tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885544013828793182024-03-05T07:37:08.965-08:00milk dreamsMilk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-57656964913112594092010-09-12T20:22:00.000-07:002010-09-12T21:06:31.338-07:00adventures in (early) potty training!I have never been so proud of Ruby as I was tonight. She and I were lying on the floor on a futon mattress (that's a whole other issue--trying to "wean" her of sleeping in our bed--that I haven't had the energy to tackle via blog yet) and she was nursing to sleep. She was almost there, eyes closing for a few seconds at a time, and then she suddenly she became alert again and pulled back. She looked at me with wide eyes and said: "Poppy!" My immediate thought was that she meant my husband, so I said: "No, honey, daddy's at work," and tried to comfort here into sleepy-mode again. But she was insistent: "Poppy! Poppy!" Finally, she pushed herself up to standing and just marched out of the room, with me trailing behind. She stopped at the bathroom and pointed to the potty: "Poppy!" So, I quickly unsnapped her onesie and pulled the sides off of her gDiaper and she plopped herself down and--sure enough--proceeded to do her business (no. 2). Amazing!<br /><br />So, Ruby has actually been using her potty for about three months now, but what made this special tonight was that she actually called it by name (or a version of it) and went directly to the potty on her own. It was a proud moment for both of us!<br /><br />Now, yes, Ruby is only 14 months old. I actually never would have even thought to put her on a potty (much less buy a potty) as early as I did (she didn't even <span style="font-style: italic;">walk </span>until she was 13 months, but she was using a potty at 11 months!), but it actually all happened pretty organically. Here's the scoop on our adventures in early potty usage:<br /><ol><li>We live in a small apartment. When Ruby started going through the phase of needing to be with us 24/7 (at around 8 months), we started keeping Ruby's Bumbo chair on our bathroom floor so that we had somewhere to put her if either of us was home alone with her and needed to go potty ourselves. She would sit happily in her Bumbo in our tiny bathroom and wait until we were done and picked her up again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-yhCMa1vnYFMRi0bmqjkgJSc1yKuAo2mpZGN6Wy-b-cp1rKOef0BbZcC6tqJ1njz0kgkwM8rB-5cVLGgWXjf2eTReyEeAA8QJ6DcgWQjVUu8C2Gk1r2zkd2XXFHyPniRT0QU-UWg1Lw/s1600/bumbo.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-yhCMa1vnYFMRi0bmqjkgJSc1yKuAo2mpZGN6Wy-b-cp1rKOef0BbZcC6tqJ1njz0kgkwM8rB-5cVLGgWXjf2eTReyEeAA8QJ6DcgWQjVUu8C2Gk1r2zkd2XXFHyPniRT0QU-UWg1Lw/s320/bumbo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516241287631022546" border="0" /></a><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0007ORN7M" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br /></li><li>After a few weeks, we began to notice that Ruby got into the habit of peeing and/or pooping in her diaper in her Bumbo chair while in the bathroom with one of us! At first we just thought it was funny and laughed about it, but then I told my mom about it and she said: "Duh! Obviously she gets the concept of a toilet. Why on earth are you putting her on a chair in her diaper when you know she's going to go to the bathroom? Get a potty!"<br /></li><li>I ordered the Bjorn Smart Potty (the key here was something small--again, we have a tiny bathroom in our little apartment!). It came in the mail when Ruby was 11 months old.</li><li>We switched out the Bumbo for the Smart Potty. The very first time she sat on it she peed! We cheered. She was proud.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B002Q0YA3A" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br /></li><li>From that moment on, we have put Ruby on the potty every single morning when she wakes up. And every single morning she waits until she is situated on the potty before she pees. She has actually never <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>peed in her potty in the morning since she started; she understood the morning potty ritual from the get-go!</li><li>Now, for the rest of the day: we haven't pushed the potty at all. For the first month or so, she was probably using the potty for only about 20 percent of her elimination besides the early morning pee. But gradually, it's become more like 50/50. Ruby has developed a sign (a hilarious sign, btw--she balls up her fists and shakes them while making a noise like she is straining...haha!) to tell us when she needs to go no. 2. It's not a perfect system, but by this week I'd say she was getting about 75 percent of them in the potty. We even travel with the potty (the Smart Potty is small and light, so I put it in a plastic bag and packed it straight into our little carry-on suitcase! This pictures is in our hotel room at the Jersey Shore a few weeks ago!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHARSC5tNFG7xdNkBBFDuaDbtSiegu5TY3Wr6Ck6TRec33ToNLfqQdT_kcvXMons3vL2hQtaVs_IbOTwCG5uUIVpyWKdlHZY3bAan2B_M_G1HLc3f9iUlg8xeG26wwT1nr2O99cPAbOPQ/s1600/potty1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHARSC5tNFG7xdNkBBFDuaDbtSiegu5TY3Wr6Ck6TRec33ToNLfqQdT_kcvXMons3vL2hQtaVs_IbOTwCG5uUIVpyWKdlHZY3bAan2B_M_G1HLc3f9iUlg8xeG26wwT1nr2O99cPAbOPQ/s320/potty1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516240838395727074" border="0" /><br /><br /></a></div></li><li>Then, tonight! I cannot believe she had a word for it (she has about 10-15 meaningful "words" right now)! And walked herself there so nonchalantly! She is WELL on her way to being potty-trained. So exciting!</li></ol>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-64555936576660036152010-08-22T10:31:00.000-07:002010-08-22T11:00:50.316-07:00baby + passport = ready for anything!In the spring, we were toying with a couple of opportunities that were presenting themselves for us to go abroad this summer. We didn't have any definite plans (and ended up not making them after all), but realized that--duh!--Ruby should have a passport, just in case.<br /><br />I just thought about this again recently because my cousin and her husband just got an offer to move to Switzerland through work. They are super excited, but the fact that their two kiddos didn't have passports yet delayed their visa applications and, thus, their move.<br /><br />Jude and I are both spontaneous people and can each cite numerous examples of last-minute trips we have taken throughout our lives, whether for work or for play. We always make sure that our own passports are up-to-date so that we are ready if a cool opportunity comes up...so why shouldn't Ruby be ready for anything, too?<br /><br />Anyway, last March, we spent a morning at the post office applying for Ruby's passport. She got it in the mail a few weeks later. International travel, here I come!<br /><br />First, get yourself together. Here's what you'll need to do and gather:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Find an application center nearby. </span>Many <a href="http://usps.whitepages.com/passport/">USPS</a><a href="http://usps.whitepages.com/passport/"> post office branches</a> have passport services. Check the hours and the rules for the passport window at the location you choose--many times, the passport windows have separate hours than the rest of the post office, and some even require an appointment.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get a passport photo. </span>The location in downtown Brooklyn that we went to with Ruby did passport photos on-site, but not all locations do. Make sure you know whether this is an option. If not, many photo shops, drug store chains, and business centers do passport photos. Ruby was old enough to sit up on her own, so I just propped her on my knee while I stood with my foot on the chair.<br /> </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fill out the <a href="http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html">DS-11 passport form</a>.</span> I suggest filling it out <a href="http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html">online</a> and then bringing a printed copy with you, but just don't sign in until you're in the presence of the official "Acceptance Agent" where you apply for the passport.<br /> </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gather the necessary documents.</span> Things you'll need: <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">a) baby's original birth certificate</span> (they'll take it for the application and send it back to you with the passport in a few weeks) with both parents'/guardians' names on it, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">b) baby's social security card</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">c) photo IDs for each parent/guardian </span>(valid passports or driver's license), and <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">d) photocopies of parents' IDs and the baby's social security card. </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If you have extenuating circumstances or further questions, check the <a href="http://http//travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html">government page</a> on applying for a passport for a minor.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Make it a family outing! </span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Both parents, as well as the baby, need to be present while applying for the minor's passport.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL5Uj36N8yI2JDINladK9o_ELtDEqUzCgSuAL6guWey8iFJqq4Uuz5APnoPoGdPRQuiR1yB7eQAs9Lv-HUNqYFaw3YB6QGWtDldjPBFyrBVu9Gwb1kYCZM39qiAEWDujw6eey7uJglt0/s1600/async.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL5Uj36N8yI2JDINladK9o_ELtDEqUzCgSuAL6guWey8iFJqq4Uuz5APnoPoGdPRQuiR1yB7eQAs9Lv-HUNqYFaw3YB6QGWtDldjPBFyrBVu9Gwb1kYCZM39qiAEWDujw6eey7uJglt0/s320/async.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508294552173798578" border="0" /></a></div></li></ol>Here we are heading to the post office for the passport application. Unfortunately, I didn't do the timing well and she fell asleep on the way there, so we had to wake her up and take her hat off for her photo.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-11981451869681070912010-08-21T22:16:00.000-07:002010-08-22T11:04:59.348-07:00beach baby, take two<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivwzrls0owPVLiu-bQDjvmdmUly2Cu3scDfTgsKTtOMSEIAl6_UOkf-VpNmHUGNEjk9_gXKZ7g_u_DN4G3zLFJ31YvTpruW3ja0-P8slJFjVI9m3pseHvupn0KF4Wgz7ILMFH1nWxWXU/s1600/30.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivwzrls0owPVLiu-bQDjvmdmUly2Cu3scDfTgsKTtOMSEIAl6_UOkf-VpNmHUGNEjk9_gXKZ7g_u_DN4G3zLFJ31YvTpruW3ja0-P8slJFjVI9m3pseHvupn0KF4Wgz7ILMFH1nWxWXU/s320/30.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508100410819468498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>So, almost a year later, we snuck away for another quickie beach vacation (this time in the opposite direction to the Jersey Shore) with the baby. We pulled our <a href="http://www.milkdreams.com/2010/08/beach-baby-beach-baby.html">baby beach tent</a> out of storage and, to my delight, found that it actually fits into our large suitcase for traveling!<br /><br />Ruby loved to crawl in and out of the tent and was happy to sit inside playing with toys and reading books.<br /><br />Plus, bonus: she and I still fit inside together (she might be bigger, but I am significantly smaller!) for quick nursing sessions.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001GAPN8C" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-89815529678561650762010-08-21T11:22:00.000-07:002010-08-22T12:43:22.170-07:00portable snacks for hungry tots<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAVlrV1klV28zdtkk5Kld0i92cbAnW-4FOGBwtsOLA1Egof9mOyhm4HPoy3oYrsk4G29SnNbbEKXh56jjcw_6q2TGCB-fPjB4mwiQatxMIm_36I7CZAwPjjELwmKX0VQDwE84J3bevmQ/s1600/bits.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAVlrV1klV28zdtkk5Kld0i92cbAnW-4FOGBwtsOLA1Egof9mOyhm4HPoy3oYrsk4G29SnNbbEKXh56jjcw_6q2TGCB-fPjB4mwiQatxMIm_36I7CZAwPjjELwmKX0VQDwE84J3bevmQ/s320/bits.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508310528612115362" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Ruby is finally starting to get into foods in a big way. Up until very recently, she was still getting close to 100 percent of her actual nutrition through breast milk, but she is finally starting to see the pleasures of trying new foods (we've been "feeding" her other things since she was little, but she is such a nurse-a-holic that she just has never been all that interested). Now, she will try just about anything. Her favorite foods currently include: bananas (she alternates between wanting to take bites from the whole banana or wanting you to mash it up for her), hummus, <a href="http://www.milkdreams.com/2010/08/petit-appetit-cookbook-mother-tested.html">homemade ricotta souffles</a>, rice pudding, shredded cheese, peaches from the farmers' markets, puffed rice (we won't let her have Rice Krispies cereal, which she got to try the other day at a hotel we were staying at and loved, because they have HFCS, but we got her a bag of natural puffed rice that she likes just the same), and, of course, snacks, snacks, and more snacks!<br /><br />Ruby is <span style="font-style: italic;">obsessed </span>with <span style="font-weight: bold;">HAPPYBABY organic puffs</span>...P-u-f-f-s is the first word we've had to start spelling out around her so she doesn't get too over-excited. She points to our hiding places and makes a little noise that sounds like "oo-wah!" to tell us that she wants them. They are expensive at the little grocery stores in my neighborhood, but you can buy them in bulk (6 canisters at a time) at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26node%3D165796011%26ref_%3Dbl_sr_baby-products%26field-brandtextbin%3DHAPPYBABY&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">amazon.com</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" />.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001NXM3I0" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001NXM3GM" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001NXHY8Y" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br />I just found a new easy snack at a natural foods store while on vacation that is just as portable and Ruby loves just as much. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Plum Organics "fruity fingerfuls"</span> for tots. It's organic freeze-dried fruits and grain bites (in the shape of hearts). It comes with strawberry, banana, or apple fruit pieces. The packaging is BPA-free, too. It's funny to watch Ruby go for the heart-shaped grain pieces in her bowl and then reluctantly resort to the fruit bits once the grain is all gone! I haven't seen this brand in the little grocery stores in my neighborhood, so I was excited to find them in bulk from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb_sb_noss%26fsc%3D2%26ih%3D10_7_0_2_0_0_0_0_0_1.79_85%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dplum%2520organics%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dbaby-products&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">amazon.com</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" />.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B002BB7F6S" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B002BB7EZU" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B002BB2ECI" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-49539167414067156242010-08-01T22:05:00.000-07:002010-08-22T19:06:32.129-07:00Petit Appetit cookbook: mother tested, baby approvedAs you may know, I get a bit overwhelmed in the kitchen and much prefer to eat my husband's amazing cooking than try to whip anything up myself. However, Ruby is going through a phase where she's not interested in eating anything besides mama's milk. Even though Jude's been making her purees and foods for months now, she just up and decided that she would refuse everything but the boob.<br /><br />So, I pulled out Lisa Barnes' <span style="font-style: italic;">The Petit Appetit Cookbook</span> today because it promises: "easy, organic recipes to nurture your baby and toddler." I wanted to see if there was anything that was simple enough as to not scare me off from making it and delicious enough to coax Ruby out of this new habit of avoidance. I was so pleasantly surprised to see recipe after recipe that I felt confident I would have the time and energy to try! I made two of them today ("bananafanas" and "baked ricotta cake"), chosen based on what was already in my fridge and cupboards, and both were incredibly simple and delicious (for Ruby and, admittedly, myself)!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1557884536" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><br />Here's what I made:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baked Ricotta Cakes</span><br />First, I whipped up these little baked ricotta cakes. It is essentially more of a souffle than a cake (it puffed up and then crashed down after coming out of the oven before I could snap this pic), but incredibly simple to make. I only had half a cup of ricotta left in my fridge (I get this delicious <a href="http://www.salvatorebklyn.com/">Salvatore Brooklyn</a> ricotta from the market every weekend that is handmade around here), so I did only a half recipe. You'd get four little ramekins (rather than my two) if you made the full recipe. Here is the whole recipe:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients:</span><br />1 cup whole-milk ricotta<br />2 cage-free, organic egg whites<br />4 tablespoons honey* (I actually think this is too much--would have been just as good half as sweet, but maybe it was because I used really yummy raw organic honey?)<br />2 cups mixed fresh berries (seasonally, of course!)<br /><br />*Remember that honey should never be given to a baby under one year in age (because of risk of infant botulism), so leave this out if you're making this for an infant.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degree. Place the cheese in a bowl and break up with a wooden spoon. Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form (I had to ask Jude about this because I don't know what this means...you're basically making it start into a meringue-like consistency...once you can lift the spoon and the egg whites stand up on their own). Add egg whites and honey to cheese and mix thoroughly until smooth.<br /><br />Lightly grease four ramekins. Spoon ricotta mixture into ramekins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cakes are risen and golden.<br /><br />Cool, turn out of ramekin, and top with berries, if desired. Or enjoy warm out of the ramekin (that's what we did).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">TIP</span> (this is also from the book, not mine):<br />Ricotta is recommended for babies because of the mild flavor and creamy texture. It also has less sodium than cottage cheese, used in similar recipes. Ricotta comes in whole-milk, low-fat, and skim-milk versions.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM4ys-w1SDTS9ufPWMLXLgNj2Zs-Thyy1xWAhhmZSbJDWw_Ecfo0VsgYVz6UFq3KSTo_UtIxrLYg646BjgmfsbXpOIDkde-AI-jIilXbDTL4PkD6NzO9iiH1HdmbC-XTo557-PRToJho/s1600/IMG_3223%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM4ys-w1SDTS9ufPWMLXLgNj2Zs-Thyy1xWAhhmZSbJDWw_Ecfo0VsgYVz6UFq3KSTo_UtIxrLYg646BjgmfsbXpOIDkde-AI-jIilXbDTL4PkD6NzO9iiH1HdmbC-XTo557-PRToJho/s320/IMG_3223%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500679730805688098" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bananafanas</span><br />I mean, Ruby loves bananas on their own, too, which is the simplest of all...but these were fun and easy and she loved them as a special treat. Plus, they are a good way to use up browned bananas that are yucky to eat by themselves. The book suggests for older kids to top them on yogurt, waffles, or pancakes, etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients:</span><br />2 large, ripe organic bananas<br />1 tablespoon organic orange juice<br />1 teaspoon maple syrup<br />Cinnamon, for sprinkling<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a glass baking dish. Cut bananas in half crosswise and lengthwise, so there will be 8 pieces. In a small bowl, combine orange juice and syrup. Place bananas in greased dish and spoon syrup mixture over each banana. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake bananas for 15 minutes, or until soft and golden.<br /><br />Clearly I'm not a very precise sprinkler of the cinnamon. These taste better than they look!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7OpRyDsZ2gbifzcdfJ-aNig2qlqNqRHPjScr_AqeglI7WReW0YGcyLT5E8h_HnfE31VGoEC6NoVikd-0u2D7gGTjzgWDU9j9wET1ZIXPUdLcVCJpnubog1QY0XPWi7iO9WxEMRheDqM/s1600/IMG_3227%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7OpRyDsZ2gbifzcdfJ-aNig2qlqNqRHPjScr_AqeglI7WReW0YGcyLT5E8h_HnfE31VGoEC6NoVikd-0u2D7gGTjzgWDU9j9wET1ZIXPUdLcVCJpnubog1QY0XPWi7iO9WxEMRheDqM/s320/IMG_3227%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500682395507797586" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Mmm...ricotta souffle!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwc99dS2p9-9JqRprC1az5_T9ay4ek3L_vVi6UEzSAllsXN9ekb2nTfr3KMR13Djmaz8y9Z3lkg7Iuk0LnF-9ri0AuiQLw2pH-Re-nVkOrxh8lRNUPW8EK7M9TADlrx7GBazB8E0NtgXA/s1600/IMG_3229%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwc99dS2p9-9JqRprC1az5_T9ay4ek3L_vVi6UEzSAllsXN9ekb2nTfr3KMR13Djmaz8y9Z3lkg7Iuk0LnF-9ri0AuiQLw2pH-Re-nVkOrxh8lRNUPW8EK7M9TADlrx7GBazB8E0NtgXA/s320/IMG_3229%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500682611412567954" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Yum, mama! Thanks!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMkECNNi1UkCsLncnrDZ5_x_lWtxJiucyIdDk_CE7SsFmyzzScwzsOSYs5bnbkZ11Nana6alpRF9qtcQCXedxcrbfx3x_BTdZTXDWXruUq3Zg1fsS-2QEjDL_PtR483cZWAfnCfIjZNo/s1600/IMG_3230%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMkECNNi1UkCsLncnrDZ5_x_lWtxJiucyIdDk_CE7SsFmyzzScwzsOSYs5bnbkZ11Nana6alpRF9qtcQCXedxcrbfx3x_BTdZTXDWXruUq3Zg1fsS-2QEjDL_PtR483cZWAfnCfIjZNo/s320/IMG_3230%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500683275284300354" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Finish up the meal with some milk from daddy. Love the creamline whole milk from <a href="http://www.ronnybrook.com/">Ronnybrook Farm</a>!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_ylpGYX4rdRjI7Q2iv5SaVgJbXh1rp4YduaYL2OMpEuj7P0pTuagGkVRvOgZG6qxgAE7A0VA-j0J5uhm6tD5PJ63DGaeqweaGA2_S8Jz8WWmzArGO79fXtQRz_bRtQTh8WH0kksxl44/s1600/IMG_3232%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_ylpGYX4rdRjI7Q2iv5SaVgJbXh1rp4YduaYL2OMpEuj7P0pTuagGkVRvOgZG6qxgAE7A0VA-j0J5uhm6tD5PJ63DGaeqweaGA2_S8Jz8WWmzArGO79fXtQRz_bRtQTh8WH0kksxl44/s320/IMG_3232%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500682874931297746" border="0" /></a></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-64809004973791056262010-08-01T09:24:00.000-07:002010-08-06T15:08:05.486-07:00beach baby, beach babyAs the end of summer is drawing near, I'm itching to make it out to a beach somewhere on the coast before it's over. If I do succeed in planning a little mini-vacay, I'm going to need to pull out my tot tent from storage. That thing was a great-great purchase for a beach trip with an infant and I'm excited to get some more use out of it!<br /><br />Last fall, before I went back to work, we took our first family vacation to Montauk. I wanted to be able to spend time on the beach, but with a two-and-a-half-month-old baby, there were logistics to think about...How do I keep the sand out of her face? How do I keep the sun from melting her? Where will I breastfeed? The answer to all of these questions was a little pop-up tot tent! I read lots of reviews and chose this one. It was perfect for our needs. It was compact for traveling, it popped up and was easy to close, it has open flap pockets lining the outside to weight down with sand so it wouldn't fly away, it was big enough for me to crawl in and nurse the baby, and it had a screen mesh zip-door so we could see Ruby when she was napping. Good stuff! One thing I did that was *really* helpful was that I brought enough gallon freezer bags for each of the pockets plus an extra one. That way, I didn't have to get the actual tent super sandy to weight down the side pockets. I filled the bags each day at the beach and plopped one in each pocket. Then, at the end of the day, I would dump out each bag and stuff them all inside the clean, non-sandy carrying bag and pack them up with the tent. Clean and easy. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001GAPN8C" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br />Here is Ruby's wonderful napping place, with real-life ocean sounds to lull her to sleep and fresh breezes!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxLtF6zlu0GhTmdcE5L4Pa9aXxj3KbuHzztG9-dv9rQI4yUaYon4SNdpJqrvvRw_LhOPPZLZjR61BFRjCIJDRWcWulOKZ4B6eJb7-ISlp00TkWFau9zdu4gus3RdZ0Jae5BQS9qSSQQE/s1600/139889187703_0_ALB.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxLtF6zlu0GhTmdcE5L4Pa9aXxj3KbuHzztG9-dv9rQI4yUaYon4SNdpJqrvvRw_LhOPPZLZjR61BFRjCIJDRWcWulOKZ4B6eJb7-ISlp00TkWFau9zdu4gus3RdZ0Jae5BQS9qSSQQE/s320/139889187703_0_ALB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502334096874093826" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Happy blue-tinted baby in her little hideout:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMzqTKVuV653sUbNWY_AvGzISD8S7iBD95bR9zXAf3B8T4frnsFjybWBp1iFFEHo1HcpOo7wt2kxwXbqTmoy-84qXU24Dm96nK0NC-OJXvoI9wWbVUSj7xCT5FiQ9At2BM4auDpcBHms/s1600/339889187703_0_ALB.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMzqTKVuV653sUbNWY_AvGzISD8S7iBD95bR9zXAf3B8T4frnsFjybWBp1iFFEHo1HcpOo7wt2kxwXbqTmoy-84qXU24Dm96nK0NC-OJXvoI9wWbVUSj7xCT5FiQ9At2BM4auDpcBHms/s320/339889187703_0_ALB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502334203625996338" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Big enough for mama to fit inside to nurse!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKs3k-b-6QEq3mPPxtMzBXGKx418gDAylRCiE-FcXKVDdrCN6JQhjRmp58C6aeUP3ujjKaont1cHeAQwqjk4_A9PGmIdZVyncf_9pRmME0n5SdkCyZNf0VprFaBkftcra68wXJUVACEA/s1600/momzelle.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKs3k-b-6QEq3mPPxtMzBXGKx418gDAylRCiE-FcXKVDdrCN6JQhjRmp58C6aeUP3ujjKaont1cHeAQwqjk4_A9PGmIdZVyncf_9pRmME0n5SdkCyZNf0VprFaBkftcra68wXJUVACEA/s320/momzelle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502335013585874770" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I'm excited to use this tent again now that Ruby is on the verge of being a full-fledged toddler!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-84751788939258548432010-07-04T08:11:00.000-07:002010-08-22T11:15:40.475-07:00books with little pals = big hit!Ruby loves to pull all of her books out of our shelves and go through them one by one. Her favorite book (by far) these days is <span style="font-style: italic;">In My Nest</span>, given to her as a gift by one of her aunties. She acts like that little blue felted bird that sticks out in every page is her best friend. She nuzzles it nose-to-nose and gives it kisses. I was at a store with her yesterday and found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Din%2520my%2520nest%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">the rest of the line</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" />...As I handed her each book, she proceeded to give each animal--fish, bunny, bear, butterfly, owl--a kiss and a little nuzzle. I bought the <span style="font-style: italic;">In My Tree</span> (owl) book and she goes back and forth between the two like she doesn't want to hurt either of their feelings! Love these little books (and, of course, my sweet little girl)!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=081186555X" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0811870529" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0811870537" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0811865568" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0811873390" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0811873382" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CRi2wWR7DNlQloaFIr14wYGiVAegNosW-k-VzyRv0Bd-46QO8WCQQbVaKu19ylXmwAfZ3BQr1ueE8koWgoysk82Pg1480KxfhAqmtsrvgV05fPYZ3hhtAXWxBfzer9vk2I4AoKEwRaY/s1600/tree.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CRi2wWR7DNlQloaFIr14wYGiVAegNosW-k-VzyRv0Bd-46QO8WCQQbVaKu19ylXmwAfZ3BQr1ueE8koWgoysk82Pg1480KxfhAqmtsrvgV05fPYZ3hhtAXWxBfzer9vk2I4AoKEwRaY/s320/tree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508299433523077890" border="0" /></a></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-54356179249634626402010-06-28T10:45:00.000-07:002010-06-28T11:06:20.037-07:00beating the heat in the cityDear Brooklyn,<br /><br />I know I have written you love letters before, but I have just one more thing to add. I really love that you have so darn many parks and playgrounds with fountains and sprinklers incorporated into them for those icky-sticky hot days like today. Ruby and I can walk out the door and into refreshing water play like this within two blocks in any direction.