Last night JB and I made 3 lasagnas: two to save for after baby’s arrival and one to eat this week. I suppose you could say we are nesting (and that we really, really, really like Italian food).
{photo of uncooked lasagnas by me}
laundry time!
Last night I did my first load of laundry for the baby — well, first two loads, since I washed lights and darks separately. Gotta get all those newborn onesies and burp cloths clean for his arrival (which will hopefully not be for another 3 weeks.)
Milestone!
For the record, I didn’t purchase that vat of Dreft. It was given to me by a friend who recently moved overseas with her husband and sweet 7-month-old. When it’s empty, we’ll go back to using our all free clear detergent. Babies don’t really need their own laundry detergent, do they?
{my photo}
why i’m happy we took professional maternity photos
I knew from the beginning I was not going to be one of those pregnant women who wrapped her boobs up in a bandeau and exposed the silhouette of her bare belly in front of a light-filled window for the camera. I didn’t want any photographs with my hands or JB’s forming a heart over my belly button, and there certainly would NOT be ANY pictures of ANYONE kissing my stomach. (I just barfed a little in my mouth while writing that sentence.)
Still, the photographer and sentimentalist in me wanted to document this milestone somehow. True, I’ve been taken weekly belly shots and posting (most of) them here on the blog, but I can only get so many different types of images from that perspective. So JB and I decided to hire a professional photographer to take engagement-style pictures of the two of us. We took these types of playful pictures before our wedding three years ago and figured it was time for some updated ones. Unrelated to my pregnancy, I was especially interested in having some professional shots taken of myself because, as the designated photographer among my friends, I’m never in any of the pictures!
At first I was disappointed that we weren’t able to schedule our “maternity” session when I was 7 or 8 months pregnant (when many women have theirs) because JB was deployed. Instead, we had our session last night, and now I’m happy we waited until I was 36.5 weeks pregnant (although I couldn’t stop yawning by the end!) to have them taken. Chances are I’m not going to get that much bigger before the baby comes, and I think it’s kind of neat to have photographic proof of just how big my belly actually got. (Tastefully concealed under clothing, of course.)
When we knew wanted maternity photos, we contacted Kameron Bayne Images, the only studio I know of in Omaha that shoots in same sophisticated and non-cheesy editorial style as our beloved wedding photographer, Heather Waraksa. Corrie Suhr took our maternity photos, and we’ll be working with her over the course of the year to capture the development of our little guy. She met us in downtown Omaha and led us through alleys to capture JB and I against visually intriguing backgrounds full of texture, color and dimension. We even got to change our outfits a couple of times to best complement each scene!
Thank you, Corrie, for such a fun session. We can’t wait to see your finished work!
{that’s a wrap! photo taken by corrie suhr at the end of our session.}
what a family really needs after the birth
My mother-in-law flew into Omaha last night to spend a couple of days with us. My friends are throwing me a small baby shower on Sunday, and I’m happy she will be able to attend!
Over dinner, the three of us chatted about what needs to get done before/after the baby arrives. JB and I expressed our concerned over having a houseful of family members expecting to be entertained during our first couple of days as parents. I’m sure there will be several times during the day when my husband and I will want to retreat into our bedroom for some peace and quiet. So what will they all do then? They can only coo over the newborn for so long!
I love this post about the different ways family and friends can support new parents after the birth, especially if mom and dad are too shy to ask for specific help. It includes everything from running errands to cooking dinner to emptying the garbage.
1. Buy us toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.
2. Buy us a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women’s size____).
3. Make us a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy us frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.
4. Come over about 2 in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, beds or in the room corners. If there’s no laundry to fold yet, do some.
5. Come over at l0 a.m., make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don’t ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.
6. Put a sign on my door saying “Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family.”
7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It’s tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.
8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.
9. Come over and give my husband a two hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other r & r that will delight him. Fold more laundry.
10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.
What did you find most helpful after having a baby? If you’re expecting your first, what kind of support would you like to receive from friends and family member?
{via Shelterrific}
boppy vs my brestfriend
Although everyone seems to have a Boppy, I’ve heard that My BrestFriend is actually easier to use for breastfeeding (which I’m hoping I’m able to do). Unable to decide, I registered for both.
But after checking out our baby registry, my husband is now wondering if we actually need all this stuff. Truthfully, I didn’t think I had registered for many non-necessities, but I suppose just one nursing pillow would suffice.
So I’m asking you, my mommy friends and readers — should I get a Boppy, a My BrestFriend or both? Do they serve different purposes?
