Getting ready for Cousin Julius

Aunt Sharon and Uncle Pat, who have done so well with Cousin Savannah, are getting ready for the (estimated) Feb. 24 arrival of their son, Cousin Julius.

Aunt Sharon seems to, like mom and dad, be suffering from the same loss of memory stemming the act of becoming a parent. Have a kid, lose your memory -- it's not a bad tradeoff at all, but it can be a little rough.

Anyway, so Aunt Sharon is trying to remember everything she needs to get ready. Any suggestions on what's missing would be wonderfully accepted; note some things, like baby wipes and diaper cream, are already hanging around because of Julius' big sister and are thus off the list. Here's what we recommended so far:

Disposable changing pads. Those Sleep and Play or whatever outfits that survive a blowout without bringing crap-covered cotton over your newborn's face. Small bottle nipples, if supplementing. Little diapers. Little pacifiers. A big bunch of swaddling blankets. Something in 7.62x25 Tokarev. Maybe the big bundling blanket thingy that zips from feet to head. A hardened stomach for all that meconium stuff, yech. A cool older sister. A couple of loving parents. Maybe a pet or two.

Bibs. Lots of bibs. And then some more bibs. And stock up on laundry detergent. Bottle brushes. Cheap dish soap, which rinses easily out of bottles. The manual to your car seat -- make sure you remember how to do it right, not necessarily the way you were doing it at the end. Diaper Genie refills. Waterproof mattress liner.

On another note, tomorrow Cousin Julius has a date with the photographer! Aunt Sharon hopes to get an idea of just how big he's going to be, which may determine his date of arrival.