Latest Updates!

(8:50pm eastern time, in-flight somewhere over the Arizona/New Mexico desert)

Wow, what an amazing few weeks! As you can tell by the lack of blogs, Erin and I have been pretty busy between our jobs, buying baby items for Pooka, and attending our first baby shower. As I type this blog, I’m in flight returning from a wonderful memorial service for my great Aunt in California. Now that we are closely approaching the delivery date, this will be my last bit traveling until the baby arrives. As discussed below, Erin’s last traveling occurred this past weekend.

Amidst a busy schedule, I feel in some ways that the past few weeks are preparing me for what life will be like after Pooka is born.  Here’s a brief rundown of the baby activities that have occurred since our last post:

• Stroller: After months of serious debate, Erin and I finally purchased Pooka’s stroller. We debated between getting one, high-end model (via Craigslist, eBay, etc.) or settling for a basic stroller frame with the purchase of a basic stroller at a later date. We wound up purchasing the stroller frame (Snap-n-Go). There are several ways to think about stroller purchasing, but we feel comfortable with the Snap-n-Go and the ease of snapping in the baby seat on the go. Nonetheless, we continue to keep our eyes on good deals for the strollers we may like. To be continued…
• Baltimore baby shower: On May 14th, Erin and I attended our first of three baby showers. The event was held for my family and friends in Baltimore, and my parents did a tremendous job putting the event together. Prior to the occasion, my Dad invited me and several of my male friends and family to a “men’s only” breakfast.
• Visit to midwife: Immediately following our Baltimore trip, Erin went for her routine check-in with the midwife on May 16th. With our hectic travel schedule and Erin’s continued battle with water retention in her legs, the midwife did express her concerns and urged Erin to cut down on her activities and water intake. Nonetheless, all the standard readings (glucose, baby’s heartbeat, blood pressure, etc.) were normal. We will check-in again with the mid-wife next week to assess Erin’s progress and discuss any additional alternatives (if needed).
• Baby crib: In addition to purchasing a stroller, Erin and I finally purchased our crib for Pooka. As most parents know, setting up a crib for the first time is an important task to complete ahead of the baby’s delivery. From a timing standpoint, most people recommend setting up the crib around this time of the pregnancy, and Erin and I came to an agreement fairly quickly once we narrowed our decisions at the baby store (Georgia Baby).
• Baby dresser: I forgot to mention in my prior blogs that Erin and I were able to put together and install Pooka’s baby dresser from Ikea. Given my history and “fun” with Ikea (i.e. jacked-up installations, faulty nails and screws), I was surprised how quickly we put it together. The top of the dresser will be used as a changing table as well.

Whew! These are just a few things that have happened over the past few weeks. I haven’t even mentioned all the other non-baby events and travel that have occurred! (Father-in-law’s PhD graduation in Chicago, high school reunions in Charleston and my continued preparation for the 10K race). We have some great photos/footage from the baby shower and will post them shortly. I’ll also post some photos of the new stroller and crib (once assembled).

That’s all for now! Thanks again to those who have generously given to Pooka! It’s not too late to get on the baby registries at walmart.com and amazon.com!