I, like most people, use Pinterest as a way to collect cool ideas, 95% of which I will never actually execute. Aside from sewing or knitting, I can think of maybe 4-5 projects that I've actually pinned that I ended up going through with. The rest are kind of like dream or mood boards - it would be cool, but we/I lack the money/time/energy to do them.
One area where pinning works for me is in sewing or knitting projects. For sewing, it's because I'm still a beginner and am way cheap about buying paper patterns at the store, so tutorials and how-tos and free patterns online are awesome. Knitting is a little different because I'm an advanced knitter and only rarely need tutorials, plus I use my Ravelry queue to stay organized, but I like to pin specific projects in specific yarns/colorways to remind myself of what yarn purchases I'd like to make.
I've started pinning for Baby Wiggle. Since we have most of the big ticket stuff that babies need, the baby will be in our room for a while and then sharing Lily's gender-neutral bedroom, and we aren't finding out the sex until delivery, there's not much to do to get ready aside from small fun projects. Some of my upcoming baby projects are:
Sewing
Roll-up diaper changer
Burp cloths
Car seat canopy (disclaimer: absolutely not for use while the car is in motion)
Car caddy
Knitting
Gift Wrap Romper - this is going to be Wiggle's coming home outfit!
Surplice Baby Jacket
Newborn Vertebrae
Stay-on Baby Booties
Baby Surprise Jacket (3-6 month size for fall/winter wear)
Small Things Sweater (also knit in 6 month size)
Would anyone like to take bets on how much of this I actually finish in the next ~20 weeks?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Yet another thing I swore I'd never do...
Making a baby registry after a first baby. Yeah, I did it - turn me in to the Etiquette Hell people right now.
We want to upgrade our infant car seat. We loved the Chicco Keyfit that we got as part of a travel system before Lily was born. It's absurdly easy to install correctly (even a seatbelt install) and to use, and we liked the color/fabric choices much better than any of the alternatives at the time. Unfortunately the stroller that came in the travel system is a behemoth which in the end we only used a handful of times. In mid-2010 the travel system with the 22 pound Keyfit was still quite popular and we didn't want to spend the extra money on the system with the Keyfit 30, so we didn't.
Lily transitioned to the Boulevard in my car at 9 months and then in Mark's car at 11 months. She had not outgrown the Keyfit yet; that would have happened by length (really, torso height) somewhere around 13-14 months. What if Wiggle isn't as skinny as Lily was? I know people whose kids hit 22 pounds at 6-8 months, which would put a June baby right smack dab in the middle of winter when outgrowing a 22 pound infant seat. We really want Wiggle to get through his/her first winter in the infant seat. We don't have a garage, so loading a non-walking kid into the car is substantially easier when you can strap them into the seat in the house, pile blankets on top, and then just snap it into the base. Add snow, ice, and cold wind and a 3 year old to wrangle and it becomes really important to streamline the process of getting into and out of the car as much as is humanly possible! Our existing bases are compatible with both the Keyfit and Keyfit 30 so there's no need to make an additional investment there. With the Babies R Us trade in event, we can trade in the Keyfit for a 25% off coupon that we can use on a spiffy new Keyfit 30.
The other part of this is getting a Chicco Liteway Plus stroller to replace the big Cortina. We went and checked it out last weekend at BRU and it's really a sweet option. First you use it as a stroller frame with the Keyfit - the seat just snaps in. Then, it converts to a normal umbrella stroller which most babies can ride in from around 6 months or so. Lily took several test rides in toddler mode and liked it so much she cried when we tried to take her out! Mark and I both liked the way it handled and how lightweight it is, plus the umbrella fold is a dream - even smaller than the City Mini. I got a little award at work that comes with a monetary bonus that after taxes will cover the cost of the Liteway Plus (especially with the 20% off coupon that we'll get from the purchase of the Keyfit 30).
