Man Shower aka Man Gathering aka Wii Party

As my brother Mike pointed out, the nomenclature for any assembly of the male of the species needs to be considered carefully. In our terms, a Man Shower is non-existent, because a "Shower" implies formal invitations, wrapped gifts, and "ooos" and "aahhhs." Men would never be caught behaving as such in public. Meanwhile, a Man Gathering is the correct term for a celebration held prior to a man's wedding, featuring a mass e-mail invitation, grilled meat, and gifts - mainly tools - that, if wrapped, are wrapped only in the plastic bag from the store.

What happened a couple weeks ago, while my wife enjoyed her baby shower, was in the spirit of the Man Gathering, but should be appropriately titled a Wii Party.

A Wii Party involves a group of men - namely your fathers, brothers, and good friends - who gather around pizza, sports paraphernalia, popcorn, a stuffed lion, and two Nintendo Wiis - one projected on a big screen; the other on a flatscreen TV.


The Wii Party was thrown by some of my good male friends in Columbus, in a separate room in the Darby House, while Beth's baby shower was held down the hall. It makes perfect sense to do that - that way husbands and wives can be invited to the events, and enjoy themselves in different ways. All in all, it was a great time - the weather was beautiful that day, and the views out the window showed off the woods and the Big Darby Creek.

The scheduling worked out so that all of my family could be there, as well as a good number of friends from in- and outside of Columbus. As the title implies, we hung out, played Wii on two different screens (with Mario Kart and Guitar Hero III dominating), ate pizza and popcorn, and generally explored the space. The Darby House is filled with fascinating memorabilia from John Gilbreath, the owner who passed away in 1988. Mr. Gilbreath was a businessman who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates and a number of racing horses - so the walls are filled pictures, trophies, and gear. There's even one case with various letters and gifts from different Presidents, Popes, and Queens.

A special thanks to all the guys who came, and for all their support as we make this big step. And a really big thanks to everyone who threw such a beautiful shower for my wife - I can't think of anything more honoring.

A Container of Canopy Chairs

A few of you have asked how the Original Canopy Chair is selling, after seeing it in Target, Sports Authority, Ace Hardware, etc... this Spring. (For those of you who don't know, I'm the General Manager of Renetto, the company that invented and sells the canopy chair. It was conceived in part by Paul Robinett, who also owns the store I manage as well as being a YouTube celebrity.)

Well, chair sales are booming! So much so that we're having to order containers of chairs almost monthly in order to keep the chairs in stock. It can be a bit hard to visualize ordering thousands of chairs from overseas in a "container" and unloading them into our warehouse if you've never seen it done, so here are a few visuals:

This is a 40 foot container placed on a semi truck for transport. Our containers come across the pacific on a huge barge, with thousands of other containers of similar size. They are then placed on a train at a port on the West coast and railed across the country to a trucking company in Ohio that dispatches our container to us after I set up a time. It takes about 3 weeks for the chairs to travel from the manufacturer to us in Columbus.

We then put together a crew of 10-12 people from friends and family in town and we meet the driver at our warehouse and start unloading! If we're lucky, it's a beautiful 65 degree day, like it was yesterday! (We've also done this in 90 degree heat...not so fun!)

My Operations Manager (and fellow Goose), Karl, organizes the jobs and divides them up - we have people in the truck calling out colors and passing down chairs. People on the ground load them onto carts and dollies and take them into the warehouse.
This is the warehouse- it is organized "neapolitan-style," we like to say; basically in columns of colors (we offer 10 or so). Each layer of 10 chairs (2 per box) is numbered so that, at a glance, we can tell exactly how many of each color we have.

It went very smoothly, and we were done in an hour and a half, which is a record for us! So, we're all stocked up and ready to keep filling orders...they've ramped up exponentially over the last few weeks! And, if unloading a container of chairs sounds like a way you'd want to spend an evening, let me know and I'll add your name to the contact list! :)

Our Baby Shower!

What do you get when you combine my 4 wonderful sisters, my amazing sister-in-law, my creative friends, and my best friend who also happens to be one of Columbus' most amazing special event/wedding planners? Well...you get an incredible, honoring day featuring delicious, beautiful food, stunning decor, and wonderful fellowship with friends and family. It all started with the adorable invitations, handmade by a group of us. This, I will tell you, was the only part of the entire day that they let me help with! As someone who spends most of her life planning parties and gatherings, not being able to help was really strange, but very refreshing.


