Mommy FTW

Cameron has always loved swimming.  When we were still living in Brooklyn Cameron and I spent many an afternoon at Clermont Pool at PS 20 cooling off.  Now that we are in D.C. we get swim at Cam’s grandparents house.  The most shallow area of the pool is 4 feet deep (unlike the indoor pool at the Wilson Aquatic Center which has a beach pool that starts at zero depth).  So, I knew I needed to get Cam something to help him swim on his own since I was going to have my hands full with our newborn.  I asked around to my mom friends to see if anyone had a floatie (life jacket, flotation device, etc) they could recommend.  I heard great things about the Sterns Kids Puddle Jumper – and the price seemed right so I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon.

The first time Cam wore the Puddle Jumper in the pool he was a little nervous, still clinging to me.  But as the time went one he became more and more secure in it.  By the end of our hour in the pool he was swimming on his own and jumping in the water.  The next day we went swimming again and he quickly was up to speed and making his way all around the pool.

I love the Puddle Jumper because it’s comfortable for Cameron.  Because of the way it fits around him, it can’t ride up.  It’s very easy for him to move around on his own and work on his kicking and paddling.  I feel confident that he is safe in the water.  It’s easy for me to guide him around with one hand holding the clip at the back to help him work on his swimming.  Overall, I couldn’t be happier – and I think Cam feels the same way!

I am a big fan of the Ergo baby carrier, and using one for Violet was part of my plan for porting both kids around in the beginning instead of getting a double stroller.  Of course, little V is too little to sit in it the usual way, so I started asking around about the infant insert.  Everyone I talked to said it was a waste of money, and after some googling I found suggestions that using a sheet or towel instead with the Ergo would work just as well.  So – this is what I started doing!

Yes, there is a baby in there.

It felt a little awkward at first, but I’ve worked on the placement and with a little practice it works just fine.  I’m still looking forward to when Violet can sit in it normally, but for now this is working great.

For my little girl’s room I ordered some SurfaceInspired Wall decals from their shop on Etsy.  I have to admit they were a bit time consuming and sometimes frustrating to put up, but in the end, totally worth it.  The finished product is gorgeous and has gotten so many compliments.  I wish I had known before I ordered them that they have a 15% off coupon code – SURFACEINSPIRED15.

So if you are thinking of giving them a try, check out their shop and be sure to use the code!  Oh, and watch the YouTube video before you put them up – it’s really helpful in understanding how to apply them.

Triple Paste always comes to my rescue when Cameron is having a diaper rash issue.  It’s a bit expensive, but worth the cost!  A set of new Triple Paste coupons were just released that you should take advantage of:

$1 off any Triple Paste

$2 off any Triple Paste Cream

I am guessing I buy more products from Amazon than any other online retailer – their prices are so good – and when you take advantage of Subscribe and Save, they are AMAZING.  I wanted to write a post because I think a lot of people are afraid to “subscribe” to something, or they don’t realize how many products are available at a discount.

Subscribe and Save via Amazon gives you 15% off (and in some cases 30% off) the regular price of an item if you sign up for a subscription.  You can schedule your next shipment for every one, two, three, or 6 months.  Don’t worry though – you can always change the time between your shipments, and cancel shipments.  I set most of my subscriptions to 6 months and then just have extra items sent to me when I need them.  That way I take advantage of the savings, but don’t really have any kind of  commitment to a schedule.  Here’s a few of the things I subscribe and save on:

Diapers!  Practically every brand and every size of diapers, including overnight diapers you can usually get 30% off.  This makes them very affordable – and believe me it’s the best price online.  No coupons or special offers needed.  You can also subscribe and save on wipes, and diaper pail refills.  Also on the baby/toddler front are lots of food items, including many Earth’s Best items and Cameron’s beloved applesauce packs.

You can also find lots of other grocery items, as well as health and beauty items.  I happen to love the ear plugs I found there (my husband is sometimes a snorer).  They work so well I think I’ll have to give them up when the baby comes because I’m not sure I’d hear her as well as I like.  You can also find skin care and hair care stuff.  I recommend you browse the Subscribe and Save section – you’ll be suprised at what’s in there!

A few weeks ago I posted a link on the Mommy FTW Facebook fan page about how to prepare your toddler for a new sibling, and I reached out to the fans for any additional advice because I am not exactly an expert on this topic.  I got some great ideas from both the article and my fellow moms that I wanted to share with the rest of the Mommy FTW readers.

I started off by requesting some books from the library about newborns and older siblings.  I know at both the the DC and Brooklyn libraries you can search the online catalogs and request that books be placed on hold for you.  You get an email when the books are at your local branch to pick up.  It’s really easy!  The books I got were:

Baby on the Way by Martha Sears

I’m a Big Brother (or, I’m a Big Sister) by Joanna Cole

Brand-New baby Blues by Kathi Appeit

I also ordered a baby doll from Amazon.  I got the Melissa and Doug baby Jenna – it had great reviews, and the price was very affordable.  Cameron loved the doll from the second it came out of the box.  We put diapers on it and get it dressed.  He gives it hugs and kisses and tucks it in under his blanket.  He even puts the baby in his Sister’s crib and says “shh quiet” because she is sleeping.

Cameron's little sister, taken Jan 2011

I talk to Cameron a lot about the baby, and he likes to give my tummy hugs and kisses.  I’m not sure he really understands what’s going on in mommy because one time he pointed to my husband’s stomach and said “baby.”  Oh well!  It can’t hurt!

Lately I try and get Cameron to help me as much as possible with small tasks around the house.  I think this makes him feel useful, and hopefully will make him feel good about himself and involved when the baby comes.

