task. And the judgment women receive if they choose not to breast feed or to only do so for a short amount of time is incredible. I'm having a hard time verbalizing this.. lb maybe you can help here? It might be important for the future moms and dads here. My wife had a really hard time at first but she was patient and over time they better at it. There is an issue of mommy needing to keep tabs on what she eats because of the spitting up issue. I just think it's a very understated learning experience with new parents (even if we did take a breast feeding class).

Ok, but back to the daily life... Rowan sleeps a good bit and has been rarely fussy. She only tends to get cranky when she has gas or is hungry. The past week or so she's been sleeping 4-5 hour chunks at night... which is great but those 4-5 hour chunks start when we can get her calmed down and sound asleep.. which sometimes ends up being pretty late.

Rowan has lots of alert time during the day and evenings which is a lot of fun to just sit and watch or talk to her. She'll just lie there and stare at you (or the ceiling) very content. She tends to be like her dad in that if she's focusing on something, she doesn't like to be disturbed! =) She's also starting to 'track' better with her eyes. When we first brought her home and I would rock her in my arms, her eyes would try to anticipate my movement which never really worked, instead she was often rolling her eyes toward and away from me but in the reverse of what was actually happening (if that makes sense). It's funny all of the learning nuances you start to pick up on being new parents.

The dogs have been marvelous. They have been so sweet and understanding towards mom, dad and baby in this readjusting time. But they are by their nature, very pack oriented.

So far my wife and I have been pleasantly surprised with Rowan's content personality. My parents, family and friends have told me I was due payback from my antics as a newborn but (again, so far) we have been very very fortunate. More to come later!

Newborns can only see about 12" in distance, which, remarkable is about the distance from breast to face on Mom. Pretty cool, huh.

Briefly, on breastfeeding: I highly recommend getting into a new mommy support group, as Penn Hospital offered, to share with and learn from other women trying to breastfeed. For the first few weeks-months, it is pretty much a fulltime job. Yes, you have to monitor what you eat and drink, and in addition to caring for your own intake and making sure the baby is getting what s/he needs - which is an expenditure of mental energy - your body is working so hard to produce milk, which is a HUGE physical expenditure...it's like having two fulltime jobs. Which is pretty much what motherhood is anyway, IMO.

I remember many women at the breastfeeding support group feeling that their bodies were truly no longer their own - and it's true. Your schedule, movement, and intake are all dictated by this little 10 pound tyrant. And it's an incredibly beautiful thing, even as it simultaneously can make you desperate for freedom. Again - such is parenthood.

Glad the doggies are taking it so well!

There's also Le Leche League which is a breastfeeding support group. My mother was very active with it back in the day, but now things have changed so much and breast feeding is so much more socially acceptable. Not only are they good for tips on dealing with breast feeding but also they can be good support groups for new mothers dealing with other issues. It all depends on your local group though, some groups can become a little militant and inflexible about the "right" way to do things so its always good to go and give them a test drive.

That being said, breastfeeding is totally awesome and wonderful. Our son hasn't had any ear infections, and only a couple minor colds which we partly attribute to him being breastfed. (Also, we keep him in a hermetically sealed hamster bubble, but that's more for his personal amusement.)

Another scary bit, after listening to Fresh Air from Nov. 26, apparently a chemical used in making plastics durable and squishy, i.e. great for babies and toddlers, can disrupt testosterone production. Europe has banned it and California just passed a law banning it next year. I am going home right now and throwing out my son's sippy cups! Yikes!

So this seems to happen once a month, and not to sound like I'm just whining, but is it always l like this? I mean, I get seriously depressed at least once a month, and its usually something silly that triggers it, but it mostly all seems in the same vein. Cryptic, I know.

Luckily, this months flavour has nothing to do with the kid, really. I'm focussing on me, which anytime one only focuses on oneself, depression can some up, especially with those of us who are design oriented, since we tend to be overly critical. Basically, and I am being completely open and honest here, maybe to open and honest, but I feel like a failure. At what? At being a woman, and what that means to me. I know I probably just have the bar set too high, but lowering it doesn't mean that I've reached my 100% mark, it just means I've reached something lower, and that I don't measure up to my own standards for myself.

