Baby Showers, May Flowers and the Never-Ending To-Do List

Anyone who really knows me knows that I’m a list maker by nature. It helps me feel in control when there’s so much going on

Andy and I with one of our favorite shower gifts

that it all just feels overwhelming. And come on, what beats the satisfaction of crossing off those completed tasks?

Needless to say, I have all sorts of baby-related lists – what we still need to buy that wasn’t on our registry, what to pack for the hospital, questions to ask potential nannies, questions to ask potential pediatricians – but the one stressing me out most right now is the overall to-do list. It just won’t die. Every time we cross something off (and we have crossed off A LOT of things), it seems like there are 10 new tasks to add.

We still need to do everything from order blinds for the nursery and our bedroom to get the landscapers in to overhaul or backyard to get the contractor in to deal with some leaks in the basement (some call it nesting; I call it finally having a reason to stop procrastinating and actually whip this house into shape). AND we need to write a will, get life insurance and of course, find the elusive perfect nanny.

There’s so much going on that already I’m feeling the change of not being able to just do all the fun stuff we want to do, like drive up to the Botanic Garden to revel in the spring tulips and apple blossoms, find time to plant our annual summer vegetable garden (oh, it WILL happen. I will find a way), find a date to go to a concert at Ravinia and just get together with friends for dinner.

Even now, as I’m sitting here blogging away, I’m gearing up to write my first round of thank-you notes from Sunday’s shower (more on that later) and then start sifting through the dozen or so bags of baby clothes that Laurie and Jeff graciously (and somewhat gleefully) passed on yesterday. Meanwhile, Andy’s at Lowe’s (where we have become alarmingly regular patrons) getting price quotes on blinds and room-darkening shades to compare with the ones we got from another guy who came by the house right after work.

At least we made time to go for a nice walk around the park on this (finally) beautiful evening. I needed the exercise, too, given all the goodies I’ve been treating myself to lately. It all started on our vacation to Florida the other week, when I triumphantly made good on my vow to eat ice cream every single day (Day 1: chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, Day 2: Butterfinger Blizzard, Day 3: chocolate milkshake, Day 4: brownie sundae). Ummm …. I get chills just thinking about it.

And then there was the shower.

Most people’s showers are probably all about the games, or the gifts, but mine was most definitely about the food (aside from all my closest friends and family coming together to celebrate this joyous and momentous occasion, of course).

My sister, Jen, and my cousins Laurie and Shelly put out one of the most memorable shower spreads of our time (no, I do not

The gracious hostesses and me

exaggerate). It wasn’t fancy, frilly food – who needs that at a shower? No, it was a regular parade of just about all my favorite snacks, most of them served in mini, bite-sized (one might even say baby) portions.

Mini burgers. Pigs in blankets. Tiny squares of pizza. Mini cupcakes and Rice Krispy treats. Ice cream. Chocolate-covered strawberries. Crackers with cheese and three different dips. Chips with salsa and homemade guacamole. Yummy (and healthy) barley salad with tomatoes, black beans and green onions and mango salad with jicama, corn and red onion. Seriously, the girls spent about 12 hours on Saturday prepping all this food (they only called three times with recipe questions and came by twice to borrow stuff), not to mention all the time they worked before, during and after the party Sunday. Andy and I are still gorging happily (if guiltily) on the leftovers.

Meanwhile, everyone’s gifts were so much fun to open, and so generous. Three different people hand-made baby blankets for us – the kind of time they must have spent boggles my mind with gratitude (and a sense of ineptness, as I’m entirely incapable of the skill and patience for such projects). And of course, there were piles of Cubs gear, all of it tiny and all of it adorable.

Yikes, that reminds me – better get to those thank-you notes!

Random Pregnant Thoughts

No big story or thought for today, just a stream of consciousness kind of post … (Warning: some of this gets a little personal.)

I wore a tighter shirt today and a co-worker saw me and said “Wow, you’re really packing on the pounds!” Despite my recent breakdown over my latest weight gain, I was more pleased than offended …

I’ve already been to the bathroom like 15 times since 7 a.m. today (it’s 8:20 p.m.). I thought this part was supposed to get better in the second trimester!

I’ve never been a sweets person, but lately, everything from ice cream to M&Ms to Cinnamon Toast Crunch (mmmm) tastes so incredibly good it’s like I’ve got a constant case of the munchies …

I don’t know what’s more unpleasant, an itchy stomach or itchy boobs. Actually, yes I do …

I’m thinking about trying a prenatal yoga class but am a little nervous about anyone else seeing my novice attempts at the poses. My trainers on Wii Fit can be a little judgemental, but at least they’re only digital …

People keep telling me that the people you meet once you have kids – the local parents and neighbors – often become your closest friends. I wonder if that will happen. It seems so odd to think about now, but then again, most of my close friends now don’t live nearby and many aren’t parents yet …

I feel kind of guilty about having a baby shower since technically Jewish people usually don’t, but I’m not into all that superstition. But it still makes me a little nervous … Damn that Jewish guilt!

