Year in review

I've been lagging on these posts.

Baby Jasmine is growing up so quickly that I could easily miss a lot. When I get home from work she's happy to see me. She isn't talking yet or pronouncing actual syllables but I think I have been able to associate some sounds to certain requests. So far I've been able to discern that she doesn't exactly like lying down for too long and when she wants to see mommy. Not being able to roll over also frustrates her.

2016 is quickly coming to a close. Jasmine is close to 5 months old now and this blog is only a bit older, so not quite a full year to review. However there are things to note.

Jasmine makes me act silly. I'm normally quiet and reserved and don't like to do uncomfortable things. But nobody really judges you for being silly and it usually makes situations better. There are inappropriate times and places but I think it's obvious when those come up. Jasmine has helped me to learn a bit more about myself and to push the limits of my comfort zone.

They're not really my clothes unless there's milk spit on it. Especially my home clothes. As she has grown up she has been burping just a bit less. I'm not sure whether she needs burping or not but I haven't been able to burp her very well. She spits up about the same though.

She wants to learn about everything. When we take her out she's studying and looking at everything. Bright lights and people especially. I hope she never stops being interested.

Post election antics

In the wake of the US election people have been reporting an increase in racist remarks and actions. As Canadians it's easy to sit on the outside and watch. By easy, I mean that we can choose to think that this isn't our problem or that it won't affect us. I don't mean that it will be easy to accept. I don't normally follow politics but this is too much to ignore.

I'm always hearing things like "It's 2016", which usually means it's long past time to start being inclusive (not just stopping exclusion). But based on appalling reports coming from social media it seems any progress we made is actually the equivalent of sweeping under the rug.

There will always be racism as long as it is endorsed and reinforced by parents. It is up to our generation to break the cycle.

Almost 2 months!

Jasmine is almost at two months now. She manages to sleep through most of the night, only stirring to get some milk. She doesn't even actually wake up. She sleep eats.

She also manages to hold her head up pretty well. Much less face bashing. It's pretty much only when she's hungry and searching for the milk.

She prefers to sleep with someone holding her. I guess this is common and if why parents have to go through letting them get used to sleeping alone. As soon as we put her down on the bed she wakes up. Katy Perry would be impressed.

Finally, she's gotten good at burping. Occasionally she will have trouble getting the gas out but usually there's a nice loud burp. Probably not good for her carbon footprint.

The last two weekends have been busy for her. The week before she went to a house warming party. I heard there would be kids but they almost outnumbered adults. I'm getting into that age. Last week we visited my friend's home. No babies there but it didn't feel right.

Baby paradox

Jasmine's first month has been an exciting ride. Here's a short list of her likes and dislikes so far, at least as far as I could tell.

Likes
Pooping
Drinking milk
Getting burped
Sleeping in the middle of the bed

Dislikes
Pooping
Getting burped
Dad talking about his work day

At one month she is still mainly thinking about the simple things, like hunger and discomfort. If she's crying it's about one of those things.

The first week

Looking back at the first week I learned a lot of new things and have a lot of other things to reflect upon and improve. I got better at changing diapers and have another funny story to tell friends. There are still some other things I don't get, like how to play with Jasmine. I'm talking to her in my own weird way. I think she gets it but Mommy rolls her eyes at me.

Happy first week Jasmine! Mommy is getting better very fast and Jasmine is sleeping like a baby. Jasmine is also looking at me more now. I can't wait until you get better neck strength so we can play more. In a few more weeks we'll go out and have lots of fun!

The next 5 days

Day 1

Happy birthday Jasmine! Everyone is excited, scared, exhausted and sleepy. Jasmine occasionally wakes up for feeding, and quiet most of the time. The hospital is colder than I thought it would be, for newborns at least.

I spent the night in the room with mommy and baby while mother in law was home getting rest and preparing some food. The sleep on the convertible chair was good but I was on alert for baby or Mommy's cry for help.

I did manage to get enough sleep to drive out the next morning to pick up mom from home.

The first day.

Day 2

Mommy's breastfeeding class starts at 9:30 and we're a bit late due to a slight issue with mobility. Baby seems to like the rumbling of the bassinet cart at the hospital - slept throughout the journey.

After class we had an opportunity for a short photoshoot at the hospital. Mom joined baby and me but didn't pose for photos. Unfortunately, Mommy was in a lot of pain and couldn't join. The photographer loved working with Jasmine - she slept through this too. In the end we paid for all the photos (almost double what others normally get) and the slideshow.

