Savvy Toddler Mom

Alright, so the career crisis is almost over, my hideous cold (or whatever secondary infection I got) is being attacked by wonderful antibiotics, and it’s almost August.  Ack!  Must be time to get back on the blog wagon.

This last week has been kind of a blur.  Full of spreadsheets and coughing, pioneers and bed wetting (the last was the toot, not me). 

Seriously, did we actually have a holiday last week?  If it wasn’t for the fireworks I would have missed it completely, I was so sick.  SavvyDad took the toot to the Days of ‘47 Parade and had a great time.  I went to the Instacare.

(If you are wondering what this Utah state holiday is all about, check out my more appropriate post from last year.)

But about the bed wetting… ugh.  So, the toot is practically potty trained.  He did it almost completely by himself in a few weeks’ time.  However, he is still a little hit-and-miss overnight.  Does anyone have any suggestions for that?  The last two nights he’s woken up crying because he wet the bed.  Not only is it upsetting to him, SavvyDad and I are losing (more) sleep and I’ve been having to do a lot of laundry.  If this keeps up, I think I’ll need to make a bigger investment in sheets and blankets.

I don’t want to just put him in a pull-up, though.  He wants to wear his underwear and he says he wants to try to keep them dry.  I don’t want to force training wheels on him if he doesn’t want them.  Any ideas?

Along these lines, have I mentioned how much I love my washing machine?  Well, I do.  Last August we got a front-loading LG washing machine and I have been having a love affair with it ever since.  It’s amazing.  Not only do our clothes get cleaner, but it’s HUGE (think: 1 1/2 times as many clothes per load as our old one), uses less detergent (high-efficiency only!), less water, and less energy (qualifies for energy rebates!), and is really fun to use.  No, really.  It’s fun to fill up the little drawer for the detergent, fabric softener, bleach, etc. and the toot and I like to watch the clothes swirl around after we turn it on.  My favorite perk (aside from all the above) is the cute chiming sounds it makes when you push the buttons and when it finishes the cycle.  It’s adorable.  Happiness in laundry.

I just put three twin-sized blankets in to wash at the same time.  It’s awesome.

I’ve been meaning for a while now to mention the very cool and oh-so-personal gift my brother and sister-in-law (of Women & Money and VA fame) sent to my parents and grandparents for Christmas.  The gifts were t-shirts with a printed drawing by my little niece, made possible by the magic of CustomInk.com.

I saved the tag from one, I thought it was so awesome!  You have got to check it out.  The “drawing-printed-on-a-t-shirt” is one of many, many custom products they offer.  They have a variety of clothing and other items you can put your stamp on.  Absolutely perfect for the parents and grandparents in your life.

If that made you laugh outright, you are awesome.  If you don’t get it, say it aloud a couple of times.  If you want to know why it’s hilarious, rent Arrested Development.  MAN, that show is funny.

Sorry to keep you waiting on the results of my HSG on Friday.  I needed more time than I had then to put a post together.

The HSG wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be — probably has something to do with the 800 mg of ibuprofen I took ahead of time (thanks for the heads-up, Toni!).  I was pretty uncomfortable that night and a bit into the next day, but nothing that required more than some more ibuprofen.

And now for the results… drumroll… they didn’t find anything wrong with me.  Yay!  That is a good thing!  If they had found something wrong with my uterus, I don’t know what they would have been able to do, so I’m glad we’ve been able to just rule that out completely.

Also, it was really cool to watch on the TV monitor as they put the dye in — crazy!

So, I’m still waiting for the results on my bloodwork.  After that, we’ll look at where we go from there.

In the meantime, I had a pretty busy weekend.  CTM and I went to the gym Saturday morning to do cardio and weights, and I am SO sore today.  My arms especially!  Saturday night we went out with some friends to Mikado.  I am not a sushi fan, but did try one roll.  I ordered the tempura shrimp and veggies — so yummy!

The toot spent the evening hangin’ with canyonfool, his wife and two-year-old son.  I think he had a great time!  Canyonfool is the best uncle a little boy could have… he loves to wrestle, he’s totally funny, he’s got a whole bunch of toys at his house, and he loves to play with the toot!  Thanks again, CF & wife!  You guys are the best.

Canyonfool made the boys a dinner from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  My other brother and SIL sent me a copy for my birthday — thanks, guys! — so CF wound up with the copy my parents gave me for Christmas. LOL  (Review still to come…) I was really impressed that CF made something out of it.  I read through it and my first impression is that it’s a TON of work!  It sounded like the boys really liked it and with all the veggies hidden inside, I can only tip my hat to CF.  Way to go.

