Baby prep: dog training

We are currently in the throws of preparing our doggy for the baby. This has included another dog training class. Ohmygod, if I only knew how expensive this dog was going to be... She is doing well though... Last Thanksgiving she tried to bite Daddy P's brother and last night at training she not only sniffed him and then ignored him (kinda what all of us do...) but let him walk her. Our trainer also showed Daddy P's brother how to tell when a dog was ready to be pet and when they want you to just leave them alone... and we learned that pretty much Elly is never going to invite him to pet her, so he's just going to have to find a lab somewhere to pet cuz Elly's not gonna ever fulfill that need. He does smell like monkeys. I don't blame her really.

We are also doing intensive stuffed animal avoidance training. Elly's FAVORITE thing in the whole world is to destroy stuffed animals. It takes her literally 10 minutes to completely tear one apart. So, I've purchased several from Target's dollar bins, and she is currently being taught that she is no longer allowed to touch stuffed animals. (Except hers of course.) This has been largely successful so far. The other day I left one one the floor all day (out of negligence) and it was still there when I returned. It had moved three feet, I noticed, but had not been chewed on. So, we're getting there. The baby may have toys afterall!!

I think our next step will be to have lots of bouncy, stimulating toys around since I'm pretty sure that will totally freak her out.

Our hope is that we can copy the life of the male version of her -- black lab Elway -- and have an Elly room so that she does not have free reign in the house. Our dog trainer has taught us how to mark rooms as off limits so we'll definitely do that for the nursery, but I'm getting completely and utterly disgusted by how much dog hair there is EVERYWHERE in our apartment and want her out of the living room. I will not be vacuuming the couch (which, she is not even allowed on, but is a dog hair magnet!) at the rate I currently am when there is a baby... I know this... so, something must be done.

We are also looking into that tempting little purchase of a Roomba. Anyone have one? Anyone know if they're worth it?

the baby's butt

So, since I can't BUY baby stuff, I just obsessively research. Paul and I have had long and hard talks about diapers. Because really, the words "long" and "hard" should relate to diapers, right? So, as far as I can tell, from everything I've read, cloth vs. disposable diapers are a wash. You live in a place with little water, cloth suck. If you use a service, add carbon emissions and chemicals to the list of bad stuff. If you wash yourself, then your water consumption is out the wazoo. On the other hand, disposable fill up our landfills and do not degrade. Bad vs. bad.

But, we have found the solution! We are super excited about gDiapers, which are compostable, biodegradable diapers. In other words, you can flush them. How cool is that? They go where all the other poop goes. What would work better? So, the catch is the price. But it's the earth, right? We'll see. We're still working on our baby budget. Will let you know if these make the cut. Also on the list is the ridiculously expense and totally absurd high chair that I adore but that is totally silly. If you're nice, maybe I'll tell you about it sometime...

Bar Harbor, Maine

We spent our fifth anniversary in the beauty and wonderfulness of Maine, my new favorite state. If it weren't so darn cold in the winter (and if the winter didn't last 10 months) I would move there in a second. Everyone should go to Maine. Specifically, Bar Harbor. More specifically, they should stay at the Bayview Inn. I cannot rave enough about that place. I mean, just look at our view!



We drove up on Friday and checked in. I found a huge beautiful bouquet there from my hubby. Saturday we spent exploring the island and walking around the shops. Daddy P had also scheduled us massages and I got a taste of the wonders of the prenatal massage. Yay back! Sunday we hiked through Acadia National Park.



Daddy P took some embarrassing pictures of a certain pregnant woman trying to climb up a rocky wall on the hike. I felt I got my workout... Daddy P was reminded fairly frequently that I was carrying a baby up the mountain. Granted, the baby weighs, what, 7 ounces? The baby comes with a lot of luggage though... Anyway, all that work was worth it. Our reward was this view...



It was hard to return to normal life, but after one day of work I still feel refreshed and with a little new energy. Hopefully it will last!

Ta ta for now

We're heading north. Who knows when we'll stop. So, I promise great pictures and fun stories when we return.

Chao.

Baby or Gas?

The big question in our house this week has been "is that the baby or just my digestion?" Paul has been working hard to figure this out. We have begun a nightly ritual which consists of his head on my stomach and me trying to be very very quiet. I'll let him give his side of things since I can't hear what's going on down there. My side is still a little unclear. If I am very very still, and concentrating pretty well, then every once in a while I'll feel the teeniest, tiniest little "pop"... but since I wasn't super attentive to what my body did pre-baby in terms of feelings and sounds in my lower abdomen, I'm not really clear on if this is the baby, or just dinner.

First Baby Present

I forgot to show ya'll our first baby present! A Cardinals fan already... :) Thanks, J & D (and Aiden!)!!

Daddy P vs. the Boppy

Thank you, ladies, so much for recommending the Boppy. My hips have been hurting like crazy in the past few weeks. I felt like I was camping every night. But now, heavens!, relief.

Yes, Daddy P is having some trouble adjusting to my new bedmate. It is a process but he is learning that a comfortable wife, is a wife that is not tossing and turning all night.

