Travel Bed

Okay, I need advice. Jason and I are going to buy a travel bed for Calder. We've never had a pack and play and didn't really see a need. Since we'll be living in various places this Summer it will be handy for Calder to have a consistent place to sleep.

We've narrowed our choices down to two. We're kind of at a standstill. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Tell me what you think.

This is the KidCo Peapod. It costs about $85.00 at Amazon.

Here's what KidCo would like you to know about it:

"Whether you have an infant or ‘big kid’ the PeaPod Plus is the perfect travel bed. For short trips across town when naptime nears, or long cross country vacations, the PeaPod Plus becomes your child’s own portable bedroom. And it’s so lightweight even your child can carry it. The inflatable air mattress helps protect from cold, hard surfaces (inside or out) and provides a comfortable place to sleep or play. Great for outdoors because of its UV protection and adjustable wind screens. Sleeping bag unzips completely to form a one piece sleeping pad. A large front zipper panel allows parents quick access to infants or easy in/out for older kids. The slick, easy to fold design makes it ideal for storage and use at a moment’s notice. Weighs 6.9 lbs.

Here are the advantages we see over the other one:

• Calder would probably think it was really cool. I mean, it looks like a tent, what little boy doesn't want that.
  
• It can be used to age 6.
• It comes with a sleeping bag.

Here are the disadvantages:

• It might be too much of a toy and hard for Calder to settle down in.
• It isn't as compact when folded and therefore would be harder to get into our luggage.
• I've never really heard of KidCo.
  

Here's the second one. The Phil & Ted Traveller. It costs about $80.00 at Costco. (but up to $199 at other stores)

The phil&teds® Traveller is a full size cot/crib that’s lighter than the baby! Perfect for both outdoor and indoor use. Lightweight, washable, and waterproof.

• Age: Newborn up to 3 years
• Use: Indoor & outdoor
• Frame: Lightweight aluminum
• Fabric: Washable & waterproof
• Incredibly lightweight
• Playpen & sleep solution in one
• Ideal for home & away, sleep & play, beach & bedroom
• Compact so there’s less bulk to carry
• Zip-off UV shade cover
• Self inflating mattress (cushion & insulation)
• Simple, rapid assembly
• Dimensions: 51x25x31 in. erected, 25x9x9 in. packed
• Weight: 5.6 lbs. (without mattress)

Okay, the advantages here:

• Size when broken down
• It looks like a bed and seems very sturdy.
• It comes from a company I know a lot about and trust.
• It doesn't seem like it would blow away in the wind if we take it to the beach or the park.
• It seems like it would be better to use from infancy for our next kid.
  

And the disadvantages:

• It's less 'cool' for Calder.
• It doesn't come with a sleeping bag (but I could totally make one, so that is fairly minor)
• It only goes to age 3.

So, what are you thoughts? Do you have one? Do you love it/hate it? Is there an obvious advantage/disadvantage that we missed?

34 Weeks

I'm officially 34 weeks today. Yay! I'm still enjoying being pregnant. We had our hospital tour of St. Joseph Hospital yesterday and it went very well. We both feel very comfortable and excited to have a baby there. The nurses were all very nice and they shared a lot of the same views that we have regarding childbirth. So, here's the latest belly pictures. Oh and I got a haircut on Friday. It's not drastic but it is different, so the hair picture is for you Mom!

Belly

I'm 28 weeks today and thought I would share a few belly shots. It doesn't feel like I should be this far along. It has been incredibly easy being pregnant. I certainly don't feel like I'm in my third trimester. I'm sure it will get harder from here.

Sven's Blessing Outfit

I put my mom in charge of the blessing outfit. If we were having a girl she would have just worn mine but since we're having a boy that simply won't do. We talked about it when we were both in Utah for the holiday weekend and decided he would look smashing in a tux. I'm sure of it. Plus he'll be born in October and we need something warmer. She went shopping after I came home and I just got these pictures. Isn't a baby tux the cutest thing?!! She got a steal of a deal and I couldn't be happier. What 6 week old doesn't want to wear a bow tie?

Fast Labor

I've recently realized that my family tends to have quick labors. I say that because I always knew the amount of time my mom spent at the hospital etc. I just didn't know how long most people spent there.

My mom's first baby was born three and a half hours after her water broke. She didn't know she was in labor before then. Her second baby was born before my dad could make it to the hospital and I was born after 5-7 contractions. I must say, my mom is a bit of a superwoman because my youngest brother was born breech without any pain medication. Yeah, she rocks.

