A Proper Farewell

Clearly, I'm checked out of this whole blogging thing.  And I apologize for not giving you a proper farewell three weeks ago.  Better late than never?

Motherhood is time consuming.  I've found a groove and I'm back to showering and using the bathroom at regular intervals, but true "free time" is rare.  While I could continue to blog, I know I could find fifteen minutes here or there, I'm going to hold off.  I don't want to serve up half-arsed posts twice a month.  That's not cool.  Not cool for you - you should be able to count on a five minute break from life that's worth your five minutes.  Not cool for me - I love writing and don't want to throw together grammatically incorrect, misspelled, boring nonsense.

So, I'm (finally) saying farewell.  It's been fantastic.  I've so enjoyed our exchanges, I'm no doubt a better mother for them.  I won't say goodbye forever, but farewell for the foreseeable future.  Thanks for reading.  Truly.

I will remain available for a chat at nextstopbabyblog@gmail.com

 

Shoulda Included This on My Registry

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.  I registered for a lot of stuff for my baby shower (at Amazon.com and Buy Buy Baby).  At some point, I will share an abbreviated version of that long list.  But first, here's a short list of items that I should have registered for, but didn't.  I own them all now.

Mittens - All babies rub their eyes when they're tired.  According to my baby's pediatrician, it's instinctive and it can't be prevented.  Some babies rub more than others...mine rubs like a professional.  Mittens are a simple solution.  I registered for one set of two mittens.  Within a week, I lost a mitten.  They're so damn tiny.  Do yourself a favor and get more than two sets of mittens.  Do yourself another favor and don't get the brand I did (here) because they sucked.  The elasticity around the wrists stretched out quickly and the mittens would fall off.  Useless.  I ended up buying extra sets made by Gerber and they are fantastic.

Nose Frida - Okay, this is a pretty gross product in concept.  It's called a "snot sucker" because it's a tool for sucking snot out of the baby's nose...literally.  Mom's mouth goes on one end of the tube and baby's nostril is at the other end with a filter in between.  Once you get over the sucking concept, you get on the sucking wagon.  It works much better than the bulb syringe you get in the hospital or whatever nasal aspirator you get at your baby shower.  It's much more gentle and much more productive.

Cloth Diapers - I do not use cloth diapers on my baby's bum...maybe next time.  But, I do use cloth diapers as burp clothes.  This is a staple usage for cloth diapers and for good reason - they're soft and absorbent.  I registered for them, but not nearly enough.  Cloth diapers/burp clothes are good for everything.  They soak up spit up, wipe off drool and are the perfect tool to remedy a diaper disaster.  So, get a lot.  I got a dozen.  I wish I got two dozen.

Wipe Dispenser - I didn't register for this because I thought it was unnecessary.  I was wrong.  The plastic containers that the wipes come in are cheap and don't work.  I frequently found myself wrist deep in poop with my naked, screaming cherub on the changing table as I tried to pull out another wipe that just wouldn't come.  Finally, I got on board and it's been smooth sailing ever since.  I went with the OXO wipe dispenser on the recommendation of a friend, it's great.

What products should you have included on your registry?  

What did you discover to be indispensable after the little one arrived?

A Real Conversation

And now, I interrupt my previously scheduled post about more things I did when I was pregnant to bring you a real conversation...that happened yesterday.

First, I'll set the stage: I am sitting in a cafe with my bundle of joy, who is sleeping in the stroller and looking quite angelic.  I've just sat down with a hot bowl of soup (it's cold in NY these days) and I'm about to take my first warm spoonfuls.  Enter woman with a coffee and cookie who takes a seat at the table next to mine.

Woman - Your baby is adorable, so tiny.  How old? 

Me - Thanks!  Around 3 months. 

Woman - I've seen so many tiny babies lately.  I saw a really small baby in the diner the other day, even smaller than yours.  You baby is big for 3 months, right? 

Me - Actually, yes.   

Woman - I have to make a call to my husband. 

Me - Okay.  (I smile and assume that the conversation is going to end here) 

Woman - I have to call my husband about my son.  I got called into his school yesterday and they told me that he has (she starts poking around her scalp)...LICE. 

Me - I'm sorry. 

Woman - I was picking through his head last night and he asked what I was doing and I didn't want to tell him, so I said nothing.  I have to call my husband and tell him that I got the special shampoo.  I'll have to pick through his head again tonight.

Me - Oh. 

Woman - It's so gross. 

Me - Yeah.

Finally, the woman reaches her husband on the phone and proceeds to discuss the gross lice situation, including the special shampoo.  I am left staring at my soup and unsure whether my appetite is fully gone or just partially.

While I was pregnant I found myself the victim of similar type conversations where a stranger divulged very random and often very awkward information to me.  Yesterday's conversation reminded me of those pregnancy days.  Somehow they already feel a light year away.  Time flies once the baby arrives.

A Pregnancy Book or Ten

I have written about pregnancy books a couple times (here and here too).  Those posts were, of course, written before I was actually pregnant. So, by the time I became pregnant and wanted to get on the knowledge wagon, I forgot the results of all that research.  Easy solution - I went back through my posts.

I had written about serious pregnancy books and "Not So Serious" pregnancy books.  I wanted a serious book.  I knew ZIP about what was in store for me and relying on Jenny McCarthy as my sole provider of information seemed risky (though I've heard that Belly Laughs is a hoot).  I also decided, after reviewing my posts, that I wanted to steer clear of What To Expect When You're Expecting.  While several friends had recommended it as the true bible of pregnancy, others classified it as a fear-inducing encyclopedia.  I wanted to err on the side of a fearless pregnancy.  Lastly, I did a little re-reading of Amazon.com book reviews.  With everything fresh in my mind, I headed to Barnes and Noble to make my big purchase.