So what does 'being a woman' mean to me? I do suppose that would help you to understand what exactly I'm failing in. I feel that I should be happy, gracious, beautiful, sexy, willing and able to please in every sense, a great cook, inteligent, and ever so slightly in control of all situations but in an undercurrent sort of sense. I think thats all. Its quite a goal, I know, and lately I feel like I'm falling short in the happy, beautiful, sexy, willing and able to please, and control departments. I could focus on the areas that seem to still be ok, such as the cooking and inteligence areas, and I could focus one the good sections if they outweighed the bad, but I'm looking at an 5-3 record. And I do weigh these all equally.

Obviously, I feel ugly because my hair, which used to be curly, is now flat, very strange indeed, and I'm all puffy. The flat hair only makes me look that much more puffier, too, and its all attributed to the body-changing that comes with pregnancy. So I feel neither beautiful or sexy, because even though those two are different feelings, they do go hand in hand. This feeling is part of the fuel for the 'willing and able' catagory. I mean, I am willing, but I just don't seem to be able. Everything takes longer, and things just don't work right, and that makes me feel worse, and fuels the 'ugly/not sexy' feelings. This all makes me feel unhappy, and then I seem to just get snappy and grumpy for no reason, which makes me not want to do even just little things that make Husband happy like smiling when I come home, or cry for no reason, and that just makes me feel out of control, and its all a viscious cycle, everything fueling the fire on another thing.

The problem, is I can't tell how much is hormones and will pass, and how much is something more sinister. I have managed to keep the crazy, hate-thoughts against the kid from surfacing, but I still can't help but think this is mostly his fault, and I sort of resent him for it. I keep telling myself that once he's here, this will all go away, but then theres the fear of what if it doesn't. What if I can't get past this, what if I carry this over, and resent him from the time he is born? Its not fair to him, he really hasn't done anything wrong, and I know its crazy to balme him for any of this. I really need to be committed.

Can I just go into a coma until this all passes? Can modern medicine do that for me?

while i don't know your husband, i can guess based on my experience that your husband understands a lot of this and that your grumpiness/etc isn't off-putting to him as much as it makes HIM feel like he's not doing enough to help you through the rough patches.

men feel horribly helpless as partners in the pregnancy.

i'm afraid i can't help at all explain the feelings you're having except that i witnessed them all and fell equally at a loss when my wife had them. and then they went away.

Thats at least a ray of hope, Steven. Thank you.

men need to be in control and when there is nothing we can do, we feel like failures. Guess we just don't need to feel sexy/beautiful to be happy as long as there is something else we are in control/mastery over... that explains a lot.

Everyday, there is something new with my wife that makes me feel helpless - so I try even harder to do something and that ends up annoying mrs tk even more then the cramps/nausea/tiredness/whatever that is bothering her at that moment that I want to 'solve'... Men like fixing/solving stuff - don't know what would happen if we got pregnant and all you can do is hang on for the ride. So hang on Sarah!

Sarah (and other new/soon-to-be new parents): One of the most significant things I read when I was pregnant was that during this time leading up to birth and the first few weeks post-partum, you and your spouse need to consciously focus on being kind to one another.

Which seems tiny, but it's not. The truth is you are in this together, and as the guys have pointed out, your visible misery makes him feel helpless and frustrated and scared, and he wonders if he will ever get the woman he loves back - and you are wondering the same thing, if you will ever just be you again.

You will. But different.

So even if you're both stressed and cranky and make an easy target for one another, try to just be kind and considerate to each other. Your body will be yours again, looking like the non-pregnant woman you are will come back again, and sex will come back again. All of it slightly different, and - in my honest opinion, I'm not just saying this - infinitely better, because it's grounded in a deep shared experience.

But it does take time. As tk said, hang on.

just in time for mrs. tk's birthday, the general malaise of nausea has lifted. now she has a head cold (and suffering since she can't take anything strong enough to stop the sniffling).

so the big topic of conversation today was: the nanny/babysitters versus daycare versus working part-time versus having time to start her own practice as a shrink. so what do the moms and dads of archinect have to say about daycare for infants?


stay tuned for news from the big 22 weeks ultrasound appointment!

We are going to ask the old lady across the street about watching our kid, but if she says no, then we will be going the daycare/preschool route. I feel like later in life, meaning 1.5 yrs and up, social interaction will be better than the one on one attention gotten from being the only charge in a sitter's care. Before then, I prefer the single charge approach. So hopefully, the woman across the street says yes, cause that would be oh so convenient, and when Abram gets potty trained, we will transfer him to a preschool/day care setting.

