Yesterday after a doctors appointment, my wife and I decided to try out the new dedicated bay store in town, Buy Buy Baby. It's apparently owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, and when you walk in, you can definitely tell. It's well laid out and organized, and you can find exactly what you're looking for. If you're looking for bottles and feeding supplies, everything is grouped by brand, then item. Which is very nice. The only complaint I'd have is that since the store is so new, they are still stocking some things, and it was overheard from one of the clerks that they are still waiting on some items and some floor displays. The store looked well stocked, but they didn't have one of the strollers we really wanted to look at. I believe that's one of the things they should be getting shortly, since they had the entire line otherwise.
In comparison, when we were shopping for someone with a registry at babies R Us, it was nigh impossible to find exactly what we were looking for. Their aisle numbers don't make sense, they group things in no discernible order, and when you're looking for something that should be in infant feeding/eating supplies, you find it in the toddler section or vice versa, only after hunting for it for 15 minutes. Babies R Us really made me irritated. I felt at ease in Buy Buy Baby.
Our next foray will be to USA Baby. I've never been to one, and I hope it's closer to a Buy Buy Baby than a Babies R Us. After that, I feel we'll start perusing some of the boutique shops. Baby on Grand, Peapods, etc.
What places have you guys had luck with? Anywhere to avoid?
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
And we're back!
Sorry for dropping of the grid folks, was enjoying my time off with my wife and family for Christmas.
So, let's catch up. Christmas was good. We got a couple more baby books, including The Happiest Baby on the Block. Should be interesting reads. I've been perusing the books we do have off and on, and staying up to date on what my wife is going through. I haven't sat down to read any baby books cover to cover yet though, and I think my wife thinks that means I'm not participating. She keeps giving me grief about it. I started to read a "regular" book last night, and I think it just was another nail in that coffin. I had bought her the Jenny McCarthy book "Belly Laughs". She devoured it and suggested I read it. I will eventually, but I'm behind on my normal reading, and wanted to read a book I bought a couple months ago, but haven't really had time or the ability to concentrate on it yet. So when I choose Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" over "Belly Laughs" I think she was a little disappointed. I feel that I'm staying up on things, and I did read the "guy chapters" she's pointed out to me.
The in-laws also got us a teething ring and rubber duck that are BPA free and not made in China. We're pretty excited about that. Finding things like that are important to us. Even before we got pregnant, I had a stipulation with buying the house, that any painting we did would be with low or zero VOC paint. I don't want to make compromises on that sort of thing for the baby. I'm happy to see that even if it takes a little effort to search for, that we will be able to continue to find safe and non-toxic items for our baby, without having to compromise at all. I realize things like diapers are going to be a fight. I personally don't have a problem with cloth diapers, my sister had them. It was something you get used to. My wife doesn't seem into it though. Nor does she like the cost of things like the Seventh Generation or Huggies Pure and Natural diapers for disposables. We'll see how that battle goes.
On a completely different note, my wife's string of good days ran out earlier this week. It could just be that it was bound to happen, or that the weekend caught up to her, and wore her down so much that it was inevitable. She had 6 good days, followed by 2-3 of not so good. Speaking with her this morning though, it sounded like today was back on track. We did have a busy weekend though. Some friends came over on Friday. That was nice, as most people don't like to drive the 25 minutes down to see us. We need more friends that are close I guess. Saturday was Christmas Eve with my family. That was good too. Although one of my sisters couldn't make it because she had to work. Scheduling is harder with two families, but just have to make due. I suppose next year will be even more strenuous with an infant. Christmas day was spent over at the In-Law's house. Also a good time. I'll guess that both family celebrations will be shorter though once we have a child in tow.
Hope you had a great Holiday!
