A Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday Lemon and I made our first trip to the zoo... I know, it doesn't count since she is still in utero. We'll just call it practice. BUT, it was fun hanging out with a couple of friends I don't get to see very often: Mama Bree and 1 year old Metztli (who just LOVED meeting my puppies and offering Bailey special french kisses - eww!), and Mama Leslie and 3 year old Jack (who did not like the puppies so much).

The kids loved the zoo almost as much as the adults! I tell you, monkeys and sharks are fascinating. Can't wait until Lemon is old enough to enjoy day trips like this.

Wish I had some pics to post but we all forgot our cameras... Bad mommies!

Fur Babies

We have two of the canine variety. And I can't help but be curious about how they are going to react when we bring our new little one into the house. It's not so much that I have any fear that they would be mean to Lemon in any way, but I think they - or particularly Jersey - won't really know what to do with herself once she realized that the baby is going to be sticking around for quite a while.

Jersey

Bailey

Bailey, our aussie shepard mix, I have no doubt will be fine. She loves to give kisses to Lemon's future best friend, Athena, any chance she gets. And her attachment is more towards Jim anyway... she literally thinks I am the other woman.

For those of you who know my relationship with Jersey, our precious little cocker spaniel, I am sure you understand. For those of you who don't, let me just explain by saying that since we got her 6 1/2 years ago, she has been my "baby." We are inseparable. As I write this, she literally snuggling up right against me. If I didn't have a computer on my lap, no doubt she would have perched herself on my thighs.

Needless to say, there is going to be quite an adjustment. I know I'll have to work a little harder to assure Jersey that I still love her even though Lemon is likely to claim any free lap space. And I will really encourage Jersey to connect to and protect Lemon. Nothing would make me happier than to one day realize that Jersey and Bailey have both found a new best friend - replacing Jim and I with our little girl.

I have seen some wonderful examples of this relationship with other friends' kids & dogs: The ever-patient Nalu (black lab) with Nanea and Makena, the live-in zoo of Kula (golden retriever), Pancho (mastiff/bloodhound), and Riley (great dane) whom Kili has complete command over... I just hope our transition is as successful as these!



We'll keep you posted on the introduction and progress on this front once Lemon arrives!

2¢: Newborn Must-Haves

Here's your chance to sound-off! Tell us what items you just couldn't live without when you had (or have!) a newborn in the house. Any advice particularly for WINTER babies is greatly appreciated, too, but don't feel limited to that. We are looking forward to taking your advice into consideration as we set up our registry and to-buy lists. Thanks in advance!

PDF Publications

It seems that the next step beyond blogging is the e-zine. These specialized PDF publications, typically distributed quarterly, bring online convenience of the magazine format - this perfect for someone like me: I have a radical respect for print design, but I already get enough magazines in the mail to legitimately compete with your busiest doctor's office. I rely on magazines for inspiration, but I simply can not burden my mail carrier with yet another subscription.

There are two in the kiddy world that are more than note-worthy:

LMNOP
This Aussie magazine is chock full of eye candy and ideas. The layout is playful and thoughtful, and it seems like the advertisers are even on board with the aesthetic because the ad spots are right at home within the pages - this is rare for a magazines where most of the time the publishers are at the mercy of poorly designed ads.




Small
I am not quite sure where this pub hails from (US? UK?), but think VOGUE for kids. The fashion layouts are high fashion with itty-bitty models in deconstructed poses... I really don't know how they get the kids to pull this off, but they do. There is also a playful side of Small, featuring toys and decor. But I think what I love most that they feature the work of kid-centric artists and crafters.

A couple of notes on both...
First of all, you will notice some overlap between the two publications, but all is forgiven as everything is just so pretty to look at you won't mind looking twice. The other point I wanted to mention is product price. 90% of the items that are advertised or featured are quite inaccessible to the average family income. Let's face it, who could (or even WOULD) buy $260 shoes for a newborn? The good news is that subscription to both e-zines are FREE, which is the best price tag of all. So, summon your inner crafter and use these pages as inspiration to create your own versions of the items or ideas you love!

Have you ever shopped for crib bedding?

