Looks like I picked the wrong week...

Tales from the Bedpan - Vol.3

2011-01-28T08:54:00.002-06:00

So now it is the end of January and I have my first two weeks of nursing school under my belt. I LOVE IT! So far we have only had lecture and lab, because we have to learn some crap before they set us free at clinical to actually touch real patients. My clinical/lab section only has 8 people, which is kind of nice. My lab partner is a 22 year old guy, but he's lots of fun and a good sport about getting me as his lab partner. My teacher is also super cool. It is a different perspective for me to have a teacher who has actually worked in the field for many years doing what she is now teaching. Most teachers I've had have all made a career of being teachers and I think there is a different style that goes with that. She has also been teaching a number of years, so she isn't brand new and trying to fit into that teacher role.

Thus far we've covered doing a head to toe physical assessment and administering oral and topical medications. Pretty basic stuff, but you have to start somewhere. Next week we are covering parenteral medications or, in layman's terms, injections.

Tales from the Bedpan - Vol. 2

2011-01-05T14:55:00.002-06:00

The day is finally (almost) here! Yesterday I had my orientation and drug screening for nursing school. I am giddy with anticipation, excitement and nerves! We spent the better part of six hours going over introductions, what to expect, where to be, what to wear, what to do (and not do) and what to bring. We got to hear from the director of nursing, several of the teachers, some graduates and some current 3rd and 4th semester students. This is going to be a long, time-consuming effort, but hopefully much more rewarding in the end. So, $500+ and 50lbs of books later, I am ready to begin my first sememster...and already have a bunch of homework to complete before class actually starts on the 18th!

C'mon, vamonos!

2010-10-28T14:06:00.004-05:00

"Everybody let's go! C'mon let's get to it! I know that you can do it!"

Oh, Dora! Dora! Dora! You bossy little explorer! having a son, I never thought you'd enter my life and now that song is STUCK. IN. MY. HEAD.

It all started with a Diego (from Go Diego, Go! A.K.A - Dora's cousin) toothbrush! Who knew a child who was never exposed to television or these characters would become so attached to one on his dental hygine equipment.

I finally let my son start watching episodes of Diego (which comes right after Dora). They also make guest appearances on each other's show. Now I am intimate with lyrics such as, "Click! Take a pic!" and "Backpack! Backpack! Backpack! Backpack!" and "Rescue Pack! Comin' to the rescue!"

I am also embracing the Spanish vocabulary I am learning from these shows! So, "C'mon Vamonos! Everybody let's go!"

Tales from the Bedpan - Vol. 1

2010-10-18T14:22:00.002-05:00

This is it! The first installment of what I hope is an ongoing project through my retirement. It started some number of years ago when I first went away to college. For watever reason I thought pharmacy was a good choice, but, long story short, it was not the right choice for me. I ended up changing majors and going in to nursing and psychology. I have always had a fascination with what makes people tick, and felt that I would like to help those who have mental issues. I wanted to be a psychiatric nurse. Well, lots of bad grades from pharmacy school along with a fairly decent career opportunity led me to 1) not get into the clinical part of nursing school 2) a degree in only psych and 3) an almost 15 year career in IT.

The honeymoon is over and the bubble is bursting. IT jobs are now being sent to India, and positions here are being filled with Indian consultants. I was not given the training to do my job adequately, as was promised when I took this position, and I am maxed out with frustration. In addition to needing to ensure I have a career to help support my family, I needed a change from the cubicle-world I've been existing in. The threat of losing my job to a third world country was enough to motivate me into pursing going back to school to finish my nursing education.

Fortunately my time spent in pharmacy school along with the classes I'd already taken for nursing and my psych degree were still usable. I only had to take the Certified Nursing Assistant class and get on the registry along with the NLN Pre-RN Entrance Exam. This past summer I became a CNA and got in the 99th percentile across the board on my entrance exam. I have been accepted into the RN program starting in January 2011 and turned in my intent to attend this morning along with my proof of residency.

Tales from the Bedpan will be my ongoing experience through nursing school and hopefully on to a happy and fufilling career!

Do the Needful

2010-08-05T08:28:00.002-05:00

AKA, "A Day in the Life of my Inbox".

