Life is Sweet

8 weeks

2011-12-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

How far along are you?: 8 weeks
Total weight gain: 2 lbs
How big is baby?: The size of a raspberry.
Maternity clothes: Not yet.
Stretch marks?: Nope.
Sleep?: It's been hit or miss. Most nights I am sleeping okay. Sometimes I wake up every few hours to pee, and other nights I'll sleep through the night without having to pee even once. It's inconsistent right now.
Best moment this week?: Seeing the baby on u/s, and hearing that beautiful heartbeat.
Movement?: Not yet.
Food cravings?: Sandwiches and salads are good right now.
Food aversions?: Meat. Steak, chicken. Bleh.
Labor signs?: No, thank you.
Belly button in or out?: In.
What I miss: Smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel. And eggs benedict.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting my energy back.
Milestone: Not really a milestone, but worth noting. I finally ditched the huge, gross PNVs I was taking and started taking gummy PNVs I picked up from Target. What a huge difference! They taste fine, go down fine, and don't make me feel gross afterwords.

6 weeks

2011-12-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

How far along are you?: 6 weeks
Total weight gain: 0
How big is baby?: The size of an sweet pea.
Maternity clothes: Nope, just the belly band when wearing my super skinny jeans.
Stretch marks?: Nope.
Sleep?: I'm starting to wake up at night and having a hard time falling back asleep. I hate now loud DH is when he crawls into bed. Sigh.
Best moment this week?: I'll have to get back to you on this one. "Morning" sickness has kicked in and I feel pretty crappy most of the time.
Movement?: Not yet.
Food cravings?: Hot soups sound somewhat appetizing to me lately.Food aversions?: Rich, creamy stuff. DH bought this baked cauliflower thing from Trader Joes a few days ago - it's really cheesy and rich and creamy. Ick, no thank you.
Labor signs?: No, thank you.
Belly button in or out?: In.
What I miss: Subway.
What I'm looking forward to: 2nd tri. I've got a ways to go, but I'd like to not feel sick.
Milestone: I ate a decent amount for lunch today. Yay.

I don't remember feeling quite this crappy with my first pregnancy. I remember feeling nauseated here and there, and the dry heaving was a big pain in the ass, too. But this time around, it's like this lingering nausea that is just THERE. It won't go anywhere. Sigh. And I feel tired all the time, too. I didn't experience the exhaustion the first time either.

Anyway, although I know it's not a "real" bump, I'm going to start doing belly pics now, too. Bloat or bump, it's baby-related, so I want to keep track.

Review: Aprica Presto Stroller

2011-12-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I ordered a new stroller. I had a chance to try it out a few days ago, so I wanted to do a review on it, in case it helps anyone else considering the same one.

So, the main reason for me purchasing this stroller was because I needed something lightweight. I love our City Select, but it's just too heavy for me right now. So lightweight was a must. Thankfully, the Aprica Presto is a big improvement over the City Select. I can actually haul the AP around without struggling. And now that I'm pregnant, it's even more important that it's not excessively heavy.

One of the things I really like about the AP is that it seems to offer a lot of nice amenities that a typical umbrella stroller does not. First, it sits quite high off the ground. That's one of the things I really like about the City Select, too. And for a lightweight stroller, AP does quite well in this. N has a nice, high view from where he's sitting, and his butt isn't like *this close* to scraping against the floor. And since it's so high (lots of leg room), and the weight capacity is 70 lbs, this stroller should be able to last us for quite some time. I'm thinking it'll be good for us until N outgrows strollers completely.

This is the little clasp that you have to swivel up to open the stroller. It's also great for when you have to close and fold the stroller, as it is self-closing. You have to fold down the stroller pretty tight for it to clasp on it's own, but it will if you squeeze it hard enough.

The recline on the AP is also pretty impressive. I wasn't expecting much of a recline in this category of stroller, but surprisingly, it does pretty well. I think it would be super comfy for N to relax and take a nap with the recline offered by the AP. This will come in especially handy for vacations.

The sun shade is also quite generous for this size of a stroller. The coverage is quite decent, and with the little extra visor flap that you can fold down, it gives it even more coverage.

The ride on the stroller seems to be pretty comfortable. The wheels it comes with are a lot larger than I expected them to be, and they provide a pretty smooth ride.

I also really like that the stroller can stand on its own when folded up. You have to kind of turn the wheels a bit so that they rest on the backside of the bar that stands it up, but once you've got it that way it will definitely stand on its own. Huge plus.

I also love that they include a rain cover, at no extra charge. Most strollers charge you for everything. But Aprica includes the rain cover, which I love.

Overall I am quite happy with the Aprica Presto. But the one thing I have to complain about is trying to close it up. I know the closing mechanism is probably made to be safe and kid-proof, but damn, it's kind of mommy-proof, too. Well, for me, at least. I don't know if it's because I'm kind of petite, and/or I have really small hands. But it's very, very difficult for me to collapse the stroller without really, really trying and taking some time.

It has this handle thing that you're supposed to pull, and a little latch thing that you need to push up. You have to do this, both actions, simultaneously. My hands must be super small or something, because with one hand bracing the top of the stroller and the other trying to do this double-action closing thing, it's just not working. The hand trying to do the latch/handle thing cannot physically reach both parts at the same time. It just can't.

So after a couple of tries I've figured out (sort of) how to do it, but it still takes a lot of time (and luck). I don't know if it is as difficult for other AP users, but really, for me it's just super difficult.

The one other negative thing I could also mention is the padding that covers the buckle in the crotch area. It comes with a rather nice, padded cover to make it more comfy for your child. But, the cover is not attached to the strap in any way, and it just slides off if you pull on it. I can imagine this being a big pain in the ass when trying to strap in a squirmy toddler. So the easy fix for me was to just sew the cover to the strap. This took me no more than 2 minutes to do and is a super easy fix for a minor problem.

That's about it as far as the complaints go. If it wasn't for the stupid closing mechanism, I would be 100% happy with it.

But since the pros greatly outweigh the cons, I still really like this stroller. I just wish it were a little easier to close for small hands like mine.

5 weeks

2011-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

I guess I'll start doing this weekly survey thing. I didn't do it with my first pregnancy, and I kind of regret it since I can't really compare how I'm doing from week to week with the first time around. Boo me.How far along are you?: 5 weeks
Total weight gain: 0
How big is baby?: The size of an apple seed.
Maternity clothes: Don't laugh - I have busted out the belly band. I am nowhere close to having a real bump, but the bloat is out of control! I've been driving home from work each afternoon with my pants unbuttoned. :)
Stretch marks?: Nope.
Sleep?: If N would let me sleep, it would be fine. He is still waking up a few times during the night. Sigh.
Best moment this week?: When N started pointing at my belly and yelling "little sister!" in our language. He also put his ear up to my belly as if he wanted to hear. He did this all on his own - I didn't even teach him this.
Movement?: Not yet.
Food cravings?: Not really. I've been eating pretty normally, with the exception of today (today is the first day since I've found out that I actually feel pregnant).
Food aversions?: Not really, except for today (see above). I woke up this morning and could smell something that MIL was cooking in the kitchen, and it made me feel pretty nauseated.
Labor signs?: No, thank you.
Belly button in or out?: In.
What I miss: Nothing much yet.
What I'm looking forward to: First ultrasound coming up in about 3 weeks. This is going to be a LONG three weeks! I think it'll feel more "real" after that.
Milestone: Nothing yet, it's still too early to have achieved anything. LOL.

Aprica Preso stroller on the way!

2011-11-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for an umbrella stroller for quite some time, but since I found out that I am pregnant, I kind of wanted one ASAP. Our Baby Jogger City Select is awesome, but it's just too heavy for me to carry now. So I wanted something super light that we can use when we go on vacation, but also for me to use as my everyday stroller now.

I picked the Aprica Presto stroller, and got a great deal on it. It retails for $199, but I got it from Amazon for only $106 in the orange color! The brown and green were $146 and $163. I don't mind orange and I think it's cute, and at that great price I bought it without much hesitation.What really appealed to me about this stroller was how high up it sits. The view that it gives kids seems to be so much more comfortable from traditional umbrella strollers, were they seem to have their butts almost scraping against the ground. And I hate how their legs seem to be all cramped up in those traditional umbrella strollers. The Aprica Presto seems so much more comfortable.

The other thing I really liked about it was the storage basket. It's not as huge as on my City Select, but for an umbrella stroller I think it's pretty good.

Same for the sun canopy. It's not ginormous, but again, for an umbrella stroller I think it's pretty generous.Plus, the fabric is totally breathable, and the seat cushion is removable and washable.

I also love how it stands on its own when it's folded up.

Plus, it's cute.

I'll be sure to do a review on it when I have had a chance to try it out.

Video Review: Petunia Pickle Bottom Cross Town Clutch

2011-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Details

2011-11-21T13:41:00.001-08:00

Our experience with TTC this time was vastly different compared to the first time around.

With N, it was a total of 22 cycles, lots of OPKs, the Ov-Watch, charting, testing, etc. It was a painful, heartbreaking experience. One that made me afraid of having to do it all over again the second time around.

This time, though, was rather quick. I didn't chart, no OPKs. I just monitored my CM closely and could pretty much pinpoint when I was ovulating each month. We were very relaxed about TTC, and only did it when we felt like it. I wasn't crazy about timing it every month and didn't force it if we didn't feel like it. I'd say it took a total of about 4-5 cycles, but only 2 of those cycles were with well-timed sex.

So, two cycles. As opposed to 22. WTF, right? I know that we extremely lucky, and I am so grateful for it to have happened so quickly this time.

As far as symptoms go, I haven't really had many. I have been hungrier than usual, and feeling bloated here and there. But nothing too different from regular phantom symptoms that come and go.

So there you go. No interesting, miraculous story this time around, but we are thankful and absolutely grateful and ecstatic, nonetheless. I'm looking forward to the road ahead and am ready for whatever comes my way. :)

An update

2011-11-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been blogging as much lately. Work is just really taking a huge toll on my play time at work. Which means no blogging time. BOO.

But, I'm here with an update. A good one. So you should forgive me for my lack of posting. Because this is good. Real good.

Video Review: Petunia Pickle Bottom Sashay Satchel

2011-10-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

So you guys know how I feel about PPB and my love for their outlet sales, right? I mentioned it in my last post, but their autumn sale is going on right now (through Monday). I may or may not have picked up a couple of new things for myself this time around. Heh.

So anyway, I know for myself when I am shopping for a diaper bag, I always like to search YouTube for video reviews. I am totally a visual person, and it's so much easier to get a good feel for a bag when I see it in motion (as opposed to still photos). But to my surprise, I couldn't find very many reviews on PPB bags. I thought there would be a ton, but there weren't (there were quite a few good ones for Ju-Ju-Be, though).

Since I love my one and only (for now) PPB bag, the Sashay Satchel, I thought I would do a video review of this bag. I hope you guys find it helpful (as I've found others to be for myself). I'll also add this video onto my original review.

I'll be sure to do video reviews of my other PPB purchases later on, too.

10 random things I'm loving at the moment

2011-10-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

Not necessarily baby-related stuff, but here are some of the things I am totally loving at the moment. (Oh, and sorry about my lack of blogging. The start of the school year means bad things for my blogging time.)

1. Toms black glitters - I live in these! I work in a pretty casual environment, so these work well for both play and work. Super comfy, super cute.

2. MAC Face & Body foundation - I discovered this foundation a few months ago and have fallen in love with it. It's got light-medium coverage, but it's still pretty buildable if you need it. But it feels like nothing is on my skin, and it looks so natural.

