Family Time

Picked this up at the library--just what I was looking for; more or less a reggae album for kids. Ziggy Marley's Family Time. So far so good--too excited, I couldn't wait to get through the whole album before posting about it. The album features other Marley siblings, Jack Johnson, Toots (Hibbert), Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, and others. Very mello and upbeat, not far from the great Bob Marley, but with tunes that really focus on family. So great! Can't wait to rock this while dancing with Ms. Baby, enjoying a warm and sunny day, or brightening up a gloomy one. Enjoy!

Prep

We have 8 days left until Ms. Baby is expected to arrive, in theory. Looking ahead to what might amount to chaos (or at least total exhaustion), C is in the middle of preparing 4 casseroles to freeze. Last week she made a large lasagna and froze all that we didn't eat. It's pretty awesome, 'cause C is a good cook and has some impressive instincts when it comes to personalizing a recipe to make it even better.
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Meanwhile, working on the last of the baby laundry which is mostly flannel receiving blankets, sheets, and miscellaneous fitted covers for stuff... Need to finish up some art and might even go to a nearby antique store for extra decor... I promise, nursery photos will be up soon.

T minus 3 weeks

We are well into 37 weeks and the pressure is on; mostly pressure on your mom's back and feet, but also the pressure of finding a pediatrician, looking further into daycare options, and, lastly, deciding on a name for you, Ms. Baby.
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As a point of reference, in the timetable of our own pregnancy, my cousin Emily would have already given birth to her daughter Audrey by now. The pregnancy calendar we follow online says that Ms. Baby can do everything a "newborn" can and that all the extra time spent in the womb is allowing her brain to develop some awesome stuff. Pretty amazing.

I am pretty close to start packing a bag. Also, I decided today that I would go ahead and put our car seat bases in our two cars, just to be a little bit more prepared in the event of "Here we go!"

Imagining

I was trying to explain to my brother yesterday how excited and anxious I am to meet our daughter. We're starting to organize her room--setting aside this space for a new person--and everyday her presence is becoming more and more realized. Lately, in just the past week, I've been trying hard to imagine holding her in my arms and connecting with her, learning her personality, absorbing everything she is. It's impossible to do right now, but I know my world will be flipped.

Yesterday I heard a sound bite in a commercial for a new show about "parenthood," and one of the characters (presumably a dad) said something super negative about having kids. It made me so mad! I wish I could remember the exact words. Maybe it had to do with giving up your personal life, or sleep, or whatever, but it was intended to be depressing. Granted, the show is fiction; part comedy; but it was something I could imagine some jaded, cynical asshole saying to scare some other expecting father, like a war story, to gain some sort of credit and back-patting. It sucked to hear because I am excited and ready for this to be the best thing ever. Is it worth hearing some bad news to expect the worst, while hoping for the best? I think it's more about attitude, shaped by optimism and love combined with a healthy mix of humor and altruism.

Baby's Delight: "Coz I'm D - J - Dad"

On Sunday, at Chipotle*, I was feeling really good (like usual, when I have a steak fajita burrito in my hands). For whatever reason I was reminded about when, in college, I got serious about buying some turntables and a mixer and learning how to scratch records. My friend Brody was a DJ and would let me goof around on his tables. (I still think I could be a pretty good mix-ologist and constantly think of songs to mash up. For example: Ludacris's "How Low (Can You Go)" with General Larry Platt's "Pants on the Ground." I know, right?)

Anyway, I asked C if she remembered when I wanted turntables. She mentioned I should get some and set them up in the basement. I agreed and instantly considered the fact that I could throw dance parties for Baby Girl; then I realized I could DJ all of her school dances and simultaneously keep watch over her and, while rapping about whatever, I could throw in some lines telling boys to keep their filthy little hands off of her. So, in Chipotle, I started rapping out loud in an old-school rap voice (a la Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight") about being DJ Dad.

So, that's the new persona I created and intend on using throughout Baby Girl's childhood, to her delight (not embarrassment, duh!).

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*Side note: I'm so glad that C still likes Chipotle!

March is here! (a.k.a. 34 weeks) (a.k.a. T-minus-6 weeks!)

I can't believe we are at 34 weeks already. The uncertain amount of time left is presumed to be an even month-and-a-half and we're starting to bite our nails. The suspense is getting heavy. At my job, I've got a project looming over my head which promises to take me out of town for three three-day trips. We haven't "won" the job yet and the more I think about it, the more I get sick thinking about being so far from home and C going into labor. Anyway, I'm trying to be optimistic that luck will guide us through this month. I mean, I have two four-leaf clovers that I've been saving for some time now and figured I could cash one in for March in the spirit of Saint Patrick's Day. Sure, I can't be too certain that I have any Irish blood in me, but I suspect that in this case "it's the thought that counts."

I feel like as soon as April 1st hits, our baby will be on its way, arriving any minute thereon.

Meanwhile, I'm looking into other career options and wish that looked a little brighter. It seems like there are only a few doors available to me, and most of them lead back to school. Dammit!
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In other news, we picked up and assembled our crib this weekend! Woohoo! We also added a few more splashes of paint to the nursery.

Also, we're preparing for the first of TWO baby showers which will be this weekend and next.

Inspiration: Forest Kindergarten

The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept [reconnecting children with nature] to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather.
from a nytimes article (here)

Gifts, House, Bathroom (T Minus 7 Weeks)

Not much to say--actually, plenty is going on, just nothing to write about. All you need to know is Time is moving slow and fast.

We received our first present off our registry from our cousin in the mail!(Phew! Count the number of prepositions in that sentence!) And we ordered our crib yesterday! That should be here... probably before the baby comes. More art is getting finished and our baby's room is going to be rad-with-a-capital-R, as they say.

