It's a Boy!

Although I love the painted eggs, chocolate and candy that Easter is known for, in my family its simply an opportunity to spend time enjoying the company of our loved ones over plates full of delicious food.  After this year however, Easter Sunday will never be quite the same.  Even though the date changes from year to year, how could I possibly forget that in 2011 we missed Easter dinner because we were busy welcoming our newest little family member to the world?

Here are the quick and dirty details:

• It's ANOTHER boy!
• Born Sunday April 24, 2011 at 4pm
• 7lbs 9.2 oz
• 20 inches long

Although this was my second time around, I still had some concerns about labour expectations, but I need not have worried, we were at the hospital with more than enough time to spare.  In fact my contractions weren't coming strong and regular enough to get me dilated and we ended up needing to break the water and introduce a little oxytocin into the picture (FYI - both were required when the boy was born too).  That being said once the oxytocin started, an hour and ten minutes later the pushing began and about 5 minutes after that I had my little bundle of joy in my arms.  And because we are perhaps a little crazy (in many people's eyes), four and a half hours later we were home from the hospital, ready to settle into our new reality.

labour expectations

All you momma's out there, please don't hate me for what I'm about to write.

For me, labour with the boy was easy.  I don't mean skipping in the park easy, but I do mean totally manageable and not anywhere near as intense as I was prepared for.  Granted I have an incredibly high pain tolerance, which I attribute to a near-death episode with meningitis at about 8 months, but the truth is, for me, labour was easy.

If I hadn't already been at the hospital due to a positive group B strep test and a small leak in my membranes, I wouldn't have even considered calling my midwife or going to the hospital until I suddenly found myself pushing.  I never actually felt my contractions at the intervals that warrant a trip to the hospital; I only felt the peaks of my contractions.  In fact when the pushing started two hours later, I seemed so in control that the nurse grabbed the gas, positive that there was no way that I could be ready to deliver. 37 minutes later, the boy made his grand debut.

I promise you I'm not bragging, in fact its almost the opposite.  Given the fact that second labours tend to be considerably faster than the first and that active labour barely registered on my pain scale, I have what I consider to be a very valid concern that I may not make it to the hospital in time to deliver.  I absolutley don't want to have my baby alone at home or in the car en route to the hospital.  The boy didn't breathe immediately after delivery and I lost a lot of blood - I want to be at the hospital, surrounded by people well equipped to take care of us.

Granted, my awareness of the issue and the fact that I live about 10 minutes from the hospital makes it unlikely that we wouldn't make it on time, especially since my midwife has consistently urged me to go to the hospital as soon as I feel 'funny'.  Logically, I know the whole thing is a bit irrational; I did know I was in labour last time, I just anticipated more intensity, but this time around I'll know what to expect.  Yet I still can't seem to shake this niggly little worry that I might miss my window of opportunity to make it to the hospital with time to spare. 

Did/do you have a somewhat irrational worry about your labour and delivery?

preparing a toddler for the new baby

If you type 'prepare toddler for baby' into Google, you'll get close to a million hits and although I definitely haven't read them all, I have read a number of articles in my parenting magazines and email newsletters on the topic and they all pretty much say the same thing.  Expect some regression in your older child, make time especially for them, make sure that you prepare them and talk to them before the baby arrives, etc etc.

What the articles don't tell you, or at least haven't told me, is that behavioural changes in your child can start to occur long before the baby arrives.  Despite all my reading, in no way was I prepared for my 2 year old to suddenly start becoming mommy-obsessed and clingy.

I so did not expect him to...

• Start crying and screaming each night before bed; he's been sleeping on his own since 5 months and suddenly mommy's presence is required for at least 10 minutes after books are finished.
• Start waking in the night and screaming every time I left his room, until I figured out that sitting in the rocking chair for 10-15 minutes was enough to for him to settle back into a slumber. 
• Start dragging his 'bear' and 'blankie' everywhere.  Usually they don't even leave the bedroom, this week he's taken them with him to his grandma's every day and she tells me he's even taking them in the stroller.

