Since we live in a very small urban home, we've had to be super selective with baby crap. Most of our baby supplies have been hand-me-downs, but I'm even picky about those: if it can't collapse and slide under a couch, tuck into the closet, or fit on a shelf in Tavi's mini-nursery, we probably don't need it. Vibrating baby recliner? Don't need it! Motorized swing? Don't need it! Baby stimulation station with dangling toys, which we call The Neglector 1000? Ok, but only because it folds up for easy storage.

Other than one horrific trip to Babies R Us to get a breast pump and a couple sleep sacks, our very few baby supplies have all been hand-me-downs, gifts, or Craigslisted. As we ran screaming from Babies R Us, filled with pink and blue plastic crap we didn't need, Dre said to me, "I never want to go there ever again."

I nodded. All that molded plastic made me feel panicky, and most of it you don't even need! The baby industrial complex tries to convince you to buy everything, but really all you need is blankets and burp rags.

One of the things I decided early on that we absolutely did NOT need was a baby bathtub. When Dre brought up the idea before Tavi was born, I poo-pooed him…

Continue reading "The baby industrial complex and the pink bathtub" →

Last month I shared our process of transforming our walk-in closet into a baby nook. Well, we finally (almost) finished the process, and I figured I'd share pictures.

The only thing missing is this poster, which is on its way from London.

Now, I'm not delusional here: despite the wide-angle lens, this is a small space. But I'm already envisioning how, once our baby is walking, we can unhinge the door, add a baby gate, and basically turn the little room into a padded toddler asylum filled with foam mattress flooring with pillows and blankets everywhere. And once he's a little bigger, a tiny bunk bed with a cubby space underneath. We'll see if we can milk this room 'til pre-school!

But for now, it's a perfect place to change a diaper, do a quick feeding (this isn't my nursing station, to be sure!), and store our impending son's clothing and supplies.

Two years ago, Andreas and I traded our 3 bedroom house in Seattle's southend for a 1 bedroom condo in the heart of the beloved gayborhood where we've lived off and on since the late '90s.

It was a weird decision: we were thinking about starting a family, which for many people means getting rid of the backyard and all those bedrooms would be the LAST thing they'd want to do. But after trying a "housey" neighborhood for a few years, we realized that a high density walking lifestyle and neighborhood feel is simply more important for our quality of life — especially in the context of starting a family. Like Deonn, I just don't think you need a yard to raise a child.

…Then again, you miiiiight need more than one bedroom…

Continue reading "How we're turning a walk-in closet into a nursery" →

"But what about a yard?" is the constant response when we tell people that we have ditched our suburban condo in favor of our new downtown digs.

"What will the kids do without a yard?”

We lived in Issaquah (a suburb of Seattle) for two years. We had a little shared lawn that backed onto a greenbelt. It would flood when it rained and by the time the summer sun dried it out fall would be upon us and our soggy, spongy, little yard would turn to veritable swampland complete with swarms of hungry mosquitoes.

The only time we spent any time in our yard was when it froze over last December.

We were excited to share our news and thrilled that we'd found an affordable place in downtown Seattle with fabulous amenities. I was surprised by the negative feedback I received for moving our little family of four downtown.

"What do the kids do without a yard?"

Continue reading "Who says you need a yard to raise kids?!" →