If you have a Babies R Us/Toys R Us rewards card, you get points for spending money in those stores. You also get registry rewards points for anything on a registry that's purchased for you. Besides the car seat and stroller, there are some other things we'll need to buy for Wiggle's arrival - mainly bottles and bags for me to store breast milk, plus my beloved Medela micro steam bags and cleaning wipes. They're not really expensive but they do add up and you need to buy a lot of them; a box of 100 milk storage bags or 100 Drop Ins for bottles only lasts around 5-6 weeks once I'm back at work and sending bottles to daycare. Plus while I plan to sew and to shop at Once Upon A Child for wardrobe needs, I want one or two cute and wholly unnecessary items bought just for Baby Wiggle - maybe some Aden & Anais swaddle blankets! Babies R Us mails you a completion coupon a few weeks before your due date - I won't pass up a 10% off coupon for things that we need and would be buying anyways.
So I made up a registry. I always thought it was kind of tacky to do that for babies after the first, barring a situation like having multiples or a very long age gap where parents would have gotten rid of all of the baby stuff (and if they'd kept it, it was probably expired). I certainly don't expect (or want!) a baby shower, "sprinkle", or anything of the sort for Wiggle. But we want the reward points and we want the completion coupon, so we went ahead and did it - my apologies to Emily Post!
We want to upgrade our infant car seat. We loved the Chicco Keyfit that we got as part of a travel system before Lily was born. It's absurdly easy to install correctly (even a seatbelt install) and to use, and we liked the color/fabric choices much better than any of the alternatives at the time. Unfortunately the stroller that came in the travel system is a behemoth which in the end we only used a handful of times. In mid-2010 the travel system with the 22 pound Keyfit was still quite popular and we didn't want to spend the extra money on the system with the Keyfit 30, so we didn't.
Lily transitioned to the Boulevard in my car at 9 months and then in Mark's car at 11 months. She had not outgrown the Keyfit yet; that would have happened by length (really, torso height) somewhere around 13-14 months. What if Wiggle isn't as skinny as Lily was? I know people whose kids hit 22 pounds at 6-8 months, which would put a June baby right smack dab in the middle of winter when outgrowing a 22 pound infant seat. We really want Wiggle to get through his/her first winter in the infant seat. We don't have a garage, so loading a non-walking kid into the car is substantially easier when you can strap them into the seat in the house, pile blankets on top, and then just snap it into the base. Add snow, ice, and cold wind and a 3 year old to wrangle and it becomes really important to streamline the process of getting into and out of the car as much as is humanly possible! Our existing bases are compatible with both the Keyfit and Keyfit 30 so there's no need to make an additional investment there. With the Babies R Us trade in event, we can trade in the Keyfit for a 25% off coupon that we can use on a spiffy new Keyfit 30.
The other part of this is getting a Chicco Liteway Plus stroller to replace the big Cortina. We went and checked it out last weekend at BRU and it's really a sweet option. First you use it as a stroller frame with the Keyfit - the seat just snaps in. Then, it converts to a normal umbrella stroller which most babies can ride in from around 6 months or so. Lily took several test rides in toddler mode and liked it so much she cried when we tried to take her out! Mark and I both liked the way it handled and how lightweight it is, plus the umbrella fold is a dream - even smaller than the City Mini. I got a little award at work that comes with a monetary bonus that after taxes will cover the cost of the Liteway Plus (especially with the 20% off coupon that we'll get from the purchase of the Keyfit 30).
If you have a Babies R Us/Toys R Us rewards card, you get points for spending money in those stores. You also get registry rewards points for anything on a registry that's purchased for you. Besides the car seat and stroller, there are some other things we'll need to buy for Wiggle's arrival - mainly bottles and bags for me to store breast milk, plus my beloved Medela micro steam bags and cleaning wipes. They're not really expensive but they do add up and you need to buy a lot of them; a box of 100 milk storage bags or 100 Drop Ins for bottles only lasts around 5-6 weeks once I'm back at work and sending bottles to daycare. Plus while I plan to sew and to shop at Once Upon A Child for wardrobe needs, I want one or two cute and wholly unnecessary items bought just for Baby Wiggle - maybe some Aden & Anais swaddle blankets! Babies R Us mails you a completion coupon a few weeks before your due date - I won't pass up a 10% off coupon for things that we need and would be buying anyways.