So, let's catch up. Christmas was good. We got a couple more baby books, including The Happiest Baby on the Block. Should be interesting reads. I've been perusing the books we do have off and on, and staying up to date on what my wife is going through. I haven't sat down to read any baby books cover to cover yet though, and I think my wife thinks that means I'm not participating. She keeps giving me grief about it. I started to read a "regular" book last night, and I think it just was another nail in that coffin. I had bought her the Jenny McCarthy book "Belly Laughs". She devoured it and suggested I read it. I will eventually, but I'm behind on my normal reading, and wanted to read a book I bought a couple months ago, but haven't really had time or the ability to concentrate on it yet. So when I choose Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" over "Belly Laughs" I think she was a little disappointed. I feel that I'm staying up on things, and I did read the "guy chapters" she's pointed out to me.
The in-laws also got us a teething ring and rubber duck that are BPA free and not made in China. We're pretty excited about that. Finding things like that are important to us. Even before we got pregnant, I had a stipulation with buying the house, that any painting we did would be with low or zero VOC paint. I don't want to make compromises on that sort of thing for the baby. I'm happy to see that even if it takes a little effort to search for, that we will be able to continue to find safe and non-toxic items for our baby, without having to compromise at all. I realize things like diapers are going to be a fight. I personally don't have a problem with cloth diapers, my sister had them. It was something you get used to. My wife doesn't seem into it though. Nor does she like the cost of things like the Seventh Generation or Huggies Pure and Natural diapers for disposables. We'll see how that battle goes.
On a completely different note, my wife's string of good days ran out earlier this week. It could just be that it was bound to happen, or that the weekend caught up to her, and wore her down so much that it was inevitable. She had 6 good days, followed by 2-3 of not so good. Speaking with her this morning though, it sounded like today was back on track. We did have a busy weekend though. Some friends came over on Friday. That was nice, as most people don't like to drive the 25 minutes down to see us. We need more friends that are close I guess. Saturday was Christmas Eve with my family. That was good too. Although one of my sisters couldn't make it because she had to work. Scheduling is harder with two families, but just have to make due. I suppose next year will be even more strenuous with an infant. Christmas day was spent over at the In-Law's house. Also a good time. I'll guess that both family celebrations will be shorter though once we have a child in tow.
Hope you had a great Holiday!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Baby stuff is expensive and overwhelming.
And so it begins...
Actually, it began a while ago, but now that Christmas is approaching, and our shopping is out of the way for that, the next major purchases start to surface. I'm pretty sure our child is going to have nicer things that we do, and that's fine. I'm pretty sure that's how life is supposed to go anyway. But man o man, baby stuff is expensive. Let's discuss what we've looked at so far. Please please please those of you with kids and/or experience with any of these items, leave us some feedback on this stuff!
First of all, let's talk car seats. I've been researching car seats for about two months now, and I'm fairly certain I could pick a quality seat for toddlers and up. Infant seats seem to not get as much attention. I believe that I have it narrowed down though. First on my list is the Britax Chaperone. This seems to be one of the best rated and reviewed infant seats I can find. The plus side being that it works very easily with the Britax strollers to make travel system. I have a number of other seats from Combi, The First Years, Sunshine Kids, Graco, and even some other Britax seats on the list, but none seem to be as highly regarded or well reviewed. At least not ones that have a carry handle for the infant seats.
Which leads us to strollers. Obviously, compatibility is high on our list of requirements, but I know that many strollers are compatible with seats/etc with little effort. I really haven't done a ton of research on the strollers, because there are just so many out there. Also, it will depend initially on which seat we pick, as I stated, we'd like to have that compatibility/functionality. I've really only been focusing on the Britax strollers. The B-Agile seems to be the one I gravitate towards. I believe that eventually we'd look at something like a Mountain Buggy Terrain for hiking/camping.
Furniture. I have no idea where to start. I have my obvious list of things that I want. Specifically an all organic/natural mattress. But that's about as far as I've gotten. So what about the actual crib and dresser, changing station etc? We both really like the Annabelle collection from Million Dollar Baby. But there is so much out there, it's sort of overwhelming. A 4-in-1 seems to be the way to go, at least price wise. And the rest of the furniture should be adequate throughout early childhood, if not longer. But there are so many things out there.