Combined with the tiredness that comes from being 34.5 weeks pregnant, raising a toddler and working full-time outside the home, I have to admit I've been feeling a little bit overwhelmed.  Fortunately, after a visit to my midwife, I felt both relieved and up to the challenge.

She assured me that the boy's behaviour was perfectly normal, that toddlers hear much more than they can understand and thus find themselves very confused about what exactly is happening.  They hear things like 'where's the boy going to go when you're at the hospital?' or even 'where's the baby going to sleep' and they start to feel displaced because as far as they know, they're not going anywhere.  And so, its just natural that they become clingy; they are such observant little creatures, we really need to give toddler's more credit.

My midwife also mentioned that often in these situations 'Daddy just won't do' which greatly relieved the hubs who was starting to take the boys actions a little personally (despite his best efforts not to).

The best news of all?  The midwife also mentioned that in most cases toddler behaviour returns to normal shortly after the arrival of the baby, once they realize that although things are different, neither mommy nor the toddler is going anywhere or being left behind, a new normal emerges.

Some twitter chatter has indicated that this final point may be optomistic, regardless I'm going to hold onto the hope that once the baby arrives, the boy will find his balance and the clinginess will start to dissipate.  Did it work that way for you?

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Second Pregnancy Syndrome

At 32 weeks, its hard to believe that I'm already into the 8th month of pregnancy and that our newest little family member will be joining us very, very soon. I've noticed some distinct differences  with this pregnancy that are perhaps obvious, but I still wish someone would have given me the heads-up.

Are you thinking of getting pregnant again?  Here's some food for thought on second pregnancy syndrome (as I'm calling it) based entirely on my own experience as a pregnant, working momma.

• Exhausted is a way of life.
• Good luck trying to nap, there's chores to do and meals to prep.
• Weekend sleep-ins are negotiable at best.
• The floor is a long way down and your toddler and his toys are constantly down there.
• Your belly may now also function as a chair, pillow or other form of toddler furniture.

 On the other hand, there are some incredibly rewarding aspects to pregnancy with a toddler in tow.

• Toddler belly kisses make it impossible not to smile.
• The boy pulling up my shirt, tapping my belly and saying 'baby' makes my heart melt.
• Reading 'big brother' books with the boy and watching him take it all in is an incredible source of pride. 
• Imagining my children playing together, learning and supporting each other and ultimately looking out for one another in every step of their life journey is truly what makes it all worthwhile.

To use the words of my seven year old nephew, 'I think having two babies is going to be very challenging' at least for a while, but the truth is I'm giddy with excitement.  I know it will be an adjustment for us all but I also know its going to be worth every single trial and tribulation along the way.

I am Not Alone

This week, Theta Mom wrote a great post entitled, You are Not Alone and I found myself nodding along with each and every point made, even though only one section refers to my reality.  The post was a gentle reminder about the struggles of motherhood that we all go through, every day, in some way or another.  It reminded me that each moment of frustration, no matter how small is valid and that its unlikely I am the first, or the last to experience the flood of emotion that ensues.

Unfortunately, despite all of this, I had a bit of a meltdown this weekend.  I'm the mediator in my family, so I generally pride myself on keeping things in control.  But, after the peanut incident last week the boy has been clingy and cranky to say the least and its been taking its toll on me.  He's not been eating much, he's been crying much more than usual and he's having trouble going and staying asleep, which of course means this pregnant Momma's not sleeping all that well either.

Saturday morning the boy had swimming lessons, so we had our breakfast, got geared up and went to the pool for our 8:30am lesson.  The boy walked up to his waist in the water, walked out and asked to go home, this was of course around the time that the class (and the screaming) started.  After 10 minutes of wailing, we left.  As I drove, the tears started streaming down my face and there was nothing I could do to stop them.

I was frustrated, upset and mad at the boy.  Of course this quickly translated into being both mad at myself and overcome with guilt that I would put all of my hormonal emotions onto my 22 month old son.

After a few hours away and a little quality time with my Momma, I remembered.

I am Not Alone.
It's ok to be frustrated.
It's ok to cry.
It's ok to ask for help.
It's ok to need time for myself.
It's ok to be mad.
...and most importantly, I am Not Alone.