<br /><br />Keep it cool, BK.<br /><br />Love,<br />Annie<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-hCjlwQFhsPp_2s_5dhFuHffCPx4ljfgx4Py8Xqy-OVZschb1vsEnh8wkwpEc0upvRvNW0jOF4nO23bTXe6FQxdOYD7CtLjSi0mfez-eLBdz_XgcY0i4QNxBoPVIFeFhPvIlaTws2gU/s1600/IMG_2630%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-hCjlwQFhsPp_2s_5dhFuHffCPx4ljfgx4Py8Xqy-OVZschb1vsEnh8wkwpEc0upvRvNW0jOF4nO23bTXe6FQxdOYD7CtLjSi0mfez-eLBdz_XgcY0i4QNxBoPVIFeFhPvIlaTws2gU/s320/IMG_2630%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487886049004006386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2i6Pzqzyy8nO5FLoqBx14mO8GgGinoXw-zvBHg6kGyk53NMBY0dtWC_vwlLoec5VfJZWNkZIQYzMmzNnUXA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-23463767776293196642010-06-27T20:54:00.000-07:002010-06-27T10:37:56.761-07:00love is what's important (random thoughts on gay parenting)There was a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/07/lesbian.children.adjustment/index.html?iref=allsearch">recent study</a> (with 25 years of research) that suggests that children with lesbian parents are well-adjusted and have fewer behavioral problems than their peers with heterosexual parents. My response to this is a resounding: <span style="font-style: italic;">DUH</span>!<br /><br />I'm not saying that there is anything inherently better about lesbian or gay parents than heterosexual parents. Good parents are good parents, no matter their sexual orientation. The thing is, to me it seems obvious that if you take a random sampling of the overall population of children with hetero parents and a random sampling of children with gay parents, you are going to have a much higher percentage of the latter in loving and nurturing homes (and being in a loving and nurturing home environment, in my humble opinion, is directly related to how socially and behaviorally well-adjusted a child is).<br /><br />The unfortunate fact is, there are lots and lots of kids out there whose parents didn't mean to have them, whose parents weren't "together" when they got pregnant, and/or whose parents don't give the responsibility of parenting too much thought.<br /><br />Lesbian or gay couples, however, don't have the luxury of ambivalence or the ability to take parenting for granted. You don't "accidentally" get pregnant if you are a lesbian. Rather, it takes people who are planning for a child so diligently that they have to really go out of their way to have one. If you try that hard to bring a child into your home, chances are you're going to continue to go out of your way to raise your child well and make good decisions and choices to help your child succeed.<br /><br />Throughout college, I did a lot of babysitting to make extra money. I cared for tons of great kids, but the two who stick out in my mind as particularly amazing little people were a brother-and-sister pair whose two mommies were incredibly attentive, warm, and nurturing parents. These kids were startlingly smart (the little boy was two when I started caring for him and he would do addition, subtraction, and basic multiplication with the food on his plate at dinner) and sweet-sweet-sweet! The fact that their parents were lesbians was irrelevant; instead, what mattered was that they got all of the love and attention that they needed. Every day, their moms played games with them, sang songs with them, read books to them, talked with them, cuddled them, etc. If every child in this country was lucky enough to have parents just half as great as those two moms, imagine how much better off we would be!<br /><br />Jude and I try our best to be good parents to Ruby by loving each other and loving her and showering her with attention and affection. This has nothing to do with the fact that we are heterosexual, but everything to do with how much we love our family and how badly we want to do right by our daughter. Love is what connects a family, not the constructions of the law.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xUq4IvTpnolP1F1t4VwnA4X0samVAJOMMDY-rXS37aJix1R46IOMYDfLQmapskFOXlhIwgIVXo0RzuaEZAz80crgLFadYepL_OncdroG8_O1mWjUpWf5v09gFaYKpFQnnFg04EwYdGg/s1600/61.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xUq4IvTpnolP1F1t4VwnA4X0samVAJOMMDY-rXS37aJix1R46IOMYDfLQmapskFOXlhIwgIVXo0RzuaEZAz80crgLFadYepL_OncdroG8_O1mWjUpWf5v09gFaYKpFQnnFg04EwYdGg/s320/61.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487506794010653842" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-8151179513256047762010-06-26T14:00:00.000-07:002010-06-27T11:24:49.939-07:00lullabies for sleepy babes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_v1Kb0kVFp2cJXRAUHd3XuUEfGD9q2AwLJpPiOpTwMyOJCd4KTrsyaaQmZWpJE4ApiM7KxMzdLjyop9gKZep1FoRyS4-f2MKTTkt26M0Axs58dmamyhFTxXIDSrwvOb_X_J3VrjJyeo/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_v1Kb0kVFp2cJXRAUHd3XuUEfGD9q2AwLJpPiOpTwMyOJCd4KTrsyaaQmZWpJE4ApiM7KxMzdLjyop9gKZep1FoRyS4-f2MKTTkt26M0Axs58dmamyhFTxXIDSrwvOb_X_J3VrjJyeo/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487521078597426482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Lullabies don't need to be children's songs. I repeat: lullabies don't need to be children's songs! I have created playlists and made CDs for friends having new babies for a couple of years now (check out <a href="http://myownlabels.com/">myownlabels.com</a> to make cute personalized CD labels for gifts) and Ruby is calmed by all sorts of soft songs that don't annoy me (which is important). Granted, anything that you play over and over again might get on your nerves (Jude is especially sensitive to this), so the key is to switch up your playlists from time to time while keeping a couple of favorites mixed in to keep baby's sleep association intact.<br /><br />Here are some favorites of mine for lullabies:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I3SU8M?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001I3SU8M">Winter Song (with Ingrid Michaelson) by Sara Bareilles</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001I3SU8M" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00136PYN8?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00136PYN8">Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) by Billy Joel</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00136PYN8" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O01OXM?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001O01OXM">Down To The River To Pray by Alison Krauss</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001O01OXM" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O01P9K?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001O01P9K">Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby by Emmylou Harris</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001O01P9K" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NU68QG?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001NU68QG">So Are You To Me by eastmountainsouth</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001NU68QG" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W153LI?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000W153LI">Waiting On An Angel by Ben Harper</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000W153LI" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XNZN7Y?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000XNZN7Y">Lullaby by Jack Johnson</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000XNZN7Y" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00136JIGC?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00136JIGC">Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00136JIGC" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YN6CFU?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000YN6CFU">Naked As We Came by Iron and Wine</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000YN6CFU" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O7UOAO?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001O7UOAO">Birds And Ships (Featuring Natalie Merchant) by Billy Brag and Wilco</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001O7UOAO" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00136JHU4?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00136JHU4">Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00136JHU4" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011Z929S?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0011Z929S">I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0011Z929S" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S4XB3Q?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000S4XB3Q">Lay Me Down by The Frames</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000S4XB3Q" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A339R2?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001A339R2">Ballad for My One True Love by Mason Jennings</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001A339R2" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-46912120497184974302010-05-29T15:27:00.000-07:002010-05-29T15:52:33.485-07:00all sunscreens are not created equalI take Ruby outside as much as possible for fresh air and stimulation, but I am particularly sensitive to her sun protection needs because of a family history of skin cancer.<br /><br />When I first saw this awesome <a href="http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/">sunscreen guide</a> from the Environmental Working Group, I was excited. The two types of sunscreen that I had purchased this year and have been using on Ruby this spring--<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr%5Fnr%5Fseeall%5F2%26keywords%3Dbadger%2520sunscreen%26qid%3D1275172841%26rh%3Di%253Aaps%252Ck%253Abadger%2520sunscreen%252Ci%253Abeauty&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Badger</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr%5Fnr%5Fseeall%5F1%26keywords%3Dcalifornia%2520baby%2520sunscreen%26qid%3D1275172980%26rh%3Di%253Aaps%252Ck%253Acalifornia%2520baby%2520sunscreen%252Ci%253Ahpc&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">California Baby</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" />--had some of the highest scores on the list. I was so glad that the research I had done through various sites and discussions had led me to the right outcome, but this guide could have saved me a lot of time if I'd seen it first!<br /><br />I also like that they have a <a href="http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/buyer-beware/">Hall of Shame</a> that points out what is wrong with advertising and marketing ploys in the sun protection industry these days. Much of this is particularly pertinent to the delicate business of protecting baby skin.<br /><br />Of course, clothing, hats, and shade are the best protection, but exposed skin needs extra help.<br /><br />Three cheers for the start of summer!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEK-eifZ9pd2F7nzuRDnPreq0A5SE8gLGrf0s9v2a4mxU3ZBPwNIufTcWN36bU0JZ5vdajBEq3N770XJRos_zfEXOLJYYAr3rW3VNrz4P7jzyTgPaj38uQ2RvQdATsnOm58MA12g9BZI/s1600/46.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEK-eifZ9pd2F7nzuRDnPreq0A5SE8gLGrf0s9v2a4mxU3ZBPwNIufTcWN36bU0JZ5vdajBEq3N770XJRos_zfEXOLJYYAr3rW3VNrz4P7jzyTgPaj38uQ2RvQdATsnOm58MA12g9BZI/s320/46.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476828152875624674" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-65817856207712199762010-04-29T20:17:00.000-07:002010-05-02T07:32:59.609-07:00sarah's silks: imagination play<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5Iqtg9vSktW4CZJkA2aS5wo4jv1DwcHtNlOYAgDP7jPxpfOxuMigrUFASQE5EEU44pZ6DaodS3qJ_-G7WQ1rwMhW4DjXkb-GB_CtQk9g5e9AgIbMBD44rujr5tnaMFW0LvQvCb0N0Hw/s1600/IMG_2076%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5Iqtg9vSktW4CZJkA2aS5wo4jv1DwcHtNlOYAgDP7jPxpfOxuMigrUFASQE5EEU44pZ6DaodS3qJ_-G7WQ1rwMhW4DjXkb-GB_CtQk9g5e9AgIbMBD44rujr5tnaMFW0LvQvCb0N0Hw/s320/IMG_2076%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465777371951291186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGI00Ltphq4IMVjrTyn3Jtdh_pitumu2M93OnsVs62y_sM1i_N9X-ohjHaefQbyI89pEnsRF7u_OHGUkip3egW-E_vNuE991yg0qgYnd0uxbPWM8yaPfGNs8iQs7R4-RFyy4CkfygkWY/s1600/IMG_2080%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGI00Ltphq4IMVjrTyn3Jtdh_pitumu2M93OnsVs62y_sM1i_N9X-ohjHaefQbyI89pEnsRF7u_OHGUkip3egW-E_vNuE991yg0qgYnd0uxbPWM8yaPfGNs8iQs7R4-RFyy4CkfygkWY/s320/IMG_2080%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465777261696908994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'm really into simple "toys." I try not to over-stimulate Ruby with a lot of lights and noises in the things she plays with (for example, in her Jumperoo, I never turn on the music and lights) because I want her to interact and play with <span style="font-style: italic;">people </span>and to build her imagination on her own. Ruby's favorite things to play with these days are upturned kitchen bowls as drums and almost anything fabric-based that she can play peek-a-boo with. A favorite is this "playsilk" from Sarah's Silks. It's great because:<br /></div></div><ul><li>the silk is so smooth and soft and it feels nice on Ruby's skin (at night, before bed, I sometimes just rub her with it or lightly swoosh it over her belly)<br /></li><li>it's big, but the silk is so thin that it can be crushed up into a ball the size of my fist to smash into the diaper bag</li><li>it can be used for a million things--right now, Ruby's so young that it's all about peek-a-boo and hiding, but I imagine that down the rode it will be a great item in her dress-up box or for building forts (one of my favorite things to do, even now)<br /></li><li>it entertains her for long periods of time</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000VN8HLA" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0023U79VS" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B00244LCVQ" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwdc8SfytVT2sGEW2AAsFM9C7iqIug-z5rpK5TSo3m3mFz7Yxl2n1GR3-kWV1sdcjyOFvfhvZHUuz8WndJU6g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-3778901727397780352010-04-26T16:28:00.000-07:002010-05-02T07:37:01.049-07:00a perfect compact, lightweight strollerIn the city, you need to invest in a good quality, sturdy, lightweight, and compact stroller for being out and about with only one adult and a not-yet-walking baby. Getting up and down stairs (especially the narrow stairs at the subway stations) without the help of a second person is close to impossible with a clunky stroller. I researched a lot and read a lot of reviews before I ended up with the UPPAbaby G-Luxe. I got it in early February and haven't looked back.