I can’t seem to stop touching my belly, and it’s not even that big yet …

I can’t believe how much darker my nipples have gotten. Guess the baby won’t have any trouble finding them!

I kind of wonder if I’ll feel some sort of disappointment at hearing what the sex of the baby is next week that will reveal which one I “secretly” want, but at this point I don’t even know which one that might be …

I might consider being a stay-at-home mom if I weren’t completely afraid of leaving the workforce for a few years and not being able to come back … and equally afraid of going utterly nuts being home all day long …

And the last thought of the day: I wonder how long I’ll hold out before I have some ice cream or cinnamon toast crunch tonight.

The Big Picture

No, I don’t actually have a photo to post of our latest awesome ultrasound – we need to scan it and get it digital, but that would mean actually hooking up the scanner, so we’ll see. But we do have a video and photos, and our little one definitely looks like a real baby now! Of course he/she would, but it’s still so hard to imagine that little life growing inside me, heartbeat and all. I can’t wait until I can feel the baby move – now that will be unreal.

We did get to see some cool stuff, though – but no guess on the sex. That’s fine. I can enjoy the anticipation for another 6 weeks or so. We saw the face, nose, mouth, legs, hands and arms (which did a little moving) and a little nubbin of something that will eventually tell us whether we’re having a boy or girl. The baby bounced around a little, too, which was fun to watch.

The good news is that based on the measurements the tech took from the ultrasound, everything looked to be within normal range. We still have to wait on the results from the blood test, which I expect we’ll get Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Then there’s another screening that checks for some more problems during our next visit … it never stops, does it?

Tonight we’re having dinner with one of my old college roommates and her husband. She’s pregnant with her second and about 8 weeks ahead of me, so it will be fun to compare notes and figure out more of what’s ahead. They found out recently that they’re having another boy, and they’re excited. As for me, while I do admit that at first I was really leaning toward wanting a boy for our first, I’m back to really not caring either way. There are so many advantages and fun things about both. Boys could potentially be less drama, but I feel like I could have more in common with a girl and be able to have a closer relationship. But as Andy says, it’s really more about the personality than the gender, and I probably shouldn’t make such big generalizations.

Some of my family members are already talking about planning a shower, though it wouldn’t be until the third trimester. Jewish people (which we are) traditionally don’t have showers, but times are a’changin’ and if someone wants to throw me on, I’m all for it! Andy’s mom will probably do one for his family and then my sister, Shelly and Laurie will do one for my friends. Fun!

Buy Buy Baby

So I’m going to a baby shower Saturday night (weird timing for a shower, isn’t it?) and as usual, I completely procrastinated about getting a gift.

The mom-to-be has already had two showers, so the pickings on the registry were especially slim. I found something in my price range that sounded like fun (some sort of contraption that you zip up around the baby’s carrier or carseat or something to keep him or her warm in cold weather) and headed out today at lunch to buy it since the place they registered at is near where I work.

Just walking into the place was daunting. It was almost like a baby goods warehouse, with boxes of strollers and cribs and all kinds of foreign-looking paraphernalia piled as high and as far as the eye could see. It made me feel a little nervous and overwhelmed just thinking about all the work we have ahead in getting ready for our own baby.

I loved registering for our wedding–all those fun kitchen implements and wine glasses and dishes and what not–but this baby stuff is another ballgame. I know all about the bjorns and the pack and plays and the diaper genies, but there’s about a zillion other things I know we’ll need that I have no clue about.  Fortunately, as Andy pointed out when I mentioned this during dinner tonight, we have lots of friends who have recently had babies who can give us all the advice we’ll need (and probably more).

It’ll be fun to go to the shower, though, and talk about all those baby-related things, even though I won’t be sharing my own news. I don’t know any of the other girls who will be there, so I have no idea how many of them have kids of their own, but I hope there won’t be too many horror stories to freak me out.

Speaking of being freaked out (kind of), we have our first ultrasound tomorrow! I’m more excited than worried, really, since I’ll finally be able to talk at length to my doctor and get her take on how I’m doing and where I’m at in the pregnancy. By the timing of my last period, tomorrow will be 7 weeks. Assuming (praying!) all goes well tomorrow, we’re planning to tell my parents the big news over brunch on Sunday.

I am SO excited at the prospect and still haven’t figured out a fun way to break the news. My parents have been egging me on to have kids since I was barely out of college (married or not!) so they will be absolutely over the moon, to say the least. These are two people who took the day off work today to take my cousin’s two little girls to see a play. Imagine what they’ll do with their own grandkids. Seriously, it’s actually kind of frightening.