imps and elfs sale

imps and elfs is one of leon's favorite labels. luckily for us, stel's carries the line, and their markdowns are hard to resist.

if leon were smaller, i would snap up a few of these double layered bodysuits for autumn ($20)

the perfect jacket, wind and water resistant. i'm sorely tempted ($40)

outfit ideas, no. 1

a romper from the 1930s for leon, at belle heir
rachel comey boat shorts for me, at frances may

baby proofing

snuggle wool blanket (not a sheepskin!)

thank you. we're doing better, although leon had a meltdown on the way home from a very early dinner (5.30-6.30). i had to skip his bedtime routine (solid food, book, bath, music) because he was losing it. i'm pretty sure he didn't mind skipping right to the main event, though.


so now that he's mobile and on the verge of crawling properly--i give him two weeks--we've started clearing out the living room so it's leon-friendly. last weekend i packed up 6 boxes of books and matthew put three bookcases along with our coffee table in storage. we have two bookshelves that we lined along one wall to partially block the radiator. i've been looking at montessori-inspired blogs for ideas, and the main thing i decided to do was create interesting spaces for leon to play. these cubbyholes are perfect for storing toys in baskets or displaying his favorite picture cards (the eames' house of cards). right now he loves visiting each 'station' and pulling out the toys. sometimes we sit together and he goes through a basket, which i find to be inexplicably charming.

i'm going to order a few wooden toys to place on top of the cubbyholes to entice leon to pull himself up. these by little sapling toys would be perfect.




i'm trying hard to resist buying too many toys, but sometimes i just can't say no. for instance, these wooden puzzles with peg handles would be perfect for leon to practice his pincer grasp.

the living room transformation

before


during


after



many more books to pack before we move next year. not to mention the few hundred novels that are at my parents' place. someday when we're settled i'd like to be reunited with them. thank goodness for the postal service's media mail rate.

p-sling

i received a puj sling at my first baby shower, but it can't be used until little allen has better head control. so after putting my stroller plans on the back burner, i decided to order an avant linen p-sling during their sample sale. who knows if we'll even love it, but it seems like it would work really well with nursing. i guess we'll find out soon enough.

shower # 2 and a stroller crisis of conscience

yesterday we had a second baby shower and received many lovely gifts including this mobile. architecture students are known to use school equipment for everything and anything, and this is no exception. the card-stock was laser-etched (looks very similar to letterpress) with various 'archi-speak' words including 'reification,' 'foucauldian,' and my favorite, 'affect' and 'effect' paired together. i am assuming this child will spring from my womb discoursing about the nature of the sublime if he takes after matthew.



so i bought a diaper changing clutch from nonchalant mom, which means i can do without overpriced and very unattractive diaper bags. i do, however, still need a functional bag that can be easily wiped down or cleaned. i am thinking this nylon market tote will do the trick.



maybe it's because i have less than 4 weeks left, i'm starting to feel nervous about our slow preparations. i've been researching strollers for months, test driving them at the shop and obsessively checking craigslist for gently used, more affordable options. i'm hoping to carry him as much as possible, but with my bad shoulders and neck, i know that going without a stroller is not an option.

so, matthew and i finally settled on the new mountain buggy swift. in a world where $600 strollers still don't have everything i want and need, the swift is about the best i can get. although heavy (21 lbs), it handles marvelously, has a sturdy hammock seat, can be used from birth, the canopy is large, the 10 inch air-filled tires cut through the slush, and the decently sized storage basket is easy to reach. you'd think that all strollers would be designed to be functional, but the more time i spent with them, the more i realized how many compromises we're expected to make even as we spend huge amounts of money.

sure, we could go the maclaren route ($80-300), and no doubt we'll end up with a volo for traveling, but i wanted something that would be comfortable for long excursions but still practical for second-floor living in cambridge. i love the bugaboo bee, but today in the shop i asked a parent to place her 9-month old in it, which confirmed my suspicions about its main design flaw. she's about the size of an average 12-month baby, and from the looks of it, would only fit in the beee for about 4-6 more months because the canopy is low and the seat is very narrow. for $530, plus $100+ in accessories, i said no thank you.

anyway, the problem with mountain buggy is that they just filed for bankruptcy. this new zealand company, which manufactures all of its strollers in NZ, is suffering from an expansion last year. bad timing, you could call it. anyway, if it doesn't find a buyer soon, it'll have to cease production. this means that its global 3-year warranty will be null and void. i've heard how well-made the strollers are, but it seems like a bad move to spend $550 if the warranty is useless. matthew thinks that if the strollers go on sale for $250, we should just get one.

well, so i just spent almost 2 hours at this shop hemming and hawing over the strollers. i've turned into a goldilocks of the most dissatisfied and guilt-ridden sort.