Finally Jasmine goes through one of the most difficult screening blood tests. The nurse needed blood and had to draw it from her heel. Jasmine did not enjoy it but it eventually got done. The tests show she is healthy!

Our first ride home was quick and safe. Jasmine seemed to be comfortable with her home - she lived there for 9 months already! I had the chance to perform my first diaper change. The feedback was not great - I need to talk and keep Jasmine interested.

Later that night she had her first visitors. I had announced Jasmine's birth earlier to our cottage group from last year and they were excited. Grace, Julie and Hang came bearing gifts. After chatting for a bit they went home. Unfortunately mommy could not come up to visit.

The second day.

Day 3

Jasmine was probably overexcited by the first visit and was wide awake from 1am. She's slowly getting the hang of feeding and eventually fell asleep in mommy's arms. I also fell asleep around this time.

The daytime was mostly quiet. I had the chance to go out to pick up some groceries and other pharmacy items. No visitors today, just some quiet time with the family.
Jasmine seems to cry fairly suddenly and I haven't really figured out what it is. Sometimes if it's just after feeding I'll try burping. Usually she keeps crying though - she might be too hot. It's been hot outside and she's wrapped up.
The third day.

Day 4

We were supposed to go to the family doctor today but forgot that Wednesday is his regular day off. Jasmine is getting more accustomed to the world. It's been very hot the last few days. Every time I carry her for burping or playing I end up drenched in sweat. I'm not even exercising, it's just hot. Carrying her around increased the temperature so much. It must be because she's so cute.

The fourth day.

Day 5

We went to visit the family doctor as soon as he opened in the morning. As you might have expected, the morning is a very busy time for the doctor as there are other patients that also want to beat the rush of the day. Luckily it was not too busy and we were graciously allowed to see the doctor sooner so that we could get home. The doctor was very impressed with Jasmine. He said that she has very active eyes and a very healthy weight. After a few quick tests he sent us on our way.

My family visited us later that afternoon. Everyone was very happy to see Jasmine and Mommy. Grandma brought some snacks for Mom and we sat around to have a chat. Mommy was feeling a bit better but still not very keen on moving around more than needed.

Later that afternoon again another friend Ai Lien dropped by with her son and mother. I brought Jasmine up to visit them and Ai Lien absolutely enjoyed carrying the little girl. Her son is quite big now and it gets tiring very quickly carrying him. She later carried Jasmine down to visit with Mommy for a more private chat about motherhood. Meanwhile upstairs with her mother and Mom, we played with Aiden for a while. He had fun taking out all his bottles from his diaper bags (he had two fully stuffed). After a while longer they needed to head out and we bid them farewell. 

That was a very long day but Jasmine took it just like any other day. Her poop started becoming more of a yellowish-brown colour. This is a good change from the black poop of the first few days. There's nothing quite like ending an entry talking about poop.

The fifth day.

Welcome baby!

We went to the hospital overnight a few hours after receiving a gel to help ripen the cervix. We had a scheduled induction the next day since baby was overdue.

Looks like the induction wasn't needed after all. Water broke and labor began while I was asleep. Wife woke me up and after a few groggy moments we packed up some final items and set out.

As a family member watching labour, it was one of the most helpless feelings I've ever had. I have no idea about the pain and even the nurses say every labour is different.

I don't think I have the words to describe everything that went through my mind throughout the process. A baby being born is amazing and it's overwhelming when it's your own.

Expect delays ahead

On our last visit, the doctor told us that baby will most likely be arriving late. The doctor's examination found that baby was still floating comfortably inside. Supposedly first babies tend to arrive late, but there's no telling when they will arrive for sure unless you are having labour induced or delivering by C-section.

In any case we're mostly ready for baby's arrival.

Here's a roundup of items that we've purchased so far:

• Uppababy Vista stroller - comes with bassinet and the seller included other accessories. Very sturdy frame with a nice weight to it. It's going to be bulky on a bus and lifting into a trunk but luckily that's only happening once in a while.
• Skip Hop diaper bag - lots of pockets and good reviews. It's tall so it fits larger items easily. If there are a lot of small items they can get lost in the bottom of the bag.
• Lillebaby Complete Airflow - a 6-in-1 baby carrier that we got using Aeroplan points. It's as heavy as the reviews say it is but very functional. I tried it on yesterday in hot weather. The waist support foam is thick but didn't make things any more hot than it already was. Of course there was no baby in the seat yet.