3. Petunia Pickle Bottom Sashay Satchel - I picked this up during the last PPB outlet sale. It's been my everyday purse since then, and I still love it. It's a great size for my mommy things, plus stuff for N (extra blanket, change of clothes, 5 diapers, wipes, snacks, toys, etc.). The backpack straps are genius.

4. Petunia Pickle Bottom outlet sale - Going on now! I may or may not have picked up a couple of things again this time around.

5. Pumpkin Spice Latte - Thank you, Starbucks, for never disappointing me this time of year. Drinkable pumpkin pie? Yum. Yes, please.

6. Fall weather - Well, kind of fall weather. After all, I'm in Los Angeles. But at least 80-degree weather beats 100+, right?

7. Trader Joes - I've always loved Trader Joes, but I'm finding myself there more and more these days. Seriously, they have the BEST stuff. Love their fruits and veggies (did you know they have shredded carrots all ready to go in a bag? no more bloody knuckles), their cheese (I am obsessed with their fresh mozzarella and triple-cream brie), frozen stuff (mmmmm, orange chicken), and all the sweet goodies.

8. Plain, dark blue T-shirt from Hollister - It's a pretty boring top, but it's SO comfy. I love wearing it with a cute tank underneath with some lacey trim peeking out along the bottom edge. And I know, I'm probably too old to be wearing Hollister (my nieces and nephews are more their target audience), but I don't care. It's comfy.

9. Johnson & Johnson's bedtime baby lotion - For me, not N. I love slathering this stuff on before bed. It smells so nice and dreamy!

10. Lastly, I'm loving that the holidays are just around the corner. I love this time of year. Halloween (not a real holiday, I know, but still), Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, all lined up and ready to go. Lots of family time, lots of fun for N. Yay!

What I've been thinking a lot about lately

2011-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Warning: This may very well turn out to be a long, boring, rambling post, but it's just stuff that's been on my mind lately. Bear with me (or just skip over this post completely). Kthxbai.

For those of you that know me way back from my Bump days, you probably know my history with TTC and my complications with my pregnancy. But if you don't, let me give you a brief rundown on both.

TTC was, to say the least, very difficult for us. We were trying for 22 cycles before I got pregnant with N. Those 22 months were seriously one of the most difficult periods of my life. Never before had I wanted something so badly, yet was unable to attain it no matter what I did. Towards the end of our TTC journey, we were in the process of meeting with an RE, started doing testing for both DH and I, and were talking about possible procedures to figure out what the hell was going on and see what was preventing me from getting pregnant.

Our miracle finally happened on magic cycle #22, when I got my BFP. Totally unexpected, but thrilled beyond words, obviously.

For some reason, I thought the pregnancy fairies would be fair to me and make my pregnancy a super easy, uneventful one, given that TTC was so difficult for us. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

My pregnancy started out okay. I had the usual 1st tri nausea and morning sickness, the gagging, and pretty much the grossness that is early pregnancy. But nothing too bad. Other than that, though, things were pretty uneventful at first. For that I am grateful.

Fast forward to week 25. I started showing signs of preterm labor and was in and out of L&D a number of times. I was put on bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy, but even that didn't stop the PTL. I continued to go in and out of L&D; the last time being at 30 weeks, where I was admitted for bleeding, contractions every 2-3 minutes apart, and a shortening and dilated cervix.

From that point on, I lived my life in weeks. Every week that had passed, I was thankful for having gained that extra week. We were prepared for delivery basically at 32-33 weeks. I was given steroid shots for the baby's lungs when I was 30 weeks, since they didn't think that I would make it anywhere close to full term. I was told to expect this baby to come much, much sooner than his due date. So each week that passed, we celebrated.

Being the stubborn ass baby that N turned out to be, the little monster actually stayed in until week 39! Almost to my due date. WTF, right? I spend all this time and energy making you stay in there, yet you decide to chill and hang out until I almost have to evict you. Sighs. Ironic, but whatever. I'm just glad that he was able to bake all that time, and able to come out a healthy 7+ lbs ball of crying, pink, mushy baby goo.

So, fast forward 18 months to today. N is 18 months old now. We're constantly getting the so when is N going to get a baby brother/sister? questions. It's not that we don't want another baby right now. We actually do. Very much so.

So we had the talk last night. The "official" TTC talk. We've been kind of TTC half-assed for the few cycles since I've actually started ovulating (thank you, breastfeeding hormones). We've kind of taken the "not preventing but not actively trying" approach.

But last night we talked and have decided. We want a baby. We're ready. We want N to have a baby brother/sister to play with, and we don't want them too far in age. But we won't be crazy about TTC like the first time around (no charting, no OPKs, etc.). We'll try and let nature take its path, and let it happen when it does.

But I think my past history with TTC and pregnancy has kind of scarred me. I will never be that innocent, naive person TTC with pure optimism and hope. I can't be that person, because I am no longer that person.

The thoughts that run through my mind lately...

What if it takes me 2 years to get pregnant again? N and his sibling will be 4 years apart. That's way longer than we planned.
What if I get pregnant and am put on bedrest again? How am I going to take care of a toddler when I have to be on bedrest?
What if I get admitted to L&D again and have to stay at the hospital? How will N handle me being away from him for an entire night?

Blah blah blah. The thoughts go on and on.

I feel like I have been robbed of that innocent excitement that comes to most with TTC and pregnancy. Like, my history has shaped me to be a bitter, negative person and I can not enjoy the pure anticipation that usually comes with this sort of thing.

Ugh.

Check out my Carters haul

2011-09-09T13:32:00.001-07:00

I've always been a big fan of Carters stuff. Their quality has always been the best when compared to other brands. Their cotton is always so soft, thick, great quality, and their stuff doesn't shrink that much (Gerbers, I'm looking at you).

So when Kelly posted about a sale they have going on over there right now, I just had to leave work early and head over there. I've been looking at buying some stuff for N to wear when the cooler weather comes around, but since all the new fall stuff is coming out right now, of course most of it is at full price. And I am the type of mama that pretty much NEVER pays full price for stuff.

So, check out everything I got.

3 long-sleeve tees
4 knit pants (two 2-packs)
3 long-sleeve romper-type things (sorry, I have no clue what those are called!)
5-pack of short-sleeve onesies
4-pack of long-sleeve onesies

All that, with a 20% off printable coupon I found online, and my total came out to just under $60. Amazing! The best buys, by far, were the romper things ($5 each on clearance) and the 2-pack of pants (also $5 each on clearance).

WTF Wednesday, Mommy-and-Me class edition

2011-08-31T23:56:00.000-07:00

So I've been looking into Gymboree-type classes to take N to lately. Since I only work part-time, I have some free time each morning and really wanted to take advantage of the time. I also think those toddler classes are a great way for kids to learn social skills and to make friends.

But I have been putting it off because of how expensive these classes can be. So I was thrilled to find that our local library does tons of different toddler classes on weekday mornings, for free. How awesome is that?!

So we've gone twice now, and so far N seems to like it a lot. He was a little shy at first, but he seems to start enjoying it a few minutes into the class.

But man, I had a few WTFs/vents running through my head the whole time. Mostly for the parents of these kids, though.

If your kid is coughing so badly that they sound like a poor sea lion, please do not bring them to class. They do not feel well. Keep them home.
If your kid is coughing so badly that they sound like a poor sea lion, please cover his mouth for him (or teach him to do it himself). He needs to keep those germs to himself, and not get the other kids sick.
Mommy-and-Me class is not time for mommies and other mommies to socialize. It is rude to be having loud conversations at the back of the room when the instructor is trying to run a class.
If your kid takes my kid's toy away from him, teach your kid to give it back. It is not okay for your kid to steal a toy from another child (especially not mine!).

That is all.

Recipe: Madeleines

2011-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

I love Madeleines! I love how cute and delicate they are. I love how they are sort of like a cookie, but also sort of like a little cake (satisfies both cravings). I also love how well they go with coffee and tea.

So, when I saw this baking pan made just for Madeleines, I was really excited and just had to get it. Look, so pretty!

Ingredients

- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- grated rind of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the pan by spraying with cooking spray (or use butter to grease).

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and powdered sugar for about 5-7 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Gently fold in the lemon rind and juice with a rubber spatula or metal spoon.

Beginning with the flour mixture, alternately fold in the flour and melted butter in four batches with a rubber spatula.

Leave the mixture to stand for 10 minutes, then carefully spoon into the pan.

After they started baking, I realized that I filled the pan with way too much batter. Look how big they got! I should have used half what I used, or even slightly less. I didn't anticipate that they would puff up so much when baking. So I ended up with Madeleines that were twice or triple the size of regular Madeleines! Still yummy, but too big. Next time I won't put so much batter into the pan. Hehe.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through cooking. Madeleines are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely on a wire rack. These taste best when eaten on the day they are made.

Weaning. Or not.

2011-08-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

With N coming up on 17 months old, I've been thinking about weaning him for a while now. From the very beginning, I knew that I would nurse until one year (if I could). When the one year mark hit, I wasn't anywhere ready to stop. So we kept going. At that time, I told myself I'd stop doing it when he hit 18 months. Because to me (at that time), nursing a child any bigger than that is just weird. Well now that he's just shy of 18 months, I'm not so sure that I'm ready yet.

My reasons for weaning, though, have been for the wrong reasons (which I've just recently realized).

I mean, I still really enjoy it (despite the occasional biting) and really cherish our special time together. My supply is still good enough to keep up with him. And the nutritional benefits and comfort that it provides is just amazing.

So why have I been thinking about weaning? Social pressure.

Everyone around me, family, friends, co-workers, give me the dreaded "You're still breastfeeding?!" line when I tell them that yes indeed, I am still breastfeeding. I get all sorts of unsolicited advice about why I must stop now. Things like:

If you don't stop now, you'll never stop. It'll only get harder.
Your milk no longer has any nutrition for him, so there's no reason to continue.
It's just weird/gross. (um, thanks)

Stuff like that.

I've recently realized that my wishes to wean have been due to all this pressure to do it. Do I actually want to stop BF? Not really. So why should I, right? That's the conclusion I've come to. Do it if I want to. Me, not anyone else. And if I don't, then don't.

Plus, I've been reading a bunch of supportive info from KellyMom (my favorite BF resource) about why it's totally okay and actually a good thing to continue BF for as long as I want. Stuff like:

Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins.

In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

* 29% of energy requirements
* 43% of protein requirements
* 36% of calcium requirements
* 75% of vitamin A requirements
* 76% of folate requirements
* 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
* 60% of vitamin C requirements

Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers

In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process.

I'm not going to BF until N is in, like, high school or anything crazy like that. But you know what? I'm happy with the way things are right now. And if he wants to continue nursing (he does), I'm happy to cooperate. I won't let stupid social pressure and stuff like what is considered a "social norm" influence my decision to continue. It's what works for us, and it's the right decision for us.

Giveaway Winner: Hello Kitty eau de toilette

2011-08-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for leaving me your comments! The winner of the eau de toilette is:

Comment #1 - Heather Cara from Some Womb Thoughts!

Heather, e-mail me your mailing address, bbjoysdesigns@gmail.com. I'll get it in the mail right away!

Giveaway: Hello Kitty eau de toilette

2011-07-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mom mom picked up this super cute Hello Kitty eau de toilette set from the duty-free shop at the airport. I am a huge Hello Kitty fan, so I LOVE this set!

I wanted to give away one of them to one of my readers since I couldn't possibly use up all the fragrances anytime soon.

One lucky winner will be selected with random.org and will be the recipient of this super cute Hello Kitty eau de toilette. Just leave a comment to this blog post. The giveaway begins today, and will end at 12:00 noon PST on Thursday, August 4. Good luck!

Review: Petunia Pickle Bottom Sashay Satchel

2011-07-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

I posted last week about the PPB Sashay Satchel that I picked up during the two-day Petunia Outlet sale. I received my bag a few days ago and have been able to try it out a few times.

