This one's for you...

So I just had my baby shower for Sawyer this weekend and it was a LOT of fun! Jake's mom and sister really outdid themselves by throwing this shower for me and it was extremely appreciated. More so than they will probably ever know.
So anyways, I've been thinking about the parallels between this pregnancy and the last. How life is going to change. What I know now that I didn't know then and blah blah blah...
I've also been talking to a lot of soon-to-be first time mothers about different things they'll need or what would be helpful. So that is what this post is about. All the veteran mom readers, let's pool our resources and experiences and make a BIG list of things that we wish we would have known or had or registered for with our first babies...
I'll start us off.

1. You're baby isn't going to die or be permanently neurologically damaged if it gets jaundice.
-let the baby sleep in front of a window that gets lots of sunlight and if you get really desperate and you are nursing, supplement with a formula bottle once or twice a day.

2. Don't try to breastfeed until you have a lactation consultant in the room helping you.
-It will feel very awkward to have a strange woman feeling you up and shoving your baby's
head onto your bosom but you will thank me for this when you don't have bleeding and
cracked nipples. Lansinoh is your friend.

3. Register for Infant Motrin, Infant Tylenol, Gas Drops, Teething Gel and Lansinoh.
- These are expensive necessities (almost as important as diapers) and you will be grateful
to your friends for helping you stock up.

4. Buy an eye mask (for sleeping).
-Everyone tells you to sleep when the baby sleeps. DO THIS!! However, if you have a hard time sleeping during the day, you'll definitely get your three dollars worth.

5. Don't feel pressure to let people help you but ALSO, don't be afraid to ask for help.
-I'm really not the best person to give advice on the whole family help issue. I have independence problems and I am hard headed. I can tell you though that you should never feel pressured to do something you are not comfortable with. If that means saying no to a well-intentioned offer for babysitting or calling someone up and begging them to give you a break: Do what works for you and DON"T let anyone make you feel inadequate for not doing it their way.

6. Three days of meals from the ward is WONDERFUL... but it isn't enough.
-Stock up on freezer meals or canned soup or microwave dinners. Horde as much of whatever makes you feel good when you eat it and doesn't leave you feeling guilty for not making it yourself. Lately, I have been making casseroles in 9x13 in. pans and packing half of it up and freezing it for later. I have between one and two weeks worth of food in the freezer for when the baby comes plus some frozen bread, homemade freezer burritos and pancakes.

7. Chances are your baby won't die of SIDS.
- Again, I'm not the best person to talk to about this. I had post-partum depression and was certifiably crazy for about 10 months. BUT, if you find yourself consumed with the fear of your babies death, if movies of the worst-case scenario keep playing behind your eye-lids, you should probably talk to your doctor and make sure that you don't have PPD also. No woman should have to suffer the way I did... Get yourself checked out if you just don't feel like yourself.

Okay, This is what I can think of at the moment. If I come up with something else, I'll write another post. Ladies, help out. Let's educate the new moms in ways that we weren't. Welcome to the club. It is an exciting, scary, AMAZING ride. You'll love most minutes of it, hate some of them but you'll never regret any of them.

A mighty change of heart...

So it would appear as though I have a tendency of going into "labor" a couple of weeks early while I am pregnant. When I was pregnant with Jane I labored hard enough to get admitted to labor and delivery and then sent home when the contractions stopped. With this pregnancy I only had to endure two hours in the triage area before I convinced them that the contractions would go away as soon as I was able to rest and relax at home.
I kept telling myself after I actually had Jane that I wanted to know what it was like to go into labor naturally. Well... I change my mind. Going to labor and delivery with close contractions, hip pain, no husband and being only 35 weeks pregnant was so stressful! My dear mother-in-law was nice enough to go with me and walk the halls and offer to sing to me when I was on the verge of tears. I don't want to go into labor naturally. That is crazy! I want to be able to check my schedule, pick a day, get a good nights rest and have a baby the next day.
I mother Jane using a method that I learned to use on myself to help curb my anxiety. We talk about events that will be coming up, I explain what is going to happen and what it is going to be like and then I tell her that it is going to be okay. Going into labor naturally completely disregards the method that I use to keep MYSELF calm! I can't go into labor naturally.

Change of Subject:
I've been doing a lot of preparing and planning for this baby because of the circumstance of our life right now. I've got about two weeks worth of freezer meals already prepared and in the freezer. I'm planning on renting a steam cleaner and cleaning the carpets and couch. I am having a hard time thinking of all the spring cleaning type tasks that need to be completed before the baby comes. Not just because I'm crazy for thinking about cleaning the house from top to bottom before the baby comes but also so I don't have to do it before we move with a toddler AND a baby in the house.
Do you guys have any suggestions??
Do you have any great, easy freezer meal recipes? I'd like to have 30 days worth of freezer meals when I deliver so I can focus on resting, finding a new place to live and packing.

The newest maroon house on the block.

The countdown begins...

Being pregnant is the one of the most maddening things you can do to yourself. At the end you are big and uncomfortable and ready to have your body back. I swear to you, I have dreamt about my pre-pregnancy body every night so far this week. You know what I do in all my dreams? I squish my hard (flat) runners stomach and feel the blissful sensation of NOTHING pushing back! It's crazy, I know, but I can't wait to stretch my legs again and feel the wind of a 12 minute mile in my hair... :) I can't wait to lay down on my side and not feel my muscles stretch and ache to accomodate the weight of my huge baby unsupported... I can't wait to go get that carribean salt or seaweed wrap that I read about from a local spa as a reward for making it through one more pregnancy without tearing my hair out or ripping my clothes in half with my teeth.
Okay, okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic. This pregnancy has actually be very good. I haven't had ANY of the problems that I had with Jane. I've been perfect physically throughout. I'm actually starting to wonder if people are right when they say that girls are easier...
Anyways, foward I march. The most maddening thing about this pregnancy to me is the end. Only in the sense that I am desperate to not be pregnant anymore (as previously mentioned) but, at the same time, I don't want the baby to come until I"M ready (which isn't until Jake is ready...). So what do you do when you are ready for something to happen, but not just yet, while at the same time, you don't want to wait too long...?
You just keep living life and try as hard as you can to not think about the when's, how's and where's of the matter. As an update for all you rabid readers (yes, for both of you) I'm going to try to post some pictures so you can see how big I actually am. On a personal note, Jane and I are doing great. We are past the half-way mark with the academy and once we have the baby things will be over and done before we know it.