Podacarpus- It's a bush that grows VERY quickly, (vertically only) and is quite dense. It's often used by landscapers to separate smaller adjoining lots. Plant them close together and you have a good visual (and sound) barrier by the time your child is born.
requires NO maintenace/cutting, etc. and grows (fast) year round.
And yes, i really wanna be a gardener when i grow up.