What do you all recommend? What have you had luck with? What would you avoid?
Actually, it began a while ago, but now that Christmas is approaching, and our shopping is out of the way for that, the next major purchases start to surface. I'm pretty sure our child is going to have nicer things that we do, and that's fine. I'm pretty sure that's how life is supposed to go anyway. But man o man, baby stuff is expensive. Let's discuss what we've looked at so far. Please please please those of you with kids and/or experience with any of these items, leave us some feedback on this stuff!
First of all, let's talk car seats. I've been researching car seats for about two months now, and I'm fairly certain I could pick a quality seat for toddlers and up. Infant seats seem to not get as much attention. I believe that I have it narrowed down though. First on my list is the Britax Chaperone. This seems to be one of the best rated and reviewed infant seats I can find. The plus side being that it works very easily with the Britax strollers to make travel system. I have a number of other seats from Combi, The First Years, Sunshine Kids, Graco, and even some other Britax seats on the list, but none seem to be as highly regarded or well reviewed. At least not ones that have a carry handle for the infant seats.
Which leads us to strollers. Obviously, compatibility is high on our list of requirements, but I know that many strollers are compatible with seats/etc with little effort. I really haven't done a ton of research on the strollers, because there are just so many out there. Also, it will depend initially on which seat we pick, as I stated, we'd like to have that compatibility/functionality. I've really only been focusing on the Britax strollers. The B-Agile seems to be the one I gravitate towards. I believe that eventually we'd look at something like a Mountain Buggy Terrain for hiking/camping.
Furniture. I have no idea where to start. I have my obvious list of things that I want. Specifically an all organic/natural mattress. But that's about as far as I've gotten. So what about the actual crib and dresser, changing station etc? We both really like the Annabelle collection from Million Dollar Baby. But there is so much out there, it's sort of overwhelming. A 4-in-1 seems to be the way to go, at least price wise. And the rest of the furniture should be adequate throughout early childhood, if not longer. But there are so many things out there.
What do you all recommend? What have you had luck with? What would you avoid?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Hyper Enough
As we get nearer to Christmas, I want to thank those of you that have been reading, especially those that have provided advise, comfort, or just an ear to my wife to help get through this. I don't think either of us expected what she's been going through. We both have friends and family that have gone through pregnancy, but this level of morning sickness, and discomfort is just something people don't talk about. For those that have been around and supportive, I owe you.
That being said, the last few days have been good, and (knock on wood) we're hoping that the next few are also, and that it continues. Over the past two days, we've hit a couple milestones.
Tuesday evening, my wife out of nowhere came down with a case of hyperactivity. She could not stop talking, moving around, etc. She felt it too, it was pretty sudden, and we were amazed at how it came out of nowhere. It lasted until bedtime, and she took her half a Unisom, and then she still didn't get as loopy as normal. At least, not right away. Honestly, that was a great feeling for me. I was happy to see her with a little bit of energy back, even if it was way too much all at once. Her energy level continued into last night also, although I don't think it was as dramatic as it was the night before. But the past few days have been great. Let's hope there are more of these ahead.
The other great milestone we hit was last night. You see, last night was the first time in at least 2 months my wife was able to eat an actual meal. I made rosemary chicken with basmati rice and steamed broccoli. And she was able to eat it, and not be repulsed by the chicken, or the smells. She was also very excited about this. I'm pretty sure she never wants to look at tiny twist pretzels, Arby's Classic Roast Beef, or plain toast again. On the selfish side, this is good for me too. This means I can cook again, and that we'll have real meals more than not. I can count on one hand the number of dinners I've been able to cook since she's been pregnant. We're not going to push it or anything, but I look forward to making my famous spaghetti sauce. I think that red sauces are still too acidic for her though. One of the worst parts I think she has now is the indigestion/heartburn. But we were discussing pizza last night, so that's hopeful.
