First Birthday Party (DIY)

I have to admit that although I was preparing for Johaan's first birthday for a while, the day he actually turned one was a little emotional. I realized how fast that first year went by and I wasn't sure I was ready for my "baby" to become a "toddler" just yet. But oh well, better get used it...

Since Johaan's actual birthday fell on Thursday we decided to celebrate at home, just the three of us (thaththi, mama and J), with a small (and healthy) mama-made birthday cake and leave the big party for Saturday. We were also able to Skype both grandparents and take a few birthday pictures. And of course open the gifts. I liked it this way. 

I need to tell you, I am not a big party person. Or I should say, not an experienced one. But since here in US it is a tradition to have a big party for your one year old (and I guess not only here but just not in my family), I didn't want Johaan to miss out. 

I picked a theme for Johaan's birthday party quite a while ago. I made these pictures of owls a few days before he was born that hang above his crib from the day one, he seemed to like them and so I decided I will go with the owl theme. I also knew I wanted to do most of the decoration myself (1.I did not find things I liked, 2.I enjoy crafty projects). The only things I bought were plates, cups, utensils and table covers.

Picking a place for the party was an easy task. We live one block from my favorite park (Franklin Street Park, 495 Franklin Street, Cambridge, MA) that looks like somebody's garden. It also has big trees (we really appreciated the shade on a hot early afternoon), water feature for kids and a grass area (although a fake grass your crawling baby will appreciate it) with a big metal dome in the middle (that kids can climb on and that sounds like a big drum).  It has several tables with chairs and few benches. Perfect size for a party of 20 people. I did get a permit at Cambridge Public Works' Operations Center although they told me it is not required. Permit gives you right to reserve the tables but other people can still use the park.

In terms of food, we decided to make everything at home with little help of Trader Joe's. This was the menu:

• Pastry Bites Uncured Ham & Cheese
• Pastry Bites Cheese and Onion
• Grilled Oregano Chicken
• Israeli Couscous Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Herbs
• Arugula & Parmigiano Regianno Ravioli with Basil Pesto
• Butternut Squash Triangoli with Tomato Basil Marinara  
• Chicken Nuggets
• Chocolate Birthday Cake

So, that's about the general stuff. Now let's get to the fun part, creating the birthday party decoration!

Happy Birthday Sign

What you need: 

* thick paper in three colors for the owls'       bodies and the cloud (or as many colors as you want)

* black and white paper for eyes

* scrapbook paper with different patterns

* white paper and printer to print the letters

* twine

* scissors

* glue

* small round object for eye shape

Instructions

1) Cut out tear drop shapes from the color thick papers. Bend the top and glue it to the rest. 2) Cut a small triangle from the scrap book paper just so it fits the folded part and glue it on top of it. Once the glued parts dry out cut out a small piece from the top to achieve shape of the owl's head/ears (rounded wide V-shape). 

3) Use small and a bit bigger round object to draw the eye parts (I used the plastic cover from Johaan's bottle:)) and cut them out. Glue the black part and the white part together. You can play with the different looks by placing the black part up in the corners or close to the middle, you will see how the owls come alive! I also put eye lids on some eyes by cutting the white circle in half and gluing it on top of the black part of the eye. 

4) In MS Word type all the letters you need in a pretty big size, print them (you can print them in any light color so it's easy to see them on a white paper, just use the reverse side of the paper if you want the letters white), cut them out and glue them on the owl's body. 

5) Take small scissors (or a small sharp object) and punch small holes into the owl's ears. Run the twine through the holes to tie all the owls together.

6) To personalize this sign, cut out shape of a cloud from a white thick paper, print the letters (this time in black) and attach the cloud with the twine to the rest of the sign.

I had the owls all in one row, put them in two rows just for the picture.

Owls

What you need: 

* paper lanterns, different sizes and colors

* thick paper, different colors

* scrapbook paper with different patterns

* black paper for eyes and nose

* twine

* scissors

* glue

* small round object for eye shape

Instructions

1) Draw a shape of the owls head on a thick paper (can be solid color or with pattern). You can create any shape you like, round, pointy ears etc. Cut them out.

2) Use bigger round object to draw the outer part of the eye. If the owl's face is a solid color, use matching scrap book paper, if you used patterned paper before, use solid paper now.  

3) Use small round object to draw the white part of the eye and even smaller for the black part. Cut both parts out. Glue the black part on top of the white one. Cut small lines on the white part towards the black piece and bend every second part. Glue the whole eye on the face.