So I made up a registry. I always thought it was kind of tacky to do that for babies after the first, barring a situation like having multiples or a very long age gap where parents would have gotten rid of all of the baby stuff (and if they'd kept it, it was probably expired). I certainly don't expect (or want!) a baby shower, "sprinkle", or anything of the sort for Wiggle. But we want the reward points and we want the completion coupon, so we went ahead and did it - my apologies to Emily Post!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Some degree of normalcy
Well, the dust has settled around here. The layoff was scary and the timing certainly sucks, but there's never a good time to get laid off! One of the upsides of both of us working is that the other's income is a safety net of sorts.
By a stroke of luck, Mark's unemployment amount was boosted because the state department of labor uses specific quarters of income to calculate the amount - the two quarters used happened to be one in which he got his semi-annual bonus and then the other was one where he worked a lot of overtime. That was certainly a nice surprise and every little bit helps. Of course it's not what he was making before but when you subtract his high commuting expenses, premiums for insurance, his substantial 401k contribution, etc. it definitely gives us some extra breathing room in the budget while he hunts for a new job.
We're going to switch to my company's insurance plan. It sucks to have to switch mid-pregnancy and the premiums are around twice as much for a plan with higher co-pays and out of pocket max, but we would have had to re-meet a deductible for the new plan year regardless. We will likely switch to the high deductible with HSA plan for 2014 because my company's made some enhancements (especially for prescription drug coverage on the HD w/HSA) but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. So Wiggle's birth will cost us more out of pocket than we planned, but there's not a whole lot we can do about that besides expect to get on a payment plan with the hospital.
There were layoffs at my workplace a week after. That was a scary morning for me until it was clear that "the action" was complete. Between some retirements and the layoffs we had a 10% headcount reduction. It may not seem like a lot and I was pretty sure I'd be safe (this time) but it's still unnerving as hell to go through that - especially right after your spouse gets laid off.
So yeah. The situation sucks, but bitching and dwelling on it gets us nowhere positive. Mark is pretty confident he'll be able to find a new job in the coming months and I'm going to make a major reversal to my usual way of thinking and be optimistic that he's right.
By a stroke of luck, Mark's unemployment amount was boosted because the state department of labor uses specific quarters of income to calculate the amount - the two quarters used happened to be one in which he got his semi-annual bonus and then the other was one where he worked a lot of overtime. That was certainly a nice surprise and every little bit helps. Of course it's not what he was making before but when you subtract his high commuting expenses, premiums for insurance, his substantial 401k contribution, etc. it definitely gives us some extra breathing room in the budget while he hunts for a new job.
We're going to switch to my company's insurance plan. It sucks to have to switch mid-pregnancy and the premiums are around twice as much for a plan with higher co-pays and out of pocket max, but we would have had to re-meet a deductible for the new plan year regardless. We will likely switch to the high deductible with HSA plan for 2014 because my company's made some enhancements (especially for prescription drug coverage on the HD w/HSA) but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. So Wiggle's birth will cost us more out of pocket than we planned, but there's not a whole lot we can do about that besides expect to get on a payment plan with the hospital.
There were layoffs at my workplace a week after. That was a scary morning for me until it was clear that "the action" was complete. Between some retirements and the layoffs we had a 10% headcount reduction. It may not seem like a lot and I was pretty sure I'd be safe (this time) but it's still unnerving as hell to go through that - especially right after your spouse gets laid off.
