For all you parents out there, please come in and share your advice! Eric and I are trying to figure out what things we are really going to need for this baby for the first 6 months - 1 year of his life and we are kind of hitting a dead end. While we know what things we might need, we are totally stuck when it comes to things like brands, models etc...consulting Baby Bargains and reviews on the internet have just confused us more. So, help us out! What were the items you could not have lived without when you child was an infant? What were your favorite brands models for commonly used items? Any advice/suggestions on the following products/items would also be greatly appreciated!
1. Breast Pump (I'm thinking the Medela Freestyle, but need feedback from people that have actually used a breast pump as to what they liked/didn't like)
2. Play Yard/Bassinet - Heard great things about the Graco Pack n Play and the Chicco Lullaby. We need something somewhat small and easily portable that will work as a bassinet for about 2 months and as a portable crib for when we're out of town.
3. Bath Tub - NO CLUE AT ALL - do we get one for the sink? One for the bathtub? On for each? What brands/models are good here? HELP!!!
4. Swing - do we even need one/should we get one? Is it better to wait until the little guy gets here and have him test drive one in the store?
5. Bottles/Nipples/Pacifiers - we're planning on exclusively breastfeeding, but little z will eventually need to learn how to drink from a bottle so that I can pump when I go back to work/school. Keeping this in mind,what are the nipples/bottles/pacifiers that work best? I've heard anything from NUK to Dr. Brown's to Tommy TeePee...any other brands to consider? Any favorites?
Leave us your thoughts on these and any other essentials you think we should have!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
2 Pounds!
Today, Eric and I went to the doctor's for our monthly appointment. It went really well and I only gained 2 lbs. Feels like a small miracle considering all the food we had in Sri Lanka and that it's been restaurant week this week (that equals 2 three course meals in 3 days!). Little Z has a strong heart rate and is still head-down and he kicked up a storm when the doctor had the doptone over my belly. Equally as exciting...we're now moving to appointments ever 2 weeks! In between now and then I have to find time to take my Gestational Diabetes. I am so not looking forward to that, especially since I have to fast beforehand and then drink a sugary drink and then wait 1 hour before getting my blood drawn. I have a feeling that much sugar on an empty stomach is not going to make me feel very good! Oh well, a minor inconvenience to make sure the little guy is OK...I guess I better get used to it! I'm sure I'll have many more inconveniences that will be much more major over the next 18 years:P
In other news, I think my procrastination on MBA applications may have to come to an end. Depending on what due date you go by, I am now either 27 weeks or 29 weeks, and hearing the 29 weeks out loud made me realize how soon we'll get to hold our little boy! That's only 10 more weekends, which means that by the time the next application deadlines come about for the remaining two programs I'm considering (April 15 and June 1), I might be a mom! Now, I know that this makes Eric very happy because my procrastination drives him crazy, but it is putting me in a totally new situation - I'm just not good at writing essays if there isn't the pressure of a deadline. When there's a deadline, I can usually pull out some pretty good stuff, but without the pressure, I don't think I produce work that's as good. Maybe I can make it my goal for the month of February to finish these applications....we'll just have to see how that goes!
In other news, I think my procrastination on MBA applications may have to come to an end. Depending on what due date you go by, I am now either 27 weeks or 29 weeks, and hearing the 29 weeks out loud made me realize how soon we'll get to hold our little boy! That's only 10 more weekends, which means that by the time the next application deadlines come about for the remaining two programs I'm considering (April 15 and June 1), I might be a mom! Now, I know that this makes Eric very happy because my procrastination drives him crazy, but it is putting me in a totally new situation - I'm just not good at writing essays if there isn't the pressure of a deadline. When there's a deadline, I can usually pull out some pretty good stuff, but without the pressure, I don't think I produce work that's as good. Maybe I can make it my goal for the month of February to finish these applications....we'll just have to see how that goes!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
What happened to my workouts??
