With a Little Help from My Friends

There are more times than I'm willing to admit where I feel like I could be featured on the MTV show 16 & Pregnant. Most of my girlfriends who are mamas live several states away and I am the eldest child in my family (or Jonathan's) with child. Most of the time this leaves me feeling incredibly underprepared for what's to come in a few short days. I know babies need love and milk. And diapers. I know all about the diapers. It's just everything else that eludes me.

Enter Larissa and Charlotte. Capes not pictured.

Readers, if you are expecting and need a how-to-be-a-mama week-long tutorial coupled with house and baby accessory preparation AND pampering, these two are your girls. Seriously. They came to visit NYC on their big summer trip and generously spent the majority of the time making sure I could at least star on 26 & Pregnant.

Let's review what they did:

• Sent us out of the house to run errands for 4 hours and deeply cleaned the apartment from top to bottom. We returned and it was cleaner than when we first moved in.
• Sterilized all of Josie's bottles.
• Taught me how to use my breast pump.
• Taught me the difference between all of the swaddle options (baby straight jackets, if you're asking Jonathan) we have and then swaddled Puff.
• Gave me foot rubs, back rubs, and subway fanning sessions. I have ele-feet now and they need all the help they can get.
• Helped Jonathan build a closet organizer and place it.
• Cooked breakfast.
• Taught Jonathan to use salsa on his eggs.
• Gave us gift cards to our favorite neighborhood restaurants.
• Cleaned all of our new pots and pans (courtesy of Ma and Pa Krause) and helped package our old ones.
• Gave me much-needed love and support.

I can't begin to tell you how much their visit meant to us. It was a total game changer and I feel so blessed to have such amazing girlfriends. Love you girls so much!!!!!

The Three Squirrels Plus Two

For those of you who loved the squirrel story, there's been an update...

The Three Squirrels Plus Two

by Papa (Peter) Squirrel

Once upon a time there were three squirrels who lived in the forest. There was a momma squirrel, a papa squirrel, and a cute daughter squirrel named Jaimie. And they all lived together in a tree where they had lots of rooms. There was a family room, a kitchen room, an acorn storage room, a play room, a bedroom for momma and papa, a guest room and Jaimie’s own room.  Now, Jaimie had once lived in what was now the guest room, but she had moved into the bigger bedroom when her younger brother and sister, Phillip squirrel and Ashley squirrel, moved out to go to squirrel college.

One day, Jaimie squirrel was playing in the forest when she met a boy squirrel named Jonathan.  Jonathan was sad because he didn’t have a home of his own.  Jaimie squirrel liked Jonathan squirrel, so she offered to see if momma and papa squirrel would let him stay in their guest room.  “Why not,” said papa squirrel.  “I approve, on the condition that you call me at least once a week on the forest telephone.”  Jonathan squirrel promised to do it, but he rarely called papa squirrel, which made papa squirrel disappointed.

Jaimie squirrel and Jonathan squirrel loved playing together and all the other forest animals liked Jonathan.

One day, Jaimie squirrel came to momma squirrel and said, "We have to make a new room." "Why?" asked momma squirrel. "Because you are going to have a new granddaughter squirrel,” said Jaimie squirrel.  “Well, who is going to play with her, and teach her how to be a good little squirrel," momma squirrel asked.  “I will,” responded Jaimie squirrel, “and so will Jonathan squirrel.” 

So everybody helped build the new room, especially Jonathan squirrel, who spent a lot of time carving out a nice closet and shelves in the new bedroom.  And when the room was finished, Jaimie squirrel put some of her own toys in it to share with her new family, plus some new ones which she made.

One day Jaimie squirrel and Jonathan squirrel went to the forest hospital and brought back a new baby squirrel.  Jaimie squirrel put her in the squirrel crib which Jonathan squirrel had built, and they tucked the baby squirrel in for a nap.  Jaimie squirrel decided to name the new squirrel Josie squirrel.

Jaimie squirrel, with the help of Jonathan squirrel, took care of her daughter squirrel.  She sang to her and fed her.  Jaimie squirrel taught Josie squirrel how to make squirrel talk and about squirrel games such as "kick the acorn" and "hide and seek".  Jaimie squirrel told her daughter squirrel stories too.  When Josie squirrel got a little older, Jaimie squirrel showed her all the good places in the forest to hide and play, and where to find acorns and get good stuff to drink.  And Jaimie squirrel proudly introduced her daughter to all the other animals and birds in the forest.

Josie squirrel loved Jaimie squirrel, momma squirrel and papa squirrel; and she was ok with Jonathan squirrel. (Jaimie squirrel's note: Josie squirrel was actually over the moon about having Jonathan squirrel for a dad. She felt like the luckiest squirrel in the entire forest.) They played all the time in the forest, and the whole family lived together happily ever after.

Jonathan and Papa squirrel

Shaping Our Nest

I've said it before but raising a child in an urban space has its challenges. Josie's belongings have been distributed all over our one bedroom apartment in the most loving and organized tornado possible. In case you need context for the images below, you will notice my talented, Renaissance-man of a husband is the builder and I am the decorator. My childhood stuffed animal is our tester. I would also like the reader to note I spelled Renaissance correctly without Siri. That has to count for something.

I've learned many things in these past 8 months. Clarins Stretch Mark cream is essential. Maxi dresses are critical. Strappy sandals are the only thing these Flintstone feet can wear. And, the baby business is nuts.

I've been Inspector Gadget meets Carmen Sandiego, investigating every corner of this market (or as far as Google will take me). This piece below is a pack n' play/changing table/play pen/crib. It is intended to grow with the baby. It had better because this apartment sure isn't.

Will Josie flip over the wrong way during a diaper change? Let's see what happens to Puff.

He's a natural. So is Puff.

She'll make it! #parentsoftheyear

At our baby shower we asked for books instead of cards. If I learned one thing in my doctoral program, it's that brain development is aided by parents reading to infants, which increases the likelihood of early language development and ultimately literacy. I didn't need to spend six figures to learn that and now neither do you. Josie's little dendrites will be growing as she is fastened into a futuristic time traveling device that mimics her nine months of fetal development. Josie is basically a Jetson.

Behold: Josie's reading and spaceship swing corner.

As the lead designer of Josie's space, one should note the pattern of the object below matches the above pack n' play. Although these pieces will be in separate rooms*, the colors work with our decor and I like the symmetry.

*In Jersey City, people have a dedicated dining space which is distinct from the sleeping space, which is separate from the shower space, which is mind blowing to people who live in NYC. I think it's what inspired that Dixie Chicks song. They lived in Brooklyn and then moved to JC and freaked out.

Happy birthday, Alex! For your birthday, we got you a highchair to construct.

Finally, I present to you the last thing we've made recently, coupled with the VIP of my cravings and a decorative plant for good measure.

I don't know if you know much about babies/baby furniture, but this is neither.
It's evidence of MY nesting. I baked a cake. Rectangular flags are so 2014.

Happy 4th of July, dear readers. Fingers crossed this little angel graces us with her presence this month! If she doesn't, she's getting evicted.