Dare i say it? I’m not sick! This is the first day all week I’ve ONLY had to take my Synthroid. No cough syrup, no allergy pill, no decongestant, no Tylenol (Yet, we’ll see how the boob progresses today), just my regular ol’ synthroid. YAY.

I left the house yesterday for the first non-medical reason in almost a week. (I’d gone to the pharmacy on Thursday, and for the biopsy on Friday.)  I got showered and dressed and we got lunch and went to Target and to Borders, and I felt like a HUMAN! BEING!

I saw Jen at Borders, and while we were talking in the vestibule, a guy walked in with a newborn tucked into a KKAFP.  Jen "awwwwwwe!"d and I was like "Hey! I have two of those!" (not to the guy, or anyone in particular) I was just so excited to see one in USE, I couldn’t contain myself. I can count on one hand the number of slings I’ve seen in these parts, and that was a first for the KK.  I even went in and found Dave,and stalked the pouch-wearing dad to make Dave look and see how it works with a newborn. He’s tried it with the cat, but the cat hold is more of a sitting-up baby hold, not the cradled newborn one. So adorable.

After we came home and had dinner, i was still restless, so I decided to register at Target.  I called my friend Jess, to see if she wanted to go (she’s been after me to register, and WANTS to go with me) but her husband was out for the evening, and leaving three kids under the age of 5 alone in the house isn’t really cool.  I went, and registered anyway, and found it was anticlimactic. For one, I think they must be cleaning out and making room for new stuff, because SO much was on clearance, but nothing was so clearanced that I bought it. everything Avent, for instance, was on clearance. I could find NO first aid type stuff, or the bath seat I like, or even the cotton gowns for newborns, that have the elastic at the bottom, or drawstring, or whatever. They had some in gender specific colors, but not just yellow or white or whatever.  I figure I’ll get Jess to go with me to TRU to add the things I couldn’t find yesterday. I can always add more later, if I find that everything I did last night ends up being moot. Either way, it was something to do that was out of the house.

Today I’ve been catching up on my neglected housework. Laundry is running through, emptied all the trash from upstairs, did the dishes, etc. Someday we’ll have to tackle the nursery. Maybe once I have a changing table we can start setting it up more. As it is, the crib is in there, and the dresser that was mine until we got the new furniture, and both have the collected baby stuff in there already. I need to get more of my sewing stuff out of there, and organize the shelves, but it’s so intimidating at this point! Argh.

But hey! I feel better! And Dave has tomorrow off! And my dishes and laundry are already done! So, yay!

Thanks for all the good thoughts for me and my left nipple, y’all.  I’m taking Tylenol for the pain, and trying to rationalize it as breastfeeding prep, since now I know what deep nipple pain IS. Yikes. It’s better when I’m laying down (maybe the blood backs off or something?) but when I get up for the day, eek. Oh well.

So, I’ve always been a huge fan of down. I’ve had down comforters for almost ten years now, and down pillows for a while, and our current bedding is a down blanket, with a down comforter on top. I have a down throw on the couch (oil is expensive, you know!) for snugling under in the evenings. I loooove the down. But, and I think I mentioned it here, but maybe not, I recently bought a new pillow that was non-down, and realized (with the exception of my recent illness) that switching pillows instantly removed my habit of waking up at 5 either sneezing, or stuffed up and needing to blow my nose. I mean, INSTANTLY. It was weird, since I’d always blamed it on the 20 pound furball wedged between our pillows, but even with her there, I slept through the night and woke up breathing.

My eczema developed after Dave and I moved in together, and I honestly thought I was allergic to him, since the places where we make the most contact while sleeping (back of legs, inside elbows, etc, from spooning) are the worst affected.  I wasn’t sure if it was because he’s much more hirsute than I, so carrying more allergens in general, or if it was his soap, or what. With lots of environmental changes — we only use dye/scent free soap, laundry detergent, lotions, everything — it’s never really improved, except with the prescription hydrocortisone cream.  I thought it might be something in Levant, or our bed, but moving and getting a new bed, same thing.  I decided it must also be the fault of FatKitty as well.