Getting back to the gym after a 10 day hiatus while we were in Sri Lanka definitely hasn't been easy, but I've managed to keep up my routine for the most part since we've come back. However, my workouts just don't seem to be the same! It is incredible to me how much my intensity has gone down since I became pregnant. I used to be able to do high intensity intervals on the treadmill and run at 10.5 or 11 mph for those intervals. I used to think 6 mph was a very light jog and I could have easily kept that up for a hour or more. I used to be able to go 200+ steps per minute on the elliptical at a level 10 resistance and I used to be able to do a serious weight circuit workout for 45 minutes using pretty heavy weights.
Yesterday when I went to the gym my workout consisted of walking at 4 mph at a level 3-5 incline for 20 minutes and "running" at 5 or 5.5 mph alternating for 25 minutes and I could barely finish that "run." My weight workouts, which I used to love, have become the lowest priority for me. Now, I have to force myself to do 20 minutes a day using 5 or 10 lb weights. It's kind of ridiculous and I'm totally hoping that this is a symptom of pregnancy that will disappear quickly after I give birth!
In other news, I have my monthly OB appointment on Thursday. Now, I know I said I've come to terms with the weight gain, but I'm still kind of nervous for this weigh in, mainly because this week is restaurant week! I'm starting it off properly with a girls' night tonight at Cedar, followed by Filomena tomorrow with Eric, Tasanee, and Adam, then Smith and Wollensky on Friday for date night, and ending with brunch at Cuba Libre on Saturday! Hopefully all the extra water I'm drinking will help flush out the extra salt from eating out, but regardless, I am definitely planning on enjoying myself! I'm considering it a week long celebration for finally submitting my MBA application:)
Yesterday when I went to the gym my workout consisted of walking at 4 mph at a level 3-5 incline for 20 minutes and "running" at 5 or 5.5 mph alternating for 25 minutes and I could barely finish that "run." My weight workouts, which I used to love, have become the lowest priority for me. Now, I have to force myself to do 20 minutes a day using 5 or 10 lb weights. It's kind of ridiculous and I'm totally hoping that this is a symptom of pregnancy that will disappear quickly after I give birth!
In other news, I have my monthly OB appointment on Thursday. Now, I know I said I've come to terms with the weight gain, but I'm still kind of nervous for this weigh in, mainly because this week is restaurant week! I'm starting it off properly with a girls' night tonight at Cedar, followed by Filomena tomorrow with Eric, Tasanee, and Adam, then Smith and Wollensky on Friday for date night, and ending with brunch at Cuba Libre on Saturday! Hopefully all the extra water I'm drinking will help flush out the extra salt from eating out, but regardless, I am definitely planning on enjoying myself! I'm considering it a week long celebration for finally submitting my MBA application:)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
100 Days to Go!
As I logged onto the pregnancy app I have for my iPhone this morning, I was shocked and excited to see that the countdown ticker said 100 days till d-day!! I know I just wrote a post about how time flies, but getting down to 100 days makes this seem even more real than before!
In addition to the excitement of the arrival of our son, I'm also currently dealing with a bit of stress, mostly surrounding the whole business school application process. Being the procrastinator that I am, I still have to finish up my essays and finalize my resume. I have actually been working on these for the majority of the week, but I still feel like there is a lot to do. My application is due on Saturday at midnight, so thankfully I have time (and thankfully I have a flexible job where I can go in early and leave early so I can work on these in the afternoon), but I am sure going to be glad when I can just hand all this in and be done!
In other exciting news, we started reading to Little Z this week! When we went up to visit Eric's parents, we were able to bring back some books that his mom had saved from the time her boys were little. It was so much fun to go through the books and see what they had saved. We're going to my parents' house on Sunday (after I turn in my applications:P) so hopefully we'll be able to do the same thing then. Among some of the treasures we found in PA were Henry's Awful Mistake (which was one of my and Eric's favorites when we were little), and Curious George (which I LOVED when I was little ). We've really enjoyed reading to our little guy and it seems to calm him down - he was kicking up a storm before we started reading and once we started, he calmed right down - almost like he knew it was bed time! It is going to be so much fun to read to him once he is born. It's something that I really enjoyed as a kid, and something that Eric feels really strongly about doing for all of our kids, plus we both think it will be a fun ritual to start each night and a great way to spend time together as a family, especially as the kids get older.
