"Baby Alive Learns to Potty"

This is, perhaps, the most disturbing doll I have come across. And I think the video speaks for itself, so I needn't say much about it. One question... Did she say, "uh-oh, I made a dookie." ???

They've gone too far... Get yours HERE. I won't judge. Really.

I can't sleep

But that is not unusual these days. It is 5:45am and I've been up since 3. The first hour and a half I spent laying in bed hoping to fall back asleep. Even Jersey's ultra-super warm spooning skills couldn't do the trick. So I got up and moved to the living room. This is my stand-by trick. Usually works - maybe it is the cooler air or a little TV noise in the background. But no-go tonight. At 5:15 I realize I am so famished I need to eat something. A small bowl of cereal suffices.

That, in itself, is something that caught me off-guard with pregnancy. About once a week or so I wake up in the middle of the night because I am so hungry my stomach hurts. This is just weird to me. I never had this problem before, but I guess I never burned so many calories, seemingly without effort, before. My body is working hard! Jim tells me not to starve the baby. I swear I don't. I eat whatever I want, just making sure most of it is mostly healthy, and keeping sugar in-check. But my body has reacted strangely to pregnancy in this regard.

You might want to kick my ass after I tell you the next bit, but please remember every woman reacts differently to pregnancy in every way and in every pregnancy... I have only gained 9 pounds in 38 weeks. And, as we found out last week, 7 of that is solid baby. Now let's be real and say that I have plenty on reserve. I'm not a small girl. But I really was expecting a lot more weight gain. I have been concerned in the past and have asked my doc about it more than once (I'll want to remember those moments... "Doctor, am I GAINING enough weight?" Never, in a million years did I ever imagine those words coming from my mouth...). She's not concerned, so neither am I. And Lemon is obviously thriving, so it is what it is.

Besides, what goes around, comes around. My luck, next pregnancy I'll probably pack on a solid 50.

Anyway, still can't sleep so here I am blogging, reading other blogs, writing emails, window shopping on Etsy. Cereal in my belly, I am fully awake now. Crud. Maybe I am just subconsciously preparing for life with less sleep. I hear what happens with a newborn in the house... Yeah... that's it. The universe at work.

Fetal high-five!

I just love hearing baby news from friends... it means Lemon is going to have a new future friend! We are thrilled that our friends, kc and jac, are expecting! Their little one will arrive in late June/early July... we're so thrilled we can hardly contain ourselves.

They sent over 12 week ultrasound pics this evening and baby already has thumb-in-mouth. Very advanced, practically genius. It seems surreal how far they come in just 12 weeks. And then just see how big they (and you) get in another 26. This whole process is just trippy!

CONGRATULATIONS mommy & daddy-to-be!

SO, when's the blog going up?

Diggin' Out

If I had to guess, I'd say we have about 10-12" of snow on the ground - this is a rare event for the Puget Sound - especially as far south as we are. And for those of you who aren't familiar with our set-up, we park our cars in the back of our house at the end of a long alley that is really only used by us. To boot, the top of the alley sports a steep hill. No traffic means snow build-up that we need to get through to get anywhere. Besides Jim needing to get work, we need a car handy in case Lemon decides to put me in labor. So this morning has been consumed with diggin' out - thus far, using only a super-heavy garden shovel. We rarely get snow in these parts so we have procrastinated in buying a snow shovel for 2 years now. Silly us.

Jim tried to get the Prius out but with its super-fancy traction detection system he couldn't even rock it out of the spot in our backyard (in this case, the car is too good). So plan B, the Celica (which happens to be the scariest car to drive in these weather conditions due to almost NO traction), is in effect. We managed to get it to the end of the alley but could not get it up the hill. After about 8 attempts at backing it up then trying again, we keep slipping back into the same spot without success...

A neighbor just came to our rescue with a real snow shovel to borrow (thanks, Sara!) so hopefully the next couple hours will be more fruitful than the last couple, spent with Jim shoveling and pushing, and me squeezing behind the wheel of the car trying to rock us out of the jam we're in...

Otherwise, Jim will need to burn a vacation day meant for after the baby is born. Bummer.

