Journeys With a Pregnant Lady

In Da Crib

So Kim and I started looking at cribs. I didn't realize how complicated the crib buying process could be. Like all good parents to be, Kim and I first signed up for Consumer Reports. Although, I am not sold on Consumer reports. They are helpful, but they don't seem to report on every of "whatever product" in its particular category. The reports are sometimes over six months old and don’t reflect the newest products out there. But they are the industry standard, so we will use them.

If you read enough about cribs, you soon realize that this is your first chance not to kill your kid. The information sources out there would have you believe that every other crib on the market is potentially dangerous.

If the slats (or bars) of the crib aren't close enough together... your kid will get strangled.

If there is exposed hardware on the crib... your kid will get maimed in some way.

Is there any particleboard used in the construction? Hope not, the kid will succumb to chemical fumes.

How about that wood finish, does it have enough coats of a safe material for your kid to chew on? Hope so, or else the kid buys it.

You would think that there is one standard that all cribs are held to, and that safety would be on the top of every maker’s list. Why even get into the crib building business unless you are going to make safe cribs, right? So I’m sure that every legitimate crib maker makes a relatively safe product. But with the cautions all swirling around in your head, you immediately go to the high price cribs.

I'm not sure that the higher priced cribs are better, considering that one of the highest rated Consumer Reports cribs is only a $100, but the higher priced ones look nice.

I didn't realize that these things are like Transformers, the turn into like 10 different things. They go from a crib to an adult full-size bed. Doesn't that seem weird? These Cribs are so nice that when they convert to a full-size bed, they have a headboard and footboard that almost looks better than the ones we have on our bed.

Like I said, we are only just starting our crib journey. Now if every purchase for the child takes this much thought, we might not have everything purchased before she is born.

When I know more about cribs I will write more.

Regular People

Kim woke up this morning with adventure in mind. She said, get dressed I want a waffle from the Silver Diner, and hurry I don't know how long I will be feeling okay. I leaped to my feet got dressed and we were off. This was the first attempt to actually eat inside a restaurant in 3 months.

We parked at the Silver Diner and walked to the door.

Could this be really be happening?
Are we really going to go inside?

Just feet from the door I looked over at Kim and asked how she was doing. I also asked if she was nervous. The smells inside the dinner were bound to be strong, and it is those smells that are a huge deal breaker when going out to eat at this point.

Yes. Success. We had our first meal sitting in a booth at a restaurant in months.
There were certain restrictions though, I wasn't allowed to get an omelet for breakfast. Kim is having a problem looking at or smelling eggs. So I sat with my caramel french toast and Kim sat with her waffle and I felt like we were regular people again.

Poll: Call to the People

Help! I am under siege. There is already dissention in the ranks for naming our baby. I didn't think it would come so soon. I blame myself really. If I hadn't purchased that gender test, I would have been able to build a case for certain names that I like to remain on the list for at least one or two more months.

Everything was working so well. We were being very equitable about putting names on the short list. We shared in the experience of taking the highlighted prospects from "The Perfect Name: A Step-By-Step Guide to Naming Your Baby" book and placing them onto a written list. We combined the first names with the last name to see what worked. This action narrowed the field quite a bit, because not all names go with my last name very well.

Now, Kim is trying to take control. She has already rejected a name on the list. And it just so happens to be a name that I like. I think this name rejection to be very premature. We are only entering the second trimester. Should we really be rejecting names that reside on the short list now?

I'm taking my problem to the people. This is your first of many chances to sway the balance of power between him and Kim. I need your help. Here is a poll with the name in question, and I want to see what you say about this name. I'm not saying that I want this name for our daughter but I just think it is premature to just cast it aside as Kim has done. Please tell as many people you can to stop by and cast their vote. I want this poll to be statistically relevant, and the more people who vote will achieve that.