4) Draw a small long triangle for the nose, cut it out and fold it in the middle. Glue it at the bottom of the head.

5) Draw wings on the thick color paper and little bit smaller ones on the scrap book paper so when you glue them together you can see solid paper on the edges.

6) Draw the owl's feet and cut them out. Punch small holes in them and run a short piece of twine through it, making a knot at the end.

7) Mark with a small dot where you want the head and the wings. This part can be tricky and you might come up with a better idea (please share if you do!). I used the stapler for attaching all the parts to the lantern (tried the glue but that didn't work, also tried sewing it but it was too much work). Keep the lantern folded and staple parts where your marks are. Be careful not to tear the lantern.

8) Assemble the lantern according to the instructions, tie the twine from the feet to the bottom part and use piece of twine to hang the owl from the top. Fold a color paper lenghtwise several times and then in half, slide it through the metal part on the top.

Food Signs

What you need: 

* thick paper, different colors

* white paper and a printer

* toothpicks

* scissors

* glue

Instructions

1) Cut  out oval shapes (I actually cheated a bit here and used leftovers from an owl's kit I once purchased at Papersource but simple oval shape would do the trick)

2) Type items from your birthday party menu and glue it on the ovals.

3) Attach two toothpicks on the back of the sign.

 

I hope your child's first baby party will be as enjoyable as ours. Just don't forget, don't be disappointed if some things don't turn out exactly how you imagined, after all, kids can be unpredictable.  

Have fun crafting and celebrating!

Here are few pictures from Johaan's first birthday party.

Johaan's First Flight (Flying with an Infant)

I was going to write about Johaan's first flight a month ago, but you know how it goes...you come back from a long vacation and at once there is no time for anything but catching up with cleaning, doing laundry and ... studying for accounting exams in my case. But now when all that is somewhat behind me, I can turn back to my writing.

So, how was Johaan's first flying experience? Here is a summary plus some humble tips.  

Johaan's first flight was to Slovakia where he went to visit his grandparents. There were all three of us (mama, thaththi and Johaan) traveling one way but only me with Johaan travelling back since thaththi had to leave Slovakia few weeks earlier. So my preparations for the flight had that in mind, trying to do everything as I was going alone with Johaan. I was bringing a regular stroller with us (Uppababy VISTA stroller) and planned to pack all the carry-on necessities in a decent size carry-on back on wheels. After talking to my neighbor Kathrine (who had had an experience traveling with her 9 months old to Europe already) I realized that since we booked the first row seats in order to get the bassinet for Johaan, I might not be able to have my carry-on under the seat and so won't be able to get stuff out (like milk, blanket, toy etc.) during the flight when needed. And so I packed a thin bag inside of my carry-on that would only have few bottles, food, diapers + wipes for the actual flying time that I put under my seat.

So, what was in my carry-on bag?

• warm blanket (I am always cold on the plane and those thin blankets they provide are never enough for me so I rather took an extra blanket)
• warm sleeping sack
• sheet to put at the bottom of the bassinet (didn't need it because they provided a clean sheet that wrapped around the bassinet)
• extra pajama for Johaan
• extra T-shirt for me and my husband
• Similac Ready-To-Go bottles 8oz (I had 8 bottles with me which of course was way too much but since it was Johaan's first flight I didn't know if he will want to eat or just drink, if he needs to drink at each take off and landing etc.)
• food in squeezing bags
• diapers + wipes packets (I made few packets - 3 wipes in small sandwich bag)
• bib, clothe wipes, few paper towel sheets
• extra diapers and wipes in a travel case
• empty zip lock bag for dirty bottle nipples, rings etc.
• empty plastic bag for other dirty stuff
• book and a toy for Johaan (we did get a baby toy on the plane on both our flights to Europe which was nice)

To the thin bag I only took three formula bottles, blanket, sleep sack, food in squeezing bags, bib, clothe wipes, few paper towel sheets, few diapers with wipes packets and a toy.

TIP: from my experience traveling back alone with Johaan I decided for my next trip I will only take a small backpack as a carry-on that I don't have to pull at any time because moments when I had to push the stroller with one hand, pull the bag with the other, while carrying Johaan in carrier were not fun.

Necessities packed, we were ready to take off. So, how did that go?

Flight #1 - Boston, MA to Frankfurt, Germany:

Our first flight was at 5.30pm which I thought was good because we were traveling at night and there was a hope of Johaan sleeping. The problem was, we had to leave the house around 2.30pm and so he didn't get to nap in the afternoon as he was used to. I hoped he might fall asleep in the stroller at the airport but that didn't happen. And so by the time we got on the plane (I fed him food and changed his diaper right before we got on) he was exhausted and you know what that means...not very happy.

Despite that the take off was good, I gave Johaan drink milk to distract him. Once in the air, they brought us the bassinet (I was pleasantly surprised that the bassinet was pretty spacious - Johaan could turn around in it - had a safety strap and a small shade, kind of like the stroller bassinets have). Since Johaan was already quite tired it took some time for him to fall asleep, we took him out from the bassinet once, but the second time we put him back, he fell asleep (this was about an hour into the flight). And he slept until we had to wake him up for landing in Frankfurt. So neither did I have to change his diaper nor feed him food on this flight.

Flight #2 - Frankfurt, Germany to Vienna, Austria (Vienna Airport is just a 30 minutes drive from Bratislava, Slovakia):
Our second flight wasn't bad, although Johaan was up the whole flight (it is only an one hour flight, no bassinet on this flight), he was happy...looking through the gap between our seats at the people behind us who kept smiling at him.

So, we made it all the way to Slovakia and I have to stay I had a pretty good feeling about the whole experience. The fact that we had a stroller all the way up to the plane made it easy, my carry-on bag was underneath and Johaan comfortable in it. I should also mention that I put Johaan in Ergo when going through security (since there are no metal parts in Ergo baby carrier I could carry J through the security gate). I also put him in the carrier right before getting on the plane. I had all the bottles and food in zip lock bags and had to take them out for scanning (of course I forgot to take out one bottle that I was going to feed Johaan before security but ended up not to). They did some special scanning of the bottles and my palms, making sure there was no trace of some illegal substance. They did not make me open the bottles and taste the milk (I think they are not allowed to do that anymore although I heard they still do it at some European airports). We also had to fold the stroller and put it through the luggage scanner (we had to remove the wheels in order to fit).

Flight #3 - Vienna, Austria to Munich, Germany

And there it was, one month later we were at Vienna airport, sad to leave grandparents, great-grandparents and uncle Vladko (as well as everyone else in the Slovak family). I was little nervous because this time I had no help from my husband plus we were traveling during the day and so I was not sure if Johaan will sleep at all.

There were few things we had to overcome, mostly related to airport logistics. In Vienna, we had to take a bus to get to the plane. They let us go first but that meant we were last to get out off the bus. Now, I have Johaan in the Ergo carrier, pushing the stroller with my carry-on bag. There is no one at the bottom of the stairs to the plane who would help me with the stroller or at least directed me where to leave the stroller. So I am yelling up the stairs trying to get a flight attendant's' attention, no luck. Finally one guy said he will ask for help once he gets on the plane. So after leaving the stroller laying on the ground unattended, we finally got on the plane (among last people). It was a small plane and it was super hot in there. Johaan was cranky (who wouldn't be!), I tried feeding him milk (which I barely got out of my carry-on bag that was stuck under my seat) which calmed him a bit. He was up most of the flight (1 hour) but managed to fall asleep right before landing in Munich.

Flight #4 - Munich, Germany to Boston, MA

Once in Munich I went to make sure (for the third time) that we do get a bassinet on this long flight. To my surprise, the flight attendant told me that unfortunately it won't be possible for some strange reason...I was furious, could not imagine holding Johaan for 8 hours!

Getting on this plane was also an experience. This time we had to take an escalator (which obviously I couldn't since I had the stroller with me), there was an elevator but to get to it I would have to go through a tourniquet which was also impossible. So again, after we were let to go first, there I was standing at the top of the escalator watching all these people pass us by and waiting for someone to help me. Finally, one guy offered help (he said his wife travels alone with the kids all the time so he knew how it is...), we folded the stroller that he carried down the escalator and I carried Johaan in the baby carrier.

This time we got the seat next to the window. I was happy (ecstatic) to find out that I will indeed get the bassinet. The man sitting next to me (poor guy, he had Johaan right in front of him and then two other babies next to him) did not speak English but he was interacting with Johaan the whole time Johaan was up. He was not up for long though, fell asleep about an hour into the flight after finishing a bottle of milk and then sleeping throughout the whole flight. So again, I did not have to change his diaper on the plane or feed him food (I did both right before we got on the plane).

All in all, Johaan's first trip didn't scare or discourage me (not that it could, since we have lots of traveling ahead with both our families living in different parts of the world). Really, the only tough part traveling alone with an infant were the airports logistics, everything else was manageable. Now, I am not sure how it would be if Johaan didn't sleep well on the plane and I would have to go change his diaper etc. I guess, I will see soon since we have another big trip ahead of us in few weeks and with Johaan probably walking by then, it will be a whole new experience.

Happy travels to everyone and please share your experiences and tips in the comments section below.

Johaan's Favorites

I don't think I have ever spent as much time picking anything as I have when buying toys. I think it is a combination of a huge choice of toys available and me trying to figure out the most appropriate, safest and somewhat educational toy that Johaan will actually enjoy playing with. To be honest, the things he likes to play with the most are: lases on my sweatshirt, buttons on the sofa, Kleenex boxes, carpet etc. But there are few real toys that he likes as well. Here are his favorites:

Wee Gallery Black and White Collection Art Flashcards ($12.00)

Johaan liked these cards from his first days. He was mesmerised by looking at all those interesting patters. Sometimes I would put the card inside of the crib and he would look at it before falling asleep. Now when he is little older I make up stories about the animals and use the cards as a book. We have the Original Animal Art cards and the Farm Collection.  

 

 

A Stimulating Set of Blocks by Educational Baby ($24.95)

These blocks are recommended from 1 year up but Johaan has been playing with them since he was six months old. I would say it is his favorite toy. He runs across the room when he sees a tower built from the blocks, he likes to pick the blocks and shake with them (some of them are like a rattle with bells inside, we use them as musical instruments when singing). And of course he likes to smash them when stacked on top of each other. But lately he is trying to put one block on top of the other (not very successful yet). 

 

Fisher-Price Roll-a-Rounds: Touch 'N Tickle Rounds by Fisher-Price ($9.99)

Johaan loves chasing these balls. And he also likes to touch and explore all the different materials on them. They come in set of six.  

 

Kidco Car

Johaan got this car from my mom when he was few months old, it says from 1 year up but he has been playing with it for quite some time. He started crawling just to get to the car. It is made out of hard plastic so I always watch him while he plays with it.

Wimmer-Ferguson Mind-Shapes ball trio by Manhattan Toy

This set (cube, ball and triangle) is a great toy that your child can grow with. When Johaan was really little he would just stare at it, I hanged one in his stroller too so he could look at it while outside. Later he started playing with it, rolling the ball, throwing the cube. They also work like rattles. He still likes playing with them now. They are made of soft material so very safe for even small babies.

Forest Activity Mirror by SKIP HOP ($17.00)

Babies like looking at babies. I used to attach this mirror on the crib when Johaan was small and he could look at himself for hours (well, maybe not for hours, but for a very long time). Now he doesn't play with it that often anymore but when he does he tries to kiss "the other baby" in the mirror.  

Treetop Friends Activity Gym by SKIP HOP ($75.00)

This was a great buy. I wasn't sure at what stage to buy this but then I bought it when Johaan was month and a half. He really likes it, still. The colors are nice (not too crazy), birds are cute and make nice sounds (one bird sounds so real, like a real bird!). Materials are very soft. He rolled on this mat, pulled himself up and talked to his birdie friends.

Winkel

Just a great toy, easy to grab even for tiny hands.

Rainforest Jumperoo by Fisher-Price ($89.99)

I would probably not buy a jumper so I have to thank my friend Katherine (and Johaan's friend Frankie) for lending it to us and testing it. Johaan loves it and as I later found out, jumping is really good for kids. We will definitely get our own once we have to return this one.

What could/should have been on The List.

The List that I posted many months ago had most of the essentials I needed when Johaan was born yet there were still few things I had to run to the baby store for. There were few things that we bought in advance but didn't make it on the list because I was not sure they will be so essential, these are also listed below. And then, there are things that we did buy but were not happy with and things that I would never think about of buying but were very useful. Hmmm, this already sounds like another long list.

