Where is the Baby Going to Fit?

We live in a 768-square-foot apartment in Cambridge. And, truth be told, we like it an awful lot. It’s located in between Harvard Square and Porter Square, and, for all intents and purposes, is surrounded by everything we need. We have lots of culture, great neighbors, and convenience around every corner. You want restaurants? A stone's throw away. Grocery shopping? Just down the street. Boston? Hop on the subway and I’ll see you in 10 minutes.

Despite everything our apartment has, it’s missing one important thing: space.

Now, babies, I hear, are small, which is good. But babies, I hear, need a ton of stuff, which is bad.

Why is this hitting me all of a sudden? We're just coming back from a trip to New Hampshire where we visited our friends, Dan and Steph, and their four-month-old bundle of joy, Landon. They live in 4,000-square-foot pad with guest rooms that are the size of our apartment. Their back deck may be bigger than our street. (I exaggerate, of course, but you see where I'm going with this.)

Now, we’re not materialistic people by any stretch of the imagination, but for the past couple years, we've been able to buy ourselves nice clothes and nice things. The trouble is we’re already out of room. Both our bureaus are bursting at the seams (literally, thanks to Ikea) and our closets are stuffed like a big ol' Thanksgiving turkey. Our spare bedroom? Think more Shawshank Redemption and less Downton Abbey. 

So where will baby Briddon's stuff go?

Last weekend, we went stroller shopping, which was actually pretty fun. Then we got to the part about having to fold it up and actually keep it in our apartment.

"And this just folds neatly like that," said the incredibly helpful saleswoman at Magic Beans.

"Right," I thought, "and then how do you fold that up because that thing will dominate our linen closet."

So what's the answer? Do we have to throw away a bunch of our things? Do we have to rearrange our apartment to make way for baby? Do we have to move? We’ve decided the answer to question No. 3, for now, is no. We like the city and we plan to stay here for at least one kid and maybe two -- assuming there is a two.

But I can’t imagine what life will be like a year from now. I look around the apartment and see adult things. We have candles and DVD players and speakers and picture frames and iPads. Will those be replaced by bottles and toys and dirty diapers and onesies? The answer, I’m realizing, is yes.

This, of course, will be a huge adjustment. The more I think about it, though, the less worried I get. Stuff is overrated anyway. Just please don't make fun of me if I wear the same outfit every day after August. The rest of my clothes will be in storage.

Thanks for Nothing, Happy Endings

There's only a certain amount of time in every day. Between work, eating, working out, Oscar time, iPad time (which is sacred!), and sleeping, Bridget and I are left with about 30 minutes each night. And, often, to unwind, we like to fill those 30 minutes with a little mutual TV.

What's mutual TV? It's TV time that couples share. For us, that means it's not Syracuse basketball. It's not The Real Housewives of Ann Arbor or whatever stupid city they're in now. It's TV that we both like. By definition, then, it's also TV that's hard to find. So as you can imagine, trying to find mutual TV is like trying to find penguins in Mexico. Here is our short list of successes:

• Parks and Recreation. Best comedy on TV. Everything else is a distant second.
• New Girl. Pretty good, but not great. Without Schmidt, it would likely be off the list.
• Friday Night Lights. Loved it. Amazing. But, sadly, it's over.
• The Newsroom. Compelling TV, but we've done away with HBO.
• Downton Abbey. Fantastic show, but on once every three years or something.
• The League. Hit or miss, to be honest, but the hits are pretty fantastic.

That's it. Six shows. And that's why Bridget and I were so excited to find Happy Endings last year. The show had everything -- good writing, lots of humor, a fun cast, and attractive female stars. (Truth be told, I'm a huge Elisha Cuthbert fan. I have been since 24. The way she ran through the woods when that bad guy was chasing her. And then The Girl Next Door. Good God. But I digress.) It was a show that, as 30-somethings, meant something to us and spoke to us in a way that PBS and MTV do not.

But then this season came. And now Happy Endings is both awful and terrible.

Whatever, Elisha, it's true. Your show has become predictable, boring, and forced. It's poorly acted. The writing is garbage. And last week I read a story about how the cast is full of jerks. So thanks for nothing, Happy Endings. You've become part of our TV Cemetary. Say hi to The Office, Cougar Town, Community, and Two and a Half Men. (Just kidding. No one ever watches Two and a Half Men.)

So if you have suggestions for the winter, we'd love to hear them. Is there some hidden gem on NBC? A diamond in the rough on AMC? Mutual TV is in need of some help.