Craigslist rocks for expectant parents

I'm well aware that the cost of raising a child in the United States these days is roughly equivalent to the GDP of some developing nations. That's why I'm approaching the accessory needs of my pending pregancy as an exercise in frugality.

No, I'm not resorting to buying bags of "irregular" onesies out of some guy's trunk or "gently used recalled toys" in the alley behind the dollar store, but I think there are ways to avoid getting sucked into the buy or die mentality that seems to permeate this particular life chapter.

It helps to keep in mind that women in developing countries, heck, some even in this country, get by without all the accoutrements some people and the retail industry would have you believe are "essential." Wipes warmer?It's nice, but the night I forgot to plug it back in, neither the baby nor her butt seemed to notice. Plus, I can't help but think of my grandparents who raised nine kids on a farm in rural Louisiana and didn't even have running water until the grandkids came along.

Last I checked, babies really only need love, attention, milk/food, water, air, diapers, a healthy environment, and a safe, comfortable place to sleep. Everything beyond that is pretty much gravy. And minus the diapers, I think that list could cover the basic needs of most people on the planet.

So I have been more than willing to troll the pages of Craigslist and Ebay looking for local parents off-loading their lightly used baby gear for a good price to a new home. Most of the stuff is only usable for 3-4 months or 20 pound ranges anyway, so unless the gear comes from a smoke- or other nastiness-infested home, I'm open to considering it.

Which is how I happened upon the sweet deal below: a barely-used bassinet from a smoke-free home for $35 right here in my city. And once we'd agreed we wanted it, the mom, cuddling their 4 month old who'd already outgrown the bassinet, said, "Um, do you need a stroller and car seat? We got new ones from our in-laws overseas that he seems to like better." "It's also better for me," said the husband. "Because I'm tall and it has adjustable handles."

So they bring out the equally pristine car seat and stroller, which had the expected wheel wear, but was otherwise in great shape.

And here we are leaving the hospital with the new addition in the car seat. Just to be sure, I checked online and it's not the subject of a recall or defect, so we're excited to have found a genuine deal online that will help us manage our baby while also being part of the reuse/recycle effort.

Googling parenthood & like father, like daughter

Google is a godsend for new parents. Especially ones like me: an only child with very little baby care experience. Every unexplained noise, body projectile or behavior is worth a query, if only to see if we're within some online norm.

One early question was "How soon to take newborn out?" We're apparently a little outside that norm, which ranged from a few days to the more common one or two months.

Um, I've got stuff to do and I would lose my mind stuck indoors with a newborn with no reprieve for 8 weeks straight.

We've been out and about a lot already and took her to dinner when she was a week old. I figured, we're both feeling up to it, the baby's getting some immunity protection from my nursing, and everyone's healthy, so let's give it a shot. Plus, we went to a nice, quiet, nearly empty restaurant w/an out of the way plush booth, not some child-filled, germatorium fast food joint, and we both did great for a first outing: I nursed without flashing anyone and she ate without having a fit. It's a good start. She's a month old now and this is a shot of her on her first international trip: Vancouver, BC.

She's been a little cranky because she doesn't sleep as well in the car seat as she does on me or her dad, so when we stopped in West Vancouver for a snack and rest, she and her dad caught some zzz. Let me tell you: the only thing that compares to sleeping with a warm baby on your chest is swapping the baby for a warm puppy. Yes, really.

--------- Moblogged from my Treo

Baby news

Yes, long overdue for an update, but baby girl Ava made it here safely by cesearean in mid-September. Despite the semi-sleepless nights that go hand in hand with a newborn, we're head over heels in love with this little being, who already cracks us up with her expressions, noises and antics. We can't wait until she's verbal.

Her breech position doesn't seem to have caused any lasting problems, other than a tendency for her to stick her legs straight out in front sometimes, instead of keeping them pulled up in the traditional fetal position. More gushing posts, pictures and a delivery blow-by-blow to follow.

---------Moblogged from my Treo

Palm Foleo pulled, or I should have been a technology analyst

Jeff Hawkins unveiling Foleo in May (courtesy of PC World)

The Associated Press and many others are reporting that Palm has pulled it's Foleo device, just before shipping it to market saying the company "needs to focus all its resources on developing its next-generation smartphones." Uh, ya' think? More info from the AP article available here: Palm Cancels Foleo Companion to Treo.

As I mentioned here and here when the Foleo was first announced in late May, this thing was a solution in search of a problem. Like many Treo users, I am proud to have been one of Handspring/Palm's early adopters for the the past 7-8 years, so when someone aching to love your product and evangelize it to the moon can't find something good to say about it, you've got trouble ahead.

Despite my continued annoyance with the company and their lack of a new, updated Palm operating system and more non-Windows devices, I'm glad to see them making a decisive move like this one with the Foleo. The sooner they stop wasting time and money on that thing, the sooner they can move forward with good stuff for the Treo and new Linux operating system. Until then, I'll putter along with my Treo 650. It's almost two years old and a bit haggard, but it still allows me to continue my power-user tasks.

Tougher Canadian border crossings ahead - for some

The Seattle P-I has a story about the "Wait at Canadian border going from bad to brutal" partly because of construction, but also due to tougher checks in anticipation of the coming Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. The bad news is wait times and traffic congestion will increase dramatically. The good news is the crossing is getting a total makeover so that it can handle the expected increase in traffic for the winter games.

As I've mentioned before, we have Nexus passes because we do Vancouver, BC daytrips fairly often and they make that trip a breeze. I'm so glad we have them and I'm not sure how we'll be impacted by the construction changes ahead, but it can only be better than not having them at all.

In fact, I'm already planning to get a pass for the baby so she can travel right along with us as soon as she and I are mobile. She doesn't need a passport, so I was a little surprised that babies need a Nexus pass too, because it's basically a background check card. So her application should be really easy to fill out. Residence for last five years: gleam in her dad's eye, followed by uterus at mother's address for past 9 months.

But everyone in the vehicle has to have a Nexus pass if you use it to cross the border, so we'll be following those rules as soon as possible, hopefully followed by another quick and trouble-free interview at the border office. However, given how nasty some of the border agents are portrayed in the P-I article, perhaps both me and the baby should head to the interview wearing easy-on, easy-off clothes in case cavity searches ensue. Adult onesie, anyone?