Plumbers are supposed to be here tomorrow to start the first step in constructing a second bathroom in our basement. I have no clue what is to be done and am worried that it's going to be messed up on my watch. Messed up and expensive. I can deal with "awesome and expensive" but not "messed up."

What does that do with being a dad, you ask? Everything. Ultimately this bathroom will serve our babysitters friends and family and hopefully attract a few more to stay for longer trips; longer down the road, when our daughter is an angst-ful, hormonal teen and getting ready for dates school or whatever, we wont be fighting over the space. Anyway, we agreed a while ago it was something to get done before Baby arrives, so here we are: the eleventh hour.

Doctor Visit: Week 31

Joined C on a doctor visit this morning. All is well. C's baby bump is measuring 33 weeks when we are really at 31 weeks, which might only mean a big bambino. Baby's heart rate is good and normal. I asked about the somersault the baby did this morning, and apparently that's still okay at this point.

These appointments go really fast. The doctor is only in the room for about 5 minutes or so. I'm not sure what else to expect from her, but I just wish she would offer up more details about what we should be looking forward to. I suppose the problem is we never ask good questions. I bet that would spur her to talk.
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I haven't been to every doctor appointment. Not because I don't want to be there, but C has insisted that they aren't very important and that she doesn't care if I'm there. When she says "I don't care" I hear "I don't want you to be there." Because if she did want me to be there, she would care. I'm okay with not being there if it's easier for her to be there alone with the doctor. But that's not it. She admitted yesterday that it's about making a (big) deal about going to the doctor when it shouldn't be that way. I think it's important, and I feel like an unsupportive jerk when I don't tag along.

Last night, realizing that my work schedule has changed quite a bit, I didn't even have something I needed to do (i.e. my job), so I made the decision to join her. If nothing else I got her to laugh a bit and it was nice to hang out a little while longer before trudging to the office.

Breaking News in the Real World: Work less, but not work-less

My company isn't doing so hot, so this Monday morning we three employees were told cuts in hours were to be made, effective immediately. Fortunately, for me, this means a 32 hour work week at the same pay rate, keeping my benefits (which may or may not be necessary), and potentially an extra day of my week devoted to the personal time I value so dearly.

This isn't necessarily permanent (my boss explained this change should only last 2 or 3 months, until seasonal work picks back up); but without having consulted our budget, it could prove to be a great situation for our family. A day I could devote to being Daddy Daycare; a day less of paying some stranger to watch our kid; a day less of wage earning to pay for some stranger to watch our kid, thus helping to balance this change in our income....

Not sure what will come of it, exactly, but for now the mood is very positive! Good life go!

As they say: To be continued...

Diapers - You've been bamboozled

I've spent parts of this morning looking up information about diapers - specifically, cloth diapers. I've read some pretty persuasive stuff from the companies trying to convince me to buy their stuff. But it seems pretty legit. I got a little freaked out when I learned that newborns need about 10 - 12 diaper changes per 24 hr period - which equates to needing 24 - 30 diapers (and 7 to 8 diaper covers) in the first year. But still, over two and a half years, the cost should be nearly half of what disposables cost...

Anyway, I found that one particular product is called "The Bamboozle" (cause it's made of bamboo fibers). This immediately reminded me of the Friends episode where Joey is auditioning for a game show called "Bamboozled" where when you lose (or something) he says "You've been Bamboozled!" So, when you realize you need to change a poopy diaper you could say, outloud, "You've been Bamboozled!"



Anyway, I think I'm sold on the cloth diapers thing...
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Off to go register at Babies'R'Us...

Crazy + Gear + Diaper bag hack

Ok, ok, ok. So, after reading my last post, C more or less implied I was insane for thinking the baby was going to come so early. She is convinced we are right on time--no less--with our scheduled schedule. So week 28 it remains.

I guess I'm just getting a little freaked out about the stuff we intend to do before Miss Baby is born--add plumbing in the basement, finish the basement, organize our art room, and, finally, finish the nursery. I live by the "expect the worst, hope for the best scenerio"--not that the baby coming early is in anyway the "worst" of anything, but it shortens a schedule to complete things I mostly don't know how to do...

In the meantime, we're bracing ourselves for a couple baby showers--not even thinking about for what we will register--and figuring out what else we need. Speaking of gear, I'm fixated on getting a dope (bicycle-) messenger style bag and hacking it into a hipster-friendly diaper bag. I don't want to say man-friendly, because that's not what I mean. I mean cool and legit, and something that could be used well beyond the diaper years, especially when I ride my bike. The front-running brand seems to be Timbuk 2 and its relatively low cost-to-pockets ratio. A local company, Seagull Bags, is a bit more expensive but offers stuff like custom pockets and organizers. It would be great if C liked it too--I may be able to tempt her with a nice color palette... Probably not. This idea would cost us around $100 more than those "man-friendly" diaper bags.

3 months to go!

Today marks 3 months until our April 11th due date. Yikes. And Yeah!

We need to get some stuff done around the house, much pronto! Hold on baby! Keep growing and wiggling, but don't come too soon. We'll try to get stuff done so you can be a week or two premature to help mom out and still have a place to comfortably stay when you get here. Word? Word. I knew you'd understand. You're like me and keep it chill and easy. No worries.

Future

What C is afraid of:

What I am afraid of:

It's not that either of us want the other thing, but both scenarios have come up in conversation between us. C made a good point that we will be our child's role models and will try to set her (them?) on the path we think is right from the start... I may have fallen a little farther from the tree, but I turned out to be more than alright, I think. Anyway, I thought this would make a pretty funny juxtaposition. Yeah, that's the Lunachicks on the top. Ha