Pregnancy week 35

Jan van Eyck (1432)


Present Day

Ok, I was being silly :) heehee. Did you find the resemblance between the two pictures?

Just one month left to go, I think we pretty much have all of the baby stuff set up. Here's a snap shot of the baby room. Notice a pink tennis racket on the wall? :)

We also set up the baby mobile. We got this one because it has friendly smiley characters. Also, it has branches where I can hang high contrast pictures. In this e-book, The New First Three Years of Life, it says that babies pay more attention to bold contrasting colors. There are websites that show you how to make your own mobile.

We also got a travel system that has baby seat and stroller. Wesley was wheeling it around to test out the ease of mobility. We did some research on-line, read the users reviews, checked out Graco website, and went to the Baby R Us store to test out the product. We tested to see if it's easy to fold and use, We choose this one because it has the newest safety features and it has a 180 degree rotating canopy shade for sunny Florida. We also felt the fabric and liked the cushion on this one and the stain resist colors.

It's getting harder to move around and I'm starting to get braxton hicks contractions. Before we can't go anywhere with the baby and before our annual membership pass expires, we went to the Ringling Museum at Sarasota to check out the Egyptian - To Live Forever special exhibit. (I think the museum is free on Mondays but call ahead to confirm). This is as close as we can get to Egypt. They did a really good job setting up the exhibits like you're walking into the dark secret room. The sarcophagus from ~ 1,000 B.C. are so mystical. It's amazing the Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2,560 B.C. while the Acropolis of Athens was built around 500 B.C. and the Great Wall was built around 200 B.C. A staff at the museum made a joke that I'm going to be a mummy. Get it? :)

I came across an article about this painting at the museum. I noticed Mary was breastfeeding baby Jesus (not bottle feeding in the public). During my birth class, seems like some people think public breastfeeding is a taboo, even though mothers are discret about it. It's legal and there are many benefits to breastfeeding instead of bottle feeding. Please be nice if you see a mother decide to do so.

Paolo Veronese, The Rest on the Flight to Egypt, circa 1580

The grounds of the museum are so beautiful and we were very lucky to catch a beautiful sunset...

Suze Orman's advice during this economic tough time

Check out Suze Orman interview and The Suze Orman Show on CNBC.

Her advice during this economic tough time:

• You know you need to build an emergency savings fund that can cover six to eight months of living expenses; so you and your family will be okay if you are laid off.
• You know you need to get serious-finally-about tackling your credit card debt, because you understand how a high unpaid balance can mean big trouble in 2009.
• You know you need to invest more for retirement to have any shot at living comfortably later in life.
• You know you need to sit down with your child and discuss how much you can honestly afford to cover for college

If you honestly know all that, you will not spend money on holiday shopping that should instead be used to build financial security. I want better for you and your family. Focus on what you know you have to do to build security and you will give your family the most wonderful gift of all.

Pregnancy week 34

6 weeks left to go! :o

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! :)

Are we ready for the baby? No! :) Ready or not, the baby is on its way! :)

We didn't know such a little newborn baby need so many things! There are crib (and things that go with it, mattress, sheets, bumper), mobile, car seat - stroller - travel system, nursing glider rocker, swing, bouncer, bassinet, monitor, 1-sec thermometer, bath tub, bib, burp cloth, diaper (disposal and/or cloth), diaper bag, diaper changing table, diaper wipes, creams, play yards, play mat, baby monitor, sling, BPA free bottles, bottle warmer if you use formula supplementing breastfeeding, breast pump, a small refrigerator for baby bottles (especially useful if you have two floors), boppy pillow, nursing bra, various sizes of baby clothes, swaddle wrap (or Wesley calls them baby straight jacket), toys, books, classical music, jumperoo walker, dresser, high chair, digital camera and video to capture the memories, etc... At the end of the day, it really comes down to if the baby is loved and cared for (getting fed and diapers changed).

We are very blessed that we got many slightly used items from family and friends. Kids outgrow things so fast! We found local baby consignment stores are good place to find things. Local Craigslist is another good source. Baby R Us website has pretty good users product reviews to research if the product is good or not. Be sure to check if there are any recall on the items. Baby's safety first!

One World - U2

Jupiter, Venus and Moon

When the sun goes down, look for the three brightest objects in the sky - Jupiter, Venus and Moon. They come closest, a phenomenon that will not be visible again till 2012.

The two brightest planets in the solar system and the moon were seen just two degrees apart and will be visible all through the night.