Items that we've acquired:

• Britax B-safe car seat - bright red. The base installed in the car easily. There's no adapter for the stroller so we will (I will) have to carry the bucket around on short trips.
• Fisher Price swing - It swings and plays music. Batteries are low so the music is freaky. It still has plastic wrapping on the legs - very Asian.
• Play mat
• Random toys
• Bathing tub

Items that were gifts:

• Lots of blankets and clothes
• My Brest Friend nursing pillow

Any day now

Over the last few months I've been trying to post about some of the things I've been researching and some of the thoughts and feelings about the journey. The last few days of wife's pregnancy are approaching and I've been getting things prepared as much as I can.

I'll say this much - anyone that says they are 100% ready for parenthood is probably saying it to make people stop asking. There's always the feeling that something is missing but we've got all the essentials (I think!). Just in case, I've started a list of things to grab on the way out the door.

Everyone will definitely learn along the way. For now I'm comfortable knowing that baby will at least be able to get home and won't be naked. Thanks again to all the gifts and especially to Vu, Anka, and Nathan for the hand-me-downs.

The countdown begins...

... Or so we say. Since the birth date could be any time in the next month it's like counting to infinity. Unless you're having a c-section or you're Chuck Norris.

Wife's contractions have started picking up. They're real contractions but only in preparation for the big day. Experts say the Braxton-Hicks contractions are a way for the body to train itself for birth. That's a pretty cool thing for a body to do.

In other news I've packed up wife's hospital bag with some essentials. Of course I packed too much so some of it will come back out. It'll probably go into a backup bag with my things.

We now have two car seats! No we're not having twins but our good friend Vu is lending us his son's seat. Big boy Nathan has already outgrown his bucket. It doesn't fit our stroller and there's no adapter for it so we'll have to switch her into the bassinet or just carry. I suspect the bassinet will be much more comfortable on longer outings.

The nursery has been cleared up! There's no decoration or furniture yet except for a bed and cabinet. We've been looking at some floor mats and toys so we'll have more things soon.

Checking out before we check in

We had our hospital tour yesterday after the doctor visit. Apparently hospital tours are a thing of the past. I guess it's understandable that people don't want to go to a place people consider dreary and sometimes scary. For us it was about getting to know what the place is like and figuring out where to go. It was also our first practice run to the hospital.

The hospital itself was pretty nice. It's typical for a hospital but I have not been in a maternity ward since I was born. Sure it's got the hospital beds and needle disposals but it's very different from the emergency waiting rooms. It's more self-contained, being on its own floor, and much more inviting. At least there's no waiting room right at the entrance.

It was kind of interesting to see that the entrance is secured for both entry and exit. I can understand that. You don't want newborns escaping the hospital.

Time to kick into high gear

Little one just passed 32 weeks this past Saturday. With only 8 weeks according to schedule it seems so close but still about 2 months to go.

I've started packing a bag for us to grab and go to the hospital. It's a great idea and there are many good resources online about what to bring. Packing for the hospital probably isn't new but I think it wasn't done as much in the past. These days we have so many more things to bring because staying connected helps to pass the time during labour.

Although it's anything but a vacation, I've packed things like shampoo, slippers, lip balm, etc. From our honeymoon trip we got these nice travel kits from Air Canada that will come in handy. I'll be packing some more items that will help to keep wife comfortable, as comfortable as it can be anyway.

Here's a list of things we're packing. Feel free to use it and let me know if there's something else you're bringing (or would bring) that's not on the list. It's based on the list from The Bump. We also have a hospital visit this week so we can customize it for our stay.

List:
- shampoo, body wash
- phone charger
- lip balm
- socks
- slippers
- baby's going-home clothes
- nursing pads
- to be continued

I'm not going to hide that I'm nervous. I mean, nobody is more nervous than the first time mother, but I worry about things like whether we've prepared enough. Some things we can wing but I'm not sure this is one of those moments. There are other things like what does a dad even do during first few weeks.

In the heat of summer

I've been spending more time looking at baby carriers now that we've taken care of the stroller. There are a lot of options including simple cloth up to something like a hiking pack.

I don't need all the bells and whistles, as I mentioned before. In terms of features my number one need is to keep cool. I get hot easily and it probably will be hotter with a baby strapped to me. Previously I looked at the Ergobaby Performance but it is an older model and doesn't support the "front forward" position (wearing the baby on the chest and baby facing the same direction as me). There is the Ergobaby Performance 360 but runs around $250.

I'm currently considering the Lillebaby Complete Airflow. Also available is the All Season.

I've been reading good things about the Airflow because it helps to keep everyone cooler. For a slightly lower price the Airflow has similar features as the 360 Performance. I wish I could test out both and provide a good comparison between the two.

