World Championship Baby

Are you due in early August?  My baseball team (also known as the San Francisco Giants) is hosting a contest for the baby born closest to 9 months after the Giants won the world series.  The first baby born after 7:54pm on August 1 will be the winner!  Do you think you have a chance?  You must register by July 31 to be eligible to win.

If you indeed have the official World Championship Baby, you could win an announcement in the paper, a secured brick at AT&T Park with your World Champion baby’s name, a gift card for $2,010, and an official certificate signed by the Giants, according to the contest site.

The Information Blanket

(all images courtesy of The Information Blanket)

We are so fortunate in this country to (generally) have the knowledge and resources to give our babies the best shot at life.  Between doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas, etc. and the internet, there is a wealth of knowledge available at our fingertips for pregnancy, birth, and childcare.  Other countries are not nearly as fortunate, and many mothers and infants die needlessly from a lack of basic knowledge.

Enter the Information Blanket project.  This organization has come up with a baby blanket which not only keeps the baby warm/covered, but also provides the mother with important information regarding the health of their child.  You can either buy one for yourself or a friend and get one donated to Uganda (where their program is launching), or you can just donate one to Uganda.

I love simple things like this that can so easily save lives!   Congrats to the founders of The Information Project on a great idea!

This was originally found on Inhabitat/Inhabitots by my husband, but now their link is broken.  Anyone know why?

Blog Update

We’re changing a few things around here, so the blog might be temporarily down or acting funny.  Pardon our dust!

4th of July in Tahoe Recap

Over 4th of July weekend we spent our time up in Lake Tahoe.  We spent a lot of time outdoors and it was hot and sunny.  Jackson’s bald head always needs some extra protection beyond sunscreen.  I love the Old Navy hat I picked up a month ago.  It’s gotten pretty beat up but it still keeps the sun off his head and so far, he keeps it on his head most of the time.  Here are some photos and light commentary from our weekend by the lake.

Jackson and Dad.

The whole family.

And there was another baby.  You remember this baby bump? Yep that’s her!

We were so happy they invited us up to stay with them in their house in Truckee.

There was eating and drinking . . . and baby tending . . .

There was a dog.

And another dog.

And babies sleeping.

And we improvised a teething toy.

There was a dog on a paddle board.

There were two dogs on a paddle board.

And a happy baby.

The next day we got to ski!

And hang out with some interesting characters.

There were crazy people skimming on a pond.

And a really happy dog.

And a less happy, tired baby.

The next morning we went for a walk to the reservoir.  Where can’t the BOB go?

Another happy dog.

Doing what she loves most.

Hope you had a great 4th of July!

Happy weekend!

PO.P On Over!

Today begins the PO.P UP Store for one of my absolute favorite brands, Polarn O. Pyret.

Here’s my little guy in the PO.P shirt I bought from Nordstrom Rack back in February.  Bonus, it’s reversible!  Thankfully the dog always gets a smile out of Jax.

Never heard of them? Before Jackson was born I hadn’t either and even after I had a few of their clothes I still didn’t know.  A friend was asking for recommendations for durable pants for her newly crawling daughter and I knew Jackson had a pair of great pants (pictured below, far right, and on sale!) that I loved.  They were a soft, thick cotton and looked brand new even after many washes.  I sought them out to find the label and found that they were Polarn O. Pyret.  I, of course, went straight to the internet to check out what else they had to offer.  Lots of great prints, durable outdoor wear, and as I’m finding great quality.

          

click on the image above to go to the sale

About a month later I was looking at another shirt of Jackson’s that I love and found it was by them as well.  I had picked it up at Nordstrom Rack when Jax was only 2 month old and I was on one of my drives/shopping walks to keep his colic at bay.  I have now learned that PO.P is from Sweden and has a commitment to making great quality clothing and outdoor wear.  It gets cold, rainy and dark in Sweden and the children their still spend time outdoors every day — out of that comes good clothing.  Being from the Pacific Northwest and playing in all sorts of weather myself, I know that there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.  Here’s a link to their story if you want to know more.

        

click on the image above to go to the sale

Go visit their PO.P UP sale.  Awesome prices on wonderful clothes that will last for hand-me downs.  They usually sell out pretty fast so check out the sale sooner than later.  In my opinion their clothes run on the bigger side of true to size.  Since it is final sale buy a bigger size if you are in doubt.

I have not been paid or given any products for this review, I just love their clothes!  I hope you will as well.  Let me know what you get and how you like it.

Gender Prediction

(image found here)

Soon I go to hopefully find out if the baby is a boy or girl (on top of all the other more important things, like if everything looks good and healthy).  I’ve had a feeling one way since the beginning, and the poll with family and friends has been pretty heavily weighted in one direction, but I’ll reveal that to you later.  For now I want to get your take on gender prediction and find out what you readers think I’m having!

For my sister and many friends, the Chinese Gender Prediction chart has been correct.  According to this, I’m having a girl.

Here are some wives tales and how I measure up for you to decide:
Carrying high or low–I’ll let you decide (sorry for the terrible picture)

Sweet or sour cravings–Sour and salty mainly.  I never had food aversions, though.
Morning sickness–I had none.  No nausea, nothing.
Hairy leg theory–My leg hair has been growing slower

So, what’s the verdict?  What do you think this bean is going to be?  Were any of the wives tales correct, or did the Chinese Predictor Chart work for you?

My Favorite Things: Laura

Laura submitted a few of her favorite things for kids and pregnancy.  One of her favorite photos is pictured above, her oldest (3) meeting her little sister and examining her tiny fingers.  So cute.  I have to agree that #2 came in handy for my back as well even as early as 20 weeks.  An I need to look into #1 now that we are starting solids, it can get messy!

1. Best bib ever, It’s called the Kiddopotomus.  It is a flexible soft plastic that catches everything.  It also stays on well. My youngest is a bib puller, and gets most other bibs off.

2. When pregnant, something I couldn’t live without was my foam roller.  Left over from my marathon training days, I have never heard of it recommended for pregnant women.  But, there I was about 7 – 8 months pregnant with my first daughter and my back was killing me.  I laid it on the ground, laid on top of it (back on it) rolled over it a few times.  I was able to sleep!!

3. Final pregnancy thing, compression pantyhose.  I worked as a banquet server and was on my feet 30 – 40 hours a week, plus all of the walking living in SF w/out a car!  Those things saved me.  I can’t recommend them enough.  They are about $50 a pair and take 10 minutes to put on (and you have to do it alone unless your partner wants a good laugh & you want to be the butt of the joke).  They are worth EVERY penny

Laura also came up with a great idea called the push pack and she has it available on her etsy site.  It’s a pre-made hospital bag for your trip to the delivery room.  All of the stuff you need for the hospital in a cute little bag.  Personally, I was so happy I brought my own inexpensive (from target) fuzzy bathrobe and slippers.  Remember to bring plenty of food for dad too!  What was your favorite must have item you brought to the hospital?