Must Haves Part II (errr..part one of a two-part post?)

Now that we have survived surpassed the six-month mark, I think it is time to sing my praises for my favorite baby items. All photo representations are live in living color (or, are actually the exact color, taste, smell, etc. that I own). First off, let's start with one of Mason's faves that I think is crap, because you know I love poop.

Infantino Stick and Spin Monkey

I would really like to tell this monkey to sit and spin....ahem. It's cute, but it does not stick. This totally defeats the purpose. I bought this toy because I was sick of picking up toys off of the dining room floor. Not only does it not stick, when it hits the ground it falls apart and putting it back together is not quite as easy as snapping Ken's head back on his body. Mason loves to chew on him though, even when he falls to pieces. Oh well.Maclaren Quest Mod stroller and Britax Roundabout Convertable Car Seat
My love. Ahhhh the Maclaren, or as I adoringly refer to it: Macky-PooPoodoodlebugNOM. If I could do it all over again, I would have skipped the Graco Snugride carrier and Metrolite stroller and went straight to the Britax car seat (since it's good from birth through booster seat) and the Maclaren Quest. The stroller weighs 12 pounds. TWELVE POUNDS and folds up super small. The car seat is the highest rated, best investment I have ever made. The only issue with my plan would be that you a.)lose the infant carrier, but honestly, you don't go too many places in the beginning and when you do, people want to hold the bayyybeeee so what's the use? and b.) the Maclaren is good starting at 3 months, BUT when you have delicious things like SLINGS! and FRONT-TO-BACK CARRIERS! who needs a damn stroller? You haven't had time to shower in days anyways, you ARE NOT going to the mall. I will say though, I do love the Graco schtuff and still use the Metrolite for beefy-er adventures such as walks around the neighborhood - so he still gets his use.

Links!

You must buy these. No, TAKE STOCK in these. My newest favorite use for them: linking a bunch together and attaching toys to the stroller with them so Mason cannot throw toys overboard to be ran over by the stroller OR attaching toys to the OHSHIT handle in the car so he doesn't throw toys overboard and into the deep dark pit that is my car's backseat.
*all photos from Babies R' Us dot com
Stay tuned for part two, where I will discuss my love affair (and possible marriage-ending obsession) with a high-chair, formula dispenser and spring-loaded-baby-holderthingamajiggy among other things.

And then I got this crazy idea...

Winter makes me crazy I guess. CRAZY to the point where I am going to try cloth diapering. Go ahead, go back and read that one again. I'll wait. I have a confession to make and it is that my ice cold little heart breaks every time I empty out that stinky-ass Diaper Genie, tie up the end so that it resembles a nice little bolster pillow (a smelly one at that) and put it in the garage until trash day. THEN (and my husband doesn't know about this one) I sit by the front window and sob as the poor garbage man throws it into the garbage truck. Okay, maybe not, but in my head that's how it goes. Then, the bolster pillow of shit rides away to sit in a landfill and NOT decompose for like 80 years or something.

I know what you're thinking. You see the words "cloth diapering" and immediately think of the good old days of pre-folded diapers and safety pins JESUS ARE YOU GOING NEAR YOUR CHILD WITH THAT and rinsing sticky poop into the toilet, doing the full dunk and throwing it in the laundry room to stink up the joint. Well, I have good news. One, YEAH that's what I immediately thought about too so you're not alone. Two, it isn't like that anymore, HALLELUJAH unless of course you are a glutton for punishment and choose to do it that way. Cloth diapering has come a long ass way and once I started researching it IT BLEW MY MIND. It is really not that much different from disposables except that you just wash and reuse the same diapers instead of sending them to go die in a heap of smelly garbage. The best part is that it is cheaper. WAY cheaper if you do it right and I am all about saving money so I can get that massage.

I totally blame Jill over at Baby Rabies for this one. Hopefully in the weeks to come I will be thanking her and not cursing her out via blog. Stay tuned for my newest adventure or trip to hell, whichever it ends up being.

Bottle Connoisseur

I have tried them all (almost). Why, you ask? Well, since Mason has been eating formula, he has been using the small wideneck BornFree bottles. The only problem was that they only hold 6 ounces and he was starting to eat more. Plus, he never had any stomach problems and I didn't see the point in continuing to clean a bottle, nipple, ring, cap, and two parts of a vent. So the hunt for new bottles began. I started buying what I thought looked like the best bottle but always found a problem and had to return and exchange, moving onto the next one. Here are my reviews* of the bottles I have tried (all are BPA-free):

BornFree: A-. Great bottles. Lots of parts. Highly recommend to use the 6oz widenecks as starter bottles so that you are covered in case you have a spitter.

Playtex Drop-Ins: B. Also great bottles. The only downfall is having to purchase the liners for them. Good for "lazy moms". I used these in the beginning along with the BornFree's.

MAM: D. The only reason I didn't fail these bottles is because they are cute. That's it. Thought I was getting less parts to clean. WRONG. The bottom screws off to reveal a vent system. They leak. They suck.