On Saturday, I also spent some time packing up the toot’s 3T clothes.  He had a TON.  It took almost 2 big plastic storage boxes to fit them all.  I think I’m doing a better job now figuring out how many pajamas, shirts, and pants he needs — but I think I went a little crazy last winter on the pajamas!  I always wonder if I should store all of his clothes.  Is it worth it?  I actually set aside some to give to the DI — the ones that are far from my favorite or that got a random stain, etc.  And especially, what about shoes?  Do you keep them?  I’ve kept all the Robeez shoes (so cute!) he had when he was younger, but now they get so worn and dirty.

He was wearing 4T clothes at the end of last summer, so I’m excited to actually have him wear those again this spring. 

My favorite quote from the toot last week was: “Daddy, can I drive?  I’m three now!”  LOL

We were supposed to get a huge snow storm last night, but it flaked out.  I expect it will hit sometime today.  For now, the wind is blowing like crazy and I’m still planning on staying home all day!  I just hope the storm is done and over with by tomorrow — I have places to go!

I think we’ll do laundry, etc.  I also need to work on my “list” some more.  Those thank you notes aren’t going to write themselves!

I’m getting ready to go to the doctor this morning, but thought I would answer a question some of you have asked… “Puddle Jumpers?  What the heck are Puddle Jumpers?”  Check them out here. 

They are the freakin’ cutest toddler shoes on the market.  And that’s my professional opinion.

You can find them in Salt Lake at Jolley’s Pharmacy on 1300 South and 1700 East.

This has had me chuckling for two days now… Olivia: The Essential Latin Edition.  Yes, it is what it sounds like… it’s Olivia, translated into Latin.

I’ve got to get it!  I laughed and laughed when I saw it on Amazon.com, then laughed harder when I looked at the excerpts.  I forgot how much I love Latin!  I forgot how fun it is to be academically silly.  I took three years of Latin in high school, only to have it drowned out by four years of French in college.  Maybe it’s time to get back to our collective roots.

Update on my quest to have a second child: I go to see the perinatalogist on Thursday.  (SavvyDad likes to think of him as the “paranatalogist” - baby ghost doctor?)  He’s got pathology reports and blood work results — we’ll see what he has to say about this whole thing.  I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, it’s back to The List (see previous post).  Today I started taking down the Christmas decorations (a task so overwhelming, it must be done in doses) and I cleaned out my closet.  I have four bags of clothing and shoes all set to go the the DI (Deseret Industries, for you non-locals… my favorite place to donate stuff) AND I banned all of the maternity-ish clothing back to storage.  It was too sad having it in my closet and looking at it every day.

ChasingToddlerMom has her ultrasound tomorrow.  Yippee!!!!  I have a pair of polka-dot Puddle Jumpers I have to hand over if she’s having a girl.  Stay tuned…

Last night, my final (for now) niece arrived!  Little Viv was born just after midnight on her brother’s birthday.  A great gift for a three-year-old, huh?  Baby sister!  Mom and baby are great and her two big brothers are really taken with her.

You are probably wondering if her quilt is finished… (well, you probably aren’t, but I’m feeling some guilt about it).  The answer is no, not yet.  We are going to visit next month, so I’m giving myself until then to get it done.  That way I can deliver it in person, right?

In light of this latest new arrival — and for the several friends of mine that are also expecting right now — here are my recommendations for your newborn’s changing table.

Must Haves for the Changing Table

• Diapers - 2 packages newborn diapers to start
• Wipes - Kirkland brand (Costco) is perfect (don’t bother with a wipe warmer, they’ll just get used to it!)
• Diaper rash cream - BEST is Aquaphor mixed with Creamy Desitin at a 1:1 ratio
• Baby lotion - I love the bedtime one by Johnson & Johnson
• Purell - in a hand pump is great
• Baby sunscreen - because this is where you’ll use it – not for newborns, though
• Finger nail clippers
• Hair brush
• Rubbing alcohol & Q-Tips for umbilical cord cleaning
• Vaseline packets (for umbilical cord and diaper rash on newborns – they will probably give you these at the hospital)
• Contour changing pad
• Contour changing pad covers - 3 recommended
• Diaper pail - I really like our Diaper Champ: no cartridges to buy and it’s still serving us well after 3 years

I might also mention that Costco doesn’t sell newborn diapers.  Get a couple of packages from the grocery store, Target, etc., and then pick up some 1-2 size diapers from Costco.  Also good to know: they don’t sell size “1″ or “2″ at Costco or other warehouse clubs.  It’s size “1-2″ and then you go to size 3.  No, it’s not a problem.