The Name is Maura. Kim seems to think that the name doesn't work. I think it sounds kind of cool. Picture this... Maura sounds like a girl that won't like mainstream music. She will like indie bands and go to small venue concerts instead of Backstreet Boys type shows. Maura sounds like she will be deep, a thinker, always looking to expand her mind. She isn't just interested in the superficial. If she is good looking Maura wouldn't lean toward the slutty side. The slightly quirky name mellows out her looks and keeps her grounded. Like I said I don't necessarily want it, but I think the name warrants consideration.

What do you think?
Should she stay on the list for now?
The results of the poll will decide if the name stays or goes.
Click for Poll

Conspiracy

I think there is a worldwide conspiracy among all mothers to hide certain painful details about motherhood. In order to perpetuate the species they neglect certain difficulties when discussing pregnancy with a prospective mother. Sure, They have to share the painful world of child delivery, because we all know pushing a child out of the body must really hurt; Even us guys know that, and believe me deep down inside we thank our lucky stars we aren't the ones who have to endure the process. Since we all know birth hurts, the consortium of recent mothers out there perpetuating the lie can't hide that fact.

I'm writing this because as far as I can tell Kim has experienced every symptom that the websites say a pregnant lady will experience. She also has them at the exact same time they say she will. Can she possibly be the only one? Unlikely.

Now I distinctly remember hearing Kim talk to friends and acquaintances about pregnancy, and aside from the obvious delivery process talk they seemed to gloss over all the other things that really suck about being pregnant. Why?

Is the delivering of a baby so painful that all other hardships leading up to the day are overshadowed and forgotten?
Is Kim the only one of all the people she knows to have said suckie symptoms?
Is there a chemical released into the mother's brain during delivery that erases the mind of how bad it feels to be pregnant, ensuring that the mother will not mind doing it again?

Or is it a world wide conspiracy by mothers to mothers-to-be ensuring our species doesn't die out. I don't know.

Back on the horse

Sorry I was absent in my posting. I hope I didn't loose too many of you. I feel rejuvenated, and I will try to be more consistent with my posting like before. So come on back now, ya hear.

13 Weeks

So Kim is 13 weeks at this point. But as I said, at our last visit our little girl measured one week ahead. So for people going to www.babycenter.com to read along with Kim's status should keep that in mind. Not much changes this week with our little girl. She is now around 3 1/2 inches long at this point. She might be swinging her arms and legs around, but she is still way too small for Kim to feel it. The only really new thing she is doing at this point going to the bathroom. I guess you gotta go sometime. She does it all right in there to. There isn't a special tube that directs it to Kim bladder. But I will stop writing about that now, sorry.

We had a breakthrough the other day. After many days being a good servant and fetching whatever little snack my little lady requires, only to have her eat two bites and say that it didn't taste right, she finally found one that tasted like before she was pregnant. Cooler Ranch Doritos! Yeah, we have a winner. Kim eats other things but I guess she says they just don't taste like they used to, but Cooler Ranch Doritos do. I looked it up, apparently this is common with pregnant ladies. Foods don't taste the same during pregnancy.

That SUCKS.

All I can say is I am glad that particular aliment doesn't affect me. I love food way too much to have its taste affected. I know it will be great when we have the child, but I will say whatever forces through time have set these symptoms in place during pregnancy could have made it more fun. It is a wonder how so many people have more than one child.

She Makes Sounds

Kim and I heard the first sounds from our little one today. We had a follow-up visit with the doctor and he used the little contraption to let us hear the heartbeat. Her heart beats very fast. 155bpm as a matter of fact, like a little galloping horse. I need to get a tape of that sound. Maybe at the next visit.

I told the doctor about the gender test we took. He got a kick out of it and said we were the first in his practice that he knows who took it. He also saw it talked about on the Today Show. I was a little nervous to bring it up. I thought he would think it was stupid, but he seemed to think it was very cool. I told him about how much it sucked for Kim to take it. I thought that might be helpful incase one of hi other patients aked him about it. I don't want other people to suffer the annoyances