My sister went to her routine appointment at 37 weeks and found out she was dilated to a six already, didn't even know she was in labor and proceeded to dilate and have the baby a few hours later. Yes, it's true. *Don't read the above as painless. She did eventually have lots and lots of pain.

I don't know exactly what my expectation should be, but I have heard that labor length is somewhat genetic. I'm actually thrilled to hear this. I've heard it's more painful to be quick but it sounds nice to be done in a few hours. Maybe I'm just an impatient dork, but for what it's worth, I am now looking forward to seeing what happens. Just 16 weeks to go!

I start Bradley birthing classes on Tuesday. I'm a bit nervous but mostly excited. We have to attend two classes each week for three weeks so we can fit them all in before going back to Chicago. It will definitely be worth it.

ReproDepot

My all time favorite fabric store is ReproDepot.com. It is simply incredible. They have so many fabrics that I 'need'. This is a new one called Echino Scooters. It is so cute. I think Baby Sven would very much like a blanket out of it. And heck, while I'm at it, maybe I'll throw together a little onesie and pant set to match.

At some point kids request you stop making their clothes. I am hoping to be able to make a lot of clothes and accessories for him before he reaches that point.

Ultrasound Pictures

I have yet to access a scanner but I did take pictures of the scrapbook pages I created for Baby Sven's ultrasound pictures. I hope this works.

#2

Okay, just for fun I thought I would post my second favorite option. It is a close second because I love the wall art. I think that would be perfect for our baby boy! I'm sure I could replicate that. These last two posts show that I am really just an idea thief.

I got both of these nursery ideas from Baby Super Mall. It is so great because they show you where to buy everything used in that room AND outfits you can buy to coordinate your kid with his room. It may seem tacky, but that really appeals to me.

Nursery Decor

I've been looking for the perfect nursery to basically copy. I know... lame. You would think I could come up with something on my own and in fact I will simply because I'm not willing to pay what it costs to have this one. I found a few that I like but this one is especially cute to me. We don't really have a bedroom to make into a nursery but we do have a rather large closet. So, imagine this scaled down quite a bit.

I love the use of the clocks and how non-cartoonish it looks. I also like the wall decal and think I could possibly replicate it. Or at least find someone on Etsy to do it.

Ultrasound

Our ultrasound was so great yesterday! I can't believe how much I love our baby already. He is adorable! You'll have to take my word for now. I am currently in a hotel in Tulsa, OK and don't have access to a scanner.

So, Baby Ems (or Baby Sven as Jason would like to now call him), was very awake but in the funniest position. His head was tilted to fit into a very tight spot between my bladder and something else in there. He had tons of room down by his feet but didn't want to move down. The ultrasound tech did a great job showing us what everything was as she moved from head to torso to limbs. He was very cooperative with everything but the torso portion. He wouldn't move into the correct position and apparently my bladder was filling up faster than it should. We had to take two breaks so I could go to the bathroom!

All in all it was very successful and sweet. I teared up a few times but didn't cry. We have a bunch of pictures that we'll share as soon as we get to a scanner.

Baby Ems

IT'S A BOY!!! I'll post more info and pictures later!

Dreams

The whole time I've been pregnant I have had the most vivid dreams. Some of them were scary, some were funny and some were just weird. Well, I had one the other night that made me wake up laughing. I had a dream that we named our baby Horacio Orangelo Five. Yes, all three in that order. Isn't that the weirdest thing? I know for sure that none of those names will make it into our child's name. So, whatever we pick I'm sure you'll all be thankful it wasn't Horacio Orangelo Five!

Birth / Infant Classes

I am looking into birthing classes and am overloaded by the number of options. I imagine I'll probably have an epidural (I know a few of you are calling me a sellout). I know that a lot of people can do all natural, unmedicated births but I don't know if I'm willing to take the time it takes to practice everything. I also don't want to go without classes because I like to know a lot of things and flying blind in birthing doesn't sound like fun. But, I know that works for some people as well. Plus I think Jason would appreciate any information or encouragement as my 'coach' that a class may give. So, I want to know if you took classes and if so, which ones?

Look at this pimped out stroller! I could see this thing walking around Hyde Park. The most amazing thing is this stroller has onboard climate control, an LCD screen (integrated into the canopy), a DVD player, and surround sound. Baby Ems will not be sporting one of these. In fact just in case you're curious, Baby Ems will be sporting a Zooper Jazz in dark blue.

Guess the sex

I've posted a poll to see what everyone thinks our baby will be. I don't know that Jason and I have any inkling of what it may be. We will be finding out at the end of May so make sure to vote before then.

