my 5: ESSENTIAL BABY GEAR

01. BOPPY BARE NAKED PILLOW IN LUXE GREEN VELVET


The simple invention of a mom. In those early weeks of nursing {the first time} I'm convinced Boppy made all the difference. Feedings became a comfy cozy time for me and the babes. Its loveliness goes way beyond nursing, bottle feeding, tummy time, or learning to sit. Buby snuggles up to it still and the husband says it's the ideal TV pillow. Ours has been washed a ton and withstood years of tough love. I even borrowed a friend's Boppy when Bleu arrived so we'd have one on each floor. And of all the slipcovers available {cotton, fleece or velvet}, velvet wins hands down. $34.99 here.




02. BABY BJORN BABY CARRIER ORIGINAL


When we're in the car, it's in the car. When we're in the house, it's in the house. Just in case. The Bjorn is our backup plan. When Bleu wants to be soothed + held near and dear just as Buby needs me hands-free I throw it on... et voila, I am multitasking diva. It's cool for crowded festivals, parades, pumpkin picking, and other outings where our stroller just doesn't cut it on the rocky terrain. I bought and returned more than one of those groovy new sling things after Bleu arrived. None impressed me. She was either too big, her neck wasn't properly supported, or the material had no give and fit like a straitjacket over my shirt. And instead of spending a bundle on a small, medium or large sling for one parent, the Bjorn adjusts so My Sweets and I can take turns. Tips: 1) Don't wait until baby is no longer a newby. They may resist being snug-as-a-bug by then. 2) Watch what you eat... that gooey marshmallow s'more will fall in baby's hair if you're not careful. 3) Don't bend at the knee, ever. 4) Carry a large brimmed hat on sunny days and watch for overheating on hot days. $60 here.




03. 900 MHZ HOME LINK MONITOR SYSTEM BY SAFETY 1ST


It's the only one I've found that has 3 baby units and 1 parent unit. It's awesome with 2 kids, especially since we live on 3 floors and can't hear a thing with the air units running. We've tested and immediately returned several audio and video monitors over the past 3 years for bad reception, interference, white noise and awful picture quality. This is the first one we like. I placed a baby unit in every room my kids might sleep in or be in by themselves for even a minute. That's Bleu's room, Buby's room and the playroom. The parent unit has a range up to 1,000 feet and clips to my waste band. It stays off the charger all day long and has never failed me. When Buby + Bleu are both sleeping on the 3rd floor, I can be on the 1st with total peace of mind. The monitor will scan one or all three locations continuously. I simply pug it in at bedtime like I do my cell. People also use it for home security. It's not sold at the usual suspects. $88.99 here.



04. THE FIRST YEARS INFANT TO TODDLER RECLINING SEAT


Oh my. Why would anyone ever use a highchair again? We discovered this little number sometime between Buby + Bleu and it has been a huge asset. My sister-in-law has twins and swears by it, too. Unlike a conventional highchair, you can use it on day 1. It saves space, invites baby to to the table with the rest of the family, and provides a safe, comfy place to set the baby down off the floor and away from toddlers with foam swords and dogs who shed and scratch. Plus, I like to keep Bleu upright after eating so she doesn't spit up as much, and the 4-position recline allows the perfect angle if I need to set her down to cut my steak or go for seconds. The cover is easy to remove and wash and it comes with a tray for later on. $29.99 here.



05. DA VINCI CONTOUR CHANGING PAD


I've always thought changing tables were a waste of money and space and just risky. {I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of babies toppling off tables.} But I've also been privy to pee fountains and projectile poop on nice white carpet and pretty 600 thread count. So I keep one of these and a little diaper basket in every room we change the baby in {nursery, playroom, living room}. When it's "D" time, I just toss it on the floor and do my thing. So safe and easy. $36.99 here.

Bleu's Blankie

7.29.08





Everyone gets a blankie from Grandma DJ when they are born, and this is our beloved Bleu's. She loves to poke through the holes her tiny fingers + toes.



Click to enlarge.

Vintage Car Show

If I could have any old car I wanted, I would want this blue pickup. I know nothing but love everything about it. It just screams cool to me.