And I would love to stay at home, but money won't allow it, as I'm sure is true for many. Oh well, I can pretend for six weeks!

And I'm glad the Mrs is feeling better, minus the head cold. Hopefully, that won't last too long.

I too am planning on sending the baby to daycare. I have negotiated for 12 weeks of leave for my job, and then part-time through the end of the summer, so I am hoping that our daycare needs will be limited to 3 days a week at first. My office is open to having me telecommute - which I am grateful for. So even when I go back to full-time in the fall, and am balancing office duties as well as teaching duties, I can fufill some portion of desk-time at home. I know it sounds ambitious (being productive at home w/ an infant) but I imagine much of this time will be accomplished after hours while my husband is home to help.

As far as daycare goes, I think I have found a great one - all the caregivers have formal education in early childhood development, are certified, know emergency care, etc., and the daycare has an almost non-existent turnover rate of staff. Not the least expensive place in town, but reasonable. We were lucky to get on the waiting list back in August for a spot late this spring (it felt crazy to shop around for daycare before I was even showing!)

I don't think I'd want to stay at home full-time...even if I did I'd find some design work to keep me involved. However the insurance benefits at my job are reason enough to keep working, and my salary/billable rate and benefits do not change being on part-time status. I will revisit the stay-at-home stuff after the baby arrives...I really have nothing to base my opinion on until then, right? Ideally I would have started this "great adventure" having passed all my exams and such...therefore giving me the freedom to work on my own projects as it made sense. Perhaps some day.

I think having a nanny in your own home would be ideal...but until I win the lottery or have a family member that I can stand move in (unlikely) it's not an option for me.

tk-if you think you will go for daycare for your infant, start researching and get on a wait list now! The good places tend to be pretty competitive. Good luck!

My wife works from home. So for now she's going to try and work (minimal hours) while taking care of Rowan. We will probably have to readdress the situation when her hours start to pick up. We are also about to have a big transition in our life so we'll have to wait until afterward before we can make any decisions regarding daycare/nanny/etc.

We were talking about this with friends over the weekend. They also have a newborn and the mom works from home. Of course, it's inevitable whenever you start doing research like this horror stories start coming out of the (which is awful as a new parent but I'll refrain from spreading anxiety). In the end, awareness does help remind you of how important it is to do your homework and properly check on the people who will be looking after your little'un.

working from home is our first option, but we'd still need somebody to keep the lil'un quiet as my wife coached clients over the phone.

we also have a big transition complicating the nanny/daycare discussion. We don't know which neighborhood we may land in (beach or mountains or downtown or ?)

So, Rowan had her first giggling fit last night while I was giving her a bath. Then another one (while I was asleep) at about 3am this morning. It is absolutely amazing how you can fall in love with something so small and so innocent, something so simple and yet infintely complex, over and over and over... and over again.

(smile)

Yep. It's an amazing and totally new kind of love, isn't it? You don't know you're capable of it until it happens.

its a BOY!!!!!!

so now the discussion is to snip or not to snip. Guess I'll also have to learn how to play baseball.

Congrats TK! We haven't decided that question either, and we are running out of time.

So I had an appointment today, and had some questions answered. First, I passed the glucose test with flying colours, though I wasn't worried. I was told the numbness I feel around the tip of my sternum is due to the stretching skin and such. The best way to describe the numbness is the way your cheeks feel as the novacane wears off after the dentist, right at the chewy gummy stage. Also, I was worried about the position of the baby because I thought he was sideways, and would run out of room before he turned. So I told the doctor this, and he mashed around, and said he thought I was fine, but did a sonogram just for fun. WooHoo! Free Sonogram!!! That kid has gotten HUGE!!! Theres no way he's going to fit, no way. But he is healthy.

I have reached the stage where my tiredness of being pregnant has outweighed my reluctance to have the sudden responsibilty a child brings, and now just want this to be over with. The doctor, obviously, wants me to wait it out, and said it would be better if I felt this way closer to 37-38 weeks, instead of the 31 I'm at now. Oh well. I do know that I want to start peeling off the pounds as soon as I am allowed because I want to be able to wear the clothes I like. I love the stuff at Arden B, and figure, unless I find out otherwise, and probably won't care anyway, that I can look like a 28y.o. who doesn't have kids, even though I have one. There's no law against that, is there? I don't want to be trapped in the 'mommy' look that so many women get stuck in; I don't want my child to define me. Is that wrong? I hope not, cause thats the way I feel. So come 36 weeks, I'm going to start trying to speed this process up. Not in a dangerous way, but in a natural way, using all the natural techniques that are mentioned in the books, that may or may not work. Fingers are crossed that this only last 38 instead of 40 weeks.

