Favorite "Toys"

Toys do not have to be purchased. Many of my little man's favorite toys are not toys at all. You could go out and buy all the latest and greatest toys, but these have the double advantage of being cheap/free and readily available. Here are some of the best "toys" in our house:

1. Cereal box
2. Sippy cup with something rattling inside
3. Mailing tube
4. 6-Bottle wine carrier (cardboard)
5. Water bottle with colored water inside
6. Water bottle with macaroni inside
7. The Dishwasher
8. Remote control
   
9. A spoon
10. A magazine
11. Empty beer bottle (supervised of course!)
    
12. The tupperware cupboard
13. Easter egg with rice in it (taped shut)
14. Anything on the coffee table
15. Those springy door stop things
    
16. Pack of cards
    
17. A piece of paper
18. Can of Little Puffs/Gerber graduates finger foods
    
19. Empty cardboard box

What does your baby play with?

Best Baby Carrier Ever

The Ergo Baby Carrier is the best baby carrier ever. I can carry my little man with it even when my lower back is out of whack and killing me. Awesome!

http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

No Fat Feet!!

So I have a good friend who just told me that she's pregnant for the first time, and it's bringing back many memories of my pregnancy. One of the things she asked me about was the effect of pregnancy on your feet... A very good question.

First of all, you do know that there is a decent chance that your feet will PERMANENTLY grow a half size or more while you're pregnant, right? Yikes! I already wear size 11, so that was not an option. So I set out to prevent foot growth. According to my totally unscientific theory, if you can prevent swelling, you can keep wearing your normal shoes, and therefore keep your feet in their normal shape.

Based on my theory, I followed these FIVE STEPS to prevent swelling:

1. Drink lots of water (keeps your body flushed out and reduces water retention)
2. Wear shoes with good support for your feet (lace-up tennies work)
3. Walk
4. Walk
5. Walk

I found that when I walked EVERY day (usually at least two miles), I felt so much better and my feet were so much less swollen. If I skipped even one day, it was so obvious. As a result, I was a pregnant walking fool. In addition to our daily 2-mile walks, we went for 5-mile walks pretty often on the weekends, including one about a week before my little man was born. We even went for a 1-mile walk while I was in labor (with little stops for contractions). And I am proud to report that my large feet are not even larger following my pregnancy! Clearly proof that my FIVE STEPS work.

Clearly, They Grow Up Too Fast

My little man is only 8-1/2 months old, and I already can hardly remember what he was like when he was a little little baby. Therefore, I have made a resolution. I will NEVER say, "I can't wait until he..." WHATEVER IT IS, IT WILL BE HERE TOO SOON! I will enjoy this moment, with all it's challenges, joys, frustrations, and wonder. I can wait.

The Excitement of Finger Foods

So do all babies choke when they eat their first non-pureed solid food? When my little man first started with his Little Puffs (rice puffs that dissolve easier than cheerios), there was a decent amount of choking and gagging involved. He'd get a piece of something stuck on the back of his tongue and gag until the item (and probably some other stuff in his stomach) came out. He's getting much better at mashing stuff up with his gums and front teeth now, and I haven't seen him gag in quite a while. However, I am still pretty nervous about finger foods, even though he seems to have a real interest in them.

So did your baby choke and gag when he/she first started finger foods?

Learn Your Baby's Language

This really works: Dunstan Baby Language

I am not kidding. It is SO cool. Get it when your baby is just a few weeks old, and you will be so much less frustrated!! It's totally worth the $40 to have a clue of what your baby needs!

Buy Good Nursing Bras

Buy good nursing bras. For one thing, you have the biggest boobs you'll ever have, so what better time to get a sexy bra? And yes, they do make pretty nursing bras. For another, making a little bit of an investment is a good way to commit to nursing. Maybe that sounds a little weird, but for me, spending a couple hundred dollars on bras is something not to be wasted (for instance by wimping out and weaning early). Finally, I think that my nursing bra shopping trip was the first outing we made after coming home from the hospital. It's a good excuse to get out, since you have to go about a week after your milk comes in so you can be fitted properly. And pretty much any store that sells nursing bras will LOVE to see an adorable newborn come through the door.

P.S. While I still really do want to keep up this blog, the month and half hiatus since my last post does not bode well. We'll see...