My company is in the process of doing some major outsourcing and off-shoring of IT work and my department is next on the chopping block. So far much of the programming work has already been sent overseas, mainly to India. It's been pretty frustrating, but I just had to laugh the other day when I was looking at my email inbox and noticed there are very few American-sounding names anymore. Many I cannot pronounce; most I don't even bother to try. Here is a list of names from my email for one day:

Nitin
Raju
Cibin
Manuela
Deepak
Amandeep
Roshni
Pritiman
Felipe
Santhanakrishnan
Tatyana
Joe
Deek
Bin
Timothy
James
Erteza
Valentina
Jeff
Fuad
Roti
Eva
Sanjay
Prudhvi
Rasoul
Asim
Amit
Paritosh
Goutam
Nagarjuna
Ravi
Alekh
Thoreau
Benita
Sapna
Subodh

'Nuff said.

The squeaky wheel wins again

2009-12-14T09:01:00.003-06:00

I'm all about being the squeaky wheel these days. In the past, I would've accepted whatever crap people dished out, but not any more! More specifically, I'm talking customer service. If I'm paying for something, whether it be a product or a service, I expect to get what I paid for, with no BS.

I know I've ranted about customer service before. My last post was about my dealings with the Chicago Tribune. I've received some follow-up.

In addition to sending a letter to the collection agency that was coming after me, stating why I would not be paying for the paper that I did not want to receive, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

On a side note, people should get acquainted with their local BBB. It is a great resource, not only to file complaints when something doesn't go right, but to look for good businesses in your area. I'm totally a fan.

So, back to the Tribune complaint. I got a response today. They are going to "clear my account" as well as notify the collection agency that we're all good. There was one jab that this was still all my fault, but I'm over it. The response from the Trib included the statement that there is a line in their billing that the paper would continue unless they were otherwise informed. That line was not on my original order, and in addition the man who came to my door specifically told me that I didn't have to do anything else!

Whatever. I'm done with the paper. I didn't have to pay for their mistake (or mine). Another satisfied customer.

Do NOT order the Chicago Tribune, even for charity!

2009-12-04T10:40:00.004-06:00

I never would have though the Chicago Tribune would equate to AOL on the annoyance scale! This is my story of the on-going drama revolving around my experience with the Chicago Tribune.

Early this year a man came to my home selling subscriptions to the Trib for charity, 8-weeks for $20. I'm really not a big newspaper person. In fact, I get all of my news from the TV or the internet and most newspapers seem to make their way from my driveway to the recycle bin without ever being released from their narrow plastic sleeves. Since this was for charity, it was $20 and I could deal with throwing away 8 weeks of newspapers, I signed up. I was told if I wanted to continue my subscription, that I could call and/or they'd just send me a bill to renew, but if not, the papers would stop coming after 8 weeks and I had to do nothing more.

I didn't count the weeks I received the paper, but it was more than 8 weeks. My renewal letter came, but since I wasn't interested, I threw it out. Eventually the papers stopped, but that's when the nightmare began!

A couple weeks after I stopped receiving my paper, a guy from the Trib calls to "inform me" that my subscription has stopped (Umm...thanks. I hadn't noticed!) and he could get that re-started for me for some really low price. I told him I was not interested, and only signed up becasue it was for charity. He then let me know that I received the paper "beyond my 13-week subscription" so I had a balance due.
Excuse me!? Back up a minute there!

First of all, I had an 8-week subscription, not 13 weeks. Secondly, THEY continued to send the papers to my house without my request to do so. Now they want ME to pay THEM? I graciously declined and gently told him to suck it.

He recommended I call customer service "so these calls will stop". I asked what he meant, as this was the first call that I had received of such a nature. He told me any future calls. Little did I know!

I placed a call to the Tribune's customer serve-less. I explained my whole tale, and although I didn't have my receipt from the original order, nor my account number from my latest bill, I was told the matter would be looked into and I would receive a call back. That never happened.

About a month later I received another call from someone trying to collect. Before this person even got through their request for more of my money, I laid into him telling him that I've already talked to 2 people about it, I wasn't paying and if they wanted their $32.25 for THEIR MISTAKE, they should call Lamb's Farm and take it from the poor, Down's Syndrome people that I was trying to help in the first place!