To all the Momma's out there that are struggling today, You are Not Alone, either.

5 Pregnancy Lessons I'm Re-learning

When you're pregnant there is a plethora of information available about what to expect as your pregnancy progresses.  Despite spending hours reading and talking with other momma's, there were still some aspects of pregnancy that surprised me when I was pregnant with the boy.  This time around, things feel a little bit 'old hat' so I haven't felt the need for so much research, I just skim my weekly babycentre emails and I'm trying to be comfortable with the inevitable changes that are happening.

That being said, there are still a few aspects of pregnancy, that I managed to forget, at least for a little while.  Now that I'm 23 weeks along, here are 5 Pregnancy Lessons I'm relearning.

1. My belly rests in my lap when I pee
   With the boy, no one told me that at some point, I would actually feel the warmth of my belly against my thighs while I was peeing.  When it happened, it was so unexpected that it freaked me out.  Logically, it makes sense that this would happen, but I just didn't feel prepared.  When it happened this time, I had a moments of weirdness, but seriously, how could I have forgotten?
   
2. Every body part that can change, will change
   Any book about pregnancy or person that's ever been pregnant (and even people who haven't) will tell you that your butt and boobs will get bigger, that your feet will swell and your body will never be the same.  But did you know your eyes can change too?  I don't wear my contacts often, but when I'm pregnant, they don't fit at all.  The shape of your eye can physically change and for me that means my contacts actually slide around on my eyes, making it pretty much impossible to function while wearing them.
   
3. Don't congratulate yourself on a lack of stretchmarks, just yet
   They say that genetics are 90% responsible for pregnancy stretchmarks; my mom had 3 kids without a single stretchmark.  Given that information, when I was pregnant with the boy I was confident that with a diligent belly butter/bio oil regime I could avoid stretchmarks too.  I was wrong.  The first little speckles didn't appear until 34 weeks and although my stretchmarks stayed below the belly button, and they did eventually fade, I was not one of the lucky ones.  I must resist the urge to prematurely congratulate myself that I don't YET have any new stretchmarks, or I may find myself dissapointed in the near future.
   
4. Stop wearing Non-Maternity tees
   I'm not sure why exactly, but I still have the urge to squeeze into my regular t-shirts; let me be clear, I however have no interest in sausaging into regular pants. The tees, I just seem to have an attachment to.  Even if they do fit, in mere moments they are stretched out for the belly and without that extra curve of fabric through the middle they just look sloppy.  Not to mention the fact that I won't be able to wear them again post-baby, since they'll be so stretched out.  Note to self, STOP wearing regular t-shirts, its not worth it. 
5. Hot epsom salt baths are amazing
   On a more positive note, pregnancy is a wonderful excuse to have hot epsom salt baths nearly every night.  Except when I'm pregnant, I never use epsom salts, I'm not totally sure that they help all that much, but I can't resist dumping a ton into the bath and using it as an excuse to stay in the bath reading a book or magazine a little longer.  I mean, I wouldn't want to waste those epsom salts would I?

22.5 weeks | Crafty Momma

When I was pregnant with the boy, I took belly pictures every single week; its amazing to look back at them and see how the body grows and changes with pregnancy.  I'd like to say I've been as diligent with this pregnancy, but it would be a lie.  Although I love my DSLR, I just can't seem to get a good belly picture, regardless how hard I try.  So instead of regularly posting belly pics, the occasional ones that someone else snaps, are just going to have to do.

22.5 weeks pregnant
(please excuse the cheesy smile)

Now that I'm over half way through this pregnancy, its probably not all that surprising that my nesting instincts have begun to kick in.  Let me be clear however, I don't mean that I am cleaning fervrently, or even organizing baby clothes and furniture (although the hubs is doing these things).  I'm more of the creative type.  With the boy I made oodles of crocheted blankets and amigurimi animals, but given that I've yet to need ALL the blankets I made, nor has the boy particularly played with the stuffies, it was clear that this time around I needed to look for a new creative outlet.