Did I mention that we have already been given Christmas gifts for our unborn son? He received wooden toys, cars and trains, for Christmas, and a DVD of Disney's 'The Jungle Book.' Grandparents are strange.

Oh, and about that family photo I was going to have to take.... there were coordination issues, and it never happened. Darn. It will have to wait until I'm no longer pregnant, and HOPEFULLY fully recovered from the whole 'New Mom' experience.

We have discovered that we can play with Abram already. This really gets Husband excited. Pay attention TK. If you press down gently, in rocking motions, you can find body parts, creepy I know, but cool too. Once you find a foot, or a fist, you can press gently, and he pushes back. Its really kind of cute, and in our minds, its a form of strength training that will only make him stronger. If my son comes out all bruised, well, at least we will know why. But it is fun, and makes it seem more real. I mean, yeah, his squirming all about lets me know he's there, but its really not interacting. The interacting is definatly helping me to bond, as are the sonograms I'm sneaking in, which I really need. I'm starting to look forward to this, not just because I want the pregnancy to be over, but because I'm ready to see what he looks like. I'm predicting a round face, red hair, blue eyes, and chubby after a few weeks. I think he will be one of those cute cuddly babies, not the long lean kind. Some of this is based in the bit of genetics we all learn in 7th grade, and some is based on feel. I mean, he can't be too long because he's turned with his feet up, but he isn't kicking my ribs, or interfering with anything up there. He also isn't pressing on the bladder, so I figure he's pretty short right now. I hope he grows to be a full 6'0", but not until he's in High School.

I start my two week visits now, so I will be posting more often, i figure. Hopefully, that will make the time go by more quickly.

OH, I would totally do that! I kinda feel sorry for my kid, he's going to be a huge science experiment, within reason of course. Like the 'stepping reflex' that babies have when they are born, but seems to go away in a few weeks. In case you don't watch Natural Geographic 24/7, when something touches the bottom of the baby's feet, they start stepping, like they're walking. This can be seen even just hours after birth. After a few weeks, however, the reflex seems to disapear, but it turns out that they just get too heavy for their muscles to lift their own legs. If you put them in water, the reflex returns. I can't wait to test this out.

So, Husband's parents weren't the only ones to give gifts to the unborn. Its such a strange practice, it makes me laugh.

My mom made an amazing quilt, 2 squares wide, 3 squares long, filled with a graphic representation of an old-school open cockpit car; think 1940s racer. Its really awesome. She also stitched his name on one of the squares. I was admittedly worried it wouldn't look as good as it did, mostly because I couldn't see it, and had no input, and I'm picky(read snobby). But I couldn't be happier. Its absolutely perfect. She also gave us a full-body bib, and a 'look and find' "Cars" book.

My Grandmother gave Abram a bedtime book of Bible stories, and ... ready for this... a Doll that crawls, says 'dada' and 'mama' and laughs. That crazy lady. My sister just looked at her and said "you know she's having a boy, right?" We figure we will donate it, but all the toy drives are over, aren't they?

Saturday, my mother and I are doing the registry thing. We are also picking up a few things I will need before the baby is born, namely the car-seat, diaper bag, and pump. Doesn't that sound like fun. Wish me luck! Hopefully, I won't feel like a Holstine.

lol.

i have a stash of quilts from my great grandmother, my grandma and my mother for kiddo to use. Guess these are heirlooms, but I'm still going to deploy them. My mom made some very 70's color choices, bright blue and yellow fabrics- not really what I'd want these days, but still. The quilts from the elders are more traditional pastels and mellow colors.

Buying toys for boys will be easier for me since I have nostalgic ideas of what i enjoyed playing with. Even have a few tonka trucks and HO trains stashed for when steve gets old enough. I'm just hoping that he doesn't start disassembling all my watches when he turns 10 like I did to my dad's!

You've named him Steve, or am I reading that wrong? Its cool that you've named him already.

