The Last Lecture

G-Ma T just mentioned this to me (again?)... We both love the message. Pausch asks:

Each of us must make a decision, best captured in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh characters. Am I a fun-loving Tigger or a sad-sack Eeyore?

The key points:

• Always have fun
• Dream big
• Dare to take a risk
• Look for the good in everybody
• Make time for what matters
• Let kids be themselves

Mama Tigger and I see this blog for as much a digital baby book for Tigger to have when s/he is older as anything, so we thought it would be nice to include this (though I think that last bullet might come back to bite us...)

Tigger's First Tigger!

Tigger got a Tigger today!  Thanks Anna!

The Tao of Poop

G-Ma T got us the Tao of Poop.  She said it was somewhat of a joke, but both Mama and Papa Tigger devoured it anyway.  Basically, the book is about how you have no control over what is to come, and the best course of action is to relax and take life as it comes.  Though it got a little touchy-feely- at times for Mama Tigger, I think we both enjoyed the message...

Thanks G-Ma T (and G-Pa T)!

Baby Gear #2

I feel the need to respond to Papa Tigger's previous post about my 'ire' at his opinion that we're overthinking the baby gear. I'm merely trying to get us organized! And when I (I mean we) pulled off a stellar wedding in only six months, he was pretty appreciative of my organizational skills then. My how the memory fades.....

People have been forwarding great advice on baby gear (thanks again Lorelei and Anna!), so I've been developing a list of the baby gear we need. In an attempt to avoid a ton of stuff, I've gone with a zero-based approach. Instead of starting with a standard list of what we need (available at lots of baby websites), I'm taking the approach of assuming we need very little and building the list from there.

I'm also trying to identify where we can avoid spending obscene amounts of money. Unfortunately, we can't buy a lot of items used, because of safety reasons. But I've put together a preliminary list of three categories: what we need new, what we can get used, and what we should wait on because Tigger may/may not like it. I'm going to lump the last category in with 'what we can get used' since we don't want to spend a lot of $$ on items Tigger may not even like.

So the first version of the lists is below. I welcome thoughts and feedback:

New
Infant carseat
Car Seat Carrier/Stroller
Crib/Crib mattress/sheets (we're leaning against a travel system)
Front/side-snap tees and onesies (very important during those first few weeks)
Waffle weave blankets
Footie PJs that zip (for easy access during diaper changes)
Sleep blankets (open and closed)
Bottles/nipples
Pack and play
Diaper pail
Bathtub

Used
All terrain stroller
Boppy and covers
Baby monitor
Other clothes
Mobile
Bouncer
Bumbo
Activity mat
Baby Bjorn
Swaddle blanket
Papasan swing

Austin + BBQ

Add another to the list! Mama Tigger and I headed to Austin to see our niece, Cassidy. Oh, and we saw the rest of her fam as well (mom aka G-Ma C, brother, sister-in-law, and uncle). It was fun - checked out G-Ma C's new carpet, ate some REAL Texas bbq (twice!), and made the traditional trek to Cheesecake Factory (Michael and Lorelei's favorite restaurant). We were there to celebrate Michael and Lorelei's birthday, technically. But really, it was a trip designed to get some practice in.

Here we are playing on the cows.


Tigger has some family competition on the cuteness metric...
Uh oh...
She was pretty shy much of the weekend - no memories of the fun we had at Christmas. Mama Tigger was able to hold her though, using raisins as a bribe (note to self - bribery is a tool, not a felony)...

We also made a trip to Babies 'R Us, where Mama Tigger got a much-enjoyed tour of the premises by Lorelei. Mama Tigger had just finished the Consumer Reports Guide to the Best Baby Products, so it was helpful to get some hands-on training. I already believe we are over-thinking what to buy, but comments to that affect are met with ire from Mama Tigger...