I’m glad you guys are finding the site useful. But don’t get overwhelmed by all the diaper, milk and sleep data, etc. They don’t all hit at once. (Except the sleep part, and the diapers.)

Breastfeeding does save money. I think formula costs about $100 a month, but I’m not totally sure about that number. We’re been doing the breastpump thing for 10 months now and are totally sick of it. We’ll be quitting soon. There will a story about it in the near future.

In my opinion, diapers don’t cost as much as some people will have you believe. We use the generic brand diapers. I think the cost per diaper for the newborn size was about 11¢. Now at size 3 it’s about 15¢. Averaging the cost makes it about $300 to date. This doesn’t include the cost of wipes.

I was much more concerned about the stuff leading up to the birth than what came after it. We read a ton of books before Jennifer delivered. After Trixie was born, I haven’t read a single thing. I figure I should be able to figure it out on my own. After all, as a species, we’ve been doing it for millions of years with some success.

Anyway, I hope this helps a little. Thanks again for all your comments and interest. And good luck with the “official trying”.
Best-
benmac

BTW, the twin thing — that was my biggest fear. And that was before I had any inkling of how much work it takes to care for just one baby.

Love your website!!! Trixie is a cutie! Thanks for sharing it with us…and the world! My husband told me last week I should check out your website. Now TTU is one of my website “favorites.” (The rest are business related.) I’ve become quite the Trixie Fan. I’ve been trying to go back and read from the beginning a little every day (I’ve got some catching up to do – just beginning January – and she’s almost hit the big ONE).

Since this is my first comment, I’d like to share some thoughts with you. First and foremost, Congratulations on parenthood…and making it this far! The website is fantastic! Quite intriguing. Very reader-friendly. The graphs are amazing. Your detail is phenomenal. We’ve really enjoyed reading about all her daily activities and milestones and seeing her grow up. Love the pictures! Absolute favorite pic is from April 20th “Water Optional.” Classic! Also very precious is “Clingy” (Jan 31st). Have you ever thought about becoming a professional photographer, if you’re not already? Fantastic job on keeping it up-to-date!

We’re “officially trying” to start our family, so your updates are informative as well as entertaining. We’ll probably refer back to the website for insight as we approach the baby years. Ben, you’ve really got us thinking…we’ve paid close attention to the running tab on milk and diapers and quite honestly, we’re a bit concerned. Those numbers, as we’re confident they are completely accurate, are astoundingly high! We had no idea! We’re really in for a baby reality shock, aren’t we? We were wondering, should we start looking for a 2nd job – maybe for both of us? I hope, when the time comes I’ll be able to breast feed, too, for many months. (Consequently, after reading Milk Week, my husband now thinks 3 yrs of breastfeeding should help us out financially. Keep dreaming, Honey!) But seriously Ben, do you know how much you’ve spent on diapers? We’d be interested in finding out so that we might budget for it. Or, at least, start saving up for them now. (For a frame of reference, pregnancy tests in So. CA are running in the $12-$14 range!)

Having been around our friends kids, we thought we knew what we were in store for. Wrong! But, thanks to you, and Trixie of course, we feel we are now well-prepped and have a much better idea about what to expect. (Probably much better than any of the books out there!) To be quite honest, I’m more nervous about what to expect the 9 months prior…you don’t happen to have a website for that do you? I’m reading the famous “What to Expect When Your Expecting” but I doubt the authors are going to tell me all the nitty gritty stuff I really need to know.

BTW, love the name, Trixie. It seems to suit her well and sounds like it’s the perfect name you could have given her. It matches your personality. Thanks again, for sharing Trixie & her world with us! Your website is helping us understand and prepare for what’s in store for us. Despite all the alarming numbers, we’re really looking forward to our own little kid – hopefully next year. TTU has changed my viewpoint though. I’ve completely thrown out my dream of having twins now!

Sorry so long. Maybe you can edit it in your website for other loyal TTU readers. Just wanted to express our thanks and comment on a few things since weÂ’re a little behind in our reading.

