Papayas and other things

  It's amazing to think that the baby has sleep cycles.  They say that the baby will sleep between 12-14 hours a day between weeks 22-24, when it's about the size of a papaya.  That's probably more sleep than either Rachel or I will get the entire first week of the baby's life.  Doesn't seem fair, does it?

  In other news, Rachel and I have started to have all sorts of conversations about strollers and car seats and cribs and all sorts of other items that babies apparently cannot function without.  It's amazing the disparity within some of these categories.  The other night I found a $700 car seat online.  I cannot possibly imagine why someone would spend $700 on a car seat when one priced for a fraction of that will do a fine job of protecting the child, but so many companies and stores seem to prey upon new parents' fears of not doing everything we can to protect our child.  Now, I am completely willing to admit that perhaps I don't fully understand the benefits of a $700 car seat, but I am content to live in such a sheltered environment.

  But the amount of information out there is a bit overwhelming.  We're trying to figure out what the best thing for our baby is, but you have to wade through so much information that eventually you simply want to pick the first thing that looks sturdy and go with it.  Chances are, it would probably work fine.  We're trying to discover where the fine line is between quality and overpriced/over-manufactured.  Companies seem to be doing their best to hide that line, in the hopes that we'll believe that the most expensive is the best rather than simply the most expensive.

  We're seeking out advice from parents who have been there recently, who know what you need and, perhaps more importantly, know what you don't need.  I think babies are probably more resilient than marketers portray them to be.  Otherwise, we never would have made it this far.  I'm pretty confident that it's all going to turn out ok--but it sure is exhausting on the way!