I'm really hoping that for my wife's sake, this continues all the way past Christmas, as Christmas really is her favorite time of year. This year it has been really hard for her to get into the spirit, and we weren't able to plan our yearly Christmas party, which our buddy Jason was disappointed about. We had originally planned to use that party as a Christmas/Housewarming party, since many people haven't made the trip down to see the house. But the bright side is, next year, we'll have a little one to celebrate their first Christmas with. And that will more than make up for it.
That being said, the last few days have been good, and (knock on wood) we're hoping that the next few are also, and that it continues. Over the past two days, we've hit a couple milestones.
Tuesday evening, my wife out of nowhere came down with a case of hyperactivity. She could not stop talking, moving around, etc. She felt it too, it was pretty sudden, and we were amazed at how it came out of nowhere. It lasted until bedtime, and she took her half a Unisom, and then she still didn't get as loopy as normal. At least, not right away. Honestly, that was a great feeling for me. I was happy to see her with a little bit of energy back, even if it was way too much all at once. Her energy level continued into last night also, although I don't think it was as dramatic as it was the night before. But the past few days have been great. Let's hope there are more of these ahead.
The other great milestone we hit was last night. You see, last night was the first time in at least 2 months my wife was able to eat an actual meal. I made rosemary chicken with basmati rice and steamed broccoli. And she was able to eat it, and not be repulsed by the chicken, or the smells. She was also very excited about this. I'm pretty sure she never wants to look at tiny twist pretzels, Arby's Classic Roast Beef, or plain toast again. On the selfish side, this is good for me too. This means I can cook again, and that we'll have real meals more than not. I can count on one hand the number of dinners I've been able to cook since she's been pregnant. We're not going to push it or anything, but I look forward to making my famous spaghetti sauce. I think that red sauces are still too acidic for her though. One of the worst parts I think she has now is the indigestion/heartburn. But we were discussing pizza last night, so that's hopeful.
I'm really hoping that for my wife's sake, this continues all the way past Christmas, as Christmas really is her favorite time of year. This year it has been really hard for her to get into the spirit, and we weren't able to plan our yearly Christmas party, which our buddy Jason was disappointed about. We had originally planned to use that party as a Christmas/Housewarming party, since many people haven't made the trip down to see the house. But the bright side is, next year, we'll have a little one to celebrate their first Christmas with. And that will more than make up for it.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
White Christmas (the movie)
Today is officially 13 weeks. And so far from the sound of it, it sounds like my wife is having a better day. That seems to confirm my suspicion that right now she's running at a couple good days in a row, followed by a couple not so great ones. Hopefully that ratio starts to tip more and more to the good days.
Last night, we started watching White Christmas for the first time. She had never seen it. I think I scared her off of "classic" Christmas movies when I made her watch It's a Wonderful Life, and we all started talking like Jimmy Stewart. Either way, she didn't quite make it to the end, as she took her B6 and half unisom. Which I don't know why, but it makes her pretty loopy.
On an only semi-related note, I got my grades back today for Fall 2011 semester (well, almost all of them.) I did pretty well. I'm happy with that, as I tried to split my time as best I could between spending as much time as possible with her while she was awake, and trying to get my school work done. I missed a couple things, and skipped some reading, but two A's and a B works for me. As long as the other grade that hasn't been reported yet is at least a C, I'll be an extremely happy guy. I pray that our child has better study habits and a better work ethic than I do. This semester was even harder for me because I'm horrible at accomplishing school stuff unless it actually interests me. Just ask any of my high school teachers. I'm surprised I didn't drive some of them into early retirement, or at least cause them to choke me.
Please baby, don't be like your dad.
Last night, we started watching White Christmas for the first time. She had never seen it. I think I scared her off of "classic" Christmas movies when I made her watch It's a Wonderful Life, and we all started talking like Jimmy Stewart. Either way, she didn't quite make it to the end, as she took her B6 and half unisom. Which I don't know why, but it makes her pretty loopy.
