Need help on an Image Stalibizer camera for baby photos (mostly)

[jcruel]

Hi here are my requirements. Basically I cannot decide on which style of camera is suitable for me. I would like to learn/expand my photography skill and at the same time want something convenient for taking baby photos. Image Stabilization is a must as I have shaky hands. Buying one dSLR and one P&S is nice but wife wants only one. :(

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Budget: Willing to pay up to somewhere below $1500 for better quality.

Size: Prefer not too heavy.

Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you? Around 7
* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) 4x-5x
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) 8
Do you care for manual controls? At least some (Flash suppression)

General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for? Taking photos for the newborn baby and daily shot. But want some control as I want to learn more photography skill.
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? Most likely not
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? Yes
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? Maybe

Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate? Like Canon
Are there particular models you already have in mind? Considering Canon Rebel XTI (with a image stabilizing lens), S5 IS and SD850 IS, and Pentax K10D
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD) Must: Image Stablization, Prefer: Quick Power up/response time

[tim11]

I think it's not easy to recommend a camera for you, that's why people leave this to too hard basket. :)
If you prefer a 'not too heavy' camera then that will leave out DSLR since both camera body and a lens will weight over 1kg. Personally, I understand the choice to have a light camera since heavy and bulky ones don't agree too well with young families. Unless your wife agree to carry and baby and baby stuff while leaving you free to take the photos.
For indoors shots, flash is not recommended on young babies so ideally, I recommend a fast lens like 50 mm F1/8 at least. However such lens has no IS. IS only minimise the effect of your own hand shake and it has no effect on a moving subject like an active baby.
If you decide to get Canon XTi then just post some question regarding ideal lens choice and people with more SLR experience will give you the answers. However, if you decide to get PnS I strongly recommend Fuji since it can shoot indoors far beyond others cameras can do. The more bulky DSLR look alike is Fuji S6000 and the smaller one is F31; or wait for the F50fd (with IS) which is coming out next month.