What about BOB?

We got a BOB!
At first I was in love with my Chicco travel system stroller. I mean come on, it's red - what's not to love?! But once I started working out and power walking/jogging with Stroller Strides, the Chicco stroller wasn't so hot. Sure, it works, but every time I rolled over grass it would either get stuck or feel like it was going to tip over. Whenever I got going fast, the wheels would start to squeak. No bueno!

So, when we realized we had a *little* bit of spare cash, we decided to just go for it and get a BOB jogger. I did some shopping on Craigslist and found a great deal! I ended up getting the Sport Utility version in a snappy lime green. I am loving it already - it is SUCH an improvement! It rolls super smoothly, and there is no fear of tipping. It's great over bumps and on the grass! I'm not completely sold on this model yet though, since it has a stationary front wheel. It's supposedly the right stroller for the way I want to use it, but I'm not sure. It doesn't maneuver quite as easily as the Revolution model. I figure I'll keep it for this week and see if I get used to the way it feels. If not, I'll put it back up on Craigslist and shop for a Revolution instead. I'm sure I can sell it easily - these things seem to sell quickly!
So far though, I am thrilled to finally have a good stroller for my newer, more active lifestyle! :)

Hot Mama Gowns - My Review

During my pregnancy, I kept seeing people blog and tweet about their glamorous hospital gowns. At first I thought it was a silly idea, but when I started noticing photos of the ugly hospital-issued gowns, it started making sense to me. When Hot Mama Gowns offered a chance to wear and review one of their luxurious gowns, I jumped at the opportunity! I thought sure there was no way they'd choose me, so I was THRILLED when I got the email telling me that I would be the lucky recipient of a Hot Mama Gown - and all I had to do was blog about my experience! Many thanks to Deidrea, the founder of Hot Mama Gowns, for this awesome opportunity. Just before I went on maternity leave, I received a Small gown in the LeAnn pattern. The gown was shipped in such gorgeous packaging - I just had to get a photo of it!

LOVE the packaging!

The "LeAnn" pattern

For those of you who haven't already heard, Hot Mama Gowns are the glamorous alternative to the generic hospital gown. They are made of super soft, comfortable 100% organic cotton and are made in the USA. Unlike an ordinary hospital gown, these gowns snap all the way down the back so your booty won't be hanging out for all to see. Plus, there are two individual ribbon-tied panels in the front to allow for quick, easy, and discreet nursing.
(Click here to see the G-Rated demonstration video)

Ribbon-tied nursing panels

I originally had a hard time deciding if I wanted to wear my gown during labor and delivery and risk getting it stained and dirty, or if I just wanted to wait and wear it during my recovery in the hospital. After going through my childbirth classes I ended up deciding that I wanted to wear my own pajamas during Samantha's birth since I wanted the smell and comfort of my own clothes. So, it was an easy decision to save my Hot Mama Gown for after the birth and during my recovery. (The nightgown that I wore during the birth didn't get messed up, by the way!)

After wearing my Hot Mama Gown for a full day of resting and caring for a newborn, it did get a bit of baby poop, cord blood, breast milk and who knows what else on it, so I decided I wanted to change into a clean hospital gown. I figured I'd put it on backwards so that it would be open in front for nursing. What a surprise - there weren't even snaps on the hospital gown. It only had one lonely little tie at the top! If I put it on with the tie in the back it allowed absolutely no access to the front so it was completely impractical for breastfeeding. I ended up taking it off as soon as I put it on! I decided to wear my Hot Mama Gown for another night rather than downgrade to the useless hospital gown.

The Hot Mama Gowns have snaps!!!

The breastfeeding panels were great. Each panel opens individually with a ribbon tie. It was perfect for nursing in the hospital when I was still learning how to breastfeed Samantha. I could easily open one side at a time without having to figure out clips or deal with pushing extra fabric out of the way. It was so easy, and I loved the functionality of it. I got so many compliments from the nurses on my gown. They all said they had never seen such a thing, and wondered where I got it. And of course, I happily told them!
The only downside to my experience was with the snaps that connect the breastfeeding panels to the skirt. After I washed the gown, the plastic snaps just would not stay closed. It wasn't a big deal since the ribbon ties still keep everything closed, but I ended up replacing the plastic snaps with metal ones just to help keep everything together. Otherwise though, the gown was absolutely great and I loved having it in the hospital. I could have actually used a second one for that second day when I REALLY wanted to change my clothes after finally getting a shower!