Avent: C. Good bottles, but leak horribly. Unless you have tons of time and patience to stand at your sink, dripping with formula, trying to screw the top on just right, don't buy these bottles. Plus, they lagged a little in the BPA switch-over. Losers.

Nuby: B. Adorable bottles, and MY favorite. No leaking issues BUT Mason didn't like them and I guess he gets a say. The "vari-flow" nipple was too hard for him to grasp since I guess he is lazy sucker. He did like to chew on the nipple though since it has little "nubs" that massage gums.

Gerber: A. Old school $3.99 for a 3-pack bottles that your mom probably fed you with. Good bottles, latex nipples (not my favorite, I prefer silicone but Gerber doesn't offer silicone until the level 3 nipples) BUT I found that the Evenflo nipples fit just fine.

Evenflo Pure Comfort (or something): A. This is what I am using now. So far no issues and I love that the bottle is angled for comfort. Little to clean, cute colors, no leaking. I think these are a keeper.

*I am not getting paid or anything to do this, just thought it might be helpful. Cheerio!

Q & A

I cannot believe how close it is getting to Christmas already! Mason and I have been so busy getting every one's gifts ready. I did want to answer some of the questions I received from the last post before everything gets too crazy:

What do you do to try to calm him down in the car? Music? Rattles? Would love to hear more about that in a future post.

What haven't I tried? I have my iPod loaded with Rockabye Baby lullabies, I have sat in the backseat with him (obviously not while driving), hung Jacques the Peacock where he can see him, sang to him, adjusted the straps on his car seat...EVERYTHING. The only thing that ever seems to calm him down is to blast static from the radio. It is annoying to listen to, but I would rather listen to that than his blood curdling screams. Oh, and the kid HATES pacifiers so that won't even help!

I have come to the conclusion that he hates his car seat for two reasons: he cannot move his arms out to the side AND he knows that the car makes him go to sleep and that upsets him. We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for the day that he actually ENJOYS getting in the car and going somewhere. For now, we are hermits.

Is that a bundle me? Do you like it?

Yes, it is a JJ Cole Bundle me. I absolutely love it because I didn't have to buy a big old snowsuit for him, and I don't have to put on layer after layer before we go anywhere. I usually just dress him appropriately for the weather that day and put a hat and mittens on him and go! I love that it zips all the way down the sides and the flap can be removed if it is a warmer day.

Hey Aunt D

Thanks for the new onesie! Mom and dad say that it explains my demeanor perfectly right now!

Who? Me?! Nah, I would never wake up my parents because OMG IAMSTARVING Wahhhhh.

Love, Mason

How I have been getting shit done.

Don't mind my sicky/haven't showered yet face.




LOVE the Infantino Front2Back Rider ($39.99). BabyBjorn WHAT?!

A welcomed change of pace.

29w 5d

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a "cutesy" baby person. There are very few "baby-looking items" that I would make my child wear/sleep with/be surrounded with. I am just not into Pooh or Mickey the way others are. I could never live with myself if I forced my child to sleep in a room covered in Pooh bears, it's just not me. I try my hardest to spread the love for more modern items to others as well. You won't see me giving character onesies or ruffled underwear at baby showers. Not this girl.

Here are some recent and one not-so-recent finds of mine that I am completely in love with:

Baby socks from Trumpette:
Seriously, how cute are these? And perfect for newborns. I have read that they run small though, so the 0-12 month fitting size may turn into 0-5 months for your chunky monkey. But that's still a good 5 months of wearing time!
Johnny's $24.50 (includes 6 pair, various colors)

6 Socks That Rock $24.50

Next up is the DwellStudio Alphabet Baby Hooded Towel ($26 on sale at Design Public). Also, there is a matching 3 Piece Bib and Burp Set on sale for $19 at the same site. Adorable and educational, I say!

Last but certainly not least is the Ugly Doll. Please tell me you have seen these guys. I had my first Ugly Doll encounter at a local smoothie shop and I think these guys are awesome. Why buy those perfect bitches Barbie and Bratz, or GI Joe? Face it, your husband will never look like Joe, and your chick will never have the perfect physique of Barbie. Let's teach our kids that people, animals, and things are not perfect. Sometimes, they are so ugly they are cute! Just like Babo's Bird here ($20 through Ugly Doll):

And you know your child will cling to this sucker like cheap TP on your ass. Imagine the looks of horror you will get from those crazy old bittys at the grocery store! Worth every penny.

Happy shopping!!

The post in which he gets a nursery.

25w 5d

I certainly hope that everyone had a relaxing, productive, fun, whatever-you-wanted-it-to-be Memorial Day weekend. I definitely got what I wanted. Thursday night was the first night that I slept really well last week, and then again on Friday night. Needless to say, I DID NOT need multiple naps on Saturday and I was a little ball of energy. We went and picked up the furniture and my awesome sister-in-law Denise and I got to painting. I have to whore out Sherwin Williams' Duration paint. It goes on so smooth and I am spoiled because of it. I have used it on our living room and BL's room so far and I can promise you I will use it on any room I paint for the rest of my life.

