Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Wrapped Up With Love

With our first son, we discovered the Ergo.



It is the best baby carrier ever!!  It's super comfy and best of all, according to our pediatrician, better for baby's hip and spine development than a front facing carrier like a Bjorn.  With our new baby, we are again using the Ergo, only this time we started earlier so we used the infant insert.  I can't say enough good things about the Ergo.  I love it and so does my hubby!  He suffered a back injury from work, and while the Bjorn puts tons of pressure on the wearer's back, the Ergo doesn't at all, so he is completely comfortable wearing it.  A few weeks ago, I heard that Petunia Pickle Bottom (my absolute fave!!) and Ergo are pairing up to make even cuter Ergos.  I have the black one, so I am sooooo jealous of mamas that get to enjoy the awesomeness of the Ergo carrier in the super cute PPB patterns! I might just have to have a girl so I can get one!!!! Look how cute:



In addition to the Ergo, I LOVE wearing our little one in a wrap.  It is great to have both options, because our older son can still fit in the Ergo, so sometimes it is occupied. (I tried using this as a reason why I need the new PPB version, but hubby said "Nice try." Mean!) I love the Moby Wrap, but I simply adore the Sleepy Wrap.  They are both amazing for babywearing, and great for discreet nursing too.  I was pretty nervous about using a wrap when our little man was tiny, so I went to the Pump Station's Wrap Clinic.  They showed me exactly what to do and how to wrap him safely.  It was so great because I could try on the different wraps and decide which one was the best fit for me and my baby.  The best part of all was the clinic was free!  Just another reason why I love the Pump Station!

I had gotten the Moby as a gift, and after playing with the different wraps, I was actually going to return it for the Sleepy Wrap.  Instead, I decided to keep both because they are fairly inexpensive, and I figured if baby spit up on one, I would always have the other ready to go.  They are VERY similar~ about the same size and price, and both are truly amazing products .  The only difference to me is that the Sleepy Wrap is a bit stretchier, which I liked, because I could make the wrap tighter around baby.  I feel like the Moby is more like t-shirt material, so when it gets stretched out, it doesn't really "bounce back".  I'm not sure of that makes any sense, so be sure you try out both wraps and see which one works for you!  The Pump Station Wrap Clinic is an awesome place to start!!



Baby wearing is awesome, and if you have two little ones, it is essential.  Gone are the days where I can sit on the couch for hours on end, cuddling with and gazing at our brand new angel.  This time around, I have to chase around his big brother as well, and it is great to have my new sweetie pie wrapped around me while doing so.  I don't know if it is feeling Mama's heartbeat or what, but he is instantly comforted, and usually passes right out when I put him in the wrap.  If you don't have one already, any of these three are well worth the money!! Happy Wrapping!




Thursday, April 14, 2011

Cribs

So we made the big decision that our big boy should get to stay in his crib, and the little one needs his own.  Off we went to Bellini and because they were in a new location, they were having a big sale!  Win!!  We got his crib at over 50% off, and it is super cute!  It is a different style than his brother's, but the same antique white color so it coordinates nicely.  Most importantly, it is the safest crib available.  Both cribs will eventually convert to toddler beds and then full size beds, so even though they were much pricier (even on sale) than most other cribs I've seen, in the long run they will save us money because we won't have to keep buying more beds as they get bigger.

I feel very happy with our choice, and (I think) both boys will be too.  The baby still hasn't made the official switch from bassinet to crib, but it is all decked out with super cute bedding waiting for him when I am finally ready to not have him in our room anymore.  I have been putting him in the crib for a few minutes at a time, just so he can get used to it, but until we switch the Angel Care from bassinet to crib, he won't be sleeping in it yet.  But more on baby monitors later...

Anyway, thanks to those of you that commented on last week's post.  It is always great to hear from other mommies when making big changes like this one!!  I will keep you updated on how it goes over the next few weeks as we let the baby sleep in his own room.

As they say on MTV Cribs, this is where the magic happens:


The magic, of course, being the baby sleeping so Mommy can get some rest! Ha ha.  That picture is not exactly what the nursery looks like, but it is beautiful, so I stole it from one of my favorite baby bedding shops, Posh Tots.  My hubby has forbidden me from shopping there though because I could spend the boys' college funds with no problem at all!  A Mommy can get in some real big trouble on that website!

Here's hoping that when I finally do put my little man in the crib that there are minimal tears. From him and from me!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Pillow Talk

No, not that kind! ;)  I'm talking about the babies' beds. Right now our big guy is still in his crib, which he can climb out of, but luckily hasn't in months. Our tiny one is in the bassinet in our room. Both are from Bellini, which is one of my favorite stores! Not only is their stuff sooooo cute, but their crib is always rated #1 for safety and has  never been recalled. Awesome. Their furniture can get pricey, but they have sales often, and during a great sale that they were having when I was pregnant the first time, we scored a crib, mattress, changing table/dresser and bassinet for the non-sale price of just the crib! The best part about the Bellini cribs (besides the safety rating, duh) is that they convert from crib to toddler bed to full size bed, so we will get lots of use out of it.  That is the only thing that convinced hubby to let me shop there in the first place!