Hot Mama Gowns are designed to fit every size Mama - even with a bump! The gown expands to fit a pregnant belly and then contracts to fit after labor and delivery. The gowns come in sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL to fit moms sizes 2-24 (based on your pre-pregnancy size). Sizes XS-L retail for $119 and sizes XL-XXL are $139. They now have available adorable matching swaddling blankets, retailing for $48. I didn't get one of these, but how cute would it be to wrap your baby in a matching blanket!!! Gift certificates are available if you would like to purchase a gown for a hot mama, but aren't sure which size or pattern she would like. The sizes do seem to run large - I usually wear a medium, but I wore a small Hot Mama Gown, and it was definitely roomy enough for me and my belly!

Contact Hot Mama Gowns:

Website: www.HotMamaGowns.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/HotMamaGowns

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/HotMamaGowns

Join the Newsletter: https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:1406674/acctId:1403182

These gowns are so comfortable and versatile that you could wear them much longer than just in the delivery and recovery room. They would work great as a nursing gown at home! I personally didn't choose to continue wearing mine since it's not really the style of pajamas I prefer, but it is definitely comfortable and I will be wearing it again whenever Baby #2 comes along. Thanks again to Deidrea and Hot Mama Gowns for allowing me to feel like a Hot Mama during the birth of my little girl!!!

My List: So Much Good Stuff

Lately I have been so ridiculously excited about things to come that I can hardly stand it. Aside from the fact that I am actually pregnant and have a little girl growing inside of me; and the fact that I am going to become a mother and have a beautiful little girl of my own, there are so many things going on in these next few months of my life.

And when I get excited and my mind gets overactive, I like to make lists. I am a huge fan of lists. (Whether or not I actually DO anything with my lists is a whole different story…) I constantly have multiple lists going on: "Things I'm Expecting in the Mail", "Hospital Packing List", "Hospital iPod Playlist", Things To Do Before May", and so on.

So with no further ado, here is my latest list of all the fun and exciting things I have on the agenda for the next few months:

* My mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and brother-in-law's girlfriend are coming to visit.
* Not one, but TWO baby showers this weekend!
* The final season of LOST begins! (Sad that it's the last season…but thrilled to see how it all turns out!)
* Fresh Homemade Baby Food cooking class
* The Superbowl
* Childbirth classes begin - February-March
* Babyproofing 101 class
* I have/get to take the glucose test
* Bunco
* 28 Week doctor appointment
* Two birthday parties: one for a friend, and one for the 1st birthday of another friend's son
* Doctor visits begin bi-weekly instead of monthly
* 3/5 Alice in Wonderland comes out in theaters! - This is the movie I MUST see in theaters before baby comes.
* Baby Shower #1
* Mike and I take our tour of the Scripps Encinitas birthing wing
* Housewarming for a friend
* Here Comes Baby - What About the Parents? class
* 3/26 Clash of the Titans comes out in theaters - This is the movie Mike MUST see in theaters before baby comes.
* Baby Shower #2
* Maternity leave begins!!!!!!


All that in less than 3 months - and that's just what I have on the calendar so far! These next few months are going to fly by and I can hardly wait! In the meantime, I'll be busy sewing and getting the nursery ready, as well as getting my bookbinding business started.

It's hard to be stressed about our financial/work situation when there is so much good going on in my life. :)

I finally chose a bag!!!

After months and months of searching, I finally settled on a diaper bag! At first I was looking at the Petunia Pickle Bottom bags - adorable, but EXPENSIVE. The more I thought about it, I realized that they just aren't me. As pretty as they are, I can't imagine carrying around something so, well, pretty all the time. I looked at a couple of bags with Mike, and he commented that he wanted it to be something that he could carry as well. So, that ruled out a lot of the bags I had been looking at.

