Day Cares (Learning Centers - Schools)

Over the past few weeks Mike and I have been visiting/touring some schools mostly and daycare places for Peanut. It's amazing how soon you have to start looking into these places.

We have had some struggles with some....especially around the price and if they will accept G-Diapers or not.

1st Place: It was a Montessori school. I liked it until I saw the others, now it's not even on our list. We didn't like the teachers, they didn't really interact with us or anything.

2nd Place: a School from infant all the way up to a private kindergarten, although most kids left after the Pre-K program. AWESOME! top of our list. Some key things we liked were: Kids move up into different rooms on their own development, Onsite chef, clean, friendly staff, all the staff has 4 year degrees. We stopped by today and showed them the G-Diaper and they said it shouldn't be a problem.! YEAH!!
The bad part about this place is it's $340 per week (Which we are willing to pay) but the waiting list is pretty long and we might not be able to get in...more discussion needed on this one.

3rd Place: AWESOME! Another school. We loved it, it was a lot like the 2nd place, and then Mike and I saw the rates and almost had a heartattack!! It was $484 a week, which rounds out to be about $25,000 a year for an infant. While nice, way way out of our price range. so they are on the bottom of our list and only a last resort.

4th Place: Another school. We liked it, not as much as the first one, but it was still a great place. It was a lot like the other schools that we went to, and it was nice and clean, safe and I would feel totally comfortable leaving our little one there. I didn't like that I needed to bring in my own sheets etc for the little one. I saw some sort of sketchy things, but nothing awful. We have a friend who put their children there when it first opened (5 years ago or so) and they loved it, but they weren't in the Infant room. This one is comparable to the 3rd and 5th places price wise.

5th Place: Learning Center - HATED It! It wasn't bad - not like I wouldn't put my child in there, but compared to the others. This one doesn't have 4 year degree teachers, or even 2 year degree teachers, which is fine, but it's the same price as #4. Also when we walked into the infant room I could smell smoke on one of the teachers and she informed us when asked about the smoking policy that they could smoke on their breaks. which none of the other schools have that. and because we are so concerned about 3rd hand smoke this was a big deal for us.So it completely turned me off. The 2nd thing we really didn't like about them was the fact when asked about the cleaning she informed us that the teachers clean on Mondays & Wednesdays while the children are still there. (None of the other places do this) so not only will the people not be watching the children as closely as they would if they weren't cleaning but the children will also be exposed to the cleaning chemicals. So I wasn't to happy about that. Most of the other places clean after the kids leave, or have professionals come in. This one is part of a franchise, and there are a few in our area, so we are visiting another one just to see if it's just the one we went to or all of them.

6th Place: I totally love this place! It's the right price (almost 100 less than the 2nd place). They are a Spanish/English school. All the teachers has masters in education, they use sign language with the children. There is no waiting list, it's on my way to work and close to the house in case we change jobs. They will use the G-Diapers, so we don't have to worry there. It's more like the 2nd and 4th place saw. They don't have a set curriculum like the other places ,but they still have a curriculum and she said that most kids are speaking spanish by the time they get to the preschool rooms. They show flash cards to the infants so they can learn while they are there plus the tummy time and all that. Mike and I just visited this place today so we haven't talked much about it, but right now it's on the top of my list.

So we have one more place to go and then we are going to make our decision....then off to selecting a pediatrician.

Diapers

So I know I have blogged before about using G-Diapers and I was super excited to register for them and use them. Especially after seeing them in person from our friends (Thanks Kim & Brian).....that was at least until we starting visiting day care centers and was told that they most likely will not be able to be used....Even if they are not the typical cloth diaper they still aren't allowed in most places. We still are going to check it out and bring an example (Thanks again to Kim & Brian) in when we narrow down to our final 2 choices to see, but so far it's been a pretty adamant no. But we are still going to ask.

So in the mean time I am on the hunt for another diaper. So far there seems to be a few - at least Chlorine free diapers, which would be better than nothing. Those that are BTDT (Been There Done That) Mom's or Dads can you tell me what you used?