At the very least however I'll go to a store to try it out with an air baby.

Long walks on the beach during sunset

Back in the day just after babies became lazy, parents began carrying them around in cloth wraps*. Strollers, like many smartphones, have grown bigger and bulkier over time. So while a stroller can get us many places there are times when you want to ditch the wheels. Most strollers don't do well on sandy beaches. Since babies still can't walk we can carry them.

I've been looking at some of the options for baby carriers. Unsurprisingly the price range on these is huge. You could get one from Walmart for $30 or you can get a high end one for $300.

On a recent visit to a local baby specialty store the rep recommended a carrier that is adjustable. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have thought that is an issue (babies and/or parents grow with time). For the $300 you might get extras like cup and smartphone holder but I don't need those. What I do like is the breathable fabric. I sweat a bit in the summer (OK, a lot) and a little ball of heat probably doesn't help. The Ergobaby Performance line features the breathable fabric. It's less than $200. I can Kijiji it for $100.

I had the opportunity to try it on, without a baby again. It's snug but baby will be comfy. It's a bit hard to wear without help on the front load. It smelled a bit like baby. I guess it's a calming feature.

* Babies are not actually lazy

Now we're finally getting somewhere

Yesterday we saw a post on Kijiji that was awesome for an Uppababy Vista stroller. Most Kijiji posts only include the stroller items and are six or seven years old. We decided that this was the best deal we've seen so far so we contacted the seller. Lucky for us the seller was also giving away an infant seat so we got that for free. Even if we don't use it in the car it's still good to have for the stroller when we don't want to use the bassinet.

So today we've finally got a good chunk of baby's gear, and baby has a place to sleep now for the first few months. There's still a lot to go and our registry is filled with items so we're hoping to cross off more things very soon.

Bring out the chariot

I'm continually amazed at the options available for strollers. I see them all the time on the bus and in public but never really noticed how they differed but did notice how bulky many of them were.

Originally we were looking at an Uppababy. We had the chance to test drive it in store and I really liked the handling and weight, though it was on the heavy side.

The options changed a bit when we found out that our friend can lend us a Britax infant seat. A quick Google showed that they don't really fit in strollers other than their own. In order to make best use of it we'd have to get a Britax stroller. We went back to the store to test drive a Britax. They only had one option even though their web site showed others. We tested it anyway and it also felt good except that the main seat couldn't be reversed. That's unfortunate. The other option does have a reversible seat. It is similar to the Uppababy but cheaper. No matter how much research I do there's always something to mix things up.

I'm leaning towards this one now. I'd like to find one to test drive but will probably buy it new since the used ones are almost full price.

Sounds good

We went for our final planned ultrasound yesterday. As we suspected there's a baby inside.

We also finally got a decent picture, a clear view of the face (wife saw my nose but my nose was definitely still attached to my face), some shyness (hands covered the face as we took the pictures) and showing some agility trying to foil our pictures. In the end we got some good ones that I'll post up later.

Thanks to another fast-growing baby a friend was able to donate some of their used gear. So far we've received a swing and diapers. We've decided on owning cloth diapers and we got some disposables, so these should be fine for emergency use during travel.  (I just came up with a great idea to change into disposables before going out so we don't have to carry around the cloth. Genius.)

We're also inheriting/borrowing an infant car seat. It makes the first few months a bit easier as we don't need to buy a car seat just yet but it changes our stroller search.

A friend also helped list a bunch of things to put on our registry. Most are things I thought people would gift anyway but we could use it as a checklist too. There's going to be so much stuff, can't wait for the little one!

We're three quarters of the way there!

It's been a while since I posted. I'd like to say I've been busy but really I've just been lazy.

I haven't been lazy about checking out baby stuff though! I'll get to that in a bit.

A lot has happened in a month. Wife went to get another blood test done mainly testing for gestational diabetes. We're scheduled for another ultrasound tomorrow, most likely the final one unless the doctor wants to monitor something.

Baby is happily doing well. The active schedule is fairly regular so we can feel movement at expected times throughout the day. The movements seem to be slightly more controlled now - some movements feel like yawning stretches (the kind where you only stretch the elbows). Wife complains that baby likes to stomp on her stomach now and gently asks baby to move away.

Happy Mother's Day! Wife got her first gift from baby - a card written by daddy on baby's behalf. Next year I'll help write a real message from baby.

A couple weeks ago we decided to go test drive some of the strollers I've been researching. I'm kind of glad we did since there are so many variables that online reviews can't really cover because they are subjective.