Honestly, I don't know how people live without a diaper disposal system. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating but still I find it so useful not having to wrap each diaper (and as we know at the beginning there are lots and lots of diapers to wrap) in a plastic bag or not having to take the trash downstairs several times a day. We decided for Playtex-Diaper Genie Diaper Disposal System (cost: cca.$24.00) and we have no complaints. It is easy to take the trash bag out and change the refills. The only negative thing I can think of is the smell once your baby's poop stops smelling like roses but we just put baking soda at the bottom of the bin and that solved the problem.

Yes, I was one of the people who thought I was going to raise my kid without ever using a pacifier. Well, that lasted exactly nine months and few days because after our first night in the hospital with Johaan that was the only thing that would allow us to sleep at least a half hour at the time. I was so concerned that it will mess up Johaan's nursing ability but fortunately he was pretty good at latching on correctly from the start. And then we came home and guess what, we had no pacifier (since it never made my List)! My mom bought the kind they use in hospitals (Philips AVENT). But after few days Johaan just kept crying and crying and after we ruled out all kinds of causes for his crying (like collics, being hungry, tired etc.) we determined it has to be the pacifier! :) So we bought another kind (NUK) that stayed in Johaan's mouth better. Little did we know that the pacifier was not the real problem. In any case, I would recommend to have at least one pacifier handy when you come home with the baby.

My friend Patricia lent me a DVD "Happiest Baby on the Block" (Harvey Karp, M.D.) few months into my pregnancy. I did plan to watch it but for some reason there was always plenty of time left until I was in the hospital with Johaan and the DVD made it back to Patricia without being watched. I didn't know much about swaddling but the nurses in the hospital showed us how to do it, my husband became an expert in swaddling. The only thing we didn't pay much attention to was that our little Johaan liked to take his arms out. And we let him, thinking, if he is happy like that why forcing something else. But then the times of crying started, and times of not being able to fall asleep. It took us two months to borrow that DVD back from Patricia and I tell you, that night was a quiet night without fussing. The DVD talks about many ways how to help your baby to fall asleep. Number one thing for us was the swaddling. Swaddling with arms in! What we found out was that if baby has his/her arms out he/she gets distracted by waving them in front of him/her and he/she doesn't know how to put them down and go to sleep.
To make swaddling easier we were using HALO swaddle blanket (that I got as a gift for Johaan before he was born, just didn't use it right - with arms in!). 

We found few bathtubs that we liked, unfortunately the one we bought first (Summer Infant Right Height Center) didn't work out that well. It had a raised plastic piece at the end of the newborn "bath support" part that was pushing right into Johaan's private part. So we bought another tub (Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Deluxe Aquarium Bath Tub, cost: $33) that we are still using although we have some difficulties bathing Johaan now when he is too big for the sling. If you have a good experience with bathing your baby, please leave a comment, I would really like to find a product that works, especially because Johaan loves being in the water and so I want him to have a good bathing experience. 

We purchased a water thermometer (Aquatopia Deluxe Safety Bath Thermometer Alarm, cost: $10) because I was never sure if the water was the right temperature. The bath tub we have does have a water thermometer build in but after a while it seemed to stop working so I didn't want to risk it. I know you can test the water temperature on the back of your wrist (our grandmothers did it, our moms did it) but I just couldn't do it.

Johaan lost more than 10% of his birth weight and then was gaining weight rather slowly. I wanted to make sure he was on track so I purchased a scale so I could weight him at home. The scale we bought (Health O Meter Grow with me Baby/Toddler scale, cost: $37) is really accurate, I am getting same results as at the doctor. It shows weight in pounds as well as kilograms.






Tummy time is very important for babies from the first weeks of their lives. And they feel the best if they don't have to wear any clothes or diapers on. We were trying to figure out how to make this happen without Johaan peeing all over the place and then my mom came up with a great idea, she bought a regular plastic table cloth that we would spread on the floor, we would put a think blanket over it to make it gentle on Johaan's skin and Johaan could play with no restrictions all he wanted. It was amazing to watch how much more movable he was.  


Other items that needed to be bought:

Rain cover for stroller bassinet (my UPPA baby stroller didn't come with one,only seat part has a rain cover).

Disposable changing sheets - I would put these over the changing pad cover so I didn't have to change the cover few times a day, especially at the beginning when there were lots of "accidents".

Please add items that you found useful but didn't see them on The List in the comments below. Thank you.

Nursery.