And I fully expect to find my son in the garage around age 7 with saudering iron. I figure I will flip at first, come to my senses, and simply say, 'Wait till your father can supervise.'

yeah, he's named after my mom (steveann) and his middle name is for my father in law (starr) - both R.I.P.

So his name is to be Steve Starr Treekiller? And your mom's name was Steveann, did she like it much? My mom's middle name is earlene, and she HATES it.

Hey tk. I just got caught up on the previous posts. Congrats on finding out your having a boy!

I can now safely say, you can never have enough baby blankets.

How many sheets would you reccomend I register for, John?

sheets for a crib, co-sleeper, what's he sleeping when you bring him home?

He gets his own bed from the beginning. So crib. We have one sheet now, but I figure we will need more. There could be an exploding mess at some point.

I modified an old piece of furniture we had to act as a changing table. We bought one of those changing mattress from PB and a cover. Before baby, we thought we might use it on occasion since you can pretty much change a baby where ever, right? Well, we use it for about 99% of all diaper and clothing changes. She loves being up there and often if she's fussy, we'll put her there to calm her down.

I'll also mention since we are talking linens at the moment, we never put the mattress pad cover on any more. It's a huge pain in ass and Rowan usually ends up pooping, peeing or spitting up on it within minutes of installation... we just bought a bunch of the old school diapers from Target and lay her on those. If she has any mishaps, we can just throw it in the laundry.

We also broke out the baby einstein this past weekend. It's a huge hit, though I think the lights and music (for now) are quite the over-stimulation.

We converted a dresser, or at least are in the process of converting it - we still need to frame in the top. I wasn't sure if I should get one of those foam changing things, or just put a towel down, but you reccomend the foam thing?

hmm. Is it easy to change the sheets? Our co-sleeper (which I highly recommend) is pretty easy to change sheets. You'll be changing sheets often. I wouldn't say this meaning you'll need 12 spare sheets but always have a clean one on hand.. We have 3 total and are fine for most occasions. If the mattress is not waterproof or have a waterproof lining get something that will protect the it.

Its the standard plastic crib matress. Figured if plastic was good enough for me through college dorm years, the kiddo wold be just fine.

If he's too messy, can I just put him in the tub, empty of course. Maybe not.

And I figured 4 sheets would be enough.

yeah, i recommend the foam mattress for a couple of reasons. But if you get one make sure you can fasten it to the table by either the button straps provided or enclose all four sides with "walls". The mattress is waterproof so impervious to mishaps. It also doesn't move around like a towel will. They also come with a buckle strap so you can strap the little'un in in case you need to turn around for a second or two. These straps are also good once they get a little older and can move around. Try and give yourself a little bit of space to either side of the mattress to put wipes, creams, anything you'll need while changing. That's the one thing we don't have with my adhoc creation and wish we did.

Sounds good to me! Man, we are tearing this thread up today!

you won't give him a "bath" for atleast a few weeks after he comes home. He won't be able to get wet because of the umbilical cord. We have a baby bathtub we picked up at Target and it works great.

We have tons of small wash cloths that we use for just about everything: spit ups, running under warm water and whiping Rowan's face, hands, feet, baths, etc. Her accidents are getting a little bigger so we may have to get bigger wash cloths eventually.

8)

ewe, babies are gross. Why can't they just control their own ooze? I may have to hose mine off in the sink regularly.

I don't know if we are going to get a baby bath tub or not. We are going budget on this project, and it seems like towels laid in the sink would work well. I don't obviously know for sure, but maybe. Or maybe ... no I don't have any mixing bowls large enough for that.

John, do you have anything that you have found to be a waste of time or money, something that is gimmicky, and really unneeded? And on the opposite side of that, things that turned out to be indispensable?

All of us Architecturally inclined parents are so screwed. I'm going to need a raise after seeing all of these building block sets

hmm.. i'll have to think a bit on that one. We are in the same budget conscious mind set. We really nixed a lot of stuff we "thought" we would need and fortunately have really only had to suplement a few things - like those old school diapers I mentioned above. You'll need a decent instant thermameter.. no old school mercury kind. We use our pack n' play exclusively during the day when we need to put Rowan down and do something. It's a little different in our house because we always want to make sure baby is never left alone with dogs - not that I don't trust Twyla and Shalek but still. Clothing is something we've experimented with a lot but that'll take quite a bit to write out and share so i'll hold off for now.. just remind me if I forget. let me check with the mrs for other stuff i'm sure to have forgotten.

