Double Stroller Mania

So since I'm a whole like, 9 minutes pregnant, laying in bed dying and obviously having a SECOND kid now... I've been spending about 5 hours a day/night surfing the net studying DOUBLE strollers since my 3.5 year old has shown no interest in walking anywhere on her own. I'm still LOVING my BOB Revolution, but obviously both aren't fitting into that. I'm annoyed at Bugaboo for not even attempting to come out with something for two (don't moms in Manhattan have multiple children ever?) But I also expect she'll be done using one within 6 months or so of baby coming.
So... I think maybe the Phil & Ted strollers might be a good idea. Of course I go straight to the Vibe because it looks cooler, and has some sleeker functions than their other models. However, my kid already being 42 inches tall, she's WAY too big for the seat, let alone the little jump seat down below. I've also heard that the kid staying in the stroller the most has to be in the main seat or it tips... yuck. Who between a skippy 4 year old and a crying 6 month old will be in the stroller more???
I pretty much have run into the problem of L's height with every stroller I look at. And since she has ample room in her BOB, I'm going with another one. The Double BOB Revolution. No, I still won't be jogging. But it will be the right size, will accomodate the car seat, isn't a ton heavier than the single even though it's a lot wider, and seems bulkier. It's just as easy to push, has the same great coverage with the hood, and the great cupholders both on the console and inside the seats for the kiddos. Storage basket is larger, but still difficult to get into.
I have a feeling that even without #2 being here yet, we'll get lots of use out of it this summer with L and her buddies. Everyone always is fighting over sitting in her stroller at the zoo and the mall.

Stamped Custom Jewelry

A custom piece Jen did for a friend of mine

A lot of people have asked me where I got my stamped 'Lillian' necklace that I wear (when my chain isn't broken). The original charm I got was purchased at Oh Baby! where I used to work, and yes, it cost $400 from Heather Moore Jewelry.

However, being the etsy savvy shopper that I am, I found an amazing metal worker who was doing something similar, and she was able to duplicate almost identical for me the stuff I had done for SO much less it's not even funny. She has come up with some gorgeous designs of her own since, and she really takes pride in her work. I have been getting stuff from her for almost two years now, and have never heard anything but good from people who have gotten her stuff.

Jen's shoppable site is at http://www.jenerijewelry.etsy.com/ and she is happy to do custom creations, and turns them around really quick. Great gift idea for any mom or grandma.

All I want for Christmas....

So the only thing my kid will play with these days comes in a little plastic tub at the dollar store. We call it goop. Some call it glurp. Some call it putty or alien slime. It is ugly, cold, clammy, sticky goo that for some reason fascinates my kid to no end. I go to the dollar store and buy cases of the stuff, so I can go home, and whip one out whenever I need like, 4 hours to get something done.

I'm all about imaginitive play, so bring it on. She sits there and pours it over her princess dolls, wraps it around her doll house babies like a blanket, and wraps it around her plastic wonder pets like capes. Oh, and lets not forget how amusing it is to pour it all over the table, and enjoy stuffing it back into the bottle and listen to the sick fart noises it bestows. As long as it stays off my carpet... it's the best investment around.

Who needs toys all over their house?

To Jog, or not to Jog....

So for better or for worse, I have another stroller. It's not that any of my other ones weren't adequate... it's not that my child uses one more than any other time in her life, probably less as she's 3 now. However, I just couldn't bring myself to say no to the pink and chocolate BOB Revolution... and you know how I love pink and chocolate...

We actually use it a ton because it's super easy for her to get in and out of, and it's amazing on any terrain. Unlike my Bugaboo, it is fantastic on the sand, on cobbles, on a hill, on gravel... and of course, it's a JOGGING stroller. No, I don't run on pavement. I feel like an idiot if I'm actually running publicly, and actually fear for my own incarceration from the insult it would cause to those exposed.

I love the cup holders, I love the fact that the foot 'hump' is strategically set so that when Lillian has one of her little buddies along, she can sit on the hump and it's practically a double stroller that is still easy to navigate - and we're talking two 35 pound kids. It is way more stable on its wheels than any of my other strollers, which of course I love now that my kid is in and out of it constantly and I still shop as much as I did 3 years ago....

These things being said, I'm pretty disappointed by the storage basket now that it's winter and her coat hardly fits down there, let alone hers and mine. While it is easy to swing open and fold up, it doesn't lock closed, which means you are forced to take an awkward stance to pick it up and hoist its 27 pound frame into the car to keep it from flying open and killing you. If I had two, I thought that the double BOB would be awesome, until I read that one was 48 pounds.... I'm a strong chick but that just sounds exhausting and excessive to me...

Either way, love this one, and it's all we've touched in the 5 months we've had it -don't think it's going to convince me to start running, though...

Tie One On

Pic courtesy of lovey duds

Like every other parent out there, I was told that the Baby Bjorn carrier was the best thing out there for hands free holding of my kid. However, when she hit 13 pounds at three months of age, my back was dying - and she was in no mind to quit growing, or demanding to be carried around 24/7.

I don't even remember anymore how I heard about or saw the baby wraps, and though I'm about as anti-granola of a mom as it gets, I was desperate, and I purchased a Moby Wrap. All I can really say about this purchase, is BOY do I wish I'd done it sooner. Putting it on was tricky the first time or two, I'm not going to lie. Once you get the hang of it, you're golden, but my strongest advisement is to make sure you practice 2-3 times AT HOME because you will want to readjust it a few times at first.