quinny buzz 4? i like the two seat fabrics (memory foam and canvas), but it's incredibly heavy and i would have to purchase a separate bassinet.
uppa baby vista? the price is good for the included bassinet, and the storage basket is one of the biggest i've seen. at over 24 lbs, however, i don't think i could schlep it around town and into the apartment, though.
bugaboo frog? i prefer this to the cameleon, probably because it's a pound or two lighter, although the basket is quite small and difficult to access. however, i'm pretty disappointed in how it handles compared with the swift--not so sharp on turns and tight spaces. plus, the fold is one of the dumbest i've ever seen. taking the seat/bassinet off is the easiest part, actually. once that's off, the chassis isn't exactly locked into place (it stands like a drunken sailor). and yet, you still have to press down on a lever during stage one of the fold. then you have to lift it up and make sure the other metal bar snaps into place. when you lift the handle to unfold it, you have to kick the bar out so that it opens out again. i'm sure this gets easier with time, but that's still 1 step too many for me. the thought of taking the seat off and doing a little song-and-dance in the slush and freezing cold is not exactly appealing.

and what about the micralite toro? this is the dark horse contender (love the green). i would have to spend more for the newborn bassinet, but it's relatively light (19 lbs), easy to fold (although not very compact), and has a seat with positions like the bugaboo's (i.e. flat to extremely upright). the storage basket is apparently difficult to access, you have to remove the canopy along with the bumper bar in order to take the latter off, and the back wheels are so close together that people apparently kick them. oh, and you need to use an allen wrench to adjust the handles. hmmm. for $700, you'd think this wouldn't be an issue. anyway, i need to find a shop that carries them so i can try it out for myself.

when i was a baby, my parents used a cheap umbrella stroller, nothing so nice as the maclaren. i suspect most of us used one of these during the 70s and 80s. i also rode around in a car most of the time in the suburbs. i certainly didn't sleep in a $1000+ crib system, nor did i wear $22 cotton caps.

as much as i'd like for little allen to have well-designed, beautiful things, now is the time to set some limits. if only i could make up my mind about what they are for strollers. maybe i'll just wait 3 months until he's able to ride in the uppababy g-luxe, which may or may not be a more comfortable stroller than the lightweight maclarens. i'm probably over-thinking it, but i hate spending money on something that i'm not 95% satisfied with. it isn't even about how much i spend, just that i hate accumulating stuff that i don't love. with babies comes lots of stuff. my job is to keep it to a minimum. sometimes that means overthinking to the point that i need a nap--or ice cream. i think i'll go with the latter.

shopping for someone else for once in my life

makie wool fleece mitts and booties. $10 each, and they came in a lovely floral fabric bag. they will look perfect with his makie pixie pants.

egg by Susan Lazar cotton coveralls ($33) and Oeuf alpaca wool necktie ($25) at auto.

the sales have been really good, but i've been trying to practice a little self-control. honestly, i have too much clothing, and i'm in such a nutty phase of my life that i can't trust myself to buy something that i'll want to wear five months from now.

but, i couldn't resist picking up a few more things to outfit this winter baby.

makie

makie sleeveless onesie, $58

there are piles of heavy wet snow outside, but i'm already thinking about summer. if you have a sewing machine, i can't imagine it would be too difficult to make this little onesie. i really like clothing that isn't too close-fitting, and i can't imagine anything cuter than chubby little arms and thighs in this comfy outift.

not quite there yet

whenever i see a baby photo of me, i feel like that little person is a complete stranger. i don't recognize any facial features or expressions. in this photo i am the spitting image of my father's sisters. by age 5, my looks began to change. it's mostly the eyes, i think.


we returned from paris on thursday evening, by sunday we had purchased an ikea gulliver crib and mattress through craigslist. a part of me thinks it's unsanitary to have a used mattress, but it looks and smells clean. not sure what to do about that. the crib needs a good scrub, and then we're going to paint it a dark graphite. non-toxic paint is pricey! makes me wonder what i've been putting on my walls all these years.

considering i only have 4-7 weeks left (4 weeks to full-term 37 weeks), we are really really behind. there are lists and schedules of when you should do this or that during your pregnancy, and i have been very delinquent.

to-do list:
childbirth class
breastfeeding group
car seat (leaning towards the Britax Roundabout)
stroller (Baby Jogger City Mini (cheaper, less stylish, lighter) or Mountain Buggy Swift)
crib sheets and protective pads
grooming kit (nail clippers and thermometer)
refrigerator (ours is so tiny, even i'm taller than it)
extra tall safety gate
wall shelves for the 100 'new' book purchases sitting on our dining table
towels and washcloths
diapers in newborn and small sizes
bibs and rags
bottles and brushes
creams, soaps, and oils
keep exercising (i woke up with charley horses in both legs this morning. i stopped jogging last saturday because my right foot is experiencing numbness and tingling pain, which is only made worse by pounding the pavement)
wash baby clothes and things
re-arrange furniture to accommodate crib
apply for free infant health insurance (i love Massachusetts)
grade exams
write two chapters
remind my 'birth partner' to read 'The Birth Partner'
find more money under the couch
contest two unfair parking tickets
have daily panic attacks about the dissertation, lack of funding, poor spending habits, and imminent arrival of infant.

