CRIBZ!

Owen and I have been crib shopping and starting to put items on our baby registry. We have narrowed the crib to 2 and we like both alot. It's amazing how many choices there are! We use our Baby Bargains book as a guide as it grades furniture (and all other baby necessities) based on safety, price, and parent reviews.

Now that we are already 6 months into pregnancy, we decided we should get some childbirth classes on the calender so we don't miss our chance to learn about labor, birth, and parenting! Lutheran General Hospital (LGH) (where we are delivering) offers MANY classes so we will hopefully be well educated. We are signed up for a childbirth class that meets 2 separate Sundays from 8:30-3:30! Then we have a 6 hour baby care class and a breastfeeding class (Owen still needs some convincing that spouses are encouraged to attend).

I was chatting with my coworker who is due 2 weeks after me and the downtown hospital where she is delivering has made a strict visitation policy due to the H1N1 virus. The policy is that all women in labor and delivery are allowed ONE visitor during thier stay and it must be the same visitor the whole time. Obviously, this is one visitor would be daddy... So, unfortunately no grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, siblings, ect. can visit at the hospital during the whole stay for the protection of the moms, babies, and the staff. SO FAR, LGH has only made restrictions that no one under the age of 18 may visit hospital wide...but if the SWINE flu becomes as big of a problem as the state anticipates I wouldn't be surprised if the state mandates a more strict policy for all Chicagoland hospitals. It will be interesting if Owen passes out during labor and delivery and no other visitors are allowed...I guess I will rely on my fellow nurses to help me deliver! We'll have to plan for baby number 2 to be born in the summer and not during flu season!

This week Owen had his first practice as the newest COACH for the 5-6th grade boys St. Paul Comets! He is coaching with the coach from last year. The season ends 13 days before baby Stamm is due and then the real coaching will begin!