Baby products

We got a package from the Huggies people in the mail yesterday. It's about the size of a school textbook and much lighter. I figured it was a diaper.
It turns out it's two diapers (newborn size and Size 1) along with samples of various wipes and lotions. Here's the thing: That newborn diaper is TINY. It would be lucky to hold a 5 lb. bag of flour. The baby's going to be that small? And they're going to just turn him over to us and let us take him home? At that size? Man, that's scary. Yikes.

On the topic of products: Amanda and I finally bought a body pillow the other day. All the books suggest how useful such a pillow is (about 5 feet long). We figured, why waste money on another pillow? Amanda just used one for between her knees to help her sleep on her side without twisting her spine around too much. Recently, she started holding another extra pillow in her arms for added comfort/support when she's asleep. So I figured maybe a body pillow would be a worthwhile investment.
When we found one on Saturday, it only cost $10. Then it was another $10 for the pillow case (doesn't make much sense, but I guessed it would be, like $60 for the thing). Since that night, the thing has become entirely indespensible. Amanda is sleeping so much better and so much more comfortably every night. I don't know how we did without it, and I recommend it highly to any other mom to be.

On the other side of things, what are some of the most pointless baby items out there? How about the $295 Ralph Lauren Luxury Cashmere Baby Blanket (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000641TOQ/102-7009594-2878532?v=glance)? Does the baby (sure to make a mess of whatever blanket he or she uses) really need a $300 blanket? Won't a series of cheaper but clean blankets do just as well?
What about the $2,800 Silver Cross stroller (http://www.silvercross.co.uk/) (price is according to Consumer Reports ... I couldn't actually find a price on their site)? Are they kidding?

Oh well. There's one born every minute.

quick note

Who ever would have thought that I'd know a key difference between the Diaper Champ and the Diaper Genie?

This whole baby thing is changing me.

Made the crib

I finally put the crib together over the weekend. It may not sound like much (and it didn't seem like much to me) ... but once that's done, you're in a whole new realm.

There's where the baby's going to sleep.
Holy (insert shocking word of choice here).
You can actually stand next to the crib and picture a baby in it. And then you can wonder what the heck ever made you think you were ready for this.

That being said, the construction went surprisingly well. I was concerned this would turn into another Ikea nightmare, where I'd end up exhasperated, bleeding slightly and unwilling to talk to anyone.
Not this time. We got a mail-order crib, based on the recommendations in the Baby Bargains book I mentioned earlier. We got the "All-American" crib and changing table/chest o' drawers. I put it together in less than 30 minutes.

Now we're just waiting for the little guy who's going to be sleeping there.

Feedback

(It's another two entry day in the blog ...)

Many thanks to those who've posted comments to me below. I'm trying to make this a two-way street, so here's my feedback to your feedback:

Anonymous asked if an 8-month-pregnant woman could finish off a whole Thanksgiving dinner on her own. The answer: Not even close. Because of the baby taking up so much space, Amanda didn't even finish off her first plate, then waited a while before a fairly small dessert.

Michelle said being pregnant isn't easy and gets very painful and that she loves the blog. Last things first, I appreciate your appreciation. The blog's actually quite a lot of fun, and I hope others are enjoying it as much as I am. Second ... yeah, we're starting to learn just how painful the end of the pregnancy can be. Amanda just shot me an email from work that included this: "I am sitting quietly (working) and your son tried to put his foot through my abdomen. It hurt. I could feel him moving around and then this bump suddenly appears and then disappears." But Amanda read your comment about enjoying the pregnancy no matter what, and she agreed with you. It hurts, but it's worth it.

Kathryn Judson said tell people about my blog from her blog. Thanks, Kathryn. Glad you enjoyed this enough to pass it on to others.

And that takes me back to my previous "Feedback" post.

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and handled Black Friday well.

What's going on?

We're at T-minus 67 days, now, and Amanda's really dealing with quite a bit. She's often exhausted, and her back and sides are usually in some amount of pain. She talks about the baby "pedaling" on her lowest ribs. She's usally really good at dealing with discomfort, so I know these are pretty serious pains right now.
As for the dad's-eye view? I'm just doing my best to figure out what's going on. The baby has hiccups? Sorry, I can't feel that no matter how hard I try. Some kicks, though, I can really feel and even see. And it seems like they have to hurt. But Amanda insists they don't really.
The pedaling, however, that seems to hurt. But I can't begin to imagine what it feels like to have someone pedal against your ribcage from the inside.
I'm guessing this is what most dads to be go through. We' re excited about the baby, nervous about what we'll be doing ... and just lost regarding what the mom to be is going through.
I try to do whatever I can to help her and make things easier ... give her some support if she is standing up from a low chair; go to the kitchen to grab whatever it is she needs; etc. And she tried to describe what she's feeling. But this is just one of those things that I don't think I'm ever going to fully understand.