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001O0DIGI" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br />Here's what I love about it:<br /><ul><li>It's very lightweight in comparison to other strollers of similar size and functionality.</li><li>Not only does it fold up quickly and easily, but it stands upright by itself once it's folded. It also has a built-in carrying strap. All of this made it super easy to travel with when we took the train to Washington, D.C.</li><li>It's a good lookin' stroller and the colors it comes in are unisex for future babies. I'm not saying that it being cute is the most important thing, but you know it counts for something.</li><li>The cup holder holds all sort of things...I don't drink coffee, but I use it for my cell phone, mama snacks, etc.</li><li>It rolls smoothly and got me through many snowy sidewalks this winter.</li><li>Ruby is comfortable in it. She's never had a problem napping in it and she loves to swing her little legs.</li><li>The sun visor is pretty good--it angles different ways and had pretty expansive coverage (though I still slather her up and put a sun hat on her, too).</li><li>The basket for stuff underneath is decent (for a compact stroller) and I can fit Ruby's changing stuff plus some farmer's market veggies and goodies in there no problem.<br /></li></ul>Here's the munchkin in her swanky ride.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGo4-MIUGWkFc4oqh728AbVT9X598Ev6LpToTbYm2EEqmYdd4G2jkbmOO5I3TX1omXlnd47Tj2wS2tTJZr4hiaK_xuPnkNWXz3DuR93ovwkmMftNThxLKEsrZYABtTUDEFrCUrEMtj2BA/s1600/3.jpg"> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464622136737496658" style="width: 134px; cursor: pointer; height: 200px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGo4-MIUGWkFc4oqh728AbVT9X598Ev6LpToTbYm2EEqmYdd4G2jkbmOO5I3TX1omXlnd47Tj2wS2tTJZr4hiaK_xuPnkNWXz3DuR93ovwkmMftNThxLKEsrZYABtTUDEFrCUrEMtj2BA/s320/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a5nF2YPsy1D13BnvzJLlbFq8hNrlGNpbyicE2j19-_tLforBBX8AbPEarB-AMO-E03t395jpISTD1KZfS3cbgWJ8bXg_J5tAOcqzoknULWpnVCyuu3x7ASKz-fAYXJhxJmum7x5-9bw/s1600/BG.jpg"> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464621981260236114" style="width: 133px; cursor: pointer; height: 202px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a5nF2YPsy1D13BnvzJLlbFq8hNrlGNpbyicE2j19-_tLforBBX8AbPEarB-AMO-E03t395jpISTD1KZfS3cbgWJ8bXg_J5tAOcqzoknULWpnVCyuu3x7ASKz-fAYXJhxJmum7x5-9bw/s320/BG.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGo4-MIUGWkFc4oqh728AbVT9X598Ev6LpToTbYm2EEqmYdd4G2jkbmOO5I3TX1omXlnd47Tj2wS2tTJZr4hiaK_xuPnkNWXz3DuR93ovwkmMftNThxLKEsrZYABtTUDEFrCUrEMtj2BA/s1600/3.jpg"> </a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzI0XbBeEl0YHNQ8qdLn8GHmIMsDDuJmHSA8aDtKLlw2JCVZb1ECQWIu_GprKHSFmQEYMldwsPNHltqtJD7RLN4bP2X6Dt_ZUR24jpZvWO_C4VxJydXzahCRxzBAE8fOTUroDL83gHRMk/s1600/5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464622482845586706" style="width: 133px; cursor: pointer; height: 199px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzI0XbBeEl0YHNQ8qdLn8GHmIMsDDuJmHSA8aDtKLlw2JCVZb1ECQWIu_GprKHSFmQEYMldwsPNHltqtJD7RLN4bP2X6Dt_ZUR24jpZvWO_C4VxJydXzahCRxzBAE8fOTUroDL83gHRMk/s320/5.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBsLfOG-IqoC7DLQ6IDsTNXMVUdO_l4bMjasCrQpMsSXESiyolxazehMPQ2e2sC255tSuJPbmj1G-Wn0go1ZwBD5gIR4iawwYl3BNf5ufcvJ2bwdPX-ESrX8PZrKh7u8fLCIkr-yuWbM/s1600/4.jpg"> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464622430440548674" style="width: 132px; cursor: pointer; height: 198px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBsLfOG-IqoC7DLQ6IDsTNXMVUdO_l4bMjasCrQpMsSXESiyolxazehMPQ2e2sC255tSuJPbmj1G-Wn0go1ZwBD5gIR4iawwYl3BNf5ufcvJ2bwdPX-ESrX8PZrKh7u8fLCIkr-yuWbM/s320/4.jpg" border="0" /> </a></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-11272110074761927312010-04-16T20:20:00.000-07:002010-04-16T11:43:32.158-07:00where are we pumping, ladies?So, the other day I was at a work conference in Manhattan at a large law firm (that was generously donating their space for our meetings). We had access to a beautiful conference room with views of Times Square, a nutritious and delicious lunch, and polite and attentive support staff. I completely forgot (I plead mommy brain) until late the night before that I was going to need to have access to a space where I could pump during the day. I emailed our staff members responsible for organizing the day's event and--voila!--when I arrived on-site in the morning, I was told that anytime I needed a "lactation room," all I needed to do was talk to the people at the front desk and they would have someone escort me.<br /><br />What I found when I was cordially escorted to my "Mothers' Room" (as the plaque next to the door read) blew my mind.<br /><br />Now, I regularly work in a friendly office of 60+ full-time employees, but I am one of only two parents there. Issues of pumping and milk storage are pretty foreign to most of the people I work with, though everyone is very accommodating when I speak up about my needs. At this point, I am very used to my little hole of a room where I sit three times a day to type one-handed on my computer while I pump. And--since it is an office "telephone room" that everyone can use if they book it on their Outlook calendar--I spend a significant amount of time each week scheduling (and inevitably rescheduling around other meetings that get booked or rescheduled) my three times a day spread far enough apart that I can maximize the amount of milk I can pump but working around other people's schedules and/or having to schedule other rooms for people so that we can swap when they have my pumping room booked already during times when I need it. I'm not going to lie--it's a real headache, not to mention an annoying time-suck. As for the room itself: pros are that it has mini-blinds on the glass door to hide me and a lock on the door; cons are that it is so small I have to turn sidesways to slide inside the door because it can't be fully opened if there are two chairs inside and there are no windows. If you have ever pumped milk or breastfed a child, you know that your body temperature rises while it is working hard enough to express milk, so I get very claustrophobic and hot in my little room!<br /><br /><div align="left">But then, this law firm comes along and I get a real eye-opener. Holy cow! I forget that there are places of work with designated rooms just for this! It was a shock to my system to get a glimpse into the family-friendly environments that some lucky mothers have. I snapped a couple of pictures to show the range of its features. </div><div align="center"><br />A coffee table stacked with parenting-related magazines (my favorite touch): </div><div align="center"></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76FcQUyAFrYVe7cZBmDr7e8mNaQGKEjocq3cClNgPB6MWLA2Uhmon4AGAeLrOynlkL5YBQM-oYHPjj2pfPB-U-DROq1mNpm99B8EsxSXKtktptxiQrhRuvD0ofpyKe_FJmxvmyCSW7vg/s1600/IMG_1325%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460802553547026674" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76FcQUyAFrYVe7cZBmDr7e8mNaQGKEjocq3cClNgPB6MWLA2Uhmon4AGAeLrOynlkL5YBQM-oYHPjj2pfPB-U-DROq1mNpm99B8EsxSXKtktptxiQrhRuvD0ofpyKe_FJmxvmyCSW7vg/s320/IMG_1325%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY2xMx_Sdt1AWmY96JdsF-00SPz7VJM9C01VMqRfNZtar_KmDRjKxS0OoZF8mXubUI2vK2Nn6Tafk8Ihs4AfWU8nUssIc5ijQfigtI8cfA_5_0BLkNduGPLLxT6-0FnTQQkCc5xpv56o/s1600/IMG_1325%5B1%5D.jpg"></a>A bulletin board displaying information on La Leche League of Manhattan: </p><div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebawgDEikFwE0qq4fP-TEFVisuKYlJIKsrsLy_WULxE9A6fcTNdE2MrmWEHk35Vrp65ZSRgBeV8cYhGHhTAByY7SdIbhoaL5cblQfq9y_5EKQ36Qqgk31JRRVSzVP5zbYWBzlekAzjxQ/s1600/IMG_1329%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459828740651682434" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebawgDEikFwE0qq4fP-TEFVisuKYlJIKsrsLy_WULxE9A6fcTNdE2MrmWEHk35Vrp65ZSRgBeV8cYhGHhTAByY7SdIbhoaL5cblQfq9y_5EKQ36Qqgk31JRRVSzVP5zbYWBzlekAzjxQ/s320/IMG_1329%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Private refrigerator:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLJld7oiCLOHVF4B02UxiAjzWkaaQyzISJ4xXinD5TWZSikGVMXUHusITpJmF95rlW6B-3loy5ZzYFEOedd4unHjVtL4Sb6wnuvJOxzOGJQZZSO3wfa4g0L_zJEcqqgJHVBUP7M8aoBQ/s1600/IMG_1328%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459828595506343986" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLJld7oiCLOHVF4B02UxiAjzWkaaQyzISJ4xXinD5TWZSikGVMXUHusITpJmF95rlW6B-3loy5ZzYFEOedd4unHjVtL4Sb6wnuvJOxzOGJQZZSO3wfa4g0L_zJEcqqgJHVBUP7M8aoBQ/s320/IMG_1328%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A rocking chair:<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZXSEZagCiNcMGawy1oGTjqiM-7DHPzYKDS52Fu7LPBaZxvB6fVpoPlYM0EDi3c3jgTqFmAgV29BUREw6joZUFs0i4am9hCbFcC_VKjCWRFyxwxrvCAYEETVNFFNLU9bWi7QosXBkZ74/s1600/IMG_1326%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459828225566687394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZXSEZagCiNcMGawy1oGTjqiM-7DHPzYKDS52Fu7LPBaZxvB6fVpoPlYM0EDi3c3jgTqFmAgV29BUREw6joZUFs0i4am9hCbFcC_VKjCWRFyxwxrvCAYEETVNFFNLU9bWi7QosXBkZ74/s320/IMG_1326%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A lounge chair:<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoceBy1DqUZp6n62nJADKakRT7hIHXUF6ehyynvbjsaerwxMQiixrUfdALCsKmJ-5uolGu9CjFgHcBK7MBELlPMsaBCzVBGkrEhNIuzyrDZ9yBYxd83JM-fFsDjrJg0hN2JebWN1bPQio/s1600/IMG_1327%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459828366004577906" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoceBy1DqUZp6n62nJADKakRT7hIHXUF6ehyynvbjsaerwxMQiixrUfdALCsKmJ-5uolGu9CjFgHcBK7MBELlPMsaBCzVBGkrEhNIuzyrDZ9yBYxd83JM-fFsDjrJg0hN2JebWN1bPQio/s320/IMG_1327%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />However, it cracked me up that, as I was leaving the room after one of my three pumping excursions that day, a woman stopped to comment on the leather bag I was carrying. "Oh my God, they didn't make pumping bags like <em>that</em> back when I was using that room!" she said. I assured her that this was a bag I had owned already (not the one that came with my breast pump!), but then made the comment to her that this room was incredible. She looked at me like I was completely crazy and said: "Well, I guess it's not <em>that</em> bad." I was confused and told her that it was lightyears better than the one I used at my own office and she shrugged and said: "I guess this one could be worse." Yes, yes, true. Could definitely be worse.<br /><br />Earlier this year, I was in a situation where I was at another external organization for an all-day event and the person a the front desk tried to tell me to use the bathroom (plugging in at the shared sinks and standing there while my co-workers--including someone I managed--could walk in and out). I didn't know what else to do, as I was a guest at this office and I <em>had</em> to pump, so I reluctantly plugged in my pump at the sink and started putting my equipment together. Just then, though, a woman came out of a stall and gasped: "Did somebody tell you to pump in here?" I explained and she was appalled. Turns out that she was a mother herself <em>AND</em> the president of the organization! She apologized about a million times that anyone should have suggested I do something so unsanitary and degrading as pump at the public sinks in their bathrooms and then gave me her private office to use then and again later in the day.<br /><br />It has been fascinating seeing all these different setups (or lack thereof) and has made me wonder what kinds of spaces other mommies use at their places of work. I'm sure that my stuffy little room probably sounds like the Shangri-La to some people. I'd love to hear about them all!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-56401113135474653732010-04-16T09:18:00.000-07:002010-04-16T10:26:16.681-07:00deals on designer duds at ZulilyI was recently introduced to <a href="http://zulily.com/">Zulily</a>. It's a cool site that has daily deals in children's (and sometimes even mothers') clothing, accessories, furniture, and equipment from unique designers and companies. It's basically like an online sample sale with a few new limited-time sales opening each day. I signed up to get the e-mail once daily telling me which sales are opening. To see the items for sale, you have to have an account (free setup).<br /><br />I have found it iteresting to be introduced to new designers I'd never known before, plus have a chance to snatch up a couple great items here and there of brands I already knew, too. Best of all, it's pretty much all brands that I could never afford to pay full price for, so it's a treat to have a chance to buy them at such a discount. That being said, these still are not cheap items, so it's a little bit dangerous to look at the sales each day--just because something is half off doesn't always make it affordable! I have to really keep myself in check and only get a little something here and there that I think is truly special (see below).<br /><br />Last month, I got Ruby the most adorable Kate Quinn Organics belted coat for $29.99 from $62. She will look so adorable in it next fall!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUS-MLdZi9cWTBcQ2NnKoa_I40AoHIykq7SNN2uDFT1Smkooco22XXTQVno2vNzAsf88VdXAdqft3gE73-Z2JaW9pW74mineMj1KVQ2J1VOtFuxcHTGRz4WnIFLSk2RDIRbMR6jxTjBg/s1600/zulily2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUS-MLdZi9cWTBcQ2NnKoa_I40AoHIykq7SNN2uDFT1Smkooco22XXTQVno2vNzAsf88VdXAdqft3gE73-Z2JaW9pW74mineMj1KVQ2J1VOtFuxcHTGRz4WnIFLSk2RDIRbMR6jxTjBg/s320/zulily2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460785770836131330" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Today's deals included Cabana Life sun-protective swimsuits and beach attire for boys, girls, and women and great maternity clothing from Everly Grey. I picked up this adorable 50+ UV protection swimsuit combo for Ruby at $27.49 from $68 for next summer.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMW7MXRucxrnuetrs5QnALFiZG4zDuw3G3wo3agZQNVZ-f7m5etcXCiDtUX1illC9_fsAxVXLUQFS-mtRIkdT4YKGEfzsMKIEm_zS2DiKcQSoiw1Uoi56vTGaxLugTxcRnoAXOj1_bBs/s1600/zulily.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMW7MXRucxrnuetrs5QnALFiZG4zDuw3G3wo3agZQNVZ-f7m5etcXCiDtUX1illC9_fsAxVXLUQFS-mtRIkdT4YKGEfzsMKIEm_zS2DiKcQSoiw1Uoi56vTGaxLugTxcRnoAXOj1_bBs/s320/zulily.