After much perusing of the internet, I decided to pull out my sewing machine and give sewing baby clothes a whirl.  Given that I don't know the gender of my baby you might think I would have opted to stick to gender neutral items like pants and shirts, but they're so boring and little dresses are so cute and adorable.  Since I know three other people having babies in the months following my due date, I started off making some uber cute pillowcase dresses then moved onto a kimono top, which I also adapted to make into a dress.

I must admit however, that my mom is a far better sewer than me and sewing that itty bitty bias tape together to make the kimono ties was a little beyond my skill level, so she kindly fixed up the first kimono and stitched the trim altogether on the second kimono dress. (Thanks Mom)

There are tons of tutorials and patterns on the web, but here are the dress tutorial and kimono tutorial I used.  I think my next undertaking is going to be a nursing cover, I just bought some boning and I already have some fabric that I think will work beautifully.  That's one of the best things about these little DIY projects, they are so quick and easy to do and you can potentially upcycle materials you arelady have on hand.  The beige fabric is an old sheet and both the purple trim and the grey fabric are pillowcases I bought at Value Village.  Inexpensive fun?  I'm in!

Fly Belly Maternity Clothing | Interview & Giveaway

When I was 8 weeks pregnant, I begrudgingly took out my Rubbermaid of maternity clothes; I only made it to 10 weeks the first time, so I'm not sure why I was so surprised, but I was.

As a working mom, I can't get away with wearing sweatpants and oversized t-shirts; I work in an office and I need to look presentable and professional.  That being said, I also can't justify spending a lot of money on new clothes, when I have a rubbermaid full of slightly stretched, slightly faded, slightly stained but still perfectly good maternity clothes.  I scoured the internet looking for good deals that I could justify, I mean every pregnant momma deserves at least a couple new clothing items right?

After much searching, I came across Fly Belly, a fantastic online maternity store with a unique selection and affordable prices.  I bought myself 3 shirts and with shipping (to Canada) they came out to about $26 each and arrived at my home quite quickly.  Fly Belly is a Momma-run business and Liz the Momma behind Fly Belly is super sweet and has offered to giveaway one shirt of the winners choice to a Momma Stuff Blog Reader.  But don't take my word for it, read on for my interview with Liz, the woman behind Fly Belly!

Can you tell us a little bit about your vision or mandate for Fly Belly?
My goal for Fly Belly is to provide cute, trendy and AFFORDABLE maternity clothing.  Truth be told, I want to be a household name among women - that's my vision.  I've browsed the internet for cute, trendy maternity clothes and am ASTONISHED to find that most websites that carry adorable things charge over $50.00 for a SHIRT!  I don't understand how regular women can afford things like that, so it is my goal to make shopping fun.  

Women should be allowed to feel beautiful during this special time in their life WITHOUT having to take out a second mortgage to pay for clothing.  My number one goal is customer satisfaction.  I LOVE what I do and love to work with my customers to do anything I can to make them happy.  I have had some BAD customer service experiences and I never want someone to feel like I don't care.  I want people to know that I am a real person and I do care about their shopping experience.  As I grow and hire employees (some day) they will be trained in customer SERVICE. 

How did you decide to embark on the entrepreneurial journey that is Fly Belly?
My journey began in July of 2005 when I was pregnant with my second little bundle of joy.  I was looking for a way to make a little 'me' money.  I was a full time stay at home mom and my husband was supporting our family.  I felt so silly taking money that he had earned to buy him a birthday present.  I wanted to find a way that I could earn money to pay for things like birthday and Christmas presents as well as a way to eat out or buy something to pamper myself every once in a while.  My sister had given me some name brand jeans and they didn't fit me.  I had purchased a few things on ebay before and decided to try my hand at selling.  I was SO surprised to find that the jeans sold for 26.00!!  I couldn't believe someone would pay 26.00 for a pair of USED jeans!  After that, I would shop at my local thrift store every Monday where certain colored tags were 99 cents.  I would buy ALL the name brand jeans I could find and list them on ebay.  I probably didn't make a profit of more than 20.00 a month, but that 20.00 was something that I could contribute to our family.  After I had my baby, I got all of the clothes I had that I didn't wear and sold them--they did AWESOME!  I didn't realize there was such a high demand for maternity clothes, so I added used maternity clothes to my ebay selling.  After doing some research, I realized that people were paying a lot of money for NEW maternity clothes...so I looked around and did a little research and realized that I could buy new clothing and re-sell it on ebay.  I started VERY small--only purchasing enough inventory for ONE lot.  Then I would take the money I earned from that and go buy more.  I am happy to say that I have not gone into debt at all to open my business.  I started small and grew as I could afford to.  