Note to self: Next year get a shovel, have salt and kitty litter on hand, and some chains might be nice.

UPDATE (12pm)
Another great neighbor, Neil, came to our ultimate rescue with a big truck and tow strap. We had never met this neighbor before so we are happy to have made a new friend! We have success and the car is out... Jim gets to go to work today.

Encourage Talent, but KEEP IT AGE APPROPRIATE!

This is just bad parenting. And I admit I am judging here in a severe way. And you can call me old fashioned, you can call me a prude, you can call me whatever you want - it's not going to change my mind. Watch this video, then let's discuss...



THIS IS NOT OK, PEOPLE. I don't care if you think your little one may be the next Britney Spears (God forbid). Hell, I'll even say that this little girl can dance better than Britney based on her last VMA performance. However, at 3 years old, if you feel your little one has a talent for dance, there are plenty of opportunities to enroll him or her in AGE APPROPRIATE classes to find the correct outlet for them to develop their talent through. Ballet, Jazz, even modern dance. But you should not, under any circumstances, be encouraging your 1-10 year old to watch MTV and repeat the sexually-driven dance moves of the latest Pop Tart spanking her ass to her "F-me" lyrics.

Don't get me wrong, I'll admit I personally enjoy a lot of that music - even this Beyoncé song. I can't help but sing along. But I am 32 and I know that I can ignore stupid lyrics, enjoy a good flow, and dance to the beat. But it is your responsibility as the parent to, when your kids are around, keep it clean.

It is NOT CUTE for your kid to sing along to the latest Ludacris. Your son may not know what he is saying now, but the lyrics will stick. One day it will dawn on him, then he'll think that his parent's thought it was a good example for him to have and he'll really start thinking of women as "bitches & hos."

It is NOT CUTE for your kid to dance along to Shakira. I love that lady and her music but hip grinding should at least be reserved for the teenage years. Your daughter may not know what her moves actually mean now, but you'll be kicking yourself when her actions start to take on a sexual tendency at an earlier age than expected and you are beating back horny little 6th grade boys and trying to explain to your daughter why the attention she is getting is not because they actually "like her as a friend."

OK, I'm done.

A Day of 7's

Today we had our 37 week appointment with the doc. We got to have an ultrasound - the first one in 17 weeks. The tech took all sorts of measurements - around her skull, her belly & chest, her arm bones & leg bones. She is looking perfect! She is in the 77th percentile for her gestational age, and weighs... you guessed it, 7lbs on the dot.

I should also note a few other things:

We have, perhaps, the most uncooperative baby in the world. We asked for them to confirm Lemon's sex again, JUST TO BE SURE, but no luck. She was sitting on her feet. She was also covering her face with both hands, so no look at that, either! Then, when it was time to measure her heart rate, once again she landed me a non-stress test as she decided it would be fun to practice her karate moves, or gymnastics, or jazzercise - whatever it is she likes to do in there. An hour later we got a healthy baseline heart rate and were allowed to leave.

Our baby, as predicted, has a LOT of hair. It was the first thing the technician said when she saw her skull. This is not surprising and it is why, as I mentioned before, I have already started Lemon's hair clip collection. Now I'm just curious what color it will be!

And, as I could have also guessed, her head measured a bit large, and her arms and legs a bit short... daddy's traits, for sure!

It was good to say hello to her today. I just can't wait for it to happen for real! Anyone want to put money on Dec 27 or Jan 7??

College-Bound

18 years and counting...

Yes, you may think it is a bit early to start thinking about college, but is it really? With tuition rising and the economy flailing, the earlier we can start planning the better. And in my mind, college is just not an option. Unless Lemon or her future sibling(s?) are passionate about a particular trade or a military career - and they are going to have to give me a deeply convincing argument - I don't really see college as an option. Not these days. It may have been different when our parents were growing up, or even as recently as my college days, but in the ever-more competitive job market, it seems you need at least a bachelors to work as a barista.

So, in the interest of goal-setting and expectations, the question is posed: Should we encourage our little Lemon to work towards any college of her dreams, including the Ivies, or do we push towards a less financially-demanding public school?