In addition to the excitement of the arrival of our son, I'm also currently dealing with a bit of stress, mostly surrounding the whole business school application process. Being the procrastinator that I am, I still have to finish up my essays and finalize my resume. I have actually been working on these for the majority of the week, but I still feel like there is a lot to do. My application is due on Saturday at midnight, so thankfully I have time (and thankfully I have a flexible job where I can go in early and leave early so I can work on these in the afternoon), but I am sure going to be glad when I can just hand all this in and be done!
In other exciting news, we started reading to Little Z this week! When we went up to visit Eric's parents, we were able to bring back some books that his mom had saved from the time her boys were little. It was so much fun to go through the books and see what they had saved. We're going to my parents' house on Sunday (after I turn in my applications:P) so hopefully we'll be able to do the same thing then. Among some of the treasures we found in PA were Henry's Awful Mistake (which was one of my and Eric's favorites when we were little), and Curious George (which I LOVED when I was little ). We've really enjoyed reading to our little guy and it seems to calm him down - he was kicking up a storm before we started reading and once we started, he calmed right down - almost like he knew it was bed time! It is going to be so much fun to read to him once he is born. It's something that I really enjoyed as a kid, and something that Eric feels really strongly about doing for all of our kids, plus we both think it will be a fun ritual to start each night and a great way to spend time together as a family, especially as the kids get older.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Our First Bradley Class
Yesterday, Eric and I had our first child birth class. We were supposed to have our first class last week, but we were both feeling so bad from the flight that we didn't go. In any case, I was very excited for our first class and I've really been looking forward to just learning more about the whole childbirth experience. When we were looking into classes, Eric pretty much left the decision up to me since I am the one that is going to have to push out this baby. The thing I really liked about the Bradley Method classes was that they covered more than just labor and delivery - the classes go into things like nutrition, exercise, breast feeding, information about tests, procedures, interventions, and tools for advocating for yourself during labor and delivery. These were all very important things to me, especially since I am planning for a med-free and intervention free labor and delivery. We did a lot of research when choosing and OB and a hospital and we're so glad that we have and environment that is supportive of the type of birth we want to have. My doctor told me that I could walk around, eat, and even drink during labor and the nurses at the hospital we've chosen are also supportive of this (as far as I can tell from the experiences of others that have delivered there).
Anyway, back to the class! Our class yesterday was fabulous. We learned some relaxation techniques, went over some basic exercises to strengthen muscles used during labor, and then focused on nutrition, particularly during the third trimester. Now, those of you that know me well know that I am a total nutrition freak - I can probably tell you the number of calories in almost any food, I use more tablespoons in one day than most people use in a month, and I measure everything. So, when we started to talk about nutrition during pregnancy I was very interested to hear what was recommended. To my surprise, it was almost exactly the type of diet I followed before I was pregnant. High protein and lots of veggies. The couple additions to the pregnancy diet are 4 servings a day each of milk/dairy and carbs from whole grain sources. Now it's not like you are forced to follow this diet by any means, but I think it is definitely a worthwhile one to try and incorporate. The purpose of the diet is to ensure that the baby gets as much of its necessary nutrients from food rather than supplements, and getting nutrients from food was something that I strived for prior to pregnancy so this seems quite logical. I think I was doing pretty well before learning about this diet, but having some concrete targets for food groups will definitely help, especially if I'm tracking my meals. If any of you are interested in learning more, the diet is called Dr. Brewer's Diet and there is a ton of information about this online:)
All this information about nutrition could not have come at a better time. During my trip to Sri Lanka, I came to terms with my changing body and weight gain in general. My doctor kept telling me that he doesn't care how much weight I gain as long as I'm eating healthfully and continuing with my exercise regime, but it didn't really sink in until recently. I've decided that I regardless of what I do, my body is going to change, and that is OK. If I'm gaining a lot of weight despite eating well and working out, then it must be because my body needs to gain the weight and if it needs the weight now, I'm confident that it will also shed that weight later, when it doesn't need it. Finally, after almost 6 months I've been able to come to terms with this and it feels so good to finally be in a place where I truly am enjoying and embracing all aspects of this pregnancy!