I was most interested in the Uppababy Vista. It is one massively expensive stroller but a 3 minute test drive told me why. The Vista is a very sturdy stroller with a very nice frame.

We also pushed the Cruz around a bit and found that it could be a bit too light. The front wheels has trouble changing direction and wasn't sure if it was the design or the store demo unit. I was wondering if a bit of weight in the seat would solve that issue but decided not to borrow a fellow customer's baby to test. (Note to self: create baby test bundle for future parents)

In all the Vista felt like a better choice. The base seems very wide, might be difficult to take on a bus and push through crowds. We'd be taking the car most of the time and the occasional bus trip shouldn't be too much trouble (other people have done it just fine.

Kijiji has a lot of Vista strollers listed. Understandably most of them are 4-5 years old and probably used for two or more kids. They still sell for about half the price and most claim to be excellent condition.

First donation - car seat!

When we announced that a baby is coming it was inevitable that someone would have old equipment lying around that they wouldn't mind donating. Actually so far only one person has offered their old car seat. I'm somewhat uneasy about used car seats. I have no problem using old equipment other than car seats.

Although I'm not an expert in car safety or other safety, I do believe that there are some safety issues in using old car seats. As experts have mentioned before, car seats do have expiry dates and they shouldn't be used after they've been involved in a car accident. This makes sense to me - it's the same with bicycle helmets. Expired car seats may have materials that have been weakened by heat, sunlight, sweat, etc., such as plastics and foams. Similarly, seats that have been involved in car accidents may have internal damage causing structural weaknesses.

I do think that having the extra car seat around will be useful though, at least as practice in getting the seat secured in a car.

Spring!

Spring finally feels like it has arrived and we took the opportunity to take a first hand look at some of the offerings at the local Toys R Us store.

After seeing what's available we are leaning more towards the dedicated car seat. Quick calculations found that either route is similar in cost. The major downside to the travel system is that we would have to switch it out from the car after 4-5 months.

I saw a few people in public using the carrier straps. I guess they're just called baby carriers. I've only seen women use them so far, so I hope it's not because it doesn't fit men. The mom that was wearing the baby also had a stroller though, working shopping cart duty.

I wouldn't mind wearing my baby. One problem is that it would be mid summer at that time so it will be sweaty. I've seen some that have extra breathable materials. I'll post some of my research on it but unfortunately I won't be able to provide first hand experience.

25 weeks tomorrow! Wife's belly is big and kicking. Sometimes the baby kicks in response to my tapping. I'm pretty sure that's what's happening. Baby also likes to step on wife's bladder so she will suddenly feel like going to the washroom one second but not the next.

Cat is also enjoying the bump. She spends every morning sitting on the bump through the covers. She's already trying to assert her dominance over the new family member.

On the go

A lot has been going on lately.

Wife and baby have been doing fine. Last week was March Break and wife was working from early in the morning and on her feet most of the day. Overall it tired her out pretty good and went straight onto the couch as soon as she got home in the afternoon.

Her mom made her a couple new "maternity" shirts. They are very impressive. I was watching her cut the patterns a while back. She did it from memory, cutting up old magazine pages to be used as the guide on the fabric. Amazing.

In other news, I went to test drive a new car in preparation for baby. I like the feel of the drive - I'll post more about it in my regular blog. More baby-specifically, there should be more than enough room for baby gear and seat.

I asked my parents about their thoughts on the bucket vs. convertible seat. Mom mentioned that the bucket was only actually usable for 3-4 months, depending on how fast baby grows. I think this actually makes my decision more difficult. I like the convenience of being able to move baby around as an all-in-one package but I also want to have something that we can use for a longer time.

Beam me up!

I've been doing some research about travel systems, strollers, and convertible car seats. There are a lot of reviews about comfort, fit, style, etc. There are a lot of articles about how to install the seats, convenience factors, safety, performance, size, etc. One thing that is largely missing from the research is how these seats fit into the vehicles. 

There is one site I've found but it is mainly concerned with seats that can fit three across the back. There are individual reviews on whether a seat fits for a particular user with a particular car but there is nothing comprehensive.

There are so many people out there driving babies around in their cars, but we can't get feedback from everyone using every seat available. I know that sometimes a manufacturer will provide a seat to bloggers and reviewers to help test and provide feedback. If there was someone that was willing to uninstall and reinstall seats weekly to test them out, would there be manufacturers willing to give out samples?

I think I would not mind sampling the car seats on a weekly or monthly rotation. Since it's unlikely that someone will make this type of offer to me I will probably scrape Reddit for reviews and put them into a spreadsheet.