In about second month of my pregnancy I started to go crazy about planning the nursery, I used to browse web for hours looking for an inspiration. I wanted a modern room with not too much "baby" motives, something simple and nice. I guess I worried more about how the nursery fits into the style of our home rather than its functionality and how appropriate it is for the baby. Fortunately I overcame this period rather quickly and so had enough time to change the plan and approach.    

I think Johaan's room (which also served as a guest room for grandparents at the beginning) feels fresh, simple yet functional.

Below are pictures of the nursery with the list of main pieces.

Because Johaan started to be pretty mobile in the last few weeks I am trying to take care of few traps that could await for him with his curiosity. But about that some other time.

What took me by surprise.

I cannot believe it has been already over six months since I gave birth to our beautiful son Johaan. Time flies and I am slowly starting to forget all hardships of my pregnancy, remembering only the amazing moments. Initially I was planning to write about my whole birthing experience but then I decided to mention only few things that took me by surprise. After all, every woman experiences giving birth in her own special way and so it might not make sense to hear about mine.

Here are few things that happened towards the end of my pregnancy:

In the third trimester I started to feel like I was going to faint.

I walked to work during my whole pregnancy (approx.15-20 mins) which didn't bother me at all. In the last three months few minutes after I arrived to work (sometimes already in the elevator) I felt like I was going to faint. At the beginning I would only need few sips of Coca-Cola which was always ready on my desk (not that I was excited about it), but later even Coke stopped working. My doctor suggested to eat breakfast with some protein in it, eggs or maybe a hand full of almonds. Since I am not a big fan of eggs for breakfast I was munching on bag of almonds on my way to work, fortunately it worked.

Next thing that started in the third trimester was so called "disease of restless legs".

It is hard to describe that feeling but the name actually suggests a lot. Your legs are pretty much restless, every few seconds you have to move them. Sometimes it took hours before I could fall asleep. I remember it used to happen to me while waiting long hours at the airport,  but never at home in bed. After few weeks I finally read on it and found out that it is a common disease that also affects pregnant women but goes away after giving birth (which was my case). Advice that I found and that worked for me was not to lay in bed too long before going to sleep, that means not to read books in bed or have a light on, simply go to bed and try to fall asleep right away.

"Blister" on my tongue.

Few weeks before my due date a small blister appeared in the middle of my tongue. First I thought it was a reaction on something I ate.  But the blister was getting bigger and at one point I had troubles eating. My OB-GYN wasn't sure what it was but suggested to wait until after I give birth. And so the blister was getting bigger (it was not too big, but I could feel it is increasing). Few days before my due date I was enjoying a piece of chocolate and accidently caught on the blister that started bleeding like crazy. Maybe you will laugh at me but I panicked (pregnant, alone at home, I really thought I am gonna bleed out) and called 911 (what didn't occur to me at that time was just to put pressure on it and it stopped bleeding). After this incident I went to my primary care doctor who also wasn't sure what it could be but gave me a contact for a surgeon by whom I made an appointment.

Two weeks after giving birth I went to the surgeon office who right after looking at the blister

 stated that it is a "pregnancy tumor". It is caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy a most of the times appears in the mouth, on the gums or the tongue. Surgery lasted few minutes and my tongue healed in few days. The surgeon warned me that the same thing might happen in my next pregnancy and that I should not, under any circumstances, wait this long with the removal since it can grow bigger.

This was probably the most uncomfortable thing during my pregnancy mostly because I had no idea what it was and the doctors I initially saw didn't know either.

 

Strange feelings/situations while birthing:

After my water broke.

I am not sure if I just didn't pay attention at the classes we took with my husband but I was caught by surprise that after my water broke, the water just kept coming.

Feeling nausea.

This took me by surprise the most because no one ever mentioned it to me. During pushing stage I was getting sick with every push. It was exhausting, because almost every second push had to be interrupted.

High fever.

In the last stage I got high fever so they had to be giving me antibiotics for few days after I gave birth to our son.

The epidural didn't work at first.

The epidural didn't work in one spot which might happen sometimes and so I didn't have cramps all over my belly but concentrated in one spot. They had to increase the dosage several times which finally worked.

So this should be everything that took me by surprise during my pregnancy and birthing. My intention was not to scare future moms but to share information with them that wasn't available to me at the time but which would save me lots of nerves.
Despite everything I fully enjoyed my pregnancy.

Staying fit.