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460784537047022818" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-86638522364442288992010-04-11T20:32:00.000-07:002010-04-14T05:18:13.002-07:00does your baby love to destroy books and magazines as much as mine does?We were in Washington D.C. this weekend and Ruby got to visit with her Auntie Coco (my best friend, Coral). Coral gave her a present that was the hit of the trip (and, thankfully, the train ride back to NYC): an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fss%5Fi%5F3%5F10%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dindestructibles%2520books%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps%26sprefix%3Dindestruct&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">"Indestructibles" book.</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /> I read somewhere recently that "exploring" books through trying to rip them up and chew on them is actually an important step in the early (very early) literacy process. So these books are great--Ruby can "explore" it all she wants, but it stays intact, the materials and dyes are non-toxic, and the pages won't rip. She can slobber all over it to her heart's content and it just wipes dry no problem. It is soft and floppy--almost like a magazine or a pamphlet for your baby (not like a book-book).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0761156976" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0761158596" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0761156984" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0761156968" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br />The one that Ruby got was the book entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Flutter! Fly!</span> and she is in love with it. She spent a half an hour the other night trying her best to destroy it, but the thing will just not tear, rip, or come apart! Of course, it does crinkle, so she gets a laugh out of crumpling it up. These are just brilliant. Now I want the one called <span style="font-style: italic;">Mama and Baby!</span> (available for pre-order only right now). It looks adorable.<br /><br />These are pretty darn inexpensive, too, considering how much Ruby loves them. It's got a great amount of excitement to the dollar!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-33516892614501457322010-04-04T19:54:00.000-07:002010-04-05T17:18:46.379-07:00going rogue: unique baby gifts (not on the *gasp* registry!)When I get invited to a baby shower, I always stress about whether to just get something off the registry or to go rogue with my gift. Of course, the answer to this question depends on a number of factors. First of all, how well do you know this mother-to-be? You need to know her (or her family) well enough to go off the grid with a present that you know she'll want, need, or at least like. Some people are very particular about only wanting items on their registries. My advice to you would be to check out their registry and see how much stuff they put on there and what kind of things they seem to be gravitating toward. Also, see how much of it is actually getting purchased. If it's a week before their baby shower and almost nothing is bought from the registry, then maybe you should go with one of the items they picked out. On the other hand, if it's a week before the shower and there are only dredges left, feel free to get them something different!<br /><br />Personally, I feel strange creating a list that says what you can buy for me (or the baby), and only did it for our wedding and when we had Ruby because of peer pressure (ie. there are a lot of people out there who want a list that tells them what to get because they aren't particularly excited about picking out a present on their own!). I, for one, am more than happy to receive gifts that are not on my "list."<br /><br />That being said, make sure you take into consideration the size of your item and whether or not the new family will have space for it in their home. Space is a common problem for many urban parents, so this is a real concern for many of us. Obviously you're not going to buy furniture items unless someone registered for them. But the same goes for bulky things like cute soft chairs for babies (like this <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/pastel-critter-chairs/?pkey=bsoft-seating">bunny chair</a> from Pottery Barn Kids that I actually put on my registry and love), play equipment, or large toys.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1JFoQicZHf3tVBm94e7264AclX1rHsFZUR-lbIcdtwlTpF_mxQQ3sZEG_et4c9rwG5KVo1O1j2Zt8Zbc4a1vRh3o8G6rykF1GGthM5acLylorTvKMo90glWHkYOcfKH07IQFYyIUVG4/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1JFoQicZHf3tVBm94e7264AclX1rHsFZUR-lbIcdtwlTpF_mxQQ3sZEG_et4c9rwG5KVo1O1j2Zt8Zbc4a1vRh3o8G6rykF1GGthM5acLylorTvKMo90glWHkYOcfKH07IQFYyIUVG4/s200/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456718077099999602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So, if all that's left on the parents' registry are socks, bottles, diapers, and a boring old bathtub insert, consider these other, fun options that will be sure to please mama and, more importantly (well, that's debatable), the baby-to-be.<br /><blockquote>1. If you're crafty or otherwise creatively-inclined, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">make something special</span> for the baby. Not only will it be unique and unlike the rest of their cookie-cutter presents, it will be something that will be much more likely to be saved and cherished for years to come--maybe even become family heirlooms! We are lucky enough to know a lot of amazingly creative and talented people, and Ruby was showered with really special homemade gifts. From a beautiful blanket knit by my Aunt Connie to an adorable hat crocheted by our friend Keri, she has so many special things that I will be setting aside for future babies and/or grandchildren. You don't have to have a special talent or skill (like sewing, knitting, quilting, etc.) to make something special. Last year, I put together a play list of soft songs (adult songs that may not be as annoying to listen to over and over again) and designed a CD label for lullabies to give to some parents-to-be.<br /><br />In the pictures: 1) the most amazing baby quilt you will ever see, made by our friend Mary, 2) two stuffed monsters (modeled after the Ugly dolls), made by my best friend, Coral, 3) an adorable sweater, knit by my Aunt Rita, and 4) a funny bib, embroidered by Coral's mom.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oU8LCQFaSoLhPYyHxID-yvC2k9JPOaRX9VUHoECJh9gOmek3Q7WuzL40mI1d-cCpCdDpjy112LQGYpRFy5iDcTR_ozqjulkOrGuYUeX8-9rL0xa6udqqPcyd9Cf_7xv-8vSauKcI76M/s1600/11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oU8LCQFaSoLhPYyHxID-yvC2k9JPOaRX9VUHoECJh9gOmek3Q7WuzL40mI1d-cCpCdDpjy112LQGYpRFy5iDcTR_ozqjulkOrGuYUeX8-9rL0xa6udqqPcyd9Cf_7xv-8vSauKcI76M/s200/11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456728047825049250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyYgeVgKr7A46DHQrxvGK7hLJsLMpi1KJivPhy5At7taTr5FD2JOubF43FoNzAFsFwPq-UcLA48QXFlAgFx1Tc0F_3qP7_8ztbacF-eVN8vDZ4mEgU4bK4O3mmjgfPWGZO5hH9DGK_tw/s1600/9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyYgeVgKr7A46DHQrxvGK7hLJsLMpi1KJivPhy5At7taTr5FD2JOubF43FoNzAFsFwPq-UcLA48QXFlAgFx1Tc0F_3qP7_8ztbacF-eVN8vDZ4mEgU4bK4O3mmjgfPWGZO5hH9DGK_tw/s200/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456727981281201538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsL16QCylcDFekCfosWlBBDFAMPpdCXhKWQ4jFw26lAq3yzLukFtQwWLVXjeElRPyxV9rqh2eceBtFSsRIX7doB6zA_0v5ZO4OXvIsI6y_Ru93NusRZyaMoCbIxX2z-mTg4Tki_rGb4k/s1600/7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 89px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsL16QCylcDFekCfosWlBBDFAMPpdCXhKWQ4jFw26lAq3yzLukFtQwWLVXjeElRPyxV9rqh2eceBtFSsRIX7doB6zA_0v5ZO4OXvIsI6y_Ru93NusRZyaMoCbIxX2z-mTg4Tki_rGb4k/s200/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456727912229455858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROJ9OLX3_J-EaLSvG4ozm-PtMluCScdViM7_2RObZoIrbeMYS3ejwp_jT1OXQTaZ6LvjHAvbpqvFhHVttgM1D2tHapZUsfuhcmw9Q5Rn-AV9RJ3AEr3ercKJHoHv0ggnOn1wd2R_kTrY/s1600/4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 89px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROJ9OLX3_J-EaLSvG4ozm-PtMluCScdViM7_2RObZoIrbeMYS3ejwp_jT1OXQTaZ6LvjHAvbpqvFhHVttgM1D2tHapZUsfuhcmw9Q5Rn-AV9RJ3AEr3ercKJHoHv0ggnOn1wd2R_kTrY/s200/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456727849568673778" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />2. If you don't have the time, energy, or skill to make something yourself, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">buy a homemade (just not in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">your </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">home) craft on </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);" href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a>. Ruby got a bunch of neat things from Etsy from her cousin Stella at Christmas this year and they are some of her favorite things! I'm warning you, though: getting hooked on Etsy can be addicting!<br /><br />Some of my favorite shops on Etsy for baby things:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/allthenumbers">Allthenumbers</a>: cute baby girl clothing (some of which are upcycled from adult clothing)</li><li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/IcingOnTheCupcake">Icing on the Cupcake</a>: cute lovey blankets</li><li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mommy24cs">The Fakery Bakery</a>: stop it! These felted play foods are just too much!</li><li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mymarketstall">mymarketstall</a>: knit hats, inspired by nature...Jude was so excited for Ruby's radish hat last fall!</li><li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadepretties?section_id=5018043">Handmade Pretties</a>: Ruby loves her personalized recycled sweater ball from here that her cousin Stella gave her for Christmas!<br /></li></ul>3. If you're like me and just cannot resist adorable baby clothes, try to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">buy a unique clothing item that the parent might not come across on their own</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">or splurge on a pricey clothing item that a new parent would love but not think to spend their hard-earned diaper money on!</span> If they don't have any clothes on their registry, I think any clothing is fair game. If they did register for clothing, try to avoid buying clothing from the same store that they registered at if it's not on thier list (ie. they intentionally passed up registering for that item, so you know they either: a) loved it so much they already bought it themselves, or b) don't want it).<br /><br />Also, when buying baby clothes for a shower, keep in mind when this baby is going to be born and what sizes will match up to what seasons! Unless you know your friend is taking her baby on a beach vacation mid-winter, do not buy a tank top and sun hat that will fit a New York City baby in mid-February!<br /><br />For unique clothes, try <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> or small boutiques and baby stores in your area. Here are a couple of cute hats that Ruby got as gifts from friends:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oGBhD1AE9HKcGOyz3fS9oR41lAXZWeFOLCl-S6mIzUJGadSo9Icuc91dzOYO9bj4hLmOdN-Blvxk3KfG0_BcKK6q8YYOc9U0qXP1O0MKIap97slzIhnJLxUlvu5Uv1ewpMwaFOYuwNw/s1600/15.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 83px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oGBhD1AE9HKcGOyz3fS9oR41lAXZWeFOLCl-S6mIzUJGadSo9Icuc91dzOYO9bj4hLmOdN-Blvxk3KfG0_BcKK6q8YYOc9U0qXP1O0MKIap97slzIhnJLxUlvu5Uv1ewpMwaFOYuwNw/s200/15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456751541319742386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5w962H4O6YBaOakm4b5xN_ElBtuKT46IRy2zxgra65Wbt3qcTnfHwxttqotG3A4_kOProcVLUuidH4e3_PbWQrLhB5Kq9Ji70OSiIpvhUpkMIfl34i7BlCBlbP0IHcplrUOKWIZnfpI/s1600/24.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 86px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5w962H4O6YBaOakm4b5xN_ElBtuKT46IRy2zxgra65Wbt3qcTnfHwxttqotG3A4_kOProcVLUuidH4e3_PbWQrLhB5Kq9Ji70OSiIpvhUpkMIfl34i7BlCBlbP0IHcplrUOKWIZnfpI/s200/24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456755700167173314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />If you travel, pick up cute clothes on the cheap from markets--some of our favorite clothes for Ruby came from friends' and family members' trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Panama, and Ecuador!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb6K4tQWr2POboSlXYapj3maMNfipbPLwS3zqHhcnL0TNzgCsXaPaBL0GSbkcihdzgyTlRka7jgS9NnYaPROuLogc3vxTJ62hCKFQoIA0gftKdzZAITO5Ob0ASz8qmk5q7-ce_1PUsFI/s1600/13.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb6K4tQWr2POboSlXYapj3maMNfipbPLwS3zqHhcnL0TNzgCsXaPaBL0GSbkcihdzgyTlRka7jgS9NnYaPROuLogc3vxTJ62hCKFQoIA0gftKdzZAITO5Ob0ASz8qmk5q7-ce_1PUsFI/s200/13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456750582980127602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ROkzY5LUQluxFO5PFEpa6HsknubMbqNGaU8sT3Pz0naxXTlAtRwwIQKmqu-281ZZdQJMyqDgGC9EO6vvH_DWK8R_P1e28XpEkHwkv-Ajcbj7QpUHHKWljZXWyiQD_T22acGzabxM_T8/s1600/10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ROkzY5LUQluxFO5PFEpa6HsknubMbqNGaU8sT3Pz0naxXTlAtRwwIQKmqu-281ZZdQJMyqDgGC9EO6vvH_DWK8R_P1e28XpEkHwkv-Ajcbj7QpUHHKWljZXWyiQD_T22acGzabxM_T8/s200/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456750518839869170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3IoCWZq1Fw1b3EJWcYY9Qz2TroLWv7Rm-q0JgvRsnMyCKX1OYVESv45dB4P_-9iaqqn-Wd0J7tuutYxTlacFaT5dDXemp-x4v47tTuPS9HKijMsfuJE8uKr-kqdJR8vJfed8oDjJLps/s1600/3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3IoCWZq1Fw1b3EJWcYY9Qz2TroLWv7Rm-q0JgvRsnMyCKX1OYVESv45dB4P_-9iaqqn-Wd0J7tuutYxTlacFaT5dDXemp-x4v47tTuPS9HKijMsfuJE8uKr-kqdJR8vJfed8oDjJLps/s200/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456750415338417314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />If you live in a big city, check out sample sales. In New York City, I've gotten some <span style="font-style: italic;">steals</span> on expensive brands like Rowdy Sprout, Rachel Riley, Jacardi Paris, Imps & Elfs, etc. at the <a href="http://clothingline.com/upcomingsales.php">Clothingline sample sales</a> in the garmet district.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGVe6VBldcY-nx2L2q5MhV_NarnXYG1azlqv5A7378nVwV7TDuFXJgFToYt9souiyiBt-Nu6mbLIdeP2_hNTa6oGnR5U6hKcqDH6FYUOnQ8QHuoiorD1lz7IaG46DhlN4WHGZfS8XGCk/s1600/14.