Love your website!!! Trixie is a cutie! Thanks for sharing it with us…and the world! My husband told me last week I should check out your website. Now TTU is one of my website “favorites.” (The rest are business related.) I’ve become quite the Trixie Fan. I’ve been trying to go back and read from the beginning a little every day (I’ve got some catching up to do – just beginning January – and she’s almost hit the big ONE).

Since this is my first comment, I’d like to share some thoughts with you. First and foremost, Congratulations on parenthood…and making it this far! The website is fantastic! Quite intriguing. Very reader-friendly. The graphs are amazing. Your detail is phenomenal. We’ve really enjoyed reading about all her daily activities and milestones and seeing her grow up. Love the pictures! Absolute favorite pic is from April 20th “Water Optional.” Classic! Also very precious is “Clingy” (Jan 31st). Have you ever thought about becoming a professional photographer, if you’re not already? Fantastic job on keeping it up-to-date!

We’re “officially trying” to start our family, so your updates are informative as well as entertaining. We’ll probably refer back to the website for insight as we approach the baby years. Ben, you’ve really got us thinking…we’ve paid close attention to the running tab on milk and diapers and quite honestly, we’re a bit concerned. Those numbers, as we’re confident they are completely accurate, are astoundingly high! We had no idea! We’re really in for a baby reality shock, aren’t we? We were wondering, should we start looking for a 2nd job – maybe for both of us? I hope, when the time comes I’ll be able to breast feed, too, for many months. (Consequently, after reading Milk Week, my husband now thinks 3 yrs of breastfeeding should help us out financially. Keep dreaming, Honey!) But seriously Ben, do you know how much you’ve spent on diapers? We’d be interested in finding out so that we might budget for it. Or, at least, start saving up for them now. (For a frame of reference, pregnancy tests in So. CA are running in the $12-$14 range!)

Having been around our friends kids, we thought we knew what we were in store for. Wrong! But, thanks to you, and Trixie of course, we feel we are now well-prepped and have a much better idea about what to expect. (Probably much better than any of the books out there!) To be quite honest, I’m more nervous about what to expect the 9 months prior…you don’t happen to have a website for that do you? I’m reading the famous “What to Expect When Your Expecting” but I doubt the authors are going to tell me all the nitty gritty stuff I really need to know.

BTW, love the name, Trixie. It seems to suit her well and sounds like it’s the perfect name you could have given her. It matches your personality. Thanks again, for sharing Trixie & her world with us! Your website is helping us understand and prepare for what’s in store for us. Despite all the alarming numbers, we’re really looking forward to our own little kid – hopefully next year. TTU has changed my viewpoint though. I’ve completely thrown out my dream of having twins now!

Sorry so long. Maybe you can edit it in your website for other loyal TTU readers. Just wanted to express our thanks and comment on a few things since weÂ’re a little behind in our reading.

As far as showering with Trixie, it’s pretty easy. She totally entertains herself in the bottom of the tub with assorted toys while I shower. She’s gotten to the point that she really likes being in the indirect shower spray. (She enjoyed being out in the rain today too.) Then I plug the drain and let her play in the bath for a little bit while I give her a washing. Finally, I turn the shower back on to wash both of us off. The only tricky part is holding her tightly while I towel her off. I am not able to towel myself off while I’m holding her, so the only downside is that I drip water all the way to the nursery. I hope it helps-

Um…In my experience you’re just supposed to FLUSH the pee down the toilet. Otherwise just leave it in the bathroom in the little potty til Jenn comes home. (If you wanted her to relish in the moment) You could always, of course, immortalize it with a digital picture to add to the baby book!

Good luck with potty training part deux -”Controlling the poopy monster”.

Now for a question: How in the world do you shower with a wet, slippery baby when you’re the only adult home? My husband and I can shower w/ Maddie only if the other one is right outside the shower ready to take her so the one in the shower can wash him/herself. I can appreciate the idea of wasting personal time during naps, so I must know the trick! Thanks in advance!
Maddie’s Mom