in preparation for a baby i need. . . ?

bottles: Playtex Drop-ins. They do no contain BPA(a harmful chemical in other plastics)
3 8oz bottles
3 4oz bottles
3 extra nipples
Tons of liners

Pacifiers: need all 3 kinds, because it promotes sucking in newborns, ut each kid has certain ons they like.

Diapers: Pampers newborn swaddlers and then pampers cruzers

Burp Cloths: gerber cloth diapers, need a lot of these

Bibs: expect to go through 5-6 a day, buy the cheapy cotton ones that come 10 to a pack

Crib Sheets: need two sets if you are expecting to do laundry every other day, which you probably will need to.

*Get a sheet Saver, which is a thick pad that straps to the sides of a crib and can help catch spit up so you don't have to change the sheets everyday.

Play-pen: a portable one is ideal so you can move around the house with you.

Bouncer or swing: try to get the model that does both, even though it is extra because sometimes they like one and sometimes the other depending on their mood.

Swaddlers: help keep fussy newborns calmer.

Soft washclothes for the bath

Baby bath Tub: fisher price has a good one that supports really well.

Diaper cream: The BEST one is Triple Paste.

Tools: baby nail clipper, nasal aspirator, thermometer

Mattress pad liner for the crib

Wipes: always get unscented

**If you have a a water softner, you'll need to buy nursery water for the formula***

Lots of blankets - nothing fancy since they will end up with poop, pee, spit up and snot on them.

Monitor: The video one by Summer works well.

Dreft detergent

lots of onesies

socks with beading on the cuffs - these are the only ones that stay on.

2-3 Hats

Circumcision Supplies: 4x4 gauze cut in half, vasoline

Belly button Care: Alcohol swabs

bath supplies: no lavender scented ANYTHING.

Never use baby powder because it gets in the babies lungs.

the tree

33

a few weeks back i turned thirty-three. no big deal, really (except it's the hobbit coming-of-age). however, these past several weeks i've felt older and older. you know, baggy skin, circles under eyes, creaking joints. . . hopefully i'll overcome this new oldness, or at least learn to accept it.

i don't know what it is. . .

but his lyrics always get stuck in my head:

The mind has so many pictures
Why can't I sleep with my eyes open?
The mind has so many memories
Can you remember what it looks like when I cry?

spirit of racine

half i.m. time (my best yet, but my run should've been much better! here's to next year. . .)

swim: 35:27
trans1: 2:48
bike: 2:32:01 (22.1 mph)
trans2: 2:58
run: 2:09:11 (9:52 pace)

total: 5:22:25 (464/1256)

down with "conventional wisdom"! (or another annoying rant)

. . . so, yesterday in the whirlpool at the gym, some guy mentions that he's participating in the "jewish triathlon," that is -- steam, whirlpool, shower. at first i thought he said "douche's triathlon," to which i chuckled politely. (i don't know why, but maybe it had to do with the fact that we were both naked.)

but. he then clarifies by saying: it's okay, his jewish friend told him that. "oh," i think "jewish triathlon. is that funny?"

the more i thought about it, the more the comment bothered me. first off, why does it make it okay to spout off some thinly-veiled racist remark just because some idiot friend of yours said it? second, what does that even mean? (jews enjoy bathing more than others, or that they're lazier, or that they can't do sports?? i'm confused.) third, how did the guy know i wasn't jewish myself? was he trying to mark his territory, assert his anglo-saxon god-given authority all over my semitic ass?

now, i'm less bothered by the "un-p.c." nature of this comment, than the sheer fundamental premise of jokes like this. . . they tend to support a culture that never questions "conventional wisdom." i myself am a fan of never accepting an idea simply because every other idiot thinks it's true. (look at saddam and the weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the current war or the unexplainable best-seller that was the da vinci code.) everytime that joke is told, whatever stereotypes are behind it become further entrenched in our collective psyche. ick.

my points (if there are any): things can be funny or true without attributing entire behavioral characteristics onto an entire group of people. . . also, truth has very little to do, in most circumstances, with over-generalizations. think for yourself, and don't accept "givens" as true without question. as our country is all too aware these days, that kind of failure of thought can get us in a lot of trouble.

ah, springtime in chicago. . .

(from the chicago tribune)