Capturing the memories with Flip HD or a cell phone with HD recording?

One of the most important things for me is capturing the memories as my family expands.  I want to have a video of my son’s first steps, first words and first time he takes some electronic device apart.  I have fond memories of taking a TV and a radio apart at a young age.  Tori teases me about taking a lot of pictures when we take vacations now and I think it will be the same or worse once Turner is here.

Tori has a digital SLR camera and I have a point and shoot.  We have cell phones that can take video but I really want something fast and easy to use.  I also want something that takes HD video.  The first option is a Flip HD.  It records at 720p resolution and can record about 2hrs worth of footage. The iPod Touch and iPhone 4 both do HD at 720p and the 16gb versions can record about 4hrs.  Cost is big factor but I think ease of use is important. 

So should we get a Flip HD or an iPod Touch / iPhone 4?

Babies Registries are created!

While I was down in Orlando, FL celebrating at my sister Wendy’s baby shower, Tori was busy here in PA finalizing items for our registry. Let this be a lesson to the other soon to be parents; it is a little difficult to find all of the best baby products and deals in one location.  This is why Tori and I had to create three registries.  You can search on each vendor’s website under our names or click on the links below:

Our registries were built with some input from close friends.  They told us about items they received that they didn’t like or use.  They also told us about items they wished they had purchased.  The biggest piece of advice was to not to get carried away with registering for items – think about how much space your home has now.  We also relied heavily on existing lists and vetted those with some experienced mothers. 



For those looking to purchase an item for us or Turner, thank you in advance and we’ll be posting pictures and information about the gifts we receive as they arrive and pictures from the baby shower.

We’ve decided on a crib!!

Not only did we (read: Tori) decide on a crib but we also ordered it.  As you might recall, Tori and I couldn’t agree on a crib.  The two cribs were considering – four if we count the two others Tori likes are all great.  They mostly look alike so for me it came down to price.  Rather than debate on which crib is better and fight for the one I really like, I’m going to let Tori drive the selection of the crib for Turner’s room.  With that said, we’re going with the Munire Deco crib.  According to reviews, it is good quality furniture item (received an A- rating).  The Deco also fits our requirement of converting into both a toddler bed and full-size bed for an older child. 

We went down to a store in DE to take a look at the crib in person but they didn’t have one on the floor.  We ordered the crib today.  I’ll finish painting Turner’s room, adding his name to the wall and adding in some furniture  As mentioned in earlier posts, we’ll be getting our dresser and rocking chair from IKEA. With furniture decisions complete, I’ll focus my energies on decorating it based on the theme that we (read: I) decided on.

My sister Wendy is also having a baby

My younger sister Wendy (formerly known as my little sister) will be having her first child, a boy in early November.  She lives down in Orlando, FL with her boyfriend.  I flew down to help celebrate the coming of my nephew by attending one of her two baby showers.  The whole weekend was great. I haven’t seen some of my family in a little under a year.  It was also an opportunity for me to meet Wendy’s new family too.

The night before the baby shower, the family was taking care of final details. I helped make a diaper cake and some appetizers. Wendy’s baby shower was fun.  She decorated the room beautifully.  We played several games and had some delicious food (I had seconds).  Wendy’s friends gave her some very nice gifts.  However, my brother Sammy and I stole the show with our gifts.  We tend to steal the show no matter where we are so it was inevitable.

It is kind of cool to know that my sister and I are both having boys and that they will be so close in age.   If we lived closer to each other, I’m sure they’d have tons of play dates on the weekends and after school.   I kept a close eye on the gifts she received at her shower – just in case Wendy tries to re-gift some to me.

Prepared Childbirth Education Pt.1

Game on. Tori and I started our childbirth education classes at Lankenau Hospital.  We arrived at the hospital early to have dinner in the cafeteria.  Good news, I think our family and friends will be OK with the food options offered.  It's not the healthiest selection but it gets the job done.  We were under the impression the classes started at 6:30pm.  When no one else was there, we started to think we were in the wrong location.  I then realized that I told Tori 6:30pm so that she'd be on time - then I forgot.   My Bad..  So classes actually start at 7:00pm and go until 9:30pm.  We saw several couples arriving and noticed they all had pillows.  DOH, another detail I forgot - we're supposed to bring pillows.  Luckily we didn't need them for day 1.  

The instructor arrived and we walked to the auditorium.  She handed out our childbirth workbook.  I flipped through the pages looking at pictures then handed the book to Tori because I'd seen enough.  The course was long and there were a few moments when I spaced out but I'm hoping Tori stayed awake for those parts.  The big take-a-ways for me were (1) contractions hurt and (2) Tori needs to breathe - ALOT.  When Tori is in pain, I need to touch her in places to relieve the tension [Isn’t that's how we got in this situation in the first place – HELLO?!?].  Seriously, when the contractions hit, I need to start massaging the shoulders and her arms and remind her to breathe.

The tour of the hospital was very good.  I learned where to park when we arrive, where to go, what the rooms look like and where our friends and family will be waiting for us.  It's a very nice room.  There is a phone and internet access.  No, I won't be blogging from the delivery room nor will I stream the birth over the internet.  I will be sending out a message to friends and family alerting the world when my son arrives.

In the next class we will watch the 'birth video'.  I'm going to bring popcorn and candy.

Selecting a theme for Turner’s room

There are many themes to choose from when it comes to decorating a baby boy’s room. My initial idea was to decorate it with an animal theme. At first I wanted to base it on the rainforests of Guyana but we really only have a handful of cool animals to select from.  While it would have been funny for a week or two, I didn’t want to have a stuffed donkey or hoatzin in my son’s room.  So I decided on something more general; a jungle and safari theme.  This way I can have stuffed apes (with Alpha gear), tigers, toucans, giraffes, etc. in his room. They also have several bed sets that will match this theme.

Tori – my former jock of a wife wants to do a sports theme.  Tori played volleyball, ran track and played basketball in school.  She was one of those overachievers I resented as I sat on the benches with my CD player and headphones.  I bet she had a varsity jacket and walked through the hallways thinking she was cool.  Sorry, I was having flashbacks to high school.  So yeah, Tori would love Turner’s room to be decorated with a sports theme.  She also wants him to be a professional tennis player – be sure to ask her about that one. 

One day at work, a third theme crossed my mind.  I am really into cars so why not decorate his room with a car theme?  Audi makes several very nice items for children.  They even have a toddler car to match my A5.  Tori takes some great photos every year when we go to the Philadelphia and New York Auto shows – I’m sure we can turn some of those into decorations for his room.  I wonder if they make miniature driving gloves and scarves – perhaps some shades for driving on those sunny days.