The parent who wants every possible opportunity for their child naturally leans towards the former, but we need to do the research on whether or not this is actually the smart, educated choice. January's SmartMoney magazine features an article that delves into this specific question, "Why the Ivies Aren't Worth It." It is not yet available online, but if you have kids it is worth going to the library for the quick read.

SM looks at what the majority of students expect from their school of choice (making more money post-graduation) and the actual return on tuition. Looking at historical degree tuition, average student loan debt, and corresponding alumni salaries both in early career and mid-career, it turns out the public schools - almost across the board - blow away the private schools. SM also has noted that corporate American knows this and the prestige that once came with an ivy league education is waning, with nearly half the top execs at Fortune 100 companies hailing from public schools.

As Jim posted before, we are lucky enough to live in a state that has two programs that are geared toward easing the tuition strain down the road: the Washington GET and the Coverdell ESA. We will most likely take advantage of both so Lemon doesn't have nearly the college debt load I have been strapped with. I am also happy to report that according to SM, the University of Washington ranks No.5 in the country with an average payback of 225%. I think I just became a Huskies fan...

If money were no object, I might splurge on this:

The Re-Set by Re-produkte. It's not just the prettiest cradle I have seen (ooh - the dark wicker, the clean lines), it is also the most interestingly diverse. It is a cradle, rocking chair (either tethered together or separate), and convertible to rocking horse. Seriously. Rocking horse.

Of course, if money were no object it would be OK that this thing goes for $750 - not including the mattress. It would also be OK that we have already purchased a perfectly lovely bassinet that converts to playpen.

It's OK to just look, right?

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Although we celebrated it Saturday, I just wanted to remind everybody that it's Maggie's Birthday today! Whoooo!

Un-Happy Birthday Cake

Jersey: Making friends, playing nice.

It was much to my relief that on Saturday, at my birthday party, Jersey made nice with Athena, the 8 month old daughter of my friend Caitlin. You may recall that a while back Jersey had a little growling problem toward Athena... unsolicited snarls that made me wonder if we were going to have a serious problem when Lemon arrives.

Well she must have known how disappointed I was with her behavior because on Saturday, Jersey made her way to Athena more than once to give her sweet kisses on her hand. Of course, we backed up that behavior with lots of love and praise and kisses for the Jers - we were all so excited and SO proud of her!

To top it all off, Jersey had another delightful encounter with another baby in the middle of the night last night... I got up to pee at about 3am (TMI, I know) then came back to bed. Jersey had to, of course, reposition herself at that point as well - assuming I am awake and will give her some scratches to help her go back to sleep. To solicit scratches, she has the habit of tapping you with her paw. Last night she tapped me straight on my belly because, well, it's hard to miss these days. In complete shock - and with much amusement - I felt Lemon kick her right back. Jersey paused, had obviously felt the kicks, and then tapped again. Believe it or not, and to my complete joy, they kept up this back and forth on my belly for at least a few minutes!

Now, you may be thinking I am one of those crazies who reads way too much into her dog's actions. That may be true. But I am just going to go with this one as I enjoyed it so much, and I am truly hoping these two become fast friends upon Lemon's arrival. This has to be a good sign, right?!

If you look to the right...

...you'll notice the number on our baby-ticker.

30 Days to go.

We're down to the wire already! We had our 36 week appointment today to see where we are at. Lemon was sleeping so her heart rate was a normal 135 (as opposed to the drama she caused at our last appointment - hooking me up to the monitor for an hour as she practiced gymnastics. I am not kidding, she would not settle down and literally kicked me 100x in an hour. The doctor was very impressed...).

We also learned that she is head down. Good girl. My cervix is still closed so I doubt she'll come anytime before we are officially at term - next Thursday! It is hard to believe that she can pretty much come anytime now and it is a-ok.

The arrival poll you all participated in put Lemon's arrival most likely either before the new year (Daddy's dream tax-break baby), or after her due date (Mommy's nightmare procrastinator baby). Can't wait to find out! I just hope she doesn't wait too long - we're anxious to meet her!

Hair Clips!