On an only semi-related note, I got my grades back today for Fall 2011 semester (well, almost all of them.) I did pretty well. I'm happy with that, as I tried to split my time as best I could between spending as much time as possible with her while she was awake, and trying to get my school work done. I missed a couple things, and skipped some reading, but two A's and a B works for me. As long as the other grade that hasn't been reported yet is at least a C, I'll be an extremely happy guy. I pray that our child has better study habits and a better work ethic than I do. This semester was even harder for me because I'm horrible at accomplishing school stuff unless it actually interests me. Just ask any of my high school teachers. I'm surprised I didn't drive some of them into early retirement, or at least cause them to choke me.
Please baby, don't be like your dad.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 19th.
So,
We hit a true milestone on Saturday. Darby was able to get out of the house for a while in a social situation. It was her brother's girlfriend's birthday celebration, and we made it out to bowling for about two hours. Although she didn't bowl, she said she still had fun. That was kind of huge in my opinion. She's also been less disgusted by food smells, and even managed to not puke when her brother stuck a pitcher (yes I said pitcher) of chicken wings in her face.
Sunday was a little rough. Not sure if that was her body's response to that much excitement, or what, but she was ultra tired, and not feeling so well most of yesterday. Here's to hoping today is better for her.
On a less serious note, I wonder what our poor kid is going to be like. I wonder what sort of warped, corrupted mind it's going to have. Have you met my family? Have you heard the things my wife says? Sure, she's intelligent and witty, but that girl can curse like a sailor and loves a good dick or fart joke. Or basically any sort of toilet humor. Sometimes more than me. Given free reign, she could possibly give Kevin Smith a run for his money. Luckily though, I know she'll be a wonderful and caring mom. Just one that I know will secretly (or maybe not so secretly) snicker at the inadvertent double entendres and jr. high antics of our child as it grows up.
God, I love that woman.
We hit a true milestone on Saturday. Darby was able to get out of the house for a while in a social situation. It was her brother's girlfriend's birthday celebration, and we made it out to bowling for about two hours. Although she didn't bowl, she said she still had fun. That was kind of huge in my opinion. She's also been less disgusted by food smells, and even managed to not puke when her brother stuck a pitcher (yes I said pitcher) of chicken wings in her face.
Sunday was a little rough. Not sure if that was her body's response to that much excitement, or what, but she was ultra tired, and not feeling so well most of yesterday. Here's to hoping today is better for her.
On a less serious note, I wonder what our poor kid is going to be like. I wonder what sort of warped, corrupted mind it's going to have. Have you met my family? Have you heard the things my wife says? Sure, she's intelligent and witty, but that girl can curse like a sailor and loves a good dick or fart joke. Or basically any sort of toilet humor. Sometimes more than me. Given free reign, she could possibly give Kevin Smith a run for his money. Luckily though, I know she'll be a wonderful and caring mom. Just one that I know will secretly (or maybe not so secretly) snicker at the inadvertent double entendres and jr. high antics of our child as it grows up.
God, I love that woman.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Operation Watermelon accomplished
So after work yesterday, I did manage to stop by Byerly's and pick my wife up some watermelon. And a pineapple, and some fruit cocktail. I got home, and although she was very happy for the watermelon, and immediately dug into it she couldn't enjoy it thoroughly. Yesterday wasn't a great day for nausea and her tummy.
This morning wasn't much better, and she opted to work from home. It seems that she's getting a couple good days in a row, and then a couple bad days in a row. As I stated yesterday though, I'm happy she's at least starting to get cravings for things. Hopefully the good days start to outnumber the bad days soon. I'm thankful she's getting good days though!
In other related news, the books about baby stuff I think are breeding themselves. We have more and more of them around. And it's mainly my fault, because I bought two more the other day. Of course we have "What to Expect...". And it's been informative, but a lot of people that had reviewed that book online also pointed to the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregancy" I'm definitely liking it also. As an early Christmas present, I also bought Darby a copy of "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy. She seems to enjoy it. I'll probably read it when she's done.