Books help ... sorta
That's why I just try to read the various books and magazines we have around on the subject. And none is more entertaining than the circa-1915 The Care and Feeding of Children I mentioned before.
With this book, at least, I feel that I have a better understanding of what's going on than some "experts" did 80 years ago.
For example:

What are the most essential things in the clothing of infants?
That the chest should be covered with soft flannel, the limbs well
protected by not confined, and the abdomen supported by a broad flannel band,
which should be snug but not too tight. ... No pins should be used, but,
instead, all bands about the body should be basted. The petticoats should be
supported by shoulder straps.

Of what use is the band?
It protects the abdomen, but its most important use is to support the
abdominal walls in very young infants, and in this way to precent the occurrence
of rupture.

Ruptured abdomens? Is that a common problem in babies? I haven't seen that anywhere else.
Anyway, we're under 10 weeks and getting more and more nervous.

Strike one, strike two, solid line drive (OT)

This post is a little off topic, but not entirely. With the baby coming, we've been trying to get the house ready. Besides just the baby, we're also having some family over at Christmas to avoid lengthy travels.
We had that carpet put in a little bit ago in the baby's room (I guess they always smell weird at first, huh?).
But a more important (and more costly) effort is replacing some windows in the house. We have four old, single-pane windows in the front of our house. They're drafty and ugly and probably about as old as the house (around 50 years). We also have two even draftier windows upstairs. We used to have an attic that was renovated into a couple of rooms by the previous owners.
Anyway, we figured we'd make some changes before the baby came. We obviously should have done this back in the fall, rather than now, with the weather dipping into the 40s and hard rains a'coming. But we didn't.
Anyway, I figured I'd make some calls over the weekend. I opened one of those local advertising mailers and set aside the local window offerings. The next morning, I made some calls ...

STRIKE 1:
The first place I called said it was rated the top company in the country for windows. They asked me some questions, I answered. It was all going well until they asked when they could get together with me and my wife. My wife, I explained, has no interest in being part of this. We've discussed what we want, and they'd be meeting just with me. (I didn't throw in the fact that she's 8 months pregnant and usually pretty exhausted by the end of the day. I figured I don't need an excuse; I'm the customer looking to spend a couple thousand dollars). But it was no good. The representative said they would not meet with just me. I was stunned.

STRIKE 2:
So I called the next company I found. They've been in business locally for more than 25 years. I explained what we were looking for. The phone rep said they could come out and meet with my wife and me in the next week (I hadn't even told this guy I was married!) I said they'd just be meeting with me. He said they can't do that ... he claimed they had an experience where the husband had signed a contract and the wife had refused to take delivery. I said: Me or nothing. They said they couldn't meet with me. What the heck is this?

NICE LINE DRIVE:
At this point, my wife suggested I call the guy who did our carpet and ask him for a recommendation. That man was in charge of a family-run business, and he did an excellent job. I said I might give that a try, but I was going to call one more place first. I said I might try a new strategy: I'd be a control-freak chauvinist and tell the rep I got on the phone that I make the decisions, the house is in my name and the bank account is in my name, so there's no reason to talk to my wife. Amanda didn't like that much. I said it was either that or tell them (a) I'm not married or (b) my wife is out of the country for the next three months. She said we should be honest and just not do business with a company that insists on us doing something we don't want to do. And there you have one of the great things about Amanda: I'm trying to be all devious and she just gives the most honest, logical answer out there. Why should we support a company with such annoying policies?
So, I call a local company. Turns out they're a family-owned business in the area for more than 40 years. I quickly ask if they're going to insist on meeting with my wife and me. The rep (owner?) laughs and says they don't do that. I make an appointment for Monday night. I ask how long it will take, he says it will be about 15 minutes. Again, I'm stunned: We had a gutter company sales guy in our house two months ago, and he took more than two hours, all the while complaining that he was meeting only with me and not with me and my wife. On top of that, the price the local window guy gave me is pretty reasonable. It's a line drive (instead of a home run) only because he can't promise to get it done by Christmas. All in all, though, it still seems pretty good.

Getting bigger

The baby is about 10 weeks away now, and I think I'm beginning to show. Oh, yeah, Amanda is showing too.
I thought the Mom was supposed to gain the weight during pregnancy, but additional food around the house has definitely taken its toll. I hope it's as easy for me to lose weight post-baby as it's supposed to be for Amanda.
That's not a real serious concern, though. The real issue in those first seven words up above. The kid is 10 weeks away, as of tomorrow. Not that we're counting on him being born on the due date, of course, but it would be convenient. Pretty soon, we'll be taking the baby classes. I think that's when the panic will set in.
Another concern is the toll carrying around a baby is having on Amanda. This whole having-a-baby thing isn't easy work. But she's handling it remarkably well.
For 70 more days.

