handy little chart

I don't know about the rest of you, but I get very confused when someone asks me how many months pregnant I am. Sure, gestation lasts 9 months, but it also lasts 40 weeks. I always get confused as to when one month ends and another one begins. Maybe I'm just stupid. Either way, I came across this little chart and thought I'd share it with the rest of ya

toy access

Alicia Asks: I'm SURE you'll be getting a million more toys for Christmas, you already got a bundle for his birthday, how do you plan to manage them in your house? I hear of a lot of parents who circulate through toys - storing some in the basement and X number in the play/living space. Any intentions on doing anything like that, or just keeping them all within arms reach for Trent?

Answer: NO IDEA. Until recently we never had to consider this question. Trent just never had "too many" toys - we just kept them all in the living and dining room. Even now, after receiving all of his birthday presents, all of his toys are right there in arms reach. A few items (bouncy seat, play mat) have been put away because we believe he outgrew them. Then there are are a few toys he is not big enough for, so we have those in his bedroom. We tend to keep his stuffed animals in his bedroom on the shelves, along with his blocks. And we purposely have a toy box in our dining room for the other smaller toys, which is great for tidying the house quickly. The rest of the toys (medium to large in size) are strewn across the living and dining room floor.

Right now he has 3 or 4 large toys, which happen to be vehicles, that take up a good bit of space. I guess you could say we just haven't gotten around to putting them away yet, because we certainly don't plan to keep them all where they currently are (dining room and kitchen). Sometimes we put all the big toys together against one wall when we want the house to have some sort of order, and it's super cute!! It looks like Trent needs his own little 4 car garage. You got the wagon, the jeep, the coupe, and his "bike" all in a row. The first time I noticed the theme, i cracked up. Maybe it's one of those things only a mother would find cute, but I think it's hilarious.

Back to the question - what will we do after xmas?!?! eek. Honestly, we haven't talked about it AT ALL. I never heard of the circulating technique you mentioned above, and honestly, i don't like that idea. Not for our family, at least.

Maybe we will re-finish our basement sooner than planned?! I'd love to use that space as a play room, especially when the kids are a little older/bigger. Right now the basement is too gross - I don't like taking Trent down there even if I just have to grab something and go back up. The previous owners "finished" it, but they did a half-ass job. I don't think the walls are insulated at all, the carpet is the cheapest stuff on the planet (no padding), it smells like cat & musk, half the walls are paneling.....I could go on, but you get the idea. It needs some work.

As me this question again AFTER Christmas :-)

Keeping up with the baby book

Alicia Asks: Have you been keeping up with Trent's baby book? do you even have a baby book for him?

Answer: Yes, I have a baby book for Trent. I do a pretty good job keeping it updated for the most part. I try to keep it out in the open, where I will see it, so that I remember to flip through it and update it. Occasionally it gets put away and that's when I fall behind. I definitely need to add more recent pictures and write about his birthday and latest doctor appointment, but for the most part it's updated.

On top of the baby book, I have an online log that I update very regularly. It's much more detailed and inclusive than the baby book. I started this log when I first got pregnant because I knew someday I'd wonder what day it was that I told my bosses I was pregnant, or what Trent's heartbeat was when I was 32 weeks pregnant. Silly stuff like that that I would never remember on my own. I'll be the first to admit that it's unnecessarily excessive, but it was already come in handy, so I'm glad I have it! Since it's on the computer I am able to update it whenever I want while I am at work. It wouldn't be nearly as easy if I were a stay-at-home-mom.