Sympathy Pain

Let me set up the story. I’m sick. Sarah’s sick. Jack is grounded for taking a shot at one of his dogs at his mom’s house. We just finished working on the nasty plumbing at the theatre I am on the board of. It’s the weekend after thanksgiving, and Jack and I are in K-mart picking up some poster board for a book report Jack has to do this weekend.

So we get in line, with our lonely 2 pieces of cardboard paper. I have no idea how they train the cashiers at K-mart, but communication is not part of it. Something, who knows what, was holding up the line. We stood there 5 minutes while the young man behind the counter talked to all the other associates that passed about everything but why we were standing in line. He finally turned his blinking “I need help” light on. I was not feeling well, and my patience was very thin. I noticed another line with an older associate was actually moving, so I jumped into it…with my $2.14 purchase.

She was at least making progress, when I saw a friend of mine and his wife walk up to her, with purchases in hand, trying to get her attention. Jack knows them as well, because his grandson is on Jack’s baseball team.

“I don’t think you rang this up right.”

“Great,” I think, as I wave to them. She overcharged them and now I have to wait even longer for my 2 sheets of poster board.

“You didn’t ring up these 3 sets of sheets, that’s about $150.00.”

Wow…someone actually being honest…and at a cost of $150.

“Oh,” the associate said, “I pulled the magnet sensor off, but never rung them up.”

“Yeah, It would have been stealing if I didn’t bring them back in.”

So, she rang them up and my friend ran his credit card.

“Have a good holiday”, I told them as they left. I was pretty amazed. I made sure Jack realized what had just happened, how h could have just walked away with the free sheets, but he did the right thing. We then got our poster board, and I didn’t really mind the wait, cause we got to see the better half of this Christmas.

Yes, Virginia, We have a Wii.

“Where ever did you fine one?” you might ask. Well, not around here or the Internet, no. My sister-in-law in California found one. She called around and found a place in Glendale that had them.

“That was easy.” I hear you thinking. Nay nay, Nadine. One kiosk had 15. The catch, they had no way to run credit cards. So she had to go get cash and get to the mall. She then had to find where the hell this one oasis of Wii…he he…was. But, she did it.

So now, the quest for the Wii is over. Christmas is saved. I had begun to come up with stories of Santa’s sudden onset of Alzheimer’s, or how Jack wasn’t as “nice” as the other kids who did get one. But, Jenni saved the day. Thanks sis.

The alarm went off at 6:00. “Why in the hell am I doing this?”

The answer was fast asleep in his room. So I get up, throw on some clothes, grab a mountain dew and Reese’s bar, and off I go.

As I drive, I’m thinking…”I bet their won’t be tons of people there. It opens at 7:00. I’m going to feel silly. I mean this K-mart hardly ever has a crowed”…oh how naive. (more…)

So, Sudie mentioned how much is sucks to change sheets in a crib with the bumpers. Sarah, my fabulous wife who says she doesn’t need my readership, has found this changeable sheet system. It looks like a great idea. Most of the reviews are positive, with one saying the zipper is poorly made.
Anyone use these? I’m curious.

Graco Children’s Products Inc.
Attn: Consumer Services
150 Oaklands Boulevard
Exton, PA 19341

To whom it may concern,

First, let me begin by saying this is not a complaint about your products or services. I have used Graco Brand products for 2 children now and have been completely satisfied. Your web site is extremely informative and easy to navigate. As a whole, I have been very pleased with your company.

Having said that, I would like to inform you that your slogan insults me as a father. “Ask Moms Who Know” creates a sexiest image that fathers have nothing to do with choosing and utilizing the brands used for a child. I find it to be quite the contrary. First of all, with my wife at almost thirty weeks, we have had our first shower. Because of the pregnancy, she will not be the one assembling the products manufactured by your company. I, as the father, will be the one to attest to the ease of assembly, not the “mom”. Secondly, as a father in a household with both parents working, I will be equally involved in the child’s day to day activities, which will obviously involve your product. And lastly, in an age where more and more “nontraditional” families are occurring, I would think your company would realize that more and more men are becoming primary care givers to infants and children.

Again, I like your product. However, I believe you are alienating and insulting your male customers buy choosing the slogan “Ask Moms Who Know.”

A father,

Bryan Comer

Ambybaby

Amby Baby Motion Bed
Helping your baby sleep better, longer
Finally, a solution for your fussy baby! The Amby Baby Motion Bed helps babies and parents get the sleep they need with it’s womb-like design and gentle motion that babies love. Endorsed by Dr. Sears, the Amby Baby bed is specially helpful for babies with reflux(GER), colic and even preemies.

Anyone?

Taking the cue from my wife, I want to write down what I’ve learned in the first half of the pregnancy. Now, I do have 37 weeks in my back pocket from Jack, but I have learned volumes from this rodeo.