There isn't much out there for those that are both picky about design AND frugal. As always, design wins out and frugality goes out the window. I just couldn't compromise on the one item I am basing the entire nursery design on.

The big factor we had to keep in mind when choosing this item, oddly enough, is the carpet in the nursery. It is peach. Yes, peach. Not really ideal. Thank god we are having a girl or else I was going to have to get REALLY creative in order to make this work. The walls happen to be peach, too (PUKE!), but luckily daddy has stepped up and offered to paint up there - he's been shopping around for low or no VOC paint. Maybe I can persuade him to post a little about what is available on the market in this area once he's finished this research.

Back to bedding... there were some interesting runners-up. I thought I would share those, then unveil the final choice.

RUNNERS-UP

Como by Nojo ($)
As you can see, this is is probably the bedding that most blatantly would match the carpet, but it was just TOO pastel for me, and it just lacked character. Simple enough but I just couldn't warm up to it.


Geisha by Tadpoles ($)
I really LOVE the pattern on this set, but it was all the pink that turned me off. It just would not work with the peach.


Hayden by Caden Lane ($$$)
The extreme mix and match pattern choices of this set was quite alluring to me, and it pulled the peach through in such a subtle way in the details. In the end, though, it was just too busy for the quiet and relaxing nursery we are hoping to pull together.


White Mini by Area ($$$$)
So clean, so modern, so pretty with all those embroidered circles. This was a serious contender, but I just couldn't justify the price for something the baby will pee on. And it was my sister, Emily's, least favorite. She said it lacked the warmth the others had. I had to take that into consideration.


Lali by Rickshaw Designs ($$$)
I found this unexpectedly through Daily Candy the morning before we went for the last ultrasound. I thought that if I decided I wanted to go ULTRA feminine, this would be my choice -lots of pink, but the peach in the details would have pulled it all together. I think it was just too much flower for Jim to stomach, though.


AND THE WINNER IS... (drum roll, please)

Meadow by Amenity ($$$)
How could we not just ADORE the woodcut-esque, vintage allure of this organic set. It was a clear winner for Jim when he looked at all the options. I think his exact words were "I like the bunnies." My heart pitter-patters every time I look at it. Simple, artsy, warm... makes me want to snuggle the baby in there right now! And now that you've seen it, can you understand why I couldn't go with the standard stuff?


Jim's parents are gifting this precious set to us, so thank you to Rick & Rhonda for their generosity. XOXO!

PS. I'll post on the boy choices that lost by default at another time.

*Update: Just added links to the above items.

O.M.G.

All I can say is while I find this extremely disturbing, the fun that could be had with creating a girl is making itself apparent. These are RIDICULOUS and HYSTERICAL all at the same time... It's like a streetwalker-starter-set.

If you hate your baby girl, buy these here.

What can Lemons make?

According to the picture above from failblog.org, lemons are good for making orange juice (what?!).

Another thing we have recently learned about lemons is that they are good for making GIRL BABIES! Yes, you read that right! We are expecting a little girl. The poll showed that most of you were right-on in your guess. If this was you, it is your time to gloat in the comments. We are ecstatic, of course! We both voted girl in the poll.

For those of you who are curious about where exactly we are in the baby-making process, we officially hit the half-way mark today. 20 weeks down, 20 (give or take) to go!

And now for the unveiling... some fresh new ultrasound pics:

Bath Time!

Have you ever found yourself shopping on Amazon but your order comes up JUST SHORT of qualifying for their free super-saver shipping? I have to say, those are the times it is convenient to have a wish list or registry set up - just choose an item that you want or need anyway that is close to the price you need to hit the minimum for free shipping. This is an especially easy task with Lemon on the way.

Last week our coffee maker busted, which indirectly led Jim to supplement the order with our second official baby purchase. The First Years Sure Comfort Newborn to Toddler Tub was the item Jim chose off our registry.

Something about the idea of bathing baby in the kitchen sink skeeves me out - maybe the thought of cleaning raw chicken in there, or the nasty dish pile we accumulate daily. Gross. I believe it is the dirtiest place in the house even though I disinfect it daily. So, I knew I would want a baby tub that I could either use on the kitchen counter, OR in the midget bathtub that is upstairs in the kid's bathroom.