Maternity Clothes

I don't know how millions of women have dealt with maternity clothes sizing in the past. Maybe I'm just missing something but everywhere I've looked they have S, M, and L. Hello? Why wouldn't pregnant women want clothes that fit really well just like other women. I don't think any of us can walk into a store and pick up one of three sizes of pants and expect them to fit. And who is going to pay for tailoring their maternity clothes. Maybe I'll start altering / making more clothes.

If anyone knows where to locate clothing that comes with a number size, please let me know.

We're Expecting

Yes, I am indeed pregnant! Our due date is October 20! I'm 12 weeks at this point and have had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. I've been really tired and had occasional bouts of heartburn after eating red sauce right before bed but otherwise have made it out of the first trimester unharmed. Oh, I also don't crave sweets like I did before. I still crave baking. I don't think that bothers Jason at all.

We call our child Baby Ems. Ems is short for embryo. We intend to call it that until October 20. Then, who knows, we'll probably pick a new name for it.

We have had two ultrasounds and Baby Ems is doing very well. At the last one it was so cute! It was flipping around waving it's arms. It even kicked it's legs and waved. The doctor suggested we rest up because this is one active baby.

Have you seen the most amazing new baby collection at Target by Dwell Studio? Let me tell you, it's amazing. So I knew it was coming but didn't see it in person until today. Dwell is a company that I adore for their perfectly modern fabric and furniture. But, until this point it has only been available to those much richer than I am.

Never before have I wanted a baby so bad as I stood there looking at the most beautiful bedding and furniture, shocked it is in an affordable price. I'm sure other Target shoppers were annoyed that I was standing in the aisle staring at the adorable linens like I was in a museum, not a store. Check out the whole collection. Hopefully it will still be around when I do have kids.

Names

I am name obsessed. I don't know why but for some reason I really get into the way names sound and meanings behind them. I think naming children would be a very challenging thing for me if Jason and I didn't start talking about names in highschool. We like names that have been heard before but are not in the top 100. I also am afraid of choosing a name that I just don't love in 4 years. Then what do you do? I guess at that point the name is associated with the child and you love the child, so the name isn't much of an issue.

I wonder if all of these issues and preferences are due to the fact that my name is not common. I have been given a lot of grief over my name and have even considered elongating my name to avoid some of this. At work a lot of patients think it is appropriate to give me their two cents about my name. Here are some of the things I've heard:

That's a dog's name.
Isn't that underwear?
Were your parents hippies?
Is that short of something?
What kind of name is that?

Most of these questions drive me crazy. Not only are they rude, but the way they say them is so degrading. My stock answer is that my maiden name is very long and therefore my parents chose short names in hopes that we could spell our whole name before reaching kindergarten. This reasoning also went into my middle name. It is Opal, but if left up to my mom it would have been my great grandmother's name: Opalollie. Due to the length of my last name my dad put his foot down.

I love my name and don't ever see myself legally changing my name but if I did it would be Camilla. I think it is a very pretty name, I could still use Cami as a nickname and would have a longer sophisticated name. My siblings already call my Milla (which I love). Jason just won't go for it. I could see changing it when we move to San Diego or something and just tell people my name is Camilla. I think it fits me. As for Opalollie, I'm glad my dad put his foot down.

I love hearing what people plan to name their children. I always ask. I'm sure it bothers some expectant parents but I think it is a fine question and am not offended when they are keeping it a secret. I read this blog about names and just love it. Here's a link to a recent post:

http://thebabynamewizard.ivillage.com/parenting/archives/2007/10/more_onehit_wonders_a_world_of.html

These things are so fascinating to me. I love hearing how people put together sibling sets. I have always thought sibling names should go together. They don't have to 'match' but they should go together. Here's an example of a sibling set I love:

Ainsley
Reagan
Calder
Hamilton

They go together because they have a similar formality and trend appeal. Here's an example of a sibling set that just doesn't seem to make sense:

Mable
Teagan
Leo
Dexter

These don't go together because they each have a very different feel and are from a different era or origin. Teagan is a new, trendy name and Mable is a very old name. Here's an example of rediculously matched names:

Olive
Ophelia
Olle
Oliver

This is rediculous for very obvious reasons. Now, here's the interesting tidbit. I LOVE all of these names and they are on my list of future children's names. I am so afraid that the first kid's name determinds / limits what we can and can't name our subsequent children. I know a lot of people don't worry about it, but for me this is a huge issue.

I guess it will be very interesting what we name our kids someday. Maybe I'll be one of those parents who doesn't name thier kids until they're three because I want to see exactly what their personality is. Just kidding.