Greedy sports fan board
 

WHIFFARINO!

Love the sig line.

Greedy sports fan board
 

Most of them I've seen involve the 40 classes that a dance studio has, each doing 2 numbers, so you're there for 3 hours to see your kid's 10 minutes. The other kids tend to be cute, but it does get old. Occasionally you get a chubby 30-40 year old guy trying to "discover" a new side of himself and doing a solo. I enjoyed these.

Greedy sports fan board
 

Should we be relieved it's only "occasionally"?

Greedy sports fan board
 

Greedy sports fan board
 

Do you ever get a specific sense of ennui over your overall sense of ennui?

Greedy sports fan board
 

Don't you find it kind of annoying when a person uses a rhetorical question to change the subject?

Baked or not, the kid will be here on Monday at noon. Any bets as to size/length? I haven't bothered washing any 0-3 clothes this time.

I need to try and hedge my NBA bet with Hank, so sure. I say: 9 lbs, 2 oz, 23 inches long. My sincerest apologies to your nether regions, please give them my regards. Also, please ask for my toothbrush back.

Seriously, good luck!

For SEC chick
 

On maternity clothes: Gap and Old Navy are decent for basics. Gap is better for office casual -- it has good crisp cotton pants and shirts and skirts and the best yoga pants on earth. A Pea In the Pod is a fucking rip off with draconian return policies (store credit only), and Motherhood and Mimi are not even worth visiting. Also, don't buy too much at first, you might develop unanticipated dislikes and discomforts and find you wear the same things repeatedly and let other things languish in the closet.

I have no advice regarding more professional clothing. My office is very casual so I could get away with flip flops.

For SEC chick
 

Thanks. My office is fairly casual as well (worn a suit only once in the year I've been here). While I couldn't pull off yoga pants (well, on a Friday I could), it sounds like the Gap might suit my needs. Thanks for the advice against buying too much at first. I am also afraid that I will outgrow the first batch towards the end and want to be prepared to have to buy more to accomodate my temporary (Lord willing) girth.

Hmmmm... the Gap in the Galleria is reported to sell maternity. I assume that the online selection will be better than in-store, but at least I can check out the goods.

For SEC chick
 

My wife was a fan of Japanese Weekend. Eventually, she was a big fan.

For SEC chick
 

And don't forget Target. The Liz Lange stuff looks like some of it might be work-worthy.

My first pregnancy coincided with the advent of Gap Maternity (and preceded Old Navy Maternity), and back then they had only a very few pieces, most of it work-worthy. Still one of my favorites is a 3/4 sleeve, boat-neck, mid-calf black matte jersey dress that can be worn anywhere and flatters the body without being too formfitting. If you can find one of these on ebay, do it.

This time around, Old Navy is not working for me in pants, but I have their perfect Ts in every possible color. Pants are all from Gap and Target.

tm

For SEC chick
 

At Target it is - the Liz Lange stuff from the Liz Lange shops sucks. And is too small (I was a size 6 who put on a total of 22 pounds, and I was a size extra large in that stuff). And it looks nasty - much nastier than the stuff at Target. Go figure.
I heartily second the suggestion to get everything you can on eBay. There is a ton of stuff, new with tags, and you can probably get most Gap maternity stuff there in any size any day of the week.

My favorite dress was a silk Gap Maternity sundress. I tied a contrasting ribbon above my stomach. It was very cute.
I didn't find the old navy stuff until I was looking to improve a relative's maternity wardrobe, but it is basically Gap maternity, slightly more casual and a lot less expensive.

H&M also had some good maternity clothing, but only a few of their shops carry it. I got some really cute things very reasonably there (like, $30 for a dress and $20 for a top).

That said, I spent a certain amount of money on a few really nice maternity dresses and trousers, and it did make a difference in having a decent, wearable wardrobe overall. I have a jersey Leona Edmiston dress that I still wear (actually, it sounds a lot like the black jersey 3/4 sleeve boatneck dress described above from Gap). I got some really cute pants from Chaiken and 1 et 1 font 3, and the Nicole Caramel stuff is generally lovely if you can find it. (I'm trying to remember some of the other companies, but my entire maternity wardrobe has been making the rounds for the last year, it's on it's third pregnancy now - it gets out more than I do at this point.)

