Oh my word

This is why I shouldn't watch TV before bed. I saw a story featuring this product on Nightline and it got me all riled up and now I can't sleep.

But, honestly, prenatal education?

Isn't it bad enough that parents are trying to teach their kids to read from day 1? Or forcing them to learn how to play an instrument before they can walk? Or teaching them all the continents before they reach Kindergarten?

Call me crazy but I think it is more important that my child develop a love of books, an appreciation for music and an ability to relate to the world than be the first in their class to identify words, music notes and countries.

But apparently that isn't even enough for some parents because they are turning to products that supposedly will help advance their children later in life. Products that can be used while their child is still in utero.

Although, I have to say, maybe their kid will need all the help they can get because they obviously aren't coming from the greatest gene pool if their parents buy this crap.

But maybe that's too harsh.

It is just that all of this makes me kind of sick. Aren't kids naturally curious? Won't they discover things on their own? Is it really necessary that we point everything out to them or that we make them "learn" before they are ready? Isn't it better for them to ask questions than for us, as parents, to feed them information?

I realize I have zero children at this point and I have no idea what I'm really talking about. But this just struck me as wrong.

And now that I got that off my chest, maybe I can get some sleep.

Changing pad = great cat bed

We walked into our apartment the other night to find our cat, Junebug, asleep on Mini-McEvoy's changing pad and (new) changing pad cover. Even Cobbler (the stuffed cat that Junebug is inexplicably terrified of) was not enough of a deterrent.

Eh, the baby might as well get used to having cat hair all over his/her stuff. As long as the cats don't try to sleep in the crib, I think we are good.

In the home stretch

We made it through the Christmas holidays and, although I seem to say this a lot, I feel like we are really in the home stretch right now. One of my goals was to not have this baby on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve or New Year's Day and I'm happy to say we accomplished that goal.

Now we are really ready to have this baby.

But at my last two appointments: no progress whatsoever. No dilation. No effacement. Baby is still floating (but still head down).

And yes, I talk about my dilation status with pretty much anyone who cares to know and probably a few who don't. Is this the beginning of my modesty flying out the window?

Anyway, I feel the waiting game has truly begun now. All of the baby's things are washed, folded and ready. There are no more last-minute baby items to buy. Our hospital bag is packed. Our apartment is clean. The cat's claws are trimmed. What more can we do but wait?

And walk. And eat eggplant parmesan. And any number of supposed labor inducing tricks.