I absolutely LOVE this bag.

Let's start with the overall look and feel of the bag. The certified organic cotton feels like a nice, thick, smooth canvas. The glazed accent trim has a very nice look and smooth feel to it as well. The shoulder and backpack straps are a thick, solid, soft cotton.

It sits quite nicely on my shoulder; definitely less bulky compared to my Skip Hop Studio.

p.s. For reference, I am about 5'4" tall.
p.p.s. Sorry about the messy mom hair.
p.p.p.s. I realized after posting this that you are all probably staring at my ass right about now.

Not as wide, and not nearly as long. It is taller in height, though. But the relatively thin shape of the bag makes carrying the bag over the shoulder pretty comfortable. In backpack mode, the thinner shape makes for a less "boxy" look (I never really liked PPB's Boxy Backpack because, well, it's too big and boxy-looking).

And the print. Just look at it. It's so pretty! I just love the overall look and feel of the bag. It feels like such a high-quality, well-made bag.

Okay, the interior space. I was thinking it would have a lot less space than my Skip Hop Studio, but surprisingly, it holds quite a bit more than I thought it would. The Studio is still bigger, but I think the height of the Satchel really allows for more storage space than you would think. This is what I've stuffed into mine:

sippy cup
Aden & Anais blanket
a change of clothes (onesie, pants, long-sleeve shirt, socks)
a few toys (including a somewhat larger toy car)
5 diapers (disposable)
wipes case
big tube of Aveeno baby lotion
2 kinds of sunscreen (a tube and a stick)
my mommy stuff (wallet, keys, lip gloss, makeup compact, etc.)

The mommy pocket in the front is great. It's got a magnetic closure at the top, which opens up to an entire magazine pocket with an interior pocket for storage, too.

The backpack straps are fabulous. I personally am not that big on the backpack look, so when I picked this bag, I figured I would only use it occasionally as a backpack. Not so. I found myself whipping out the straps quite a few times already. Being able to throw it over my back rather than on one shoulder makes it way easier to chase after a toddler. And when I don't need it as a backpack, there are pockets to hide the straps. It's awesome.

There are also a bunch of pockets on the inside, as well as two external bottle pockets.

Oh, I also wanted to address the "certified second" issue. I talked about it a bit in my previous post, but really wanted to say something about it here. Okay, so PPB's outlet site sells what they call "certified seconds." Basically, these are bags that have some kind of defect (or multiple defects) which make the bag unable to be sold at their retailers. Basically, if it's not "perfect," it's a "certified second."

So when I bought the bag, I read through the possible defects and took a chance. I figured I would probably mess up the bag on my own anyway, so the cost savings made it worth it to me.

Well, let me just say, "certified second" WHAT? Like, there is nothing I can see from my bag that would make it a second. Nothing looks messed up; no snags, no marks, no tarnishing, nothing is damaged. It's just PERFECT in my eyes. I seriously looked for a good half an hour, trying to find something wrong with my bag. There is nothing wrong with my bag, that I can see. So yeah, a $119 bag that I picked up for $69 with no visible flaws? Yes, please. More, please.

If you're on the fence about saving a few bucks on a "certified second" from PPB, do it. There's no reason not to.

So yeah, I am in love with my Sashay Satchel. It looks super cute, is totally mommy-friendly, and it doesn't hurt that I picked it up at an awesome price.

Edited 10/19/2011 to add video review:

Things I don't want to forget... Monday?

2011-07-25T22:42:00.001-07:00

Yeah, yeah... it's not Thursday. But that's okay. I don't do this nearly as much as I should, so Monday will be just fine. There are some things that I want to write down while they are still fresh in my head. Things about my sweet boy that I never want to forget. Things that make me love him oh-so-much. Things that make my life complete.

The way you say "mama?" when you wake up first thing in the morning. You say it before you even open your eyes, and say it with a bit of questioning. You wait for my voice to let you know that I am there, to feel safe and loved. Without hesitation, I respond promptly, "I'm here, baby. Mama is always here."

The way you play with the pots and pans while I make you breakfast. You wait so patiently, such a good boy.

The way you explore new foods by shoving it quickly into your mouth, only to spit it all back out. (we are not fond of new foods, for the most part)

The way you hide in your castle playhouse, and peek through the little windows playing peek-a-boo with me. And the way you squeal and throw your head back in laughter when you catch a glimpse of me.

The way you waddle when you walk from one place to another. (we're still getting better at this whole walking business)

The way you wrap your arms around me and gently play with and stroke my hair when I hold you.

The funny faces you make when you eat tangy fruit. Your face makes me think you hate it, yet you always come back for more. Silly boy.

The "boooo" sound you make after you let out a loud, smelly fart. And the big grin on your face to let me know what you've done.

The way you practically run to me when I get home from work, and the way you grasp me oh-so-tightly.

The way you ask me to put on your shoes when you want to go outside to play. Such a smart boy.

The way you "dance" when you hear music. The bouncing and head-bobbing is too much.

The way you turn towards me and hold me around my neck when we sleep at night, it makes me look forward to going to bed every night. (we're still co-sleeping)

The way you hold onto my legs while I cook in the kitchen and pat my legs until I pick you up. Yeah, dinner can wait.

The way you make me feel. It's just so... ah.... perfect. I live for you, I breathe for you. You are my everything.

Petunia Pickle Bottom outlet sale - SCORE!

2011-07-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

As much as I love my Skip Hop Studio bag, I've been looking for something I can use when I don't want to carry such a bulky bag. And, I admit, I kind of have a diaper bag obsession. (so yeah, that's the real reason)

A friend told me about the PPB outlet sale going on right now (through Wednesday). I picked up the Sashay Satchel in Daisy Dewdrops for, get this - $69. Regular price is $119. What a steal!

Sure, I got a "certified second" bag, but that doesn't bother me much. This is how their website describes "certified seconds."

Items classified as SECONDS could include but are not limited to:

* Snags in fabric
* Minor fabric flaws
* Sewing machine oil / grease on fabric
* Sticky zipper
* Mark on the bag
* Tarnished hardware
* Damaged packaging surrounding the product

Because Petunia is dedicated to perfection, we hold back many items that have slight imperfections. Since we can't sell these products to our wonderful retailers, you gain the benefit of saving 30% - 70% on these "Almost Perfect" Petunia Pickle Bottom products. A Certified Second is a product that has one or more issues that restrict us from shipping the item to a retailer.

With regular use, a brand-spanking new bag would show wear and tear anyway, so I don't really care that much.

I'm so excited. What a great price for such a cute bag. :)

Thank you, Craig

2011-07-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Craigslist, that is. I scored this perfect condition Little Tikes castle playhouse for $150. It retails for $400 brand new. It is in totally perfect condition! I just had to hose it and wipe it down a bit, and it's as good as new.

N LOVES this castle. We have played in it every single day since we've had it. He loves opening and closing the door, and he loves the secret hideaway door.

Oh, hi there!

2011-07-13T11:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately. Our summer days have been filled with lazy days of bumming around the house, at the beach, hanging out, and me just enjoying these warm days with my little man. But I just wanted to check in, say hi, and leave you with a couple of summertime fun pics.

Recipe: Fruit waffle bowls

2011-06-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe to try, especially for those that are not big on fruit. The cute and fun presentation is pretty irresistible!

Here's what you'll need:

- ice cream waffle bowls
- vanilla or white chocolate flavored instant pudding mix
- milk
- fresh seasonal fruits (strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, sliced kiwis, etc.)

Wash and thoroughly dry your fruits.

Prepare the instant pudding as directed on the box (add milk and whisk).

Put 2-3 spoonfuls of pudding in the bottom of each waffle bowl. Generously top the pudding with lots of fresh fruits.

Serve immediately, as the waffle bowl will start to soften.

Ice cube trays

2011-06-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

N is big on snacking. He isn't much of a mealtime eater, but he sure likes his crackers and fruits. I found myself placing small bowls everywhere around the house with different snacks for him to munch on throughout the day, but it was getting kind of messy and hard to keep track of.

So I bought an ice cube tray and started putting his different snacks all in one place. I think it works so well. The little sections keep everything separated, and it's so cute watching him peruse the tray and try to make a decision when all his faves are in one place. :)

Recipe: Brioche French Toast w/ Nutella

2011-06-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Using a loaf of leftover brioche bread, I made this for breakfast this morning - brioche french toast with sliced bananas and Nutella.

SO yummy, and very easy to make. I don't have an actual recipe since I usually just eye everything when I cook, but I'll do my best.

In a deep plate, combine an egg, a splash of milk, a few spoonfuls of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. Slice the loaf of bread into 1" thick slices. Dip each slice of bread into the egg/milk mixture, taking care to coat the entire slice of bread.

In a pan over medium-high heat, melt enough butter to cover the pan. Carefully place each slice of bread in the buttered pan, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side (until nicely browned and slightly crisp).

Serve with fresh fruit (I used bananas), and top with Nutella (and some extra butter if you wish).

YUMMY!

Post-partum ovulation SUCKS

2011-06-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Back when we were TTC N, charting helped me get really good at identifying key O symptoms (like EWCM, O pains, etc.).

For some reason, though, it seems like my pregnancy really did something to my body and cycles. I'm only on my 2nd PP cycle (thanks to BFing), and I know for sure I am Oing right now. And OMG, it's awful.

It was never like this before. Sure "O pains" I would get, but that was nothing more than pinchy, stabby pains on and off for a few hours. I never got this intense, non-stop, bending over from the pain kind of pain before.

Oh, and if the pain wasn't bad enough, the nausea makes it way worse. This morning after finishing my McDonald's sausage McMuffin (it's my weekly Friday treat, don't judge), I felt like throwing it back up. After every single meal today, I have been struggling to keep it down. I never had this kind of intense nausea before I was pregnant.

And the buckets of EWCM drenching my panties (sorry for the visual if you're the squeamish type) isn't pleasant either .

So yeah. PP ovulation sucks.

Is it just me? Did any of you notice your cycles do weird things like this after having your babies?

Oh, and for the record, I am not TTC right now.

Skip Hop for the win!

2011-06-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

After my disappointing experience with the Ju-Ju-Be Behave, I decided to try the Skip Hop Studio bag. I hadn't considered this bag in the past because it seemed to be a very popular bag, and I didn't want something that everyone else had. But it seemed to fit all the requirements I had for a diaper bag, so I decided to just go with it and see.

I picked the chocolate brown because it doesn't really look like a diaper bag. It just looks like a regular, big purse.

I am so glad I took the chance. The Studio is made fairly well. The quality isn't quite as nice as the Behave, but hey, it's a fraction of the cost. The fake leather trims and handles feel a bit cheap, and the hardware isn't as fancy and cute as on the Behave, but the Studio is still a nice, good quality bag. Totally worth the price.

The Studio has tons of pockets, which makes for super easy organization. There is seriously a pocket for everything, both on the inside and the outside.

I was able to fit everything from my old diaper bag into the Studio, plus a few extras (snacks, toys, and a change of clothes). And there's still plenty of room for more stuff!

This picture was taken at sort of a strange angle, but I took it purposely from the insdie of the bag so you could see how much space is still available towards the top of the bag. I could easily throw lots more in and it would still hold it all with no problem.

Other than space, the other thing I really like about this bag is the built-in stroller clips. It takes a little fussing with and getting used to, but the stroller clips are genius. They are easy to store when not in use, and easy to clip on when you need it. I even used the stroller clips on a grocery cart, and it worked wonderfully.

I am so glad I bought the Studio. Sure, it isn't quite as cute as the Behave, and the quality isn't as good, but it's still a decent bag at fairly good quality. The functionality and organization of this bag just cannot be beat. It's the perfect bag for me at this point in my life, and I have no regrets purchasing it.