Apparently that was the wrong answer, too, because they turned me over to a collection agency! That's right...for $32.25, my credit is going to take a hit because the Tribune Co. SUCKS! I received a letter stating that I would have to pay the $32.25 or they would "obtain a copy of a judgement and mail me a copy of such judgement". I'm wondering how such "judgement" can be ordered without me ever being able to present MY side of the story before a "judge". Sounds like shady, debt collector scare-tactics to me.

Anyway, so I had 30 days to respond, in writing, to the collection agency. I, AGAIN, wrote out this story, explaining why I have not, should not, and will not pay this $32.25, as well as filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Even though they have an A rating with the BBB, I am apparently not the first person this has happened to.

Now I wait. Wait for the collection agency to negotiate with the Trib, I assume. And, wait for the Trib to respond to the BBB complaint.

To be continued...

Two Thumbs Up for Office Max

2009-06-17T07:19:00.005-05:00

I am a big fan of customer service. Not the kind where salespeople hover over you like a petty thief ready to strike, but just good, bona fide service....and a little sucking up here and there doesn't hurt either. Likewise, nothing turns me off more than poor customer service. I will go out of my way to avoid a place that treats me badly...and I will let everyone I know know about that experience as well. I believe word of mouth is the best (or worst) advertising a place can have and, while the product may be good, if the service is bad, people remember, and tell other people. I spent around 5 years working in retail (in the pharmaceutical sector) while in college and know first hand the difference a little extra effort can make. I have several examples of poor customer service which I plan on sharing (as a public service to let people know to avoid those places), but this is a story of good customer service.

One of my new favorite stores is Office Max. In the last couple of months I've purchased an entire office ensemble (credenza, hutch, bookshelf, desk and file), two office chairs and some other general office doo-dads. Actually, the furniture I ordered online, but visited a store prior to making my purchase. Each time I was greeted by friendly, helpful staff. I explained my purpose for being in their store and was left to browse at my leisure, but still had salespeople easily accessible to answer any questions I had...and they did with great knowledge of their products.

One thing I really like about Office Max is their delivery policy. Anything over $50 is free delivery, which really makes a big difference in service in my opinion. Too many times I've made a big purchase then had to suck up another $75-$150 in delivery fees on top of my purchase and taxes. Because of this policy, I would probably buy something that is a little more expensive here because I feel this is a benefit that is worth it. On top of that, Office Max's delivery times are awesome! When I ordered the furniture, I got a confirmation that it would ship in 1-3 days. They delivered in 2 days! When I ordered my chairs, they were delivered the very next day!

I don't always have a need for lots of office supplies, but Office Max has lots of great stuff for the home office at reasonable prices, with excellent sale prices and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Office Max, you're doing it right and I want people to know that!

You down with OC(P)D?

2009-05-14T13:10:00.003-05:00

I'm an armchair shrink. I like to "diagnose" people, although I hold no special license to do so. My college roommate and I started doing this in our Abnormal Psychology class. I think we were able to assign someone we knew to every condition we studied.

I come across some characters in my day-to-day life and like to continue this tradition. I bet I'm not far off, either! In recent conversations with various people I've become aware that I have more and more little quirks and have decided I have (among other things, I'm sure) OCPD in some form.

OCPD is Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. In a nutshell, this is a condition where a person has an obsession with perfection, rules and organization. This differs from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in that it does not involve fear or dread that something bad will happen if the "thing" is not done right. OCD is also associated with the person having rituals they must perform or something bad will happen. OCPD just causes the sufferer anxiety. One with OCPD could be called anal-retentive.

I started to consider all the things I'm anal about or all the goofy things that I do that others just shake their head at me about and came up with this list:

1) Money must face the same direction and be stacked in denomination order, lowest on the top. I think this probably started because I spent time working in retail and had to handle cash. I had a manager (who was probably also OCPD) and insisted on the bills being faced. In all honesty, it actually does make counting a drawer MUCH easier! Now, whenever we go out to lunch, my co-workers always just hand me the money and let me deal with it because I have made comments so many times about the money not being properly faced when paying a bill. I s'pose it really doesn't matter...but it does bother me if it's all mixed up.

