What's With the Green?

I know the offering here has been pretty thin gruel this week - not much more than "Hey, look at that!" and "Look over there!".

My mornings have been spent dealing with the paperwork of life etc. and it takes a while for me to actually formulate my thoughts for posting. The past few mornings have not afforded me the time.

But today is Friday and so I am going to ease up a bit and do a couple "want-to's" instead of all "have-to's".

When the wife and I found out we were pregnant, I immediately started the list making - what are we going to need to buy / do / learn? Some people advised me to take it easy and enjoy it one day at a time. Which I am totally capable of doing - ONCE ALL THE LISTS ARE DONE. Hey, the world needs all kinds . . .

This morning I pulled up the Excel Spreadsheet and discovered that I have posted all my lists to the blog. They are here if you are interested.

I want to thank those of you who have given feedback and offered tips and advice - Keep it coming! It really does help and you have changed my mind about a couple of things and informed me of a few that hadn't occurred to me.

So what's with the green? Well, Monday was St. Patrick's Day and today is the first day of Spring. But more importantly, when you don't know the sex of your child, ALL YOU CAN DO IS BUY GREEN AND YELLOW STUFF!- feel my pain.

The wife and I find out Monday, March 31st if it is a boy or girl - put in your prognostication! Vote in the poll on the right!

Today is also Good Friday, of course. It's a serious day. A solemn day. It feels like a day when people just should not be messing about. Go about your business but cut out the monkey-shines.
Some people take the day off. Some people only work 1/2 a day. I would like to take the afternoon off but I don't really feel like I deserve it. After all, I didn't observe Ash Wednesday, Lent, Maundy Thursday and the rest. At what point am I being observant and at what point am I just starting my weekend early?

But still, it feels like this should be more than just another Friday.

I suppose when it comes down to it, none of us deserve Good Friday.

The blessed weekend has arrived. The plans are to spend Saturday in the yard - Saturday evening with friends celebrating Easter Eve and Sunday with more friends yet celebrating the day itself.

It's the first day of Spring - It's Good Friday - We are at the starting gate of 6 months of spring and summer with our first baby arriving at the tail end of August.

Slap a smile on!

(Although you certainly aren't morally obligated to do so - I just thought it might be nice - and you might have a reason to . . .) ;-)

UPDATE:

The green had to go - I couldn't take it. I don't even much like the yellow. It looks good here but for some reason it doesn't seem to "go" on my blog. In any case, it's only until we get the news a week from Monday after which we can go back to the same old white which I . . . . .zzzzzzzzz . . . wha? what's that? Oh, sorry - I was boring myself to sleep there . . .

Excel List #12 - Stuff to bring to the hospital for the baby

Car seat
Booties / socks
Cap
Travel swaddler
Blanket

Feedback is encouraged

Excel List #11 - Stuff to Bring to the Hospital for the Husband (me)

Book
Camera
Change of clothes
Cel Phone / Charger
Phone List
Snacks
Toiletries
Pen / Paper
Tennis Ball
Pillow
Slippers
Champagne / Glasses

Feedback is welcomed

Excel List #10 - The Hospital

Stuff to bring to the hospital for the wife:

Lip Balm
Sugarless Hard Candy
Ipod w/ speaker?
Hair Clip
Toiletries
Nursing Bra
Going Home Outfit
Pillow
Slippers

Feedback is encouraged

Excel List #9 - To Do List

Things we need to do to prepare for the baby's arrival:

Tour Hospital
Take Classes at the hospital (breast feeding, delivery, cpr)
Figure out Health Insurance details
Figure out maternity / paternity leave options
Redo Guest Room into Nursery
Refinish the hardwood floors
Finish the Family Room Remodel

Excel Shopping List #8 - Fun Stuff

Bouncy Seat
Camcorder
Hullabaloo CD's
Dr. Seuss club

The list is here.

Feedback is welcome.

Excel Shopping List #7 - On The Road

Car seat
Stroller
Sun shades for windows
Playpen
Diaper bag
Bjorn
Pacifier
Travel Swaddler

The list (such as it is) is here.

Feedback is encouraged.

Excel Shopping List #6 - Furniture!

So I have started building a list on Amazon and it is excruciating.

First of all, you log in and you search for "Infant Socks" and 23,485 different types of socks come up (I have been limiting myself to the first page of options that Amazon suggests).

