A Geeky Baby Box for Dad

In Finland, when you're having a baby, the government grants you a baby box full of all kinds of things the baby needs in his or her first year: onesies, a sleeping bag, toys, hygiene products, a snowsuit etc., and the box it comes in can be used as the baby's first bed. You can see the contents of this year's box here. The only problem is, it's still called 'The Maternity Package,' which can make the future daddy feel a bit left out, so I decided to make Hubby a Daddy Box of his very own. 

I repurposed one of the Loot Crate boxes for this project. The note on top (and most of the other baby stuff) was from a webshop called www.mussukat.fi. It says: 'You have been granted a paternity package in the form of a baby box. It has been personally designed for you and executed with love. We hope the box will bring joy to your time with the baby.'

And what did I put inside? A geeky onesie, of course. This one is LOTR themed and has all the meals Hobbits like to enjoy during the day printed on it. 

I also included a polar bear bib scarf, a 'mute button' pacifier, and earplugs, of course!

Some baby toys. I'm partial to owls.

The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting

Tips, and Advice on First Year Maintenance by Louis and Joe Borgenicht. (Hey, they have it in English, too!)

Something to mop up all the stuff that keeps coming out of both ends. 

I wanted to add a chocolate cigar, but unfortunately they don't sell those in Finland. Coffee or an energy drink would have fit in quite well too, but I ran out of room after this stuff.

Have you made a Baby Box for your significant other? What did you put inside?

Freedom!

Friday was my last day of work for a while. I knew it was coming, of course, but somehow it hasn't really sunk in yet: I don't have to go to work today, I can get up when I want and do what I want, and I'm not bound to anyone else's schedule; pretty cool, actually. I haven't been feeling too great for the last few months and I had some vacation time coming, so I decided to take my summer vacation a bit early this year. Best decision ever, especially now that I'm feeling better (yay for iron supplements!) and I can actually enjoy it.

This is the first time since childhood that I have a whole summer  all to myself. The baby's not due till August, so I plan to take full advantage of the summer months and get as much writing done as possible, because I have a feeling that writing time will be extremely limited in the baby's first year. I'm planning to write new stuff for a few hours in the mornings and do an hour or two of editing in the afternoon, so nothing too strenuous, because pregnancy does take its toll. And I did sign up for that University of Iowa MOOC that's starting this week.

In addition to writing, there's all kinds of baby-related errands to do from finishing the nursery to getting everything we need to keep the kid warm and fed and reasonably happy when it gets here, not to mention doctor's appointments etc. (Who knew babies come with a mountain of stuff? And where do we put all of our stuff to make room for the baby stuff?) I also have to watch what I eat and take time for regular exercise as long as I can. Hopefully spring will finally prevail and the sleet and snow will stop falling before the indoor swimming pools close at the end of May.

But all that can wait until tomorrow. Now I'm going to have some fruit and yogurt and a huge cup of tea and watch some bad TV, because first day of summer vacation!

5 Very Science Fiction-y Things About Pregnancy

You might have noticed the blog's been a bit quieter than usual lately. There's a reason for that: I'm busy with the next generation. Being pregnant is supremely weird, especially when it's your first time. Sometimes I feel like I woke up in a science fiction (or horror) movie, so here's a list of weird stuff about pregnancy. I'm only about halfway through, so any veteran mommies out there, feel free to add to the list in the comments.

So, here's my list:

1. Cool new superpowers, like a heightened sense of smell and taste. At about six weeks or so I developed Witcher senses. Just like Geralt's, except I doubt he has to step into the bushes to throw up every time he smells coffee. Or maybe Sapkowski just left that part out. As a bonus, most healthy foods start to taste like poison. Well, I guess it's good to expand your palate. (This, thankfully, went away in the second trimester. I doubt you can grow a baby on ice-cream and folic acid supplements alone.)

2. Playing host to a strange little alien that moves around in your tummy. It's weird. The first kicks leave you feeling both elated and supremely creeped out at the same time. And that first ultrasound; It's like something out of Alien.

3. The vivid dreams. Virtual reality has nothing on these. Even though I've mostly been too sick to write, I've got enough material to last me a couple of years.

4. The hormones make you act very strangely, from getting overly emotional over pictures of kittens to eating peculiar things like sun-dried tomatoes with soygurt. (Yummy!) Suddenly your body has a mind of its own and you're no longer in control. I also turned into a morning person overnight. Seriously, I never thought I'd be getting up at 6 a.m. voluntarily. Very Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

5. The rampant paranoia. Your house is suddenly a deathtrap, and you worry about the baby getting eaten by squirrels while sleeping in the stroller and similar totally rational and likely scenarios.

P.S. Don't let these freak you out if you're planning on having kids. There's good stuff too. Mass Effect onesies and Death Star pregnancy shirts, for example.