Buby craved better air on Sunday afternoon, so we took him to a classic car show at the county park. All 3 of us appreciate shindigs of this sort, so I'm thinking someday Bleu will, too. There were a handful of retired squad cars there, a playground, oldies music under the pavilion, and a horse show just around the bend. We stayed until it poured down on us.

Horse Show

We only stayed a few minutes... it started to rain... but anytime we can pull over to gaze at horses we do. They are just the most stunning creatures.

Meet Sock Puppet

01.



02.



03.



04.

Life Is...

A million mini moments.



And these are mine.

Some Kind of Wonderful

Buby + galpal Grace at an outdoor symphony Friday night.

From Buby to Bleu

Buby picked up this raw wood trinket box from a crafting bin at Michael's. I'm thinking it was 99 cents. He said it was for his baby sister and handed it to me to buy. This week he took it from our crafting bin and yummied it up in red, pink and green. I provided a rainbow of paints, and he chose this rocking combo.

i heart: my boy

Today was a lot. A lot of just in case. A lot of phone tag + f/u with doctors offices. A lot of rushing here or there. A lot of snacks + happy diversions. A lot of messes. A lot of "I'm proud of yous." A lot of what ifs invading my space as I drove 4 hours just me + my babies. Buby has a little "boo boo" as he'd say, but he's doing fine. He's my HERO that kid. Every day he amazes me. And that's really all I have the energy to write. I'll post some fun photos from the past few days though. That's my happy diversion before bed tonight.

Three Months

She likes:

• Eating
• Sleeping
• Drooling
• Diaper changes
• Big smiles up close
• Bath time
• Her right thumb
• Leg wrestling
• Tummy time
• Music
• Swaying
• Stroller rides
• Being barefoot
• Sitting with support
• Silly noises
• Buby's love
• Polka dots
• All things comfy

Not so much:

• Spitting up
• Getting her face washed, AGAIN
• The sound of pots + pans
• Me talking while she's eating
• Two-piece outfits that ride up
• Binkies
• The baby papasan
• Sharp nails

Old Photo Friday

28 years ago. Buby + Bleu's Uncle Mike {left} + Daddy.

Yep, Yup, + Nope

Whoops. My bad. And we were doing so well... It was "yes please" this and "no thank you" that until Monday when Buby started with the perpetual "yep yep yep" whenever I ask him a question. Adorable the first 1,000 times. But I'm a writer + an editor. I KNOW better. I engage Buby in nonstop chit chat and I'm so lazy with my language. Now I'm on a mission to nip the "nope" in the bud before it's gently addressed at a parent-teacher conference this Fall.

Artist Revival

Buby is back in his 'studio' after a brief sabbatical. We suspended our daily art sessions ~ and some other pretty well established chunks of our M-F ~ while My Sweets was on paternity leave. It was forever Saturday and we were off gallivanting as a family. As we should. But now that it's just me and the wee one(s) again, we're inching our way back to a semi-predictable routine. Buby thrives on knowing kinda sorta what to expect and when. He + I do an art or craft. {Tomorrow is sock puppets.} He helps me cook at least one thing. {Today was fudge brownies.} We dance + play instruments. We read + quiz each other. We go out rain or shine. Every day. I realized we can still do all of this and include Bleu. Our boy loves to CrEaTe, and maybe a lil' bit of that will rub off on our girl. All I know is it's a scrumptious way to start the day. Buby painted this natural wood frame blue + brown for his Daddy's office. I put out every color and this was what he chose for My Sweets. Wonderful.

Mini Amusement

I pulled this from the attic the other day to wash and ready for Bleu. Buby never cared for Baby Einstein... actually his max time in any stationary thing was 5 or 6 minutes. But I saved it anyway and figured Bleu might dig it. She's tall and strong and has good head and neck control. So I set her in just to see and the girl LoVeD iT! Buby + I cheered as she turned herself around to see all the vivid colors and shapes. It mixes up tummy time and provides her a safe place from which to watch Buby + I dance around to "Under a Shady Tree." P.S. I yanked out the trio of soft shapes in the front... they were recalled a while back.