I have begun to better understand the pattern of woman taking care of baby that tends to occur in even the most feminist households post-birth. It begins now! Let me tell you... For every bit that I am learning to live without sleep (rising to use the bathroom, waking up to shift positions, yada yada yada...) Daddy P is learning to sleep through these disruptions. At the rate we were going I am fairly certain that when the baby arrives Daddy P will be able to sleep through a jet plane landing in the living room.

But, Boppy, you might have stopped this pattern. As I sleep better, Daddy P's desensitization is coming to a halt and he might wake to a baby cry after all! Of course, years of sleeping with someone who yells in her sleep has desensitized him a bit to sudden cries... but I have hope!

Enter the Boppy

Last night we made a trip to Babies R Us. We managed to keep from becoming too overwhelmed despite the rows and rows of stuff that we will soon need. Alas, we were there on a mission: to purchase a Boppy pillow that has been recommended to Mamacita by numerous recently pregnant ladies. Supposedly it is to help her be comfortable while sleeping by supporting her belly and easing the pressure on her hips. It is a very strange contraption that curves around her whole body.

Incidentally, a queen bed is hardly large enough to hold a gigantic pillow, a pregnant woman, and a father to be. Though Mamacita said she slept like an angel, I found myself teetering on the edge of the bed several times during the night. Oh, well. I guess this is one of the first sacrifices of being a father!

(and not the first of being a husband -- added Mamacita)

Mommy's Day

So, Daddy P insisted we celebrate Mother's Day since Cletus couldn't do it on his/her own yet. He made me chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (yum!), and had a whole day planned for us. I messed up the plan by getting the worst neckache ever which has prevented me from moving around or turning my head. I have spent some time today however moaning woefully, lying on the floor, and whining. Since I wasn't exactly in any condition to be fun, we settled on getting frozen custard and going to a movie.

Here is the segue into a movie review...

Ironman is the most over-rated, uninteresting action movie I have ever seen (ok, recently). I attribute the stellar ratings to a total lack of movies for the past year, so everyone was just plum excited to see something on screen. Daddy P described it best when he said as we exited, "It was as if it was written by a 13 year old boy." This refers to both the total lack of interesting and thoughtful scripting, as well as the extreme womanizing. I am a woman who likes a good action flick. I can even suffer through the need to make men look strong by having them save and/or have sex with the women in the movie. So, although the use of women in the movie had me raise an eyebrow, I was still open. But really? Could there have been ONE interesting plot aspect? I'm just asking for one. Really...

Movie review over...

So, although I smell like Icy Hot and blew $7.50 on a crappy movie, I am still enjoying my mommy's day. First of all, I'm going to be a mommy. Having the world's best baby visit us for over a week only made me even more excited to be pregnant. I don't know how in the world I'm going to manage to wait until October for this little thing to finish gestating... But I am totally convinced that Daddy P's BFF and his amazing wife have all the secrets to baby rearing and they are officially on notice that they are in my speed dial.

Boston

So, we've been to Boston a few times this year to visit Daddy P's brother, but this was the first time since I was 10 that we did sightseeing. It was really fun! We walked the freedom trail one day, ate some good good seafood, went to a Red Sox game... very fun. The Red Sox game was an experience. You know those stereotypical thick Boston accents? Think of a male's version that is thick and guttural, and then imagine it coming out of the mouth of a 15 year old peanut vendor in the stands. It was wild. I couldn't get over it. So, we watched a few innings from our old wooden seats while eating clam chowder. Then, about the same time that my feet became numb from the cold, we left.



The freedom trail was really neat. Daddy P bought a little tour book from the visitor's center and read to us along the way to keep us educated. We even caught a re-enactment out at Bunker Hill. We also climbed all 290 something stairs; something that would have been easy five months ago, but suddenly had me stopping ever 30 stairs to breathe. Cletus is really not a big help in the stair climbing department.

Mystic

Last Saturday we drove to the coast and explored a bit. You know how I love festivals and darned if there wasn't a May Day festival. I tried to convince Daddy P that a May Day festival is a very European event, involving a May pole and polka-like dancing, but he was set on his belief that it is a Latin America based holiday. I kept whispering "Cinco de Mayo" but he didn't get it.

While in Mystic, we did eat at... of course... Mystic Pizza! And learned not to bathe in the river....



And, our Connecticut experience of festivals is consistently bad... but we still have fun...!

tea anyone?

so we're in boston and i'm posting from my phone so forgive the grammer and curt style. we've had a great time exploring the town with some bestest friends and their little one. we walked the whole freaking freedom trail today. whew. I know can show you where at least seven bathrooms are in boston...

I am learning from the momma on the trip all her sacred new baby knowledge, including that lameze is both a farce and just a plain waste of time. I am hoping our childbirth classes will be a little better but am not optimistic. she did advise a breastfeeding class which I think I will see if I can sign up for...

all for now...!

All Clear

We saw a very competent MD yesterday (friendly, nice; she began by EXPLAINING what it meant to have a tilted uterus and what the implications are, which is a great start). All is fine. Tilted back where it should be. (Yay, exercises! Thank you, Grandma, for the tips!!) Strong heartbeat coming through now that that baby's back where he/she should be. Cletusella has moved her digs and is loving them.

We're off to Mystic today with the friends and baby to celebrate May Day (people do that here! May pole and all!).