I also happen to be looking at purchasing a new car in the next few months. Perhaps someone will give me a car to review instead.

You can actually see it!

It's really quite amazing. I could see my wife's belly move from baby's kicking. She was sitting at work one day and was showing it to me. Amazing. I didn't know babies kick all the time.

I remember an elementary school classmate brought her mom for show and tell once and mentioned that the baby kicks but I had no idea just how often the baby moved. They tricked me a bit. They said that "sometimes" the kick would come. To me sometimes means not very often.

Baby moves around a lot. In agreement with what I've read online, baby tends to be slightly more active in the evening hours. Baby also seems to be more active after my wife drinks juice. I'm guessing baby will have a strong attraction to juice in the later years.

Doctor visit

We finally met our doctor and were surprised that she looks fairly young. After so much Internet research we were also very cautious about many of these doctors. It's unbelievable how many have bad reviews but it could be a sign of this generation of patients.

Overall the visit was good. The medical centre was very modern and kind of resembles a food court. It was nice to hear that wife and little one are both very healthy.

The baby has become more and more active. It's still rare for me to feel a kick but once in a while I do and it's exciting. Luckily the kicks don't hurt wife or I'd be slightly less happy about it.

In a few weeks we'll be back there. Hopefully we'll be able to get a picture that's not blurry.

Sturdy furniture, check!

Over the weekend wife and I went to the local Swedish furniture shop to check out some baby furniture. We bypassed all the rooms that we'd normally check out and imagine we had and bee-lined to the baby section (sadly the baby stuff was at the end of the floor, so we could've used the very first bypass). One area we did linger around were the bunk beds. They are quite nice these days; several bunk beds have built-in study areas which will come in handy as kids grow up.

I remember, back in the day, these self-built furniture was very cheap and often very wobbly. Several kitchen tables and coffee tables were inexpensive but felt like the legs would snap off if we put more than three mugs on it. That day I was testing several of the cribs that they had on display. They were very sturdy and had no discernible wobble. Several other non-crib pieces did wobble but was more likely due to the builder speeding through the process.

Overall I'm quite impressed with the Swedish furniture. For the most part they are not very upscale but last long enough until people save up for better furniture.

Another eventful day - cold but summer is just around the corner

It was somewhat of a long day today. In addition to the ultrasound appointment we also went to get blood work done. My wife also had a dentist appointment. Summer is just around the corner. I added that so the title makes a little more sense. Time is passing by very quickly though.

So originally I thought that I would like to be surprised about baby's sex. I often miscommunicate so we ended up not stopping the technician from telling us. So we found out after all. Except for a select few I think we'll keep it a surprise for now. There is a reason for the miscommunication though. I said that it would be nice to know the sex so that we can plan some things in advance. I mentioned before that we could pick colour schemes even though it's not that big of a deal. As first time parents, one thing that benefits from having extra time is choosing a name. I touched on this before too. Choosing the name now means that the name of the wrong sex won't be disappointed.

The ultrasound technician says things look good. We tried to get a new picture but baby was moving around a lot. My wife said she saw the baby punching on the screen. That's definitely her baby! (Aside from the fact that it's growing inside her, of course). We tried to get baby to pose for us but didn't really work out, so we got a blurry picture. It's nice to know that baby is nice and active. I'm already imagining all the games that we'll play together.

Lists, baby things, planning. Even the title is a list.

The next ultrasound is booked. We'll see the baby again but we have tentatively decided that we want to be surprised on the big day. I'll be looking at the screen during the visit so I hope it's not so obvious that I ruin the surprise.

In other news more and more people are getting excited about the little one. My wife's colleagues are battling over hosting the baby shower. I guess it's a nice problem to have so I don't have to plan everything. It's about 3 months out so there's plenty of time but I've started making a list of things we need to get.

I've found that there are a lot of good resources for baby stuff. My friend recently used babylist for their registry. It makes saving items easy and lets visitors claim an item they want to gift us. I guess that's just like any other registry. It also has sample lists to make my job easier.

I've been bad and not posting my thoughts in a timely manner. If you were following along you'll notice that the last few posts are backdated. I'll try to keep posts updated. If it makes things better these are actually written on the date I posted.

Excitement is in the air

Exciting times! Family has been sick this past week so there was a lot of miserable to pass around. My wife was the most miserable of course, unable to take any drugs. They aren't that effective but it helps to at least relieve the symptoms. A highlight from this (at this point anything is a highlight) is that she said she felt the baby kicking. Except that it wasn't really a kick but more of a stretch. You know the kind you take when you've been riding in an egg for 4.5 months.

