avocado8

Things I've Been Doing Over the Past Week Instead of Blogging

1. Cleaning up the house and changing sheets on the guest bed in preparation for a brief visit from the baby's godmother (my friend Sandra).
2. Buying a video camera (it's required when you have kids).
3. Attending (with godmother in tow) the baby shower my sister threw for Al and me at her house in Maryland. (My sister really outdid herself, I must say. Fabulous gig.)
4. Picking up essential items that we didn't receive as gifts at the shower (we specifically asked that the shower not be about getting gifts, but people got us some awesome —and much-needed—stuff anyway). What we still needed, and bought on Sunday with the Babies 'R Us gift card Sandra gave us: A changing pad, a diaper bag, some more receiving blankets, layette gowns, and a couple other random things.
5. Washing zillions of onesies and baby socks, crib sheets, receiving blankets, burp cloths, no-scratch mittens, and layette gowns.
6. Buying diapers.
7. Stocking the freezer with Smart Ones, the frozen grilled chicken sandwiches Al likes, and the Alvarado St. Bakery multigrain bread we both love; the pantry with casserole fixins (pasta, condensed soup, canned salmon) and canned fruit; and the closet with cleaning supplies for my mom.
8. Peeing every five minutes.
9. Framing and hanging the final photos, subway maps, and Paddington Bear drawings for the baby's room. (It's a travel-themed nursery.)
10. Mulling over the proposed platform for my new political party.
11. Addressing Christmas cards (which will double as birth announcements this year).
12. Writing thank-you notes.
13. Watching football. (I have Ben Roethlisberger, Jerome Bettis, and my personal favorite, Hines Ward, on my fantasy football roster, so I was thrilled to see the Steelers whup the Eagles this weekend. Sorry, Philadelphia.)
14. Staring at the Pack 'N Play at the foot of our bed (and the baby swing and bouncy seat in the living room, the stroller frame in the dining room, and the car seat in—where else?—the car) and feeling a mix of excitement, fear, and horror. OH MY GOD, WE'VE BECOME TWO OF THOSE PEOPLE. WE HAVE BECOME BREEDERS.
15. Getting outside as much as possible during the day to combat the depression that's descending on me as the days get shorter and the belly gets bigger.
16. Planning all my trips up and down the stairs so I never have to go from the basement to the third floor in a single shot.
17. Trying to find a nightgown I can stand. (I've been advised to bring my own to the hospital, since the hospital gowns are awful, but I find that I'm not really a nightgown person.)
18. Thinking about packing my bag for the hospital, but not actually packing it.