baby stuff: graco pack and play in laguna bay

as a first time mommy, i didn't realize the abundance of things that a baby could possibly need (or not need). we live in a one bedroom co-op on the outer boroughs so space is a big issue for us. i decided very early on that we would not be getting a crib and that baby would actually be sleeping in a pack and play, also known as playards.

what's a pack and play? it's really just a portable crib. i remember when my brother was young he had one of these and it worked as his full-time crib as well as his daytime play area for when my mom wasn't able to watch him at all times. they are portable, foldable and smaller than a crib. with that said, it's not a perfect product; most have weight limits and depending on the one you pick, may not fully support the baby even under that weight limit.

the one on the right is the pack and play i ended up selecting - graco pack and play in laguna bay with infant napper and changing station. when picking pack and plays, there are many "additions" to choose from and it's not just the color of the pack and play. some come with nappers, others with mobiles and yet others come with full service organizing stations. i did a lot of research and felt that the newborn napper would be the most useful for us and thought that the laguna bay collection was a design that was neutral and pleasing to the eye.

we (or rather, k) spent about an hour or so setting up the pack and play the other day. and although it came with instructions, it's not super user friendly. it felt like ikea instructions, as in, there were a bunch of pictures that didn't always make sense.

in reading some of the reviews on the pack and plays, most parents noted that the mattresses were flimsy and not suitable for long-term sleeping arrangements, so i did some google searches and we also registered for the mamadoo mattress topper, which adds a few inches of firm support to the pack and play. it looks and feels great and i'm sure baby l will enjoy it, or at the very least, i'll feel better that he's sleeping on something with a lot more support.

up next, graco snugride 35 in laguna bay.

baby shower.

after almost two months of planning, our shower took place on november 13th. i spent all of saturday preparing food and most of sunday morning organize; i was super exhausted by the time it was even time for the shower, but it was definitely something that we really enjoyed.

everything came together beautifully in the end and the things that didn't, nobody knew about. as k noted, it really was like planning for a mini wedding!

my inspiration/theme for the shower was the favor i chose; when i first saw this, i knew immediately it was what i wanted to give our guests. it's a cute little caterpillar salt and pepper shaker. i looked all over the web for a few days and did a lot of comparison shopping to get the best price available since these little babies were around $4 each.

we decided to stick with green and blue colors in addition to the caterpillar theme. the food came out great; we had so much leftover that we didn't know what to do with it. the menu consisted of pigs in a blanket, pepperoni pinwheels, fried noodles, fried rice, potstickers (fried dumplings) and pork belly buns (gua bao). for dessert there was a green tea cheesecake, green tea cupcakes as well as homemade bottle and carriage shaped sugar cookies made by kenndy, which came out even better than i originally envisioned.

we played a few games and awarded some prizes. towards the end, we opened presents and all in all it was an absolutely exhausting but still extremely satisfying day.

the one big thing? WE FORGOT TO PASS OUT THE FAVORS BEFORE EVERYONE LEFT!!!! ugh. i spent a couple of days writing out my thank you cards and sending out the favors via fedex. i hope everyone got their favors in the mail!

currently: 33 weeks and 5 days
weight gained: approximately 20lbs

maternity shoot. maternity leave.

i had my maternity shoot two weeks ago and interestingly enough, one week to the next makes a huge difference in the third trimester. i wasn't showing a lot during that time, but now i'm like a washing machine. sleeping has been quite an ordeal with not being able to get into a comfortable spot, even with 4 pillows :( i've had to buy a new coat since most of my coats are just way too tight around the tummy area and i end up looking like a stuffed sausage. i guess if i had waited two more weeks i would've had a bigger belly in the pictures, but the photographer had suggested perhaps another shoot in a few weeks when he is in the area so i'm just waiting for him to get back to me on possible dates.

work has been relatively stressfree these couple of days. my maternity leave is already being discussed in earnest and a plan is forming for when i'm out. i'm a bit worried about when i come back and how things will be... i guess there is always job stability, plus whether or not i'll be able to keep my position as the lead once i'm back.

currently: 31 weeks
weight gained: approximately 18lbs