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGVe6VBldcY-nx2L2q5MhV_NarnXYG1azlqv5A7378nVwV7TDuFXJgFToYt9souiyiBt-Nu6mbLIdeP2_hNTa6oGnR5U6hKcqDH6FYUOnQ8QHuoiorD1lz7IaG46DhlN4WHGZfS8XGCk/s200/14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456751082481217234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqLe_K_PdSkQrGy9NPaUflpgv71ai_IBnXqILSuvMxU6WdMeC1lT4lJZssRorUSOsLxjVDH1EZpybHKQLDGVqRKteGUaubElhTDFANo931X8vYO1Fi13qnpGy-fyQ02IrXczWcU0DNsE/s1600/23.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqLe_K_PdSkQrGy9NPaUflpgv71ai_IBnXqILSuvMxU6WdMeC1lT4lJZssRorUSOsLxjVDH1EZpybHKQLDGVqRKteGUaubElhTDFANo931X8vYO1Fi13qnpGy-fyQ02IrXczWcU0DNsE/s200/23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456755632295380146" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />A couple of my favorite baby clothing lines that are too expensive for me to buy at full price for Ruby, but I have either given and/or received as gifts, are:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr%5Fnr%5Fseeall%5F2%26keywords%3Dtea%2520collection%26qid%3D1270511301%26rh%3Di%253Aaps%252Ck%253Atea%2520collection%252Ci%253Ababy-products&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Tea Collection:</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpVPD_eFtn5D9pmoPdpw66qJe0Kv7Y5koBnBsw1GS-ACiUGkGbN5AVI1fGKnTTzX3fkEROKciZ9H_HBORpFYwltWxLKMk2jQFr2SakiH4JsgWIqYE4d-JLTHR-zfFZe_cEFj9f0bnQ68/s1600/16.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpVPD_eFtn5D9pmoPdpw66qJe0Kv7Y5koBnBsw1GS-ACiUGkGbN5AVI1fGKnTTzX3fkEROKciZ9H_HBORpFYwltWxLKMk2jQFr2SakiH4JsgWIqYE4d-JLTHR-zfFZe_cEFj9f0bnQ68/s200/16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456751615252670882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6afyhQZhjKYGdsX0jWDS3Mq4LROrIvj6Uto575EeCFFPOVey1fzLI5ypYXm9ck-VNR4brHZFn6qQyse1kBxzZKB12BvS_KPWcdBHXcFtUzb3ZPQhsF6PaBwmCIWNLclDVaEA2AxWdyA/s1600/17.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 107px; height: 71px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6afyhQZhjKYGdsX0jWDS3Mq4LROrIvj6Uto575EeCFFPOVey1fzLI5ypYXm9ck-VNR4brHZFn6qQyse1kBxzZKB12BvS_KPWcdBHXcFtUzb3ZPQhsF6PaBwmCIWNLclDVaEA2AxWdyA/s200/17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456751675181683074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczS7PM2vL18QJQ_oOpzYPXR8Vnbf3eooS5ud-DbwnsS24_iPAs-dMabLnXu_RxSWssmLsgxxQwMpYK2YAbV6bqsWXWHGYMYD9g7GiuyLDD-b0j5umpDTOQmFy8a_NebgSK5Iqw8V6Pzc/s1600/12.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 77px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczS7PM2vL18QJQ_oOpzYPXR8Vnbf3eooS5ud-DbwnsS24_iPAs-dMabLnXu_RxSWssmLsgxxQwMpYK2YAbV6bqsWXWHGYMYD9g7GiuyLDD-b0j5umpDTOQmFy8a_NebgSK5Iqw8V6Pzc/s200/12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456751016679674274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55_BnyN6FqPjBKWzIYROyQiThTLknSWJ-YWA_2j6jzJzssi7c79Wr0oa5BRAsPPJh5d_9AoCsy5s5Jo0PFoe-ANphZZEhSklhsZyCILxL6BwEeAYNbulhQ-69Vnwk4Bn81qQhqRuSCLg/s1600/25.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55_BnyN6FqPjBKWzIYROyQiThTLknSWJ-YWA_2j6jzJzssi7c79Wr0oa5BRAsPPJh5d_9AoCsy5s5Jo0PFoe-ANphZZEhSklhsZyCILxL6BwEeAYNbulhQ-69Vnwk4Bn81qQhqRuSCLg/s200/25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456776383213794226" border="0" /></a></li><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI8mUYAla_3d6y7weZjWPQqMnIiaeiX1nDa2ssdF_nz1ioIPJh0HrTbVnyamtLii3niwQV5XbIEv29pYT4JUkCEzk-aY9ZB-VAIeUCVNb_quoPQoYLhDzYgacow62xHOPN4A7jzC-qBA/s1600/21.jpg">Mini Boden:</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnxDfa9Xyhqoeg5dvVypOFCZJx5dbn6XXmPmSJIHsGpa7zfgX5RMlVBTlSoBxD1OpuUiYiV-JZuGAGvPqoONIHB86MYfP_TKXij6K18AFrVQsEXMAfROne2ppk5Bsf4WpiPA7j0Xvmjs/s1600/20.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 111px; height: 74px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnxDfa9Xyhqoeg5dvVypOFCZJx5dbn6XXmPmSJIHsGpa7zfgX5RMlVBTlSoBxD1OpuUiYiV-JZuGAGvPqoONIHB86MYfP_TKXij6K18AFrVQsEXMAfROne2ppk5Bsf4WpiPA7j0Xvmjs/s200/20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456752480766193842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu-4fxqziQJ3BYd35TL5_4IA2YFHtlcV2UItnXPF-2A8RgPrXvisgFD7ARV3KfzX3nC2O0IE6jbW68qL0JzibpJr0Ibbc4VLKWmnLMCwqD2cHfQ92WJGfUeY3yK7N3-HDmjQbbg4hhZY/s1600/5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu-4fxqziQJ3BYd35TL5_4IA2YFHtlcV2UItnXPF-2A8RgPrXvisgFD7ARV3KfzX3nC2O0IE6jbW68qL0JzibpJr0Ibbc4VLKWmnLMCwqD2cHfQ92WJGfUeY3yK7N3-HDmjQbbg4hhZY/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456750938508371298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNU8dmx4PogS7w3NDTrixQyL_3GYRw1a7yduXc8VWoNUHFHrA-HseRqj4WkwWLF7onyH9uBWffQAOrypyZWiIGx4Km2KG6AiqZxc-MAY-1bctq19mjT5gJcLH1l-eloeNDvZD5uMn1YQE/s1600/26.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 67px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNU8dmx4PogS7w3NDTrixQyL_3GYRw1a7yduXc8VWoNUHFHrA-HseRqj4WkwWLF7onyH9uBWffQAOrypyZWiIGx4Km2KG6AiqZxc-MAY-1bctq19mjT5gJcLH1l-eloeNDvZD5uMn1YQE/s200/26.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456776441432185250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcARSkWEd67IPTAPEPQPzkHSgmWvQTyir1-LZwX8SYx3kKOMlOAzd22MnE5LwssU-IIbEhU1gEjmd38WSIrCwX2aST-nEOw-lICZIunizcKeUaGStr4_Be3GWB-v09vtj47USNOqNV8Os/s1600/22.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcARSkWEd67IPTAPEPQPzkHSgmWvQTyir1-LZwX8SYx3kKOMlOAzd22MnE5LwssU-IIbEhU1gEjmd38WSIrCwX2aST-nEOw-lICZIunizcKeUaGStr4_Be3GWB-v09vtj47USNOqNV8Os/s200/22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456753359907995858" border="0" /></a></li></ul>4. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">If you want to go with toys or things for the baby's entertainment, be sure that they are non-toxic (BPA-free, at least) and they can return or exchange it if they already have the same one. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Just because something is sold as a toy does not mean it is non-toxic</span> (in this country, at least)! Be sure that anything that is plastic-based (especially things meant for bath time, meal time, or for sucking or teething) is BPA-free and, preferably, PVC-free, too. It would be a shame if you bought some cute toys that the baby will never get to play with because the parent is educated about the dangers of such chemicals to their child's health. If gifts I received didn't specifically state the materials it was made from on the packaging, I looked up each item individually to find out if it was something I would give to Ruby. Unfortunately, there were a few gifts that never made it her way.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thesoftlanding.com/">The Soft Landing</a> is a great website and online store to use to learn about and/or purchase items that you know will be made from materials that are not known to be harmful.<br /><br />Below, Sophie the Giraffe is always a favorite. I feel like every kid in NYC has one. Ruby LOVES her art cards given to her by a friend when she was still a tiny baby. She has been mesmerized by them since she was 2 months old and now loves to bang them together and chew on the edges!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeyvZxFuzI9AErIrGDl8RaKWxxSWkP55OYh4PrxodWaEQ_uYYXrbu617w4vBI7UqjlRiBH-UJKY_1SQJ24JwAYLbFilW3XmIASdLxW9uL5pgxEXAdMd6qKpbnvrg1Ml1RM6QPw0G4rEc/s1600/27.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeyvZxFuzI9AErIrGDl8RaKWxxSWkP55OYh4PrxodWaEQ_uYYXrbu617w4vBI7UqjlRiBH-UJKY_1SQJ24JwAYLbFilW3XmIASdLxW9uL5pgxEXAdMd6qKpbnvrg1Ml1RM6QPw0G4rEc/s200/27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456776502776417330" border="0" /></a><br /></div></blockquote></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000IDSLOG" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001FBIHE4" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0002HYCMI" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><blockquote>5. Want a gift that will be fun for you to buy and has the potential to be cherished for years to come? <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Buy some of your favorite childhood books, or pick out some recent award-winners.</span> Just be sure to include a gift receipt, in case they already have them. Board books are more practical for a new baby, but get the classics in hard cover!</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0307165485" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0099417472" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1402756984" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1580891748" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=067088278X" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0679882839" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><blockquote>6. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Give your favorite life-saving baby product that you had or used for your own child.</span> My new go-to staple item that I can talk about until I'm blue in the face is the NoseFrida. I've had other friends do this, too: our friend Leah, for example, sent a Taggies baby blanket, saying that her two sons have them and they were the only can't-live-without-it items for them. My cousin sent me her baby girls' swaddle blanket.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B00171WXII" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000CQDWFW" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Gift certificates and/or cash money: never a bad idea! </span>Gift certificates to Target always get used on the basics. Others to try: Pottery Barn Kids, The Soft Landing, Amazon.com, iTunes (for lullabies and/or <a href="http://www.milkdreams.com/2010/02/iphone-apps-only-mother-could-love.html">apps for iPhones</a>), etc. And money comes in handy...you don't need me to tell you why.<br /></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001H53QDK" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-38753202239765309822010-03-21T11:44:00.000-07:002010-03-22T12:51:01.099-07:00spring fever = baby feverWhen you live in a place where there are distinct weather seasons, there is nothing better than those first few days of spring (you know the ones I'm talking about: when you do all of your favorite warm-weather things like eat ice cream on the street and lay on the grass in parks...and you wear your favorite warm-weather clothes like flip-flops and summer dresses...and, even though you are actually quite cold because it's never as warm as you think it's going to be, you hold your head up high and stick to your lofty plans because you are delirious with spring fever). Inevitably, spring makes makes me think of all things bright and shiny and cuddly. And, now more than ever: birth, babies, and happy laughter. Here are photos from last year's spring, full of hope and promise and, of course, this year's spring, full of my bright and shiny and cuddly baby!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Spring fever 2009 (already <span style="font-style: italic;">huge </span><span>at the beginning of my third trimester, </span>a few <span style="font-style: italic;">months </span>before giving birth to Ruby!):<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuOcPJ_htv2g7E013G6VA3yesLAjmRQO92wUEiIr7_oNVFH22aHBEE5G2as5PsvOb1pms-KNBquxjpMwxOqhqJaqpM-p7hY4PAmKDYMv85uFaGKW6OXHsSBbLYSWxsV07KiCzH3EYbho/s1600-h/spring.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuOcPJ_htv2g7E013G6VA3yesLAjmRQO92wUEiIr7_oNVFH22aHBEE5G2as5PsvOb1pms-KNBquxjpMwxOqhqJaqpM-p7hY4PAmKDYMv85uFaGKW6OXHsSBbLYSWxsV07KiCzH3EYbho/s320/spring.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451534290653112642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Spring fever 2010:<br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqbuDvh_nOSCzmS7ri8LuJQ9M5q5b8LiDZIR_WKjAz9w0xY86BZOuWf9RGhgQJ1TAqqDux-9CsgOswwO7kyQjFOjvSev66-qjpNI8ab6yoVPYZ5_UsfS1EDQcFY-6sSwoldMMW06pouk/s1600-h/28.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqbuDvh_nOSCzmS7ri8LuJQ9M5q5b8LiDZIR_WKjAz9w0xY86BZOuWf9RGhgQJ1TAqqDux-9CsgOswwO7kyQjFOjvSev66-qjpNI8ab6yoVPYZ5_UsfS1EDQcFY-6sSwoldMMW06pouk/s320/28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451531984654762946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Along these lines, birth has been on my mind. It's baby season in Brooklyn, plus I have had a few people tell me recently that they are pregnant.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0965987302" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><br />Here is a book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965987302?ie=UTF8&tag=milkdreams-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0965987302">Birthing From Within</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=milkdreams-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0965987302" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" />, that my friend Emily (doula, soon-to-be-midwife, all-around amazing birthing expert) gave me last year while I was getting ready to give birth to my daughter. I love this book because it's very holistic and inclusive in its approach to birthing. And because I think it really got me into a good mindset somewhere in between "planning" how I wanted to give birth, and also understanding that I wouldn't be able to control it all and that I would need to be flexible in my expectations in order to have the wonderful experience I wanted. This helped me immeasurably when push came to shove and the complications of my labor kept me from being allowed to give birth in the natural birthing center that I had planned for and I had to give birth in the dreaded <span style="font-style: italic;">hospital </span>(not at all what I had in mind). Much of what I had taken away from <span style="font-style: italic;">Birthing From Within</span> helped me to shift my mindset in the moment to quickly get over my disappointment and still have a beautiful, memorable, drug-free birth in my little hospital room after 36 hours of sleepless labor.<br /><br />As I write this with my windows open and Ruby sleeping soundly beside me, I can hear the voices of all the neighborhood kids squealing in delight at the playground down the street. It is one of the unmistakable sounds of spring and the fruit of our hard labors (literally)!<br /></div></div><br />Hope your spring is sheer bliss!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9a1pip3cgo4ZgOuxbzQhraxNHTf7rdr1u-xgzy2lBcW1-8o7ebC0irD3R_fD75Z5AVS22Z5w5XwU_zRNTxokC_3bvq7lfBjH3QEBEldV51FnGXvDxAd-Wopag2v8o6bsL1TNizNR4vE/s1600-h/spring3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9a1pip3cgo4ZgOuxbzQhraxNHTf7rdr1u-xgzy2lBcW1-8o7ebC0irD3R_fD75Z5AVS22Z5w5XwU_zRNTxokC_3bvq7lfBjH3QEBEldV51FnGXvDxAd-Wopag2v8o6bsL1TNizNR4vE/s200/spring3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451544594789163842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyzXmL_lQCt18KIkAtbzuVYqYXbEawzx-gcA7lBc8PG6JOWNYh4OiVc2IJuScnn_16QhDOo4ynVB7mdJu-83InlRxRlvcmI0oLgl3WWnpX1yzg5OQywTZpyzaTqOXzZO4tNubzwT3rJg/s1600-h/spring2.