Faxing

Using OS X 10.4.2 to send a long-distance fax using a calling card isn't as easy as I would have hoped, but here's how I did it. (Yes, I tried a dialing prefix, and I tried adding ,pauses, but it didn't work.)

I opened the document to fax, File:Print, click on the PDF button, Fax PDF ... Pick a fax destination (click on the person silhouette, use TAB to navigate). Do what you want for Fax Cover Page, and then change it to Modem in that pop-up menu. Uncheck "Wait for dial tone before dialing" and then reach for the phone. Do all of the dialing (yes, all), and finally click on the Fax button. Yes, it tries to dial again, but that didn't matter.

Update

Looks like I'm not the only one trying to send a fax with a calling card. See Mac OS X Hints for another very similar version.

Diaper Review, size 1

We used 168 size 1 diapers. Size 1 is rated for 8-14 pounds, and we used them from around 9 pounds to about 12 pounds. What I notice about this baby is that he has no booty but he does have chubby thighs. Stretchy waists with the most depth should provide the best fit, so I went through these diapers from Little Tykes to Huggies, then on to Pampers. He gets a better fit when his weight is on the low end of the rated range.

• Huggies Supreme have the narrowest crotch and are extra soft.
• Huggies and Huggies Ultratrim have next narrowest crotch and the second-least depth.
• Pampers Baby Dry have the next-most crotch depth, the thinnest liner, and are soft.
• Pampers Swaddlers in size 1-2 (larger than size 1, smaller than size 2) have the second widest crotch, the most depth, are soft, and have a weave cover on the liner.
• Little Tykes snug-n-cozy have the widest crotch, the least depth, and a sorta stiff liner with weave cover.

Around this time, we decided we like Pampers Swaddlers the best.

Diaper Wipes Review

My biggest opinion here is that pop-up wipes are much easier to use than folded. When your baby decides to make an additional donation on the changing table, you want another wipe as fast as possible. The next pop-up wipe would already be waiting for you.

We've used Pampers Baby Fresh, and Huggies Natural Care, and they're both functional (I have a preference for Pampers and Sesame Street!). I put my finger through the regular Huggies wipes, so I don't like those.

Also, diaper wipes are excellent for cleaning up messes, like explosive baby poop on carpet. They're much better at it than I would have expected because they hold together well (except regular Huggies wipes). (This is where I suspect commercial diaper wipes out-shine home-made ones.)

Diaper Review, size N

We used 240 size N newborn diapers, from 6 pounds to about 9.25 pounds. (We could have transitioned around 200 or 220.) Here's how we felt about newborn diapers:

• Huggies were best at first (and what the hospital used) because they had the narrowest crotch (less bulk when he straightened his legs), and were the second thinnest that we used.
• Pampers Swaddlers were also good early on, but less so above 8 pounds; softest, thinnest, and next narrowest.
• White Cloud was ok above 8 pounds; next softest.
• Luvs were largest and the decorative front band seemed very rigid but also very grippy for tabs. However, we had overnight leaks above 8 pounds.

YMMV

First Month

Layette

For my July baby, clothing isn't an issue. Teeshirts are not only good for the cord stump, but also convenient later because they're easy to change. Sleep sacks are also easy, but my favorite for sleep is the SwaddleMe. Other outfits are cute, but less easy ...

Bibs aren't useful (yet), but hand towels that can later be made into towel bibs are great! I try to keep one under him most of the time (at least if he's on my lap or on my glider with me; baby furniture has washable covers and/or waterproof pads).

Nursing

Boppy is wonderful! I needed the extra cover a few times, too. Sure, you could use a regular pillow instead, but it's easier to walk and carry baby with Boppy because Boppy is less prone to shift. (I didn't try My Brest Friend or Pollywog, so I can't compare them.)

While I'm tethered to Boppy and baby, I like reading eBooks on my PDA, or using my laptop (with wireless networking, keyboard, and padless mouse).

Breast pads are helpful.

Sleeping

Sleeping? I wish! He was hungry about every two hours in the first month, but the SwaddleMe seemed to help him sleep longer periods at night. The Pack n Play with bassinet and changing station is perfect for one stop infant sleeping and changing care. I swaddled him in non-stretch receiving blankets during the day, hoping to make nighttime sleeping both different and better. (We also tried to keep him awake after dinner until our bedtime. Some nights it worked.) He always could kick off a swaddled blanket, but the velcro of the SwaddleMe was another matter.

Furniture

The standby, the glider-rocker with recline and ottoman, is very nice! It's not strictly necessary, but it's comfy, the rocking action helps put him to sleep, and I could doze lighhtly while reclined when nursing. The ottoman helps rocking and positioning (by changing knee height, I can raise his head slightly, fewer air gulps go down). I got a much better deal on an easy-to-clean leather glider at a mattress store than I saw at baby stores.

Some babies like rocking (mine!), some like vibration, and some neither. Don't invest heavily one way or another until you know. The swing (rocking) got us through several bad nights, but the bouncer (vibration) is just a chair. I have two friends with vibration-liking babies, so you'll just have to see first (or borrow, or get a selection).

Travel

Car seat, stroller, diaper bag; you know the drill. I pack the diaper bag (just a zippered bag I had) with diapers, wipes, changing pad, waterproof pad, cornstarch baby powder (never talc-based), empty plastic grocery bags, and a clean outfit (teeshirt and hat).

For walks around the neighborhood (or around the house, to calm him down), the Baby Bjorn has been wonderful! It doesn't hurt my back.

Total weight loss: down 4 pounds.

Books for new moms

These are the books I like so far about life with baby.

• What to Expect the First Year by Murkoff, Eisenberg, and Hathaway,
• Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott (it made me laugh and cry),
• The Core Program by Peggy Brill, and
• Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields (again/still).

OK, so Brill isn't about babies, and Lamott won't teach you about babies, but both of those have been useful: one for light exercise and the other for laughter (something to read in short chunks while breastfeeding).

Books for Pregnancy

In retrospect, these are the books that I'm glad I read while pregnant:

• What to Expect When You're Expecting by Murkoff, Eisenberg, and Hathaway (even recommended to me by my aunt the OB as well as everyone else; make sure you have the latest edition),
• Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by Simkin, Whalley, and Keppler,
• Pregnancy Fitness by Ginny Graves, and
• Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields.

If you end up with morning sickness (I'm so sorry), try avoiding the foods with natural toxins (that don't affect adults but could affect embryos) mentioned in Pregnancy Sickness: Using Your Body's Natural Defenses to Protect Your Baby-To-Be by Margie Profet. My crude empirical evidence is that of the three women who had terrible morning sickness whom I know personally, this diet worked. See The Virtual Birth Center for a list of foods to avoid following Margie Profet's advice.