You can’t go toe-to-toe in the snack department. I realized that about the third time we had a late night snack…by snack I mean a #5 combo from Wendy’s. There are times when her appetite, while appropriate for a woman with child, is not ok for a 35 year old male.

Men are still considered neanderthals when it comes to pregnancyIts better, believe me. More men’s room have changing stations than ever before, but I still get the “You have external genitals, what do you know about child birth” look from some women when the subject comes up.

The OB/GYN is still a strange place to see a man…not in a lab coat. I was the only man in the waiting room. I didn’t see any “Sport’s Illustrated” magazines on the magazine racks…which I thought sexist in and of itself. Women like to look at sweaty muscular men just like us guys…

Super Nanny is a a goddess. The sad thing is, if people had common sense, she’d be out of a job.

It takes a village to teach a confirmed bachelorette. My wife was never going to have children. She always tuned out when the children talk came up at dinner parties. So, she has had to learn alot through me and our friends/family. She’s also read tombs on blogs, extending our village of knowledge.

Sometimes, the village idiot throws his 2 cents in. Opinions are like bung holes…everyone has one, and everyone is going to use it. You have to be willing to nod and smile when the wives tails come flying out. “If your hair is weak and limp, it’s a girl because it’s stealing the mother’s looks.”

There are tons of good…and stupid…products for babies. And as long as there are babies or pregnant women, people will make ‘em, and sale ‘em.

And something I already knew but have seen it magnified:

My wife is amazing. She is not a martyr. She doesn’t hide behind her pregnancy. She doesn’t use it as an excuse. She is so strong. She has kept her sense of humor and good nature, even when the demon spawn within her rears its ugly head. My respect for her has only grown stronger.

There’s more, but those are the high points. We shall see what else is out there to be learned in the next 20 weeks…and beyond.

When Jack was little, it was the Boppy. That thing went every where with us. I have a picture of him chillin at the lake with sunglasses when he was about 6 month old. It was great while he was learning to set up and control himself. It also helped in nursing.

What is/was your one item?

I bought Sarah a “Pregnancy Pillow Deluxe” tonight. I looked at the full body pillows but decided to try this. It seemed less obtrusive. She is starting to have lots of problems sleeping and getting comfortable in bed.

“It’s not unbearable yet” she says. I want to try to find something that works before we get to that point. I know until that baby comes out she will not be comfortable, but I want to help as much as I can.

What are the thoughts out there about body pillows? I’ll let you know how the wedge pillow works out.

I have heard that Baby Monitors can interfere with cordless phones and Wi-Fi routers. We have booth in our house. Here’s what I discovered.

Wi-Fi:
Most home wireless internet routers run at a 2.4GHz frequency. This is also a popular frequency for baby monitors, both audio and video. If you stick with the 900MHz frequency for your baby monitor, you should have no problems. Using a video baby monitor with the 2.4GHz and a Wi-Fi router will cause static and possibly unviewable picture. The audio baby monitor may not work at all.

Cordless Home Phone:
The standard frequency for newer cordless home phones is 5.8GHz. Most baby monitors are not at that high of a frequency, so you should not have interference. If you do have a 2.4GHz or 900Mhz cordless phone, be aware of the frequency on the baby monitor, It may just be time to upgrade your home phone.

Channels:
Higher line monitors will have multiple channels, some to use separate receivers. Some phones and routers have channels as well. You can try changing these channels to get less interference, but if they are sending on the same frequency, this will only help slightly.

Consumer Reporter Bryan Comer out.

I say that because it can be slightly overwhelming to register for the first time at a “Babies R Us” kinda place. Start at a smaller store. Get to know the products. Then you will be familiar with baby items before you enter the store. I’m not saying not to register at the mega store, by all means do, just start with a smaller pile of goodies.

Now for the story. We registered at Target last night. I remember the first time I registered for baby stuff…7 1/2 years ago. We went to “Babies R Us” They handed us a phaser straight out of Star Trek. I was obliged to make the noise and shoot random items. Before we started, however, I needed to make a trip to the big boy’s room. It was tucked in a corner and I had to move the mop bucket out of the way to do my business. Mop bucket, you might ask? Yes, for the boys room was also the janitor’s closet. Men were obvious an after thought in the construction of this store…or janitors. Back to registering…Holy Crap! There were dozens of types of baby bottles alone. It was over whelming. We got through, but it literally took hours.

Last night, my wife and I went to dinner, then to Target. Again, the phaser. But I am much older and more mature now…insert phaser noises here…and rolling eyes of the wife. We went back to baby world and relatively quickly worked through what we wanted. Maybe it helped that I have done this before, but it was smooth sailing. Mostly yellows and green since we don’t know the sex, but a good beginning.

Sometime in the new future, we will tackle the mega baby store.