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyzXmL_lQCt18KIkAtbzuVYqYXbEawzx-gcA7lBc8PG6JOWNYh4OiVc2IJuScnn_16QhDOo4ynVB7mdJu-83InlRxRlvcmI0oLgl3WWnpX1yzg5OQywTZpyzaTqOXzZO4tNubzwT3rJg/s200/spring2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451544492601927218" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-58006181627312010562010-03-06T15:49:00.000-08:002010-03-06T22:05:02.649-08:00IKEA...man, those Swedes are clever!Maybe it's because I grew up in Singapore and our weekly Sunday family ritual included church, dim sum, and then a trip to Ikea to play in the "many balls." Or maybe it's because I'm a major nerd and I am tickled by simplistic innovation (read: I actually <span style="font-style: italic;">enjoy </span>building IKEA furniture). But one thing is for sure: from sitting in their cafeteria and eating 99 cent cinnamon rolls and downing free refills of carbonated lingonberry juice to waiting in line with a giant flatbed cart full of twice as many things as you meant to buy, I get a wind of excitement from a day at <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/">IKEA</a>!<br /><br />Love it or hate it (I know I just raved about how much I love it, but I also spent one of the most miserable afternoons ever at the IKEA in the Netherlands on the outskirts of Amsterdam a few days before Christmas that was so chaotic and hellish that my dad looked at me afterward and solemnly said: "never again." The only thing tha redeemed our day were the warm and delicious aebleskivers being sold out of a truck in the parking lot--brilliance!), IKEA is a necessary staple for many of us city folk on limited budgets! If you live in a major metropolitan area in the U.S., the chances are pretty good that you have fairly easy access to an IKEA.<br /><br />Last winter, Jude and I were deciding what to do about baby furniture in our then-one-bedroom apartment. We knew we needed a crib and a changing table and at least one new chest of drawers to accommodate all the new "stuff," and that we wanted it all to be affordable and compact. I found the giant cribs with the even bigger pricetags at places like Pottery Barn and the like to be downright laughable. I mean, really...how long is this kid going to sleep in there? I couldn't justify the space or the cost for a designer crib or a fancy tabletop to wipe my baby's bottom. The answer was simple: IKEA, IKEA, IKEA. We don't have a car, so we rented one for a day and zipped around Brooklyn running errands, having food at normally-inconvenient locales, and, of course, a few hours at IKEA to deck out our digs for the newcomer.<br /><br />I alluded to it earlier, but I will scream it from the mountaintops: IKEA furniture is amazingly simple and I find the pictures-only directions to be just so darn clever! I have built a ton of IKEA furniture over the years to furnish apartments in Chicago, LA, and Brooklyn, and I have yet to find any directions that didn't work out perfectly if followed exactly. Jude loathes building furniture, so he cooks me fabulous meals while I lay out all the pieces on the floor and get to work. I built a crib, a changing table, and two dressers in three days at six months pregnant--phew! I had just read an article about how babies hear things from in the womb and sounds they hear a lot become second-nature to them by the time they are born, so we always laughed about how Ruby will always feel at ease in her lifetime to the sound of hammering.<br /><br />Here is our changing table all set up before Ruby was born. The cool thing about this is that the overhanging part that makes it a changing table is actually only a $20 separate add-on, so, when we no longer have need for a changing table we will remove it and have a regular dresser. This is the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S79853807">Leksvik cabinet</a> ($149 as a dresser, $169 with the attachment to make it a changing table).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJB_SnRd2Tx6QUdqXVLopaA_w63N9X91IumP5OWWAuCF0YCXmTFgKk6HKZWsEiaHgFw3fVcJA84xxKpuFNzZc2V9C_sxQ92aqzVfgZy9bqMl7K366ieaRdTgezdJXOuyrzSh9ZA1zaKWY/s1600-h/440073482703_0_ALB.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJB_SnRd2Tx6QUdqXVLopaA_w63N9X91IumP5OWWAuCF0YCXmTFgKk6HKZWsEiaHgFw3fVcJA84xxKpuFNzZc2V9C_sxQ92aqzVfgZy9bqMl7K366ieaRdTgezdJXOuyrzSh9ZA1zaKWY/s320/440073482703_0_ALB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445757476965390882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Here is Ruby's simple little <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60108663">Leksvik crib</a>. It may be small and simple, but it is also surprisingly versitile. It starts with the mattress high when you first build it. I recently had to lower the mattress which I was able to do by myself one afternoon (though it was a little bit of a pain to not have a second set of hands when I had to turn the crib over and balance the boards while screwing in the bolts). When Ruby gets bigger, we actually have two other boards stashed away in a closet that will allow me to turn this into a toddler bed! All for $159!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KB24FsOmKv2grdsyzBwmLiLVOXB-ckesTmPxBVxoWpzdfWUDZcFJjXvvQ6Vz5ti3kKXvotjnBSt199yw1Q_8BxiFclK4chS83stgu9bd0s5Pg9x3dQTR-Lm_es0Hl0ZfxtAAc_wxPN0/s1600-h/931692482703_0_ALB.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KB24FsOmKv2grdsyzBwmLiLVOXB-ckesTmPxBVxoWpzdfWUDZcFJjXvvQ6Vz5ti3kKXvotjnBSt199yw1Q_8BxiFclK4chS83stgu9bd0s5Pg9x3dQTR-Lm_es0Hl0ZfxtAAc_wxPN0/s320/931692482703_0_ALB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445757566804142642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We also now have a few other dressers and pieces from the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60108663">Leksvik line</a> for Ruby's things.<br /><br />I haven't really bought much else for Ruby there--they have adorable feeding and bathing accessories and fun toys, but I didn't buy any of them while I was there because I hadn't done any research into what kinds of materials they use for things that would potentially go in baby's mouth or be used with soaking. If anyone happens to know whether their cute <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40084861">froggy dinnerware</a> is BPA-free, let me know! They have a simple <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80141256">folding highchair</a>, too, that is a great space saver.<br /><br />One thing I find drool-worthy that Ruby is still way too young for is their adorable <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70129801">play kitchen</a> and all of the accessories. So so cute!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFGkQFlEEyk9ys7ggdKrrRTnCuNMMZyAjXgz4tLMeQ89RSEl-2yof8bfI413qA2A3VSRAwKun4xIicq7q89b0bLwihp25-59PUxeTYnQ-bIwJn7cA0mC0n71qi8oh6YJEQ2KLmEe2z2o/s1600-h/0086284_PE214924_S3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFGkQFlEEyk9ys7ggdKrrRTnCuNMMZyAjXgz4tLMeQ89RSEl-2yof8bfI413qA2A3VSRAwKun4xIicq7q89b0bLwihp25-59PUxeTYnQ-bIwJn7cA0mC0n71qi8oh6YJEQ2KLmEe2z2o/s320/0086284_PE214924_S3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445768089777963426" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Anyway, if you're looking for simple and affordable baby things that are also appropriately small for your small baby in your small urban home, don't forget IKEA!<br /></div></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-52082756979525981682010-03-02T19:37:00.000-08:002010-04-05T08:57:42.932-07:00pub crawler controversyCNN.com ran an article today, entitled "<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/02/brooklyn.babies.in.bars/index.html?hpt=C2">Brooklyn brewhaha: Babies in bars</a>," about the controversy raging in my lovely city around parents bringing their little bundles of joy into their favorite watering holes. I find this topic fascinating and I can totally commiserate with the people on both sides of the issue. We ourselves have never had Ruby in a bar (unless you count a restaurant that happens to have a bar), but I can totally understand how it would be practical to meet a friend out for a drink with the munchkin tagging along.<br /><br />Here's the thing: when you have a baby in this city, you are, essentially, giving up your right to leave your home alone. The first time I walked out of my apartment without Ruby attached to me or in a stroller was when I went a few blocks away to get a haircut at about six weeks postpartum (and I wept as I walked and talked incessantly about Ruby to the hairdresser and skipped out early on the hairdryer). I went back to work when she was three months old, but, besides the office three days a week, I have been out in NYC without the baby a total of five times (a haircut, three dinners with Jude, and one dinner with girlfriends) in her nearly eight months!<br /><br />It's hard to find dependable childcare if you are city implants like us and don't have family around. We have been incredibly lucky to have an awesome situation with a close friend for the weekdays when I'm working, but our amazing caregiver is not really available on nights or weekends. Plus, it's hard to fathom: a) wanting to spend any more time away from Ruby than we have to, or b) spending more money on childcare when we're not getting paid for our absence. So, if we want any adult social interactions, our options are limited to either inviting our friends over to our place or dragging Ruby out with us. We do both. But if we take her out, it's to restaurants, museums, coffee shops, etc. Something feels strange about bringing Ruby out to a bar. Part of it is probably because I went to college in Madison, Wisconsin when it was still legal to smoke in public indoors and, even though it's not true at all in Brooklyn, I still picture the stinky dives full of cancer air that I used to hang out in when I think of a bar. Another part of it is that I don't drink while I'm nursing (which means that, with a few recent minor exceptions, I haven't drank alcohol since finding out I was pregnant about 16 months ago!), so a bar is not particularly enticing to me at this point anyway. For Daddy, on the other hand, I could see where this could present itself as a viable option.<br /><br />The parents who are pro-baby barflies in this debate are not talking about getting trashed and stumbling home pushing a stroller. Nor are they talking about bringing them to loud, wild scenes at night. The issue is, for example, whether or not it's acceptable to bring your sweet kid to a calm bar while you have a drink and chat with a pal in the middle of the afternoon. If there's zero smoke indoors and you're not getting tipsy, what is the problem?<br /><br />Well, for non-child-toting adults, there are a few potentials problems in this scenario. In the CNN article, I think Juieanne Smolinski says it best: "I will get up on the subway for kids. I will be tolerant of them kicking the back of my seat while seeing a G-rated movie. But let me have my bars." A pub is where you go to kick back and relax--not to worry about a little one overhearing your sailor mouth. And certain not a place where you want to trip over a stroller and be glared at for it. And not the place to feel pressured into having to make goo-goo faces with a jolly little micro-person who keeps looking at you.<br /><br />As I am writing this, I just learned that Jude did, in fact, <em>sort of</em> take Ruby to a bar in Brooklyn. Apparently, he was waiting for his food order at a restaurant in the neighborhood and it was going to take a while, so he went to the outdoor part of the bar and sat at a table with Ruby in the Bjorn. He ordered one drink from a waitress while he waited for his food next door, but he says that he felt strange about it and didn't consider going inside to the bar-bar.<br /><br />I usually know my hard stance on an issue right away and am stubborn enough to generally hold steady with that opinion. However, I feel like I could be swayed here one way or the other with some more compelling arguments. I'd love to hear your thoughts!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-2602246155445649992010-02-20T08:24:00.000-08:002010-02-20T15:34:15.576-08:00baby goes high-tech...iPhone apps for mommiesAfter resisting the iPhone for years and then getting it as a Christmas gift this year, I have to reluctantly admit that it is, in fact, a most amazing gadget. If you happen to have one, here are some of my favorite baby-related apps:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.dreamcortex.com/iphone/index.php?s=babypiano">Baby Piano</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (lite: free; full: $1.99)</span><br /><blockquote>This is so stinkin' cute I can hardly stand it (especially when you hit the button that makes the animal sounds for the keys) and Ruby <span style="font-style: italic;">loves </span>to bang away at the "piano." I just have to hold on tight while she plays, because she <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>wants to chew on my phone! We only have the free lite version right now, but may upgrade soon.</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEXF1Sdlb4qdOYhc7FXB_VYiPmIBhl8VKxkqAv70JW3YGNBR0GlCodrWCOH0s3RGu0gqbFsLsbs_b4jzcB46ym4XFW6-1VUOughdirz0ayJ_x0HaHyj7Zy1oks-WFmHWuUTEh178jABw/s1600-h/IMG_0394%5B1%5D.