Wanted: Male-worthy diaper bag

Today was Lizzy's baby shower in Austin and one of the gifts was a diaper dude messenger bag. I chose this one when we first did our registry so I am glad it was given to us, but I have a general question.

Is it really needed? I have heard mixed reviews about whether an actual diaper dude-type bag is needed, or if you can get away with a regular laptop messenger bag and just keep the needed supplies in there.

Here is my bag:

Dads? Moms? Can you give me your opinions on the subject? Maybe recommend a brand and/or product? Am I good with my diaper dude messenger?

She has gestational diabetes. Now what?

For those of you who have not had a child yet or are unfamiliar with the timeline of a pregnancy, at 28 weeks, all preggos need to take a glucose test which checks the blood sugar level of the mom and whether or not she has developed gestational diabetes. Turns out that in our case, Lizzy is one of those cases.

Initially hearing that diagnosis is scary. More so because of what it can do to both the mom and the baby. Mom can have complications during birth and worse, she has a 50/50 chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. The baby can grow to be larger than a typical newborn (in our case a 9lb baby is being predicted!) and if not cared for, the baby can be born hypoglycemic and need to be given shots and medicine right after being born. Scary stuff!

Once we knew she had gestational diabetes, we immediately went to an endocrinologist in order to figure out what to do in order to keep it under control. And this is where I say that Lizzy isn't the only one who is dealing with it. The number 1 thing we have to watch is the amount of carbs we eat with each meal. So our diet is now a bit altered which means our meals are different which means visits to the grocery store are no longer a free for all!

I think its important to note that Lizzy and I are not unhealthy eaters in general. We are actually pretty good about eating well. We just like our desserts. We love to indulge in a few oreos and a glass of milk whenever we have them...But not anymore. Let me rephrase that. Not right now until after the pregnancy is done and we know the diabetes have gone away :)

Obviously sweets is one thing we have to cut out. but some other things you take for granted are foods like bread. Yes bread. Lizzy cannot have more than 2 slices of bread with any meal because it causes her blood sugar level to shoot through the roof. No more fruit juices either. OJ, Apple juice, etc. all gone for now. And the worst of all?!?!?! Ice cream. Ice cream with flavor that is. Because lets be honest, sugar free ice cream is NOT real ice cream. No offense to those who have to eat it.


I love to indulge in almost every single food that is on the "do not eat list" but this is something we have to do together. It's not to say I don't sneak the occasional piece of chocolate, I just don't do it with Lizzy in the room. Most of the time. :)

Diet isn't the only thing we have to watch. Obviously with high blood sugar, it has to be monitored. So Lizzy is forced to check that 5x a day and that means 5 pricks in the fingers. I know I am not getting stuck with a needle so I can't directly relate, but I do my best to remind her of when she has to, so we don't have to progress to a more serious case where she would need insulin. Just another example of something the woman goes through that a man never can. We are just casual observers who can either support their partners, or ignore them.

Motherhood is definitely the hardest job in the world.

Cup it like a "C"

Last night Lizzy and I attended a "lactation education class (breastfeeding 101)". To begin with, as if a class on breasts and sucking wasn't awkward enough, the instructor decided to hold the class in the middle of the lobby where anyone who was headed to the labor and delivery area had to walk through to get there. So of course, while we and 16 other couples watched a video on proper technique to latching on, a few teenagers passed through uncomfortably on their way to the waiting area.

I must say, I learned a lot from the class. Probably a little too much as a matter of fact. Who knew there was such skill and technique to getting your baby to suck on a teet??? I thought it was simply point the baby's mouth in the direction and let it suck away. But no. The angle of the body, the position of the mouth, what area of the nipple and aureola the baby puts in its mouth all matter for a "positive" feeding experience.

Every day that passes and every class we attend, I gain more and more respect for the mother and what she goes through with a pregnancy. MEN...WE HAVE IT EASY. I mean, we can't or shouldn't even help with feeding until after two weeks! Which means all we do is wake up, pass the baby over, and pass out again! I can do that!

I'm glad we attended the class because I can be a great armchair QB by pointing out the small details that may be incorrect about how Wyatt is latching on. I am SURE Lizzy is going to appreciate every piece of advice I give in that regard... But in all seriousness, I do want Lizzy to be as comfortable as possible so she can relax, and so Wyatt can be well nourished with each feeding.

The next step...picking a breast pump! All recommendations are welcome! Medela seems to be in the lead at the moment. But do we need a hospital grade? or is the home version good enough? Double or single breast at a time?

Decisions decisions...

Adventures in pediatrics

When Lizzy and I attended the "necessary" birthing class, it felt like information overload. Mainly because we decided to knock it out by spending a Saturday in a marathon class versus attending several shorter sessions over a couple of weeks.

While most people tell you horror stories about the images and videos no man should ever watch, I actually didn't think it was bad at all. In fact, I thought it was immensely helpful and allowed me to ask those obvious but not necessarily top of mind questions related to the birth, and the first few weeks after meeting baby Wyatt.

