Clothes, Carseats and Strollers. Oh My!!!

So I have been trying to figure out what I need for this, my second child. I don't need all the stuff I had to get with Grayson (Thank Gawd!) but still there are things to get.

I am hopeful that I am carrying a girl so that I can buy all the cute girly clothes cause we all know I have a "minor" Gymboree addiction. Only 6-7 more weeks until I get the Ultra Sound to tell me that its a girl. Fingers, toes, eyes all crossed!

Then there is the car seat. We currently have a "bucket" baby seat but Grayson was so tall that
he outgrew it at about 4 months. At that point he had to go into a convertible car seat which can go from backwards to forwards. Luckily we had a freebie from my previous employer of a lovely ($$) Britax Marathon. But for this baby I have decided to sell our current bucket that only goes to 29" and 22 lbs in favor of one that goes to a more accommodating 32" and 30 lbs. (Grayson is 33" and 23 lbs now at 17 months so it would last much longer!) The Graco Safe seat is only $100 compared to the Britax that we would be buying at 4 months which is $250 (yikes but they are very safe and go to 65 lbs so worth it in the long run) Isn't it amazing that we all lived through our childhoods with out $100-250 car seats or car seats at all for that matter?! I believe I rode home from the hospital on my moms lap! Now you can't leave the maternity floor without your bucket in hand, which is obnoxious if you are not using a bucket but a convertible.

As for the stroller, of coarse I have a single stroller. But now that I will have a second child it would probably be convenient to have a double so that I can haul all my monkeys and their gear... I can't pack lightly as my family and husband will a test. I have never been every good at parring down. :) So I have been looking online at all the amazing options for strollers out there. It is amazing to me that people will pay $800 for a stroller! Like this Bugaboo chameleon. www.bugaboostrollers.com

I knew I wanted something with options, which is why people like the above Bugaboo, the seats change out and around so as the child grows and develops you can turn then to face away from you as they are ready. I know this first hand. I started a baby boot camp class when Grayson was 3 months old and in the jogger I had he would SCREAM the entire time because he could not see me. So I went online and found a stroller that was less expensive than the above but about as cool. (much heavier though I found out) I ended up getting a used one on CL for $75 instead of $350. It was a Zooper Buddy. I love that stroller. The seat can face you or with a few handy clicks, turn to face away. It was great and boot camp was much more pleasant for both of us. So my search for the perfect double continued. Fast forward to the other day at the zoo. (below) and right as we were leaving I saw this stroller in a line:


The Kolcraft Contour Tandem. Both seats can be removed completely or turned either direction. So the children can face each other when they are older or when the baby is new I can have it face me and G can face out front. Or I can even take out the babies seat and use the under area for groceries and walk to the grocery store with the baby in the front pack and G in the front of the stroller. (since gas is SO expensive!) Cool huh? I am so excited about this stroller, now I just have to sell some stuff to afford it...stupid expensive gas...

Anyway, other than that I have figured out I need a set of bunk beds for G. Rather than another crib I will then have to store. So we will attempt to transition him between when baby B gets here and when it needs to leave my room probably around 3 months old.
Also:
- baby bedding if its a girl- I love this stuff from babies r us

- and I would love to get a new Organic mattress for the crib but it may not be in the budget. sigh.

If anyone has some good lotto numbers to play let me know! LOL

Oh, any friends/ family with multiple children please let me know if there is something else handy that I can't live without! :P

Zoo Fun!

One of our favorite things to do lately is go to the zoo. Grayson loves to see the animals and it helps to have him see them and learn the sign. We have been 3-4 times in the last month and he loves to learn the signs for all the new animals he sees. This trip (yesterday) we saw the elephants, tigars, zebras, giraffes, bear and gazelle and he now knows the sign for all but gazelle, only because I don't know that one to teach him- I think its the one for deer but I can't remember that one either.

We went with our friend Diana and her son Jeremiah who is almost 9 months old and her nephew John who is 4 months old. We had a great time a really wore the boys out! (not sure who was more tired, me or them!)




We loved watching the animals do funny things. This Gazelle (I think thats what its called) REALLY wanted to eat these leaves. I knew they did this because I had seen it on the discovery channel but I had never seen it in person.

And this goofy bear, he looks dead but we were told that
it was sleeping, I am still a little concerned.













(This is Jeremiah----------------------------------->)

Enter to win a Bum Genius Starter Kit!

http://blog.thenatureschild.com/2008/06/beat-heat-summer-con-
test.html

Blah!

So women, tell me again why we want children when they make us SO sick?! I am miserable. This nausea is killing me! I spend most of the day about ready to blow and at some point usually do. It seems to have no rhyme or reason or pattern. I am sick one day in the a.m. the next in the evening the next not at all and the next all day, or some weird combo of those! arg. Darn baby. It better be a girl. (She is already trouble...wish us luck!)

My poor son, he is getting totally shafted. I barely leave the house anymore and spend most of my day lying around on one or the other of the couches in my house. He tries to be a good sport but I am sure he would rather his Mommy play and engage him then turn on the tv or doze while he plays by himself. I keep telling myself this is just a phase and it too will pass but....gotta barf!

The first Kiss!

It's your First Kiss and several questions might come to mind:

Is it the right time ?
Is anyone watching?
Does your partner even want to?
Is your breath fresh?
AND,---Should you use some tongue?

Then you say ...

'What the heck!' and Just Go for it!!!

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This must be a 2nd or 3rd child...because Mom grabbed the camera and not the kid!

oooooouch!

Let me just preface this post by saying the injuries inflicted on this child were in no way caused or inflicted by his parents! Disclaimer finished I would like to introduce you to Lumpy, Grayson's pet bump. Grayson was playing outside and wanted to ride his plasma car- see previous posts- so I let him, sans helmet...doh! He has started to be able to push himself around on it so I was walking behind him as he went down the sidewalk. We got to the corner, 2 houses down and turned around. We were to the edge of our neighbors driveway when it happened. Out of "no where" the wheels flew out from under him and Grayson landed on his face in the driveway. Now I am not a worrier of kid bumps in general, I have been a nanny long enough to know that kids bounce, but I knew this one was gonna be bad. Not scream for hours and bleed profusely bad but the quiet is broken by a deafening silence like the calm before a storm, the eye of a hurricane and then they take a deep breath and with ALL their might they let out a wail that only small mammals can hear... bad. I scooped him up immediately, I couldn't prevent it unfortunately even though I was an arms length away, all I could do was watch the horror unfold. I scooped up my writhing babe who tried to climb me apparently to get to a place where the pain would no longer be with him and held him as tight as I could and tried to assess the damage while he screamed and writhed in pain. I noted no blood so that was a "good" sign, checked for missing teeth etc then surveyed the head bonk that was growing before my eyes.

Lumpy as we fondly refer to him is a good strong bump who knows no limits for which to stop. These photos were taken a few hours after it had happened and the swelling was starting to go down already. He refused to let me ice it and I figured sitting on him would only make it more tramatic so it went uniced. Lumpy stood about an inch off Grayson's head at his peak and turned lovely shades of black blue and purple. As of this writing Lumpy is more like a Bruisy with a mild lumpy :) and is lovely shades of green. (Our FIRST black eye- GREAT!)

As I said I am not a worrier but I must admit I grabbed the good old Kaiser handbook to see the signs of concussion and when to call in...and when he slept a little too long on his nap I checked on him to make sure was still breathing. Poor kid. Later that night he was trying to hand me some books to read before bed and he slipped and fell into the corner of his dresser, getting Lumpy's brother Bumpy on the back of his head. Luckily Bumpy didn't bruise or stay long, just a short evening visit! (accident prone like his dad or just clumsy like his mom...only time will tell)

Bun in the Oven!

That phrase has always kinda bugged me! But alas it is true. I have a bean in my belly! :) Little one is due January 10th 2009, which for those not in the know, is 3!!! days before Grayson's second birthday. I'd like to say that it was all in my grand plan- cause those that know me would say I am good at that but sadly- little one was a surprise to us! I have had two ultra sounds to determine for sure the size and age of LO (cause we had almost NO idea when conception occurred! Too much info I am sure!) and both point to that date.