Anyway, back to the class! Our class yesterday was fabulous. We learned some relaxation techniques, went over some basic exercises to strengthen muscles used during labor, and then focused on nutrition, particularly during the third trimester. Now, those of you that know me well know that I am a total nutrition freak - I can probably tell you the number of calories in almost any food, I use more tablespoons in one day than most people use in a month, and I measure everything. So, when we started to talk about nutrition during pregnancy I was very interested to hear what was recommended. To my surprise, it was almost exactly the type of diet I followed before I was pregnant. High protein and lots of veggies. The couple additions to the pregnancy diet are 4 servings a day each of milk/dairy and carbs from whole grain sources. Now it's not like you are forced to follow this diet by any means, but I think it is definitely a worthwhile one to try and incorporate. The purpose of the diet is to ensure that the baby gets as much of its necessary nutrients from food rather than supplements, and getting nutrients from food was something that I strived for prior to pregnancy so this seems quite logical. I think I was doing pretty well before learning about this diet, but having some concrete targets for food groups will definitely help, especially if I'm tracking my meals. If any of you are interested in learning more, the diet is called Dr. Brewer's Diet and there is a ton of information about this online:)
All this information about nutrition could not have come at a better time. During my trip to Sri Lanka, I came to terms with my changing body and weight gain in general. My doctor kept telling me that he doesn't care how much weight I gain as long as I'm eating healthfully and continuing with my exercise regime, but it didn't really sink in until recently. I've decided that I regardless of what I do, my body is going to change, and that is OK. If I'm gaining a lot of weight despite eating well and working out, then it must be because my body needs to gain the weight and if it needs the weight now, I'm confident that it will also shed that weight later, when it doesn't need it. Finally, after almost 6 months I've been able to come to terms with this and it feels so good to finally be in a place where I truly am enjoying and embracing all aspects of this pregnancy!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Time Flies!
As we get ready to head to PA to visit Eric's family today, I can't help but think how quickly the last 6 months have gone by! This time last year we were planning our wedding, which seemed like an eternity away and now our wedding seems like it was another lifetime ago! It's really crazy that we've only been married for 6 months because it feels like so much longer (in a good way!). I can't believe that in a few short months we are going to be parents - it seems like this pregnancy has just flown by and I can't even imagine how fast time will pass once Little Z is actually here. Somehow though, I'm not feeling stressed at all about this. Maybe it's because I can't quite grasp how exhausting/stressful/emotionally draining taking care of an infant is going to be, but for now I'm just so excited to meet our son. As I've mentioned, I'm feeling him more and more each day now and I can't help but wonder how he will look, what his personality will be like, or what his interests will be. I am so excited to be able to watch him learn and to learn from him. I can't wait to give him a bath, read him bedtime stories, and just play with him. I'm so excited to see Eric as a dad because I know he'll be so amazing and I can't wait to snap a couple pictures of Little Z sleeping on his daddy's chest as they both take a nap on the couch. I'm excited to move into a new place and set up a nursery, but what I'm really excited about is creating our family.
For as long as I can remember, the things I've wanted most were to fall in love, get married, and have a family and I can't believe how blessed and lucky I am to be able to have all of those things. As I reflect back on the past year and look forward to all that 2011 has to offer, I can't help but wonder how I got so lucky. I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve all of this, but I am so so thankful.