The Baby Shower was held at the Darby House, an event space sitting on 4000 acres of pristine horse farm and rolling countryside outside of Columbus. Because Caitlin is an event planner for the venue, they allowed her to use the entire thing for the whole day! In the entryway, Caitlin designed vinyl lettering to go on the windows from our friends at Wonderful Graffiti, displaying the "theme" of nesting! A wire tree sculpture was hung with little bird-stamped tags.On the tree, guests were encouraged to write notes and prayers for our growing family!The room was set up beautifully, using chocolate brown and light blue and green linens. It was also a truly stunning day!As you can tell, this is going to be a picture-heavy post, and most of them were taken by my friend and photographer, Robin Oatts of Genre Creative and Spindle Studios. She is fiercely talented (you may also remember her from such website designs as Wild Goose Creative).The food was just incredible, and was made by my talented friends and family! We had English scones with lemon curd, jam, and clotted cream, chicken and egg salad sandwiches on pretzel rolls, watermelon and feta salad, tortellini salad, fruit kebabs, and an array of beautiful cookies.
The cake was made by Columbus' own Sue Larson, who is a master sugar artist as well as baker of beautiful cakes. The nest on top of the cake is made of light brown pure spun sugar with three handmade marzipan robin's eggs inside.The centerpieces are Caitlin Foley specials, with grapevine nests and multicolored tulips with spaghnum moss and thistle in ceramic sage green containers. I'm a bit biased, but she is the most amazing floral designer in the universe! The little brown bag favors were made my my dear friend (and fellow Wild Goose) Jessie, and contain a special blend of my favorite tea with a beautiful note and perfectly coordinated paper and bird stamps. The blue candles are from Paul Robinett's.Jessie and Jacqui are sporting the pacifier necklaces on blue grosgrain ribbon that people got to take from you if they heard you use the word "baby." My sister Marina was rabid at this game! Here I am, applauding Jacqui (also a fellow Goose and good friend) for her handiwork on Peanut, the Wee Elephant, a stuffed animal she made for Baby D!And here is more craftiness going on, as guests (Caitlin, Carolyn, Lisa, Mandi, and Amanda) decorate onesies, hats, and socks for our little boy!
All in all, it was a truly overwhelmingly beautiful day. I want to sincerely thank everyone who was involved in the planning and the execution of the shower! Like I said, it was so honoring and humbling to have our friends and family show so much excitement and anticipation for our little boy. I can't wait to introduce him to each and every one of you!

P.S. Some of you may be wondering where Nick was during the shower...well, he was down the hall, where the guys had thrown him a Man Shower! :) I'll let him tell you about it!

Dogolas, what do your dog eyes see?

In this picture, Maeby is thinking, "Something's changing around here. I wonder what's coming?"

Hint, Maeby: Baby D is coming. Just under six weeks from now. You have no idea...

The latest from Baby D...

We had our latest ultrasound last week Friday. Beth and I were both excited to get to see our little man again. The overall visit was pretty short - always a good thing! Dr. Ruedrich basically looked over everything and pronounced it good. We could see Baby D's legs, plus his heart beating, and his chest rising and falling. The Dr. pointed out that, even though babies get their oxygen through the umbilical cord, they will "practice" using their lungs by breathing the amniotic fluid in and out.


Dr. Ruedrich confirmed again for us that Baby D is, in fact, a boy. And just to eliminate any doubt, he labeled the photo.

He also managed to get a couple mug shots of Baby D. You can see many of his facial features.

Our little man just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Beth took her sisters Kate and Abbey to her non-stress test this morning so they could hear his heart beating. And now, whenever he moves, you can see it on Beth's tummy. Another month and a half, buddy!

Non-Stressed Out

Baby D and I started our non-stress tests last week. We go twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and get hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor and a uterine activity monitor. These are attached to a machine which spits out a long paper recording the baby's heart rate (the top line) and my uterine activity (the line way at the bottom). I also have a little Jeopardy- buzzer I click whenever Baby D moves. The printer makes a little mark on the page when I hit the buzzer (those are the little black arrows in the middle of the paper). You can see he moves A LOT...and it definitely increases when he hears Nick's voice.

