Send them to an infant CPR class a few weeks before they’re due and let them hear all the many many ways babies and toddlers can injure themselves and/or die.

….

Don’t get me wrong, the class was great and super useful and we really loved our instructor. But the first part of the class went over all the things that can go wrong. All the things they can put in their mouths and choke on, etc. Now I’ve always known these things, having been around babies before and known a lot of parents. “It only takes a second!” they say. But there’s a whole new meaning now when it’s YOUR kid ….that YOU’RE responsible for….every day. Ivor and I probably looked so terrified sitting there lol. “Ahh newbies”, the rest of the class probably thought (there was only 1 other couple there who were expecting…everyone else already has a kid(s)). One story in particular though was just kind of funny- a toddler took daddy’s new iPhone and put it in the microwave while daddy took a quick bathroom break. By the time he got out of the bathroom, the phone was on fire. Baby was fine,  but the phone…not so much. Good lesson for my techy husband with all his gadgets (we have LOTS of baby-proofing to do).

Anyway- it was a great class and I’m glad we went. I do feel better now knowing what to do…just in case. I highly recommend it. We took ours at Tiny Tots in Campbell.

In other news, also at Tiny Tots, we bought our entire cloth diaper stash (minus 3 that were given to us as gifts)!  24 total adorable cloth diapers that will last Gwen from now until she’s potty trained. And we spent even less money on them than I was planning to. Win! We still need a few “accessories”, but still, overall- big savings. The bigger savings will come when we re-use them for baby #2 (should we be so blessed again). That being said, we got mostly all gender neutral colors, except 1 purple diaper that I insisted on buying. I couldn’t help myself. If we have a boy next, he’ll deal. He won’t care what color his poop catcher is

So we went with the BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers. After lots of research and talking to other CD parents, they seemed like the best option for us and the easiest to use. I will check in again once we start using them to let everyone know how it’s going, once we have our “system” down. I still need to figure out what detergent I’m going to use, or if I’m going to try making my own, etc. I’m considering cloth wipes now too to save even more money, and to make the whole system/routine a little easier (since you just throw them in the diaper pail with the diapers and in the same wash load), as opposed to throwing the diaper in one pail and the wipes in another. Anyway- we’ll see how it goes. I do like disposable wipes cause I think they’ll be really handy for lots of different things.

Here’s the stash:

They’re just so adorable:

I can’t wait to put them on Gwen’s little bum

Just a quick little rundown on our weekend:

We got the crib and the glider assembled. I had a wonderful pre-natal massage (more on that below). We had a lovely baby celebration at church for all the mamas-to-be (3 of us still waiting, 1 just delivered 2 weeks ago!) And I’m halfway through writing out Thank You cards for everyone who got us anything baby related so far (more on that right now): my hand hurts and I wish it was socially acceptable to send email Thank You’s …maybe it is for some people, but not in my family (I’d never hear the end of it lol)

I could just post this picture on facebook:

and then tag everyone who got us a gift

But I won’t do that. Don’t get me wrong, we are so VERY thankful to everyone who got us a gift, and you all will get an actual card. I promise. Hopefully I’ll get them in the mail before Gwen is born though. Because after…I make no guarantees.

Now about that pre-natal massage. I am a fan. And I could get use to it It was soooo relaxing and wonderful. I also decided it’s worth it to pamper yourself every once in awhile. I’ve never been a “spa” person (mostly because I can’t justify spending the money on it). BUT, as I was laying there having my feet rubbed, while listening to calming music, on a heated massage table, I had an epiphany. I don’t think people realize how messed up their bodies really are until someone starts massaging you. And since our bodies are temples, we should take care of them. Therefore, worth it. Take time to pamper your poor, beat- up body every now and then (note: every now and then). Your body will thank you.

That is all.

I had my 32 week check-up on Thursday- which is the last of the “boring” appointments. Not that hearing my baby’s heartbeat is ever boring…I just wish I could see her on an ultrasound every appointment and I can’t The last few appointments have been quick: I give a urine sample, get weighed, have my blood pressure taken, belly measured, hear the heartbeat and then they send me on my way (unless I have questions, which I always do).

I gained 7 lbs since my last appointment 4 weeks ago- just a tad more than the average 1lb per week that I’m supposed to be gaining…but whatever. My baby is well-fed Vitals looked good, belly measured right on target for 32 weeks and her heartbeat was about 150bpm. Also, apparently I’ve been having Braxton Hicks contractions (practice contractions) and not realizing it. I had one during the appointment when I first laid down on the table. I figured it was just me tensing up for the belly measurement/freezing cold jelly (I am probably the most ticklish patient my doctor has ever had). But my belly was super hard then after about a minute or so it was soft. Again, I would’ve had no idea if my doctor didn’t point it out. #newbie

Anyway- good news is that at my next appointment (36 weeks) we WILL get another ultrasound to see what position she’s in. Hooray! She’ll look a lot different than she did at 18 weeks…I’m sure she’s chubbier and more adorable than ever. She’ll be running out of room in there so it will probably be difficult to see more than one part of her little body at a time. But that’s okay- I’ll take it!

Hopefully she’s good and gets in position by the time she’s ready to pop out. I’ve heard it can be quite painful/uncomfortable to have the docs try to turn her manually- yikes! Makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Anyway, this afternoon I had a chance to visit the hospital for the first time (Kaiser Santa Clara, where Gwen will be born!). It was kind of exciting…made me giddy almost. It was just a “late pregnancy class”- a 2-hour general information session on late pregnancy, labor and delivery, etc. We’ll find out a lot more next week at the all-day Childbirth Prep Class- which will of course be more hands-on and fun (Ivor gets to practice back massages on me- woohoo!!)

As I was leaving the hospital I saw a new mom being wheeled out, baby in arms with the dad waiting by the car to go home….it was adorable. As I congratulated them I nearly burst into tears (darn hormones!).

In other semi-related news, I’ve created a new mommy blog which I’ll start using soon, to keep it separate from my photography blog. I’ll either debut it next month or sometime after she’s born. Stay tuned!

So here’s to month 8!  And here is one of the handouts from today’s class- I thought the illustration of the mom’s face at each stage was amusing

The title of this post is a direct quote from my husband after he conquered the first assembly of baby furniture/stuff: the pack-n-play/bassinet:

Ta-da!

It didn’t take him very long and he never looked or said anything to express his frustration during the process. But apparently he would’ve finished it faster without the “worst instructions ever.” Perhaps. I think it was the reversible napper/changer thingy that was the trickiest. In any case- progress! My dresser is moved into her room (which still has a long way to go), but now our bedroom is at least ready for Gwen to invade (for about the first month or so of her life).

It’s also no surprise at all that Milton, our cat, already took it upon himself to test the safety of the pack-n-play. We caught him in there twice now. Somewhere deep inside him he knows he’s not supposed to be in there. Because he only did it when we weren’t paying any attention. I have a feeling we’re going to get a lot of use out of our water spray bottle trying to keep him off/out of Gwen’s things….the swing, the bouncer, the high chair. I guarantee he’ll want to “test” them all. *sigh*

Anyway- the teddy bear you see in the picture belonged to Ivor when he was little. I think it’s adorable that he’s now passing it on to his daughter

That’s all for now- I think I need a snack.