26 weeks

This is the last week of the second trimester! I can not believe we're going to be holding this little guy in three months.

At least we're getting prepared. Last week Jay and I ran the registration gauntlet at Babies R Us and Target. I was prepared for the worst, having heard terrible things about Babies R Us and its mounds and mounds of plastic crap. And thankfully, it wasn't bad at all. The trouble with stores like Babies is that they carry every thing you could possibly want and many many things that you can't possibly need. You need to go in there with a list and ignore everything else. We came armed with our Excel spreadsheet and we were in and out of there in two hours, fully registered. We made a quick trip to Target, mainly for baby-cleaning staples and clothing - their baby section is highly manageable.

Two big complaints:
1) Babies R Us displays its wares by brand, instead of product category. There are large loose categories (feeding, sleeping, etc.) but within each broad category items are grouped by brand. So you go to the feeding section and all the Gerber pacifiers are with all the other Gerber feeding products, all the Nuks are with the Nuk stuff, and so on. Very difficult to comparison shop and not very helpful when trying to make sure you get exactly what you want.

2) The people at that store need to be trained to look men in the eye. I was asked several times if I needed any help and, even though he was usually standing right next to me, no one addressed Jay. It was like he was the Invisible Man. Pair that experience with the fact that the baby-changing room is labeled "Mother's Room" in a big colorful sign - as if men don't change babies or ever go anywhere without the mothers of their respective children - and it's easy to see why men lose interest in baby supplies. They aren't marketed to, they aren't helped. As a feminist it's always interesting to find those instances where the gender hierarchy is flipped - and they're usually examples that illustrate why flipping an existing hierarchy is no better than reinforcing it.

Anyway, we did it. My dear friends Jamie and Laura are throwing me a baby shower at the end of March, which I am so excited about. The best thing about my bridal shower last year was not the gifts, but rather the camaraderie - I expect that this shower will bring similar good feelings. And a belly dance lesson.

Now that I have finished my literature review (pending revisions) I have a bit more time on my hands. So earlier this week I went to the yarn store and picked up some yarn to make this darling hat for our little man. This here is a little guy named Huck, the son of the pattern-maker who graciously posted his or her free pattern on the interwebs. Ours will be deep blue with a bright green stripe. Super cute and very easy to make.

In other news, we have picked a name! But we're not telling, so don't ask. We have to keep some secrets around here. But we're very excited and happy to have picked something that we both love.

And finally, here are pictures of me, taken today. Pardon the bags under my eyes, but I am still not sleeping well. We bought a new humidifier and some Breathe Right strips and I'm hoping either of them will help me to not wake up all night because either I can't breathe or my nose itches terribly. I'm trying to look at it as physical conditioning for when Mr. Secret Name shows up.