I had been kicking around the idea of launching my own website for about a year or so because I was sick of ebay raising their fees.  I had a good friend who was a graphic designer but was out of work, so I decided...what the heck, let's give it a shot!  I worked with him to design my website!  What you see on flybelly.com is completely designed by me and Dennis West Designs.  I wanted paisley background--he designed it.  I wanted a certain font...he made it happen.  I even got my own models (my sister...who was pregnant with her SIXTH baby) and my friend (expecting number 4).  I wanted REAL women--not itty bitty stick girls with a tiny little bump.  

Fly Belly officially launched August of 2010 and all the products for sale are BRAND NEW usually with tags.  Sales were pretty slow to start with, but have gradually picked up as I have done advertising and people have spread the word.  I LOVE my customers and am always so excited when I have repeat buyers (which quite a few people are!)
 
How do you find and choose all the lovely maternity products that you carry?
I can't share my secrets about where exactly I find my clothing, but please know that I HAND PICK each and every item that is on my website.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE to shop and whenever I find something cute, I can't WAIT to share it with others!

I read on your website that Fly Belly is a one-woman show, what's your biggest challenge since starting Fly Belly?
The biggest challenge since starting Fly Belly is finding time to do everything!  Since I hand pick everything, I have to take time to do that, I have to find time to take pictures (which right now is in my bedroom!), edit the pictures, list them on the website.  Then, when they sell, I have to gather up the order, package, weigh and print labels at home.  Add to that being a full time mom of 4 children aged 7, 5, 3 and almost 2.    So, my biggest challenge is just TIME.  I would love to hire an assistant...some day....

On the flip side, what is it about Fly Belly that truly makes your heart sing?
When customers email me and tell me how happy they are with their purchases and how the clothes make them feel and how GRATEFUL they are to have found affordable clothing!  The internet is such an amazing thing and I have made some great friends through my business.

Can you share a little, or a lot, about yourself as a mother?


I'm a 28 year old mother of 4!  That basically says it all, haha :)  I'm a basket case!  I married my sweetheart Adam when I was 19 and we have been happily married for nearly 9 years.  We had 2 little girls 23 months apart.  When I was pregnant with baby number 3, my husband fell in love with a little foster baby that one of his friends was caring for.  He felt very strongly that this baby was supposed to be a part of our family, so when I was about 14 or 15 weeks pregnant, he called me one day and said "How would you feel about adopting a little baby?"  WHAT??!!  I thought he had gone insane, but we agreed to make it a matter of prayer, and the answer we got was that this little girl, named Faith, was to be a part of our family.  We became foster parents and got custody of the 11 month old just 4 months before I gave birth to my baby.

I always wanted to be a 'mom'.  In fact, in college, my major was 'Family Science' so basically I took a lot of child development and parenting classes.  Being a mother has been the HARDEST thing I have ever done, but also the most rewarding.  Children are amazing and teach me so much.  I am grateful to be able to stay at home with them and am also grateful for their patience with me.  I am so imperfect and have so much to learn about being a mom.  I think it's a lifelong process!

Does the constant exposure to great maternity items, set your baby fever in overdrive?
Not really.  I try to focus on the women who are ALREADY pregnant and who will get to wear these great maternity clothes.  I do, however, have quite the collection of maternity clothes for when baby number 5 decides to join our family!  

Is there anything else you'd like to share with Momma Stuff Blog readers?
Being a mother is one of the most amazing, scariest, frustrating and humbling things you will ever do in your life!  We have been entrusted with these little beings that rely on us for everything.  It is overwhelming at times, but when we remember we are raising the next generation-the leaders of the future--it makes it all worth it.