Not everyone needs to go through these tests, which are quite boring (and early in the morning!), but our doctor, Dr. Ruderick, requested that we do them until I go into labor. He says that because we had trouble getting pregnant in the first place, our pregnancy is classified as "Premium," one step down from "High-Risk," and he wants to be able to keep tabs on how Baby D is doing as much as possible...which is fine by us! Everything looks good so far, so Baby D is pretty comfortable where he is!

I enjoy it because I get to hear my son's heart beat through a speaker for a whole 45 minutes a few times a week, which, even though it is fast, is very soothing. It makes it all seem that much more real!

Outlaw Gardener

Nick and I have been wanting to start a compost pile for a while, and even more now than ever after reading pages upon pages of research of the eternal cloth vs. disposable diaper debate. (Which I am not even going to get into on this blog because I know how controversial that topic is.) With the way landfills are being built right now (with no leakage/drainage), even grass clippings thrown into the trash take forever to decompose, so why not put the good stuff to good use? We knew we'd get one right away when we bought a house. I did some research and bought one made from recycled plastic on ebay. It was super easy to put together, and holds 12 cubic feet of compost materials.

As soon as it arrived, I happily assembled it and started layering dry leaves, some grass clippings and food scraps, all according to some great websites I've found. I've adjusted the percentages of nitrogen vs. carbon materials, and added water and soil at the right times of day...it's a lot like having a giant science experiment in the backyard! I am really enjoying it for some reason, and between composting and recycling, we've been able to cut down our garbage at least 50% so far. It's actually made me add more fruits and vegetables to our daily meals, just so I can add the scraps to the compost!

However, my compost bliss lasted until I found out on ColumbusUnderground.com that composting within the Columbus city limits is illegal! In fact, per Columbus City Ordinance:

707.03 Standards relative to solid waste.
...
(G) No person shall deposit or allow to accumulate in any building, premise, yard, court, lot, street, alley, sidewalk, easement or any other place, except in authorized receptacles, any substance, solid, semi-solid or liquid, or animal, vegetable or mineral origin, that by its decay, decomposition, chemical action or by becoming a harbor for animal or insect pests, would become an unsanitary condition. (Ord. 858-01 §§ 1 (part), 5 (part).

It would appear that they are mostly concerned that a compost pile would attract rodents. What is strange is that you might think that "authorized receptacles" might ease the burden against compost bins, but a call to the city assured me that no food scraps were allowed to be collected, no matter the container. (These anti-composting sentiments, of course, fly in the face of Columbus' Green City efforts.)

You may think this made me think twice about keeping my inner-city compost bin, but NO! Now I dream of the day where the fuzz bursts into my backyard and attempts to confiscate the 140 degree decomposing plant matter as I chain myself to my compost bin, reciting various passages from the Constitution and/or the EPA handbook. GIVE ME COMPOST OR GIVE ME DEATH!

I'm pretty sure the City of Columbus has bigger things to focus on...actually, I PRAY they do! But it's fun to dream.

32/40, or 8/10, or 4/5

Who's that hot mama? That's right, it's my wife Beth. Today marks Week 32 of the pregnancy. This puts us at roughly 4/5 of the process! Baby D is taking up more and more space everyday, and his movement has gotten much stronger. Last night, as I read to him, he was punching his poor mama pretty hard. It felt like a tiny fist pressing against her belly.

So far, we've toured the maternity ward of the hospital (we're birthing at the Ohio State Medical Center, for those who want to know); we're almost done with our birthing classes, which have been informative and comforting; and the nursery is practically finished. Once it's done, we'll post some pictures up here on the blog. And we're almost done landscaping the backyard - not necessarily for the baby, but we wanted everything organized and in the ground before Beth's baby shower in a couple weeks. I just have to fertilize and mulch and then we'll watch it grow! Now I've started planning the bag we'll take to the hospital, and drafting the e-mails/blog post I'll send out when we head in. So our preparation (as much as we can), is almost complete!

It's funny how I feel a definite pressure to complete a bunch of things before the baby arrives. The pressure is all self-applied, that's for sure. And none of it has been that "This is my last chance at freedom" feeling, like I've got to ride a motorcycle or skydive or go on some wild adventure before the baby comes home. It's more the type of "Let's get this fixed" or "Let's paint this room" or "Let's finish the landscaping" feeling. More task-oriented. And we're doing well, I think. We've made a bunch of minor repairs around the house over the past few weeks; the nursery is almost finished; we cleaned, patched, and repainted the nasty basement stairway; and a friend from church is here now doing some electrical work. Plus, we're getting to travel a bit in the next month: a trip to see friends in Chicago this weekend, a cousin's wedding in Pennsylvania a couple weeks after that. And then we'll settle in and wait for Baby D-Day!