paige maternity denim

two months left....(31 weeks)

so i drove up to portsmouth, new hampshire, to this shop in the freezing rain because that's apparently what crazy pregnant people do, and picked up a pair of paige maternity jeans (laurel canyon, mckinley wash).

do i love them? sometimes yes, sometimes no. i bought them in a 29, which is supposedly the equivalent of a 6, even though i normally wear 28s in earnest sewn, habitual, and apc, because 'they' recommend you order at least one size up (if not two!) during your third trimester. anyway, the shop didn't have 28s, and i was convinced i needed maternity jeans Right Now.

in retrospect, a 28 would fit me better because this pair looks great until they start falling down. also, i would recommend a full-belly panel because this one hits at belly-button. i am still assuming that i will gain a bit more weight in non-belly regions, so these jeans will probably fit perfectly by february. or so i tell myself.

i'm not even bothering to hem them because i'm going to sell them on ebay as soon as i can. honestly, i'm so uncomfortable with the baby hitting my ribs that i'd probably still be quietly whining to myself even if someone gave me the most comfortable maternity outfit ever to wear.

oh, and he really likes to hang out on my right side, which may be a result of poor posture (hello bike bag) earlier in the pregnancy. i've been doing yoga stretches in a sad attempt to entice him to center himself, but to no avail. the midwife told me that the hard navel orange sized mass is his rump. this would be endearing if it weren't so uncomfortable every time he shifts his little behind. if you look carefully, you can see how skewed my belly is....

baby shower + trying to nest

photo by p.

last saturday was baby shower no. 1, also known as the one with art historians. apparently i'm having another one at the end of january with matthew's fellow architecture students.

i am sorry for being so absent from this blog, but things have been so hectic that the baby has (gasp) been the last thing i worry or think about lately! after spending 20 or so weeks worrying about whether or not he was ok, i've now switched to the mindset that he is the only thing in my life that is going according to plan and without any noticeable effort on my part. sure, i'm 'growing' him and all, but he doesn't really bother me except for a loving hiccup or kick to the ribs. i think i love him already!

anyway, my parents are coming for four days beginning tomorrow morning. the house is messy, as always. yesterday was my last day of teaching, and it ended on a high note. i have a mountain of papers to grade, and a final exam to administer in mid january, but for now i can spend the day buying air humidifiers, groceries, getting the car washed, and maybe sneak in a few pages of writing. nesting really hasn't begun for me, but we're buying a friend's crib next week. i think that subtle changes to our apartment layout will be the kick in the pants that i need to start preparing for the baby.

maternity denim--or how to drive yourself crazy

i've been feeling really frustrated with my bella band denim solution. even with my jeans completely unzipped, i'm incredibly uncomfortable. i thought i could make it through these 40 weeks without spending money on maternity denim, but i can't take it anymore.

here's a tutorial for DIY maternity jeans if you're handy with a sewing machine. a stretchy pair of regular jeans will probably work best since you need to shimmy and tug to get them on over your hips.

since i don't even own a sewing machine, i decided to try my low-budget options first. i went to gap maternity and tried on these roll panel straight-leg jeans and was shocked to find myself looking 10 years older. i blame it on the roomy seat and thighs. i also tried on jeans at motherhood maternity, which carries full-panel denim for only $40, but they made me look even worse.

so this morning i went downtown to a pea in the pod, which carries designer maternity denim ($180-230). i tried on 7 for all mankind's straight leg jeans and was in heaven (well, my standards have been lowered somewhat, since i really hate fading and whiskering). not only is the full panel really comfortable, but i looked *almost* like my regular self.

so, now what? i guess i'll keep an eye out for ebay listings in my size, and maybe there will be a few online post-thanksgiving sales. but spending $200 for a pair of jeans i'm only going to wear for three months? sigh.

***
a few thoughts on maternity wardrobe shopping:
* don't go overboard and buy too much during the first 20 weeks. who knows how much weight you're going to gain, and where it's going to be distributed.
* retailers recommend that you buy maternity denim in 1-3 sizes larger than you normally wear, but this all depends on weight gain. i still fit into my regular size, but i would have been really annoyed with myself if i had purchased either my usual size or 2 sizes up earlier on and then discovered that it no longer fits. the bella band works fine until the moment when it doesn't.
* don't compromise on style or give in too quickly, but know that comfort will ultimately drive your purchases. even though i'm really frustrated and uncomfortable right now, i refuse to pay full price. if this means wearing dresses and skirts for a few weeks until i figure it out, i'm sure i'll survive.
* as mark bittman, the minimalist, says, "When you need it you’ll know you’ll need it."