It Was Not His Birthday

Actually it was our dog Jazzy's birthday {she's 11}, but that's not why. He just loves crowns. Buby is growing quite the collection of hilarious hats. And if he wants to wear them out, so be it. He received many well wishes on our walk to the park yesterday. People asked if it was his birthday and he said "Oh YES!"

"But I Miss Him"

My Sweets returned to work Monday after 12 sweet weeks at home. His company has a truly inspiring paternity leave for new dads and he took them up on it after Bleu was born. It was his decision, and I know it was not an easy one. But having him here was everything. Everything. Our daughter was born, which totally rocked our world... in a cool way. Going from 1 to 2 when no. 1 IS just 2 was exhausting. Our son went through an enormous transition. And to have my BFF here with me while I recovered, learned to nurse again, potty trained Buby, etc. was just amazing. Tom is the best kind of husband and father. He loves at 100% all the time. He doesn't do anything halfway, including this time that he was away from his job {which he really enjoys} to create an even stronger bond with his babes. With his regular commute he leaves for work before Buby wakes in the a.m. and returns after he's already down for the night ~ or close. So each and every night that Tom was here for dinner was a treat. And not just because he cooked it! Every day was Saturday in Buby Land. For 12 sweet weeks. Thank you My Sweets.

My conversation with Buby on Monday morning:

Buby: Wait. You didn't make a smoothie for Daddy, too.

Hey, where is Daddy?

Me: Remember Buby... Daddy had to go back to work today.

Buby: Did he wear a suit?

Me: Yes he did. And a tie.

Buby: Did he park his Jeep at the train?

Me: That's right. We can go visit the Jeep later if you want.

Buby: {after silence + a frown}... But I miss him.

Me: Me too, Buby, me too. And Daddy misses YOU.

One Minute

7.22.08


She's wide awake and ready to rock. The next she's out cold. I hadn't even finished snapping her onesie.

The Bookworm

7.22.08


Buby + I read the stack of 6 from last week about 1,001 times. He's into repetition, but by Saturday I was so done with all things mouse and moose. {Okay, I could stand to keep the moose around. It's a lovely one that has made it into Buby's bedtime routine. But the others... their time was up.} I explained about due dates and prepared Buby to bid fairwell to these books so that we could find all new favorites. It would be a great adventure. Monday we walked down to the village library and picked 5 more titles. Buby waited in line. When it came time to check in If You Give a Moose a Muffin, he pleaded, "No! I just want to read it again Mommy!" Luckily the library let us have it another week, but I'm not sure how many times we can do that. It's a small place. Our rule when we get home with new books is to read through each one once before we repeat. After that we can do whatever Buby wants. And at the end of each day borrowed books must find their way back into our designated library book bin. Otherwise they'll get mixed in with our downstairs books or upstairs books or playroom books to never be seen again. This week's loot includes the following:

• Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss
• Oh the Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss
• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
• Elephant Goes to School by Jerry Smath
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Super Bleu

7.19.08


She IS my Super Bleu. Not even three months and she's rolling all over the place, standing and turning in her Einstein, kicking and cooing and loving and living it up. I'm so proud of her. She smiles every time I smile. She naps and sleeps when we sleep. She eats... well, she does that when she wants to. She gave up cranky hour back when she found her thumb. She loves baths and books and music and toddler chaos. She doesn't scare easily. She's game for anything.

Zootopia {in Family Land}

Buby + Bleu asked Grandma "Keen" to join us at the zoo. It was my childhood zoo and Bleu's very first visit to one. I almost didn't recognize the place... major renovations in the past decade. Mostly for the better. But sadly, it appears the zoo opted not to keep the zebras, llamas or giraffes. And the famous polar bears were in hiding that day.



Buby, Grandma, and My Sweets.



Taking a break on the rock. It was hot out.



Me + Bleu.

Buby going through the tunnel into the tiger yard.

This is sooooo cool.

Museum of Play {in Family Land}

Photo of six. Buby + My Sweets {on the carousel}, Me + Bleu {say cheese!} and nieces Sid + Lily at one of the most fantastical children's museums on the East Coast. We try to spend a few hours there every time we're in town. Photo courtesy of my sis-in-law Melissa.