Welcome sports_nut,

Your discussion of van versus suv is interesting. Usually the DW (darling wife) is the one trying to convince the DH (darling husband) that a minivan is the way to go. There are advantages to both. Some of it depends on where you live, what activities you participate in, how often you will drive with other people, etc... Gas mileage is better in a van. Cargo space - for diapers now and sports equipment later - is better in most suvs. I live on a dirt road and must have a suv. I also have two other kids, a dog and an exchange student so a 7 or 8 seater mini-van is not enough.

Protein is very important. More so if there is any talk of increased risk of twin-to-twin transfusion during pregnancy. My DW drank the high protein versions of Boost and Ensure several times a day. Milk is great but she may get sick of it. The protein powders are safe but you should have her use them to supplement not replace meals of real food. As she gets big her stomach will be pressed and she will feel full when she isn't. The powdered protein becomes more useful then so don't start them early and have her become bored with them too soon. Does she like cheese? Avocados are good. Be wary of some supposed high-protein items that aren't, like imitation crab meat.

Good assumption on the help. With both sets of parents in the area you should stagger their help. Are you a member of a church? Ours sent a team of volunteers to cover mon-fri 9-5 for the first four months. We added an exchange student to take care of our toddler and older daughter. It has worked but we still sometimes feel overwhelmed. And we have more help than many others. Part of the task of coordinating help will be deciding what time to have help. If we did it all over again we would elect to have much more night-time help.



David

David