- Preparing the nursery. I've identified several items we no longer need and are currently collecting dust in what will soon be our nursery. I was able to unload a few things to various people at work and plan to list some others on craigslist this weekend. (Which is totally out of character from my usual "just throw it away" attitude. But...might as well make a few bucks if I can!) While the color scheme and bedding has been decided, I'm still a bit unsure of how to paint the room. I have a pretty good idea in mind and we received one bid from a painter that we are comfortable with. I have another lead that I'm going to follow next week and from what I hear this woman is extremely creative. We'll see if she has a better idea than my current scheme...and if she meets the budget!
- We have a kicker! Our little man sure is a mover and a shaker. The last couple of days he's had a few sessions of some serious movement. Sometimes even lasting a couple of minutes at a time (instead of just a couple of kicks at a time). Lately it's been right before bed so Drew is able to experience it with me. In fact, Wednesday night we were watching the news in bed when he really started wiggling. We layed there for about 5 minutes feeling his acrobatics - to which Drew replied "Whoa! What are you doing in there?" It's so much fun!
- Daycare. We've begun the daunting task of researching and interviewing daycare providers. Both of us have been asking various friends and colleagues for recommendations and I literally have a spreadsheet (thanks to my friend and colleague Chava) of some in home providers to start calling. Friday afternoon we had appointments at our 2 favorite centers in town. It was quite an experience! Our first stop was Stepping Stones. I actually worked there during my college years and now, 10 years later, it was exactly as I remembered it. Although, I have to admit, you see things differently when looking through the eyes of an almost parent! While it's a fabulous place and I know we would be happy there, it turned out it wasn't our favorite of the two visits. It is also the most expensive in town and in Drew's opinion "was chaos". (I think Drew will have a completely new understanding of "chaos" after this baby arrives. But that's another story!) We won't be pursuing Stepping Stones. Our next stop was One of a Kind and after taking 1 step inside the door we both fell in love. One of the best features is the security. You can not enter the facility without being buzzed in by a staff member or having a "parent code" to type into the security system. Nice. It was cleaner, brighter, more organized and more stimulating. There was music playing. They begin an individualized curriculum for each child starting in the toddler room. In addition to private outdoor playgrounds for the infants and toddlers (with age appropriate activities) there is also a HUGE playground - twice the size of our yard at least. We were impressed. The only hold-up: monthly tuition just shy of $900. Ouch. Obviously, we'll do our due diligence and interview some in-home providers as well. They can be much more affordable and I know many families who have had fantastic experiences with in-home day care. But I will also be turning into a CPA in the next couple of weeks and crunching the numbers every way possible to see if One of a Kind can find a home in our budget.
We're definitely making progress. All of these decisions and my growing (and moving!) belly remind us every day that we are closer and closer to bringing home our bouncing baby boy. And we can hardly wait!
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