I was living quite a healthy and active life before getting pregnant. I was walking to work every day (approx. 30-35 minutes 5 times a week), going to the gym twice a week, did yoga, swam; in the summer biked and roller bladed; in the winter snowboarded and once in a while danced salsa. When I got pregnant I was afraid that I will have to rapidly reduce my sport activities. My worries were not reasonable though. Except snowboarding I really didn't have to change much of my active life. Of course, this might not be true for all pregnant women. If you didn't do much sport before getting pregnant, now it's probably not the best time to start in a big fashion. But no activity in small measures should harm anyone, just the opposite.

I would like to point out that below mentioned sport activities suit me, they are not recommendations for everyone, they should serve more like an assurance for moms-to be who were active before getting pregnant, assurance that good habits might not have to change. I should also add that the fact that I experienced no morning sickness and that even now, in the seventh month, I am feeling good contributed to the fact that I am able to keep doing many things as before. 
...


Few weeks/months passed since I started to write this post (moving and settling down in a new apartment can take so much time) and so I am in my ninth month right now. I am still walking to work, exercising prenatal yoga, but I have to admit that bigger physical activity is starting to give me troubles in last few weeks. I am glad that I could stayed active until now though.


Here is a brief summary of the sport activities I kept doing during my pregnancy:



1st - 5th month

• walking to work (30-35 minutes, 5x a week)
• swimming
• gym (2x a week: 40 minutes cardio, 20-25 minutes light weight lifting)
• zumba (just first 4 months)
• bike
  
• weight lifting (2.5-3lb) - biceps, triceps, shoulders, back (very good exercise  recommended by chiropractor to avoid pain in upper and middle part of your back: : standing dumbbell flyes)
• stairmaster
• seated leg adduction/abduction

• prenatal yoga (exercising at home, DVD Crunch:Yoga Mama)
• in winter months:
• cross-country skiing
• snowshoeing
  

6th - 7th month

• walking to work (30-35 minutes, 5x a week)
• gym (2x a week: 40 minutes cardio, 20-25 minutes light weight lifting)
• bike
• weight lifting (2.5-3lb) - biceps, triceps, shoulders, back (very good exercise  recommended by chiropractor to avoid pain in upper and middle part of your back: : standing dumbbell flyes)
• stairmaster
• seated leg adduction/abduction

• prenatal yoga (exercising at home, DVD The Perfect Pregnancy Workout vol. 1 and  The Perfect Pregnancy Workout vol. 2: Yoga)
• prenatal yoga (1x a week at the local clinic)

8th - 9th month

• walking to work (30-35 minutes, 5x a week)
• hourly walks minimum 2x a week
  
• prenatal yoga (exercising at home, DVD The Perfect Pregnancy Workout vol. 1 and  The Perfect Pregnancy Workout vol. 2: Yoga)
• prenatal yoga (1x a week at the local clinic)

             

Stroller.

I had never thought buying a stroller would be such a complex and time consuming thing. I had never thought I would have to proceed almost a survey to find out which stroller is right for my baby and me. I guess I secretly hoped that I am just going to enter a stroller store and there it will be, my perfect stroller. Well, I was little wrong there.

Almost every mom I asked for opinion gave me a different brand of stroller. That didn't really make my decision process easier but it gave my an insight into options that each stroller offers so I could pick the best combination for me.

Because we live in the city and because I prefer walking rather than driving, I was looking for a stroller that will be comfortable for my baby, easy to maneuver, which tires won't get flat easily (or at all), that has a big enough storage for small shopping. I also wanted a stroller that comes with bassinet for the first months when the baby should lay on a completely flat surface as well as a seat for later months/years. I required that the seat part would recline to different positions, from laying to seating. And also that the stroller would be easily stored.

After long debates we finally found a stroller that we believe is "perfect" for our baby and us. (Of course I will be able to write an objective opinion about this stroller being "perfect" only after I use it, so I am leaving some space for that here. If any of you have a good or bad experience with any of the strollers I am listing below, please let us know. I will also appreciate tips for strollers that were omitted.)

Ok, I won't tease you any longer. The stroller we picked is....UPPA BABY VISTA (in black). You can find it on http://uppababy.com/. In US it costs $679.99.