So what are your favorite or must have pregnancy books?
This morning wasn't much better, and she opted to work from home. It seems that she's getting a couple good days in a row, and then a couple bad days in a row. As I stated yesterday though, I'm happy she's at least starting to get cravings for things. Hopefully the good days start to outnumber the bad days soon. I'm thankful she's getting good days though!
In other related news, the books about baby stuff I think are breeding themselves. We have more and more of them around. And it's mainly my fault, because I bought two more the other day. Of course we have "What to Expect...". And it's been informative, but a lot of people that had reviewed that book online also pointed to the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregancy" I'm definitely liking it also. As an early Christmas present, I also bought Darby a copy of "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy. She seems to enjoy it. I'll probably read it when she's done.
So what are your favorite or must have pregnancy books?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Juicy Fruit.
I've been toying with the idea of writing a blog ever since my wife got pregnant.
I wasn't quite sure what my reasoning would be, or what direction it would take. I'm still not sure, except for the fact that I want to document everything in the best way I know how. By writing about it from my skewed perspective as an expectant father.
This week we started the second trimester. My wife has had a pretty trying first trimester. They put her on anti-nausea meds pretty early, and while they took the edge off, she still had a pretty hard time with it. Lately though, she's started to have better days, and still some really rough ones. Overall though, I feel like she's doing a lot better, even on the days she says aren't that great, they still seem like a 1000 times better than the bad ones from a month or two ago.
Which leads me to last night. After I got home from work and class, she proceeds to assail me with her newest craving. As she really hasn't been able to eat much, any craving is good in my book! Her newest craving you ask? Juicy Fruit. Not the gum. She wants fruit that is excessively juicy. Specifically watermelon. She nearly forced me out of the house in the middle of a storm to go to a grocery store that she felt would have the best watermelon, which I would have to drive past 4 other grocery stores to reach. Luckily that passed, and she then moved on and insisted that we order a pineapple directly from Hawaii as it would arrive at our house (in central MN) fresher than the ones that are available at the grocery store. While I don't doubt this fact, her sincerity in arguing the point was amusing, heartbreaking, and scary all at once. While my wife is generally a good natured person, she can get a 'tude, and I started to see the scary, dangerous side to being an expectant father. I saw the look in her eyes last night, and I learned a valuable lesson. Do NOT get in between my pregnant wife and her craving. I'll be stopping on the way home to pick up the juiciest watermelon and pineapple I can find.
I wasn't quite sure what my reasoning would be, or what direction it would take. I'm still not sure, except for the fact that I want to document everything in the best way I know how. By writing about it from my skewed perspective as an expectant father.
This week we started the second trimester. My wife has had a pretty trying first trimester. They put her on anti-nausea meds pretty early, and while they took the edge off, she still had a pretty hard time with it. Lately though, she's started to have better days, and still some really rough ones. Overall though, I feel like she's doing a lot better, even on the days she says aren't that great, they still seem like a 1000 times better than the bad ones from a month or two ago.
Which leads me to last night. After I got home from work and class, she proceeds to assail me with her newest craving. As she really hasn't been able to eat much, any craving is good in my book! Her newest craving you ask? Juicy Fruit. Not the gum. She wants fruit that is excessively juicy. Specifically watermelon. She nearly forced me out of the house in the middle of a storm to go to a grocery store that she felt would have the best watermelon, which I would have to drive past 4 other grocery stores to reach. Luckily that passed, and she then moved on and insisted that we order a pineapple directly from Hawaii as it would arrive at our house (in central MN) fresher than the ones that are available at the grocery store. While I don't doubt this fact, her sincerity in arguing the point was amusing, heartbreaking, and scary all at once. While my wife is generally a good natured person, she can get a 'tude, and I started to see the scary, dangerous side to being an expectant father. I saw the look in her eyes last night, and I learned a valuable lesson. Do NOT get in between my pregnant wife and her craving. I'll be stopping on the way home to pick up the juiciest watermelon and pineapple I can find.
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