I can't tell you what I intended to purchase at Barnes and Noble because I don't remember.  What I do remember is going to the pregnancy section of the store for the first time and (sort of) freaking out.  First, I couldn't find the book I had picked and was too nervous to ask for help.  Maybe I chose the wrong book and the sales clerk was going to judge me..."already a bad mom and the baby isn't even here...tisk tisk."  I quickly gave up my game plan and started randomly looking through the shelves, but there were so many books.  SO MANY BOOKS.  I picked up one and mindlessly flipped through it.  Nope.  I flipped through another.  Nope.  I didn't know why I was rejecting them or what I was looking for.  At some point I decided that I had been there too long, my mission was a bust and I needed to just grab something and leave.  My hands landed on the Mayo Clinic book and I nearly ran to the check out.

GREAT accidental choice on my part.  About half the book is broken up into a month by month discussion of changes to the baby, changes to the mom and specific things that will occur in each month (prenatal tests, etc.).  Monthly breakdowns felt like the perfect amount to consume in a sitting (versus weekly or by trimester).  The other half of the book is dedicated to labor and delivery.  The tone of the book is that perfect mix of straightforward information packaged in some friendly bedside manner.  And, I later learned that my doctor's office carried a copy of the Mayo Clinic book in each examination room.  That says something, right?  Though it also made me a little nervous to imagine a doctor needing it during an examination to answer a couple questions for the patient.

In addition to the Mayo Clinic book, I was also gifted Pregnancy Day by Day.

This is a pretty awesome book.  Each page is a day of pregnancy and each day there is something unique and special to read about.  There are amazing sonogram pictures on each page, so the mom-to-be has a visual of what's happening that day inside her belly.  This was especially nice in the beginning of my pregnancy when my bump hadn't bumped.  Though the cover promotes this book to contain "comprehensive advice", I wouldn't necessarily agree with that characterization.  This is a relatively light read and more about the images and novel tidbits (example - fetal hiccups) than hardcore information.

I was also gifted a bunch of other books: the Dr. Oz book, The Girlfriends Guide, What to Expect (yeah, it found its way to my book shelf), Belly Laughs (still haven't read this one...maybe next time?).  My husband was even gifted a few books including The Caveman's Pregnancy Companion.  Each book contains the same basic information, but differs in the tone (mellow versus alarmist) and the amount of information (a little and a lot).  It ended up being really nice to have a collection because it gave me variety.  Some topics I wanted to know everything about and so I could hit up that chapter in all of the books and learn it from every angle.  Some topics I didn't care as much about, so I could read about it in a less intense book and move on.  

There are a couple morals to this story.  First, you may not want to buy yourself a pregnancy book because it's a staple gift for a first time mom and you're bound to receive a few.  Second, each book provides something different and valuable so there's nothing wrong with having a collection.  Last, at some point I found myself putting the books away and relying solely on my doctor because she knew me, she knew my baby and she knew my pregnancy...unlike the authors of any of the books on my shelf.  More on this last lesson another day.  

What pregnancy books did you use?  How would you rate the books?    

  

Pickles and Ice Cream

The minute I revealed that there was bun in my oven, people started asking about my cravings.  Friends, family and strangers alike all wanted to know what foods I suddenly and absolutely needed.  It's one of the most talked about symptoms of pregnancy - food cravings.  It's some sort of phenomenon that pregnant women have cravings for foods that they have never craved before (or even liked before).  And, better yet, pregnant women crave unique combinations of food.

Remember Lady and the Tramp?  Of course you do.  It's aptly described on IMDB as the "romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown mutt".

This is from 1955, seriously.

Do you remember the scene when the voice of the pregnant wife asks the husband to go out in the blizzard to get her some watermelon and chop suey?  That is how most people imagine pregnancy cravings.  Watermelon and chop suey.  Or, the classic, pickles and ice cream.  I was constantly asked whether I craved pickles or ice cream or the combination.  Much like Snooki, I happen to love pickles, and much like everyone, I happen to love ice cream.  So, my answer was always "Yes, I have been craving both pickles and ice cream...as much as I did before my pregnancy, which was a lot."

What I find especially interesting about the association between pregnancy and food cravings is that it's a farce.  Sort of.  I didn't have cravings when pregnant, not really.  There was never a moment when I absolutely needed a particular food.  There was never a moment when I demanded my husband run to the corner store for pickles or ice cream or anything else.  Most of my mom friends report the same.

This is a real maternity clothing store, check it out here.

I did, however, find myself eating a lot of tomato soup.  I'm a bagged lunch type of lady, yet I would randomly find myself in line at Hale and Hearty, waiting to pay for a cup of Tomato Basil with Rice soup.  Sometimes once a week.  But, I'm not sure I considered this a craving because I didn't suddenly and urgently need tomato soup at 2 a.m. one morning, I just sort of ate it often.  That and apple juice, but I think the apple juice was more about consuming something that was easy on my stomach and energy producing.

Has anyone ever actually craved pickles and ice cream while pregnant?  Has anyone (pregnant or not) ever tried pickles and ice cream together?  I wonder if it would be surprisingly good with the sweet and salty combo?  I do love chocolate covered pretzels.

What did you crave when you were pregnant?