Other bits of advice I got from some of the fans was to spend as much one on one time with Cameron when the baby comes (especially in those early days when the baby is sleeping a lot).

Also, just as sometimes Cameron will have to wait when I am doing something with the baby, it is good to ask the baby to wait a minute while I do things with Cameron (use your best judgment, of course!)  That way he won’t always feel like he is second.

Another fan suggested a Sibling Preparation class at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.  I didn’t check this out myself but it sounds like a great idea.  You can find out more about this class and the 2011 schedule via this link.  Sibley Hospital (where I’m to deliver) has a “Sibling Tour” with activities for young kids as well.  Find out more at the bottom of this page.  If you aren’t in the DC area, check with your local hospital to see if they offer any classes.  I didn’t even know classes like these existed!

If anyone has any other advice, please share it with me.  I have to admit I feel nervous about such a big change in our family, but I am sure Cameron will handle it like a champ – and that brother and sister will become the best of friends over the years!

When Cameron notices that it’s raining he immediately wants to go outside and run around.  While I’m happy he enjoys the wet weather, I don’t really like him getting soaked  So, I went looking for a rain coat and umbrella for him.

I was able to find him a little windbreaker / rain coat (I’m not sure it’s water proof… but it certainly is water resistant) at Target for only $9.99.  It’s the perfect weight for spring / fall weather.  While I don’t see the exact style I got him on the Target website, they do have several other affordable options.

I also got him a cute little Totes Bubble Umbrella from Amazon in blue.  The reviews of this umbrella were a bit all over the map – but I didn’t really see any others that seemed like better options.  And, at under $15 (the pink one seems to be $10… no idea why) it seemed like the price was right, even if the quality wasn’t stellar.

Cameron works on his umbrella holding technique

Well, Cameron really loves both his umbrella and his coat – although he is still working on holding the umbrella above his head at this point.  I’m sure soon enough he will be ready to do some serious puddle stomping!

FYI, as a birthday present Cameron also got some Western Chief rain boots that I had registered for.  The reviews of these boots on Amazon were great, but after our most recent puddle stomping adventure they were full of water – like I literally dumped out an inch of water out of each of them.  I am not sure if they leaked, or if water came in from over the top.  But, I can’t say I recommend them because of this.   Maybe we just got a dud pair?

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

At least a month ago one of my friends from Brooklyn mentioned to me that Trader Joe’s had a yogurt in a tube product, but I had yet to see it at my local store here in the DC area.  Well, it just appeared!

Ogranic, affordable, and Cameron approved

It’s called Yogurt Squishers – an organic yogurt in a tube similar to GoGurt (which Cam loves) at a better price – somehow everything at Trader Joe’s is always so affordable!  Oh, and FYI I’ve heard that Stonyfield Farm makes some of Trader Joe’s yogurt products… which makes it seem like even more of a deal to this mom.  Keep an eye out for it next time you are shopping!

I’ve turned to Etsy for creative solutions a lot in the past two years getting Cameron quite a few hats, a custom tie tee for my brother’s wedding this past summer, and also for our Holiday photo cards.  So, when it came time to start getting my baby girl’s nursery in order I decided to see what I could find there.  I was pleasantly surprised by all the totally cool things I came across!  I wanted to show you all a little of what I saw – FYI the color scheme I’m going for is green, white, and purple so most of the stuff you’ll see is in that theme.  But!  These sellers offer all kinds of cute things, many available in custom colors and designs.  Check them out, and don’t hesitate to contact the sellers and ask them if they can work with you.

For Cameron’s room I got him Blik ReStik which has lasted very well. We were even able to move it from Brooklyn to DC without a hitch. On Etsy I found seller surfaceinspired which makes gorgeous wall art very similar to Blik.  For baby girl’s room I’m going to get this cherry blossom art.  You can even choose whatever colors you want.  I can’t wait to see it!

Today I just ordered a mobile from LilSproutCreations based on this purple one.  I sent the seller a picture of the rug I had bought for the room and she is going to do some tweeking to match it.  I’m sure it’s going to look amazing.

Most of the changing pad covers and crib sheets I’ve seen out there are pastel colored, which I am not a huge fan of.  So I was excited to find the crib sheets by SweetMemoriesQuilts and changing pad covers by LittleOwlsNest.  Now I can find the perfect shade of purple!

Other items I pictured above I’m still deciding on (or in the case of the butterfly mobile I just had to post because its so beautiful!) but I wanted to show them to you all so you could check out the sellers and see what adorable things they have.  Check the image captions to find out the Etsy seller names.  Happy decorating!!  I’ll be sure to post pictures when it all comes together.

At Christmas time my husband had the idea of getting Cameron a bank to save the spare change he likes to collect.  I remembered when I was younger seeing the old school cast iron mechanical banks and thought Cam would think something like that was fun.  My husband found one on Amazon that has a dog which jumps through hoop held by a clown, and deposits a coin in a barrel.  Perfect!  Cameron after all loves dogs, anything that jumps, and is mechanical.  It didn’t take long for him to figure out how to operate it on his own.

The awesome jumping dog bank!

We did discover a problem though – Cameron wanted an endless supply of coins to feed the dog.  So, in an effort to combat this each night now as part of his bedtime routine we give him 5 coins, and we make a big deal of counting down the number of coins that are left.  This way he isn’t “surprised” when he runs out.  I figure maybe he might be learning a little counting too?  A mom can dream….

FYI I have been using this as a general tool to combat Cameron’s “terrible 2’s” – I try and give him a lot of warning when something is going to happen.  Like, ok, 3 books and then it’s bed time.  Or, we’re going to leave the park in 5 minutes.  I don’t think he really understands what “5 minutes” means, but he realizes that something is going to happen soon.  It seems to be helping….some!