More Drake photos

Drake Alexander Kirsch

Our son is here!!! He entered the world at 4:43 after an extremely short labor. He is five pounds, 8 ounces and 17 inches---a little guy! He is perfect, and we are in love. I got the natural birth I wanted, with no epidural and no drugs, so I'm very proud of myself. I can't believe I did it! Showing up at the hospital at 10cm helped matters........

Look for a full birth story in the next few days!

The swing, bassinet, and pack n play.

These three things are our attack strategy. Attack what you ask? Well....parenthood. We hope he'll really like at least one of the three. The bassinet is in our room, where hopefully he'll sleep until he outgrows it. I don't want to cosleep in the same bed, but I do want to cosleep in the same room for awhile. This is the coolest bassinet ever- it turns on and glides back and forth for motion. It also plays music and soothing sounds. I love this thing!

The inside of the pack n play. This is the bassinet feature, so he'll be up higher until he reaches the weight limit. Then we take out this bassinet part and he'll lay in the bottom. Now get this- the bassinet part vibrates! We really hope he likes it. The P&P also plays music and the such.
The P&P is in our living room, beside the front windows. It's where he'll work on his suntan during naptime.
The swing with the insert to keep his little head from flopping over.
The swing again. It swings in two directions, and plays music. It plugs in or is battery operated. The coolest thing is the seat detaches from the swing, and can be used around the house.

I think we are as ready as we're gonna get, so I figured it was about time I take and share some photos. I wanted everyone to see his nursery, and the cloth diaper stash. Please feel free to ask any questions about the cloth diapering. Although it is becoming more popular, it's still not mainstream. I love educating people about it! I went to Babies R Us today and went through each aisle, picking up any last minute things we still need. I feel as prepared as possible. Now I just want him here to hold him! I may not put him down for awhile, b/c I feel like I've been waiting FOREVER to get him in my arms. Enjoy all the photos!

We're ready for Shim!

A close up of the bedding. My mom made all of this- she's uber talented. Isn't it gorgeous?

A bunch of cloth wipes, some snappis, and travel punkin booty bits solution.
I have all the bigger size covers (small and higher) waiting in a drawer with the inserts for my pockets. All my dipes are already stuffed and ready to go, so these are extra. I can see my husband now, putting the Shim into a pocket with nothing stuffed inside. And then being perplexed when it leaks...... I'm trying so hard to make this CD easy for him, so he'll continue being so supportive.
The top drawer are all his socks and baby legs. I can't WAIT to put his baby legs on him! The second drawer is full of bibs and burp cloths.
My prefold stash, I have 2 snappis if needed. Snappies are what alot of moms use rather than the old school pins. I've been practicing the folds! I'm sure it'll be much more difficult with a squirmy baby!
This bin has fitted diapers, mostly kissaluvs Newborn size. It also has 3 xsmall thirsty covers. Again, the design is to make it easy for my hubbie. He knows that everything in this bin has to have a cover.
This is the bin of AIO. (All in ones) Some are pockets, which allow extra 'stuffing' to go in. But to make it easy for Eric, the overall idea of this bin is that none of the diapers require a cover.

This is the bin his CD go in when dirty. There is a bag inside, so when it's time to wash, the bag just gets carried to the washer, and the contents dumped inside. Then the bag also goes in. It's made out of PUL, which is the same stuff CD covers are made of.
The spray bottles have punkin booty bits solution, which is what gets sprayed on the wipe to clean Shim's bottom. It's one of the more popular cleaning products for those who CD. The little green thing that says "oops" covers his little boy parts so we don't get sprayed. I'll let you know if that works or not.

The dresser with changing pad attached. Of course the pad is made of organic cotton, with no phthalates on the outer part. The cozy cover is also organic. The three bins on the right of the dresser are all CD organizers. I have the frames up, just waiting on cute Shim photos.

The chest of drawers, where the clothes are organized by size in each drawer. Yes, I'm neurotic. The cute sign says "I see the moon and the moon see me, God bless the moon and God bless me."
His first piggy bank came from his great grandma Sissy!
My chair to rock and nurse the little man! We're still waiting for the rocking chair cushions to arrive. I have my area set up beside me on the tray: a coaster for a drink, books, hand sanitizer, and lots of relaxing and lullaby CD's for the CD player.
The coolest curtain ever!
The sign above the crib, about a mother's love. All it needs now is a photo of me and Shim.
His crib!
Yes, the closet is also neurotically organized. By sizes, bin contents, toys vs. stuffed animals, etc. I cannot function with organization.
38 weeks and 2 days......I'm becoming large and in charge.
Whoa- I'm not a fan of the side view!

Christmas and NYE

I'm sure I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Eric and I had a fabulous holiday season. It involved lots of relaxing and napping, and NO TRAVELING! As much as we love spending time with family and friends, it was so nice to have a year without having to pack up and hit the road or airport. That was the last thing I wanted being so preggo. Here are some pics:

Eric and I went to a NYE party at Joel and Anna's. It was also Anna's 30th birthday, so we had a double celebration. I stayed at til 12:10am, which was very impressive for the lady 38 weeks pregnant.

All the girls: Anna, Hayley, Michelle, Melissa, Kim, Jill, and me. As if it's difficult to really tell which one is me, with the massive belly.
I think this was Chrismas Eve if I remember correctly. Eric and I went to dinner with a bunch of friends, where LOTS of wine was consumed. Except by the knocked up DD of course. This was when we got home- Eric had a nap on the couch with princess Lucy.
Linus got a bow Christmas morning. He is so darn cute.
Eric after too much wine.....this is Lucy's everyday look. Lucy now weighs 99 pounds, and was scolded at the vet this past week. She has to go on diet food, and get less with each feeding. She is NOT happy about it.

Happy New Year!

It is finally 2009, the year of Shimmeister's arrival. I can't believe it's finally here. It's crazy to think that he should be here in about 2 weeks, and will for sure be here in 3-4 weeks. I really hope I'm not too overdue b/c I'm quite ready to hold him. Saturday my coworkers are having a shower for me and Shim, so that will be alot of fun. We're gonna do it here at my house, which is really nice b/c I won't even have to go anywhere! And everyone can see his nursery. Speaking of that, I can pretty much say his nursery his completely ready. I should've taken pics today while it was light out, to avoid using the flash. Maybe Saturday or Sunday I'll do that. It is SO cute. The only thing left is the cushion for the rocking chair. It's been ordered, so should be here soon. Now my bottom won't get sore from all the hours of nursing the little man.

Eric and I went to a party last night at a friends house, and I stayed out until 12:10! I was very proud of myself. That's impressive for a woman 38 weeks pregnant. We've spent the day between relaxing and cleaning. Eric even got in a round of disc golf. All this relaxing and sports will soon come to an abrupt halt!