Mauldin's nursery is coming along...Of course, it isn't finished yet... not by a long shot; although, of course, we are having fun throwing around ideas of what we want in there...
We are a very ambitious couple... as you might can tell. We found some college pennants, from some not-so-well-known universities, that we thought it would be cool if Mauldin ended up with a scholarship to!
Sometimes we just stand in the room in total awwh because no matter how Laura's belly grows it just doesn't seem real until you see all the little clothes hanging in the closet. Of course, we have the ultrasound picture, but the real-ness just is not there yet. I am sure it is more real for, my wife, Laura, than I because she is the one waking up in the middle of the night due to Mauldin's nocturnal activities....
The nursery is beginning to come together and look like a room for a child, a very neat child, but a child none-the-less. We have been testing out all the toys ourselves lol, just to make sure they are safe of course!
Now we are not experienced parents... this is our first child and as much as we feel ready... this evening taught us we are still clueless when it comes to certain aspects to parenting. We probably will end up having this issue even when Mauldin is here... 
"Hey do you know if it is okay to (insert action regarding a newborn)?"
"Ummm... not sure, go look it up online!"
Yah, cause I know wikipedia is always such a great resource for child rearing.
Honestly though, Laura and I pulled out a blanket and tried to "swaddle" a mickey plush toy... Sorcerer Mickey to be exact. We were hoping his magical abilities would prove to be some help in assisting us in automatically knowing how to swaddle a baby. 
"Are you sure that's right," I said "it looks a little tight to me, you don't want to cut off his circulation!"
"Well, I don't know..." said Laura "you try it! I'm sure you will do it right, Mr. father of the century!"
We are really excited about our pending bundle of joy to join the Skates household... I just hope he doesn't mind having such crazy parents.
"Why did I end up with the parents who didn't know how to swaddle?"
We certainly are going to start making a list of "how do you's" when we see our families over the holidays.
7 comments:
No need to worry about swaddling we bought you a special blanket just for that. The room looks so cute I cant wait to see it.
Mandy
That's so cool! I can't believe he'll be around this time next year in the Thanksgiving and holiday fun! :-)
All the questions...no satisfying answers. If I pull my gaze away from the online porn...I mean, my work, and look up at the very top of my bookcase here in my study, I can see two very large books on baby care: "Baby and Child Care" by Charles Dobson,and...hmm, where did that other one go?
Anyway, it's right beside the other book that we used to treasure, "Natural health for Dogs & Cats."
I point this out to show you how quickly these so-called child rearing publications become useless;especially when you have the Internet with it's gajillions of REAL moms and dads with REAL experiences from which to draw advice and solace.
Enjoy the room decorating though. It has to be "just right."
I agree with the above comment. You'll learn more in your first few days than all the books in the world could tell you. Things like how hard do I slap her back to burp her, or hey, how to swaddle, are things you will learn and believe me, it WILL be something new every day.
We had to swaddle our daughter until she was seven months old and too big/strong for it to be effective. We swaddled the way we learned at pre-natal class for a few months until a cousin (who's a nurse at a children's hospital) came for an overnight visit. She swaddled our daughter so tight and so damn perfectly we almost held a parade in her honour.
So don't sweat the small things because even if you think you're right, you're still going to learn a different and/or better way, because no book can tell you how your baby will react to your actions. Just do what comes natural, enjoy every second and don't be afraid to ask for advice, because everyone has a trick or an experience to share!
E-
Our little guy's PCP is Dr.Google. When we first brought him home I googled everything, from how to get him to fart to how to get him off the boob. You guys will be great and if you have any questions, but are afraid to ask your circle of friends, I am here with the truth...
There are wonderful swaddle blankets you can buy just about anywhere. You just stick the baby in the middle and velcro the two sides! Perfect swaddle!!! :)
Enjoy the nursery decorating and pretend you don't know that it will never look the same once your kid actually lives in there.
Your post brought back so many memories. When I was pregnant, it hurt to imagine my darling baby sleeping in another room after spending so many months inside my belly. Now he's 20 months old and I wish the darned teething would end so I could get him out of my bed again!
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