2) Everything must be in alphabetical/numerical order. Check out my bookshelf, CD or DVD collection sometime. Or see #1. 'Nuff said.

3) Everything on a dining table should be straight. Almost immediately after sitting down in a restaurant I will line up (or arrange in some manner) any condiments that may be on the table, along with the salt/pepper shakers, sweetener packets, etc. I will also straighten out my place setting, silverware, and any glasses that may be on the table. It's okay once we start eating if things get moved around, but when I first sit, everything should be lined up perfectly.

4) I count stairs. Actually, I count a lot of things, but everytime I go up or down stairs, I count. In my head...I don't want everyone to think I'm looney!

5) I weave in and out of the dotted lines on the road when I drive (with my eyes). This, above everything else, makes me crazy! I don't want to do this and I cannot stop. Whenever I'm in the car (as the driver or a passenger) and there are dashed lines, I slalom in and out in my head. I wish all roads had solid lines all the time so I didn't have to do this.

6) My food cannot touch. There are far too many rules to explain this and there are many exceptions that I also cannot explain. I could probably write a book on my eating issues. But, in general, I like my food in separate piles on my plate and I don't like them to mix. Visualize a picnic plate with sections...that's how I like my food...on a regular plate. People who mash food with other food make me ill.

7) Food must be eaten in order. This goes along with #6. I don't like the food to mix in my mouth either. I will eat all of one thing before I even taste something else. For example, I will eat all of my veggies, then all of my rice, then all of my meat...never a bite here and a bite there.

8) Food must be eaten in layers when able to do so. This one makes my mom crazy. She though I would've outgrown this...and at 35 I'm still going strong. For example...lasagna. I will scrape off the sauce on the top first and eat that. Then eat the layer of pasta. Then eat the layer of cheese. Then eat the next layer of pasta. I also eat the toppings of my pizza before eating the crust. The more I can pick food apart, the better.

9) Colored candy must be eaten in groupings. This includes M-n-Ms, Skittles, Starburst, jelly beans, or anything else that comes in packets with lots of colors. If I'm able to, I will pour out my candy on a desk or table and physically separate them by color...then eat them in this order: Green, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Red, (if they're fruit flavored). I do this because I like the purple and red flavors the best so I save them for last.

10) I have to push all the dots on the lids of fast food cups. It's like bubble wrap. I can't help it. I will push all my dots and usually anyone else I'm with if they haven't already done so.

I know there are other things that I do that would also fall under the OCPD umbrella, but this is good for now. You get the idea...I got a little bit of the crazy going on, but it hasn't consumed my life and it doesn't hurt anyone. It keeps things interesting!

Demise of my Grand Prix

2009-04-29T14:25:00.002-05:00

I got my Grand Prix when Pontiac was doing their "Wider is Better" campaign. They had just redesigned it. It came with 17 inch wheels and it was wider than most cars for a more stable ride, especially around corners. It handled so well and was fun to drive. I remember my mom used to get all upset when I told her I was "playing NASCAR".

I didn't really want to get rid of it, however I had a lot of problems with that car. Now, all my Toyota and Honda-driving friends gave me crap constantly, but I honestly don't believe the problem was with my American car. For starters, I think within the first 3 months of owning that car I had to have the engine replaced. I don't remember what the issue was, but it was so new that the dealer did want to mess with trying to fix it and just replaced the engine. It was fine after that until I took it in for some routine maintenance. Suddenly, and for no reason at all, my car would intermittently stall. It was completely not reproducible, but happened at the most inopportune times...usually when I was in the middle of the intersection making a left turn. I kept taking it back to the dealer. They would either say they found something and fixed it, or most of the time, it wouldn't even do it for them, so they'd give it back to me.

After about 3 years of this, I decided when my warranty was expired I would be getting a new car. I refused to pay for continual repairs on a car when nothing ever got fixed. Around this time GM announced they were going to be reintroducing the GTO. My dad would always talk of his Judge from back in the day and even has a few little models of it. GM said they were going to be putting the Corvette engine in the new GTO. I was sold. I decided come spring I would get a GTO with a manual transmission. I had learned to drive stick from a boyfriend when I was 15. It had been a while, but I was confident I could pick it back up. I figured if I got it in the spring, I'd have a good 6-8 months before I had to worry about snow and by then I'd be a pro.

