Thursdaily with much to do...

[ellenmillion]

"Much to do" is sort of a theme, I think...

I made massive in-roads on the abstracts project yesterday, and got all caught up on contact with everything I had painted - I have four more prompts that I still need to do, so I will be doing those (and any repaint requests that come in) tomorrow. Waiting to hear back on a few second choices, but most are ready to go in the mail! Horrah!

You can see the finished paintings (so far) here: http://www.ellenmilliongraphics.com/abstracts2-finishedabstracts.php

And all the available abstracts here: http://www.ellenmilliongraphics.com/abstracts2-available.php

They are $5 each (included shipping) and proceeds go to fund EMG-Zine...

And, in related horrahs, EMG-Zine is safe until December, 2012! We not only met our goal, we kicked that goal's butt, and I will have awesome site improvements to add shortly! :) :) Thank you so much to everyone who made this happen! You guys rock. (now, go submit steampunk work!) I have already started your amazing surprise, and it should be good to go tomorrow. (But let's say Monday, because... things happen.)



Today, I:

Pack up ACEOs

Christmas errand

Gym - been TOO sedentary this week!

Dance class tonight

Lunch-like things

Rug shopping? - nope

PO

Follow up on missing payment if no check at the PO, otherwise, go to bank - Unfortunately, option 1. :(

pay CC

post something for TW New reference article, Northern Clothing: http://www.tornworld.net/settingpageview.php?id=167

Secret Amazing Surprise! - finished, just need to make a page to share it with!

Now, packing and a snack.


ETA: And thank you for the thoughts on carseats in my last entry! I am boggled by choices, and trying to decide how carrying/strolling would work. I'm not fond of the idea of carrying a carseat around - it sounds awkward at best... but where do I go where baby would go, too? Grocery shopping - a carseat would be as easy as anything? Get it into the store and plop it in the cart (can't wrangle stroller and cart together). PO? Er... nothing is convenient for that. A sling to leave hands free, maybe - a wrap would be too complicated for such trips. Gym? Just have to get her from parking lot to the daycare and back - anything will do. I think about where I'd use a stroller, and it always comes back to trails - which I don't really need to drive to (and the carseat/strollers don't look trail-ready). Doctor's office? A sling sounds easiest for that, too. Probably, what I need to do is get a sling, and plan on lugging a lightweight carseat for the grocery shopping or any cases where I'm not wanting to hold her for long periods. Thinking thinky thoughts!

ETA: Oo! Consultation appointment at the hospital scheduled for Jan 3 to talk with an anesthesiologist. I really hope not to need it, but if it becomes necessary, I don't want any Big Last Minute Surprises resulting from my wonky back.

Comments

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Okay, a few things.

1. Carrying a car seat with a baby in it can definitely be awkward and inconvenient, but there is a HUGE convenience to it that sometimes outweighs all the other inconveniences: when your baby falls asleep in the car, you can move her inside without waking her up. Many infants will continue sleeping as long as they're in the carseat, even if you take them into the supermarket, or take them into the house. I cannot overestimate how valuable this is, and how much we missed it when E graduated to the convertible carseat.

2. Carriers are AWESOME. I personally love the Beco products. The Gemini and Butterfly 2 are both excellent; I waffled between the two for a while before settling on the Gemini, which I absolutely adore. I can carry E (even now!) for hours without any back strain. The Butterfly has a cloth pocket between you and the baby, which means you can buckle the baby into the carrier on the bed or chair for easy back carry. Plus, if the baby falls asleep you can take her off without waking her up. I found the Gemini to be more comfortable and easy to wear, plus the baby can face out, which is nice. Both are excellent products. And buckle carriers are a lot quicker with the on/off than wraps, which makes them very convenient for errands.

3. The snugride snaps into many strollers (and if it doesn't, you can get carseat attachments for most. The shopping carts in our supermarkets are usually just about the right size to perch the snugride on top of, too.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooooo... I never considered the wake-up factor. (Can you tell I'm new at this?! :P) GOOD point!

Definitely leaning towards the smaller snugride at this point!

[jenny_evergreen]

Will always woke up once the car stopped, so that wasn't a plus for me. He actually slept best in the sling, and walking would put him to sleep. (You would not believe the hours we spent pacing the hallway in our little house!)

I don't know about the carriers recommended, but a sling is VERY easy on/off and you can face the baby in or out as well. The only thing about a sling versus other wraps is that it's not adjustable, so you need to get your size, and you can't share with your spouse unless you happen to be the same size. Tom and I each had our own sling, though I did most of the carrying.

*looking below* As for five point harnesses and bundling, there's also this option, which I have one of somewhere. Though, in truth, the baby lived in sleep 'n plays and I just put a coat on over that and he was fine.

Which reminds me; sleep 'n plays (aka footed pajamas)...stock up on them! They are NOT just for sleeping; in fact, Will lived in them almost exclusively till he was six months old. (Finn started other stuff sooner, for some reason.)

I read somewhere when I was pregnant that keeping the baby at home as much as possible for the first four months is a good idea (exposure to illness, etc), and I did that with Will and, to a lesser extent, Finn. It was good all the way around for all of us, I think. YMMV. :)

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

I have a prodigious stack of sleep-n-plays started! My sister-in-law has been combing flea markets (which we don't have up here) for us, and sending box after box of onsies and various clean used baby clothes. It's going to be a challenge to keep our house very warm, so we're particularly gleeful when she finds long-sleeved and footed things. (And she's found a surprising amount of it, considering she lives in GA!)