25 Weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks..Not much to update on, since I posted about the Nursery. I found some of my old toys from when I was a baby in the basement storage and I pulled those out so that I can put those in her room. and after 30 years the music box that is a small Giraffe still works and it's head still turns. We tried it out last night :)  Sorry this post is pretty boring.

Nursery Part 4

So I know I have had a lot of Nursery entries, but I just can't help it. See below for all the previous ones.

We got the valance done (now just have to figure out the curtains) and we FINALLY got the furniture configuration updated. I want to hang up the art and the decals, but I think we are going to wait until we get the Glider, just in case we change things around again....

This is the view of most of the room. No we aren't keeping the folding chair, that is representing the glider until we order that and get that in the room. Where the Monkey is on the dresser is where her changing pad will go.

It's a little blurry but you can see the closet system that Mike got put in this weekend and her storage shelf.

This is where I will have the glider and a lamp for the little one. It's all coming together.

Here are the past posts about the Nursery
Nursery Part 1
Nursery Part 2
Nursery Part 3
Crib
Nursery Decorations

Childbirth Preparation Class

Mike and I had our Childbirth Preparation Class today. We went through the express one. I was so thinking that we would be the couple that had the due date the farthest out, but we weren't, so it was nice. There were 11 couples. I guess that's a pretty full class, normally they don't have that many, and I guess normally they don't fill up all their classes, but since all the classes are full until June they are adding classes.

Our teacher Peggy was great, she is a mother of 5 girls and had natural childbirths for them all and they were all premature babies. We started out the class with learning about relaxation and communication between the mother and her partner. Then we got to try out some different positions to try during the contractions and also the different breathing techniques. It was really great to try the different positions, on the birthing ball, on my side etc and to try the different breathing techniques.

We watched a few videos on birthing, techniques, and some other things. They showed about epidurals, different meds that can be used during delivery. It was good to see, they did a great job of showing the benefits and the side effects or risk to the mother and the baby with all of them. Made me realize more and more that I want to have a natural childbirth. I know I know a lot of you out there that have had children will be like "just get the epidural" But I really want to try without it as much as I can before getting it. I will be talking with my midwife about when I can get one, when is the latest time I can get one, just so we have our options open.

We got to tour the birthing suite and I thought it was amazing before I saw it in person, but it can't even be described how neat it is. There are 6 birthing suites, they said they haven't yet been full, but if they were they would use the triage rooms. There are about 6 or so triage rooms that you go into to see if you are ready to be admitted or not, and then a TON of postpartum rooms. It was really nice to see all of them. The tubs in the bathrooms in the birthing suites are amazing. Big enough for Mike to get in there with me - he is planning on packing his swim suit just in case. They have ipod docking stations, TV's and surround sound. I can't wait.

24 Weeks....Getting Close

This week has been an up and down rollercoaster of emotions. I was certainly feeling the hormones of pregnancy this week, but the good thing is that while Monday and Tuesday were awful days that I came out of it with a new sense of calmness and peace.

So many things on in my life that without pregnancy they would be a lot. I won't go into them all here, but they are changes that I am having to learn how to deal with, between work, and personal stuff it's been crazy.

I want to first say that a very close friend of mine is dealing with a very hard thing and I don't wish this on anyone and I am praying harder than anything that things will work out for her and her family. She means the absolute world to me and I hate to see her hurting....So Love and prayer is going out to her every day. Peanut is even praying for her ;)

Work is getting better - a lot better than last week. I have relaxed about it and I am just letting go. It's a hard lesson for me to do, but I have to do it, if I don't I will bog myself down with doubt and perfectionism way too much. I talked with my manager and she said I am doing a fabulous job, so that's great to hear! Makes me realize how much I push myself versus others. That's something I have learned from my parents to always work hard and have a great work ethic. It's a wonderful lesson, but sometimes a curse at the same time :) But I am still doing a great job and having fun with it now so that helps out so much!