A little about my 'office'.  When you asked about including a photo of my office, I had to laugh.  Mainly because my home IS my office.  My baby's room doubles as my inventory room.  It has his crib, a dresser and lots and lots of maternity clothes!  Items that are for sale on ebay are in his closet and items that I need to take pictures of and list are in totes on the other side of the room.  Mine and my husband's room houses my maternity mannequin as well as items that are ready to be photographed.  Out in the living room is the desk with my computer on it where I do all my work!  Next to the desk is items that have been photographed and need to be listed.  My basement has lots of totes of off season items as well as all of the listed inventory for Flybelly.com.  Fly Belly has taken over my house!!  One day I will be able to rent a small office, but for now I am content to stay at home with my kiddos around me wreaking havoc on the house while I work!

Enter to Win

One Shirt of the Winners Choice

First Entry:
Visit the Fly Belly Website and leave a comment sharing which shirt you'd like to win
Please make sure you include your email address if its not in your profile otherwise I won't be able to contact you if you win!
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I entered to #win a super cute maternity shirt from @Flybelly | http://bit.ly/gEkHxo | @mommastuffblog
 

Giveaway closes Sunday January 2nd, 2011 at 8pm (PST).  Winner will be determined by a random number generator. Winner will be notified via email and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new name will be drawn and contacted.

Contest is now closed.
Congratulations to our winner, comment #22 Sweetone624!

Why I love my Midwife

I can't believe another post-less week has gone by.  I did manage to write and mail my Christmas cards last week and finish my Christmas baking with my mom this weekend, so it hasn't been a total write-off.

I'm 19 weeks pregnant today and we finally have our ultrasound booked for the end of the month.  Although I love hearing the bean's heartbeat, I can't wait to see him or her up there on the screen and have the technician tell me that the babe is healthy, and of course confirm that there is in fact only one babe.  I have no reason to believe otherwise, but confirmation is always a good thing.

My brother's girlfriend is also pregnant, and due just a month after us, its going to be baby central in our family this spring.  I was shocked and a little jealous when she told me that not only has she already had an ultrasound, she's already had two.  She is going to a maternity clinic and they have a small ultrasound machine in the office so they can peek in on the babe at every visit.

One of the pluses of a maternity clinic I guess.  Where we live, residents have access to basic medical care including access to doctors, hospitals and prenatal care which allows for a choice in a pregnancy care provider, at no additional fee.

The hubs and I have chosen a midwife as our pregnancy care provider of choice.  Lori was recommended to us when we were pregnant with the boy and once we met her, there was no question about it, we knew she was right for us.  I loved that even from our first meeting, I felt no pressure to continue with Lori, nor did I ever feel any pressure to undertake any specific tests or procedures.  We discussed options and our preferences were always respected. 

When I talk, Lori listens.  I feel like she truly 'hears' what I have to say and she is always conscious and aware of both hubs and I's wants, fears and needs.  When we went into the hospital to deliver the boy we never bothered with a written birth plan, we had verbally discussed everything with Lori and knew that she would be by our side to ensure nothing went askew.  It was comforting to know that we wouldn't be at the mercy of unknown nurses and that Lori would be there throughout labour rather than just coming in at the last moment to 'catch' the baby.  Midwives are also responsible for both mom and baby for 6 weeks postpartum; we had no awkward home visits from an unknown community nurse, instead we simply had the comfort of Lori.

As far as I'm concerned, midwifes are the way to go (although I recognize for some people, such as those in a high risk pregnancy, they simply aren't an option).  Midwives spend their schooling and career (not just a few days a month) eating, sleeping and breathing babies.  They study pregnancy and delivery in depth during their schooling and the entire premise of midwifery is informed choice.

Having an ultrasound every prenatal visit might be pretty damn cool, but its nothing compared to the comfort, repoire and peace of mind I have with my midwife.  Thank you Lori.

If your in Richmond, Lori along with two other midwifes have now joined forces as the Richmond Midwifery Care Centre, if your in the lower mainland, check out Midwifes in Vancouver or for more information on Midwifery, including where to find a local Midwife in BC, check out the Midwifes Association of BC.

