When I found out I was pregnant, it was like the honeymoon phase. "Everything is beautiful, registering will be fun, decorating the nursery will be a bonding experience, and I'm just glowing with happiness. All I have to worry about is keeping my body the best incubator for Baby as I can these next 7 months...right?"
It wasn't months into the measles outbreak before I realized, "Oh yeah! I'm vaccinated, but my little peanut won't be fully covered until around 2 years old! Is this thing going to be contained by then?"
Aaaaand reality hits! Not only are there a million dangers in this world, there are a million decisions parents have to make, starting the moment they decide to add to their family! Some seem daunting and take months to process. (We're currently a bit stuck on the name decision.) Others seem pretty trivial and don't require much mental or financial burden. And then some appear to be trivial at first, but they're really wrought with brain-busting considerations!
For example: cloth diapering. Yea or nay?
It's like if you don't at least try to cloth diaper your child, you're a failure as a modern parent! Why, after all, wouldn't you want to save the planet from your baby's toxic, solid underpants?!
Judgement. Oh, I feel it.
And just when I think I've made a decision on one thing (trying a few cloth diapers until investing in more), friends with good intentions bring another gadget to mind!
"Do you guys have a car seat picked out?"
Car seats are constantly changing. I was made aware of this fact when my sister had her first baby and the concept of expiration dates for baby gear reared its ugly head. And not only do they scare you with horror stories of incorrectly installed seats and old equipment failures, they tell you that past a certain date, that seat is basically a death trap for your child! AH!
OK, I can handle this. Just buy it new, do a quick check for safety ratings, keep an eye on recalls, and we'll be fine! But there's still the issue of rear-facing seats for as long as possible. I'm in full agreement that this is safer for kids in an accident and will keep our kids rear facing until they're the proper weight/height.
However, this topic still increases my heart rate because of one simple fact...my husband and I are both tall, so it's probably safe to assume our child will be looooooong...and probably pretty lean like her daddy. Which means this whole rear-facing thing will probably be uncomfortable and a logistic nightmare when those little legs start to stretch. *sigh* Each day as it comes, right?
I've spent countless evenings reading reviews, searching color/theme options, and building a registry. It's harder than I thought, mainly because I want to build a thoughtful registry--that is, well thought out, not just things Babies R Us tells us I just have to have (we made that mistake with our Bed, Bath, and Beyond wedding registry). And also with the gift givers in mind--which stores are easily accessible and have the best prices, etc. As a frequent wedding/baby shower attendee these days, I know I appreciate being able to find a gift that's in my budget AND something I feel good about giving because I think it'll get used.
Fun fact: baby brands are impossible to pronounce!
Graco = Gray-co (I've been pronouncing it Grah-co. Where do they get the hard "a" sound?)
Chicco = Key-co (Really?! I thought for sure it was Chee-co)
Lansinoh = ...(OK, it's not the pronunciation, it's the spelling! I think I might be slightly dislexic because I keep typing "Lanisoh" every time I try to look up one of their products!)
Before you think I'm going bald ripping my hair out over this stuff (I'd seek help LONG before that happened!), I'm actually feeling more at peace about preparing for our baby girl. We won't have her entire future planned out, we probably won't have everything on hand right when she needs it, and we certainly won't have all the answers to the questions she and others throw at us! But we'll be her parents and love her fiercely. And God is both Provider and Healer. Everything won't be perfect--amusing how my silly, finite mind sometimes thinks it can be--but I have confidence that everything will work out for good.
1 comment:
Big hugs!! I feel like telling you what everyone told me about the my wedding: relax, enjoy it, don't worry about what everyone else thinks! I didn't fully take that advice, but sounds like you are well on your way. Your baby will be SO loved and cared for!
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