Getting real

We had the baby shower. On Tuesday, we got new carpet put in what will be the baby's room (it had been this hideous orange carpet in there). Soon, we'll actually put together the crib.
Man, this is getting close now. Under 80 days.

There's so much great stuff we got at the shower, but there's just so much stuff out there you need to get to be prepared for a baby. Who would have thought it would be this complicated?
A real life-saver has been "Baby Bargains" ... an excellent book we picked up a little while back. It's sort of a super in-depth Consumer Reports on just baby stuff. (And our edition notes: "As seen on 'Oprah' " -- so how can you go wrong?)

Amanda has also been a regular over at ivillage.com, a Web community suggested to us by our friend Tammy, who recently had a baby and has another on the way (check for her blog, coming soon ...). Ivillage breaks up expectant mothers into the months their babies are due, which then allows people to get to know eachother in smaller groups and ensures that everyone is going through about the same things at about the same time.
It's an easy, useful, free online support group.
As with any online community, there's some Web shorthand. When I first saw Amanda refer to me as a "DH," I was confused about baseball terminology on a babymom-to-be Web site (besides, I like to think of myself more as a left fielder, despite my poor throwing arm; and here Amanda was relegating me to being a designated hitter). Turns out "DH" is "Dear Husband." That's all I needed to see ... now Ivillage is entirely hers. I tend to look elsewhere.
Still, without Ivillage, we never would have seen the "Weeblock" (https://www.inventiveparent.com/weeblock.htm). The site explains the device as follows: "Urine Shield Protects Baby Changers from, um, Showers." The thing looks like a spongy, kid-sized codpiece.

So, yes, there is a tremendous amount of stuff we still need to get, but there's also a tremendous amount of garbage. And we have about 11 weeks to sort one from the other.

Shower pics

Sorry for the delay on a few shower pics ... I was experiencing some technical difficulties.

Anyway ... here's the cake (it's reflected in a mirror on the right)



Here's the unfortunate results of leaning into the cake:



Here's Amanda opening a gift (a "3-d playset," or something like that. Amanda noted it was sure to keep me busy for hours on end):



And her's Amanda with her sister, mother, grandmother and my mother.

Shower fun

One of the big fun moments of pregnancy took place over the weekend when Amanda's mother and sister arranged her baby shower at her parent's house. I attended as a cross between a chauffeur and a photographer. Amanda's father had set up and outdoor seating area complete with a TV and some refreshments for any guys who attended to watch some football.
It was really a nice time where we got all kinds of necessities, along with a whole bunch of nice blankets, clothes, stuffed critters, gift cards, etc.
I won't dwell on the specifics, other than the amazing cake . It was made to look like toy blocks with letters and numbers on them (check out the picture). Somehow, the thing ended up being much larger than expected. The top block was chocolate, the lower was yellow cake with raspberry. It actually needed support beams inside the cake as well as a couple of layers of cardboard for structural integrity. Really amazing. (Made by the same people who made out wedding cake, which was equally outstanding).
The most unusual gift of the event was one her parents gave to me. They were cleaning out a house recently and came across "The Care and Feeding of Children" by L. Emmett Holt, M.D. The book was originally published in 1898, and they had found a 1915 edition. Really high quality material:

How should the bath be given?
It should not be given sooner than one hour after feeding. The room should be warm; if possible there should be an open fire.
...
If the skin is very sensitive and chafing easily produced, what should be done?
No soap should be used, but bran or salt baths given.
How should a bran bath be prepared?
One pint of wheat bran should be placed in a bag of coarse muslin or cheese-cloth, and this put in the bath water. It should then be squeezed for five minutes, until the water resembles a thin porridge.

Strange.
I'll read through the book and be sure to keep everyone informed regarding what top scientists say babies needed in 1915 (be on the lookout for the suggestion to bathe babies in 55 degree water to help ward off colds ... I'm not kidding).

He already knew! (spoiler)

If you'll look to one of my earliest posts ("Boy vs. Girl"), you'll note my efforts to ensure my father in law doesn't find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. Well now it turns out it was all a waste. Apparently, he's known for weeks. He's known since long before this blog even started. So here my wife and I are, working hard to avoid any pronouns, and in the end it's just a big wasted effort.
Oh well.
At least it will make my writing this easier. I'm not hiding it anymore: We're having a boy.
He's going to be a linebacker.
For the Steelers.
Oh, who am I kidding. The only time I show any kind of coordination is when I type, so unless our son gets some really recessive traits (or picks up some extra traits from my wife's side), he might not be a professional linebacker. And that will be just fine.