Dear Sally Who Works at the Short North Chase Bank,

Hello! I know I'm in there at least 3 times a week, and that you see me all the time. I know that you've seen me after running to the bank in the rain, on good days and bad days, and over the past several months as I have been getting noticeably rounder. I know we have had our spats when you seemingly make up rules regarding the 9 accounts I manage just to make my Mondays worse.

So, my dear Sally, think twice before telling me I look tired...even if you say "I don't mean that in a bad way!" Because that's just a soft way of telling me I look worse than I usually do, and there is no nice way to say that.

Love, Beth

Bedtime

Some common pregnancy ailments have paid me a visit the last week or so. I'll save you the unsavory details, but it's certainly made for an interesting nightly ritual. I've had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for the past 4 or 5 years, and have been able to keep it under control, but pregnancy has really kicked it into overdrive. And with my pillow that props me up like a window display (however comfortable it may be), getting ready for bed has become quite an event...

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I take a handful of multivitamins and wash them down with a Pepcid. Then I don my wrist braces and curl up in my curly pregnancy pillow and wait for Nick to get into bed.

Even though I feel about as attractive as a rock, my favorite part of the night is when Nick sits next to his propped-up wife and reads to our son. Currently he's reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and we'll move on to The Hobbit in a few days. This is also Baby D's favorite time of night. It is obvious that he knows his Daddy's voice because he starts jumping all around as soon as Nick starts reading. He doesn't stop kicking and punching until the end of the chapter when we all curl up and fall asleep. I love it!

30 Weeks

Only 10 weeks to go now! I can't believe I'm this far along already! Time hasn't slowed down yet, even though everyone is warning me it will...Baby D is now the size of a jicama...however big that is! (Actually, that means he's about 3.75 pounds and 16 in. long!)
I'm getting pretty round, too! For the first time on Saturday, I had a person assume I was pregnant and was sure enough to make a comment! It was a cute Jamaican man at North Market and he said to Nick and I, "Ahhhh! When is the happy occasion!?," while motioning to my belly. I'm REALLY surprised it hadn't happened earlier! I had heard so many horror stories of strangers approaching women (pregnant or not) and asking when they are due, or ones where people grab women's bellies. Thus far, everyone has been very respectful and kind, and more excited than anything! But, am I really going to be offended if someone assumes I'm pregnant! I AM! :)

Gardens!

Man, I love Spring. It just reminds me how much I love gardens, trees, and flowers. And that leads to my love of gardening itself! There is nothing like heading to a greenhouse on a bright April morning and taking in everything there is to offer our little backyard. Our yard, thankfully, was a blank slate when we moved in, but we only had time to drop 50 day lilies in the ground before the fall/winter craziness hit. And our lust for everything green and flowering surpasses a few day lilies... :)

But this Spring, watch out! We're planting trees, vines, herbs, vegetables, petunia, impatients, viburnum, lavender, etc...anything I can get my hands on! I've been spending some time at my favorite greenhouses in town, as well, which is the BEST way to spend a beautiful April morning. Here are my favorites:

Above is Oakland Nursery, one of Columbus's largest inner-loop nurseries with the most impressive collection of any type of growing thing imaginable. Prices are a bit higher than what you'd find on the outskirts of town, but they have great end-of-season sales (forsythia is on sale now!).
This one is deMonye's Greenhouse, also a great choice for sheer volume of stuff. DeMonye's has a great collection of potted tropicals and indoor plants, but is known for their seasonal sales, such as their The Wave Petunia sale last weekend. This is the type of petunia that grows like it's on steroids in gardens and baskets everywhere. They had thousands of flats of them in every color imaginable stacked on about a hundred huge carts. I bought 6 or 7 flats and that was MODEST compared to what some people bought.

I have also found that our neighborhood Lowe's has great sales as well, though their selection is more directed to those won over by racks of brightly colored pansies and pre-made baskets (not that there is anything wrong with that!). I have purchased some great lilacs and flowering trees (all on sale RIGHT NOW) to enjoy next year! I have found, even though I am an impatient person in general, I love planting things now in hopes of a beautiful next year! And, though we're enjoying our yard right now, I can't wait to see how it looks in years to come!

Helpful Website!