I am banking on this kid having a full head of hair like her mama. For those of you who don't know, I was born with hair so long it had to be cut upon arrival. I understand that this is a gift and there are some not as fortunate. For instance, Lemon's big girl friend Kilinoe in Hawaii recently made the milestone of braiding her hair for the first time at the tender age of 3! (Congratulations, Lucky!)

So, naturally, when we found out we were having a little girl one of the things I quickly got excited about was hair clips! The perfect little girl fashion accessory. Mind you, I realize I am going to be a snob about this. And if I offend anyone during this post, I do apologize, but maybe it is something you need to hear...

Not all children's hair accessories are created equal. Let us explore some baby hair fashion no-no's before we talk about some of the most adorable hair fashions I have found so far...

Having more headband than hair seems a bit unbalanced, especially when you are obviously going for the 80's hair band look.

A hair bow to look like ballerina legs.... might be a bit much.
Flowers bigger than baby's face is just distracting.

Likewise, more BOW than baby is also bad.

This girl is going to look back on this picture and DIE one day as she realizes her mom put two identical cabbages on her head.

There is no need for glamour shots under the age of 16. In fact, there is no need for glamour shots EVER.

And then, as goes without saying, the Hamas headband is probably the ultimate faux-pas.

The painful images above now behind us, let look at the GOOD STUFF. Please make note of these three adjectives that you will notice is the underlying theme when choosing kid's hair accessories: SMALL, SIMPLE, DELIGHTFUL.

Yesterday, at the Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle I picked up this little number from Moth & Squirrel - a cute little felt whale with beaded eye. Our whale is seafoam green with a teal spout - great colors! Libby Chenault also makes other animals shapes that I'll be sure to collect as we move forward.

Apoidea Projects is another crafter I encountered yesterday. She makes the sweetest barrettes out of vintage buttons, beads, and broken pieces of jewelry past. Most of her wares are even versatile enough to share with your baby without looking weird! And if you're not into the barrettes, check out the other jewelry available for adults!

For those of you who are not yet familiar with Giddy Giddy, miss out no more... GIddy GIddy is a well know in the mommy blogs and just about EVERYTHING they make is perfectly suitable for little girl hair. I even love their beautiful clip keepers (the new "Doe-a-Deer" is perhaps my current favorite)...

China Sprout is a source for super-cute asian inspired hair-stuff for kids.... the good news is that they carry WAY MORE that hair stuff. Check them out!

Daisy Chain on etsy makes some sweet copper bobbies I am super fond of (among other great barrettes)! And I just LOVE that she is not afraid to use subject matter normally reserved for boys - breakin' boundaries here!

Kitchen Table Studios is another great etsy find. I especially love their vintage cabochon barrettes featuring a myriad of animals.

And, lastly, if you must have ribbon, please approach with restraint and style such as with some selections from SkullnCross Bows.

Better news re: blood sugar

I just realized that I forgot to update you all on this situation. The doc took a longer look at my blood sugar levels last week when we had our 34 week appointment. She thinks they look great and has asked that I only monitor 3 days a week now, just to be sure/safe. I am 35 weeks along today. That's 5 more weeks of monitoring, 3 days a week, 4x a day... 60 more sticks. WAY BETTER than the 140 I would be facing if monitoring full time.

Small victories!

Fawn & Finch

I just recieved my first Etsy purchase. I couldn't help myself - these are just the cutest solution I have found to a problem that totally sicks me out - pacifiers on the floor.

It is inevitable. Pacifiers drop out of babies mouths. I just don't want to have to run to the sink to wash it every time it lands on the floor. I also don't subscribe to the "stick it in your own mouth to clean it" deal - first of all, ew. Second of all, this is how baby's first cavities are made (through bacteria transmission from your saliva).

Fawn & Finch makes these great, stylish pacifier clips at SUPER reasonable prices ($3.50 each!). Anything similar I have seen start at around $8 each and are, by far, not as cute. Made from fray resistant linen ribbon from Japan and clips with plastic teeth to protect clothing, they are, in my opinion, perfect. Can't wait to match the clips to Lemon's outfits!

Here are the FOUR I bought to match various wardrobe changes (like I said, I just couldn't help myself...):