From those on the first page, I pick one - which sends me to another page for that particular pair of socks. But I have learned that if you scroll down, it will list another 6-10 pairs of socks that people who have looked at the pair of socks you chose have also looked at. Most of the time, the alternate pairs of socks that other people have looked at are better than the pair I chose (proving once again that I don't know what I am doing) so I click on one of those alternate pairs of socks - which takes you to that page. Which starts the process over again.

Only this time, when you scroll down you notice that one of the people who viewed that second pair of socks also viewed a 5-pack of won-sees and you think to yourself "I need that too . . ." and on it goes.

You begin to realize that your child is going to grow out of these socks in less time than it took you to choose them . . . That's when the indifference kicks in . . . "JUST PICK A PAIR OF SOCKS YOU PSYCHO - THE CRITTER WON'T CARE" I tell myself.

But then I remember that my wife will actually care - except that 9 times out of ten whatever I pick will be wrong anyway so just click on a pair - CLICK ON A PAIR! - MOVE THE $@&^!@ MOUSE AND CLICK! CLICK IT! Sheesh.

I am only allowing myself to search for one item a day (because two hours searching for "Infant Bibs" is about my limit)

This is how we end up with children wearing Teenage-Mutant-Slasher-Transformer-Beer-Commercial shirts.

A dead tired parent who couldn't possibly care less anymore drags their urchin to Target - the urchin whines and complains that all their friends are wearing Teenage-Mutant-Slasher-Transformer-Beer-Commercial shirts and they WANT ONE WANT ONE WAAAANNT ONNNNNE!

You check the tag $5 but on sale for $2.50 - I'll take 3.

Add to it all that we don't know if it is a boy or a girl and the list ends up with a lot of green and yellow stuff.

I am just trying to get something on the list at this point - we will worry about the details later.

If you are interested in the progress, the list is here - I welcome any feedback.

But on to today's list! Furniture!

Crib and Mattress
Rocking Chair
Changing table / dresser
Clothes
hamper
Baby monitor
Ipod dock
Swing
Highchair

Excel Shopping List #5 - Bedding!

Do you have to have 2 sets of "skirts" even if it is a boy?

4 receiving blankets
2 cotton blankets
Cradle w/ 3 cotton sheets
2 sets of crib bumpers (No idea what this is)
2 sets of crib sheets
2 sets of skirts (No idea what they are talking about)
2 crib matress pads
2 waterproof liners

Excel Shopping List #4 - Bathing!

Stuff to keep the critter clean:

Baby Wash
Baby nail clipper
Petroleum Jelly
Temporal Thermometer
Nasal Aspirator
Mild laundry soap

Excel Shopping List #3: Clothing!

I can't imagine clothing being a problem, what with hand-me-downs from friends and grandparents and all. But it's nice to at least have a reference:

1 pack of T-shirts
6 One-piece outfits
4 pajamas
6 pairs of socks
2 pairs of soft booties
2 pairs of cotton pants
3 bibs
Cotton
Sweater
Knit cap
Sun hat
Zip-up sweatshirt
15 baby hangers
Swaddling Clothes

And by the way, I can't believe nobody has come up with a baby-starter kit yet!

Look, write a book just about the stuff you will need and why. Then sell three different levels of starter packs:

Pack #1: Thrift Store Option: some rags and safety pins for diapers, a couple of bottles, some formula and a potato sack to carry it all in - $35

Pack #2: Target Option (Our Most Popular!): a couple won-sees, some diapers, wipes, 3 bottles, some formula, ear plugs for dad, and a no-name diaper bag - $150

Pack #3: For Those Who Really Care About their Children: Cucumber soggy-bottom diaper bag, breast pump, hemp diapers, 12 hypo-allergenic bottles, bottle warmer, hand sanitizer and a stun gun for anyone who gets too close . . . $1200

Excel Shopping List #1: Stuff for Feeding the Critter

A number of people have requested to see my expectant father excel spreadsheet of things to do, decide and purchase. Although I am suspicious that most of the requests are coming from people who are already parents and probably just want to point and laugh . . .

Since I have no idea how to post a spreadsheet to this blog, I will share a section at a time with y'all.

Please feel free to comment - especially those of you who have children! I have no idea what I am doing, after all.

Most of these items come from lists I have come across in my reading. I am not even sure what some of the items on these lists are . . .

Today's Excel Shopping List? Stuff for Feeding the Critter!

Nursing Pillow
6 burp cloths
6 newborn bottles
Bottle Brush
Bottle Warmer
Nursing Bras
Breast Pump