I also thought I’d mention that a changing table is really a good idea too.  I know a lot of people get by just fine without one, but I really like having a space in which the toot is contained (side bars, strap, etc.), at a reasonably convenient height, and where everything is already organized and ready to use.  I highly recommend it.

On a side note, I got the buttons for the toot’s pirate costume sewn on last night and I’m going to finish the sash today.  Then I will take some photos and post them!

We didn’t make it to Wheeler Farm last Saturday; the weather was too yucky.  We are hoping to go this Saturday, though.  I’ll let you know what I think of their Scarecrow Masquerade.

I am SO out of it today, having started out the day with an unhealthy dose of narcotics for a fiendish migraine I woke up with (ugh).  I shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery (does a computer count?), much less be responsible for a mischievious toddler.  I’m still trying to decide if an SOS call to Grandma is in order.

In the meantime — while Little Einsteins is still on and I am “safe” for a bit — I wanted to share my very first “favorite thing” I discovered as a new parent.  The Soothie Pacifier.  Recommended by my sister-in-law nurse, my son’s pediatrician, and the hospital where I delivered (Salt Lake Regional, for you locals), the Soothie pacifier was a fixture in our family’s life while my son was a baby.

As I understand it, it is great for breastfeeding babies because it causes little nipple confusion.  Not being able to speak to that point (TMI: my breastmilk never came in… isn’t that weird?), I can only vouch that these pacifiers are very similar to Avent bottle nipples and was the ONLY binki my son would take.

We had two to start: one I had purchased and one from the hospital.  Then we had three, since we lost one, purchased another in desperation, then immediately found the other one (sigh).  When we upgraded from the newborn size to the “older” size, we started out with three.

I am laughing right now remembering how crazy I was about not losing them.  Can’t leave the house without a binki!  I usually kept a back-up in a ziploc in my purse.  You never knew when one could get lost or dirty RIGHT when you needed it the most.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not one of those moms that gives their child a binki just because it’s there.  It was a need-only item.  Naptime, bedtime, and meltdown time.

I know they are available now in more stores than ever, but back when the toot was an infant, I was only able to find them at The Lactation Station on Highland Drive and 3200 South.  The Lactation Station is also my best recommendation for nursing bras and fitting help.

I emailed Denise & Alan Fields, the authors of Toddler Bargains, the other night when I couldn’t find their review of the Graco Air Booster. To my surprise and delight, they replied this morning. 

To my inquiry about this seat, they said:

“The Graco Air Booster is a new product. The seat itself is the same as the Graco TurboBooster—they’ve changed the fabric to this new cushion for additional comfort. So we’d recommend it if you want to spend the extra $.”

So, folks, there you have it… straight from the expert’s mouth/email.

Thank you, Denise & Alan Fields, for your quick response and helpful information… or, for employing people to do it on your behalf. :)  I like you guys more today than ever.

Get a load of this… Have you ever seen those toy award stickers and wondered what else has won?  Check out this web site for the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winners.  They have them divided into age categories:

• Infants
• Toddlers
• Preschool
• Early School Years
• Later School Years

I have a third birthday coming up (not for me… for the toot, of course) and I need to make that birthday budget stretch!  I got some great ideas for some toys that will give me the biggest bang for my buck.

They also have past winners categorized by toy type, so check that out as well.

The Graco Air Booster or the Graco Turbo Booster?

I’ve been researching booster seats tonight, since I discovered yesterday that the toot is 39 1/2 inches tall.  39 1/2 inches tall!  He’s going to be 3 in NOVEMBER. 

Anyway, I downloaded the latest version of Toddler Bargains, an ebook, but it didn’t review the seat I’m wondering about, the Graco Air Booster.  Anyone know anything about it?  It looks like it’s new — debuted on Amazon.com in June.  Amazon.com doesn’t even have any reviews for it yet. 

I’m intrigued by the whole “patented FLEX-Comfort suspension seat with flexible micro-adjustable material that adapts to your child’s weight and size, reducing pressure points and providing an exact fit every time. This remarkable material also lets air circulate to help your child stay comfy.”  I know I’m a sucker for marketing sometimes (yes, I’ll admit it, SavvyDad…), but the toot gets so hot in his Britax Marathon, especially in this crazy Utah summer heat, and I do want the safest thing out there.

Side note: I am still thrilled with the Britax Marathon purchase.  I love the product — would recommend it to anyone.  I also shopped around online, found an insane price, then took it to USA Baby and had them match it.  Apparently still feeling smug about it, too…

But back to the point, which is: I don’t know about the Graco Air Booster and I think I’m going to have to go with the Graco Turbo Booster, which IS the Toddler Bargains’ recommendation.  Not to mention, it’s half the price.