So far this pregnancy has proved to be very interesting. I had no idea for the first 5 weeks and then almost as soon I found out I was nauseous. (psychosomatic? Maybe.) Now I fluctuate between nauseous and praying to the porcelain Gods. Which after I puke I feel surprisingly better. Who knew. Luckily I have Jesse around to clean the toilets. :P (cause cleaning them or thinking about cleaning them makes me want to puke more)
I am hoping that this baby is a girl cause the pregnancy is so different from the first one.

Oh and my Chinese Conception calendar say so! HAHA!

Toys, Toys, Toys!

Being a mom I know a little bit about toys. I know they are always on my floor and under my feet to trip over and always in my sons mouth. With that in mind I took special interest in recent reports that there are many toys available with lead paint on them.


Lead can be especially dangerous to small children because lead attacks the brain and central nervous system. Children with even modest elevations of blood lead levels can exhibit attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities and developmental delays. This made me think about the things I give my child to play with. To date most of the things that have been a lead concern have been plastic toys. I currently have a love hate relationship with plastic as it is. I try to eliminate the "bad" plastics from my home but as budget allows I would like to rid my home of most of its plastic.


While the jury is still out on whether or not BPA (bisphenol A- a chemical that leaches from plastic baby bottles, food/beverage cans, and many other products) is harmful I believe that anything coming directly from oil has to be at some point toxic. They note that BPA acts like the sex hormone estrogen -- indeed, BPA was originally developed as a chemical estrogen. These researchers worry that BPA is behind hormone-linked trends in human health such as increased abnormal penis development in males, earlier sexual development in females, increases in neurodevelopmental diseases such as ADHD and autism, increased child obesity, decreased sperm count, and more breast and prostate cancers.


I personally don't want my child exposed to artificial hormones or other chemicals. That is why I buy mostly organic meat (mostly cause sometimes Zack shops and I can't control all of his purchases) dairy and especially milk. We as parents try to the best for our children. Its the little things like their toys that should be the least of our worries but unfortunately they aren't.


Recently, there was a baby/ child resale event where you can sell all your outgrown clothes and toys and buy "new" ones from other people. I love these events! This time I got rid of most of Grayson's toys. Pretty much anything plastic met its demise. (Leap frog, Playschool, Tonka, Little tykes were all safe) And when I shopped I looked for wooden toys and more educational toys.


Which brings me to my point (long time getting there I know- sorry) I found these two great sites www.rosiehippo.com and www.magiccabin.com that I am going to start buying more of G's toys from. Grayson would ideally not receive any more plastic as gift either but alas I cannot control others choices. (hint hint) Happy shopping friends.

Fountain Fun

One of the great things I have found about living in Portland is all the fabulous fountains all over the city to play in. This is Beaverton fountain, it is in a park in the center of Beaverton a few miles from our house. We had a great time playing with our friends and in the water. Grayson wasn't very sure at first and didn't want to get down but he warmed up after a while. He also loved climbing on the play structure not far away in the park.

Thank you Grandpa!

Grayson got a package from his Grandpa Bill the other day with his second tractor. He LOVES it! He loves to drive it all over the house, making tractor noises (well sort of :) and running over things. He gets kinda frustrated though cause it is really heavy so he can't carry it like he would like to.

Him getting this new tractor lead to another great thing. I learned to take my own videos on my camera (knew how to do that) and UPLOAD them MYSELF to youtube. I even edited! I was SO proud of myself. Now I don't have to wait for Zack to do it, since he is so busy with work and such.
Here is the finished product, Grayson saying Thank you for his new toy:

Read baby Read!