That's right almost 5 months. On the doctor's appointment coming up we'll find out the baby's sex. Some people don't want to know but both of us want to know just so we can plan a little better. I'm not a huge fan of gender specific colour schemes but my wife says that neutral schemes are hard to come by these days.

I think that aside from the colour of clothes most other things are fairly neutral. It's not like we're buying high heels that need to work for both boys and girls. Instead of gender specific clothing we could opt for various cute designs, such as giraffe, elephant, panda. Mom already bought a Cars robe - she thought it was a cute gi, the martial arts robe.

People have started guessing our baby's gender. So far there are two votes for each. I didn't officially make my guess but I have the feeling we have a girl.

Oh The Places You'll Go!

I've been thinking about baby things for a while now and I am still amazed at the huge market for baby things out there. Without internet we would be making decisions without the opportunity to gather effective feedback on items.

My next step is to budget for the baby things. Up to now all I've been doing is research on what is needed and what is too ridiculous to need. As with many things in life a budget is useful when you expect to be spending a lot of money.

This journey has been full of surprises so far. A couple of posts ago I touched on the market of previously stinky cloth diapers. I suppose I should not be surprised that a car seat costs less than a stroller given the way things have been going. To put it in another perspective anyone would expect a back support to cost less than any car.

Of course there are different levels of car seat and stroller, and combinations of both. One discussion that I just had with my wife is whether we want to get the "travel system" or dedicated stroller and seat. I can get into the pros and cons.

Dedicated
Going the dedicated route increases the child's safety. Think about it - the travel system's main feature is quick release. You only want it quick releasing when you want it to. As a car seat it's another point of failure. A dedicated seat does one thing very well.

A dedicated stroller is probably less of a difference. Most travel systems that I've seen so far can accommodate growing kids. As far as I can tell all kids grow so this is good.

The main down side to going dedicated is that things cost more. A dedicated seat and stroller should run about $400 each. I might argue that the stroller can be skipped, until I am the one carrying the wobbly bundle all day. However we would most likely drive out so we could get away with a carrier.

A second major downside is the bundle needs to be transferred from car to stroller or other carrying case. Research shows that bundles awaken when they're moved. I've played enough RPGs to know that's bad news.

Travel system
Generally the cons above are the pros here. It's much easier to move baby around out of the car, especially when they're asleep. The price is usually comparable to other strollers so you could save about $500. However the bucket doesn't look like it fits anything bigger than a tiny baby. If that's the case you end up spending on a car seat anyway. I think in the past car seats weren't as flexible and convertible so it only fit the bigger kids.

Verdict
Not sure yet. We only have one car so we don't need the convenience of a cheaper second base for a bucket. We are also going to be in the middle of summer so there's no worry about the cold weather just yet. I think we're leaning more towards the dedicated route. Either way we have access to very good brands, many reviews, and many options to choose from.

Everything is on the Internet

These days it's hard to imagine life without Internet. In my situation I wouldn't be able to imagine how people managed to raise their children without the ability to read about the experiences of other parents in their blogs. I can't imagine how I would learn about all of the options available on feeding and clothing. To reference my past posts, I can't imagine how I would learn about cloth diapers, strollers, car seats, and names without Internet research. Honestly.

Well, I guess for some things there is always the library but it won't have a catalog of cloth diaper options. It certainly won't tell me that there is a strong market for used diapers (I still can't get over that). Aside from cat videos, the Internet's strong point is the information about the experiences of real regular people! 

Sometimes I am guilty of relying too much on the Internet. I buy things. My wife buys things. Luckily most of these purchases are reasonable. So while I will be doing a lot of research on the Internet I will also make it a point to go out and see the things we want to buy, as long as it's possible to do that. As we all know, things that are highly rated with amazing comments also have some low ratings, and vice versa. People these days can be too critical of things when there's a small discrepancy between their expectation and reality.

So I have been researching car seats, diapers, and pregnancy. There are a lot of anecdotes. Some of them scare me. There's too much information on the Internet. TMI.

But none of this lessens my excitement of the baby's arrival. 

A Programmer's Bane!

There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things. - Phil Karlton

To humans the concept of cache invalidation is easy. Naming things is not. We started talking about possible names for the baby. During dinner that night I must have spaced out for a few seconds (we all know that means it was way more than that). When I explained I was thinking about names that might sound good my wife asked which ones I had considered. To be honest I was only thinking of names that didn't sound good. To that end I began thinking of rules for choosing a name. The programmer's bane!