The crib we picked for our big boy is antique white.  We got his bedding from Pottery Barn Kids, so his nursery kind of  looks like this:



Actually, it looks nothing like that.  We don't have those gorgeous windows or doors, they don't make the exact bedding he has anymore (these stripes, but with sailboats too), we had to take the bumpers off the crib because he used them to climb out, aaaaand this baby's room apparently contains no toys, and our son's looks like freaking Toys R Us.  They are usually pretty organized, but now that I have two little ones, it isn't always perfect.  At this point, I am just happy when it is clean at the beginning and end of the day.  Once they are both mobile, forgetaboutit!

Anyway, back to the issue at hand- what to do about the sleeping arrangements around here.  The baby is still in the bassinet, but he is getting taller by the day and probably won't fit in it much longer.  I am hoping to stretch it out a few more weeks, because I love having him right next to me. It is so easy when he needs to nurse to just bring him in bed with me, but I am too afraid of rolling on top of him to sleep that way, so I like to be able to put him back in his own space.  Since the bassinet's days are numbered, we originally decided that we would get Big Brother a bed and let the baby have his crib.  The problem is, Big Brother LOVES his crib.... so I don't really want to take it away from him and give it to the little one.  I feel like he might be jealous that the baby stole his bed!  Also, I am not thrilled about the whole big boy bed thing in general.  He is only 2 and although he is a good boy, I don't know if he would stay in bed just because we tell him to. And I definitely don't want him getting up in the middle of the night and having free rein of the house!

So.... what do we do?  Get a second crib?  Let the big one have a big boy bed (that he doesn't want but might think is cool when it gets here)? Help!!!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Are you ready?

One of my very favorite blogs had a "momversation" recently about emergency preparedness... You can find it here.

Of course being in California we are very scared of earthquakes, and the recent big one in Japan really got us thinking- we would be COMPLETELY unprepared if a big earthquake hit and we were out of food or water or electricity for a few days.  

In response to this tragedy, the first thing we did was donate to the Red Cross to help the people who are being affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami. The next thing we did was come up with an emergency plan- i.e. what we would do in the event of an earthquake or fire, who would get which little one (me: baby, hubby: toddler and doggie), and where we would meet if we were to get separated. We then made a HUGE list of all the things we needed to purchase for an emergency kit.  I realized when we were making it how expensive it was starting to get- and that canned food I was going to purchase would eventually expire, and take up a lot of room to store. So then I started to research pre-made emergency kits for purchase.  It is CRAZY how much stuff there is out there.  Honestly, you can hoard enough food to feed you and your grandchildren for 100 years if you really want to, but it ain't cheap!

The best kit I could find was from Costco and they have two versions.  One for $140, and one for $180.  They both come in backpacks- which of course would get crushed if something fell on top of them.  I wasn't completely thrilled about the type of products that these kits included, nor the reviews on their website, especially if I was going to drop almost 200 bucks on one.

Anyway, I was complaining about lack of affordable and quality-made emergency kits to my older brother, and he told me that he and his business partner had been working on one for months!  I didn't believe him, so he showed me a prototype, and I have to say (all loyalty to my big bro aside), this really is the best one I have seen, especially for the price of $80.  They products that they use are high quality, the box is pretty indestructible (and glows in the dark if the power goes out) and the food and water is good for 5 years. It also comes with a universal cell phone adapter so you can call loved ones (or get their info and call from a land line if cell service is unavailable), a flashlight, radio, and so much more. It seems pricey, but honestly it's cheaper than buying and replacing everything yourself, AND less expensive than anything else I have seen currently on the marker.  ReadyBox comes in an office version for work and a home version for families.  They also have plans to make the kits customizable so you can include baby food or specific food to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies.

I'm not just saying all of this to get my brother business or to suck up to him (he doesn't even know about this blog, so he will never know that I am posting this!).  I really, really do think this product is a great thing to purchase to prepare for the unexpected.


I'm excited to say that our ReadyBox is on its way!  Once the kit comes, I am going to add some cash and medications that we need and I'll put it under our bed so we have easy access to it if we ever need it.  I feel sooooo much better about being prepared, even if it is only a little bit.  We might not be able to prevent an earthquake or other natural disaster from hitting, but at least we can be as prepared as possible.  Here is the link if you are interested: www.readybox.com

Even if you don't go with this particular kit, I hope you prepare somehow in whatever way you feel is best for you and your loved ones.

Here's to hoping that we never need the kit!  Stay safe everyone! <3