But then, my mom bought the same blanket I’ve had for a few years, which I love. She said she started to itch after using ot for a few months, and thought I should get rid of mine. My eczema started before we got this particular blanket, but now I’m wondering if I could’ve developed an allergy to down over the last four years.  Or, if the combo of Down+Dave+FK=fucking eczema! in me. 

Does anyone have any experience with this? They make a down-alternative blanket to the one I have, and a down alternative comforter, but I looooove the warmth of down and wouldn’t want to sacrifice that, and cash, to no avail.  We’ve had the blanket for a few years (I got it when we picked up my wedding dress in Portland, I think, so maybe 2.5 years?) and the comforter for maybe 2 years, and both were inexpensive — the blanket is 50 bucks at Target, and the comforter came from overstock.com with the pillows for 80 bucks, I want to say (at some HUGE percentage savings, overstock is fab), so it’s not like I haven’t gotten somemoney’s worth out of each. I just don’t know. ARGH!

Still waiting for my scholarship to post, and I will get my FA money, and be able to order the last few things we want to supply ourselves for the baby (cloth diapers, convertible carseat, crib mattress) before having any kind of shower.  I’m anal about those things, and know that most people would balk at the price of a Britax carseat, and end up just buying one that is cheap and hangs out at the bottom of safety ratings charts with their ‘front shields have caused at least one death’ warnings and stuff. If we just buy it, we’re all set, and can tell people as such, without having our choices judged based on price, you know?  Plus, I’d rather buy it when we have the money now, and know that that base is covered.  I’m ridiculously excited about ordering my CD stash though. CRAZY excited. Hee.

Thanks for all the tips! For clarification, here is an example of what I mean by "Pooh-ass diaper bags."  (Pooh-ass is my own adjective, which is basically the opposite of bad-ass,  I think.)  I have so many freaking tote bags’backpacks/etc as it is, that I liked the idea of the diaper bag kit that includes everything but the bag, the changing pad and dirty clothes bags and stuff.  Plus, I already have the Enfamil-branded "breastfeeding support no, really!" tote diaper bag from my first OB appointment last time. (I was going to post a link, but they’ve changed the bag since April. I’m sure I’ll get at least one more in this process, though.) If I were going to buy a diaper bag, I’d probably go all elitist and go for a Skip*Hop or something. But, I don’t plan on buying one.

And really, anyone with a baby and any large tote in tow, it can be assumed that the large tote is a diaper bag. Why must it be infantilized with POOH? Also, I’m big on stuff like the diaper bag being MY accessory, not the kids, so it should align with my preferences and not just be baby-fied for the sake of baby-fication.  I doubt the babe will have much of a signature style when it’s a newborn, as well. When it’s older and needs a backpack, then it gets more say. No pooh-ass for now!

On the tub — I don’t plan on using the big bathtub for baths until the widget is older and sits more reliably.  We have a large single-tub sink, and that’s where pre-sitting baths will be, unless I get in the tub with the widg for some reason.  It might squick some people out, but I was bathed in the kitchen sink, and plenty of friends who’ve had babies in shower-only apartments have done the same. If anything, I’m lucky that I have the single big basin.  I do plan on getting one of those bath sling-seat things to help with bathing. Our kitchen is more conducive to post-bath drying and dressing and such, too, with the big peninsula right there. Also, because we’ve had to bathe the cat a few times in the last week (on account of one of her paws getting way gummed up with litter, to the point it seemed really painful) and the cat is petrified of the kitchen sink, in any condition, we’ve had the experience of it being somewhat of a pain in the ass to be on our knees at the tub. Standing at the sink will be so much easier.

Bottles — I already have one (thanks Muse!) Avent, and I plan on registering for an Avent manual pump, which comes with two. I’m hesitant to commit to one kind of bottle, invest in them, and find out that the widget won’t use that brand.  With my luck, the kid will only take those novelty bottles that look like soda bottles. *shudder*

I’m feeling better today, and have yoga at 1, so YAY. There’s definitely a whole lot more nose breathing today, which is a good thing.  And it’s snowing!