Review: Ju-Ju-Be Behave

2011-06-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

I received my Behave a few days ago and got to try it out.

When I received it, I was thrilled with how the bag looked and felt. Sure, the bag wasn't cheap (around $160), but I could really tell that the bag was made really well. It felt very solid, and everything from the hardware, to the zipper, to the stitching was very high quality. And two huge selling points for me - the "leather" is earth-friendly leather (animal-free), and it's washable. Incredible.

So I took everything from my current bag and stuffed everything inside the Behave to try it out. Unfortunately, that's where things started to go downhill.

Before I bought the bag, I did a lot of research and even watched YouTube videos to check out a few things about the bag: organization, and more importantly, space. From everything I had read and watched, the Behave was excellent on both points. But after I put all of my stuff inside, I had to strongly disagree on the space part. I could not fit everything I wanted inside the bag. Check it out.

I'm not even a heavy packer. But I couldn't fit everything I wanted to. Even my diaper stash - I usually like to stash 5 diapers in my bag, but I had to make do with 3 only. If I had put all 5 in there, there wouldn't have been much room for anything else.

I was also not able to put a change of clothes for N in the bag either.

You can't really tell from this picture, but when I zipped up the bag with just the bare minimum, it was bulging and almost bursting at the seams. Not cute.

I had to leave out these very important things, just to get it to close up: my makeup bag, 2 diapers, and N's favorite toy car.

I'm so disappointed that it didn't work out, because I really, really wanted to like this bag. It looks and feels fabulous. Unfortunately it just isn't roomy enough as a functional diaper bag (even for a light packer like myself). Boo.

Squeeee!

2011-05-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

I did it. I finally did it. I finally picked out a new diaper bag for myself.

I've been searching forever! I guess what made it so hard was the fact that I needed the functionality of a diaper bag, but I didn't want one that actually looked like a diaper bag. No offense to those that like that type of look, but personally the bright colors and patterns of many diaper bags is just not my thing. So I've been looking for the longest time for a diaper bag that didn't actually look like one.

I thought I had settled at least on a brand. I came across Timi and Leslie bags and thought I would for sure get one of them. But in the end, I ended up choosing this one.

The Ju-Ju-Be Behave.

I chose this one for a number of reasons. First, the functionality is excellent. I won't go into detail here, but trust me, the design is very well thought out.

The other reason why I chose this - the material is pretty amazing. Looks like a regular leather bag, right? Wrong. It's Ju-Ju-Be's new Earth Leather material. It's animal-free and, get this... it's machine washable. Pretty amazing, right?

I can't wait to get my bag. I'll be sure to post lots of pics and do a review of it once I get a chance to try it out. Squeeeee!

If you have an extra dollar or two

2011-05-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

There are two very good places to use it.

Kelly from Our Silly Rodriguez Family posted on her blog about Smile Train. Her little boy was born with a cleft palate, but looking at him now you probably wouldn't have any idea. He's always been gorgeous and perfect, but looking at that smile he has now is just priceless. I won't duplicate her post here, so you can go read her post if you'd like. All I can say is that I am in love with her little boy, and I want her to know that I totally support her.

Also, Mandee from My Life With One Eye Open posted about a marathon that she and many other women are taking part of, all in support of a beautiful little girl named Lillian. Little Lillian has a condition called Prader-Willi syndrome, and it's something that she battles every day of her life. If you'd like to learn more, please feel free to read Mandee's awesome blog post.

My new favorite thing (and it's eco-friendly!)

2011-05-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Starbucks cold cup.
I love this damn thing so, so much.

See, I have this obsession with cold drinks. Even if it's cold and cloudy outside, I love sipping on iced tea, iced coffee. Even just iced water with lemon. Basically iced anything.

What makes this cup special? Well it's double-walled, so the cup not only stays cold for much longer than regular cups, but it also won't "sweat." You know, when those little beads of water sweat all over the place and get your desk all wet. I hate when that happens.

And the best part about this cup is that it's eco-friendly! No waste. I used to be obsessed with McDonald's $1 large sweet tea, but I hated how every time I got one I had that big old styrofoam cup to throw away when I was done with it. No more! I make my own iced teas at home, and there's no cup to toss.

I swear, I don't work for Starbucks (although I know I probably sound like I do). But yeah, this cup is my new obsession. I am in love.

I'm a bad mom

2011-05-19T13:48:00.001-07:00

Okay, not really. But let me explain.

After some recent conversations that I've had with a few friends of mine, I realized that I am SO NOT a by-the-book kind of mama. I mean, I'm not stupid (most of time) and don't put my kid in danger or anything, but for the most part, I'm more of a "whatever works for me/you" kind of mama, rather than a "well, the American Academy of Pediatrics says blah blah blah" type.

Let's see.

- we co-sleep (and I lurves it more than anything)
- I have always used blankets with N, ever since his newborn days
- I let him watch TV (gasp)
- I let him take small sips of my soda if he keeps staring at my cup out of curiosity
- I don't really do the "wait 3-5 days" (or whatever it is) rule when introducing new foods
- I nurse and/or rock N to sleep (and always have)
- we'll skip brushing his teeth if he's super tired and just wants to sleep
- if he cries at night, I will pick him up right away

I'm sure there's more, but those are just off the top of my head.

Does that make me a bad mom? I don't know. All I know is that what we're doing is what's right for us. It works for us. Do others judge me? Sure they do. But I don't care. This is what works for me, and my kid is doing just fine.

I think all too often people are quick to judge, and if things are done differently, or against the AAP, they are "wrong."

That's just bullshit to me.

Let me wipe that drool off my face

2011-05-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my lack of posting lately. I haven't been on the computer much. Unfortunately N has been sick for the last week or so, so I've been home a lot and haven't been able to blog. But thankfully he seems to be doing better now.

So, I'm in the market for a new diaper bag. I have some birthday money saved up and would love a new bag. The only thing is - most diaper bags don't really appeal to me. A lot of the popular ones are a little too colorful, and they scream "diaper bag" to me.

So I was browsing on Amazon and kind of fell in love with the timi & leslie diaper bag line. They are so fashionable, and they don't even look like diaper bags. But they still have the functionality and space of a diaper bag. Check these out.

They dont' even look like diaper bags, right? And they all come with all the expected diaper bag accessories, too. Like a matching clutch, insulated bottle holder, changing mat, etc.Now the hard part - which to get? :)

After almost 2 years

2011-04-26T08:24:00.001-07:00

After almost 2 years, she's here. AF is finally here.

At least, I think she's here. I had some light spotting this morning, which is more than I've seen since I had N. So I think she's finally here.

I have to admit - I didn't miss her one bit. Booooooooo.

Reason 35452345068 why Target rules

2011-04-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

With warmer spring weather already making its way around here, I've been on a search for cute spring shoes. I've been looking for a while, but not wanting to spend a lot on shoes, I've been putting it off.

So I went to Target to pick up some stuff a few days ago, and I just so happened to walk by the shoe section. OMG. Their girls section had the cutest stuff, and so cheap. And I'm lucky enough to have tiny feet, so the girls shoes fit me just fine.

Check out what I got, and check out the prices.

Plain black flats, great for work ($9.99)
White cork wedge sandals, super cute with dresses and skirts ($14.99)

White flats, so cute with pretty much everything ($9.99)

Super cute shoes, right? Three pairs for like $35. LOVE Target.

Photographing a 13-month old

2011-04-12T08:24:00.001-07:00

Easy enough, right? Sit the kid down, snap a few shots. Easy peasy. Right?

Wrong.

And if he wasn't crawling away from me, he was doing a whole lot of this.

Just don't tell your grandma. This is the new grass that she just got planted. Shhhh.

Giveaway Winner: Custom Blog Makeover

2011-04-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for all of your comments! The winner of the blog makeover is:

Comment #11 - Kaymee from The Mommy Diaries!

Kaymee, e-mail me at bbjoysdesigns@gmail.com to get your design started! Congrats!

Confessions Friday

2011-04-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

I had an awful breakfast. Well, "awful" in the health sense, but SO NOT AWFUL in the yum sense. Hehe. I got McDonalds - large sweet tea, sausage burrito, and cinnamon melts. YUM.

Have a great weekend, ladies! Oh, and if you haven't signed up for my blog makeover giveaway yet, make sure you do that before Monday!

Giveaway: Custom Blog Design

2011-04-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed this new section over there, I added it in a few weeks ago.

<---------

I am now officially doing blog designs, invitations, etc. I started out doing it totally free of charge for my e-friends, but have decided to start charging for it since I've gotten so many requests.

So to kick things off, I'd like to do a free blog makeover giveaway! One lucky winner will be selected with random.org and will be the recipient of a totally brand-new, custom blog design. Just leave a comment to this blog post. The giveaway begins today, and will end at 10:00am PST on Monday, April 11. The winner will be announced on Monday at 10:00am. Good luck!

A year of thank you's

2011-03-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you for coming into this world in a rather quick, complication-free way.

Thank you for being such a good eater right from the start and allowing me to BF you like the champ that you are.

Thank you for sleeping by my side every night and allowing me to cuddle you as much as I want.

Thank you for the way you squeal when I turn on your ball popper.

Thank you for the way your eight teeth shine through when you flash that cheesy grin of yours.

Thank you for that funny hair of yours that only grows on the top, middle part of your head. And they way it curls up and gets fuzzy whenever you break a sweat (which is often).

Thank you for calling me "mamaaammmammm." I love hearing it.

Thank you for the way your face lights up whenever I get home from work.

Thank you for those long lashes of yours. Your aunties are so jealous of how pretty they are.

Thank you for the way you grasp onto me when I nurse you. Your little hands feel so, so sweet against my skin.

Thank you for the way you try to pick up and eat the stars that shine out from your turtle.

Thank you for your strong little legs that try to kick everything in your path.

Thank you for the kisses you give to me every day. The surprise ones are the best.

Thank you for letting me be your mama. I feel rather undeserving to have been granted such a special role, but I'll take it.

Thank you for... just... you. Happy birthday, little one. Mama loves you more than you will ever know, and I will never, ever stop loving you.

Birthday Bash 1.0

2011-03-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

The party craziness is over. It was a hell of a lot of work, but oh so worth it. Everything turned out just perfectly. I couldn't have been happier.

The theme was this little yellow duckie, named Piyo Piyo.

Warning: Because I am super paranoid (this is not news), you'll be seeing a lot of blurred faces, names, etc. My apologies in advance!

Check it out (click to enlarge each set of pics):

Cupcake toppers. Check.

2011-03-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

I thought these would take me forever, but surprisingly they went pretty quickly. The white, smaller circles in the middle with the duckies and text was printed on round labels, so they're just like little stickers. Self-adhesive, so no glue needed.

For the bigger yellow and orange circles, I used a big circle punch to get them perfectly round.

So I didn't even have to really cut or glue anything. Easy peasy.

(sorry, crappy cell phone pics)

You know what feeling is the worst? (TMI)

2011-03-22T22:50:00.001-07:00

When you feel like you really, really have to go to the bathroom. You go and sit down. And then... nothing.

WTF. I swear, BF hormones mess with my pooping schedule way more than pg hormones ever did.

So. not. fair.

No time! There's never any time!

2011-03-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

I don't have time to study, I'll never get into Stanford, I'll let everyone down, I'm so confused! I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so scared...!

What? Oh, hai!

So yeah. With the party rush on I have a million things to finish before Saturday. This is what my office looks like today. (sorry for the crappy cell phone pic quality)

Thank goodness it's spring break here this week and I have no students (or boss) around. Heh.

And just because I know you all would appreciate this:

Teehee.