Should not be unisex.
This is an interesting one that I did not consider until overhearing another programmer friend talking about naming kids. He was going to have a girl but didn't want a name that was derived from a male name (or vice versa). I guess that's technically not a unisex name but that's my definition.

Should not share name with close friends?
Although friends have very nice names I believe that it would be awkward. Why? People tend to attribute it to themselves being so awesome that we chose to name our kid after them. We respect you enough to let you keep your humble.

Name of family members??
I think this is more of a western tradition. Parents like to name kids after themselves, especially boys. What about after grandparents? Feels like we'd be calling or parents by name every time so I think that's a no.

This is hard. Forget about naming variables and classes, that's easy compared to naming kids. Even though we end up with a list of names to avoid, there is still a huge list. Fortunately for us we still have months to go to decide on one, and in a few weeks we will be able to eliminate half of the names if we decide to know the baby's gender. Stick with me to find out our names short-list coming soon!

So many crappy options...

Our pregnancy is progressing very nicely and my wife appears to be getting more comfortable with it. She noticed that she is walking funny now, trying to stay balanced with the extra weight on the front. Just yesterday she visited the temple and pretty much everyone noticed the change, no matter how much she tried to hide it.

Her belly is definitely getting more visible now and time is ticking on some decisions that we will have to make soon. One of the decisions is about diapers. I've browsed a few sites that Google Search returned about diapers, especially cloth diapers. There are so many options with such a large price range. I think most shocking to me is that there is a huge used cloth diaper market. Surprisingly the market for used poopy diapers is stronger than the housing market. I can understand some of the reasoning behind the resale of cloth diapers (some are never used or used once), but the idea of putting someone else's poopy diaper on a different baby somewhat baffles me.

In any case, we may or may not consider purchasing some used diapers. Some sites recommend this as a way to try out certain brands before committing to a large purchase. Other than the possibility of leftover poop, I think it's a great idea given the number of options available in the market today. Just like how adults have many types of underwear, babies have similar options available to them. To name a few:

• bamboo, 
• cotton, 
• hemp, 
• fleece

I will be doing a lot more research on this topic but almost definitely taking a hybrid cloth/disposable approach. Many of the diaper blogs primarily discuss cloth, but rarely the hybrid approach. It's great to be good to the environment with reusable diapers. The main gripe with cloth is that changing on the go is a crappy experience. So why not supplement with disposables? I love the environment but I think it would be injustice to carry poop around a mall in a bag.

Follow my blog to keep posted about my findings on cloth diapers and other baby things!

Where has the time gone?

A bit late to the game. She's into her 14th week now and the baby bump won't stay hidden for much longer. We just announced it to my parents this past weekend. I made a complete mess of it, of course, but everyone is excited. I've already started making a list of things that we'll need and it's tiny so far, but no doubt it will grow as the due date nears. I can't imagine the amount of preparation we'll need to do. I planned most of our wedding and while I thought I had most of it done, my wife didn't think so. At this stage I know there's still a lot of planning to be done and it must just be the tip of the iceberg.

Somewhat luckily, a couple of friends recently had kids of their own. I suggested to my wife that she should ask them about the preparations that they made, and more specifically the hospital/doctor they chose. Again I can't help but feel that we're a bit late choosing the doctor. In any case we're not exactly too late and there is still quite a ways to go.

I would have to say that baby stuff is definitely something that you only think about and research when you need to, just like weddings. Although it would be weird to remember, things have change drastically since I was a baby myself. I can now check up on my baby from anywhere in the world using my smartphone. My brothers and I had to settle with being heard over staticky radio. The sheer amount of baby products is overwhelming: just choosing the stroller and carseat will probably require months of research. Of course this is the age of crowdfunding and registries so we might at least be able to afford some of the stuff. I would hope that some friends can chip in and gift us some of these items. 

What would I do if I had access to a 24/7 webcam pointed directly at my child? I think that I would be like many parents, if not all, and have a tiny video stream in the corner of my computer monitor while I work. I also think that I could survive without the stream but I would be supremely disappointed if we didn't manage to secure one as a gift.

I think that's enough dreaming for now. There's much work to be done and I want to be the one to do it.

Introduction

I'm glad you managed to find me. On this blog you'll read about my thoughts and some events as I advance toward parenthood with my wife. I hope to continue this through the first few years of parenthood too and possibly beyond that as well.

This blog is meant to be enjoyable and light-hearted and I hope that you find some useful information here from time to time. Keep in mind that this only reflects my thoughts and feelings and does not necessarily reflect how I feel all the time.

On that note, enjoy the ride!