Anyhow, given that cute maternity clothes are so thin on the ground, using the internet generally was useful - using the magnifying effects of online shopping means that you can actually find more than one or two decent things on a given shopping "excursion."

Cute maternity links I've still got hanging around:

Best maternity shop in Manhattan: http://www.veroniquematernity.com/

http://www.pushmaternity.com/ (very pricey, and the exchange rate will kill you, but they had some great dresses)

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/ (less expensive, but still with the killer exchange rate. Not as pricey as Pea in the Pod, anyhow, and a lot better looking. It's basically all comfy stretch jersey stuff that actually looks good because it's well designed.)

Baby Clothes
 

Anyone have a good suggestion for places to hunt for old-fashioned baby dresses -- you know, cotton, with a peter pan collars, smocking on the chest, puffed sleeves with eyelet trim, and matching pantaloons to go over the diaper? I am trying to find something very similar to my mother's favorite baby dress for me, which I wore in a number of pictures. You know, just in case the puppy is a girl.

Baby Clothes
 

Mrs. Bird.

In the alternative, I'd suggest finding a decent seamstress in your area and having one made.

Baby Clothes
 

Smocking, sailor necks, tiny flower prints, petticoats. Oh, the joys of Curls and Giggles. http://www.gigglesncurls.com

I would also try http://www.janieandjack.com

April Cornell used to have a ton of exactly what you're looking for but I don't see the famous infant dresses on their site anymore. http://www.aprilcornell.com

Baby Clothes
 

Thanks for all the suggestions. Everything is so cute, but I am the biggest sucker for those vintage dresses on the site to which bnb linked.

Not the same style, but the stuff at Hanna Andersson is also really cute. http://www.hannaandersson.com/home.asp

Baby Clothes
 

Suggestion: when you have just given birth to the last of however many kids your rational brain has decided to have, send a letter to Hanna Andersson explaining that you are dead and therefore have no further need to receive her catalog. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Baby Clothes
 

Aha. I haven't ordered anything yet. I'll be sure to let the grandmother-to-be, who adores the stuff, know about it.

Now if I could just get freakin' Pottery Barn to leave me alone. I really hope the U.S.P.S. does not forward catalogs. Maybe those will get lost along with the important stuff that never gets forwarded.

Baby Clothes
 

Postmaster General: "Oh, my goodness. What have they done to you here?"

Kramer: "Huh? Who are you?"

Postmaster General: "Well, you can just call me Henry."

Kramer: "Henry Atkins? The postmaster general?"

Postmaster General: "Last time I checked."

Kramer: "Henry... can I get out of here now?"

Postmaster General: "Oh, oh. Sit a bit. Sit a bit. I mean, after all, I drove all the way up here from D.C. just to talk to you."

Kramer: "Oh?"

Postmaster General: "I even had to cancel a round of golf with the secretary of state. Do you like golf, Mr. Kramer?"

Kramer: "Yeah."

Postmaster General: "Kramer, I've been, uh, reading some of your material here. I gotta be honest with you: you make a pretty strong case. I mean, just imagine. An army of men in wool pants running through the neighborhood handing out pottery catalogs, door to door."

Kramer: "Yeah! Ha ha."

Postmaster General: "Well, it's my job. And I'm pretty damn serious about it. In addition to being a postmaster, I'm a general. And we both know, it's the job of a general to, by God, get things done. So maybe you can understand why I get a little irritated when someone calls me away from my golf."

Kramer: "I'm very, very sorry."

Postmaster General: "Sure, you're sorry. I think we got a stack of mail out at the desk that belongs to you. Now, you want that mail, don't you Mr. Kramer?"

Kramer: "Sure do!"

Postmaster General, receiving a salute from Kramer: "Now, that's better."

Kramer (seeing Newman walk into the office with a bucket on his head, escorted by a security man): "Geez. Newman?"