This is a few months old but it is totally relevant today. Grayson LOVES to read. He seriously brings me books at least 8 times a day, usually the same ones but any book will do. He loves to read anything that is readable. It reminds me of myself. I used to read anything and everything even shampoo bottles and random things like that. It makes me very happy that he loves to read so much, its something I try to foster and try never to turn him down. Right now his favorite book is a favorite of mine. I used to read it to Grete (former nanny charge) at least 5 times a day when she was 2. And now I read it to G about as much. I change the words though cause all they say is NO! and we try to say No Thank You. So I have the words whenever possible, so its a little nicer. ;)

Lovey Buns bites the Dust

Well it turns out that there is a company out there that is LoveyBuMs and my name is too close. (I knew they were there but since its not that same I didn't think it was an issue. :( So I have been kindly asked to change my name. :( She is trademarked so I have little choice unless I want a lawsuit- which I don't. SO my new name is Lovey Doodle Diapers!

www.loveydoodle.etsy.com

Out of this World Pizza

A new Pizza place just opened near our house and it is SO fun. We
went to check it out and see if there is anything G could do, of if it is
more for big kids. Turns out there is a ton for everyone to do.
Grayson had a blast playing in the baby area with the playhouse
and little slide and climbing structure. We had more fun than we
should have on the "track" for the plasma cars... they have a 180
lb weight limit so we all hopped on and took a ship. Grayson loves
them too. I actually bought him one so we car ride with him in the
neighborhood cause he hasn't figured out how to ride other bikes
by himself yet. We stayed about an hour and half,
past G's bedtime!We will definitely be going back there!

Playland at the Mall

Grayson and I got to a weekly signing group that a friend of mine teaches in her home or mine. It is usually about 3-6 girls and their babes. We try to break it up and go someone where else than a house once a month. This last week we went to the Mall Playland. It is all "plastic coated foam" and the kids have a blast climbing all over it. This is Grayson under the bridge in the "river".

What happens when boys are in charge!

This is Zack (and Jesse out of photo) being in charge of Grayson for a bit while I sewed last weekend. :( They took his slide from Grandma Linda B and put it on our Ottoman and stacked the couch cushions up for a landing pad. Then down he goes. They actually come running into my sewing room to get me thinking I would be PROUD of them for their ingenuity! BOYS!!!! (This got promptly put away after they called me in- mean ol' mom! :)

My little Lovey Bun!

Today I was working on photos for my tags and labels for my dipes. I wanted to use G and the diaper I made for it cause his buns are so darn cute and my diapers are named after him after all. :) Which one of these would you choose to put on tags on the diapers that say LOVEYBUNS BY JSB above the photo and WWW.LOVEYBUNS.ETSY.COM underneath? Feedback please!

Sad but True!

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are
parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding,
sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it
because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room
from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with
a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
(Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to
sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until
1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch
an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and
be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and
together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all
summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does
that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang
out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van.
And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and
shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave
it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back
seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store.
Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A
full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one
child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries
without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat
eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even
contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the
swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, the
Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney
channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking what?s
'Noggin'?) That?s exactly the point. (don't worry, you'll know)

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly.
(Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy';
occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play
this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now
ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug
on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape
made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an
adult while there is a child in the room.

This is your mission should you choose to accept it! Good luck. ;-)

etsyclothdiapers

Check out the current Promotion Etsy Cloth Diapers Group is running. Go to participating stores listed in the link and search each shop for free gifts with purchase. So fun. Happy Hunting!


http://etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com/

We heart Silver Falls!

Last Sunday we decided to take Jesse to see some fun things and spend some quality time as a family. So we went to Silver Falls and walked to the South Fall, which is our favorite. It is so amazing, I don't think I will ever get tired of going there. On the way Zack climbed into a crevis, then had Jesse hand him Grayson, not pictured, made mommy have to look away but G enjoyed it. Then we wandered around showing Grayson the smaller streams and the bigger boys threw pike cones at each other. What an great morning. Such amazing weather too! It was almost 70 that weekend. Then it was off to the Spring Tulip Festival. More on that later.

Pass it on Sale! Got some loot!

I love the Pass It On Sale. It is a twice annual baby and kids resale Event. It is so fun. I sold off the toys and clothes that Grayson has outgrown and that I wasn't too attached to (for the next baby) and got some new ones for him to enjoy. I am trying to get more wooden toys and less plastic so I ended up getting a bunch of puzzles, a water coloring mat, a wooden train with some blocks on it, a new little bike and these great animals pictured here that do animal sounds and tell you about the animals. So fun. I got a ton of clothes and other stuff too. He loves the rode and sandles I got him, as you can see. :)