So yeah. The situation sucks, but bitching and dwelling on it gets us nowhere positive. Mark is pretty confident he'll be able to find a new job in the coming months and I'm going to make a major reversal to my usual way of thinking and be optimistic that he's right.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
A no good, horrible, very bad day
Well, kids - if you're keeping track at home we're now two for two on my husband getting laid off while I'm pregnant. It's like some sort of sick cosmic joke.
I knew something was wrong when I got home and his car was in the driveway. I got Lily in the door and asked, "Are you sick?" and when he said no, I knew. All of the expected platitudes were offered: they're very sorry, they told him to apply for unemployment immediately, his supervisor is offering a great reference. Still, there's a lot of sadness and anger over the loss of a job he liked and was good at, through no fault of his own, and while I'm almost halfway through a second pregnancy. What was a very happy and exciting thing that we were looking forward to is now our biggest source of stress.
Our first concern is health insurance. Thankfully all of us are usually pretty healthy and if I wasn't pregnant we'd just switch to my employer's coverage, which costs more in premiums but is overall not a bad plan. With the baby due in 5 months, though, we have significant upcoming medical expenses to worry about that we'd never have otherwise. Mark's now former employer provided better coverage for half the premium cost and we were already well on our way to meeting the deductible thanks to some lab work I had last week. My available coverage has an out of pocket max nearly two times higher and with higher copays. We could COBRA through my pregnancy and the delivery, but it will likely cost a fortune to do so. We'll get the numbers today to plug into an Excel spreadsheet but it's likely that we'll switch to my employer's coverage and accept that when the baby's born we'll need to get on a payment plan with the hospital. Still, we will have insurance and my doctor and hospital are in-network with both insurers. We may just be paying the hospital back for the birth until this kid is two (which we did with Lily and can do again).
Then there's the issue of child care. With just Lily to worry about we'd be fine indefinitely with my income and his unemployment covering all of our bills, and with relatively little change to our lifestyle. But we're in the situation of needing two full time incomes to afford childcare, but not being able to afford to get by long-term on my income alone. So come August or so if Mark doesn't have a comparable salary coming in, he'll have to stay home with the baby while looking for work. We can't take Lily out of her daycare - she loves it and thrives there with her friends and caring teachers.
Thankfully we don't need to buy much for the baby. We were going to upgrade our infant car seat to the 30 pound model and get a stroller frame to use rather than the behemoth travel system stroller, but we don't need to do that. We have a crib, bedding, swing, bouncer, toys, etc. If it's a girl we'll be more than all set for clothes and if it's a boy, Once Upon A Child and hand-me-downs will keep him clothed enough. Mark got frustrated with me and said we should still get what we think we need to get, but I'd rather save the money in case this is a prolonged state of unemployment.
What has me most irrationally panicked now is the fear that my pregnancy and maternity leave will make me expendable to my employer. I'm back in the position of being primary breadwinner at a time when there's threatened downsizing on the horizon and I know I'll be out of the office for at least 2 months this summer. Emotionally I don't even know how to handle that fear so it's probably best to not let it enter my head right now. I keep telling myself that even in an absolute worst case scenario we will not wind up hungry and on the streets because we have family who would take us in.
If Mark's out of work much past April, it will mean we won't be able to save up so I can take unpaid leave when the baby comes. We were counting on saving more money and getting a fairly large lump sum from his expected bonus in March, but now that won't be happening. So I'll get my 6 weeks of disability and 2 weeks of dependent care days and maybe use a week of vacation and that will probably be it. I was so looking forward to my 16 weeks this time but if it's not meant to be, I'll deal with it.
Mark says that my only responsibilities right now are to go to work and kick ass, and take care of my health and the baby's. It's on him to keep the house running and to handle a time-critical job hunt in this abysmal job market. We have to try to keep things as normal and stress-free as possible for Lily's sake. I'm so grateful for his strength and support in a situation which is so emotionally difficult, especially for him. I pretty much lost it in a hormonal mess!
This sucks. Right when we think we can relax a little, that life is finally going our way, we get kicked down again.
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