This tub gets great reviews - probably the best I have seen on Amazon. In addition, it probably gets the best review of the three tubs featured on Consumer Reports, the only negative being that they say it is small... whatev - the price is right, and I am sure that by the time Lemon outgrows it s/he will want to sit and play in the real tub anyway.

Why did I like it? As mentioned before, the price. At $19, if it sucks I won't feel like I wasted a lot of money (the frugality rule). I like that it is at least designed to handle the baby in multiple stages, infant - toddler (the multi-use rule). In addition, the tub plug actually turns color if the water is too hot - I will, of course, not rely on this but I like it as an extra safety feature. Simplicity in design is the final reason. Who knew something so basic as a tub could be so ugly?? This is the best looking one of the bunch in the price range.

We are looking forward to some happy bath times ahead!

Reminder: POLL CLOSING IN 6 DAYS!

If you haven't cast your vote yet on whether you think Lemon is a girl or boy, now is the time to do it! We have our next ultrasound next Thursday and, unless baby is being stubborn, we will find out what we are having.

What do you get out of it if you are right? Bragging rights, of course!

Book Review: SECRETS OF THE BABY WHISPERER

Upon the trusted recommendation from friend and veteran mom of two little girls, Aloha Allen, I recently borrowed this book from the library. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate With Your Baby was penned by Britian's own "Baby Whisperer", Tracy Hogg.

Unlike other books I have read that are either hard to sit and motivate to read, or are quite sturdily opinionated, this book stressed less the "should" or "should not" perspective, and more the idea that whatever you decided is right for you and your baby, remaining consistent in technique and pattern is the key to helping your baby feel secure. Tracy focuses on newborn parenting for first-time parents, which was perfect for what I was looking for in terms of advice.

One of the things I could have done without was her continually calling you "luv" as you read. I understand the conversational nature of her writing, but it was slightly condescending, although this may be a cultural interpretation. I'll give her a pass on this as a nod to all of the great advice she offers.

Sadly, I had to return to the book to the library (and pull out all the tabs I stuck in there as important points for Jim to read), but this is one I will want as reference in my permanent collection.

I think we will try to put many of the Baby Whisperer techniques into action when Lemon arrives, and for that reason I give this book 5 out of 5 contractions.

Why "Lemon"?

I have fielded this question more than a few times, so I thought we should probably go public with how we came about the nickname "Lemon" for our little one.

There are a couple reasons, really...

First of all, we needed to think of something other than "Peanut." Peanut was our affectionate name for the baby we miscarried last year. When we got pregnant in April a couple of the people close to us who found out right away started calling this baby Peanut, too. It kinda struck a nerve - our Peanut deserved a nickname of it's own, as does this new baby.

Secondly, I have learned that pregnancy cravings are no joke. Luckily, mine have been of the healthier variety. I can't get enough citrus. Oranges, orange juice, lemonade, you name it - if it's sour, I need it. Melon or berries will do in a pinch, as will anything ice-cold. If it's citrus AND ice cold, I feel like I've struck gold. Needless to say I have been freezing a lot of OJ into ice pops and experimenting with varieties of sorbet - just recently I have made watermelon sorbet, strawberry sorbet, and honeydew sorbet. As a side note, I have to tell you, I feel like I could make a small fortune with the melon sorbets - they are RIDICULOUSLY good. If you own an ice cream maker and you want the recipes, let me know.

Thirdly, at the time we started this blog - around 14 weeks gestation - Lemon was about the size of a, well, lemon.

We are also big 30 Rock fans. For those of you who watch the show, you'll know the fourth reason we went with Lemon. If you are not a fan, you are lame. Easily the funniest show on TV.

SO, here's to hoping our Lemon is sweet, not sour. Let's also hope that choosing the real name of the baby is not as complicated... although I am not holding out much hope for simplicity on that front.

And no, we have not started discussing that yet.

And NO, we will not tell you what we decide on until after baby arrives. You better dig up some patience 'cause we're not budging on that one.