I am usually pretty skeptical of information found on the internet, but this website is just too practical and helpful to not pass on. For those of you who are expecting a baby (which, by my count, is EVERYONE IN THE WORLD), Dos and Don'ts with Babies has some really great guidelines for how to take care of your new little one, such as the helpful one below:

Sweet Sweet Spring

When I was growing up, I don't remember Spring being an especially exciting time, nature-wise. I remember rain, daffodils, and then the leaves appearing. Pennsylvania is rampant with Dogwood Trees, as well, and those were beautiful, but as far as other flowering trees, they're just not sticking in my memory. And, even after living in Michigan for 5 years, the flowering trees never stuck out to me.

Then we moved to Ohio! Flowering trees are on every corner here, and are overflowing with blossoms, both fragrant and stunningly beautiful. Forsythia, Weeping Cherry, Snow Cherry, Magnolia, Crape Myrtle, Crabapple, Redbud.... I've never seen anything like it, and each year seems to get better and more abundant! Bulb flowers, though blooming everywhere here, take a backseat to the trees... The picture above is one of tons of magnolia trees in Goodale Park next to the candle shop.

So maybe my memory is a bit cloudy and I wasn't able to appreciate nature's beauty on a horticultural level, but I pray that I am continually surprised and delighted year after year here once Winter recedes and Spring takes over and the trees explode! I also pray I can stop buying flowering trees for our backyard...it's only so big! :)

Oh, Little Pooch...You Have No Idea What's Coming...

Well, Maeby has caught on to what's happening in "her" room. Even though we have always called this room the "nursery," thus far it has largely functioned as the place in which Maeby's kennel resides, as well as a sometime guest room, when our actual guest room is overflowing (which happens more often than you may think!). It also remains the only room which we didn't paint during our whirlwind move-in month!

This changed a few days ago! Maeby's kennel moved into my studio room (soon to be replaced full-time by her bed in the dining room), and in a few hours, the room was painted! And last night we decided to tackle putting together the crib and changing table. So we laid all the pieces out and dove into the instructions. I think this was the point that Maeby realized something serious was happening. At first she was, "Oh, look! They're painting my room a nice blue color! How sweet of them! And what a comfy rug! Wow! How generous!" then it moved to "Huh. That's odd. There's new stuff in my room. Weird. I already have my kennel and love it...what else could I need?" and now it's more "HOLY CRAP I THINK SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG HERE!!!"

She started trying to thwart the process by licking each piece of the furniture, just to test it out. She then attempted to help with the instructions by getting in our way each time we went to check them. She made sure to lay down directly on the parts we were working with, in the middle of the space. There was a lot of sighing and leaning against us, or walking out of the room in a huff only to bring back a toy (her current favorite: a tiny pink hippo) and shoving it in our hands.

She finally resolved to just lay quietly near us as we worked on the final pieces. The whole show was just so hysterical and endearing that it took us longer than we thought to put everything together because we were laughing so hard at Maeby!

We'll try to give her some special attention, but I think she's in for a rude awakening in about 12 weeks' time. I think she'll be depressed for a while, but she'll come around. We're just excited that our son has a great playmate to join him right away! There is no better companion for a little boy than a lab! Especially one that still thinks she's a puppy!

Toured!

Tonight we had our hospital tour at the OSU Medical Center. I went into it not expecting to see much and certainly not expecting to be impressed. I have been around and in hospitals all my life, just because of so many family members in the medical field, and really have no problem with them (except for the fact that they overuse the colors Teal and Mauve), so I was just going because it was the thing to do.

6 or so other couples were on the tour with us, led by Jill, a L&D nurse. The OSU hospitals are quite a maze, the result of year after year of construction. What appears from the outside to be one large building is actually a series of Halls: Doan, Rhodes, and James that all attach to the Ross Heart Hospital (our answer to America's "Let's Build the Most Impressive Cardiac Hospital Ever" Phase of the early 2000's). Once inside, the signage is pretty good, but it can still get confusing. So, for that reason alone, the tour was well worth it. Jill told us where to park, how to get to the right set of elevators, and how to check into the maternity ward. (All information we will gladly share to any visitors out there!)

