the daycare

We decided to look into daycares earlier so that we could have a plan for when we both go back to work.  We started with the McDonald's of daycares, Bright Horizons.  A lot of these daycares have long waitlists so getting started early is always a good idea.  Most of the daycares offered very similar things.  We also looked at some schools that offered infant care.  The schools and the Bright Horizons were similar in price, both pretty expensive.  In the end, we went with an in home daycare, which was a lot cheaper.  We thought that by preschool we could transition her to a school. We visited three.  Location is pretty important.  We wanted convenience so we didn't spend a lot of time dropping off and picking up.  They were all in the city but just a bit more distance meant a lot more time in the car especially during rush hour. 

the classes

Most hospitals offer classes for first time parents.  We decided to go with a basic package and took a newborn care class, breastfeeding class, and birth class.  We debated about taking a CPR class but the YouTube videos seemed pretty good.  Of the three classes we took, the newborn care class was probably the least useful.  Maybe it was because I read the Baby 411 book.  It didn't feel like we learned that much.  We took the birth class next and that one was long. It probably could have been condensed.  She tried to have us do some poses but the classroom setting was probably not the best place for that. The birth class was also scary.  We watched three births on video and every one looked painful.  After that class, I had major anxiety about the pain of giving birth. We took breastfeeding last and that class had some good information.  The teacher was super animated and pretty funny so it was an entertaining class.

the exercise

I walked to and from work all throughout pregnancy. It is about 20 minutes each way.  I am definitely slowing down now and it probably takes me 10 minutes longer.  It is still nice to move a little bit though.

Starting at around 30 weeks, I went to prenatal yoga.  I went to Bernal Yoga once and then Yoga Tree Potrero the rest of the times.  Yoga Tree Potrero is super convenient.  It is close and parking is easy.  The class can get a bit full and crowded.  I think most prenatal yoga classes are the same.  At least the Bernal and Yoga Tree teachers taught very similar things. Of course we start with breathing, then strengthening which is basically arm work, warrior poses which are hip openers.  It is not really a workout but stretching and relaxation. I forgot to mention that the first time I went to class, I was surprised that we spent a lot of time introducing everyone in the class.  We said our names, how far along we were, and if we wanted to work on anything. I think it is meant to foster community. It was also neat to see how different people who were the same number of weeks pregnant could look so different. Everyone's body is different.

We also took a Prenatal Partners class.  There were so many couples there. It was actually with the teacher who taught the Bernal Yoga prenatal yoga class. I thought it was neat. It is totally different from a prenatal yoga class.  She taught the partners how to help the moms through labor with massage. 

the nursery

We have a second bedroom that we knew we were going to make the nursery.  We also decided later on that the baby would probably sleep with us in our room in a bassinet for the first month or so.  The second bedroom has definitely come a long way. It basically became a storage room for all my craft things, all our snowboard gear and various other random things.  There was a lot of purging which is always a lot of work, but pretty rewarding. 

We debated keeping the full sized bed since space was tight if we added a crib.  In the end we kept the bed in case visitors come over.  I can also sit on it to nurse.  Gliders are expensive.  The bed will do just fine.  We ended up doing a lot more re-purposing than we had intended. There was a desk/table in a nook that we make into the changing area.  We moved the drawers our of our closet and into this bedroom for baby clothing storage.  We had to get either get closet organization or more drawers for our own closet and ended up going the cheaper route with some ikea drawers. 

The main issue with the room now is that it is way too hot.  We added some blackout shades but it is still too hot. We considered a ceiling fan but not sure that it will cool it enough. Another big thing we did was change out the carpets in both rooms. It was a mess for a while since we had all the bedroom furniture in the dining room for a while.  The new carpet is nice though and definitely makes the room feel new. Stephen painted a wall a grayish purple color.  I accidentally bought eggshell so Stephen had issues with the sheen and getting an even coat.

Before

After