Now, in my opinion, this is where GM's demise began, in 2003. They had the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot and failed...miserably! They were supposed to be introducing this new, hot muscle car. A classic! At a time when many of the American car companies were re-introducing their classics. There was an entire generation who were teenagers when these cars were originally popular, and now they were newly retired. Plus a whole new generation of drivers who would've jumped on board. Instead, GM steals a model from their Austrailian line of cars (which looked just like the Olds Alero), put a Corvette engine in it and stuck a GTO label on it! What a waste!

I got one look at that and it didn't matter if they were nearly giving them away...I wasn't interested. I did still stick with GM, but decided to enter the world of soccer moms and get an SUV. In 2003, still having problems with my Grand Prix, I traded it in and walked off the lot wtih a GMC Envoy.

I love my Envoy. I'm sad for GM's collapse (not so much for the execs and unions who caused this mess). There's a good chance, even if GM survives, that this will be my last GM vehicle. I would totally buy another Envoy, but not if there is no company behind it. So, so long Pontiac and so long GM.

Pontiac Memories

2009-04-28T14:59:00.002-05:00

So yesterday GM announced after 83 years they are doing away with their Pontiac division. I was a bit surprised that THAT would be the section they would cut, considering they've also got Buick, Saturn, Saab and Hummer under their realm. I no longer own a Pontiac, and don't even know that I would buy another in the future, but I was still a little sad to see it go.

My parents have had several Pontiacs when I was growing up. I remember "old brown", the huge 1970-something Grand Prix. It was huge...and brown. It had a bench seat in the front AND the back. And did I mention it was HUGE!? Then I think there was another Grand Prix. My mom had a 6000 at one point, too. That one wasn't such a winner.

My first car was a 1987 Grand Am...dark red. My parents got it for me for my 16th birthday. I actually got it 3 months before my birthday because my mom and I were taking a road trip to Northern Wisconsin so I could go to homecoming with a guy I had met at summer camp a few years earlier (yeah, that's another story). I was on my permit and my mom let me drive...my dad's 1980-something Cadillac El Dorado. (My dad had a thing for HUGE cars!) Long story short, there was an accident (thru no fault of my own)...dad's Caddy was totalled. They had just bought my Grand Am, which my dad had to take out of storage to come pick us up in (and he ended up driving until he got a new car). So, my Sweet 16 gift, and first Pontiac, was a constant reminder that I had totalled my dad's first Cadillac!

My first car had been such a good car, when it came time to get my next one, I got another Grand Am. I belive it was a brand new 1993...green. I wanted the GT version, but my dad didn't want me to have it because he said I would speed. Moi, speed? Sheeya! Since my parents were co-signing, I had to oblige. I don't remember a whole lot about that car. I liked it, but a few years after they re-designed the Grand Prix...and I REALLY liked that.

In 1998 I bought my Grand Prix...green. This time I ended up with the GT version. I wanted the GTP, and I was flying solo. I could get what I wanted! Unfortunately, I wanted a green car more than I wanted the GTP. I was at the end of production for the one year, and they hadn't started production on the next year yet. I could either take what was available, take a different color or wait for the next year's model, and risk paying more. I opted for the available GT. All I really wanted was a green Grand Prix, with a moon roof. GM doesn't offer cars in an option by option manner, so that is how I ended up with the model that had ALL the options...because that is the one that the moon roof came on. Leather heated seats, heads-up display. I LOVED that car...and that is why to this day I will not buy another car that does not come with leather heated seats.

The demise of the Grand Prix...to be continued...

Stuff I learned about stuff you need for baby - Part 2

2009-04-24T15:05:00.003-05:00

This is the second part to my other post about items I'd recommend adding to your baby registry and items you could live without, based on my own experiences and what people recommended to me.

Stuff You Could Live Without:

1) Diaper Genie (or any special diaper pail) - I did not get this because of such strong opinions from many people. It's expensive and it's a pain. I got a smallish can with a good lid. One of those that you step on the pedal to open, so it's essentially hands-free. Use those plastic bags you get from the grocery store to line it (and put a Stick-Up in the lid) and take it out to your trash every night. No smell, no mess, very little cost, even less hassle.