This is where it got cool. OSU Maternity Ward has recently undergone massive construction. What we were presented with looked more like a four-star hotel than hospital. Hardwood floors and walls in both light and dark finishes, wide hallways with 12" tall ceilings, and soft lighting greeted us as we moved into the curving corridor and then into a labor, delivery, and recovery room. One wall was an huge window, letting in tons of natural light, with all of the rooms being private with a private bathroom. They provide all sorts of labor support like laboring balls, support bars, and large shower for pain relief. I was also impressed to hear that they are encouraging some of the latest research in skin-to-skin contact with the mother/baby and are pushing the 2010 breastfeeding initiatives. I don't know why I was surprised; this is a teaching hospital...I suppose they should practice the latest in research their faculty and students are learning.

All in all, I'm glad I got to appreciate all the thought and effort they put into the maternity ward at OSU, because I'm sure that the next time I'm there, I won't really care about the hardwood floors or panoramic views...

Hunk a' Burning Heart

In light of full disclosure to everyone out there who isn't pregnant, who might be, or to those who prefer to suffer in silence, I need your help!

I have never really had heartburn before about mid-pregnancy, a few months ago. It's a common symptom of pregnancy, especially third trimester and one I was fully expecting to endure. It's pretty obvious why it happens; the baby takes up space where your stomach once was, and all the little openings and closings between your mouth and it are all relaxed ('cuz of that pesky Relaxin)...there's really only one natural result: heartburn.

It's gotten worse over the past week or so, but what really bothers me is that I can't pinpoint what foods are exacerbating it. So far, I've noticed that garlic, onions and pizza really do it, but besides that, it's pretty much everything else at some point! What's super weird is that I eat a lot of Indian and Ethiopian food, which some people might consider spicy and a likely culprit, but that doesn't bother me at all! The only foods that I think are "safe" are cereal, bread, and some plain meat...but, even then, some of those bother me!

I can take Tums, and I'll be asking my doctor tomorrow what else I can take during pregnancy, but I'm not very interested in taking too many drugs for this. My question for everyone out there is what foods cause you trouble, and what made it feel better? The Internet hasn't been very helpful on this issue, so I covet your responses!

Everybody to the Limit!

I'm not used to physical limitations; I've always been pretty healthy and strong and never really thought much about "taking it easy." I have rarely found something that I cannot do because I am physically unable to do it.

Well, I think I hit that physical exertion wall this past week - on Friday I spent most of the day on my feet, registering at a Columbus baby boutique called Fireflies and Fairy Tales (super cute!) with Caitlin in the morning and then pouring and packing candles like a crazy person in the afternoon. Friday night I was hurtin', all creaky and back-achey. It was weird, but I guess it was bound to happen! I'm glad I made it 70% through my pregnancy before feeling this way! And now I know to NOT stand for 12 hours in a row! Funny thing, that! But I'm still sleeping pretty well (thanks to my AWESOME pillow!), and feeling overall great. My only cravings continue to be Chicken Pot Pie and Fruit, so nothing too weird yet.

In Baby D news, our little man is the size of a head of Chinese Lettuce, roughly 15" long and 2.5 lbs. He is moving all around a lot, and is most active when Nick reads to him at night...he knows his Daddy's voice! His movements during the day are enough so that you can see them by looking at my belly, which is hilarious!

Baby Stuff Hilarity

Nick and I are going through the process of registering at various baby places because, well, I guess it's the thing to do! I've always found registering a little strange, but the BABY registry process is absolutely hysterical. We went to Babies 'R' Us on Sunday, sat at their giant specially-made-for-the-registry-process-desk, got our registry packet and scan gun (which is the ONLY reasons Dads tag along for this) and sent us on our way!

As we headed towards the WALL of baby bottles and breast pumps, Nick and I just started laughing. I can't believe that they would expect two childless adults who have spent the last 6.5 years together, traveling, getting graduate degrees, hanging out with other childless friends, starting arts organizations, to know what the heck a NUK is...or the proper way to store and freeze breast milk, or what bottle nipple is most soothing, or what baby proofing equipment is necessary, or why fancy Boppy covers cost $40, or what a layette is/are, or why my infant needs a bath robe when I don't even own one, or why baby washcloths come in 8-packs.

Other couples came in, grabbed scan guns (wielded by the father, of course), and headed confidently to various departments, sure of the crib skirt they wanted, the right Bumbo seat color to match their nursery and the perfect Baby Einstein video to make their infant's brain swell with imagination. I just laughed and started pointing at stuff that looked cool and Nick scanned away. (A note here about Nick- even though he did admit to LOVING the scan gun - who doesn't - he was absolutely awesome the whole time! I think he had more fun than I did!)

So, I apologize if you take a look at our Babies 'R' Us registry and it doesn't make any sense. It was created by childless parents who have no idea what they're doing. :)

We did, however, also register at Amazon.com, because the book selection at Babies 'R' Us was PATHETIC and their Pat the Bunny book cover did NOT even have a soft bunny to pat on it! And they only had dumbed-down versions of Dr. Seuss books. I repeat, they carried DUMBED DOWN VERSIONS OF DR. SEUSS BOOKS. I didn't think that was physically possible. Amazon has a great selection of everything else under the sun, including great natural toys, furniture, the Flip video camera, and other awesome baby stuff. So, hopefully we'll be able to navigate that page a bit better!

It's STILL a boy!

Nick and I had a debate this morning whether or not to try and fool everyone today...and I won...so, I hope you enjoyed imagining our faces when the doctor supposedly told us that our little Baby Boy was a girl!

Then I sincerely hope you looked at a calendar! :)

Mistakes can happen...

Well, we had a bit of a surprise today at our ultrasound this morning! After taking another look at Baby D, Dr. Jenkins amended his previous guess and announced that Baby D is actually a

BABY SHE!!!

Whoops!

Sleep like a baby

I'm into my Third Trimeseter now - the home stretch, and the 14 weeks that supposedly feels like a lifetime. I'm still feeling great, and don't have too many complaints thus far. I know, I know..."Just wait!" and "You have no idea!" and "Give it a month or so, and you'll be complaining!" I've gotten all the knowing smiles and heard all the wise warnings. I'm not being naive, but I am going to celebrate getting this far without a hormonal breakdown, excruciating pains, sleepless nights and weird cravings. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I do have to give some credit where it's due, however! Nick bought me this pregnancy Body Support Pillow for my birthday after a few week string of restless sleep. A lot of books and magazines will tell pregnant women that they need a lot more support when they lay down, and recommend them to lay mostly on their sides (their LEFT side, to be precise...and I'm not joking...). There are diagrams of the placement of various pillows and support systems to keep you in this position for a few hour stretch at a time (before you're heading to the bathroom, that is!). I was just not that keen on using that many pillows to sleep, so this ingenious pillow was a great find! The cool thing about this is that you can zip out the little connector pad so it's one continuous tube and use it for sleeping, either facing the tube or away from it, like this:Then, when Baby D is born, you zip the connector back up and can use it as an infant "seat"or cradle, unroll it a bit more to support a baby that's learning to sit up, or even more to support a toddler playing with toys. Then you're ready to start the process all over again! (I have an urge to sing The Lion King's "Circle of Life"...)
All in all, it's a pretty sweet pillow! It has helped me sleep more comfortably, and sleep for longer stretches of time, too! And that's ALWAYS good...more so for people around me the next day!

Baby vs. Pooch

When talking about our little pooch, Maeby Ray, in relation to Baby D, usually I caveat like crazy: "I know she's just a dog," "I hate comparing my dog to a/your child," etc..., but the truth is, getting her was one of the best pre-baby decisions we made! We knew that making the transition from a young professional, independent couple to parents was going to be rough on us, so we made the very conscious decision to get her when we did (I'll provide a visual, just in case you forgot how adorable she was!!!!):

And, even though she is now bigger and smellier and tests us daily, we think she turned out pretty well! Hopefully this is an example of what's to come! And, don't be all offended that I'm comparing my dog to my baby! If Baby D is half as well behaved as Maeby, we've got it made!!!

Congratulations, it's a Rutabega!

Ah...the internet. Many of you know my love/hate relationship with this beast, namely my lack of trust in most information stored on its countless servers. I mean, if I can post anything up here, ANYONE can. And, wow...if you want to feel confused, guilty, angry, happy, perplexed, and, ultimately, overwhelmed, just try googling for baby info on the internet. There is some stuff that's pretty interesting, and harmless, really. Such as the fact tha1t Baby D is the size of a rutabega right now- 16" long and about 1.5 lbs. (I'm not sure I've ever actually noted the last time I've seen a rutabega in person, so here is a visual:)

But there are so many other things out there as well that are so destructive to an already sensitive mind. No two sites (or books, for that matter) contain the same info or recommendations, in fact, most of them contradict themselves! It makes me wonder if, information-wise, we're better off now than 100 years ago. Medically speaking, we're light years ahead (ask my parents sometime about the children's cardiac care unit they took Chip to 28 years ago...here's a hint...it didn't exist). Something tells me, though, that it will all work out, and that there is something ingrained in parents-to-be that just kicks in. Here's hoping!