Feedback

So, a few people have suggested names (or commented on the brilliant GoldenPalace.com idea), and I thought I'd share.
Most of the names have come from people I know pretty well. Which is what makes the "North" suggestion so odd. North Correa ... get it? But that suggestion from a former supervisor only makes sense if you pronounce my last name "Korea." But you don't. Shouldn't he have know that before making the suggestion?
Then there was a former higher-up type supervisor who suggested Stargell Correa for Pittsburgh baseball great Willie Stargell. (If it's a girl, he suggested, we'd call her "Star" for short.)
Hmm. You know, I think GoldenPalace.com (Goldie) works better than that. But you can't go wrong with classic Pirates' references.
As for the person who commented below on selling the naming rights ... I'm sorry to say I have no contact info for the site in question. Amanda shot the idea down so fast, I never even got to that step.
Anyway, I'm glad to get some response to this blog, and I'll try to respond to it now and then, so feel free to use the comment button (below) to tell me what you think.
(Utterly random thought: It's very odd that the Blogger.com spellcheck doesn't recognize the word "blog.")

Baby pictures ...

Two posts in one day?
Well, I just wanted to test my ability to upload a photo. Here's a picture of the Correa kiddo from a month or two ago.
Jeez, it really was almost two months ago. This whole pregnancy thing just flies along.
Sorry for the picture quality ... I took a picture of the ultrasound picture with my 3.2 megapixel digital camera. Luckily, the tripod helped considerably.

Changes

Is it just me, or does the bed get smaller when you're having a baby?
I mean, Amanda and I both knew she'd likely have a more difficult time sleeping as the pregnancy progressed, but I figured this would be my time to get plenty of sleep to store my energy for once the baby's born (T-minus 82 days, give or take).
No such luck.
The doctors and books suggest the mom-to-be wrap herself around a pillow for more comfortable sleeping. The mom is supposed to sleep on her side (Amanda has noted that, when she lies on her back, it feels as though all of her organs are being crushed. And the baby's not even three pounds yet!).
But what the books and docs don't tell you (or didn't tell me, at least) was that adding a pillow makes the bed much smaller. I've been living on the western-most 10 percent of our bed for the past month or so.
So Amanda's not sleeping well, I'm not sleeping well ... and our baby still seems to enjoy random pushing, kicking, shoving, etc. (I've felt many of these kicks and even seen a few ... it's pretty freaking amazing).
I get the feeling this is nature's way of getting us ready to be parents. We're edging into a world where sleep is a luxury. It's only a matter of time until we add dirty diapers and almost-constant feeding to the mix.
...
To be honest, I can't wait.

Yeah, they're cute. So?

If you're anywhere near having a baby, you can't resist baby clothes. Father-to-be, mother-to-be, aunt, uncle, grandparent, whatever - no matter how macho you think you are - baby clothes are ... well, they're just cute.
That's why I couldn't resist the little Hawaiian shirt. It's the first item of clothing we bought (as opposed to the shoes, onesies, etc. that already have started trickling in from others).And I'm the one who did the buying. What else was I supposed to do while Amanda was trying on maternity wear?
We've been told we'll get loads of birth to 6-month-old clothing, so I started looking at the clearance items for next summer, when the youngster will be about six months old.The Hawaiian shirt just seemed perfect. And how wrong can you go on clearance? I picked up five items of clothing for under $10.
When kids reach the teen years and want $100 sneakers, I imagine I'll look back fondly at times like these.

Wrong chart, wrong gender

That's what I get for making assumptions.
The Chinese Gender Chart I mentioned in an earlier post is not the one Amanda looked at when she was trying to figure out whether we were going to have a boy or a girl.
No big deal, right? After all, the various charts are surely based on the same ideas, so they'll have the same result.
Nope.
According to the chart I posted, we're having a girl. According to the chart Amanda looked at, we're having a boy.
That's convenient, huh? Between the two, the gender chart people have all their bases covered. If anyone is interested in the other chart, check it out at www.ivillage.co.uk.

Sell the naming rights

Amanda really hated my idea of selling the naming rights to the baby.
I still think it was well planned and would have worked fine. This was a few months back, when we didn't know if we were going to have a boy or a girl. The plan would work fine if we were going to have a girl.
In brief: I wanted to contact www.goldenpalace.com. The online casino already had gladly spent millions of dollars on such pointless items as buying the piece of toast that looked like the Virgin Mary (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4034787.stm) and on the naming rights to a new species of monkey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoldenPalace.com_Monkey). So you know they'd be into getting more media attention with our daughter, GoldenPalace.com Correa.
I figured there would be a flash of publicity, but it would die down before she started school. By then, she'd just be known as "Goldie," and that would be that.
In exchange, we'd have her college education paid for, and we'd be able to make all the necessary improvements to our recently purchased home. Everyone wins.
Seems logical enough, no? Well, apparently not. Let's just say, the baby will not be named GoldenPalace.com Correa. And I never even got to the step of calling the company to see whether they were interested.
Oh well. I guess it's important to make some compromises.