2) Bottle parts containers for the dishwasher - I got these little basket thingies for the dishwasher for my bottles (Dr. Brown's bottles have lots of part). They are more trouble than they are worth. Unless you run your dishwasher EVERY DAY or have a dozen or more bottles, you will rarely use these. Suck it up, get a good bottle brush (Dr. Brown's comes with a mini brush to clean their parts) and wash the old fasioned way. *As a side note, which I didn't include in my Must Have post...get a bottle drying rack for your counter.

3) Burp Cloths - Go with the plain diaper cloths. Burp cloths are not as absorbent, they're smaller and just really not that practical...and much more expensive per item than a big pack of cloth diapers.

4) Baby hats - A lot of outfits come with them. Babies look cute in them, but unless it's the middle of winter and you're going outside they are completely unnecessary. They will leave one on your baby at the hospital for the first couple of days, but after that they are not needed. Like I said before, babies lack the cooling mechanism that adults have becuase they just lay there. You don't walk around the house in a hat, they don't need to either. Hopefully your nurse or doctor will tell you that in the hospital. I see so many people go out in the middle of summer with hats on their babies and wrapped in blankets. I just want to unwrap them and tell the parents they are suffocating their children!

5) Bottle sterilizers - Unless you live in Crestwood and your water is going to kill you, this is no longer a necessary practice. Wash with hot water and regular dish soap (antibacterial, if you must)....air dry. Voila!

6) Bottle warmers - unless you are going to continually give your baby warm formula (and good luck with that when you are out), this is also not necessary. All you are doing is creating a picky eater. It doesn't matter if the formula is warm, cold or room temperature, as long as it's consistent. If you start off with warm, you may have issues later (when you are out and cannot heat) with feeding.

7) Baby washcloths - Other than for the face, these are more trouble than they are worth. It's hard enough to keep control of a wiggling baby in water without trying to also soap up a washcloth and use it. You can use a regular washcloth on baby's face and soap and water on your hands is sufficient to wash baby.

8) Nasal Bulb - Unless this comes as part of a whole first aid kit, don't buy one. I am willing to bet that you will never use it, but the hospital will give you one (probably better than anything you could buy in a store anyway) when you check out.

9) Baby mitts - Get yourself a good pair of baby nail clippers instead and keep those nails trimmed. Your little one will learn to pull these things off DAY ONE! Swaddle with baby's arms down at the sides. Or, they also make long sleeve t-shirts, Onsies and sleepers with sleeves that flip over the hands at the ends. Those are priceless!

10) I can't really think of a 10th item.

These are all things I've learned from my experience or were strongly recommended to me. I am sure there are those who would disagree with me and everyone is free to raise their children however they want. I found a lot of people's tips helpful, and hopefully I can now pass on some of that knowledge I've acquired in the last 10 months.

Stuff I learned about stuff you need for baby

2009-04-24T08:27:00.004-05:00

When I was pregnant everyone was all full of advice. Some of it was good, some of it I ignored. I did receive a lot of good tips about products to use and products to avoid. My friend Kiera is now expecting and, since I'm still within my first year of having a baby, I wanted to compile a list of things I found useful and things I probably could have left off of my registry because they were just more trouble than they were worth. So, for Kiera, and anyone else having a baby...

Stuff That is a Must Have:

1) Receiving Blankets - you can never have too many of these. Babies leak. They pee. They drool. They spitup. Fortunately mine did none of these, but I still used a lot of blankets. For the first couple of months, baby does nothing but sleep and they sleep more soundly when swaddled...plus they're much easier for a new mom to carry when you don't have arms and legs all over the place. You will become a pro at swaddling and unless you want to do laundry every day (which you probably will the first couple of weeks anyway) you will want a lot of these!

2) Cloth diapers - See #1. Not for use as diapers, but for spitup and general messes. They are great rags, very absorbent and you don't feel bad about getting them messy because there are no cute chicks or ducks or lambs on them. Perfect for use as a burp cloth or extra cover on a changing pad...or if you have a boy, to cover his stuff while changing.