And here are the reasons why we picked UPPA BABY VISTA:

• comes with bassinet and the seat
  
• seat can be reclined into four different positions, reversible to both directions
  
• plenty of storage underneath
  
• enough shade
  
• stroller can be collapsed with the seat attached to it
  
• bassinet can be stored flat
  
• easy braking system
  
• big wheels with anti-shock system
  
• non-deflatable wheels
  
• bassinet stand for bassinet use at home
  
• removable/washable/interchangeable organic fabric
  

I am aware of the fact (not mentioning it to my husband yet :)) that I will probably not stay only with one stroller. Since we like to travel a lot, we might have to get a smaller stroller that is easier to carry around. Although they sell a travel bag for VISTA Stroller in which you can carry the stroller easily I still have to do some research on what other options are out there. if you have some tips, please post them here!

Here are other strollers that were recommended to me and that were an inspiration in search for the right stroller.

BRITAX (German producer, stroller inspired by UPPA BABY VISTA stroller).
Bassinet available separately.
http://www.britaxusa.com/

MUTSY (Dutch stroller)
http://www.mutsy.com/





JANE, PEG PEREGO, TEUTONIA

For moms.

I would like to dedicate this article to all future moms. I came across websites with baby stuff many times but not once did I find a website specifically dedicated to mom's needs/wants (if you know about some, please let me know!). At the beginning of my pregnancy I had no idea where to shop for maternity clothes. I would never think of H&M for example (although at the end I was little disappointed with the selection, at least here in Boston). And although I have not bought much of maternity clothes yet, I can't wait for spring to come so I can show off my pregnancy belly in my new pregnancy dress.

But I don't want to talk only about clothes (although we all love doing just that). Below you will also find a list of pharmaceutical essentials, tips for books and other things that I would never think about before but which are, as I was told, needed for surviving :)


Clothing

This year's fashion favors future moms, loose blouses, dresses and sweaters are in. I bought only few of real maternity pieces so far, only pair of skinny jeans (GAP), pair of black pants (GAP), one top and one summer dress (MACY'S) that was on sale. All the other clothes is non-maternity clothes that is just little looser or one size bigger (to accommodate my growing belly even in the last few months of my pregnancy). But I am counting with at least one shopping spree in the spring to add few new pregnancy pieces into my closet.

Regarding pants, there are few different panels - demi panel, front panel and full panel. At the beginning I liked a full panel but the more my belly grows the more I like a demi panel or front panel. Although a full panel is very thin and the material is comfortable, I am getting irritated just to feel anything tight on my belly.

Here are few tips for stores/websites that offer more than baggy sweaters and potato bags:

unbuttoned
H&M
GAP
a pea in the pod
MOTHERHOOD Maternity
ZARA
OLD NAVY


Pharmaceutical and other essentials

• bra pads
  
• electric breast pump
  
• tea supporting milk creation
  
• nursing tank top
  
• nursing bra
  
• healing nipple cream
  
• nursing pillow
  

Books

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
Mayo Clinic
Harper Paperbacks, April 13, 2004


Practical Parenting: Your Baby's First Year
Richard C. Woolfson, Anne Richley, Lowri Kew
Hamlyn, 2008


Dad's Pregnant Too: Expectant fathers, expectant mothers, new dads and new moms share advice, tips and stories about all the surprises, questions and joys ahead...
Harlan Cohen, 2008


Pregnancy cookbook - healthy food for future moms (bought in Slovak, not sure if English version is available)
Fiona Wilcock Computer Press, a.s., 2008

The List.

Right at the beginning I would like to thank Andrea and Lenka for the tips for being able to create this list. If you think any additional things should be added or removed from the list, or if you have experience with particular brands, please let us know.

Clothing

• 2x thin hat
• 6x long-sleeve body
• 6x short-sleeve body
• 2x cotton mittens
• 6x socks
• 3x think long pants
• 3x long-sleeve pajamas
• 2x cotton sweater
  

Here are few pictures of things I bought:

GAP



Other online stores:

babies r us

Marshalls

TJ Maxx

Local stores for Cambridge, MA:

Eurobaby

327 B Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144

Pharmacy

• mull
• mull squares for eyes
  
• boron water for eyes
  
• butt cream - fish cream, cream with zinc
  
• baby soap (when the baby is older)
  
• baby shampoo (when the baby is older)
  
• olive oil
  
• sea water for nose cleaning
  
• nasal aspirator
• scissors with curved ending
  
• thermometer
• tea against gas
• cream against gas
  
• water thermometer
  
• 2x washing sponge
  
• baby wipes
• diapers
• detergent for baby clothes
  
• burp cloths
  
• 2x towels
  
• 2x swaddle blankets
  
• humidifier