I also liked the StorkSak bags, but then I realized that they are still WAY too pricey for our one-income budget right now. So, back to the drawing board! Yesterday I checked out a bunch of bags at Babies R Us, and found that I didn't love any of the bags I had thought I would. I found some new contenders though, and ended up finding the bag I want. BRU only carries the black version, but I found all sorts of fun colors on Amazon!

The bag I want is the Skip Hop Dash Deluxe, in red. The red will make it just fancy enough that it won't look fuddy duddy and boring like the black ones, but it's not so fancy that it will be too girly for Mike. It will not only match our stroller, but it will also match the Pack N Play that we registered for. I am so excited! And check out these cool accessories for the bag! There's a matching pacifier holder, too.

(They are all on my Amazon.com registry, if anyone's interested. *wink wink!*)

So excited...waiting for the mailman!

I love getting mail - like I said a few days ago...it's like Christmas whenever a package arrives!

Yesterday I made my first cloth diaper purchase. A week or so ago I heard that bumGenius DELUXE Bamboo FittedCloth Diapers were on sale at Cotton Babies. I had my eye on them, but I wasn't sure yet what I was going to do about diapering, and if I really needed to buy any for myself since I'd be borrowing some from friends. Yesterday I looked at the Cotton Babies site again, and the price had dropped from $7 something a dipe to only $6 something! I took this as a sign, and decided to use the Visa gift card my sister had given us for Christmas (for the baby!) I ended up getting 2 fitted diapers and a Thirsties Duo Cover along with a bath toy for under $25!!! I can't wait!

I've also ordered a few other things: for myself I ordered some black FLAT boots (no heels for this girl anymore!), and my Alice in Wonderland fabric is on it's way (I got some of it already...just waiting for the final piece!), and I just ordered some closet dividers, and a Moby Wrap from Baby Steals! I can hardly wait. :)

And I did convince Mike to start the baby registry with me the other night - WOW, is there a lot of stuff! I'm super excited about all the stuff we registered for. Now we just need to buy a crib!

Beaba Baby Food Cooker Giveaway

I am SOOO excited about this giveaway. I fully intend to make baby food myself rather than go out and buy hundreds of little jars. When I discovered that there was a handy little gadget that contains everything you need to make baby food in one unit, I about fell over with excitement.

I discovered this super cool gadget over at The Shopping Mama. I really really hope I win!!!! Making baby food is one of those things, along with cloth diapering, that I am really excited about doing. It is not only better for our budget, but it is also much better for the environment. You can't beat that!

Go check out the giveaway - even though I secretly hope that not TOO many people enter, because I really really want to win! :)

Here's some info on the Beaba Babycook:

About Beaba

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in France, Beaba is revolutionizing the traditional infant market by offering today’s parents a range of conceptually and technically innovative products, including the groundbreaking Babycook, the Original Babyfood Maker™. Their mission is to listen to what parents want and ensure that safety, functionality and ergonomics are the forefront of the priority list when it comes to babies’ well being.

What is the Babycook?

The Beaba Babycook is a one-stop shop for making babyfood. This small, counter-top appliance includes a water-heating reservoir (for steaming), a 2.5 cup bowl, a cooking basket to use when steaming and then to drain, a blade for pureeing and a splatula to get all your goodness from the bowl. The Babycook also comes with an instruction manual that includes a few recipes. Here’s how it works: fill the water reservoir with water to steam, place food in the steamer basket and start steaming. It cooks food in less than 15 minutes! Next, drain the food in the basket and then place it in the food bowl. Puree to desired consistency and you’re done.

Babycook Features

• Steamer, Blender, Warmer, Defroster in one
• BPA safety tested
• All pieces are dishwasher safe

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Also, check out the Scandinavian Child website for even more cool baby stuff. I am having such a hard time restraining myself from spending too much money!

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And for more information on how to make your own baby food, check out this blog post at The Shopping Mama. I will definitely be coming back to this site for tips once my baby is ready to eat solid food!