oakleaf's Profile

Like many others, we set up a lovely nursery that our daughter rarely sleeps in. We're basically doing the family bed thing, since we all seem to actually get sleep that way. We will want a separate room for her by the time she's, oh, 3. So you may want to divide the space anyway, but perhaps on a different time frame. If I had the space for it, the room I'd want to put the changing table in is the bathroom. Even with disposables, poop goes in the toilet, not the trash, and a warm wet washcloth works better for us at cleaning and preventing diaper rash than baby wipes. (Think about it -- do your hands feel cleaner when you wipe them with a moist towlette or wash with soap & water?)

Sigh. All those "what you don't need" lists aside, it feels like that "clock is ticking" attitude is about getting parents to buy a boatload of stuff that they don't yet realize they don't need. I'm a little tired of it.

We moved cross-country 2 years ago. We drove the car packed with the heavy, breakable things we couldn't live without, mailed books media rate and some other stuff ground rate (not priority!), and bought a new mattress. I'm pretty sure we came out ahead, but it's worth running around with a measuring tape and seeing if a treasured piece or two are easily shippable. You may decide not to take them, but at least it'll be an informed decision.

Dirkish, this site isn't just about decorating in the narrow sense; it's about making living spaces work -- so this does fit. It's also relevant to those of us who are wondering how to handle the housing logistics of two little ones (for future reference). No section of this site is relevant to everyone -- just skip the irrelevant parts and you'll be happier.

There's a phase where babies love looking at babies, so photos and realistic drawings of children ("Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes" is a good one) are favorites. For the under-and-about-a-year set, books that you interact with (pointing at pictures counts, not just feeling pages or lifting flaps) seem to be more meaningful than just reading words. We also like good rhymes & rhythm with our wee one (like Boynton's "Barnyard Dance"). "Pat the Bunny" is classic but I'd forgotten how stinky it is (those awful flowers!)

"The true test of an organizational project is if it helps keep you organized."
Yes. This is one to keep in mind as the spring cleaning itch hits...

My family's Xmas dinner is basically a reprise of Thanksgiving, if that helps with ideas. I'm chuckling at the gift of a nice dinner, though, because the night my brother and SIL planned to do that for me was when their niece decided to make her appearance! The leftovers were great, though -- for some strange reason, I was ravenous after the whole having a baby thing...

After friends & I kicked out a stressful housemate, we couldn't kick the feeling that he might walk in at any minute. A wiccan friend suggested sprinkling salt water, so we made a party of it: a late night drive to the beach to collect seawater, then blasting fun music while we frolicked around the apartment sprinkling water and laughing.
I think that the choice of ritual itself is totally unimportant, but that sometimes marking an occasion can help make the change feel more real. And making a party of it helps keep it positive. Good luck!