3) Dr. Brown's bottles - Lots of them! These bottles have a mechanism to eliminate the amount of air baby swallows when feeding. Less air, less gas and discomfort and unhappiness. I got this recommendation from several people who tried other bottles first and made the change with terrific results. And fortunately Dr. Brown's makes glass bottles which was a must in my household. Oh, and I say lots, because initially baby eats often! I would say at least 6 of the small size and 6 of the large size, at minimum!

4) T-shirts and Onsies - All those cute little outfits that come in 0-3 size are nice to have, but not so practical. You're better off spending your money on clothing in the 9-12 month range when your child will actually be out and about and wearing real clothing. The first almost 4-6 months baby will be sleeping, eating, peeing and pooping. Summer babies can get by with a t-shirt (or Onsie) and a diaper. They don't have the cooling mechanism that adults have, so this is enough for them (especially when swaddled to sleep) and you will completely understand after changing your first 50 diapers...the first day home from the hospital.

5) Bibs - You cannot have enough of these, especially once baby starts teething. They become drooling machines and will go through like 20 bibs a day!

6) Walgreens Petroleum Jelly with Shea Butter - The one that has a brown lid...I don't know that Vaseline even makes this stuff. It's a Walgreens brand item. It is perfect for EVERY diaper change. Smear liberally all over baby's butt (in the crack, too) and around other sensitive areas. Protects against diaper rash, smells nice and keeps baby's bottom so soft. Perfect for your own dry skin, too (i.e. Your feet after a fresh pedicure!)

7) Boudreaux's Butt Paste 1 lb. jar - This is the only diaper rash treatment you will ever need. In 10 months we have only ever used this ONE jar. Most of the time all we've used is #6, but sometimes baby's bottom started to get irritated, so instead we'd use Boudreaux's for one or two diapers and it would be cleared up. I think the main thing is to check your baby and change as soon as you know they are wet (my guy didn't like being wet, so he'd let us know immediately), but sometimes overnight their skin can get irritated. We found that we eliminated the problem by using the petroleum jelly during the day and Boudreaux's at night and whenever we saw the start of irritation. Oh, and this stuff smells wonderful, too!

8) Glider/rocker of some sort - I had only registered for a swing and a vibrating rocker. Thank God for the girl who has my name (had I taken my husband's last name) and registered for the Fisher Price Soothing Motions Glider! I feel bad for her because a couple of my people bought some really cool items she had registered for, because they looked at the wrong name! (I'm assuming she didn't receive any of these items...Sorry.) This glider rotated to go front/back or side/side and my son LOVED IT! I could put him in it, and he'd be asleep in less than 5 minutes. I think this was his favorite over the swing or rocker.

9) Johnson's Bedtime Bath or equivalent - This is the J&J stuff that comes in the purple bottle. Every store has it's own brand - I've been told Target's version is the best. I don't usually believe when products say things like 'Clinically Proven' because I'm sure it's just a marketing ploy, but after one use of this stuff I swore by it! Around 6 weeks I tried it, and the first time my baby slept through the night. I thought it was a coincidence, but after a week of successful use, I'm a believer. Bath. Bottle. Bed. That's how we roll.

10) Safety 1st Tub Kneeler - To anyone raised Catholic knows the value of a good kneeler. Once baby learns to kick and splash, you're going to want to move the baby tub into your big tub (or just bathe baby in the big tub if he's a swimmer like mine is!) . This kneeler not only protects your knees, but your elbows/stomach as well...has storage pouches for shampoo and stuff (which I've never used, but it's there) and it converts into a step stool. Multi-functional and comfortable.

Stuff you don't need to bother with to be continued....

Starting Over...Again

2009-04-24T07:56:00.002-05:00

I want to write. I've tried. I've started journals and this is my third go around here. My problem is that every time I start, I suddenly have nothing to write about. So, I'm going at this with a different approach now. I've got a clean slate again. It will be like New Year's Day all over!

I'm going to try to do a better job of keeping up with this. If I can log in daily (sometimes multiple times a day) to update my Facebook status I can certainly find something meaningful to say.

So, with that...away we go again...