For as long as I can remember, the things I've wanted most were to fall in love, get married, and have a family and I can't believe how blessed and lucky I am to be able to have all of those things. As I reflect back on the past year and look forward to all that 2011 has to offer, I can't help but wonder how I got so lucky. I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve all of this, but I am so so thankful.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Annnd we're back!
After a 10 day hiatus, Eric and I are back from an amazing trip to Sri Lanka. We met up with most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins from my mom's side of the family for 5 day tour of Sri Lanka followed by one of the most amazing weddings I have ever attended. Every moment of this trip was an absolute adventure - we saw tons of Buddhist temples and shrines, climbed 2000 stairs to the top of castle built on top of a rock, enjoyed cultural dances, learned all about tea processing, explored a live fort city, and even learned and performed a Bollywoood dance!
Of all the crazy conversations and antics that occurred on our trip, one of the highlights for me was the night that all my cousins decided to try and guess the name of our baby. As usual, we had arrived at our hotel really late and didn't start dinner until almost 9 PM. However, being the loud, vivacious group that we are, we ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning and the topic of choice was the name for our son. We gave everyone the same information that we gave my parents - the initials are ZAS, the name is a unique name, and one that I had never heard before. Apparently that leaves lots of options and by the end of the night, we had guesses coming straight from D'ua, names of Imams, and even some words that are used as blessings.We were so loud that the next morning at breakfast, a couple came up to Eric to comment on the discussion and how they were going to through out some names the night before, but felt it might have been inappropriate. In any case, no one guessed the name...so y'all still have a little less than 4 months to keep guessing:P We did however, come up with a nickname for LGR that might be more appropriate since he clearer is much larger than a grain of rice. So thanks to our cousins and brothers we've now started calling him Little Z in addition to LGR:)
Now the other highlight of the trip was of course, Shad and Leshika's wedding (or as we like to call them, Shadika).The whole time we had been on tour, it rained and we were worried that it would rain for the wedding. However, we lucked out big time, and once we arrived in Galle, it was nothing but sunshine! The Mehndi was so much fun - the whole place was decorated in oranges and fushia with tons of gorgeous lighting, good food and good music. Leshika looked absolutely stunning in her lengha and Shad didn't look too shabby either in a Sherwani. I think one of the best parts of the night was when we performed our dance for the happy couple. Shad wanted us to surprise Leshika with a dance, so all the cousins (including Eric) came together to choreograph and perform a bollywood medley. Sadia, being the dance major/instructor that she is, cut all the music and led the valiant effort to get a group of 7 guys, 3 girls, and 2 little girls to perform a kick-butt routine. With only 1 real practice under our belt before the performance, we were a little worried that we were going to embarass ourselves (especially since some of Shad's friends had hired a bollywood dancer to teach them a routine!), but luckily we did quite well and ended up partying until 2 a.m .thanks to the amazing DJ (For those that are interested, we got a video on Eric's camera that I'll post to Picasa or facebook in a couple days:P).
The wedding itself was even more incredible than the Mehndi. The backdrop was a gorgeous beach at sunset, with spotlights illuminating the ocean's waves and sand. The ceremony was beautiful and touching and seeing the way Shad and Leshika looked at each other just reminded me so much of our wedding and all the emotions we felt that day. Leshika's lengha really blew my mind - it was the right mix of contemporary and traditional and fit her and the mood perfectly. The food at the wedding was really amazing as well - my favorites were the dessert buffet and the late night paratha's, sooo good after a full night of dancing. The music was also incredible - it was like partying in the best club, but outside and without the overcrowding. It was so good that we ended up partying until 3:00 AM (and I was fully awake, and dancing until we left all without a drop of alcohol!). Probably one of the best new year's eve parties I've ever been to, hands down!
