Happy April! (a day late)

If you couldn't tell from the past few posts, March was a crazy busy, but productive month. We crossed a ton of stuff off our to-do list:

1) Find a place to live & move: Our criteria was 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and no upstairs or downstairs neighbors. We got lucky and managed to find a place that was all of those things AND just a few miles from work. It also took us the better part of a month to move all of our stuff from the old place to the new place. As of last Saturday, we are officially moved out of LA and into what will be Ezzy's first home. Yay! Added bonus: James gets to explore outside again, and he's a much happier kitty because of it. He still hisses at Joe, but I think it's just out of habit. He also lets Joe pick him up and will sit there relaxed and purring while Joe pets him.

2) Birth & Baby Care Classes: We crammed in 7 classes throughout March, covering everything from pain management techniques, to C-sections, comforting a crying baby, breast feeding, and much, much more. As far as the Lamaze portion of the class goes, the teacher basically said that everyone experiences labor differently, and responds to pain differently, so there's no way to really prepare for it. That's not a huge comfort, but nothing too unexpected there. My favorite classes were the pain management techniques - which included the dads massaging the moms with various types of massagers (see above pic) and the Happiest Baby on the Block class. I think we're much more prepared to deal with a screaming baby now that we know the 5 S's. Joe seemed to like the breastfeeding class. Actually, all the guys in that class seemed to be more enthralled than usual. I was already planning on breastfeeding, but once she mentioned that you can easily spend $3,000 a year on formula, I was sold. Ezzy needs a job if he wants formula! (kidding...)

Our new Bookshelf - the entire hallway was filled with books

Assembling Ezzy's Dresser - next step is organizing his room

3) Maternity Leave to-do List: I made a list of stuff to take care of when I go on maternity leave (just 3.5 more work days!) and I've already gotten a head start at crossing a few things off:

• Assemble Ezzy's Dresser
• Find a Pediatrician
• Fill out paid family leave paperwork
• Assemble Changing Table
• Assemble Crib
• Wash Baby Clothes (done for now, but I'm sure there will be more loads after the baby showers. Yay!)
• Pack hospital bag (any tips on what to bring are MUCH appreciated!)
• Find a cheap bookshelf
• Create some DIY decorations: find inspiration here
• Read What to Expect the 1st Year
• Finish organizing the house (not sure if this will ever be "finished" - but getting all the boxes unpacked is the main goal)

Of the stuff that's still on the list, I think the pediatrician and hospital bag are top priority. The rest I'll get around to...eventually ;)

So that was March, in a nutshell. There was also lots of fun moments sprinkled in there, along with quite a few naps. It seems like there's still so much to do, but finding Ezzy's first home was a huge relief. I think (hope) everything else will fall into place because there's only 33 days until Ezzy's expected arrival. Crazy!