A downside to co-sleeping

2011-03-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

I've talked about co-sleeping before. I loved it back when N was younger and itty-bitty, and I still love it now that he's almost a toddler.

But I've recently discovered one downside to it. It's kind of a new thing but it has been happening more and more recently. Let me paint you a little picture.

So I'm sleeping peacefully, cuddling with my sweet little boy. The house is dark and quiet, the hubs is on the other side of N snoozing blissfully in a deep slumber. Everything just seems so perfect in this very moment.

Then it happens. I hear a quiet, muffled "poooot pooooot poooot." Seconds later I get a whiff of something a little... off. I look around trying to figure out what had just happened, and the "off" smell becomes an overwhelmingly foul odor. That's when I realize what had happened - my kid, my sweet, perfect kid, farts in his sleep. And he isn't graceful about it either. There is no mistaking that noise or that smell.

Okay, so maybe co-sleeping isn't all that perfect.

Broken glass jello (recipe)

2011-03-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

- Four 3-oz. boxes of JELL-O, (different colors)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
- water

Dissolve each box of JELL-O separately, into 1.5 cups of hot water. Pour into individual containers and chill for at least 3 hours (or overnight).

Cut the different flavors of JELL-O into small cubes. Mix the cubes together carefully in a pan. Set aside (or put in the refrigerator to chill as you complete the next step).

In a large pan (I used a 9 x 13" baking pan, which worked well), dissolve 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin in 1/2 cup of cold water. Allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes, and stir in 1 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir in the condensed milk. Allow the milk mixture to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Add the mixed JELL-O cubes to the milk, and carefully move the cubes around so that they are evenly dispersed in the milk. The cubes should lay flat on the bottom of the pan so that none of the cubes are sticking out.

Chill overnight.

Some thoughts on TTC #2 (a confession of sorts)

2011-03-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

So with N's birthday just around the corner, I've been doing a lot of thinking about TTC baby #2.

After I had N, I experienced baby fever pretty quickly. Like, at 3 months pp. I wanted to have another one pretty badly. I always knew that I wanted kids that were close in age, too.

But TTC has since been on hold since I am still BF. Luckily (kind of), BF = no AF for me. No AF, no ovulating (I think). And no ovulating = no TTC.

So I've been cool with that. I always knew that as long as there were no issues, I would BF to at least one year. This was always really important to me, so I've been fine with the no TTC part.

Well, fast forward to now. N is almost a year, weaning will be around the corner (although exactly when it'll happen I'm not quite sure yet). Which means my cycles should be going back to normal sooner than later.

But you know, the more I've been thinking about TTC, the more hesitant I am. I don't know what it is, but I kind of like having N, and only N right now. I don't know if this is stupid or not, but the thought of having to "share" my love and attention with another right now isn't really something I want to do. Like, I have this image in my head of N wanting to snuggle with me, and having to brush him off or push him aside because "the baby needs something." That kind of hurts me in a weird kind of way.

I don't know if I'm alone in feeling this way. I just don't think I'm as ready for TTC #2 as I thought I would be. I'm happy giving 110% of myself to N right now.

Weird? Thoughts?

Centerpieces. Check.

2011-03-10T13:20:00.000-08:00

The rush is on to get all the party stuff done in the next few weeks. I'm getting there. Slowly, but surely.

So, centerpieces. My original plan was to do some cute candy centerpieces. I'd seen some pics online of some cute ones, like this.

But damn, I never knew how much candy would cost. Those big lollipops sticking out? $36 for 24. And other theme color candy is pretty expensive, too (my party colors are yellow and orange). Like $25 for rock candy. Geez. After adding up the cost of everything, I would have had to spend about $100 on the centerpieces. Definitely a bit out of my budget for little things that people probably wouldn't care that much about anyway.

So, I headed to Walmart to see what I could come up with on a budget. After spending about an hour in there, I came up with centerpieces that are cute and inexpensive. I spent about $25 total on making eight of them.

Just to get an idea on cost - the glass fish bowls were $0.97 each. The fake flowers were $2 or $3 (I forget how exactly how much) for a bundle. The ribbon was on clearance for $0.50 for the thin, and $2.00 for the thick. And the fun size M&Ms were less than $3.00 for a pack.

Yay for cute centerpieces. And yay for saving money. Yay me!

I have a prediction

2011-03-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

That AF is going to show in about 2 weeks. I still haven't had a pp period yet (thanks to BF), which has been glorious. That bitch is never fun.

These last few days I've been feeling what I think is O pains. I can't be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if AF showed about 10-14 days from now. We shall see.

Are you in the right place?

2011-03-02T15:42:00.001-08:00

Because I am the most indecisive person EVER, I have been making a million changes to my blog lately. I wasn't happy with the way it looked, with the blog title, etc. What can I say, I get bored pretty easily.

I kind of wanted to get away from the "mommy blog" type of thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just didn't want to be strictly a mommy/baby blog, KWIM?

So yeah, this is still bbjoys' blog. It's just going through some changes lately. I *think* I may be done with it.

Um yeah, who am I kidding, no I'm not. Heh.

Sneaky little monster

2011-02-25T08:47:00.001-08:00

I don't know exactly when he picked it up, but lately N has learned how to sneak around me to do stuff that he shouldn't be doing. Where did he learn to do that?! Sigh.

So one of his favorite things to do is shred paper into teeny, tiny pieces. Any kind of paper. Especially magazine paper.

Last night DH plopped N on the couch, gave him a few sheets of paper, and let him go at it. Oh boy, did he have a blast. He was quiet and occupied for a good 20 minutes.

I was sitting next to N, and he started to crawl away from me. He plopped himself down about a foot away from me. No biggie, right? I can't expect that kid to stay still.

So then I realize that he's got his head kind of buried in a pillow. Like, hiding. I peek my head around the side to see what he's up to, just in time to see his hand shoving a few pieces of shredded paper into his mouth. And it wasn't like he was subtle about it either. Oh no. He had the full fist, shoving action going on.

Sigh.

Thankfully I had just washed my hands, so I was able to fish out all that paper pretty quickly.

When did this kid become such a little monster? I mean, really. Where do kids learn this stuff? To hide from their mommies when they want to do something bad? Oh boy, I have a feeling I'll be in a lot of trouble come the teenage years. Joy.

[Recipe] Spicy Tuna Rounds

2011-02-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

Love sushi? Love spicy tuna rolls? This recipe is a fun twist to the typical spicy tuna roll. Sometimes you just want some spicy tuna without all that rice to get in the way. =P

Ingredients

- 1 package sashimi-quality tuna
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I like Sriracha)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 1 stalk green onion, finely sliced
- pinch of salt

The Japanese market that I go to sells sashimi tuna in two cuts - small cut pieces (below), and large, single blocks. Since I needed to mash up the tuna anyway, I opted for the pieces. Less work for me.

To mash the tuna, lay a sheet of plastic food wrap on a cutting board. Place your tuna on the food wrap, then lay a second sheet of food wrap on top to cover your tuna. Using a mallet, smash your tuna until it becomes mushy and fairly pasty.

After your tuna has been mashed, add in the the remaining ingredients. Mix until all ingredients have been evenly combined. You can add more hot sauce if you like it spicier (or use less for milder taste buds). Also, play around with the mayonnaise. You can add more for a creamier texture.

Take your peeled cucumber, and slice it into rounds (as thick/thin as desired). Plate the cucumber rounds, and carefully place a scoop of spicy tuna on top of each cucumber.

Serve immediately. And you're welcome.

Pure AW up in here (some updates)

2011-02-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

My sweet little boy has been doing a lot of new things lately, so I felt a post devoted entirely to AW all his new moves was in order.

- Has been using "mama" and "bahbah" (means "daddy" in our native language) at all the right times when trying to address me and the hubs.
- Has been pulling up on everything.
- Tries to walk when we hold him up by his arms.
- Can identify many words now. His favorites are: "light" (as in the one above our dining room table) and "airplane."

And this isn't really a milestone, but it's sort of weird. His favorite new food lately is cream cheese. He likes it when I smear it on his crackers. And when his crackers are all gone, he'll just eat the cream cheese on its own. Eeeewwww. But it's funny.

We're still nursing throughout the day (thank you, sweetie, for keeping me AF-free for 10+ months post-partum). What can I say, the boy loves his milk. And I'm not complaining.

I can't believe we're coming up on one year. I can't believe his birthday party is just over a month away. I have a feeling the next 1+ month is going to be a bit crazy with the party planning. I am looking forward to our 100-ish guest list. Yeah, 100 people, more or less. It's like wedding planning all over again. Craziness.

Diaper Showdown: Luvs vs. Up & Up

2011-02-04T10:18:00.001-08:00

A few of my friends have been using Amazon Mom for a while now and rave about the savings. I am a HUGE fan of Amazon and even had their Prime membership, but for some reason I never got around to trying Amazon Mom. I'm not going to bore you all with the details of it, so you can read about it on your own if you want.

Anyway, I am kicking myself for not trying it sooner. It's free, and I save a ton of money on stuff I buy regularly (like diapers). With the Amazon Mom discounts, some of the brand names end up being cheaper or about the same price as generic store brands. Awesome.

(I swear, I'm not getting paid to talk about this, although I probably sound like I work for them or something, lol. I just love it that much.)

Anyway.

We've been using Up & Up diapers from Target pretty much since N was a month old. I've been quite happy with them and have no real complaints. But since Up & Up is only sold by Target and I can't get it from Amazon, I've started trying out other brands for a good replacement brand. So you can expect to see a few different "Diaper Showdown" posts as I compare diapers, trying to find the "right" one for us.

The first brand I tried was Luvs. No real reason for picking Luvs, other than the fact that they are super cheap. After the discounts, they come out to about $0.12 per diaper. That's a pretty damn good price.Okay, so here are some of the main observations I have made when comparing Luvs to Up & Ups.

Cost: Luvs comes out to $0.12 per diaper. Up & Up is about $0.14 each.

Sizing: N is in size 3 diapers right now. Luvs' sizing is a bit more generous than Up & Up. The Luvs went on with quite a bit of room to spare, whereas Up & Up is quite a snug fit on him right now.

Fragrance: Up & Up is fragrance-free. Luvs, OMG, the scent is quite strong. I don't have a sensitive nose by any means, but wow, the scent from the Luvs is a bit much. It's not a bad scent or anything; it smells like baby powder. It's just SO strong.

Leak protection: I think Luvs is slightly better than Up & Up at leak protection. With the Up & Up, we get leaky diapers every once in a while (I would say once every week or two). I have yet to get a leaky diaper with the Luvs, and we've been using them for a few weeks now.

Adhesive side tabs: The tabs on the sides of the Luvs are very stretchy. The Up & Up tabs don't stretch quite as much.

Irritation: I was afraid of N getting a rash or some kind of irritation from the Luvs since they are so strongly fragranced. Thankfully, though, he hasn't had any sign of irritation. No irritation from Up & Up.

Design: I like the cute polka dots from the Up & Up diapers, lol. The Luvs just aren't as cute. But hey, it's a baby's butt. Who cares? Who's gonna see other than me? Heh.

Overall feel: Luvs feel much thinner and much less bulky when compared to Up & Up. This concerned me a little bit at first, because I was afraid the thinner material and lining would mean ineffective leak protection. But as I noted above, the Luvs are pretty good when it comes to leaks. The Up & Up diapers feel a lot thicker, almost padded. Luvs are a lot less fluffy.

