Childbirth Classes: our lack of preparedness is scary...

Scarier than the full-on, graphic video of a baby being born, and scarier than the sounds the mothers in the video made as they went through natural childbirth, was the fact that when the nurse asked the class who had purchased their car seats, diapers, etc., most of the couples raised their hands. Kenny and I merely looked at each other with a mix of horror and disbelief. I spent the better part of this week freaking out about not having our house finished, not having our car seat purchased, not having Chicklet's clothes washed and ready, and just generally not having anything purchased or ready for her arrival.
So I decided today to end some of the freaking out by buying some essentials and cleaning out Chicklet's room. I went to Babies R Us and bought diapers, wipes, baby shampoo and lotion, and a whole bunch of other little things that I assume we won't be receiving at the baby shower. If they had the car seat we want, I probably would have walked out with that as well. All in all, it was a productive day. On top of purchasing the essentials, I also washed Chicklet's clothes and hung them in her room...her room that I cleaned out today as well. Now you can actually walk more than 6 inches into the room before running into a piece of furniture or an unpacked box. I'm happy to say, there are no more unpacked boxes in Chicklet's room. The furniture that is in there now will be sold soon, and hopefully one of these days we'll get the carpet put down.
I also got our crib and changing station/dresser ordered (a modern one, so Kenny is happy. Snob.). We still need to go shell out for the mattress and changing pad, which, because they will be organic, will cost four times as much as a normal mattress and changing pad. The crib bedding is ordered and on its way from California as I type, and we have received the final installations in our pregnancy/labor/childbirth library that we'll be reading quickly over the next few weeks. I feel like I have a hold on the insanity now. I can walk into our next childbirth class with head held high, knowing that although we still haven't purchased our carseat, we will at least have diapers to put on Chicklet's butt and a piece of modern furniture on which we will change those diapers.

bugaboo and babiesrus reviews

my parents just got us a wonderful baby present - a bugaboo frog stroller! we're super psyched - we were burned by the quiny zapp stroller, which was a major letdown. that thing looked like a great bugaboo knockoff (not crappy, just less expensive), but it really was not up to par. the seat didn't recline, the wheel base was too narrow (easy off-balance tilting), and small storage. we were really let down. so then we allowed the saleslady at babystyle to sell us on the bugaboo, which really wasn't hard as this thing is pretty much the most beautiful and sturdiest stroller on the market. brushed extruded aluminum frame, pretty colors, a modern design sensibility. we were very happy when my parents got it for us.

so i was checking on the shipping status of the bugaboo just now and was perusing the bugaboo frog page. i started reading the reviews of the stroller, and they were all 5/5 stars, raving reviews of how this stroller will bring about world peace and solve climate change. but then i came across the most telling review i've ever read:

"I have Bugaboo Cameleon (Similar) & the Stokke both in red bought this years ago which i bought in Europe. I don't use mine much now as it is too common. I loved then when it was available at boutique shops not babiesrus. Must I say bulky, takes up space lighter than Stokke. Of course you will look like the hip family but are you really that hip when everyone in NEW YORK CITY has the same thing. I'm on my 3rd child and will be in UK getting the next best thing.
GREAT without the canopy and for LONG walks, Trips.. so if your a city mom this is your best bet. To and from main street if you live in suburbia its not really necessary. but BETTER than Stokke"

yes, if the latest and greatest is what you want to be seen pushing your baby around in, don't get the bugaboo frog. it is just too common. suckers.

Grandparents are already wonderful...

Kenny's mom just called me this afternoon with some wonderful news- their gift to Chicklet is a brand-new Bugaboo stroller! While we're sad Adrienne and Steve won't be able to come to the baby shower (we figured they wouldn't anyway, since they'll be making so many trips down here in November), we're really excited Chicklet will now have some pimpin' wheels. Maybe my parents will pitch in for the custom rims...just kidding. This stroller is truly an awesome stroller, so I'm pretty excited about it. I can't wait to see it and spend the inevitable 5 hours it will take to put it together. At least we can get it ordered and assembled well in advance of Chicklet's arrival, as my nesting instinct has been kicking into high gear lately and causing me to stress about all of the little things we still haven't completed (like choosing a crib)!

Kenny has been talking to Chicklet's butt...

By the way, I just thought you'd all like to know that Chicklet is practicing for her teenage years already. Kenny often writes about talking to Chicklet via the "belly phone", which is my belly button (which looks strange and flat now, by the way). Well, when we were at the doctor's office on Friday, the nurse told us that Chicklet is head-down now. (We got to feel her head for ourselves, which was really cool.) That means that her butt is right about where my belly button is, so for the past week or so, Kenny has been talking right into her little tush, rather than to her head as he thought he was. She has obviously developed an attitude already when it comes to conversations with her dad...