Here is my 24 week picture. The T-shirt I have on is actually our NEW Rainie's Bugs T-Shirt and I am super excited about them!! I tried to get a better one, but Mike wasn't home when I was doing this picture and it was making me look huge when I would take it by myself (Yes I am being vain about this), so you can see the red spot- that's a lady bug. My family, friends and I had T-Shirts made up (Thanks Aurora! For the design and thanks to Embroid Me of EP for printing them) for our Race for the Cure Walk we do every year! I can't wait to get a picture of us all in them. We aren't all going to be together this year with Emily in Australia and Sara is going to Chile and my friend Juli is pregnant and wasn't sure about the walk, but we are still going to have a great time! We have some new team mates. My little cousins David & Rachel and some others so it should be  a great time!!

We also got the furniture for the babies room to our house on Tuesday! I can't wait to get a picture of the room completed and uploaded onto here. Right now the room is a disaster because Mike painted the closet. So Sunday we are moving everything around, trying to find room for what was in the closet we hadn't cleaned out yet and then making the valance with the fabric I got last week and finding curtains and hanging the decals. We are also getting some cubby storage things with fabric bins this weekend so that will be fun!! It's all coming together.

Wish us luck tomorrow, we have our all day childbirth class!!Will write more tomorrow night about it when we get home.

A view at our Little Peanut

Here is a picture of Peanut....at 24 weeks or so....She wasn't cooperating much so this was the best picture we got of her.

Nursery Part 3

The Border is up. The crib is in place, now we just have to get the dressers and glider in.

Here is the Dresser & Night stand we are ordering tomorrow. We aren't getting the mirror with the dresser

And here is the glider we are going to order. But not this color, probably a light chocolate, but the chair color on the wood is the same.

23 Weeks and Stressed

Before I even start this blog post...I want to point out that I am having a VERY long week and a very crabby week. Not really anything has gone wrong, it has nothing to do with the pregnancy except the fact that it's all I can think about. I also want to point out that I know it will get better and all this and I am just in a funk....Like my friend Jess said to me today, that I am the only one that can pull me out of this funk....So I appreciate all the support that I know many of you will give me, but please don't be upset if I don't jump at the advice right away....

 

I am now officially 23 weeks and closer to the end then the beginning. Heartburn has been kicking in full force this past week, in fact I had to go buy more tums, only because I don't like the green & yellow flavors in the pack we have :)  But other than that the pregnancy is going really well. She is moving like crazy. We get to see her again on Monday! I am super excited about that. Since I am farther along it will be nice to see how big she has gotten.

As for my funk I have trouble on a day to day basis of focusing on anything that does not include the baby. At work it's the worse, which is why home life is still fun because I can do things that have to get done for the baby....At work without going into too much boring detail, I have switched roles and not quite feeling the new role yet. It's still a bit vague and I am on a project that I am still trying to get my head wrapped around. I know it's my perfectionism coming through and I just have to let go. I have things that I have to get done and I just have to do them and not worry about them being perfect, because they probably still will be.

I have way too much on my list to research for the baby, between the breast pumps, the size diapers I am going to need and all the other things. I have to find a pediatrician, I want to take a CPR class before the little one comes, and then there is Day care. We have our first tour with the Eden Prairie Montessori school on Friday and then next Thursday with Primrose which is close to our place. I have to start calling around to some other places that are in home so I can make the decision. We will probably go talk to some of the in-homes in May. So we can make the decision of an in-home vs a center. I think we have decided not to go with a center like New Horizon's or Kinder Care, just because they are the same price in our area as the Montessori schools, so why not just put our child there, plus they are closer.....

I just want this week to be over, I want us to get the dressers and the gliders ordered, the border and the closet system up and see my little one on Monday. Hoping tomorrow and next week is better than today!

Daddy's Little Lady

This week has to be one of the longest weeks with work and other things, but one of the best weeks with my pregnancy. Things have been a little weird at night with my sleeping, but nothing I can't handle. Thanks to my Aunt I tried another way to use the pillows I have to get a better nights sleep - Thanks Cindy!! I appreciate it, trust me. My hips were killing me last weekend, but all better later this week.