Overview: I am quite surprised by the Luvs. When I first took them out of the package I wasn't expecting them to perform well since they are so much thinner than the Up & Up diapers. But again, we haven't had any leaks so far, even overnight. So I like that Luvs are less bulky, but really, the fragrance is SO strong to me. Like, overpowering. if it wasn't for the fragrance, I would say we've found a good replacement for the Up & Ups already. It also doesn't hurt that they're so inexpensive. But I think I'm going to keep searching. I am not a fan of the totally overpowering scent of the Luvs.

Up & Up on the left, Luvs on the right.
You can see, the Luvs are a little bit larger.

Inside shot.
Can you tell that the material of the Up & Up is thicker and more padded than the Luvs?

Side view.
See how much thicker the Up & Ups are?

Another side view, of the bottom.

The Luvs are quite a bit thinner.

The most awesome parenting conversation ever

2011-02-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

To get N's snot and boogers out, I have been using this Japanese snot sucker thing. It's got like this long straw thing that you suck out of, and magically the snot and boogers end up in the little jar at the bottom. And no, you do NOT get any of the snot into your mouth. Trust me. I'm still not quite sure how it works, though. All I know is that it works pretty damn well.

Anyway.

So last night N had this really stubborn booger that was NOT coming out. He was getting pretty impatient with me and screamed at me every time I tried to get it out.

DH came home from work, so I gave up on the booger and went to make dinner. DH was watching N (as he always does so that I can cook). About 10 minutes into making dinner, DH comes to me.

So the conversation that followed went something like this.

"So I got out the booger finally."

"Oh, great! I tried forever and couldn't get it out."

"Um, but now I don't know where it is."

"Don't know where WHAT is?!"

"The booger."

::puzzled look::

"Um, how do you lose a booger?!"

"I don't know. I sucked it out and all, but I don't know where it went. It wasn't in the jar."

::more puzzled looks::

"I don't know. Maybe I ate it."

::dies::

Party planning in full swing

2011-01-25T11:32:00.001-08:00

With N's birthday about two months away, I've started the planning process already. Better early than late, right?

So far I've put together the cupcake toppers, water bottle labels, and invitation.

The theme will be jungle animals, and the party theme colors will be brown and light green.

What do you think?

Going where no baby has gone before

2011-01-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

N's favorite new activity - trying to get as much of his little body as possible under the futon in his room. I don't know what it is about that damn thing, but he LOVES going under there. Sigh.

Adventures in baby food making

2011-01-14T08:34:00.000-08:00

I have made all of N's food since the beginning. I chose to do this for a couple of reasons:

- I like knowing exactly what is going in his little tummy. Being able to control the food-making process from beginning to end gives me that control. I buy mostly organic for his food.
- It's cheaper to make your own baby food than to buy the jarred stuff.
- I like being able to make my own food combinations. Where else could I buy a sweet potato and edamame puree?
- It's fun! No, really. It is!

The one website that I have use again and again and again is this one. It has been a wonderful reference for me, and I find that I check back pretty often.

As far as equipment goes, I picked up a used Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker from a friend of mine and it has been wonderful. It's made the food-making process so easy! I love that you can cook (steam) and blend in the same machine. Less to wash, and it takes up so little space on the counter. It's a must for fruits and veggies.

Another useful tool I've used a lot is my Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender. It does an awesome job at blending stuff. I use this for the stuff that I make outside of the Beaba Babycook. I do oatmeal, rice, meat, etc. in regular pots, so being able to stick this hand blender straight into the pot and blend is so easy. And, I have to say, this blender does a phenomenal job at getting everything really, really smooth. There have been a few times where I've blended in the Beaba Babycook, but wasn't able to get the puree completely smooth and had to bust out this immersion blender and finish up the job. Peas, especially, can be difficult to get smooth. This blender does the job effortlessly.

So, I wanted to share some of my observations and some of N's favorites.

- Likes: cauliflower (his favorite), sweet potato, chicken & brown rice, zucchini, peas
- Dislikes: most fruits (especially apple)
- Peas are a pain in the ass to get completely smooth (see above).
- Sweet potato is a great food to mix with since the taste is pleasant and the consistency is very creamy and smooth. It's really good to use when introducing new foods, since it's a familiar taste.
- Chicken breast does not puree smoothly. Dark meat works much better (I use organic boneless, skinless thighs).
- Don't forget to dump out the cooking water when making carrots (you know, nitrates and all).

I'm sure there's a lot more that I'm leaving out, but these are just some of the tips/observations off the top of my head. If you're on the fence about making your own baby food, give it a shot! It's time consuming, but it gives me peace of mind. Plus, it's fun. :)

Giveaway winner: Vicks Baby Rectal Thermometer

2011-01-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks for leaving me your comments! The winner of the thermometer is:

Comment #4 - Kaymee from The Mommy Diaries!

Kaymee, e-mail me your mailing address, yummiesnpretties@gmail.com. I'll get it in the mail right away!

Giveaway: Vicks Baby Rectal Thermometer

2011-01-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Happy new year! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays.

To kick off the new year, I wanted to do a giveaway with something that I have found really, really useful. This thermometer is probably the single most important thing I've used with Baby N. Especially the time that he got pneumonia about a month ago, it was really crucial that I got an accurate reading that I could trust.

I know the thought of a rectal therm make some people cringe. I have an ear thermometer, too, but I find it to be highly inaccurate. As in, if I take N's temp 3 times in a row, I will get 3 different temps. I always go back to this rectal thermometer. It's the only one I trust.

And using it is pretty simple, once you get used to it. I find that using a little petroleum jelly on the tip makes it so much easier to slide in. And you only have to put in a tiny part of the tip; it's not like you're sticking it WAY up there, lol.

So, I want to give away one of these thermometers to one of my readers. It is, of course, brand new, sealed, and unopened. Because anything else would be SO gross. Heh.

If you'd like to win it, just leave me a comment to this blog post. The giveaway begins today, and will end at 10:00am PST on Friday, January 7. The winner will be randomly selected with random.org and announced on Friday. Good luck!

Fried Nutella? Yes, please.

2010-12-14T15:02:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine (thanks, moo!) gave me the idea of making fried wontons with Nutella inside. Just the thought of them makes me drool.

So I decided to make some for my husband's work potluck since they can be made ahead of time, and they are good at room temp. And they are seriously so easy to do, and they are YUM.

Ingredients:
- wonton wrappers
- Nutella
- oil
- water
- powdered sugar

Place about a teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Dip a clean finger in a bowl of water and trace the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wonton up by bringing all the corners together in the center, creating a point in the middle. Press the edges together to seal in the Nutella goodness.

Fry the wontons in oil over medium heat. I use EVOO because, well, olive oil is healthy. Right? So that makes this recipe healthy, no? Heh. Anyway, watch them carefully as they brown pretty quickly. Once they reach a pretty, light, golden brown, take them out and lay on paper towels to drain any excess oil.

You can sprinkle a little powdered sugar over them, too.

YUM. The end.

He is not a girl. He is a HE.

2010-12-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

I dressed N up in Christmas-y clothes over the weekend (so lots of red). He was mistaken for a girl a few times, lol. He's a HE, people.

This is what he was wearing.

Oh well. I guess I can't blame them. He does have my girly eyes. I guess no more red for him. Hehe.

In other news, I'm glad to report that the pneumonia is gone. We went to the pedi a few days ago and his lungs were checked. All clear! Yay.

The best milestone. Ever.

2010-12-06T10:37:00.001-08:00

Sure, rolling is important. A first tooth is important, too.

But the best milestone ever? Kissing.

My sweet boy has learned to kiss me. I am in LOVE. He learned last night. At first I thought it was a fluke, but I got him to do it 3 times. He'll smoosh his mouth up to my face, press his lips together, and make a "muah" sound.

I think I've just about died and gone to heaven.

Huge rave - Jumping Beans clothes (Kohl's)

2010-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

I've been on a search for some warmer winter clothes (sweaters, cute long-sleeved onesies, thermal tops), but have been putting it off. I'm not big on spending a lot on baby clothes since they outgrow stuff so quickly.

Old Navy has been my main source for baby clothes so far, but even their stuff isn't that cheap (around $8-10 regular price for a cute onesie). I usually have to wait and wait for sales and clearance deals to roll around before I buy, and that doesn't usually happen until later on in the season. I still like their plain long-sleeve onesies, which are $12.50 for 3, but those are plain, no designs or anything on them. I use them as undershirts when it's cooler outside.

I don't know why it took me so long to discover Jumping Beans baby clothes from Kohl's. I was browsing the baby clothes on Kohl's website a few weeks ago and saw lots of Jumping Beans stuff on sale for $5 each (regular price is $10 each). Apparently they run this deal quite frequently. And that price was pretty much for all their stuff - not only onesies, but pants and sweaters, too. So I ordered a bunch of super cute stuff. Here's just a few of the things that I ordered.

Super cute, right? Everything was $5, even the sweaters. I even found a coupon code for an extra 20% off, so everything came out to just $4 each. I also had a code for free shipping. Sweet!

The ultimate test for me, though, is seeing how good the quality is by throwing it into the washer and dryer. If it holds up and looks good through the wash, then it's good stuff.

So how did they do? Happy to report, all the clothes are in excellent condition after a cycle in the washer and dryer. $5 is such a reasonable price to pay for cute, high-quality clothing. I am kicking myself for not trying Jumping Beans stuff earlier.

If you have a girl, they have super cute girl stuff, too. Really cute, girly prints. Makes me want to have a girl just so I can dress her up in cute, pink stuff. Hehe.

Yay for cheap, high-quality baby clothes! If you haven't tried Jumping Beans before, and you are like me and don't like paying much for baby clothes, definitely give them a try.

Pneumonia

2010-11-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

My poor baby came down with pneumonia last week. I don't even know how he got it. None of us are sick.

It started last Tuesday night, as I was putting him down for bed. He started coughing uncontrollably, followed by lots of congestion and a high fever of 103 that evening. We took him to see his pedi the next day, and after a physical exam and x-rays, it was confirmed that he had pneumonia.

Seeing him so sick just breaks my heart. At his worst, he had no voice and would cry silently. There would be no sound, but his face told it all. And he was so stuffed up that he would choke every time I tried to nurse him. He would take a gulp, try to breathe, then start coughing because he couldn't inhale or exhale.

We are now on day 6 of Amoxicillin. He's getting a little better, but is still definitely sick and feeling pretty crappy.

Any "get the f--- outta my boy's system, nasty pneumonia germs!" vibes would be greatly appreciated. I'm ready to have my sweet, playful, smiling boy back any time now.

Giveaway winner - Dr. Brown's bottles

2010-11-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your comments! The winner of the bottles is...

Comment #5 - Lindsey from Ten Years Later!

Email me your address, yummiesnpretties@gmail.com and I'll get it in the mail.

Giveaway: Dr. Brown's 8 oz. bottles, 3-pack

2010-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

When I went back to work, I had a really hard time getting N to take a bottle. I tried a few different brands, Dr. Browns being one of them.

At that time I had purchased 3-packs of both the 4 oz. and 8 oz. bottles, since I wasn't sure exactly how much milk he was eating at a time. I tried the 4 oz. ones and he didn't like them, so I never even touched the 8 oz. bottles.

Instead of returning them, I thought I'd just do a giveaway. So, I have a 3-pack of Dr. Brown's 8 oz. bottles up for grabs! If you'd like to win it, just leave me a comment. The giveaway begins today, and will end at 12:00 noon PST on Wednesday, November 17. The winner will be randomly selected with random.org and announced on Wednesday afternoon. Good luck!

Note: These bottles I am giving away are brand new, never opened, purchased by me from Target. I am not being compensated by anyone to do this giveaway.

Hope you had a grrrrrrrrreat Halloween!

2010-11-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Please pass the wrinkle cream

2010-10-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, I've been called the "M" word. Yeah, that's right. "Ma'am."