So without further ado, I give you the almost-finished product that is Baby Luc's nursery:
This photo is dedicated to a wonderful friend, avid reader, and eventual guest poster, Colleen:

I apologize for the horrid lighting in this next photo. No, Paul did not take this one. I did. And I didn't realize how bad the lighting was until I went to Photoshop with it. I was too tired to take another one by that time, but I think you get it. Nightstand, window and part of the crib with a guest appearance by the piggy bank:

Next up is the GORGEOUS crib and bedding. The furniture is all the Munire Urban collection and the bedding is from Glenna Jean's Sweet Potato Collection (Mud Puddle). No mattress yet, but I had to see how the bedding looked:

Combo unit, which will eventually double as the changing station as well. Featuring a little light that gives off the perfect glow for middle-of-the-night changes and feedings without blinding both the baby and I. The glider will eventually go in the corner. When we get one, that is.

View from corner where glider will be, looking out:


So there you have it. Yes, it was a VERY productive weekend at the Luc household. Of course the nursery will be filled with all kinds of goodies after the showers, and I still have some work to do. I have a large shelf from Ikea, canvases with his name painted on them and vinyl wall art to hang among other things. I will keep updating as things get done. I love how the paint color (Bathe Blue, by the way) shows up in each photo. In natural night, it is very bright and vibrant, and in softer light and shadows it is calming and soft. For now, Paul and I can't stop peeking in the room as we walk by.

Dear Baby - 25 Weeks

25w

Dear Baby,

13.5 inches of pure little boy. That is for sure what you are. You are so busy in there and sometimes I wonder just what it is that you are doing!? Practicing spirals? Field goals? Bicycle kicks? And you weigh around a pound and half which makes sleeping so fun for mommy. My uterus (your home) is now the size of a soccer ball. You are still working on your nervous system, but everything else is a go. You are also supposedly starting to turn from the breech position to a head down one. Somehow I don't think this is going to be a difficult feat for you. You are still putting on fat and will continue to do so. Also, your hair is recognizable in color in texture although it will probably change after birth. We are hoping to get a good look at what you look like sometime soon with a 3d/4d ultrasound at grandpa Luc's work.

We had another fun night of tossing and turning, sciatica, back pains, getting up to pee, nose bleeds, 5am cat puke and chirping birds. I almost started crying (again) in the shower but held it back. When I went downstairs to eat breakfast I noticed my phone was blinking. I checked the voicemail and guess what little man? Your furniture is in! I immediately started screaming, this was totally unexpected and I was completely prepared to wait another month for it! I have heard stories about the particular collection we ordered being late, etc. since it is so popular. I wasn't worried about waiting for it all since it is ultimately just something else for us to dust, but this MADE MY DAY. Your dad and I were already planning on starting on your room this weekend and painting and now you will have furniture! I am definitely a planner, so the fact that I can start organizing and putting things where they need to go is a plus in my book.

You are in for a fun weekend of mommy moving around a lot, which I know puts you right to sleep. Hang in there for another 14 weeks, kid.

A little peek.

19w 6d

I have been holding out in regards to talking about what things we like for the baby and the nursery because I wanted to wait until we were a little closer. I also wanted to wait until we were closer to knowing what gender the baby was because that has a lot to do with what color bedding we get. I think it is close enough, so here are some of the big things we like for baby:

Nursery - Sweet Potato (Glenna Jean) Mud Puddle

Of course the color depends on the sex of the baby. Also, our nursery furniture is an espresso color and not white. The mobile is so cute as well and has bears (GASP!) on it. If you know me well, you know I am not really big on the cutesy animal patterns, or basically anything that even resembles something that would go in a baby nursery. The bears, I think I can live with. They are nice looking bears. No scary faces or looks of disappointment.

For the Hoopty - Graco Snugride and Metrolite Stroller in Platinum

Okay, we really don't have a hoopty. We actually have a 2008 VW Jetta in black. Which is one of the reasons why I choose this carrier and stroller. It matches so well! I mean, who would put a BROWN travel system in a BLACK car?? Beats me. It also is gender friendly and we'll be able to get more than one use out of it if we so please. Most importantly, I did my research (of course) and the Snugride got some of the highest ratings and is fairly inexpensive. Both of these are also pretty lite. I am not a very big person, so I need all the help I can get.

I think that is enough of a tease for today.

About Friday. Our appointment is fairly early in the morning, and the reveal dinner for our families is not until Friday evening. In all fairness, and because I don't trust that some people in the fam will be able to not look at this blog all day, I will not be posting what the gender is until Friday night. Most likely, it will be sometime after 7:30 (a pregnant girl's gotta eat), but it will be that night. I promise not to leave you hanging that long! I thought about doing a live webcast, but I don't own a web camera, so this will have to do.

I'm sorry! I will make it up to you, I promise! Wanna make out now?