Also, another exciting highlight of the wedding day/night itself was that Eric got to feel the baby move for the first time! I'm not sure if it was all the dancing or the loud music or what, but Little Z decided that it was finally time for Daddy to feel some movement. He's also been waay more active since the wedding and I actually saw my belly move when he kicked for the first time! I'm also feeling him much more throughout the day and I am really really liking that:) All in all it was an amazing vacation, and I'm so glad that we were able to go and celebrate with everyone. Shad and Leshika did an amazing job planning everything and making sure we all had a memorable trip, and I couldn't be happier that we all got to share in their special day together - it was the best way I could think of to start out the new year:)
Of all the crazy conversations and antics that occurred on our trip, one of the highlights for me was the night that all my cousins decided to try and guess the name of our baby. As usual, we had arrived at our hotel really late and didn't start dinner until almost 9 PM. However, being the loud, vivacious group that we are, we ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning and the topic of choice was the name for our son. We gave everyone the same information that we gave my parents - the initials are ZAS, the name is a unique name, and one that I had never heard before. Apparently that leaves lots of options and by the end of the night, we had guesses coming straight from D'ua, names of Imams, and even some words that are used as blessings.We were so loud that the next morning at breakfast, a couple came up to Eric to comment on the discussion and how they were going to through out some names the night before, but felt it might have been inappropriate. In any case, no one guessed the name...so y'all still have a little less than 4 months to keep guessing:P We did however, come up with a nickname for LGR that might be more appropriate since he clearer is much larger than a grain of rice. So thanks to our cousins and brothers we've now started calling him Little Z in addition to LGR:)
Now the other highlight of the trip was of course, Shad and Leshika's wedding (or as we like to call them, Shadika).The whole time we had been on tour, it rained and we were worried that it would rain for the wedding. However, we lucked out big time, and once we arrived in Galle, it was nothing but sunshine! The Mehndi was so much fun - the whole place was decorated in oranges and fushia with tons of gorgeous lighting, good food and good music. Leshika looked absolutely stunning in her lengha and Shad didn't look too shabby either in a Sherwani. I think one of the best parts of the night was when we performed our dance for the happy couple. Shad wanted us to surprise Leshika with a dance, so all the cousins (including Eric) came together to choreograph and perform a bollywood medley. Sadia, being the dance major/instructor that she is, cut all the music and led the valiant effort to get a group of 7 guys, 3 girls, and 2 little girls to perform a kick-butt routine. With only 1 real practice under our belt before the performance, we were a little worried that we were going to embarass ourselves (especially since some of Shad's friends had hired a bollywood dancer to teach them a routine!), but luckily we did quite well and ended up partying until 2 a.m .thanks to the amazing DJ (For those that are interested, we got a video on Eric's camera that I'll post to Picasa or facebook in a couple days:P).
The wedding itself was even more incredible than the Mehndi. The backdrop was a gorgeous beach at sunset, with spotlights illuminating the ocean's waves and sand. The ceremony was beautiful and touching and seeing the way Shad and Leshika looked at each other just reminded me so much of our wedding and all the emotions we felt that day. Leshika's lengha really blew my mind - it was the right mix of contemporary and traditional and fit her and the mood perfectly. The food at the wedding was really amazing as well - my favorites were the dessert buffet and the late night paratha's, sooo good after a full night of dancing. The music was also incredible - it was like partying in the best club, but outside and without the overcrowding. It was so good that we ended up partying until 3:00 AM (and I was fully awake, and dancing until we left all without a drop of alcohol!). Probably one of the best new year's eve parties I've ever been to, hands down!
Also, another exciting highlight of the wedding day/night itself was that Eric got to feel the baby move for the first time! I'm not sure if it was all the dancing or the loud music or what, but Little Z decided that it was finally time for Daddy to feel some movement. He's also been waay more active since the wedding and I actually saw my belly move when he kicked for the first time! I'm also feeling him much more throughout the day and I am really really liking that:) All in all it was an amazing vacation, and I'm so glad that we were able to go and celebrate with everyone. Shad and Leshika did an amazing job planning everything and making sure we all had a memorable trip, and I couldn't be happier that we all got to share in their special day together - it was the best way I could think of to start out the new year:)
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