I don't even think I look that old. Today I've got on a long (tight and stretchy) top, leggings, and Fuggs - fake Uggs, lol (borrowing the term from Mrs. Bro). Yes, I am THAT girl.

I went through the drive-thru at Chick Fil A to pick up lunch, and that girl, sigh, that girl. Not once, not twice, but THREE times. She called me "ma'am."

I think I need to start using wrinkle cream or something.

::cries::

A new skill - "fishing"

2010-10-27T12:45:00.001-07:00

New skill for ME, not the baby. Let me explain.

So N is still biting me. Sigh. And not just regular chomping down. He's still doing the chomp and yank. ::shudders::

In a desperate attempt to keep my boobs attached to my body, I've learned a new "fishing" skill. What does this entail? Well, when N decides to chomp down, I quickly stick a finger into his mouth, break the suction of his latch, and pry his jaws open so that he releases my nips. Geez.

Who knew these cute little chompers could be so damn painful? ::cries::

Another tooth, and maybe "mama"

2010-10-25T11:47:00.001-07:00

N's fourth tooth has come through over the last few days. That makes 2 on the bottom, and 2 on the top. All four are smack dab in the middle of his mouth. So when he smiles that adorable, goofy grin, he shines those pearly whites for all to see. So cute.

And, on to other news. I think, think he said "mama."

He's been doing the "mammm mammm maaaaaaaamamama" thing for a while now. When he cries and whines, he'll do that. So I never really attributed it to anything and figured he was just babbling. So that never counted.

But over the weekend, I think he may have said it for real. He was on his tummy for a while, and probably getting tired. He started whining, and I very distinctly heard "mama." DH was right there and he said he heard it, too.

Love.

Postpartum, um... issues. (TMI)

2010-10-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

L&D when I had N wasn't bad. At all. It was actually quite a breeze. Yes, the epidural sucked and hurt, and yes, it sucked that I had to get it put in TWICE (the first time didn't work). And yeah, the pushing was hard and yeah, postpartum pooping was effing scary. But all in all, I had a very positive experience, and dare I say, it was even sort of easy for me.

Well, fast forward 6 months to today. I've still got some "issues" that are lingering. The ONLY postpartum issue that is still hanging around. This may be a bit TMI, so stop reading if you don't want to hear it.

So what is my issue? Pooping. Painful pooping. Ugh.

I don't know how to describe it exactly, but when I poop, it feels like I've got this tear on my butthole that won't heal. It's not like excruciating pain or anything, but it really stings and does hurt quite a bit when I go.

I always thought these kinds of things would go away on their own eventually. But here I am, half a year later and it's still there.

So I emailed my OB earlier today to see what he wants me to do. I don't even know if this is an OB issue, or if I should see my primary doctor. Oh well. I figured I should start with my OB, though, since it is definitely a postpartum issue.

Fun times.

Can't decide on a stroller

2010-10-20T12:48:00.001-07:00

I've been looking at strollers for a while now, and I am still undecided.

I have a full-sized stroller from the Graco travel system that I got before N was born. We've been using the Snap N Go with the infant carrier so far, but he now he really hates being strapped into the infant seat.

So I pulled out the stroller the other day and realized just how damn heavy and huge that thing is. I think it's built really well and feels really solid and sturdy, but geez, it's just so BIG.

So I'm looking for a lightweight stroller. Something that is easy for little old me to carry around with ease, to use for quick stops here and there, but also for outings, too.

These are the two I've been thinking about the most.

The Kolcraft Contours Lite Stroller for $60. I like that it is lightweight and looks a bit more substantial than a regular umbrella stroller. It seems to offer more sun and wind protection and sits comfortably. Plus, it's just cute.

The other one is the The First Years Jet Stroller. It seems very functional and is super compact. And $40 is a great price. I also like that it comes in a couple different colors that you can choose from.

Both strollers have gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon.

I'm so indecisive! What would you do?

Or do you have a different lightweight stroller that you love?

Ah, so THAT'S why!

2010-10-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

I posted about a week ago how N has been biting me like mad lately. Well now I know why. His third tooth came in! I just noticed it tonight. It's on the top, center-right. So now he's got the two bottom center ones, and this new one. I can't believe he's got three teeth already. My little man is growing up so quickly. ::tears::

Mum Mums NOT allowed in my house

2010-10-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Don't know what Mum Mums are? They are these little rice cracker things that are made for teething babies, and babies that are just starting out on solids.

So why am I boycotting them?

Well I picked up a box from Target the other day. I know a lot of babes like them a lot, so I thought I would try them out with N. So I get home, sit down and open up the box. I ate one, too, just to see what they were. And as I am reading the box to see if N is old enough to try them, I see "Product of China."

UGH! I would never eat anything made in China, and I certainly wouldn't feed it to my child either. Things are SO bad over there, sanitation-wise. There have been endless news stories about the nasty food prep conditions of the factories over there.

Also, Mum Mums have skim milk powder in them. There was a huge tainted milk scandal in 2008, and lately it's been resurfacing again. I will not take any risks with my baby.

Kind of going off on a tangent here, but you want to know how effed up the food industry is there? Earlier this year there were announcements of more tainted milk investigations. Some company was selling milk from the 2008 scandal that should have been destroyed. Well Chinese officials waited 11 months (!!!) before revealing the investigation. Eleven months! Why didn't they announce it to the public earlier so that they could be warned?

There are just too many things that have happened in China in regards to food safety. From sewage used to make tofu, to KFC restaurants using carcinogens in their frying oil (to prolong the use of the oil), to adding cardboard to buns, to insecticides in dumplings.

A couple years ago, there was an incident with Whole Foods (here in the U.S.). They sold powdered ginger produced in China, which was labeled as organic. But when they tested it, they found that it contained a banned pesticide. It was mistakenly certified organic. Guess who did the certification? Two Chinese certifiers.

So yeah, I am boycotting Mum Mums. I refuse to feed my child anything produced in China.

And yeah, if you noticed my new holiday blog design, please don't leave me a comment reminding me that it's still October. LOL. I know it's still October. But I figured if I put up this holiday design now, I can use it for longer without having to change it. :P

Co-Sleeping

2010-10-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

I know that co-sleeping, bed-sharing, the "family bed"... whatever you want to call it, is discouraged and labeled as "unsafe" by plenty of sources. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warn that infants should not co-sleep with their parents. I also think that just as a social norm, it is quite frowned upon.

But you know what? We do it. I admit it, and I absolutely love it.

Before N was born, we had no intention of co-sleeping. We had his crib and bassinet set up and had every intention of letting him sleep in his own space. But after N's arrival, the sleepless nights and endless waking took a toll on me, and one night I just said "f--- it" and brought him into bed with me.

The night of sleep that followed that decision was heavenly. And we've been doing it ever since.

I make sure to be as safe as possible about it, though. I make sure there are no pillows or blankets near his face that could cover his head. Our mattress is firm and the sheets fit tightly and snug. There are no spaces between the mattress and headboard where he could get trapped. There are no cords or drapes near our bed that could possibly fall and get tangled. I dress him lightly at night so that he does not overheat. And, of course, my husband and I are never, ever intoxicated when we go to bed.

Having said that, the bond we have from sleeping together is just amazing.

We will naturally turn towards each other, sleeping on our sides, belly-to-belly. I'll put N down on his back, and he will turn towards me. Even when he is completely knocked out and asleep, he still knows where I am and will turn towards me.

Sometimes in the middle of the night when the house is dark and quiet and it seems like the whole world is asleep, I will wake to feel two soft, warm hands rubbing my face, chest, and arms. I open my eyes to see the most precious, sweet little angel gently, slowly rubbing my skin. His eyes are closed and I know he's still deep in his slumber, but somehow he just knows that I am there, and he just touches me as if to remind himself. After a few gentle strokes, he's motionless and returns to his sweet dreams.

Love.

So yes, I know that co-sleeping is discouraged, and I don't admit it to very many people at all, but we do it. I'm not sure how long we'll do it, but for now, it's what works for us. It makes me look forward to going to bed every night. My husband and I fall asleep every night with our arms arched above our pillows, holding hands, with our precious angel right there in between us. Life doesn't get much better than that.

"Bleeding Nips BB"

2010-10-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

That should be my new name. Seriously.

As cute as N's two pearly whites are, ever since they started coming in, he LOVES to chomp down on my nips. ::cringe::

And it's not just chomping down. Oh no. That's much too boring for my kid. Sometimes he'll chomp down, hold on, and fling his head back as fast and forcefully as humanly possible. All while keeping his teeth/gums clenched on my nips, taking them with him. ::shudders::

I am not a happy camper in the nursing department lately. Sigh.

Zzzzzzzz...

2010-10-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

I am SO out of it today. N would not sleep last night. He finally went down around midnight, and was up every hour after that. Then he decided it would be a great idea to play. At 3 am. He would not go back to sleep. Ugh.

Oh sweetie, I love you more than anything, but damn it, would it be so bad to let Mommy sleep just a little? Sigh.

::sips pumpkin latte::

Proof

2010-10-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

I finally got a good picture of N's two teeth. They've been there for a few weeks, but I couldn't capture it on camera. I took his 6-month pics over the weekend and was finally able to get some proof!

New best friend

2010-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about those blankies that babies love so much. You know, those ones with just a head, and kind of missing a body. Yeah, those.

I don't know what about it, but N loves his Angel Dear giraffe lovey. He likes to chew on the ears and snuggle with it. When he is falling asleep, he likes to smush the giraffe head against his face. And when he falls asleep, I often find him with his arms around it.

Yes, N is asleep on his tummy. *gasp* He used to be a back sleeper until he learned to roll over. Now he will only sleep on his side/tummy. If I try to flip him back to his back, he'll just roll back over. What can I do? Eh.

Six months ago

2010-09-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Six months ago I was ready to bring my baby boy into this world. The crib was set up, sheets washed and carefully placed, clothes washed and folded neatly, toys and binkies washed and sanitized, car seat carefully installed and inspected. Everything was set and we were ready for our little boy. Being on bedrest for so many months gave me lots of time to get things ready. I had never before in my life felt so ready.

I thought I was ready. I thought I knew what to expect. Boy, was I naive. I had no idea.

N came into this world on March 31, 2010.

I never knew something so little could make such an enormous impact in my life. He has completely changed me. I am no longer the person I was before. Becoming a mother has been the most fabulous thing that has ever happened to me. I had no idea I could love something so little so very much. I had no clue that just one look at this little person could make my heart melt into a puddle of mush. I had no idea hearing him giggle could make me forget all things wrong. I had no idea his little touches and hugs could feel like this. I thought I was ready and I thought I knew what to expect, but I had NO IDEA.

I love my precious boy more than life itself. I could not imagine my life without him. I would do anything for him, give him anything. He is my life. He is my everything

Happy 6-month day, little man.

How I spend my Mondays

2010-09-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have done nothing at work except watching videos of N on You Tube. I keep my favorite videos of him in my video list so that I can watch him when I miss him. So yeah, that just about all that I am going to accomplish today. I miss him terribly. Working sucks. I just want to be with my precious boy. :(

We have teeth!

2010-09-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

First off, I'm so sorry for my lack of posting. I work at a school, and I've been super busy since the academic year has begun. I've had zero free time. Boo.

Anyway, huge news - we have teeth! N got his first one about 2 weeks ago, and his second came out just a few days later. He is now the proud owner of two pearly whites on the bottom center of his mouth. Yay!

I'm sorry, baby

2010-09-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

My sweet, sweet baby,

I know you don't understand why mama had to leave you this morning. Especially since we got an extra day to spend together this weekend. Mama doesn't want to leave you. Not ever. But Mama has to go to work so that we have enough money to buy your toys and other things. If I had a choice I would never, ever leave your side.