Newman, (whimpering): "Tell the world my story."

March of the Penguins
 

Five-year-old appropriate, or too boring for that age?

March of the Penguins
 

Well, I took the 14 month old to the zoo, and he thought the penguins were pretty boring. I don't think that helps you.

He did, however, find the bats and piranha fabulously entertaining. Particularly the bats. He fell asleep before we got to the alpaca, but I suspect he would have enjoyed the spitting.

March of the Penguins
 

I think any documentary would be boring at that age, even the cute little penguins. Unless they break out in song, dance or one of the penguins is jive-talkin, it probably won't work out.

A Day at a Law Firm
 

Too boring for a six-month old fetus?

A Day at a Law Firm
 

You have a potential disaster on your hands there. Take it home immediately and make sure it doesn't go anywhere (other than maybe somewhere fun, like shopping or sunbathing).

March of the Penguins
 

A word to the wise: 2 y.o.'s love otters.

March of the Penguins
 

Definitely NOT APPROPRIATE!!!


Spoiler:
There were quite a few scenes of dead penguin chicks and adults that troubled my 10 year old.

March of the Penguins
 

How about a six year old who is into animal planet?

#2 is here and even got a name on the 2nd or 3rd day. He was only 9#12oz at 38w - much smaller than we had thought, but still a fair size. Other than the kid, July has not been the stellar month I imagined: long story short....moderate spinal headache + high fever/infection of undetermined origin + second lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis = debilitating spinal headache, several trips to the ER, a vast amount of morphine (not nearly as fun as it sounds), 11 extra days in the hospital. Thank goodness for health insurance.

If anyone knows me IRL, please feel free to volunteer your toddler-sitting services before he finally succeeds in killing off #2.

Whoa. Congratulations and there, there, hope you feel better soon and aren't overloaded with insurance paperwork.

What is a spinal headache? Was this all connected to the c-section or just coincidental?

#2 is here and even got a name on the 2nd or 3rd day. He was only 9#12oz at 38w - much smaller than we had thought, but still a fair size. Other than the kid, July has not been the stellar month I imagined: long story short....moderate spinal headache + high fever/infection of undetermined origin + second lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis = debilitating spinal headache, several trips to the ER, a vast amount of morphine (not nearly as fun as it sounds), 11 extra days in the hospital. Thank goodness for health insurance.

If anyone knows me IRL, please feel free to volunteer your toddler-sitting services before he finally succeeds in killing off #2.
___________________________________

Congrats on #2, wow...sounds traumatic...hopefully someone will chime in with some help - my two are only 16 months apart and although my MIL is a PIA, she was a great help during those first few weeks, and I wasn't receovering from all of that!

well wishes for a speedy recovery

ml

If they don't get the depth of the epidural just right, lingering headaches can result.

More: med site

Blllleeeeeeaaaahhh I want to vomit. Good strategy to keep the childless of the M&D board.

And even those expecting children. I'm literally shuddering.

Thanks. Yay for good insurance with no paperwork involved. I didn't check the link, but A spinal headache is what you get when the teensy hole that they use for a spinal or epidural does not heal and spinal fluid leaks out into your system continually. It causes a nasty headache when you are not laying flat on your back. If they make another hole to check for meningitis, the headache gets about 10x worse and you start thinking brain tumor. It is more likely with an epi than a spinal due to the larger size of the hole with an epi. The relatively simple cure involves making yet another hole in your spine and shooting about 20cc of your own blood back in to clot over the hole(s) (which is not possible if you have any bacteria in your blood, which I did).

No one makes you get an epidural. Although I suspect that sometime partway into labor, you'll be begging for one, headaches be damned (esp. if you're birthing enchilada-boy).

Epidural, baby!
 

[Oops.]

Epidural, baby!
 

Or in the alternative, Smuggy McSpermMaker, you could come to the hospital with me and while in the throes of insurgency I could grab your balls so hard you cry until my kid goes to college. Just a thought.

The downfall of civilization began when husbands entered the delivery room.

Where's atticus these days, anyway?