Stroller Envy

Remember the stroller wars of several months ago? Kenny wanted the Graco stroller, whereas I wanted the Peg Perego. I finally won. Well, about two months ago we were shopping in Babystyle, when the sales associate informed us of a new stroller soon to be available in the U.S.--the Quinny "Zapp". This stroller promised it all- style, convenience, safety, and affordability. We were really excited about it and have been counting down the days until its arrival in the store. When we finally got the call that it was in, we raced down to the mall to check it out. Oh..my..god..UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT! Sure, it looked cool, and sure, it could fold up into something the size of a briefcase, but it just wasn't what it cracked up to be. The wheels were foam rather than rubber tires, the fabric was cheap, and it just didn't feel very sturdy. It failed Kenny's test of running full speed around a corner. So there we were, standing in Babystyle, feeling defeated in the realm of strollers. I've never seen Kenny so disappointed. He's been talking about this thing for weeks, and all of his dreams were dashed. Well, he feels better now because he finally sold me on the Bugaboo. I've trashed this particular stroller as too expensive for the average person (it runs from $500-1000). But, having been through all of the other stroller brands and eliminating them one by one (except for the MacLauren, which we have yet to check out in earnest), this one is certainly the best. It is the Mercedes of strollers. Actually, make that the BMW of strollers, because at $750 a pop (for the "Frog", which is the one we want), it ought to come with all attachments, plus a nanny to push it. However, you have to buy the cupholder, car seat adaptor, and UV-protected sun screen separately. Oh well. I've been scoping Ebay for used models, and while they seem to hold their value extremely well (as in, I can't find one there for anything under $600), we can still save a hundred dollars or so. Or maybe we'll get lucky and 20 of our friends will pool their resources and buy it off of our registry. I'm sure they offer financing...

Life finally calms down

Kenny and I just returned from a very relaxing, much-needed weekend away at La Cantera resort in the Texas Hill Country. We had been extremely busy with the house, getting it in order for Chicklet's arrival over the past few weeks, that we barely had time to just sit down and relax, so I booked a weekend out there for us. It was a very family-friendly resort with tons of kids running around. Thankfully, they had an "adults only" pool where Kenny and I spent all day reading and swimming. I was really wonderful. They also had this pillow in the hotel room that was really great for me- it was long and skinny, and just thin enough to fit under my belly when I was on my side. I almost stole it from the hotel, but figured we could buy our own for much less than what they would probably charge upon discovery that it was missing.

AS for the house, the cause of our need for vacation, we have a ways to go, such as having the remaining hardwoods laid, choosing carpet for our bedroom and Chicklet's bedroom, and painting our bedroom. Once all of that is done (hopefully before mid-October), we'll be ready for Chicklet to come greet the world and enjoy her environmentally-safe home (Kenny made sure all of the products we used for painting, laying floors, and the carpets themselves don't release toxic chemicals.
As for Chicklet, she's trucking along just fine these days. She's about 15 inches long now and weighs between 2.5 and 3 pounds. She's just as active as ever, and now that she's settled into her head-down position for birth, she's enjoying kicking me in the ribs and stomach. She also likes to punch my bladder, which is less-than-fun. As uncomfortable as some of her movements are, I still love feeling them. She's becoming more active at night now (as in, in the middle of the night), which doesn't bode well for my ability to sleep (or Kenny's, as I toss and turn in the night trying to get her to quit kicking me). Again, I wouldn't give it up for anything. I just hope it doesn't mean she'll be up all night when she arrives.
We did have something of a pre-term labor scare on Friday, though. I woke up early in the morning with cramping, and dismissed it as aches and pains of pregnancy. Then I started feeling it again at work the next morning, so I called the doctor and they had me come in for an exam. They checked me out and tested some sort of protein level, and after a few anxious hours, determined everything was ok. I think the pain I was feeling was probably Chicklet pushing on something she wasn't supposed to. I haven't felt it since then, so no worries. I'm excited for her to make her grand appearance, but not quite yet. She still needs to bake for a few more weeks at least!

Movin' Right Along...

soooooo... it's been a little over 4 weeks since we last posted. at this stage of the pregnancy game, 4 weeks is a huge deal - the baby's growing about an inch a week, but has gone through her major growth already. now, as i understand it through my amateur ob-gyn wife, it's pretty much advanced organ and brain development and weight gain. last week we went to the first of our biweekly ob-gyn checkups - we go every two weeks from now through the last month of the pregnancy. the last four weeks we get weekly checkups.

as long as everything progresses as expected, we won't be seeing any more ultrasounds. as much as i want to see chicklet move on video again, i'd rather wait and see her live in person come november. on the flip side of not getting to see her via ultrasound, she's made her presence known by allowing us to actually watch her punch and kick cindy's stomach. it's really cool, though simultaneously disconcerting, to watch Alien occurring inside Cindy's stomach. freaky, but cool. just a few weeks ago, in fact, i was talking to Chicklet via the bellyphone (belly button), and she decided to pop me in the head.

these few weeks have seen a lot more than just Chicklet and Cindy growing. since we last wrote, Cindy and I have closed on a house, personally renovated the interior, moved in, and had 8 friends visit for a weekend. it's been supremely chaotic, and we still don't have time to catch our breath. we're looking forward to things slowing down to a normal pace in the next few weeks just in time for us to gear back up for Chicklet's arrival.

as a side note, our interior renovation included repainting every room, removing carpet from every room, ripping out glued-down vinyl sheeting, and laying hardwoods in the living room, dining room, hallway and office (those 2 are actually still awaiting the wood). we did all that in the span of a week and a half. right now the chem-free exterminator is treating the house w/ all of the non-chemical goodness to keep the bugs away but our family safe. next week comes the tree doctor...