Because you adjust the thick fabric across your shoulders, it evenly distributes the baby's weight, and this was comfortable and easy for me to carry my daughter at 18 months and 28 pounds, though her legs were a little gangly. It supported her sleeping until she was over a year old, so I could bring her virtually anywhere. I just tied it on at home, and left it on so I could just throw her in it and away we'd go.

Airports, the zoo, the beach, the museum, cooking dinner... about the only place it wasn't worn was in the water. They come with a booklet, and I believe a dvd. I got mine at http://www.mobywrap.com/, but there's also one I've discovered since on etsy that I would say is fabulous... http://www.etsy.com/shop/loveyduds. They are about the same price as the basic moby, but have the fabric panel as the designer moby, PLUS they're all done on organic cotton.

All moms MUST have.

I always feel like this is one of those things that goes without saying because it's such an obvious quick-fix to me, yet when I talk about it to other moms in my group, I'd say about half of them haven't ever used this.
OXYCLEAN, OXYCLEAN, OXYCLEAN

Puke, poop, pee, chocolate, marker, mildew, paint, red sucker, soda, ANYTHING. It takes it out. I go through 2-3 bottles of the spray, and 1-2 jars of the Baby powder a month. It's just such an easy way to treat stains (even dry ones) and wash, and problem solved.

All of my kid's clothes are higher end, cold washed and hung to dry as I resell and try to keep fading and shrinkage to a minimum. But she's a kid and I DO let her be a KID in her clothes. She no longer wears a bib because she's "too big" for such silly things, so every day there's at least some minor stains on whatever she has worn.

I swear by this stuff, it's $3 at Target or WalMart, and now you're in the know. ;)

The Bag on Diaper Bags

So now that we know what a stroller addict I am, it's time to confess my other necessity gone overboard since having my daughter - the Diaper Bag.

It started out innocently enough - I thought I should have a big one, and a small one. And since I worked at forementioned baby store, I was well versed in the world of diaper bags. Enough so to know that I didn't want the same asian print satin Petunia Pickle Bottom bag that EVERY hip mom had. I was already proud owner of the most coveted stroller on the market - I couldn't just sell out for the most popular bag. So I settled on the hip yet less available Fleurville Sling Tote bag. I debated on the color, but in the end decided to be nice and get something that was neutral enough for my husband to carry, and I didn't really like the shiny, laminated surface of most of the bags. So I settled on the denim grommet bag.

Perfect for the fall baby, great for either sex, and matched my fall jean jacket. :) Can't go wrong. It was a GREAT back. Versatile, being able to be worn as a tote bag, hooked on to the stroller, or with the tote straps tucked in, a messenger style sling bag. Lots of roomy inside pockets, an easy fold out changing mat, and a wipe case. It was a great size. Middle of the road. Maybe not big enough for a heavy day of travel with a newborn, but perfect for everyday. Fits into the under-storage basket of pretty much all strollers or hooks to the handlebars for easy access.

Then about a month after Lillian was born, I was at Nordstrom and their Juicy Couture Quick Change mini bag was on SALE for under $50. I decided to splurge on it, figuring it would be useful while traveling, and as she got older and needed less. And while it has useful stuff like the micro thin yet tough and large change pad, all clear inner pockets and compartments, I didn't end up using it much as I soon realized that my most vital toddler staples are SNACKS and DRINKS which just don't fit.

Then a few weeks after that, the fabulous Kalencom faux leather tote came in at the baby store and I just couldn't resist. It was about twice the size of my Fleurville bag, but soft and squishy and easy to stuff into the storage basket, and big enough for a FULL day out with toys, some books, a few changes of clothes... you get the picture. It also didn't look much like a diaper bag - a huge plus for me. Oh, and washable, dryable.... also learn this is a huge plus when your kid's bottle leaks all over the inside of the diaper bag and you notice 2 days later. Yuck. Most bags are NOT equipped for washing. This bag got WELL used in my house!

But, who can keep a bag for more than a few months, right? I made it almost a year with this one, and then when Lillian started potty training, I decided I was ready for something smaller again. Something that could hold a few emergency outfits, drink and snacks and wallet. I liked the unique look and solid construction of the Kalencom bag well enough, I went back for a second.

The silver midi tote bag is fabulous. It doesn't look like a diaper bag, is soft and pliable, goes with your fashionable wardrobe and adds a bit of flair. Comes with a drink insulator bag, change pad, and several internal and external pockets. Plus for potty training moms, the fabulous "oops" bag in matching fabric.

Now I was THRILLED with this bag. Reasonably priced, made by a company out of New Orleans, and nobody else had it. Then a couple of months later, I came across THE bag that said..... ME.

The $350 Petunia Pickle Bottom CAKE collection Cosmopolitan Carryall bag in Chocolate Cherry Cake. A mouthful? Perhaps. A wallet-ful? Oh, YES. My husband is HATING me by this time, let me tell you. But sometimes there's just things a girl HAS to have when she's willing to forego so many others for herself. I treated myself. And I get compliments everywhere I go. Plush velour tapestry, tweeds.... MMmmm! It was bigger than I was hoping, but I see fashionistas running around with bags twice this size all the time. And while it has the hidden zip-out changing mat (that my now potty trained kid hasn't once used) matching wipe case, internal bottle pockets, I'm constantly getting stopped by women of all ages asking where I got my purse. I love the look on their faces when I say "Well, I got this diaper bag....."

And while I can honestly admit that it does NOT have ALL of the conveniences I have loved in past bags, this is the LAST one I plan on buying. And maybe using well past kid toting time.