Diaper Bag Winner!

I hope everyone had as much fun as we did venturing into the wonderful world of diaper bags! I know you were able to appreciate the absolute absurdity of seriously reviewing something
whose entire existence could be fulfilled by a plastic grocery bag and which, ultimately, will become dirty beyond recognition as baby poo and vomit work their way into the nether crevices of these bags...

However...we had to have a little fun during these waiting months! So, it looks like, although we looked at a lot of GREAT bags and I could be happy with a number of them, the Oi Oi Giraffe Bag won out!
It's just too cute and too practical for me to overlook! I think it's the right size (from the information I've gathered) and it will ease me into the world of Mommy-hood nicely!

Thanks for following along in the Diaper Bag Saga, and now, back to your regularly scheduled blog...

Bag 7: Skip Hop's Dash Deluxe

Overview:
Skip Hop is my kind of online store design, simple and practical. They have tons of diaper bags in straightforward design and colors, but are also adding baby bedding and accessories. You can also order very easily off their website, which is not very common for these types of stores! This bag is the Dash Deluxe, which is a messenger-style, in the "ocean stripe" print. It can be worn across the chest or over the shoulder, and comes with stroller clips and a changing pad. It is made from poly-canvas and the size is 12.25" wide x 11.5" high x 4.25" gusset.


First Impressions:
Cute stripes! The bag is made from a heavy-duty canvas that makes the design/colors look a bit dull, but it definitely would be durable. The inside is also canvas, with one large opening and 5 side pockets. The outside boasts two bottle pockets and two front ones, with a zippered mommy pocket with key fob, and a back changing pad pocket (with included pad). This is one of Skip Hop's smaller bags, not as small as their standard "Dash," but not as big as their "Duo." I think it may be too small as a main bag.

Second Glance:
This bag screams practical, and has double stitching and reinforced seams all over the place. Their clips and strap look like they would never wear out or break, as well as the fabric! The bag also comes with attached stroller straps, which are also super-durable! Once again, I think the size is an issue, though that's more my fault than theirs, because they offer larger ones.


Conclusion:
I think I could definitely be happy with this bag, although it lacks the little feminine flairs of the others I've looked at. It satisfies the practical side of me, though! And it would definitely last forever! I think others might rank a bit higher, though, and I would love to see their larger bags!

Bag 6: Ju-Ju-Be Be Smart

Overview:
Ju-Ju-Be is a great diaper bag company, introduced to me by my good friend and mother of sweet Maddie, Kim. She has the "Be All" bag in "blue bouquet," and it's a truly amazing bag. She has used it for 6 months now and loves it! It's that bag that opened my eyes to the world of fashionable diaper bags! I already love the "Be All," so I thought I would take a look at a different Ju-Ju-Be style, the "Be Smart" in "lush paisley." This is my only bag choice that has shorter purse-like straps. It comes with the large diaper bag, and a separate removable one for quick changes. It also has a mommy pocket and measures 12" high x 13" wide x 6" gusset.


First Impressions:
I love the pattern on this bag- it's beautiful. For that matter, I really love all of Ju-Ju-Be's pattern/color choices! The shape of this bag is different than the others I tried - this is more like a purse than anything. It's also smaller than I thought it would be with less storage. I do like the placement of the pockets- the bottle pocket is on the inside, along with two mesh pockets and a large zipper one. I also adore the removable changing pocket and changing pad - I'm sure that makes for quick change runs!

Second Glance:
This is made from the most diaper-bag-like fabric, but I really don't mind it because it's so cute! I also love the shiny lime green interior fabric! It's small, though- Ju-Ju-Be doesn't mean for this to be your only diaper bag, I don't think. I also noticed it has a great mommy pocket with an attached key fob, a zipper pocket and sunglasses holder! Way cute and SO practical! The zipper that closes the large main pocket might get a bit annoying. There's no real way to close it with one hand- the ends of the zipper are on tabs, so you can open the pocket wider (which is nice) but it might make for some annoying moves.


Conclusion:
I love pretty much everything about this bag! Besides the zipper thing (which I'm sure I could get used to), I think this is just great! I'm worried about the size though, and might keep this on hand or in mind for a second bag, should I need it.