Preparing for the storm

It's hard to believe that it has been 9 months since I peed on the stick that has brought us to the brink of parenthood. All in all, pregnancy hasn't been as bad as I feared. The first trimester with constant nausea and fatigue was rough, but once I started to show and had more energy, it wasn't too bad. And once we could actually feel Baby S moving around in my belly, it was really quite fun. I especially enjoyed watching the look of horror on my husband's face the first time he felt the baby do one of his sudden acrobatic movements and realized that his son does more in there than just kick.

The worst part has been developing carpal tunnel syndrome, which for a software engineer on the computer all day, has been the biggest inconvenience of the pregnancy. Fortunately, my OB says it should go away after the baby is born. All of the other common pregnancy symptoms have been pretty mild. Even at 38 weeks, I am getting plenty of sleep, despite frequent trips to the bathroom. I think at this point, I expected to be suffering insomnia.

In preparation for our first child, we took 3 separate classes: a 2 day interactive Childbirth Preparation class where we learned everything from what to pack for the hospital to several breathing/calming techniques for labor and delivery; an evening of Baby Care Basics where we learned how to diaper and swaddle our little one; and an all day CPR and Safety class which was perhaps the most educational for us. After talking to some friends who have successfully breastfed just from the help they got from the nurses at the hospital, we decided to forego the Breastfeeding class and just wing that.

Rather than devoting one of our 3 bedrooms to a nursery, we combined the nursery with the guest room. We know some day we will need to give up the home office, but why rush it? The crib fits opposite the queen bed and is currently adorned with numerous choking hazzards (i.e. anything other than the crib sheet) which will have to be removed before the baby starts sleeping here, but in the meantime, they spruce up the crib. The beautiful jungle themed quilt and matching pillow were hand-made by our friend Julie. At the foot of the crib is a hand-knit baby blanket from my mother (in the same pattern as the one I had as a baby).

We were lucky that my big sister was done with her baby gear and was kind enough to give us a crib, a co-sleeper (for the early months), two car seats, a stroller, a play yard, a changing table, and miscellaneous other pieces of baby gear that will come in handy. And our generous friends have given us many other nursery and baby essentials, such as a cradle swing, Diaper Champ, baby bathtub, receiving blankets (you cannot have too many), sheets, books, toys and many, many clothes. There were a few other essentials we bought and we know that after we have the baby, the list of necessities will grow and change.

Despite having all the equipment we should need for the baby's first few weeks, despite having the car seat installed, despite the classes we have taken, despite finally getting our estate plan documents signed, despite having the hospital bag packed, despite having interviewed a pediatrician, we are still not sure we are ready for the coming storm that will be our son. But I'm not sure there is anything else we can do to prepare.

This blog is for our distant friends and family who want to follow along on our adventures as first time parents. Stay tuned for our first post-baby posting..