Also this week I started feeling the baby move for the first time. I really don't think I have felt these movements before. Sunday night we had Easter at the In-Laws. It was a great time. My little niece was sick, but other than that it was great and that's when I started feeling her move was at dinner. It was amazing. All day Monday morning she was moving like crazy. Today I counted and earlier in the morning is when she moves the most and she moved like 10 or so times in 20 minutes. It might be hiccups, but I really don't think it was, because it felt bigger than hiccups, she doesn't move at night. Only when I wake up, or am at my desk. so that's good. It feels like my stomach flips, like a smaller version when I am on a roller coaster - or as some of you know when I am in the car on a hilly road :)

I went shopping yesterday and I wandered to the baby section at JC Penney and I actually found the perfect outfit for my little girl. See below.

Those that know me, know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE lady bugs. So when I saw this I just couldn't resist. It's so cute. Until we get more clothes and I find something cuter, this might be her coming home outfit.

22 Weeks

Another week down and another week closer to Peanuts arrival. It was a good week. We got the nursery started, we are going to put up the border later this week. I have started the search for the dresser, so far the ones we like aren't the right dimensions, so we will have to see what we can find. I am sure we will figure something out :) So any of you out there that have dressers that you use as changing tables please let me know the height of it...as right now that's the problem we are running into I have a inch dimension in my mind that I think might be right, but who knows.

We had a great weekend with the parents. Saturday was with my parents (see my post about Peanuts' first game). We had a great dinner after the game with them. Mike made some awesome ribs and Mom had made a great dessert! It was overall a great night. Yesterday we were at the in-laws for Easter dinner. It was really good to spend time with everyone. My niece Alyssa is still pretty sick, the poor thing will probably have to get tubes put in. I feel so bad for her. She had a great time though, got to have potatoes, although she didn't like the sweet potatoes much.

Also at dinner last night I felt the little one move for the what I think was the first time. I am sure she has moved before and I just didn't know it was her, but I am pretty darn sure this time.

Peanut's First Twins Game

My dad was lucky enough to get 4 tickets to one of the exhibition games for the Twins in the new stadium. For those that don't live in MN we have had our baseball games at the Metrodome (see pic to the right). While it was great, it's not exactly a wonderful place to have a baseball game. (Great in the spring when it was still snowing, but no fun)....So the Twins finally got their new baseball stadium - an outdoor baseball stadium. Coolest thing ever!! Not only did my dad get tickets, he got AWESOME tickets! We were on the 3rd baseline (a little far from home plate, but not bad) and only 4 rows - yes I said 4 rows from the field. It's a bit different from the Metrodome as when you are on the baselines the wall is only like 4 feet high....so it was pretty cool. The grass didn't look real, but it was. No more astroturf! Welcome the Twins to an outdoor stadium. We couldn't have asked for a better day. It didn't rain, it was 55 to 60 degrees and sunny....A Gorgeous Day.

Here are a few pics from our day. Below is a view of the scoreboard from our seats.

Mike and I in our seats! Aren't we cute...

This is Minnie and Paul. Okay so it's cheesy. For those Non-Minnesotans, that's Minne for Minneapolis and Paul for St. Paul. When the Twins hit a home run the state lights up and Minnie and Paul shake hands...I am sure it's much cooler at night then during a day game. Will have to go to a night game to make sure.

So close to Delmon Young I could see his face...that's amazing. Never been that close to a baseball player at a game before. What's even better is the first time that Mauer got up to bat he hit a home run!! and they won 8 to 3.

After the game we went looking at the Twins Shop and Peanut's grandpa decided to get her a few things. We found a few cute hats for her. One for summer that she might be able to wear this summer after she is born (although it may be big on her) and then another one for winter. They are adorable! Thanks Grandpa & Grandma!!

This is her summer hat....

and this is her winter hat....

Nursery Part 2

Here are some updated pictures from our nursery. We have it all painted, we just need to put up the border, the decals and the wall hangings.....we are getting closer.

The border will go between the two layers.....