InMadison's Profile

A dishwasher (we installed one a few years after we saved for a mini kitchen update) and a garage.

We eat dinner together most nights. I do my best to get home before my husband and daughter (3 y/o) to get started on dinner. If the weather is OK, they head to the playground for a bit until it's done. It's her job to set the table, we eat together, and then move on to other activities - swimming lessons, exercising, etc.

I agree that I like this trend. I watch most of my "TV" on my laptop, and we have our TV on a dresser, which serves as storage. Living in a small space, we don't want to commit to a large piece of furniture. Hooray for downsizing!

I drive by this house every week and have always admired it. Fun to get a sneak peek on the inside! Wonderful - truly wonderful. Let me know if you ever want to sell :)

I'm echoing others' comments, but from friends in the NICU:
- gift cards to local restaurants
- cleaning service
- payment for a babysitter if other children are there
- Check out mealbaby.com - it's a great site that helps organize meals, etc.

Bottle warmer, wipes warmer, changing table. Fortunately we held off on these items, because I never missed them at all. My daughter still likes to be rocked at nearly 3, but I have a friend who got rid of her rocker as soon as her baby didn't like it anymore. Another lesson in starting and staying small with items and buying used.

I'm not going to add anything new here... I think all babies should we welcomed and honored. For our friends having their 2nd or 3rd, we generally put on there, "bring a little gift for mom and baby," and people bring all kinds of things - thrifted clothing, soaps, IOUs for errands, etc. And also, if you don't want to go, don't go.

My daughter is almost 2.5 and we use a Diaper Genie. I agree that they are by no means necessary, but a "nice to have." We haven't had issues with smell, etc., and since we generally only need to take out our garbage once a week, we just empty it then. It's fine. But I have plenty of friends who just throw it in their kitchen garbage.

A good friend of the family said something to me years ago that I say to myself each year. "There's another word for Thanksgiving: Thursday."

We have a general monitor and need it even with a toddler because we are on a different floor from her. Looking back, it would have been nice to have a video monitor because we could have saved trips to the other floor to see if she was OK when she was just giving little squaks in her sleep.