{image via Pottery Barn Kids}
mama needs a new camera
I wish I could add a new digital camera to my baby registry. (And I wish somebody would actually buy it for me!) I would really like to upgrade from my 3-year-old Canon Rebel xTi to a T2i. Originally I thought I wanted a Canon 7D, but I suppose I really don’t need all the extra bells and whistles.
If you really think about it, I’ll mostly be using the new camera to take photos of the baby, so it’s totally a baby-related necessity. Yes, a necessity. My house doesn’t get much direct sunlight, and I need a camera with a better low-light/high ISO performance for all the indoor shots I’ll be taking. I know the grandparents are going to want a lot of indoor shots…
While you’re at it, fairy gift-giver, I need — I mean, I’d like — this lens, too.
What grown-up items do you wish you could add to your baby registry?
{my friends all have insanely adorable babies. this portrait of spencer was taken by me. i’m his official photographer.}
zen and the pregnancy pedicure
When JB called this past Saturday morning, I cried as I recounted my stressful week. He suggested, nay, insisted that I ignore my To Do list and relax for the weekend. Go get a massage or pedicure, he instructed.
I wasn’t able to get an appointment for a prenatal massage that day, so I scheduled one (plus a pregnancy facial!) for the following Saturday. Instead, I made a date with a friend who’s due with her first baby in a week and a half to get pedicures at The Nail Shop. And now I’m kicking myself (with pretty pink toenails) for not making the 15 minutes schlep down there sooner.
Suspicious of the cleanliness of strip mall nail salons and concerned about inhaling polish and remover fumes, I’ve kept my nails and toenails au natural for most of my pregnancy. Normally I think these types of salons are sanitary enough, and I have no problem dropping in for a spur of the moment mani or pedi. But getting my nails done while pregnant without knowing how clean the instruments were was one of my few true concerns. Random, right?
What I love about The Nail Shop is how clean, quiet and zen it is. They also use SpaRitual polish, a line of vegan nail lacquers that are dbp, formaldehyde and toluene free. Sinking back into the plush Pottery Barn-style armchair, I was able to relax so thoroughly that I didn’t even feel the owner of the salon, Didi, filing my toenails. No joke.
Yes, the pedicure cost a bit more than one you’d get in strip mall salon, but I was able to achieve a sense of calm not possible when being jostled by a vibrating chair while the radio and a Lifetime original movie play simultaneously. I’m looking forward to going back to The Nail Shop one more time before having this baby in July.
{image of The Nail Shop via Google; nail polish via SpaRitual}
help! i need to relax!
From a malfunctioning home alarm system and not feeling well to a broken Keurig machine and a heavy workload, this week has been extremely stressful and more exhausting than usual. I think I need to pamper myself with a day of relaxation. A facial and massage sound just about perfect right now.
In March, JB and I enjoyed a couple’s massage during our weekend getaway in Kansas City. Mine was a prenatal one, of course, but the spa did not use a table with a hole cut out for my belly (though at that time my baby bump looked more like I had eaten a large lunch). Instead, the masseuse had me lay on side, first my left and then my right. At almost 33 weeks, though, I would probably be more comfortable on a specially designed pregnancy massage table. I actually can’t remember the last time I laid on my stomach…
Today’s side project will be to locate a massage studio or spa in Omaha that offers prenatal massages and uses a massage table with the baby bump hole. I’m desperately looking forward to an hour (or more) of me-time, though I imagine fitting my belly into the hole may seem strange at first.
Has anybody had a prenatal massage? Was it enjoyable or awkward?
(How indulgent does this Balinese-style bath look? If I had a big enough tub, you’d bet I’d be relaxing in it. Sadly, it’s practically child-size. Good for baby, bad for mama.)
love makes the belly go round
At my Sunday prenatal yoga class I spied a mama-to-be wearing a love makes the belly go round t-shirt.
I don’t understand women who wear t-shirts advertising that they’re pregnant. Are they afraid people will mistake them for being fat and want to make it crystal clear that they are with bump, not plump? Or are they just so proud of their baby bellies that they want to express their excitement with cutesy slogans?
Maybe I can’t appreciate the humor or sweet sentiments of these types of maternity tees because I don’t care for clothing with taglines in general. I mean, I’m pregnant, and I love pickles, but you’ll never catch me wearing a shirt expressing my adoration for the salty snack.
But there is something out there that’s worse than maternity t-shirts: DADDY TEES.
{got epidural? tank by Leave Me B}