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxOkzxncjt-jZsBBpUFhAHGNhHYpwdNiYrKVyR61LWygrSyObBYuAq87Dk48v8FWw_lu9j_FH4lveAg3T2f' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.codegoo.com/page/baby-monitor">Baby Monitor</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($4.99)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEXF1Sdlb4qdOYhc7FXB_VYiPmIBhl8VKxkqAv70JW3YGNBR0GlCodrWCOH0s3RGu0gqbFsLsbs_b4jzcB46ym4XFW6-1VUOughdirz0ayJ_x0HaHyj7Zy1oks-WFmHWuUTEh178jABw/s1600-h/IMG_0394%5B1%5D.jpg"></a><blockquote>No point in getting this for home--a real baby monitor is more practical than having your iPhone out of circulation while your baby is sleeping. But, this is so brilliant for traveling! I wish I would have known about it when we were staying at my parents' house at Christmas, because the room where Ruby slept was so cut off from the rest of us that we couldn't hear her wake up and we didn't think to bring our baby monitor on the trip. Just put the phone near the baby and when she wakes up, it will call the phone number that you program in to let you know. </blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.tmsoft.com/iphone-whitenoisebaby.html">White Noise Baby</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($0.99)</span><br /><blockquote>Another great one for traveling. Ruby likes the "car ride" sound the best, which is funny since she has ridden in very few actual cars in her life so far (though lots of buses and subway trains). </blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/bubbles">Bubbles</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($0.99)</span><br /><blockquote>This is about as simple of an app as they come. You create bubbles and then pop them by touching them, at which point each one gives a satisfying popping sound. The person who created it did it for a plane trip to Korea to occupy a baby. Ruby loves to pop the bubbles and I think we'll be using this on our train ride to D.C. in a couple of months. </blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://shakeitphoto.com/">ShakeItPhoto</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($0.99)</span><br /><blockquote>It's not exactly meant specifically for parents, but I tend to forward lots of pictures of Ruby to family and friends from my iPhone to theirs these days. Photos on the iPhone aren't that great, but this app does a good job masking their fuzziness with a funky old-school Polaroid look. Plus, Ruby loves to watch the photo appear after it's been taken.</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjRzYbiwkNTevGmFsn44ucqiWw1h4wo49Uz6lUL6Y_Vz0DbLS7cDE1O4Rtvm6ma_dZqnDe6o0nMcFjptsLjHzvFdwB_EhuDSzjdIGx5zz4NVxQVH7rE4meoWgZeZXub5gOhyphenhyphenCISVNYRU/s1600-h/IMG_0587%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjRzYbiwkNTevGmFsn44ucqiWw1h4wo49Uz6lUL6Y_Vz0DbLS7cDE1O4Rtvm6ma_dZqnDe6o0nMcFjptsLjHzvFdwB_EhuDSzjdIGx5zz4NVxQVH7rE4meoWgZeZXub5gOhyphenhyphenCISVNYRU/s200/IMG_0587%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440457456388161970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0otb5ZSw-1nwl46_NWgvKcvK21bxL1AmFle08cW83fH84Bw_ch60pbG5iLC4rC7-gd_X3MYk1nQ0_Urv4ve1CXq1RERYnWpRSDOGplRmc9wj-_dMwhT_X_3ZWITfUh838f5nzrfoM5w8/s1600-h/IMG_0636%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0otb5ZSw-1nwl46_NWgvKcvK21bxL1AmFle08cW83fH84Bw_ch60pbG5iLC4rC7-gd_X3MYk1nQ0_Urv4ve1CXq1RERYnWpRSDOGplRmc9wj-_dMwhT_X_3ZWITfUh838f5nzrfoM5w8/s200/IMG_0636%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440457193467547042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEXF1Sdlb4qdOYhc7FXB_VYiPmIBhl8VKxkqAv70JW3YGNBR0GlCodrWCOH0s3RGu0gqbFsLsbs_b4jzcB46ym4XFW6-1VUOughdirz0ayJ_x0HaHyj7Zy1oks-WFmHWuUTEh178jABw/s1600-h/IMG_0394%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEXF1Sdlb4qdOYhc7FXB_VYiPmIBhl8VKxkqAv70JW3YGNBR0GlCodrWCOH0s3RGu0gqbFsLsbs_b4jzcB46ym4XFW6-1VUOughdirz0ayJ_x0HaHyj7Zy1oks-WFmHWuUTEh178jABw/s200/IMG_0394%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440457074645854530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm_vjzi6wrY2HDSV_LDrYi7MME0pWHvjYoKcaOwR6RAMPF8cFOOOsphJe4S8nfwefDwM9p6A44a0SQppzixS7CVrwjWK3AvKFd-_JyM09nutsRsg8of4jALwW1IrTbiXuhibb1xDP6xk/s1600-h/IMG_0281%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm_vjzi6wrY2HDSV_LDrYi7MME0pWHvjYoKcaOwR6RAMPF8cFOOOsphJe4S8nfwefDwM9p6A44a0SQppzixS7CVrwjWK3AvKFd-_JyM09nutsRsg8of4jALwW1IrTbiXuhibb1xDP6xk/s200/IMG_0281%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440456950298984578" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.peekaboobarn.com/">Peekaboo Barn</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($1.99)</span><br /><blockquote>This is ridiculously adorable and Ruby is mesmerized by it. I love that it is a little kid's voice that labels each of the animals. Too darn cute!</blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://omsrisaiservices.com/default.aspx">Voice Cards</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($0.99)</span><br /><blockquote>There are lots of flash card apps out there for babies and toddlers, including various ones that have voices label the pictures. What makes this one stand out is that you can easily re-record the voiceover if you want to make it have a familiar voice, or if you don't like the way that they say it. Ruby loves to stare at the flash cards, though she's too young at this point to really "get it." Below I quickly re-record the voice for the word "chocolate" (which I pronounce differently than the pre-recorded lady). </blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyNPhw3wRw_g-2ymoPXFaqxgVgTLM5INe1cTJEsP3YG1r5gtLjlmmQYOSZmVuqV-h1gk4sPU86kYqIoeLKNuA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-28493398592104318252010-02-14T20:37:00.000-08:002010-02-14T20:41:15.091-08:00my funny valentine<div style="text-align: center;">Wishing you a tutu-and-paper-hearts kind of day...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIjlt_hpre9tDDyulzD91vRCXvlH3n1ghPQYslR-w4KShggyfTn1izYn-vAD8SDs2374oCUY96Xm-HOFyC-Y7_fM531udNZdo_J6fgrA023OC1oDIh8RYcDyEGwwvsnuoykGdeDIIEf8/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIjlt_hpre9tDDyulzD91vRCXvlH3n1ghPQYslR-w4KShggyfTn1izYn-vAD8SDs2374oCUY96Xm-HOFyC-Y7_fM531udNZdo_J6fgrA023OC1oDIh8RYcDyEGwwvsnuoykGdeDIIEf8/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438325002981621874" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-81356890199706261162010-02-13T12:21:00.000-08:002010-02-13T13:59:46.144-08:00cultural events for little citizens...gong xi fa cai!I believe that it's never too young to start exposing babies to different cultures and traditions in a meaningful way. Jude and I are committed to making this a part of our family life so that Ruby can grow up embracing--and not being intimidated by--different ways of living. In the City, it's easy to find kid-friendly cultural events if you keep your eyes peeled, ears open, and check local listings regularly.<br /><br />The latest cultural event we attended with Ruby was a family festival for the Chinese Lunar New Year. This, of course, was near and dear to my heart since I grew up partially in Hong Kong and have seen my share of traditional lion dances (not to mention one where my little brother was the head of the lion!).<br /><br />We were amazed at how naturally Ruby seemed to take it all in. She was particularly interested in the drummers and the beat they carried. When the "lions" came close, she leaned forward in awe. Our Little Citizen of the World is really growing into herself these days.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjyWYc0CjSYg234r3QBud4JrHINxCJMfjZax-VScR4Ph5iUuFerv-9JxCjqpVVqbTHbaUsEpyUGHkNXRRZXviZk9aLGlsSIzqyOcJ81JeodUNpYCHgHI3lS6wbRPI33PHxC3ZHbcvwgg/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjyWYc0CjSYg234r3QBud4JrHINxCJMfjZax-VScR4Ph5iUuFerv-9JxCjqpVVqbTHbaUsEpyUGHkNXRRZXviZk9aLGlsSIzqyOcJ81JeodUNpYCHgHI3lS6wbRPI33PHxC3ZHbcvwgg/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846551401761010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprlwtjRtZQ5ct06d62FdkznMrYiMug_ON7rGWdjW54a1EaCcDzCIyxJyziMaZj1ewBepvxtEYdG_KHaZIPPAJiq3V2oQZfsdFPxrXiFvKE1T2g_r6kGGtBP2X1f9UaWQPFkOR0TIdf-s/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprlwtjRtZQ5ct06d62FdkznMrYiMug_ON7rGWdjW54a1EaCcDzCIyxJyziMaZj1ewBepvxtEYdG_KHaZIPPAJiq3V2oQZfsdFPxrXiFvKE1T2g_r6kGGtBP2X1f9UaWQPFkOR0TIdf-s/s200/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846609619468466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1s-vw1jctSzprtgeVHRFctGfxmI3d-99h-s22oxZx3LvbMGvxvuuCT63F2cNmTGj2AkN8NPydVUFL4rYM88PwHBlHOB20NVWrlQiBt2Qgo-xi85NrnIUg6DVnpRU8-XH1MhMZpcwlXk/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1s-vw1jctSzprtgeVHRFctGfxmI3d-99h-s22oxZx3LvbMGvxvuuCT63F2cNmTGj2AkN8NPydVUFL4rYM88PwHBlHOB20NVWrlQiBt2Qgo-xi85NrnIUg6DVnpRU8-XH1MhMZpcwlXk/s200/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846698657341266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHenkPizzRNEkt1MJ3_Jz1qeQUMN3FeU37YSTKezOALy8vaWmyGA6gUgwdv-G4jOpIlSTKc7jbRRezOkbGN9JPI-zYjUWzdkt4savMSwe2T4Obfn_bLMXvvgTFD7avStsoXozQZyhgTXE/s1600-h/9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHenkPizzRNEkt1MJ3_Jz1qeQUMN3FeU37YSTKezOALy8vaWmyGA6gUgwdv-G4jOpIlSTKc7jbRRezOkbGN9JPI-zYjUWzdkt4savMSwe2T4Obfn_bLMXvvgTFD7avStsoXozQZyhgTXE/s200/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846474059272722" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-89881113787170259002010-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:002010-02-01T06:55:46.746-08:00one year ago...I hosted an annual work event this weekend that had me standing outside for hours on end. Even though it was bitterly cold this weekend in NYC and my toes were totally numb by the time I got home last night and tonight, I couldn't help but think about this same event a year ago and be grateful that the temperature was my biggest problem...<br /><br />One year ago, I was in the beginning of my second trimester. I was thrilled to be feeling my sweet baby move inside me and was loving having a big belly forming that I couldn't keep my hands off of.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzFrEGokoADa8QjuB8HwF90ZP-H-9uh5PG8gBA1J-LA_8CodqNFbvG022XCcD1Y_BOaNgfzIwGPFhUmDLkXnN9LtobaAFdbD3lu1IsLyWLxmnCEmAFv_W4GGKh1stBFV3q9ZGsBzrcQ4/s1600-h/ankle.4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzFrEGokoADa8QjuB8HwF90ZP-H-9uh5PG8gBA1J-LA_8CodqNFbvG022XCcD1Y_BOaNgfzIwGPFhUmDLkXnN9LtobaAFdbD3lu1IsLyWLxmnCEmAFv_W4GGKh1stBFV3q9ZGsBzrcQ4/s320/ankle.4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433141953906068178" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />But, alas, I also had another large round swelling on my poor body. After leaving my OBGYN's office one afternoon, my husband and I were crossing the street and I slipped on ice and (lest I hurt the precious bundle held in my belly by falling all the way down) tried desperately to right myself...which only resulted in me taking three or four giant, awkward, painful steps after the initial crunch.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5MgFMuDqJL9wW4yjkptp3t1kNIdlMLUk9aOP2N8WILQR6JSxXgDTOlNHXA2ECb3ehZvw3cTCnWKO-crC6hNroznZmzLdt0QQqq4OAAVyMYXibjsZLHjExoLn3fCkRldO8xZkoB16PVY/s1600-h/ankle.3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5MgFMuDqJL9wW4yjkptp3t1kNIdlMLUk9aOP2N8WILQR6JSxXgDTOlNHXA2ECb3ehZvw3cTCnWKO-crC6hNroznZmzLdt0QQqq4OAAVyMYXibjsZLHjExoLn3fCkRldO8xZkoB16PVY/s320/ankle.3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433142217735261426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />YUCK! And these were taken over a week after the initial injury!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6khxXvGkLu_ZnKX3_WbHZ1pInVh9bEgYapAv9DkUnyk97PCsWAIDUcoFehI3kX3Fv4kxCpGSfjolEC4XVAQjBBxUQv72uarJFiLsZb0AIP45e-1XaQrubQ5RW0eCvaGCF7IHjnvfhevc/s1600-h/ankle.2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6khxXvGkLu_ZnKX3_WbHZ1pInVh9bEgYapAv9DkUnyk97PCsWAIDUcoFehI3kX3Fv4kxCpGSfjolEC4XVAQjBBxUQv72uarJFiLsZb0AIP45e-1XaQrubQ5RW0eCvaGCF7IHjnvfhevc/s320/ankle.2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433142133605124930" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I don't recommend getting injured while pregnant for many obvious reasons: one is that they can't do any major testing (no x-rays, no MRIs, etc.) and another is that you can't take any good pain killers (they say you can take Tylenol, but I didn't take that either because the thought of sucking down chemicals that my baby didn't need made me uncomfortable).<br /><br />Moreover, I <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>don't recommend getting injured while pregnant in New York City! It's hard enough to be pregnant in a town where you lug your new-found weight up and down flights of stairs in the subway stations, ride to and from work standing up shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, and pound the pavement constantly...but going through my entire second trimester with a "boot" up to my knee, having to slip away from work to go to physical therapy three times a week, and trudging up and down the stairs of my third-floor walkup every day was ridiculous. It took over two months before the swelling went entirely down (I had apparently torn a number of ligaments in my ankle) and I could walk normally in a regular shoe.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJVbyFEiszGsiuggbBNafInGID3q6q8WSbs-BhmTXeblkJThrtAGu0tKqN4IX2j-4Xn1d_XFU7cjvjdd2Nr1KCi3LnnETdLNRS5v0bAF6ZE4IoqXkRLmgoT9SZvgFU-Wt44F0FG3XgLo/s1600-h/ankle.1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJVbyFEiszGsiuggbBNafInGID3q6q8WSbs-BhmTXeblkJThrtAGu0tKqN4IX2j-4Xn1d_XFU7cjvjdd2Nr1KCi3LnnETdLNRS5v0bAF6ZE4IoqXkRLmgoT9SZvgFU-Wt44F0FG3XgLo/s320/ankle.1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433142058459820018" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />My poor ankle still clicks when I walk these days, but overall it's fine.<br /><br />Just one of the many things I can chalk up to the whole idea of "it-was-all-worth-it-because-Ruby-is-amazing!" There sure are a lot of those things...that must just mean that Ruby is <span style="font-style: italic;">extra</span> amazing!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388554401382879318.post-81480166438728740822010-01-26T21:59:00.000-08:002010-02-13T12:21:15.153-08:00your baby will Skwish she had this toy!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyHn6-0cxXIASy0kh9v5smzeQ5cWJbM--Nm4-eOo_MdNulcjAE9Sqx37cIoRozzLrDyMnsIZIc94TX4ajFfGw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />The Manhattan Toy Company's Skwish is one of Ruby's favorite toys now (at 6 months), and one of the first ones that she started grabbing for and holding purposefully when she was still tiny. It's easy for little mini-hands to grab with so many skinny areas and makes an interesting sound (with the moving beads in the middle) that is attractive to babies. As you can see from this video, the Skwish can entertain Ruby for long periods of time.<br /><br />Even though it is marketed for 6+ months and it seems to be very sturdy, it still makes me super nervous sometimes when she chews on it because I am afraid she'll pop off one of the wooden balls. Probably unfounded, but I still watch her like a hawk when she's playing with her Skwish! I don't want Ruby to be a stat in a toy recall.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000GI0S4E" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000FPHGW0" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=milkdreams-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001QKIVO0" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556695640372933434noreply@blogger.com3