John Cline - on the mattress pad cover topic - this goes under the sheet, right? Or do I put a sheet on the mattress and then put the cover between baby and sheet? I have much to learn.

I have 3 fitted sheets for the crib, and we've received so many blankets as gifts so far I think we are covered (sorry for the pun). didn't think about sheets for the co-sleeper...I think we are still getting one as a gift from a relative. Can't you just tuck a crib sheet into those?

I'm 36 wks/9 months today. It's a cruel joke that everyone thinks pregnancy lasts 9 months. Nope, 10 if you are lucky. But I'm inside a month to the big day...wavering between wanting the baby now and wanting to get the remodel done before baby arrives. We spent Christmas installing our hardwood floor, and it's beautiful. I will admit that I felt like a bad-ass running the chopsaw for my husband and slinging wood with my 9-month belly. My kid is going to love power tools.

Sarah-glad you're having fun watching Abram move around...this activity never gets old for me.

tk-congrats on the boy!

The thing that goes ontop of the sheet is a 'sheet saver' and looks something like a wide stripe across the mattress. I figure a doubled up towel can serve this purpose. The matress pad/cover goes under the sheet, over the mattress, think of the plastic things they put down to prevent kids from staining th matress when they wet the bed.

And I agree with you about the time misconception. Its crap, and I tell everyone I think so.

If the mattress is waterproof, all you need is a fitted sheet. If the mattress is not waterproof (I can't imagine someone would manufacture such a useless item) then you'll need some sort of waterproof barrier between the sheet and mattress. Does this make sense? Sorry if i've confused! And you'll only want to buy armsreach cosleeper fitted sheets. That way you won't have to worry about shoving extra material under the mattress and worring it'll loosen with the potential to suffocate baby. I've already gotten this lecture from the mrs.

And one month to go?! and running a chop saw! woohoo! I can't remember, sp, do you know what you're having? 4 weeks from today puts the baby almost to the day of my own birthday. yippee for aquarius!

thanks ya'll!

the furniture situation has yet to be sorted out. We're waiting for the next IKEA sale.

How much is that 'co-sleeper' basinette? it's nicer (ie less frilly and ugly) then others I've seen. the scenarios we're thinking about are to have a basinette in our bedroom till we shift cities, then get the crib, or to just get the crib to start (and locate it in the adjacent bedroom) and save the cost of the basinette.

good luck ms. smallpotatoes - hope you got a pic with you wearing a tool belt!

tk - you might want to look into just using a pack-n-play considering the impending move. Those are the collapsible play pens that usually consist of a deep portion for sleeping (or toddlers), an elevated portion for newborns and a part that extends over the pen for changing diapers. They pack into a sack and while not tiny, are as mobile as these things get. Many of my friends w/ kids used this for the first few months before transistioning to the crib. I found one in the fall at a garage sale for 20 bucks! We will be using this if the relatives don't hook us up with the co-sleeper. BTW, I often see co-sleepers on ebay or craigslist for reasonable $.

Sarah have you experienced Abram's hiccups yet? My kid's got them right now.

I highly recommend the co-sleeper. We got the smaller one that isn't quite as ugly as the others (IMO). try craigslist too, tk. our neighbors found a baby bjorn (sp?) and a cosleeper on there for cheap... I wish we had done this soon; it would have saved us quite a few bucks. we also have the pack n' play and use it daily!

John Cline we don't know what we are having, it will be a surprise. This has proven incredibly useful for annoying family and friends. people keep asking us if we know yet as if we've been keeping some secret knowledge from them! and I am really hoping to make it past Jan 20 so that the baby will be aquarius (EDD is 1/24/08). My b-day is the 20th, thus making me a bicuspid - sharing qualities of both capricorn and aquarius makes for some interesting mood swings. In any event, the potato family may have birthday WEEK in January.

It seems I won't be getting used to wearing this big belly either since I was still running into the adjustment-knob in front of the chop saw all weekend! Bet the kid loved that.

and of course...special sheets for the co-sleeper, I should expect that. We bought a foam mattress (Colgate Classica III if you care) for the crib we're building and yes it's waterproof. Would have loved to get an organic cotton one but...they're too $$$ and thinking about how one of those would soak up the mess...ew.

woohoo. i like that EDD! and birthday weeks sounds like a blast!