In regards to the title of this post, one area of need that was mentioned several times was finding a pediatrician. In theory, this should be simple. Yelp a bunch of local pediatricians, find one with the best reviews (who is taking new patients) and call it a day. But this is my child. No way I leave this to chance related to some Yelp review.

Oh and by the way...we can't leave the hospital until we have chosen one.

Instead, I did what any logical person would do...asked my friends on Facebook! I didn't ask WHO I should see, but rather what I should be looking for when choosing a pediatrician. Of course everyone with a child had a response and each and every one thinks their doctor is "the best". Mind you, half of them haven't even realized we no longer live in South Florida, but hey, maybe we can fly over there on the second day out of the hospital?!

The positive is that my friends were able to help me make a list of priorities and what exactly to look for when choosing one. Here is the list, in no particular order:

• What are the office hours? Do they have weekend hours or do you have to go to the ER?
• Who is available after hours? Is somebody from the practice always on call?
• Can you see a different physician in the practice if your primary is out of the office?
• Do you like all the doctors in the practice? 

BTW... we are interviewing a few practices we have identified in the area and will pick the one who we feel most comfortable with by early August.

Junior isn't here yet, but he already has influence

Thanks to the family addition, Lizzy and I decided to make some home improvements. And since I'm the dad, I took it upon myself to try and do them all myself :)  That doesn't necessarily mean I KNOW how to do them, but I am gonna try as hard as possible before hiring a handyman to help.

Project #1 was revamping a closet in the baby's room, which was easy enough in theory...the problem was it expanded from just the closet to then removing all the carpet in the room and adding laminate wood flooring to match the rest of the upstairs. Let's just say it was slight learning curve. But mission accomplished! check out the progress and the final results of my first handyman project!

The mystery of a registry

When we reached 20 weeks, it came time to prepare the house for the arrival of our little guy, and Lizzy's friends began preparation for two baby showers. One in Miami with my side of the family, and one here in Austin. I fully respect the prep work that goes into preparing for a shower after hearing the details about what went into the Miami shower from my mother, but from the perspective of the guests of honor, we had little to do except the dreaded registry.

Obviously we are no strangers to registries since we did one for our wedding but this was completely different beast. Wedding registries are easy. Put some china, sheets, a set of cooking knives for me, and some pots on there and call it a day.

But a baby registry? Now this is tough. There are so many things that the stores claim are "essential" for your child. A crib, a bassinet, a side sleeper, a vibrating bunny chair, and on and on and on.  Do you really need a high chair for a child that won't need it for about a year? How about a pack-n-play AND a bassinet? Are they the same thing or interchangeable? How can you predict what the baby will like before he's even born? Truth is, you cannot possibly know. What's worse, if you ask ten couples, you will get ten different lists of essential gear.

At the end of the day we ended up putting a bunch of stuff on the registry and decided that we will sift through the mess after the showers are complete. I know one thing for sure though... We can't leave the hospital without something for the baby to wear, and a car seat to get him home.  Everything else is optional... for the first day. 

It's a boy! YES!!

So in all honesty I had no preference as to boy or girl, but the story behind it is why there was excitement in finding out.

During our visit with the sonographer, she claimed that you can tell up to an 80% accuracy based on the bone structure of the pelvic area. At 12 weeks and 5 days old, I was a bit skeptical to say the least considering. Either way, we let her give us her educated guess and you guessed it, she said girl.

So after her prediction, for the next 4 weeks Lizzy and I went around telling family and friends that we thought it was going to be a girl. My mother, excited for her first grandchild, even began buying clothing for baby girls. Hah! I was preparing mentally for the rest of my life and how I was going to handle things like her becoming a woman, boyfriends, and other things that I thought for sure were related to karma and all the stupid stuff I had done in the past. And I was ok with that.

When we finally went back for the "confirmation" sonogram, it was a family event. Along with Lizzy and myself, both my mother and father-in-law joined us for the sonogram. It was a packed house and we were all there prepared to receive confirmation that yes, it was a girl...Oh how the mood began to shift when the nurse began to hesitate and eventually said "I can't tell you with certainty. We are going to have to wait for the Doctor."  My heart was beginning to race as now I didn't know what to expect again!

Before the doctor entered the room, we put on some classic salsa music to get the baby moving, and it worked! Immediately after the doctor put the machine on Lizzy's belly, it was confirmed! BOY! I accidentally let out a small yell with excitement. What can I say? As a dad, you always hope to have the older brother to help you take care of the little girl who ends up being daddy's little girl in the long run.

I would have been more than excited either way, but now that we know it's a boy, the preparation for the room can begin. And my mom had to go exchange a bunch of stuff too.

It's going to be a long 40 weeks!

How do people stay sane and patient during a pregnancy??? With every passing day, a new piece of excitement enters me as the anticipation of our baby grows.

The craziest moment had to be after the first sonogram! I mean, how cool is it to see that little jelly bean and listening to the heartbeat?! Just knowing that my $h!t works is beyond me. But the second I actually saw that baby on screen, my ENTIRE perspective on life changed. No more meaningless spending and partying. Now it's time to consider 3 parties instead of just my wife and I.

I know I am 31 years old, but the first sonogram is the moment I really grew up. So, meet baby L.