Help needed: Are double strollers worth the money?

So I'm going to be honest, I need some help Momma's.

Once again I find myself intimidated by the stroller situation, only this time around its the double strollers that are plaguing me.  The boy is going to be roughly 26 months when the new baby arrives and although I know that he is a pretty good walker, I also know that I liked to go out and walk for about an hour, almost every day, when the boy was little.

And he loved it, he always loved the stroller, he hated the carseat, but loved the stroller.  Even now at 20 months as long as I let him walk for about 10 minutes, he will happily get in for a 'stroller ride' for the rest of our walk.  I don't want to take his 'stroller rides' from him, if he still wants them of course.

But who knows what he'll want in another 6 months, regardless I'm pretty positive that he won't be up to the task of an hour long walk.  For that reason alone, I was pretty much convinced that I needed to get a double stroller.  Seriously, with the boy, I NEEDED to leave the house every day and if the baby is sleeping in the stroller and the boy gets tired and needs a ride, I can't exactly put them both into one seat can I?

My Fit 4 Two prenatal instructor did suggest something I hadn't totally considered.  If required, I could plop the baby into a carrier and strap the boy into the stroller.  Her boys are two years apart and that the carrier/stroller method worked great for her, she wished for a double stroller only twice while her boys were young.

But at the same time, although I'm all for attachment parenting and babywearing, long periods of babywearing can get strenuous on momma, especially as the kidlets get bigger.  And I have to admit, I loved that the boy would fall asleep in the stroller and I could just look at him and watch him sleep as we strolled down the road.

If I do go with a double stroller, I've been looking at the Phil and Teds, but they essentially have no storage; you can't reach the basket with the baby reclined, or the second child's feet are in the basket.  Not to mention that you can't hang a diaper bag off the handle or you'll whack you kid in the head.  I'm also not 100% convinced that my children will like sitting in the back bottom of the stroller, though many reviewers swear their kids like it. 


And although I always swore I wouldn't want a double wide (my current stroller is big enough) I see now that there are a variety of double wides that are less than 30 inches wide and have independent seats so the baby can recline.  As an example, Mamabargains just had the Easywalker Duo (which I missed) for $399 with a free carrycot (remember the boy hated the carseat), which may have been perfect...if I do indeed want to buy a double (wide?) stroller.

Please help Momma's...I need your wisdom, experience and advice, do you think a newborn and a 26 month old warrant a double stroller?

I certainly don't want to waste our money...but I want to be able to enjoy my walks during my oh-so-spoiled year of maternity leave.

Plus one

I've always been intrigued by the term 'plus one'; I'm just not sure what to think.  On one hand its respectful in that your friends aren't asking you to attend a wedding (an event that's all about love and couples) solo, but on the other hand is there some sort of negative implication if you don't have a date?  I know its standard fare to seat all of the 'singles' at the same table, but I've sat at that table before and it kind of feels like your the outcasts, or at least it did to me, and I had the hubs with me.

The hubs and I have been 'together' for about 9 years, before that I was still pretty young and no one I knew was getting married, so I've never been in a situation where it was Amber plus one.  But now my very good friend is getting married (and I get to be a bridesmaid for the first time ever) and I suddenly feel like our invitation should say, Amber & hubs, plus one.

Because I am in fact carrying around and nurturing our own little 'plus one' and although the boy will be staying home, our little in-utero baby will absolutely be attending the wedding!

Please excuse the dirty mirror picture, I was having a LOT of trouble taking a picture of myself to share my little (well maybe not so little) 15 week bump with you all.

Although there are always some anxieties around the birth of a new baby, we are so happy to share that in May 2011 the boy will become a big brother.  We are already 15 weeks along and things have been going great.  Since we decided to wait to share the news with you all, I promise to catch you all up to speed on this pregnancy soon.  In fact I've been having trouble writing 'personal' posts as of late as I've just been bursting to share my news.

I also want to let you know that in celebration of my pregnancy, I have a great Maternity Giveaway coming up soon, I promise all you preggy momma's will love it!

But for now, lets just relish in the baby fever - I'm pregnant!!