But I had to leave this morning. The nice lady that you see all the time will be there to play with you and take care of you for a few hours, then Mama will be home. You be a good boy and play with the nice lady, okay? Don't be naughty and make sure you drink your milk when she gives it to you. Don't be mean to her. I know you still don't like the bottle, but when Mama can't be there you have to take it so that you will grow up to be a big, strong boy. And please take your morning nap, just like when I am there with you. I wish I could be there to rock you to sleep and hold you, but I can't.

I'm so sorry that I had to leave you. I know you don't understand why. Please don't think that Mama doesn't want to be with you, because that is absolutely not the case. I am so sorry, baby.

I miss you so much. Please be a good boy, and Mama will be home before you know it. I love you.

Mama

Ohhhhh, Chick-fil-A

2010-09-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

Why must your Chick-N-Minis taste so damn good? Why must you coat those cute little rolls with that fabulous honey butter spread? Why must you make my breakfast so right and complete with your hash browns and sweet tea? Why, why, why. You make me drive 30 minutes in the opposite direction from work just to get breakfast. Why must you do this to me?

::drool::

Giveaway winner - baby leg warmers

2010-09-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your comments! The winner of the leg warmers is...

Comment #1 - Lexi from We're really great!

Email me your address, yummiesnpretties@gmail.com and I'll get it in the mail.

Japanese nail art - on my cell phone

2010-08-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have this fascination with all things Japan. I am not of Japanese descent, but I love everything about Japan - the food, the people, the country, etc. We even went to Japan for our honeymoon a few years ago.

So I've always had this thing for Japanese nail art. I would go to the Japanese bookstores and stare at their nail magazines and gawk at the amazing work they do. Check it out.

Some of the stuff I see is a bit much and too cutsey, but I love the more elegant, girly ones. I love the use of flowers, rhinestones and pearls.

When I was in Japan, I saw a few nail places that did that kind of art and was a bit shocked at what they charge. To get a full set with designs would cost USD $100-200. Crazy, right?

Anyway, I bought a new cell phone recently, and being the girly girl that I am, I could not stand the plain black case. After researching my options at customizing my phone, I found this website that sells Japanese cell phone accessories and, get this, nail decals. So, of course, I decided to customize my phone by decorating it along the lines of Japanese nail art. You don't even want to know how much money I spent on that website, lol.

This is what my phone ended up looking like.

What do you think? Does it look similar to the nail art? I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Giveaway: Baby leg warmers

2010-08-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of Babylegs before, they are some of the cutest things I've ever seen. They are basically leg warmers for babies. But at $12 a pair, they are pretty expensive, imo. A friend of mine shared her tutorial with me on making her own, so I had to try it out for myself. I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out!

I wanted to give away a pair of the leg warmers that I made, since I made so many and N will never need that many. These gray and white striped ones are the pair I'm giving away, since they are pretty gender-neutral.

If you'd like to win it, just leave me a comment. I don't have very many readers (at least I don't think I do), so your chances of winning are pretty good, hehe.

The giveaway begins today, and will end Thursday, September 2. The winner will be randomly selected with random.org. Good luck!

Note: The leg warmers I am giving away are my own, hand-sewn, made by me. No one paid me to do this giveaway.

Things I Don't Want to Forget Thursday

2010-08-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

The way you touch my face (as if to tell me you love me).

The way you grab my fingers when my hands are near you.

The way you giggle when I blow raspberries on your tummy.

The way you smile when you see me from across the room.

The way you grab your feet and play with your toes.

The way you smile at me when you are nursing.

"Is he sleeping through the night yet?"

2010-08-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

I get asked this by practically every single person that I see. "Is N sleeping through the night?"

My answer, in one word: No.

But you know what? It doesn't bother me. Not even a single bit. Sure I would LOVE to get an 8-hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep. But still, I don't mind the midnight feeding and middle-of-the-night cuddles.

Nighttime, when it seems like the world is asleep, is our time. Baby N and Mommy time. No one to interrupt, no one to come and take him. It's just me and my little man. I get to snuggle and kiss him and have him all to myself. I treasure these moments more than I ever thought possible. Seeing his sparkling little eyes searching for me, feeling his soft little hands and fingers rub my skin as I nurse him, feeling his teeny, tiny little fingers reach out and grab my hands. I am in heaven.

So no, he is not sleeping through the night. And I couldn't be more pleased.

Impetigo

2010-08-23T08:33:00.001-07:00

Poor kid.

N has this spot under his left ear that he is ALWAYS rubbing.

This isn't anything recent. He's done it for as long as I can remember. We've seen his pedi about it before, and he just said to use 1% hydrocortisone for 4 days, stop with the hydrocortisone, and use Aquaphor.

Well the rash has gotten better a few times, but it always comes back because N will not stop rubbing it. I've put his hands in little mittens a few times to stop him from scratching it, but even then, the fabric from the mittens will rub the area and it still ends up all red and raw.

So we went to urgent care over the weekend because it looked really bad and looked like it was infected. Sure enough, it was. The doctor said it was eczema and impetigo. They gave me a topical antibiotic to put on him, 3x a day.

Poor baby. I hope the rash clears up soon.

Stranger touching - does it bother you?

2010-08-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm curious if I'm being overly paranoid and overprotective.

If you are out and a stranger touches your baby, does it bother you?

It happened to us twice today. Once when we were at lunch, our server kept rubbing N's hands. And again, in the afternoon, this complete stranger was touching his face. I'm not sure if I'm being overly protective or what, but it sort of freaked me out. I couldn't help but wonder if their hands were clean, if they were passing germs on to N, etc.

So, how do you feel about strangers touching your baby?

Had the scariest (and stupidest) dream

2010-08-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago I dreamed that there was a loud banging noise outside of the house. The sound was coming in three bangs at a time. Like "bang-bang-bang." Then there would be a pause and then start up again.

So I dreamed that I looked out the window and was horrified to see a scary man running around the block with a baseball bat, bashing everything in sight and into people's homes. I was terrified, since I had N with me. I remember scrambling around trying to find a place to hide him to keep him safe.

So anyway, I woke up sometime during the dream, and was still a bit freaked out. I opened my eyes, and realized I could still hear the banging. WTF, right? It took me a minute to realize it, but the banging was DH's snoring. It was so effing loud it gave me nightmares.

What. the. eff.

I think I'm going bald

2010-08-18T10:55:00.001-07:00

I've read about postpartum hair loss, so it wasn't too much of a shocker when my hair started coming out in handfuls around the 3 month mark. I thought it would last just a few weeks, but nope, it's still going strong. Whenever I wash my hair, I get handfuls and handfuls of hair.

I had my hair tied up yesterday, and DH pointed a bald spot. WTF, really? Ugh.

When did pp hair loss get better for you? I'm ready for it to stop already. Like now. Before I go completely bald.

My first guest blog post

2010-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

So I did my very first guest post for the lovely Mrs. Trophy Wife. My guest post sort of summed up my TTC/pg life over the last few years. It looks back at my long, awful TTC days to my pg days, and to now, as N's momma.

Mrs. Trophy Wife and I have "known" each other for years from the Bump boards. Although I'm no longer active on The Bump, we've kept in touch all this time. If you aren't already a reader of her blog, I would highly recommend adding it to your reading list. I love reading about her life as a momma to an adorable little boy, and as a wife with a husband in the military. Oh, and if her blog didn't sound interesting enough as it is, she's quite a hottie, too. There, that should do it. Go read now.

Things I can't live without - breastfeeding edition

2010-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Breastfeeding has gone really well for me for the most part. I know I'm lucky, and not everyone has it this easy. Aside from learning how to do it and teaching N how to latch on the first few newborn days, I have been really fortunate and have not really had any major issues.

I listed below some of my must-haves for breastfeeding. I could not live without any single one of these things. Oh, fair warning - I am a bit of a Lansinoh whore. What can I say, they make great produts.

Lansinoh double electric pump - I never really understood why some pumps are $200+. This Lansinoh pump works just perfectly for me, and it's about half the price of many other popular pumps. It usually takes me about 15-20 minutes to pump, and it's very efficient at getting all the milk out.
Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags - These bags are really great for freezing milk to build up a stash. They have two zip closures on them, and they lay flat for freezing and storage. I've never had a leak with these.
Lansinoh nursing pads - I really like their nursing pads. I tried the Johnson's pads before trying these, and really hated them. The cotton from the Johnson's pads would stick to my nips, and they would leave little cotton fibers on me that I had to pick off before I could nurse N. They were also pretty thick, too (think maxi pads). Also, they only have one adhesive spot on the pads. The Lansinoh pads are very thin, and they don't leave cotton fibers on my nips. They have two adhesive strips, so they stay put. And they absorb really well, too.

Nursing tanks - I mentioned these in a previous post, but the Gilligan & O'Malley nursing tanks from Target have been an absolute must for me. I bought two of them when I was still pregnant, and have since gone back and bought more. I literally live in them when at home with N. They are comfy, and they make nursing super easy. The clasp is really easy to undo in a flash when you have a hungry, crying baby. They are reasonably priced, too, at $16.99 each.

Nursing cover - I've used my nursing cover countless times when I've needed to nurse in public. I still don't really like to nurse in public, but sometimes I have no choice. They make it super easy to do it discreetly, though. They sell them for around $30-40, or you can make your own.
Gerber cloth diapers - I also mentioned these in an earlier post. These work wonderfully as a burp cloth, but more importantly for me, they work well to catch spraying milk. I have really strong, forceful letdowns, and often times N will pull away when I get a letdown because the milk just comes out too fast and strong. So when he pulls away I will grab one of these cloths and let my milk spray into it, until my flow calms down and is manageable for N to nurse. These are really absorbent and have always been really good for my letdowns.
Bravado nursing bras - These are so comfy. I started wearing these towards the end of my pregnancy when my regular bras just got too damn uncomfortable to wear. These were such a welcome change. They are not only comfy, but they make nursing super easy. The cups fold down by simply undoing the clasps attached to the straps.

Where did he learn that?!

2010-08-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Lately N has picked up a new "skill." He's learned to fake-cough and fake-gag. Seriously.

Sometimes I try to nurse him when I know he's not really hungry. Why, you ask? Sometimes it's to put him to sleep when I know he's tired but refuses to go to sleep. Other times it's when I have to leave (like in the mornings for work), and I want to fill him up before I leave.

Well, this kid has gotten smart. He'll make coughing and gagging noises when he doesn't want to nurse. I know it's fake because he starts to do it before I even put anything in his mouth (but he sees my boob coming towards him). He'll cough and gag, but there is nothing in his mouth.

What a faker. Where does he learn this stuff? Hmph.

My guilty pleasure

2010-08-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

If you haven't tried one of these yet, run to your nearest McDonald's and pick up a caramel frappe. OMG, they are SO good. I seriously crave one every. single. day. I let myself indulge once (okay, maybe twice) a week. They are super yummy! And no more paying ridiculously expensive Starbucks prices. These are just as good (if not better).

Yum.

Taking on the challenge

2010-08-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

After taking a long break from blogging towards the end of my pregnancy (and during the first few months of N's life), I have decided to try and get back into blogging.

So it was perfect timing when a friend of mine, Sarah, put out a 30-day blogging challenge. The challenge is to write a blog post five times a week for six weeks straight. I think I can do it. Maybe. I'll do my best.

How N woke me up this morning

2010-08-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

It was the cutest (and grossest) thing.

So his thing of the moment is sticking his fingers and hands into his mouth. See?

This morning he was ready to get up, but momma was not. So he decides to take his slobbery hands, freshly covered in wet, slimey goodness, and smear it all over my face. He was having a great time patting and rubbing my face with those gross wet hands.

Ugh. So cute, but so gross.