Things I can't live without

Coffee. If a car can't run without gasoline or alternative fuel, I can't run without caffeine. Some days require "higher" octane than others. And by higher octane, I mean I need a large vanilla latte from Latte Land with two extra shots in it.

A swing. The swing is Evan's most favorite place to be - except for the little dresser-top changing pad that we have for him, that's his happy place. We have two. The big one in our living room and a travel-sized item (which really isn't that compact). Some folks say they need a bouncy chair. I think its probably either or. We don't have one, but Evan loves sitting in the one at Aunt Steph and John's house.

Changing Table. We didn't buy a stand alone changing table. We didn't have room. What we did buy was a three-drawer dresser with a little side door. The side door area has two shelves and is great for storing diapers, wipes, butt lotion, etc. For the top of the dresser, we bought a changing pad that actually attaches to the back of the dresser so you don't have to worry about your baby sliding off with the pad. This is the greatest thing in the world. When Evan is red-hot, raging mad, we will often take him into his room and lay him down on the changing pad. 60 percent of the time, it works every time*.

A Boppy. I'm not breast feeding, but about one or two weeks after Evan was born, I was sitting in the rocking chair in his room. The closet door was open behind the chair, so I was hitting it as I rocked back. I reached behind with my left arm to try and pull it closed. SNAP. Something in my shoulder popped and, as a result, holding Evan for extended periods of time makes my whole arm burn in pain. This sucks, because when I feed him, I hold him in my left arm and the bottle with my right one. I can't switch. I've tried. It's like trying to write left-handed. It's just awkward. So, I grab that boppy and stretch Evan out across that on my lap and we can make it work.

Wipe warmer. I was on team "This has to be the single biggest waste of money in the entire world" pre-Evan. But, before we got the wipe warmer, he would SCREAM every time we changed his diaper. Now, the changing pad is his "happy place." I'm not saying spend any money on it, but put it on the registry. It's one of those things that people will be happy to buy for you and babies seem to prefer warm wipes as opposed to cold wet wipes -- wouldn't we all?

Extras. It is definitely a good idea to have at least two full sets of bedding (mattress pad and sheets) and a couple of changing pad covers. Babies - especially my baby - like to wait for the 2 second window of opportunity when the old diaper is removed and the new one isn't quite covering them yet to let loose.


*Did you get the Anchorman reference? Possibly the greatest comedy movie EVER. Evan will start "talking" to me and I will tell him "You know I don't speak Spanish! English please!" or, "What? What's that you say? You pooped in the fridge and ate a whole wheel of cheese?"

Parents: What are some of the things you can't live without? I'm sure my preggo friends and family would love to hear some extra perspective.

Figuring things out

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I know I've kept half a dozen of you out there waiting on pins and needles. :)

Here goes... When I was pregnant, I would just about give myself an anxiety attack with all the "what ifs" and questions that would pop in my mind. And its never just one question at a time. It's 400 hundred all at once as your mind betrays you and sends you in to a complete meltdown. A friend of mine is going through this stage right now.

It's so easy to get overwhelmed. There is more information out there than anyone could ever read in a nine-month span. And, lets face it. The first three months, you feel like death so you don't really care about - or have the energy to do - anything else. During the last three months, you have a baby bouncing off your internal organs and it is impossible to fall asleep. And, when you do sleep, it's in 2-3-hour increments because you wake up having to pee, get a glass of water (because you've already downed the 32-ounce glass on your nightstand), chew up some TUMS, or all of the above.

So the second trimester is really the only time you can get stuff done before the baby arrives.

Looking back, I kind of chuckle at some of the things I was so concerned about then. Here are a few questions I had back then followed by answers that were hard learned by experience.

Question: How will I know when it is time to move up a diaper size? I seriously worried about this.

Answer: There are several ways you know, but the most telling is when the diapers are no longer capable of holding in the mess your baby puts out. When the diaper failure rate increases, its time to move up a size.

Question: How will I know if my baby is just upset or if something is really wrong? I worried about being the over-hyper parent that called the doctor every time my baby sneezes. Now, I know that Brian is this person, not me. :)

Answer: If he doesn't have a temperature or blood or green slimy stuff coming out of any orifice, he's probably fine and is just grumpy or has gas.

Question: How will we keep his nails trim so he doesn't claw up his face?

Answer: VERY CAREFULLY. You have to have the hands of a surgeon and usually wait until the baby is sound asleep before trying this out. Some people bite the nails off. I'm not a fan of this approach. I don't like biting my own nails. To keep from shaking with the nail trimmer, avoid caffeine for at least four hours prior to the operation.

Also, many PJs come with little flaps that fold over the baby's hands. Use them. Evan someone managed to get his hands free anyway, but they did provide his face with a little bit of a reprieve.

Question: How do I know what stuff to get and what to avoid? Do you really need EVERYTHING on the baby registry checklist?

Answer: You can read a crap ton of books, or just use some common sense. Or, even better, just ask people who have kids. They are always happy to dole out advice on what to get and what not to get. They will give you different answers, and what you need is usually going to be a little bit of a combo of what all your different friends recommend.

Question: How will we teach our baby to sleep through the night? The gift of sleep is not to be over-rated. Remember the saying, "If momma aint happy..."? Well, its very true.

Answer: Routine. Routine. Routine. We also recommend the "Baby Wise" book. It is a little bit more militant (and by militant, I mean it is the boob nazis' handbook) than what Brian and I do, but if you need to figure out structure, that's a good starting point. It also helps to have a big baby who just naturally sleeps for a long time.

Question: What the hell is a receiving blanket and why, according to the Babies 'R Us registry check list, do I need five of them?

Answer: I still haven't figured this out. Family and friends will give you more blankets than you can ever possibly imagine using. I don't know what differentiates a receiving blanket from a regular blanket. Someone told me that a receiving blanket is one that the doctors can use to wrap the baby in when he/she is first born, and then you have it as a keepsake. No thanks. I've seen what babies are covered in when they are first born and all blankets used to wrap of newborns should be incinerated as medical waste.

Question: How do I know what kind/type of bottles to buy? I just about started crying in the middle of Target when Brian and I were attempting to fill out our registry and there were no less than eleventy billion different brands, types and sizes to choose from.

Answer: Just pick one or two. Just buy one package. Try it out. If it works, go get more. If not, try something else.

Question: Why does my baby seem to smile and laugh every time I ask if he pooped? Evan will be sitting on our lap and then we smell something that isn't so fresh. I'll ask him, "Did you poop?" If he smiles slyly, the answer is usually yes. If he just looks at you blankly, then you just need to wait for it...

Answer: I'm not sure that this would be a very common question. I think Evan thinks its funny that he pooped because he Brian's son (and mine, too!).

That's all the Q&As I can think of now. I have been thinking about a post-pregnancy post, detailing the aftermath of giving birth - what Hollywood doesn't tell you. But, like I said, it is the year of the baby for my friends and family (the only people who ready this), so I'm going to wait on that. Maybe a good memory post for Evan's first birthday... all my friends babies will be born by then.

Here's a picture of Evan at his 3-month birthday: