Another sweet Modish giveaway!

I've been a Modish fan for quite awhile now. They have giveaways on the regular and the handmade loot in these packages is always pretty fabulous.

Look at all of this awesome stuff:


This month features a two part giveaway the first of which has already been posted here.
I urge you to go check it out and follow the instructions to make an entry. Maybe you'll win! Oh and while you're at it, add Modish to your RSS reader.

To get you motivated I'll leave you with a photo of my sweet child hamming it up for the camera.

elf baby

I have been googling around looking for a knitting pattern for a gnome hat since Fee is going to be a garden gnome for halloween. In my searching I stumbled across the pattern for this hat which is actually more of a pixie or elf hat but it was really cute and the pattern was very simple so I threw it together over the weekend. It came out even cuter than I had imagined and I intend to make several more for Fenix and to give away as gifts. I actually used the pattern found here and then made the chin strap and crocheted neck band with a mod found here.

I used bulky weight Patons yarn instead of worsted weight as the pattern indicates, so I went down to size 6 needles.

baby wearin'

So I've decided that the Baby Bjorn carrier was made by some parent hating crazy person!

We got one that was new in the packaging from a seller on Craigslist. I was so happy to have found it for such a great price. Well.....

7 months later and I want to throw the thing off a cliff. Here's why:

- It hurts your back A LOT. You will feel like you have done serious back breaking yard work after an hour of wearing your infant in the Bjorn. Mind you I have no back pain issues outside of those inflicted by this carrier.
- Your baby will quickly outgrow it. Fenix is a petite baby but his chunky ham hocks are barely squeezing through the leg holes of the Baby Bjorn. Sometimes when I was wearing him I would look down and see that his little feet were blue. Nope, not a fan.

So what do I like? Well I'll tell you.

Wrap style carriers:
pros
- can be used from birth until they are too heavy/bratty/sassy to be carried around
- baby can face in our out (only after they have full neck control)
- relatively inexpensive - Ours was $60 but you can get the basic model for $40 - a structured carrier like a bjorn is much more.
- many different types of hold options (hip, front, back, cradle)

cons:
- hot as balls for you and the baby in warm weather unless the wrap is made of very lightweight gauzy material.
- can be awkward to get the baby in when done without a spotter.
- has a bit of a feminine look when worn - if you are a dude, you may not be into it - j isn't :-/


We have the Moby D wrap and I love it because the D model has a non-stretch panel of fabric, that adds a bit of extra support for your baby.

Soft structured or pack carriers:
pros:
- easy to put the baby in and out
- some allow facing in or out
- structure gives more support for carrying a heavier child.
- manly enough for a dude to wear - unless you get one that is made with pink flower print fabric LOL

cons
- expensive - a new ergo carrier costs ~$100, other brands are even more.
- limited positions for carrying

I really want to purchase a Beco, Ergo or Pikkolo structured carrier to use in addition to the Moby D. The drawback of the Ergo is that it does not allow for the baby to face out (they have a bunch of rhetoric on their site about why they don't - meh). I know that unless Fenix is really sleepy, he wants to be facing out in the carrier so that puts Ergo on the bottom of the list.

So anyway if you are in the market for a carrier maybe this will help. We are keeping our Bjorn because until we buy a Beco or Pikkolo, that's what J will wear. And I have heard that they are now making a Baby Bjorn that has lumbar support but you know what??? Who cares because I'm so over them :-P

another great purchase

While we were in NJ, Fenix had the chance to play with some of the twins' toys. One of those toys was an activity gym. I had avoided buying one because as you know, I am weird and loathe the idea of garish plastic toys cluttering up my home. However, once again the happiness of my child overrides any desire that I have for a home that doesn't look like a nursery school. So today I bought one. I went with this one:
It's made by Boppy and it costs about 65 bux. I like it because the attached toys are mostly made of fabric (not nasty plastic) and the whole thing has a very small footprint. All of the little designs on the mat are really cute. It also has additional tabs so you can hang other toys on it. The little butterfly toy that hangs down in the middle has lights and plays music if you squeeze it's head. Very trippy.

And most of all, Fenix likes it. He has been laying underneath it for the last hour and a half, quietly swatting and babbling at the toys, occasionally pausing to suck on his hands. I folded laundry... I washed dishes. This thing has already paid for itself.

If you want one too.....

april milestones

April has been a big month for Feeny McG.

He has reached some important (and fun) developmental milestones and he's just gotten to be so cute and funny and interactive. We are having a great time!
This month he rolled over for the first time. Hasn't mastered it yet but he definitely did it. He's also become quite the chatty Cathy. When he babbles I just nod and say "oh really?", "wow, that's great", "yeah, the mariners are sucking it up this year aren't they??"... and so on. This only gets him more worked up and hence, more babbling.

Another cool thing is that he is now able to hold his own bottles, though this is an interesting one because he only does it when he's in the mood. But I have proof that he can do it:

And lastly, we broke down and bought him this gaudy plastic monstrosity called the "Jumperoo". It's absolutely hideous but lord how he loves this thing. I have never seen him more excited. Judge for yourself:


And a video as further evidence:

Happy Birthday Sienna and Sebastien!!!

About 5 minutes ago my sister Lisa gave birth to a healthy little boy and girl. Their names are Sienna Rain and Sebastien Ray. I am so happy and immensely proud of my little sister. I am crying tears of joy!!!

I can't wait to see their beautiful little baby faces.

CONGRATULATIONS LISA AND JOHNNY!

G is for Green (Festival)

So we ventured out to the Green Festival today. The entrance fee was $15 but we got in free because we had one free pass (thanks Kathleen!) and then a kind soul just walked up to J and gave him another. Score!

In case you don't know, the Green Festival is an event where a bunch of exhibitors come together to present their products and services that promote green living. I think I was the most excited about all of the kids and baby stuff and the really lovely women's apparel made from eco friendly, organic fibers like bamboo, hemp and cotton. J was most into all of the products and services for making your home more green (photovoltaic panels, low or no VOC paints, tankless water heaters, etc...). There was also alot of free organic food and drink being given away. I have a giant bag of wheat/dairy/soy free granola, several packets of tea and mate, chewy kids vitamins and a bunch of other yummy looking stuff.

I should also add that as much as I hate the whole "green is the new black" thing that is happening in this country right now, I feel like if you are going to spend your money on something you might as well make good choices.

I wanted to buy alot of things but I had self control and we actually only bought 1 thing. As you know we switched to cloth diapers a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to explore the all in one diapers (we are using prefolds and wraps). Fuzzibunz and Bumgenius both had booths but I wasn't totally in love with either. I wanted something made from organic natural fibers.

So we got this starter kit that came with one Growing Greens hemp fitted diaper, one Kissaluvs fitted diaper, a cute wet bag for stashing the dirties when you are out and about, and another Bummis super brite wrap (we already have 2 of the Bummis wraps).

The Growing Greens can be worn without a wrap and they are one size fits all so they are probably my favorite right now. I can't wait to use them - both of the diapers that came in the kit are incredibly soft and plush. I wish they made undies for grownups out of this material. If they work really well I will definitely buy several more for Fee.

The Kissaluvs (we got the green one):


The Growing Greens (they only come in the color shown):

project green bum

I have spent an inordinate amount of time researching the matter of cloth diapering. I think I am finally at a place where I am committed to the type and brand of cloth diapers that I want to purchase. There must be a million different configurations that a person can buy but I settled on unbleached indian prefolds with wonder wraps covers. I'm going to use snappis to fasten the prefolds and I will get some 6 layer doublers for overnight use. We will still use G diapers for going out but I declare that this is the last week of disposable 7th generation diapers in this house.

Here's what you need to get started:
4 to 6 wraps
24 to 36 prefolds (indian or chinese)
4 to 6 doublers
snappis or diaper pins
diaper pail

Montana's Diaper store and Diaper Swappers are excellent resources to check out if you want to do cloth diapering.

fenix, the linebacker

I am a super proud momma today. Fenix has a cold (booo) so we went to the pediatrician to have him checked out. Well the formerly teeny weeny feeny is now 11 lbs, 13 oz. He is getting right up there with the rest of the full term babies his age.

So rad!

tribute quilt

Holy cow! An incredibly talented woman who works with my mom made this amazing quilt using photos that she found on our flickr site.

There are some mean people in my life right now and I've been feeling a little bit down about it. But now my faith in the goodness of people is restored. I can't believe that someone took the time and energy to make something so lovely for a baby that she hasn't even met yet!

Thank you Rosie! Hopefully we'll get to meet you when we fly out there in May.

fenix fotos

It's that time again. He is getting so big, so fast.. it's crazy. He is starting to look like such a big boy!



For the whole set click here.

swingers

This device saved me from insanity:


It's a Boppy Rock in Comfort Travel swing and I wish we had gotten it sooner. Up until we got this thing (earlier this week) I could not even use the toilet freely since his majesty wants to be held all the time. Imagine that you can't even pee without the baby screaming himself into a lather. Ugh.

Now I can take a shower and empty my bladder in peace. Bonus - this swing is really small and folds up flat when not in use. It also isn't hideously gaudy like all the others that I saw in the store. Have baby = must have swing.

baby baths

Bathing a baby is a wonderful thing. Nothing will soothe a fussy baby like a tub or sink filled with warm water. It's one of my favorite things to do with Fenix. I turn up the heat in the bathroom, close the door and let him sit in his tiny tub and soak. He looks so content. It makes me so happy.

Freshly bathed Feefee:

1 month

Yesterday Fenix turned one month old! Can you believe it? My due date hasn't even rolled around yet and this kid has been on the outside for a month already.

Crazy!

Here he is rocking the fauxhawk:

that's my boy!!!!

Guess who gained an entire pound in just 10 days?! Fenix! I know it sounds silly but I was overjoyed when they weighed him today and I found out how much he had gained since the last visit. He is now at 6lbs 2oz. Grow Fenix, GROW!

Saturday at the birth center

Greetings from the birth center! We had an eventful last day or so & things are going well.

Theresa was on an i.v. of magnesium sulfate all day to put the brakes on the contractions. That worked for quite some time, long enough for her to get the 2nd shot of the steriods that are designed to speed up lung development in preemies.

I forget the name of the steriod, but they only give it when pre-term birth seems inevitible. It comes in a big needle and they give you a shot in the ass with it. The first shot Tee had went in a bit better than the second one, which made her bum hurt for a time.

Maybe it's no surprise, but there are only women that work here. I've seen one dude since I got here and the rest are ladies.

So, the magnesium! Holy shit. When it's brought up around here, the staff get a pained look on their face. Then, softly, they'd ask, "Did they tell you what to expect with that?"

Um, they did, and you're supposed to expect, it seems, to get your ass kicked. Tight chest, headache, overheating. Deep, deep malaise.

It did its job, though, at least for a while, and she had minimal contractions yesterday and throughout the night.

Most babies, when their mom's are on magnesium!, absorb some of the side effects of the meds and are listless, don't move around much, and sometimes have lowered heart rate. Not my son! He's been in there playing tic-tac-toe with himself and jump rope with the umbilical cord. It's been kind of a wow factor with the nurses when they see his heartrate and stuff - pretty cool. Regardless of what else is happening, Fenix is super healthy.

After a time - oh dark thirty this morning - the magnesium! wore off and the contractions returned. Not returned in a "oh gosh this baby is about to come out" but "yyyyyep, that's a contraction. yyyep, that's another one", etc. So, thankfully, they removed the magnesium! i.v. and T started to feel better in pretty short order.

So here we are, Saturday morning. Been here at the birthing center since Thursday afternoon. Theresa is on bed rest, which not only means that she's in bed except for trips to the bathroom, but that she needs to be in bed in such a manner that does not put weight, and therefore stress, on her cervix. = lying down. = boring.

We're in the "wait and see what happens next" phase. Either labor will begin in earnest, or not.

Stay tuned!

Sigh. This little guy really wants to come

So as many of you know, I am in the birthing center. It appears that Fenix is really ready to come out now.
Here's what happened....

Early Weds a.m. I started having tons of painful contractions. This went on for about an hour and a half. I tried all the tricks to make them go away and eventually they did.

Fast forward to Thursday. I woke up feeling less then great so I decided to work from home. That afternoon I had an appointment with my midwife and I mentioned the contraction incident from Weds. She seemed concerned and decided to check my cervix. Well guess what? It was thinning and softening. Not a good thing at 33 weeks.

She sent me over to the birth center (across the street) for an ultrasound and to be put on the contraction monitor. We found out that I was still having contractions... some that I hadn't even noticed. Given the frequency of the contractions they gave me a shot to stop them and then another slower acting pill that does the same. They stopped for about an hour and came right back. At this point the decision was made to give me another shot of the drug and then a shot of steroids in my hip to help speed up lung development in the baby in case he was really coming soon.

I was admitted, transferred to a private room and got a sleeping pill to get me thru the night. Jason slept here too.

Well at around 1pm today the painful contractions started up again. That's when they decided to pull out the big guns and give me an IV of magnesium sulfate as a last ditch effort to stop my labor because a pelvic exam revealed that I am already 2cm dilated, my cervix is softer and thinner and the baby's head is low in my pelvis.
Bonus they gave me another ultrasound and I saw his little head and face. He is freaking so cute!

Anyway this latest drug makes you feel like ASS. And I mean that. But I am trying my best to stay positive and keep thinking good thoughts. I can still shoot for a vaginal birth (I'm told it will likely be easier on me now since he is small) and my midwife can still do my delivery.

As a bonus tomorrow my childbirth instructor, Penny Simkin, is stopping by to check on me. I have to say that this woman is my personal hero and if you are having a baby please please read her books. And better yet if you are in Seattle you must take her class.

But I digress. I feel like crap right now but at least I'm still pregnant. I don't want to leave my little boy here! I would love to have him stay in my belly to grow a little longer. Wish us luck...

and how cute is this?!?!

Talk about awesome overload!

I just saw this fabulous snail rocker on the Back to Basics website. It's an online store dedicated to classic toys but they have lots of other cool stuff too.

I think Fenix needs this.

baby shower/team awesome power

On the 17th my beautiful friends Ty and Lauren hosted an awesome baby shower for Fenix, Jason and I.

I can honestly say that we all felt so loved by everyone there. So much generosity and thoughtfulness. It was fantastic.

Enjoy some pics from the affair below (thanks to Lauren D. for the photos!):

we shipped it! and other sh*t that is going on

So I finally finished up at work somewhere around 1 a.m. We've got a conference call at 11 a.m. today to discuss last minute hotfixes but the good news is that the late nights are pretty much over.

Anyway we agreed to get this crib from ikea for the nursery:


Jason is going down there in a few minutes to get it, a mattress and some basic bedding. I am priming and painting the changing table in bright white (as opposed to the distressed black that we originally agreed on).

Here's our latest inspiration nursery: