Utah Baby Blog

holiday fun | valentine's day

2012-02-05T22:54:00.011-07:00

Before having kids, Valentine's Day was all about red roses, lingerie, chocolate dipped strawberries and fancy gifts that said, "i love you".....after having kids, Valentine's Day is still about the things listed above but is also about making that special day fun for the little people in our lives as well. Whether it's sharing a box of chocolates with your little guy, making pink heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, or creating an overly glittered card for daddy, Valentine's Day should be special for everyone, not just the love birds!

We've rounded up some fun books to read, cartoons to watch, treats to eat, and art projects to create, all of which are Valentine's Day themed so you can do them with your loved ones on that special day!

Let's cuddle up on the couch and watch a cartoon...

Clifford, The Big Red Dog

"King Clifford and Be My Big Red Valentine"

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

Be My Valentine - Barney

Read about love with the ones you love...

"Guess How Much I Love You" By Sam McBratney

"The Day It Rained Hearts" By Felicia Bonds

"Where is Baby's Valentine?" By Karen Katz

"Snuggle Puppy! (A love song)" By Sandra Bounton

There's a little sweet tooth in all of us...

Valentine Smoothie:

What you'll need...

5 strawberries

1/2 banana

1 cup milk

Directions: Place the fruit and milk into a blender and mix on high speed till blended. Pour into a plastic cup and serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Makes one serving. Double the recipe for 2 servings...and so on.

Edible Valentine Cards:

What you'll need...

Graham Crackers

Vanilla Frosting

Candy Conversation hearts

Directions: Use the graham cracker as the base of this tasty, edible card. Invite your children to stick the candy conversation hearts on with the frosting. Help them read their message and then enjoy this treat during snack time.

Saying 'i love you' without words...

Hand over your love:

You've heard it a million times: "They grow up too fast." So, take a few minutes this Valentine's Day to preserve some toddler memories.

Use a little (non-toxic, washable) paint and craft paper to make Valentine's Day-inspired handprints. Once dry, turn the prints into a refrigerator drawing, a framed keepsake, a placemat, or any made-with-love Valentine's Day present. Your little one will have so much fun making these handprints you'll have gifts for the grandparents, babysitters, and the mailman covered.

For feet, see full instructions here: Love your feet!

Artists Inspired by Love:

A love of getting messy, that is! Let your budding Picasso express that love on Valentine's Day with some pudding painting. Either mix a few drops of red food coloring with one box of instant vanilla pudding, or opt for strawberry yogurt. (Food coloring can stain some surfaces, so be mindful when prepping where he'll be playing.)

Whether his canvas is the high chair tray, a cookie sheet, or freezer paper so you can save their masterpiece, your little one will be tickled pink that you let him make a creative mess to celebrate the day. It's a craft … it's a snack … no, it's just plain, sweet fun!

Game On!

Toddlers love games, so this Valentine's Day spend the afternoon playing some of their favorites, guided by the heart. Play tic-tac-toe with large candy conversation hearts and Valentine's M&Ms. Or make a set of love notes and play a game of Valentine's Day memory. (See instructions and ideas for other heart-inspired games at baby zone.com)

Or if you and your toddler are part of a playgroup suggest turning a game of musical chairs into musical hearts (tape hearts to the floor in a circle instead of using chairs) so you all feel the love.

Featured Nursery | Krue

2012-01-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

Krue's nursery is so sweet. I love the splashes of color and the chevron striped bedding is awesome.

crib: babies r' us , bedding: tuftlove fabric & interiors, light fixture: ikea, lamp: home goods, bead toy: ikea, dresser/changing table: thrifted, rocker: thrifted, frames: thrifted, rug: ikea,

Guest Mommy | Cloth Diapering

2012-01-09T19:57:00.010-07:00

I'm a young mother of three girls zoe(8), rowan(4), and stella(1.5), cloth diapering for the first time and am head over heels for the money we are saving! I write a mommy blog at hibabyblog.com, am going to school to be a doula, and photograph my way through the day till bedtime just to do it all again tomorrow.

Talking my better half Tim into cloth diapers, proved to be equal parts difficult and easy. He is the first one to stand up and save money but I think the up front cost scared him a little bit; maybe in the end he was just stringing me along to make sure it was something I really wanted and not just because my friends were doing it. Before Stella was born I had already toyed with the notion of cloth diapers but the deal was sealed for me when I watched my good friend and sister-in-law slip into it with grace, promised savings, and had only good things to say. Now it was time to get to work on Tim and I didn’t waste anytime. My approach was tons and tons of research, comparison, and pricing and it seemed to do the trick; I almost became obsessive there for a second, honestly there is so much information out there it sends you for a little whirlwind at first. Thankfully with cloth diapering being such a rising trend the information and tips are becoming a lot more organized and clear. Once I had my list of what I wanted and what our up front cost would be Tim and I started negotiating. I even came prepared with a spread sheet of savings when it came to cloth vs. disposables, I had found via googling ‘cloth diapering blogs’. I knew this is what I wanted for our family and I planned on being persistent to get what I wanted; I even followed Tim into the bathroom while he was showering once to shout savings figures at him, ‘can you believe that the average baby costs almost $2,000 to diaper and we could be doing it for only $400 or less?’ He was less than thrilled at this maneuver but it was later that night that we made our first purchase from Kelly’s Closet and our first set of bum genius and Flip diapers were on their way. We compromised to stay minimal at first, to make sure it was something we could commit to, can you believe that we didn’t even buy a diaper sprayer till Stella was almost one year old? I was just happy to be cloth diapering that I could overlook having to scrap and slush diapers in the toilet for the time being. We also skipped any sort of special pail and use a five gallon home depot bucket coupled with a hand-me-down pail liner form another cd’ing friend; you would be amazed at how well it contains any odor. Today we are almost exclusively Fuzzibunz as we have had to adapt to our changing little lady and these have worked best for us; Tim doesn’t even question me anymore and has never put up a fight to changing a cloth diaper. When money is tight I look to Craigslist.org or diaper swappers to add to our stash since the $19 price tag can be overwhelming at times. Since we became an all cloth house many friends of ours have followed suit, in most part due to my convincing. I think so many people are still wrapped up in flats, pins, and plastic pants they can’t see the benefits of what cloth diapering has to offer. Having done so many late nights of cloth diaper info surfing I come ready to answer any of their questions!

Featured Nursery | Tatum

2011-12-14T09:31:00.001-07:00

Love the small touches of modern vintage in this nursery and the yellow dresser/changing table is to die for.

crib: jenny lind, mobile: pottery barn, dresser/changing table: craigslist (re-finished), ABC sampler: handmade - pattern by posie gets cozy, crib duvet and sheet: handmade by mommy, vintage baby pictures: antique stores, chair: thrifted, large owl: pier 1, smaller owl: children's hour.

to submit your nursery or child's room to be featured please email photos and details to

utahbabyblog@gmail.com

Pregnancy | Morning Sickness

2011-11-02T20:32:00.002-06:00

Some call it morning sickness others call it all day sickness. Either way... it's not fun! According to one of our recent Utah Baby Blog polls, 83% said they did experience morning sickness during pregnancy and a lucky 16% said they didn't. When it comes to feeling like crap, there’s actually good news! First, morning sickness likely won’t last your entire pregnancy (the average feeling barfy length is 17 weeks) and second, research has shown women who experience morning sickness are less likely to have a miscarriage than those who never do. Don’t worry if you’re feeling fine though, consider yourself lucky. ;)

I did a little research to find some of the best ways to try to beat the nausea and vomiting during those first few weeks of pregnancy.

Acupuncture:

Just one treatment can help some women feel better, while others go throughout their pregnancy. (Check with your doctor first to make sure this is a safe option for you.)

Ginger:

Ginger is a proven nausea-fighter. Not only does it improve nausea in early pregnancy, but it makes you vomit less. Try eating ginger candies, drinking ginger tea or downing ginger ale.

Lemons:

According to the authors of Fearless Pregnancy: Wisdom and Reassurance From a Doctor, a Midwife, and a Mom, sucking, smelling, or licking a lemon can calm many women’s stomachs.

Eating:
Though it might seem like the last thing you want to do, eating will actually help with the nausea. Not eating often enough can make you feel sick. Carry in your purse crackers, granola bars, a banana or apple and don't forget to eat first thing in the morning. Also try eating bland or boring foods.

Medication:
If you feel like you need something more and cannot function (hello, totally me), talk with your Dr. about possibly being prescribed safe medication for nausea and vomiting.

Featured | Done Over Decor.

2011-10-28T00:37:00.007-06:00

I am so excited to be a featured on Utah Baby Blog! I think this is such a great blog with great information for moms. There is a little of everything for everyone! My name is Chantel and this is a little story about a girl, a boy, a baby, and the makings of a furniture store.

I’m Chantel, the girl. TJ, the boy, and I started dating and a couple years later were married in April 2010. In June 2011 we had the baby, Troy. He is such a great addition to our family, his smile melts my heart! I am not sure how we ever lived without him! I have to also say how thankful I am to the boy in my life! He puts up with my craziness and our packed garage full of furniture… I love him!

My love for redoing furniture started out as a little hobby. I have always loved being crafty… building, creating, decorating, transforming, designing, and my most favorite of all painting! My mom and I would find great deals on one of a kind furniture and we would then recreate it into something a little better and more unique. I got the idea to start selling my decor pieces over a year ago. I put some of my creations, which were currently decorating my house, up for sale to make a little room for some new furniture. To my surprise they were selling pretty quickly and other people loved them as much as I did! When the baby came along, almost 4 months ago! I decided it was time to put A LOT more energy into doing what I love in hopes of spending more time at home with the baby. And so, Done Over Decor was born and I have loved every minute!

With Done Over Decor I am hoping to provide a fun and informative shopping experience. I want to take you through my numerous projects and also help with tips and inspirations for your own projects. I hope to turn the ordinary, dingy, and dull into fabulous and affordable, like my Grandma said… “Don’t destroy, restore!” Whether you want an already finished furniture piece, want to pick out your own unfinished piece to customize, or you have something of your own that needs a little paint updating, I can help! Take a look at some of my furniture below and also visit us on facebook or on our website, doneoverdecor.blogspot.com for more available furniture!

Local Pumpkin Farms.

2011-10-24T14:28:00.000-06:00

Halloween is just one week away! Here are some local farms we're sure your family will love!

perry - age 1 | davis county

Davis County
Black Island Farms Harvest Festival - 3178 S. 3000 W., Syracuse, UT 84075. Phone: 801 5407932
Pack Farms - Pumpkin Patch and Maz 1700 West Glovers Lane, Farmington, UT. Phone: (801) 451-7664 or (801) 397-1557. Open: General public Monday - Friday 3PM to 7PM, Saturday - 9AM to 7PM

Salt Lake County
Crazy Corn Maze - 8800 South 4000 West, West Jordan, UT 84088. Phone: 801-569-2356.
Gardner Village - 1100 W. 7800 S., West Jordan, UT 84088. Phone: 801-566-8903.
Petersen Family Farm - 11800 S 4000 W, Riverton, UT 84096. Phone: 801-440-4004.
Pumpkin Point Farms - 11900 South 3600 West, Riverton, UT 84065. Open: Monday to Friday 10 am to dusk; Saturday 9 am to dusk; Closed Sunday .
Wheeler Historic Farm - 6351 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84121. Phone: 801-264-2241.

Tooele County
Benson Grist Mill - 325 State Road 138, Stansbury Park, UT 84074. Phone: (435) 882-7137

Utah County
Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest at Thanksgiving Point - North Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043. Phone: 801-794-FARM
Hee Haw Farms - 700 South 4500 West, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062. Phone: 801-368-4335

Washington County
Staheli Family Farm - 3403 Washington Fields Road, Washington, UT 84780. Phone: 435-673-4096.

Weber County
Punkinaze -1900 W. 2550 South, West Haven, UT. Phone: 731-4756

Also the Hogle Zoo is holding their annual 'Boo at the Zoo' Saturday, the 29th from 9am-3pm.

If you know of another pumpkin patch in your area, be sure to leave it in the comments! happy halloween!

embrace the chaos.

2011-10-05T01:43:00.003-06:00

Every mom has had someone at one time or another tell them, "you need to take a minute for yourself". As we all know that is much easier said than done. Who wouldn't love to soak in a bubble bath for an hour, walk around the mall without a stroller, diaper bag and crying child or hey, even take 5 minutes to use the bathroom by yourself without being interrupted. In reality we are all on mommy-auto-pilot mode most of the day and there are never enough hours to complete the overwhelming lists of to-dos.

If you are anything like me you take on way too much hoping to somehow prove to yourself you are superwomen and can do it all. When really all you're doing is setting yourself up to fail. Its more important to only take on the projects you know you have time for, you know you are good at and to leave time for the more important things like family and good friends.

I recently found these tips i love which put a few things in perspective for me and helped to embrace the chaos.

Forget Balance:
The myth of perfect balance has us teetering on a tightrope of sanity as we frantically juggle the plates of our compartmentalized lives. Instead of worrying about the moments you're missing, be fully present for the moments you're in. Composing your grocery list while phoning your mother or planning a PowerPoint presentation while you're having sex doesn't make you more productive. It just keeps you detached from your real life.

Think Love, Not Laundry:
Instead of mindlessly grinding through tasks hoping you'll get some love or appreciation, make a decision to bring love into everything you do. Whether it's family, work or dog grooming, love is the cornerstone of happiness. You may still have to clean away the dust bunnies, but when you decide that your life is about expressing and feeling love, leftover pizza boxes don't seem so gross.

Ooze Talent:
We're at our best as human beings when our daily lives are in congruence with who we are inside and when we're connected with others. Get clear on your own fabulous skills and talents, switch off Dancing with the Stars and do the tango of life with the people around you.

Pursue Passion:
If you can't get excited about doing it, then don't do it! Whether it's the PTA or a full-time job, if you keep doing it long after you want to, it will only be a matter of time before the people you're doing it for are as unhappy with you as you are with them. Only do things you can get passionate about.

Unfold, Don't Mold:
Your children aren't science projects you're going to be graded on. Your job isn't to make them into something they're not; it's to help them discover who they already are inside. Parenting isn't about turning a blob into a piece of art; it's about unfolding a masterpiece.

-Jen

Adoption | Cole's Story

2011-10-03T01:58:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to be guest posting today on Utah Baby Blog. Its such a great blog to bring women together. Let me start out by introducing myself. My name is Danielle, I am a mother to 4 (wow!) kids, and a wife to Dave. This is our adoption story of our sweet son Cole.

Dave and I met when I was 13 and we dated all through high school. When Dave went on a LDS mission to the Philippines I waited for him but dated a little. When he got back we were engaged within 3 weeks and married 5 months later. Since Dave and I dated for so long we already knew everything about each other and knew that we wanted a family. We both said we wanted to wait about 5 years to have kids, but shortly after we were married I started wanting to start our family. Dave was finally ready about a year into our marriage but we discovered just because you are ready to have a baby does not necessarily mean you automatically will. I was patient but discouraged and after several break-downs, short pregnancies which ended in miscarries, I decided to check with my doctor just to make sure everything was okay. After running tests and switching doctors I finally got pregnant and kept this baby longer than 8 weeks. Dave and I were thrilled. At 10 weeks we went to find a heartbeat and there was not one. A D&C was done that night and I was hesitant if we wanted to start trying again when we could at the 3 month mark. I decided we would wait and see how we felt when we could try again. That was September 2008.
We carried on throughout a normal routine with tears still shed quite often. I kept wondering why this was happening and why I could not have the baby I wanted so badly. I did not understand and almost got to the point of resenting people who got pregnant and they were "not even trying". Frustrated didn't even touch on how i felt. Then on November 8, 2008 we went to my little brothers football game with my family. After the game we decided to go to Litzas Pizzas located on 4th south in Salt Lake City. We walked into the restaurant and were seated in the very back with only one other family. We enjoyed our dinner and everyone left the restaurant except my mom, dad and me. We started talking to the family who was seated by us because we noticed they had a brand new baby who was adopted. I have a little sister who is adopted as well as my little brother, so anytime we see a family who has adopted kids it's like a magnet and we are attracted to talk to them. We talked about how adorable their little Emmitt was and then I noticed another car seat. I asked if she had adopted another baby and she told me no. They had just picked up this baby from the hospital even though she was not a foster parent and was watching him until he was placed with a family. After talking we found out the baby was placed with A Act of Love Adoption Agency. This is where my little sister was placed before we adopted her and my dad actually served on the board for this non-profit adoption agency. She (Toni) then told us how he was placed with another family but for some reason this baby did not go to the family. I looked in the car seat and my eyes welled up with tears. I knew this baby was ours. My Mom and Dad who were the only other ones that saw the baby, felt the same way.
We left the restaurant and I got into the car with Dave to drive home. I started crying telling Dave the whole story but he was not convinced. He told me i was absolutely crazy. We knew we wanted to adopt but now was just not the right time, he said. My dad and mom called us on the way home and asked what I thought about that baby. I was hysterical and told them I knew he was our baby. My dad said he would call Kathy, the owner of A Act of Love, and figure out what was going on with this baby. My dad could not find her number, but remembered where one of her friends lived a while back who he had served on the board with. He decided to drive by her house, and low and behold she was outside watering the plants. My dad quickly told her the story and she said she had just gotten off the phone with Kathy. She gave my dad Kathy's number and he called her. Kathy, she was astonished! She told my dad she always placed babies in actual foster homes but for some reason was impressed to put this baby with Toni. She then told us that we could go see the baby and see if things worked out.
That night Dave, my mom, my dad, and I drove out to see baby. The whole car ride out there (close to 40 minutes) Dave was sicker than a dog. I told him just to trust me and if he didn't feel the same way then it wasn't supposed to work. As soon as we got there I held the baby and I knew he was ours. Dave then decided to hold him and tears streamed down his face. I knew right then and there he felt the same way I did. As we chatted with the family, another family who was interested in adopting wanted to come and see the baby. The couple walked in and held him and looked and Dave and I and said he is perfect, but he is not our baby he is yours.. It was breathtaking.
The very next day we met the birth mother and started doing paperwork. We got everything done that day and just waited for her to make a final decision. We went and saw him every night and after a roller coaster of emotions 6 days later we were holding him in our arms in our home. Cole David was only 9 days old.

We know most adoptions do not happen like this but when things fall into place they are really meant to be. A Act of Love is a private adoption agency with an amazing owner, Kathy Kunkel, and amazing staff. They are the BEST. Please check out their website http://www.aactofloveadoptions.com/. Shortly after we adopted Cole, we found out I was pregnant with twin girls. Within 10 months we went from 0 babies to 3.

We decided we were done adding to our family for awhile until we then found out I was pregnant again, and this time with just 1, a baby boy. Cole will be turning 3 in November, our twins Presley and Paisley just turned 2 in September, and Cruz is 7 months old! We love our life, our kids and wouldn't change a thing.

For more information or to keep up with our family feel free to follow our blog at http://www.ddcarroll.blogspot.com/

fashion | little rue

2011-09-14T16:54:00.000-06:00

My absolute favorite designer half-off site, Ruelala, recently added a children's section called Little Rue. It premiered last week with some awesome brands but this week's options were ten times better. For example, Paige Lauren (one of the Brands We Love) is on right now and will end in 1 day. I can't express the happiness I felt when I saw this! Regularly priced items hit around $40. On Ruelala.com, we are looking at $12.90.

For those of you who know me personally, I think you'd agree with me when I say that I like to shop. A little too much, says the husband. So when I find a children's brand that is worth promoting, I hardly think twice before I go on a rant. My first Paige Lauren purchase was at a discounted price. My next purchase(s) were at regular prices on the actual Paige Lauren website. Even after paying regular prices, I still feel like I got my money's worth. So for $12, I truly believe you will not be disappointed.

Side note: Ruelala is a site for members only, but good news is it's super easy to sign up and completely free. I like free even better than $12! ;-)

Other Little Rue brands happening right now are: Joe's Jeans (girls and boys), Heart to Heart, Western Chief, Da-nang, Princess Linens, Prada Footwear and a killer deal from Tiny Prints.

roma's safari | birthday parties

2011-09-02T15:10:00.046-06:00

Hey, I'm Whitney. Anybody that knows me knows that I when it comes to parties I am a little obsessed with planning... down to the smallest detail. We have a sweet little girl, Roma, who just turned 2! When trying to think of a theme to go with for her 2^nd birthday, I knew it had to be something with animals. She loves all animals so I finally decided on a Safari theme. Who doesn’t love a Safari Party! I started planning months in advanced, but loved every minute of it. With lots of creative friends to help the party planning, it was a success!

We wanted to have something that greeted the guests as they arrived at the party. So we put Kiley and Addison to work. They greeted the little ‘explorers’ with binoculars and a personalized sticker. The kids loved it. Next was the food table. I wanted something 'safari-ish' for the table cloths..because after all it was a Safari Party, right! I called my super talented friend and described my idea, we met at the fabric store and hours later she created exactly what I had in mind! Don't you love it? The food was catered by Plates & Palates & it was delicious. We had mini phyllo pastry cups filled with goat cheese, caramelized apple & onions and also Chicken with balsamic, sun-dried tomato, capers & basil. They were amazing! Of course we had their wonderful salads and rolls to go with it. For the little ones we had mac&cheese, fruit kabobs & bamboo cones filled with chips! I loved the idea of using lots of Burlap to create a Safari feel to the party! I spent hours collecting mason jars for drinking and wrapped each of them with burlap and twine. Using paper straws is a must...look how cute they are!
Sugar cookie party favors for Roma's little friends. These adorable safari animals were my favorite part of the party! They were amazing and super delicious. (vendor information below) These cupcakes were amazing...banana cream pie, rootbeer float, and cookies and cream! Not one cupcake was leftover.
Mini fruit pies & doughnuts from a local bakery. What kid doesn't love a doughnut?
We hired an amazing face painter that was recommended by a friend! Wow, she is incredible. It took her under a minute to create a perfect 'safari' animal. She is a MUST if you have lots of kids to entertain. I went back and forth on the idea of having some sort of animal entertainer for the kids! Afterall, Roma loves monkeys & gorillas so why not have them at her party! ha. After searching many traveling animal shows I came across a bird show. This was perfect... safe & pure entertainment for the kids and adults!
Our talented face painter is also an equally talented balloon artist. You have never seen anything like it! She created whatever the kids wanted! She will be coming to all of our party's! 'Fireflies'Mason jars with tea lights hanging in the trees.

Wooden cut-outs of various animals for the little explorers to find.

Mommy and her perfect little butterfly! I hope you enjoyed 'Roma's Safari' party as much as we did.
Vendor Credits:
Bitty Bakes cupcakes: http://bittybakes.blogspot.com/

Scales and Tails: http://www.scalesandtailsutah.com/

Changing Faces: http://www.changingfacesut.com/

Plates & Palates: http://www.platesandpalatesutah.com/

Party Express: http://www.birthdayexpress.com/

Jen Herem Photography and Invitations: http://jenheremphotography.com

Cake Dad: http://www.cakedad.com/

Exquisite Cookies: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jducour

Wooden Cutlery: http://www.greenfeet.com

**Special thanks to Roma's Grandma for hosting her safari**

awkward maternity.

2011-07-24T18:15:00.000-06:00

everyone can feel a little awkward at some point during their pregnancy.. that's totally normal. these however, are not.

Featured Nursery | Kruz

2011-07-17T08:26:00.004-06:00

oh our poor little blog. you've been so neglected. :( we've been crazy busy over here and here and now we have lots of catching up to do!

first up... kruz's perfect nursery. this space is definitely my kind of nursery.. his mom did just about everything including the pennant banner, crib bedding and pillows, and framed artwork. kaysi, you did a fabulous job and i bet your little guy loves it! keep up with kruz and all his adventures here!

to submit your nursery or children's room to be featured please email photos and details to

utahbabyblog@gmail.com

must have | chic & cheap crib beddings

2011-06-30T21:29:00.000-06:00

Crib bedding is one of those baby items that I can never seem to get enough of. Am I weird? Possibly. I bet there are some moms out there that bought the first set they found and have used it for every kid since. I wish I could be that mom. It would have saved me endless nights of researching, bookmarking various websites, and spam emailing my close friends and families with, "Which crib set do you like the best?" Yup....I was pretty bad. I still am. My sister-in-law just had a cute little baby girl and she asked for my help in picking her crib bedding. Little did she know that this was going to be a VERY bad thing for me. Over the last 2-3 weeks, I have probably looked on every bedding website known to womankind. She has specific colors that she wants, so that helped shorten my google searches drastically. I think we've finally narrowed it down to 3 sets. Yaaaa-freaking-whooo!

During my drawn out and unnecessarily long website searching, I came across some bedding sets that hit the bullseye in cuteness and style, while still leaving your bank account fairly unscathed. (there are a couple sets below that are a bit more $$, but I couldn't resist sharing them.)

All of the bedding sets pictured above can be found at one of my favorite sites for baby products. Diapers is usually the cheapest, has the fastest in shipping (free, two day shipping on orders over $50), and is the best in customer service that I have ever found!

inspire | superhero birthday party

2011-06-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

lately ive been seeing a lot of 'superhero' themed parties online. then i had a friend on facebook mention she was throwing one for her son's bday so i thought i'd throw together a few party details to inspire. after all the research im pretty sure i'll have to use this for my son's 4th birthday next month just to justify the time i spent. ;)

invites:

top left: lilab top right: andersruff

bottom left: tinyprints bottom right: minted

decorations:

bunting: made my jackie

left: banner by one charming party middle: birds party top: styled by scissors paper cake bottom: photobooth by sweet bambinos

designed and styled by anders ruff

party by lil hoot

food:

by one charming party

juice: lil hoot

cakes and treats:

cake by one charming party

left: lil hoot top right: wrappers by wants and wishes

top bottom: toppers and wrappers by paiges of style

favors:

masks and capes by lots o capes

bags by oh goodie designs

owen's natural birth

2011-06-05T01:57:00.001-06:00

I had been dreaming of a delivery like Owen's, since i found out i was pregnant with my daughter 3 years ago. i always knew i wanted a natural delivery, and i was determined to make it happen. after complications with my pregnancy with Oakley, my daughter, and having to be induced I slowly watched my dream delivery disappear. {but that's another story}. This story is about Owen, and how fantastic it was. I am very pro-natural, and i take the natural approach in basically everything with my kids. I watched my mom deliver my youngest brother naturally, and at that point, i knew i would have my kids naturally as well. Then, after watching my sister deliver her kids naturally, i knew there was no other way for me. I was heartbroken when my birth plan didn't work out with Oakley, but i knew I'd be given another chance at it. Everyone chooses to go naturally for different reasons. My reasoning is because i like to feel and be in control. i love that i know when and how to push on my own. I love that i can move around if i get uncomfortable. Most importantly for me, it makes me feel closer to my baby during my labor, and makes me feel closer to their sweet little spirits. And honestly, that giant epidural needle scares me more than going naturally does! Anyway, onto Owen's story, and how it all worked out for me!

I got pregnant with Owen in Utah, and at about 15 weeks pregnant, we moved to Miami. I heard horrible things about delivering babies in Florida. Specifically in Miami-Dade county, where we live. The statistics for c-sections are incredibly high. So, when looking for a doctor, i didn't even consider an OB as a choice. I went directly to mid-wives, and then i found the most perfect birthing center. That is where it all started, and what made the birth so fantastic. I started having contractions on a Friday, they were random and not very bothersome. Honestly, i thought they were braxton hicks. My contractions continued on Saturday, but i didn't pay attention to a pattern, or even think about timing them. I woke up in the night from a few contractions, but still just thought they were braxton hicks. I think i was mostly in denial that i was going to be having a baby soon. Even though all my bags were packed, and i was in the right mind set to go naturally, i don't think you can ever be fully ready to have a baby. You never know what to expect! Sunday came around, and we woke up and went to church, and i started noticing a lot more contractions. They were a little more painful, but i didn't feel like they were often enough to worry about them. Finally at about 6:00 that night, after going on a walk, and having a hard time walking during some of the contractions, i decided i should start timing them. They were 5 minutes apart, and then 10 minutes apart, then back to 5. I finally said something to my sister at 7:00 that my contractions were 5 minutes apart (my husband was at work, and my sister was town to help from Utah), I was in denial for a while that i was even in labor. By 9:00pm, i had showered, and we had the babysitter come and get my sisters kids, and i had called my husband home from work. We headed up to the birthing center a little after 10:00, my contractions were now 3-4 minutes apart, and we had a 45 minute drive. The drive was fine, and i continued to talk through every single one of my contractions. I was worried my contractions were going to slow down during the car ride, but they stayed right on pattern, and even got stronger. When we got to the birthing center, i went inside and they checked me. I was a 7/8 and my water broke after the midwife checked me. I went into the bedroom where i would be delivering, and we filled up the tub. i honestly thought i would be doing a water birth (against my husbands wishes). The tub felt fantastic, and i stayed in there for about 2 hours. I started getting pretty good back labor, so i decided to get out so i could get better counter pressure. I plopped down on the bed, and pretty much didn't move after that. I used the Birthing From Within method for my delivery, and i loved it. I did a class on it with Oakley, and then a little refresher course with Owen, but during my labor i used all the tools and methods i had learned and practiced. I didn't make a sound during labor. We had family skyping in to see the delivery, and they thought i was sleeping. I did a lot of breathing, and a lot of talking to myself inside my head. Believe me, my brain and my thoughts were not as quiet as i was. I started to get the urge to push, so my midwife came in, and stayed with me for the remainder of the time. Pushing is what feels good during natural labor. It gives great counter pressure. Once you start pushing, in my opinion, the pain is done. I think i pushed for about 30 minutes (which was much longer than my 5 minutes with Oakley). It seemed like it took forever to get him to crown, then it took about 3 contractions to just get his head out, then finally at 2:58am Monday, February 28, 2011 I had a giant baby boy. 9lbs 11 ounces, 21 inches long, and with a head that was 15" around. I tore a little, but not anything bad, and was fully recovered within a couple of weeks.

My daughter was present for the birth, and i am so happy with our decision to have her there. I loved having my whole family together, and that she had a full understanding of where the baby came from. I really am not one to say that things are always soooo perfect and wonderful. But, honestly, this birth was. Unless an emergency situation arises, I will not ever have a hospital birth again (oakley was at the hospital). i can not even explain the difference in the mood, the feeling and the spirit with my delivery at the birthing center. My husband even noticed how much calmer and peaceful things were. I hope, one day, i can do a home delivery. I hope that will be the case with my next baby, but it will depend where we are in our lives, and if we feel comfortable with doing it at home. I was discharged from the birthing center 4 hours after delivery, and i got to go home and sleep in my own, very comfortable memory foam bed. that was probably one of the best parts about the birthing center, i got to go home so soon. That really helped with my recovery. Then, my midwife came to my house for a 24 hour visit and it was perfect. I was so proud of myself, I finally accomplished what i had wanted for so long. It was everything I wanted it to be, and it couldn't have gone better. I am so grateful that we had a healthy baby boy, and that there were no complications with the labor, the baby or me.

Owen is now 3 months old, and he is a giant. I wish i could say that he is a happy baby, but he's not. But, he is cute and we love him anyway!

You can read my full birth story HERE, on my blog. It's far more detailed. I am happy to talk to any of you, or answer any questions that you have about natural child birth, or the natural approach to things. maleriewalker{at}gmail{dot}com
This is the video i made of the birth, dont worry it's G rated. Oh, and I'm an awesome mom and wrote the wrong birthday in this video! :)

etsy crush | baby shower gifts + littlest lucy giveaway - GIVEAWAY CLOSED

2011-06-03T00:46:00.013-06:00

Congratulations to our winner MICHELLE RIEBEEK. Using random.org you are the winner! Please contact utah baby with your contact info! :)

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if you know about etsy, there's a good chance you love it. if you don't know what it is, then you should go check it out here. you will not be disappointed. etsy is my go-to website for an upcoming baby shower, birthday, and well... pretty much any other holiday you can justify buying a gift for. here are some of our current etsy crushes...

twosies kid boutique | diaper cupcakes

jolinne | nursery art

stork bites delivers | handmade newborn no-scratch mittens

april foss | plush owl

shugabee lane | nursery magnetic board

mateo and tobias | abc wall art

zuzii | baby sandals

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Today's giveaway is sponsored by yours truly (nicole). I started Littlest Lucy for two reasons. First, I hated not being able to find clothes that I loved for prices I wanted to pay. Secondly, I desperately needed a creative outlet to breakup my repetitive daily routines. Ever since Lucy was born (she's almost one), dresses have been my main design objective. While those designs were being perfected, “Londy’s Undies” came into play. The majority of my products are hand dyed and available for customization. All of my current dye color options, along with fabric choices, can be found on the Littlest Lucy fb fan page. I have recently started showcasing my dress designs, which you can find on my blog (currently getting a makeover) or on facebook where I post all of my most recent projects and current styles.

We are giving away a set of 3 custom organic burp cloths, for either a boy or a girl. If you have a little one at home, you know you can never have enough burp cloths! These make the perfect gift for any soon-to-be-mamma! To enter, please leave a comment below and a winner will be announced Wednesday, june 8th.

featured nursery | finn

2011-05-29T14:14:00.000-06:00

this nursery just might be my most favorite ever. it's simple, clean and modern. i love the use of grey in a baby's room... ok, well i love the use of grey in about any room. i dont know what im obsessing over more, the chevron striped bedding, the striped wall, or the framed maps. finn's mamma is lillie and not only is she obviously a decorating genius, she is super talented. check out her portfolio and photo blog.

crib: amazon, bedding fabric: premier prints, sunshine print: a vintage poster, maps: costco, modern rocker: overstock.com, sheepskin rug: ikea, light fixture: ikea, bamboo shade: overstock, dresser: ikea, mirror: homegoods, pictures frames: ikea, boy & lion print: sarah jane studios, drawer pulls: anthropologie, paint: classic gray by benjamin moore, painted stripes: bedford gray by martha stewart.

corbin's story.

2011-05-24T21:45:00.009-06:00

Corbin at 3 months. Photography by the lovely Nikki Davis.

Corbin turned 2 months old on May 14th, 2011, but he is really 5 months old tomorrow--May 17th, 2011. Confused? Well, Corbin was born 3 months early. He was born on December 17, 2010 and his due date wasn't until March 14, 2011. Yeah, Merry Christmas to the Hunter family!! We got a little boy!! ha ha. We spent the first three months of Corbin's fragile life in the NICU. Between college, both my husband and I working full time, and going to the hospital as often as we could...well...let's just say we weren't at all at a loss of things to do. Let's go back to December 17th of last year, shall we?

Around noon on Friday Dec 17, 2010, I started getting these sharp pains. I wasn't sure what they were because I have never had cramps before. I don't get them during that time of month or anything. I kept getting these pains, sharp, loose your breath for a minute pains, throughout the day. My husband and I had planned to do a little clothes shopping because we both had the day off. We were getting ready to head out the door when a really bad pain shot through me. My husband asked if I was going to be able to handle shopping, and I said "yes, of course". So we opened the door to leave just as another one hit, much stronger this time. At that point, I told him I had better stay home. (ok I know what ya'll are thinking, "hello??? And 'contactions' wasn't even a thought to you?") To answer this question, no, it wasn't, because frankly I was only 7 months along and I had no idea what contractions were going to feel like. So cramps was my best bet. Anyways, I laid on the couch and by this point, it's about 3'o clock. The pains were coming about every 20min. My husband came home and left for work about 4:30pm. At around 5:00, I decided to just lay down for a while in bed, hoping the pains would go away. Right as I was going to sleep, a really really REALLY sharp pain came on, enough to make me cry. So I reached for my phone to call my husband. When he answered, I said, "something isn't right". (while crying) Then the worst happened. His phone died. I didn't know what to do. At this point, I thought it was a possibility I may be having some sort of contractions or something was wrong with my baby because I hadn't felt him move all day long and usually he was pretty active. Oh how I love my husband! He knows I don't cry unless something is really wrong. I heard the door open and he came into the bedroom. We headed out the door to the ER.

Once we got to the ER, we had to wait to be seen. At this point, I'd say it was about 6:00pm. When we got in and they hooked me up to all the monitors, they said that I was having "irregular contractions. Maybe due to an infection or something," but it was nothing to worry about, they'd keep me hooked up and watch me closely for a while. The nurse, or whoever it was, left and came back only 5 minutes later and my contractions were quickening. Let me inform you..we went to the wrong hospital. There are two hospitals down in Saint George and we went to the one where they don't deliver. Of course! So we took an ambulance over to the other hospital and they hooked me up again. By the time we got there, it was full blown. The nurse checked me and said, "um...you're dialated to a nine." Ok, I may be new at this child birth thing, but I do know what 'dialated to a nine' means!!! Then I hear her shout out into the hall, "we have a little girl in here who is dialated to a nine, get her doctor on call and get him over here right away." (yes, even though I was in labor, I was thinking, "I am NOT a little girl!! I am having a baby!!" ha ha)

Since this baby was going to be a very premature baby, we had to wait for, not only my doctor, but the neonatal doctor and team to be ready. Do you know what it feels like when nurses tell you to "wait to push" and they continue to tell you that for an hour? I think it should be illegal. At 8:00pm, everyone is there and they say it's time to start pushing now. Corbin was born at 8:06pm. Yep, that's right, 6 minutes later! I pushed approximately 4 times total and out came our little 2lbs 7oz baby boy. I barely saw his face and off he went to the NICU.

This was Corbin when they first got him to the NICU. The sarane wrap was to keep the heat in his body. The ring on his wrist is my husband's wedding band.

They finished up with me while my husband went to be with our son. Around 10pm, they let me go up and see Corbin. I was terrified. His fragile little small body all confined to an isolator. A little confined bed where you can stick your arms through arm holes and hold his little tiny hands. He was hooked up to all sorts of monitors. The miraculous things were...1) he was a pound bigger than what he should've been at 27 weeks and 2) he never was even put on a ventalator. He breathed on his own since he entered the world. The nurses and doctors and my husband and I were amazed at his strength. The doctors told us he would be in the NICU for about 3 months. Our hearts broke.

That night was the hardest. Going back to our room without our son. Turning out the lights and trying to go to sleep and hearing the parents next door who just had a baby, but, unlike us, had their baby in their room with them. We could hear them laughing and playing with their new baby. I still remember crying myself to sleep that night and many nights following.

The process was long, tiring, frightening, faith building, and a time in our lives where we relied on our Heavenly Father more than ever. There were scary times in the NICU. One night in particular, Corbin's stats dropped and he began to turn really pale, and then, started going blue. The nurses were patting him, rubbing his back forcefully, talking to him, doing everything to get him to breathe. Everything around me froze, thoughts of loosing him grew stronger, and I didn't know what to do. I prayed, I cried, and then....he finally took a breath.

For about a week, Corbin was under billi lights. He had to wear blindfolds to protect his eyes.

I can't even begin to explain how much I love my little boy. He's now a healthy little guy and so full of energy. He's our little miracle and has touched so many lives at such a young age. His spirit is a very special one to many and we feel extremely blessed that he is our son. I know that he came to us for a special reason. I know that he came when he did for reasons I do not know yet. I love being a mother...I love being a mother to my little guy, Corbin.

Whatever DeeDee Wants - Babycakes

2011-05-21T21:38:00.002-06:00

Hi! My name is Dianna but most everyone calls me Dee-Dee. I blog over at Whatever DeeDee Wants She's Gonna Get It where I share my my recipes, crafts, shopping finds and more. I am also the co-founder of I Heart Salt Lake. Restaurants, where to shop and local events are just a few of the things you will find at I Heart Salt Lake.

I recenlty had the chance to try out the new Babycakes mini cupcake maker. It is this great little machine that makes mini cupcakes and muffins in a few short minutes. Five to seven minutes to be exact. It also comes with a few accessories to make mini pies. The cupcake maker doesn't have to be preheated, which means your little ones can help you cook with out the fear of getting burned. Also, it won't heat up your kitchen like an oven. Sounds perfect for summer right?

We made our cupcakes using a store bought cake mix and added a little food coloring for fun. The cupcakes tasted great and the cleanup was really easy.

Babycakes also has a cake pop maker, a donut maker and whoopie pie maker.

inspire | birthday cakes

2011-05-17T21:33:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love super cute cupcakes or a cake at a birthday party? Im always spending way too much money for any parties or showers I throw. I found these adorable cakes to inspire you for your child's next big bash and what's even better are detailed instructions on how to make them yourself! I am not even close to betty crocker but im thinking i'll have to attempt one of these soon.

bubblegum machine cake by easy cut-up cakes for kids

directions found here

circus lion cake by wilton

directions found here

clown cupcakes by cakes for kids

fish cake by wilton

directions found here

butterfly cake by easy cut-up cakes for kids

directions found here

robot cake by what's new cupcake?

directions found here

red apple cupcakes by what's new cupcake?

directions found here

pirate ship cake by easy cut-up cakes for kids

directions found here

space shuttle cake by easy cut-up cakes for kids

directions found here

whippy cake giveaway - giveaway closed

2011-05-14T13:22:00.001-06:00

congratulations to jen said... Whip it good... I will... oh, please pick ME!! :) May 15, 2011 10:52 PM please email utah baby with your contact info!

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Today's giveaway is for all of our fabulous mommies brought to you by the oh so tempting Whippy Cake, a brand encompassing more than just salivation inducing accessories! Whippy Cake is made to work for you. Vamp it up for date night, class it up for church the next morning, and simplify it for late night pajama clad ice cream runs every other night!

To enter to win a $25 gift card to the Whippy Cake shop please leave a comment below before Friday the 20th!!

Make sure to check out their website and read more about Becki, Whippy Cake's design genius. She also keeps up a super addicting blog and don't forget to 'like' Whippy Cake on facebook!

sock monkey | birthday party

2011-05-10T15:37:00.002-06:00

Hi, Im Cami from All Things Lovely. Let me first start off by saying how excited I am to be guest posting on Utah Baby Blog! As a new mommy I love websites like this! Let me also tell you I am not crafty...but every now and then I get spurts of creative genius and pow, I actually make something. It's not always good or pretty...but on this lucky day I somehow managed to pull some creativity out of who knows where for my little man's 1st birthday! I was actually pretty pleased with the results! If you're not crafty like me this is a super easy theme/color scheme to follow!

Before Mason was born I bought him a giant sock monkey for Christmas...it kind of set the tone for his obsession with monkeys (it was the first animal noise he learned how to make)! So I couldn't have thought of a more fitting theme for this little monkey's first birthday! I loved the brown and red of the sock monkey so I decided to follow that same color pattern and I also kept the color scheme going for the food choices. We ate pizza, chocolate cupcakes, red and brown candy, old coke bottles for drinks, etc. It all came together so well and the color scheme is actually really easy to find!

Door Sign and Birthday Hat: stylish celebrations

Red & brown gumballs: Zurchers, Candy: Walmart, Glass jars: Walmart and Tai Pan

Balloons: Zurchers, Bottled Coke: Costco

Cake: Dick's Market in Bountiful

Giant Sock Monkey: Walmart (I don't think they carry them any more :( I would check amazon.com),

Plates: Zurchers, Table Cloth and Utinsils: All a Dollar, Bunting Flag: Me (follow this easy tutorial)

cupcake toppers: stylish celebrations

maternity monday | maternity swimsuits

2011-05-09T12:09:00.008-06:00

Oxymoron: a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Example - Maternity swimsuits.

Anytime the word "swimming" came up during either one of my pregnancies, two things would happen simultaneously. First, an image of me in a swimsuit would pop into my head and a small silent chuckle would escape my mouth. Second, the word "no" would instantly appear in my mind in bold black letters. Well ladies, if the same thing happens to you while being prego, you are in luck for the summer! While scourging the internet for swimsuits, I caught myself thinking a couple times, "Ooo... if only I was pregnant this summer, I could wear that." Wishing I was pregnant AND picking out a swimsuit DOES NOT happen to me very often. This summer, there seems to be a lot of cute swimsuits available. Check out these maternity swim options for every stage of pregnancy and for every size wallet.

$50 and under.

Anita Maternity - Midanao Tankini

Retails: $122.00 -- On sale for: $49.95

Motherhood Maternity - $24.98

Motherhood Maternity - $34.98

$100 and under.

Sabina Swims - $73.00

This company is really cool because they let you design your own suit. You can pick the color/pattern you want on the swimsuit.

Anita Maternity - Laysan Maillot swimsuit

Retail: $89.00 -- On sale for: $59.95

Maternal America - $98.00

Pea in the Pod - $98

$100 and up.

Michael Kors - $132.00

Liz Pulitzer - $155.00

Maternal America - $109

Birth Story | Coleman

2011-05-07T12:01:00.002-06:00

Coleman was born on August 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm. He weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and was 20 inches long. To understand the circumstances of his birth I will have to go back to week eight of my pregnancy.

At eight weeks pregnant I woke up with a really bad pain in my calf. I assumed that I had a Charlie horse during the night because during my first pregnancy I had some pretty wicked ones. After a few days I started getting a little worried, the pain was getting worse not better. I called my OB (who I had never met before) and they told me it was a leg cramp and not to worry about it. I was talking on the phone to my sister and I told her my foot kept going numb. She told me that wasn't normal and she was going to ask my brother-in-law, who is a thoracic surgeon, what he thought. She immediately called me back and said he wanted me to go to his office and see his PA because he was in surgery. I met with his PA and she said that it was possible I had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot. She then decided to order an ultra sound of my leg. The ultra sound tech took me back and explained what they were going to be doing and he brought with him a student to observe the procedure. I asked him if he would tell me what he saw and he said he couldn't and my Dr would have to tell me. While performing the procedure he was explaining to the student what was what and he calmly said to the student, that formation on the screen is a blood clot. My heart sank, I didn't know what this meant for me or my unborn child. To treat the clot I had to give myself injections in the stomach twice a day for the duration of my pregnancy and go in for weekly blood draws to make sure the medicine was working. The medicine was called Lovenox and is not safe to get an epidural while taking this medicine because it can cause a blood clot in your spine. My Dr. also instructed me to take it really easy especially the first few months until the clot could bind to the wall of my vein. My birth needed to be carefully planned out to avoid complications such as bleeding out and not being able to get an epidural. About a month before giving birth my blood thinner was switched to Heparin and I had to do 3 shots a day. My stomach looked like I had been beat with a baseball bat and my shirts rubbing on it hurt. 24 hours before going in for my induction I was to stop taking the Heparin, that way my blood with thicken up.

I went in to LDS hospital at 6:00am on Aug 30th. I was given Pitocin to induce labor and the nurse drew blood for the lab work. I asked when I could get an epidural and she said whenever I felt like it. My Dr was coming in at noon to break my water. At 10:00am I asked for my epidural, I was starting to feel my contractions. The nurse informed me my lab work came back and my blood levels were off and she was sure it was a mistake, but she couldn't order an epidural until she did some more labs. It turns out it wasn't a mistake, my blood was too thin to safely give me a epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and explained that if he gave me a epidural it would most likely cause bleeding in my spine and I would have to have surgery right after giving birth. I was not prepared emotionally or physically to go through a natural child birth, I started bawling. My Dr came in and said that they were going to try and slow down the labor and see if my numbers would come up. At 3pm my water broke and there was no slowing it down. That felt like the longest three hours of my life! I was so exhausted in between contractions I thought I was going to pass out. At about 5:50pm they drew blood again to see if I could have an epidural. I could hardly hold still long enough for them to get the needle in. I remember thinking there is no way that I am going to be able to hold still for an epidural! Right after they finished taking blood I told the Dr I had a strong urge to push, he told them to cancel the lab work because the baby was coming now. It only took about 2 to 3 pushes and Coleman was out. He was perfect. The first few hours after giving birth seem like a blur, I was so exhausted. The next day I felt great and the recovery was so much quicker than with my first. I had been so nervous for Gage, our older son, to meet his new little brother. He had been the only child for 4 years and I didn't know how he would react. I was worried for nothing. He fell in love with him instantly.

My Dr. strongly suggests that I not get pregnant again because the likely hood of having another clot is pretty high and another clot could be deadly. It was a hard decision but my husband and I have decided that we are really blessed to have two healthy boys.

mother's day giveaway - lora elizabeth jewelry

2011-05-04T22:17:00.001-06:00

CONGRATULATIONS to our winner!! Please email utah baby with your contact info!

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This weeks giveaway is sponsored by Lora Elizbeth Stamped Jewelery in honor of Mother's Day. I found Lora's work about a year ago and fell in love! I have a this necklace with my boy's initials and wear it almost everyday. She has such a variety of jewelry that really fits everyone's individual style. These are a great gifts for moms, sisters, grandmothers and she even has a few men's items.

Lora Elizabeth is giving away one of her, Mamma Bird Necklaces with up to 4 charms. For the next week she is also offering a free pair of pearl drop earrings with every purchase of over $30 (just enter 'utah baby blog' in the notes upon checkout).

To enter this giveaway we are doing something a little different this time. Instead of commenting to enter yourself to win, in your comment please nominate another amazing mom who you think deserves this beautiful peice of jewelry. Please just leave a couple sentences telling us why you think this certain lady is so fabulous! The winning comment will be announced Monday, the 9th in the morning! Also, dont forget to 'like' Lora Elizabeth on facebook to keep up with new designs and promotions!

maternity monday | postpartum swim suits.

2011-05-02T15:14:00.007-06:00

Since having the twins, swimsuit shopping just isn't fun anymore. It's almost as bad as trying to find a pair of jeans that suck, tuck and make your butt look good, all at the same time. Unless you want to spend your entire summer inside or fully clothed, then finding a swimsuit is gonna happen, whether you want it to or not. The swimsuits I used after having the boys, were from a company called Layers Clothing, which has been "out of order" for some time now. They are suppose to open up again this summer, so if you can wait, they always have super stylish, modest and comfortable swimsuits.

After having Lucy, I had three months to find a swimsuit that would work for our anniversary trip to Hawaii. I read the reviews on a Juicy Couture swimsuit (usually against spending that much money on a suit) but decided to give it a try since one reviewer said she wore it postpartum and loved it. After trying it on, I knew I had found my new favorite swimsuit. Even before kids, I had a tough time finding suits because of my large chest size. This swimsuit was my first strapless buy, but I have never had a problem with it falling down or having to continue to pull it up during a swim session. So if you have the $, I'd spend a little more money on a good swimsuit that will last and make you feel comfortable and attractive, than spending less on one that will do the opposite. I have lent it out to a sister-in-law and my sister, both loved it.

If you know of any swimsuits that get the job done for a decent price, please share! Later this week, we are posting about maternity swimsuits too!

Below, left, is the Juicy Couture swimsuit ($168) I was referring to above. It's a different color, because mine was bought last season, but the style is the same. Also, I found this Ralph Lauren suit ($107) at Macys that looks like the same style but a little cheaper. Plus, it has tummy control, which is awesome for postpartum. The third picture is of my husband and I in Hawaii. I am usually against posting pictures of myself and definitely against pictures of me in a swimsuit, but I wanted to give you guys a feel for what it looks like on a non-model type person and 3 months postpartum.

This suit is from Hapari. The top is on sale for $29 and the bottoms are $29. With longer than average tankini tops and the option of mix/match tummy control bottoms (they have other styles), these suits work wonders postpartum and beyond. My mom and I do not have the same style but with these swimsuits, we definitely agree. I own two and my mom owns four. They are very versatile and comfortable.

This swimdress by Allen B. has the same look as the Juicy and Ralph Lauren suits above, but half the cost ($39). I can't vouch for this one since I don't have it, but if you want to disguise post baby tummy, I would recommend going with a swim dress or longer tankini. The ruching effect on these suits, helps to blend and camouflage in the tummy and hip area.

Birth Story | Sophia

2011-04-28T08:50:00.000-06:00

So, my actual delivery itself was awesome. I loved every moment of it.

My pregnancy that whole last month was my 'hell month'. I had 3 different due dates, because I switched doctors at like 15 weeks. Since she was a little smaller at first, they pushed it back to August 22. But after a second look a few weeks later she had grown a ton and so they pushed it up to the 10th of August, but they left the initial one on the 22nd. {my first Dr set my due date on the 2nd of August, so granted..I was a little disappointed.} Well.....July came and I had contractions and really bad pains, so we went in and I had a UTI, from her sitting so low. It was a really bad one so they gave me meds and told me to take it real easy. August 2nd came and I had contractions again, so I went into my Dr. I was having pre-term labor pains, 'pre-term'. They sent me home to go onto bed rest until my second due date, the 10th. The 10th came and my contractions were every 4 to 5 minutes apart. Instead of taking me in, because I hadn't progressed on dilating at all, they gave me a shot of morphine for the pain and sent me home. I think we went in to the hospital 5 different times because my pain was so bad, and I was sent home twice with morphine. It was honestly terrible. I just kind of gave up, by the end. I just wanted my baby and I wasn't getting my baby. we tried everything, I had my membranes stripped TWICE, we went hiking up to bridal veil falls, we went bowling, I walked up and down our 3 flights of stairs every day for at least 20-30 minutes, but nothing. So the 22nd came, and we went in the following Monday, a day later. I didn't even say anything about my pain or how I was doing, I had pre-baby blues haha, and the doctor checked and I was still just at a 3, I'd been at a 3 for a month and a half. But I was almost 100% effaced. He asked when I wanted to come in to be induced and I told him tomorrow, but that day didn't work for them..so we got in Wednesday.
I went in at 9:30, they gave me my pitocin and got me all set up and asked me to let them know when I wanted the epidural. I originally thought I could do it without one, but after a loooong month and just a little prompting that I should get one, I did just that. It didn't work for about and hour, so I felt the pain of going from a 3 to about a 6 in an hours time. It was not the pain I'd expected, it wasn't gut wrenching or terrible..just burned and felt super tight. Luckily they came in and he adjusted the tube and needle and added more to the epidural. I was numb within 2 minutes. By this time it's like 2 or 3, and I just went to sleep. I woke up to them breaking my water, and getting everything ready cause I was dilated 9 cm. within 5 minutes I was already to start the 'practice pushes'. I started and they immediately had me stop, they had to call the Dr to get there. As soon as he came, like 15 minutes later, I pushed Sophia out in 4 HUGE pushes. At 4:45 Sophia was born. weighing in at 9 pounds 5 ounces, and 21 inches long! How did she fit inside of me?!?!

It was the best moment in my entire life, my husband and I were just in awe of this sweet little wonder that we had created together. Seeing this sweet little girl that had been growing inside of me, and kicking me non-stop through the night..she was grounded for that when we first met. ;) She was beautiful. She had a TON of blonde hair, the doctor was playing with it in between pushes. She had these huge puckery lips, they seriously melted my heart. She was just gorgeous. I was the happiest i'd been in so long! I had a tough year before, a lot of things had changed and a lot of people had returned to our Heavenly Father. I felt all of those people in that room that afternoon, and it was pure bliss.

I forgave those doctors that didn't take me in sooner, haha, it was my first child and they kinda turn you into an experiment, i feel, with your first. But next time i'm reminding them that i had a nine pound girl, I will not be 2 weeks late next time and have an 11 pound boy. ha. I didn't tear at all, and I owe that to raspberry leaf tea. I swear that helped a ton, especially for how big she was. It's supposed to soften that area and help with contractions. You just take it like 1 to 2 weeks away from your due date. Make sure to always ask your Dr about it first, but mine totally recommended it though. I feel like it helped with healing afterwards too, that and those awesome kegals. Those two things made my healing process a breeze.

We are so happy with our little girl, and seriously as she is getting closer to her 2nd birthday I really do feel like this was all just yesterday. It's such a cliche thing to say, but it's so true. It all feels like it was just yesterday that we met our beautiful little Sophia.

*photography by meikel

livy love designs giveaway

2011-04-26T22:43:00.016-06:00

using random.org we have our winner! #8
Haskell's said... So cute! pick me!
congrats! please email utah baby with your information!

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today we have a fabulous giveaway sponsored by livy love designs. livy love is giving away an 8.5x11 print to a lucky utah baby reader. the winner will choose a print of their choice from the lovely shop. livy loves style is fresh, vibrant, original and is sure to brighten up any room in your home!

to enter to win the 8.5x11 print, please visit livy love for more designs and leave a comment below before saturday, the 30th. good luck!

Gus's Story

2011-04-24T21:41:00.000-06:00

Three years and eight months after losing my son, Gus, to SIDS, I can barely remember all the details of the situation, what led up to it, and what came after. But those really aren't the most important parts.

My daughter Gracie was 18 months old when Gus was born on June 22, 2007. I'd had postpartum depression after Gracie until she was about 9 months old, and about two months later I became pregnant with Gus. It was very overwhelming and scary for me. But I knew without a doubt that it was the thing I was supposed to be doing. My husband, Robby, and I both felt the undeniable impression to have another baby, so close to our first, at such an unstable time in our lives. The pregnancy was hard. It included many contractions, hospitalization and bed rest. Not to mention the fact that I felt completely unprepared and unworthy to even have another child. I was scared. But through lots and lots of prayer and reflection, I found the place where I knew what I was doing was right and everything was going to work out. I worked hard to get him here and loved him the second I saw him. The whole first week was blissfully wonderful. I was breastfeeding and just loving on this tiny little baby. But as soon as that week was over, just as I'd feared, my postpartum depression began to rear it's ugly head. I was depressed and just felt an overall sense of uneasiness constantly. My role and responsibilities in life were rapidly changing and I was 22 and had no idea how to handle it. I don't remember much from those first several weeks except being unhappy and feeling more confused about my life than ever. I was taking medication but nothing seemed to balance me out. When Gus was 5 weeks old, I started feeling very negatively towards my children and voiced my thoughts to my husband and parents. Together we decided the best thing to help me figure things out would be for my mom to come to Arizona, pick up both Gracie and Gus and she and my dad would take care of them for about a month, then we'd see where I was. So on July 28th, 2007, my mom and younger sister drove down from Utah to pick up the kids. They then drove to San Diego where my older sister lived to see her new baby boy. Then they would drive back to Utah. That was the plan, anyway.

On August 1st, Robby and I were at home when my dad called. Robby was in our bedroom talking to my dad and I was in the living room and had a feeling I should go in to see what was going on. As soon as he got off the phone, he said, "It's Gus." Over the next 20 minutes or so, I'd found out that my little sister found Gus in his crib looking gray and not breathing. My mom did CPR, an ambulance came, but he could never be revived. They worked on his little body for about an hour before pronouncing him dead at 7:20 pm. I then got a call from the nurse at the hospital they'd taken him to letting me know what had happened.
I collapsed. I sobbed in unbelief for a few minutes, when something miraculous happened. I was suddenly given a clear head to think with and a determination to not make the whole thing about me and my loss. A lot of people lost Gus that day, and Heavenly Father gave me the strength and courage to see that right away and to be able to take action to comfort those who would need it. First and foremost, Robby. I snapped right out of whatever depression I'd been dealing with and decided I would make the decisions necessary to get us to our family. Robby was in complete shock and can't remember much from that night, so I was so glad I was able to do the things that needed to be done. We packed, I called the airline and got us tickets to San Diego, and drove us straight to the airport. We arrived in San Diego and were able to see my family right away, which was so helpful. They are amazing. The next day we were able to see Gus for the first time at the funeral home. It was awful. He was cold and rigid and was not my baby boy at all. The best thing I take away from that day was the overwhelming sense of love I felt from family members I'd already lost. It was a wonderful sense of comfort. The body was taken from San Diego to Mesa for burial and we had the funeral a week after his death. My dad spoke and gave a wonderfully inspiring talk that I keep linked on my blog so I can refer to it every now and then. And after everything was over and everyone was gone, I had to figure out how to deal with the death and how I would allow it to affect my life. I'll be honest, I did not handle it well for the first couple years. It was a hard reality to face and a lot of the time I chose not to face it. That only made things harder on me and my family, which I still feel awful about. But I think I was doing about the best I could with what I had at that time.

In 2009, we moved into our house here in Mesa and I decided to get serious about making my house a home and resolving some issues I was dealing with. Then around the 3rd anniversary of losing Gus, things really started to get better. I started seeing a counselor who helped me work through problems I was dealing with, which gave me the strength to deal with the issues I still had surrounding Gus' death. In December 2010, I felt Heavenly Father tell me that it was time to have another baby and that I could do it. While it felt for a long time that the inspiration to have Gus must have been wrong, I know that it was absolutely the right thing to do because my little boy was so perfect, he only needed a body so he could do his work in heaven. I'm now pregnant with our 3rd and due in December.

My testimony of my faith has never been stronger and is the very core of what helped me get back to a stable, sane place. This story is so hard to tell, but I always know the ending is going to be so good. That is what helps me manage and cope with the loss of my boy. And while there will always be a spot in my heart that aches for him, the knowledge that through my hard work and obedience I will see him again keeps me going, day after day. It took a while to get to the place where knowledge balances out the emotional pain, but I'm so glad I survived and can hope to be a better person after all. And that really is the most important lesson I've learned.

-melanie

inspire | easter eggs

2011-04-19T23:33:00.003-06:00

If you're like me.. you haven't colored any Easter eggs yet let alone even thought about Easter baskets. I know, best mom award over here (i'll put it on my mantle with my others). I did tonight however find some really fun and unique ideas for when we do!

Local Easter Activities

Wheeler Farm Easter egg hunt - Saturday, 23rd at 9:30am & 10:30am $5

Hogle Zoo Breakfast with Bunny - Saturday, 23rd at 9am or 11:30am. Tickets include a hot buffet breakfast with visit form the Easter bunny, plus craft and treat. Reserve in advance.

Elk Ridge Park, Logan - Saturday, 23rd at 11am

Ogden Dinosaur Park - Saturday, 23rd at 11am and 3pm. Adults (18+) - $7 Children (2-12) - $5, Infants (1 & under) - FREE

Hatch Park, NSL - Saturday, 23rd at 11am

Thanksgiving Point - Saturday 23rd at 10am. Cost $6/child ($8 week-of event), $3/adult

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we are finally getting organized over here. yay!! fun and exciting changes, announcements, giveaways and more.. coming soon!

brands we love | SCKC

2011-04-19T02:16:00.012-06:00

If any of you are like me, I’m counting down the days until summer ‘permanently’ hits Utah. For those of our readers who are not in Utah, our weather pattern looks something like this:

Monday - rain

Tuesday - more rain

Wednesday - snow

Thursday - supposed to snow, but really rains

Friday - sunny and warm.....just to get your hopes up, only to have this pattern start all over again the next day.

Yeah, I know it’s spring. But that one sunny day tricks my brain into thinking summer is closer than it really is. Not cool Mother Nature, not cool at all. Anyways, this post is not about the weather, contrary to the rant above. It’s about a particular brand of clothing that makes you disregard the weather outside and somehow justify putting your kids in something meant for 90 degree weather, when it’s actually 54 degrees outside. And when your husband asks why you have the temperature set to 75 degrees inside the house, you simply respond with, “Because Lucy wanted to wear her new outfit today.” (disregarding the fact that she’s only 10 months old and can’t quite talk yet, let alone pick out an outfit) And just as he’s about to fight you on it, you quickly add, “And look how cute she looks!!” Instant diversion = successful.

SCKC, Super Cool Kids Clothing, is the clothing company that I’m referring to. Created by two women, a daughter/mother duo, these clothes have the key components that make a first time buyer become a second time buyer. They are affordable, practical, incredibly stylish, and best of all, they have ‘mixable-matchable’ colors and designs. They are my new favorite brand. They have sizes available for newborns up to 10 years of age for both boys and girls. Since they are still fairly new to the scene (started up in 2010), the only online place to buy their stuff is on their own website. (linked at the beginning of this paragraph)

Below is my Lucy, sport'in her summer outfit from SCKC. I got the top for $16.99 and the shorts for $11.49, size 18-24 months, from Zulily.com.

Featured Photographer | Reflections By Cindy + Giveaway

2011-04-09T22:35:00.002-06:00

Congrats "Terelyn said... You take beautiful pictures!! I love seeing all the sweet babies!!" Please email utah baby blog with your contact information!

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I'm Cindy of Reflections by Cindy.com. I have been in business for nearly 3 years and I am located in Tooele, UT. I work exclusively with natural light, both for studio and outdoor sessions, and I love to photograph babies and children of all ages. I specialize in newborn portraits, they're my favorite little subjects. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I love to capture brand new babies in all their purity and freshness. The newborn phase goes by so fast and it's so hard to remember all the tiny details! My job is to make it easier for the parents to have something tangible from this stage in their baby's life. My photography style is simple and almost natural, I put the emphasis on the new baby, and how perfect he or she is. I use very few props since I don't want anything that is not flattering to detract from the baby's perfection. I invite you to visit my site and blog to view my portfolio.

Cindy is giving away a free newborn session (a $75 value) with a free set of birth announcements (a $55 value), plus 10% off any digital collection*. To enter, just visit her site and blog and 'like' reflections by cindy on facebook, then come back here and leave a comment. The winner will be announced Thursday, the 14th of April. Good Luck!

In addition, Cindy is offering a 10% discount on any digital collection to all the Utah Baby readers who book a session by the end of May**. This may be a newborn, baby or child session.
(* baby needs to be 10 days old or younger on the day of the session, session takes place in Tooele, model release is signed)
(** session fee required, model release must be signed, session takes place in Tooele, in studio or outdoors, no later than October 15th, 2011 ).

needing help.. more areas than one.

2011-04-07T13:14:00.001-06:00

when i got the idea for the utah baby blog i imagined a place for utah moms to come for resources, ideas, support, new friendships, etc. a place for business' big or small to be featured and spotlighted to those utah moms. ive been so pleased with the response we've gotten and it's so fun to see an idea come to life. i'm especially pleased with the mom's that have reached out and offered to share their stories about the things in life that are hard to have happen and even harder to talk about (quite a few stories in the works). we all struggle with one aspect or another trying to be a successful mommy and while im sure a lot of us have husbands who are great at listening (ha.. ha.. i have to laugh even though mine is pretty good) it's nice to be able to hear about and talk with another mom that feels the same as you. some day when i get brave i'll share my own story or rather stories. i know so many mom's feel like they are the only ones who feel like they do (hand raised). so to those of you who are currently writing your stories for features or thinking of sharing your story.. thank you. sharing something you've been through can empower and help someone else through the same or similar situations more than you know. please.. if you feel you can be a support to someone else or you feel you need to ask for support this is a great place to do it. it can also be anonymous.. i know first hand how hard it can be to ask for help. :)

okay, the other point of this post, before i started rambling (im a great rambler and not a great writer, obviously), was... we need help. we would love to find regular contributors for this blog who feel they have something to offer and want to be a part of it's success. we need help in areas of diy projects, mommy fashion, baby fashion, food, saving money and thrifting, organic parenting, interior design, blog design, marketing, and so on.. being a contributor doesn't mean you'll have to write on the blog full time or feel any pressure (we know being a mom is crazy and busy) we just need other fabulous mom's who'd like to contribute their talents and areas of expertise once or twice a month. :) if you're interested shoot us an email at utahbabyblog@gmail.com with a little about yourself and what you feel like you can contribute. thanks so much to all of you! xoxo

p.s. have any of you started watching, pregnant in heels on bravo? holding a focus group with professionals to help name your baby? um, totally ridiculous, hilarious and addicting.

helpful books for every age.

2011-04-07T11:06:00.002-06:00

with all the resources provided online these days im not sure how many of you still buy books.. most baby or pregnancy questions can be answered quickly by doing a google search or texting your bff, mom or sister... but... if you still love to read and are looking for some helpful literature here a few of the top selling books as well as some utah baby favorites.

pregnancy
*what to expect when you're expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
belly laughs by jenny mccarthy
girlfriends guide to pregnancy by vivki lovine
mayo clinic guide to a healthy pregnancy by mayo clinic

baby
*healthy sleeping habits happy child (this was my bible with my babies) by marc weissbluth m.d.
happiest baby on the block by harvey karp m.d.
top 100 baby purees by annabel karmel
the baby owner's manual by louis borgenicht and joe borgenicht

postpartum
this isn't what i expected by karen kleiman and valerie raskin
*down came the rain by brooke shields
*the postpartum husband by karen kleiman

parenting
*scream free parenting by hal runkel
parenting with love and logic by foster cline and jim fay
parenting from the inside out by daniel j. seigel and mary hartzell

what other books have you read and found helpful while raising your little ones?

featured nursery | raela

2011-03-24T08:12:00.002-06:00

i am shamelessly plugging my portfolio again but i really wanted to share this nursery from a recent newborn session. i loved raela's nursery (pronounced: ray-la). i always like the use of another color, in this case purple, instead of the traditional pink and of course because it's grey and white as well (my favorite decor colors) really . it's so simple yet elegant. i have to say my favorite detail of her room would be the bed skirt. the bottom half is made with tulle. i've never seen one like that.. so girly and classy.

crib is from http://www.babysupermall.com/

white rug is from http://www.overstock.com/

floral canvas wall art from tj maxx

bedding made with love from raela's grandma

vinyl above crib was a gift

white drapes and picture frames from ikea

potty training + undies giveaway.

2011-03-21T19:05:00.002-06:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: using random.org our winner is
#14 Alexis Blackner said... Candy jar on the bathroom counter with their favorite candy which they get everytime they go. I WANT THOSE UNDIES>>>> please contact utah baby for to claim your winnings.

If you are like me you were counting down the days until your babies were out of diapers. Maybe you've already tried to train your little one and were unsuccessful or you've been thinking of trying but not sure what the first steps are or wonder if your child is ready? I know in my experience with my oldest it took 2 or 3 tries until he was ready and with my youngest he was out of diapers gladly by 2 years old. Every child is different and it can get really frustrating.. trust me.. i know! I felt like i had a puppy.. cleaning up pee and poop all over the house. ha ha. I'm not an expert but here's what's worked for me and what I've heard has worked for others.

my maddon while potty training

starting out:

A couple of great ways to introduce the potty to your toddler is to have them sit on it before every bath. With the water running they might feel the urge to go! Also take them with you to the store to pick out their first pair of underwear and get them excited about the new milestone ahead. Another great idea is to purchase a small potty and keep in the bathroom a few months before you decide to start the training, that way they get used to having it in the home and know what it is.

consistency:

In my opinion the number one rule to potty training is being consistent. Put your child in underwear or let them run naked and give them lots to drink throughout the day. Giving them liquids will help them have to go more and start to recognize the urge to go. Putting him on the toilet every 20 minutes, without fail will help them get into the routine and know what to expect. though they might not have to go every 20 minutes it teaches them consistency.

scheduling your training:

sit down at your calendar and find a week or weekend where you have no plans and dont really need to leave the house. Potty training can take days and even weeks and being able to devote all your attention and time will help a lot with your child's success.

it's all about the bribes:

Mini M&M's or jelly beans are the perfect little prize! keep a small cute jar of treats in your bathroom and promise that each time your toddler goes potty, she/he gets two or three treats. I wholeheartedly recommend bribery as potty training motivation. If small treats dont work then use something bigger but most kids will give in to bribery very easily. I always say bribery is a mommy's part time job. ;) Another idea is a sticker chart. every time they go potty they get to put a sticker on their chart and as soon as they've worked up to a certain amount they get to pick out a prize.

praise, praise, praise:

dont believe in bribery? Praising your child can be just as effective. Giving lots of undivided attention, positive reinforcement, love, affection and pride when your child's successful. Making a big deal about small steps of progress can be key. Even if you do use bribery making a big deal out of every potty use is so important and it's so fun to see how proud your little tot will be!

big potty vs little potty:

With my first son i bought a small elmo potty. We started trying to train him at 2 years old and would let him run naked all day and kept the potty in front of the tv. We watched barney for what seems like hours on end. At that point he wasn't ready for the potty (more on that next). With my youngest he just didn't want to wear a diaper anymore and wanted to wear underwear. Seeing everyone else use the toilet probably helped but we skipped the small potty with him and went right to the big one. Some children can get intimidated by the normal toilet so it just depends. The small potty is great but a total pain to clean out and then you have to transition from the small to the big.

not ready:

Sometimes parents are more ready than the toddler might be. I was anxious to potty train my oldest son just having had a newborn (boys are 18 mo. apart) and really sick of changing two bums. ;) We got the potty, got the treats, got the undies and he was really excited. After the first day or so he wasn't going at all on the potty and wetting his pants (or should i say the carpet or walls) every single time. i kind of realized then that while he liked the idea, his little body just wasn't ready for it. so we put it off for a few months. we tried again at 2 1/2 years old and he did great with the occasional accident. I've also heard if you push your little one too hard too early it can be detrimental for future training.

Don't be afraid of accidents. some kids have them all of the time and some dont. Be prepared to clean a lot of carpet and throw away a lot of underwear! Good Luck!

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the giveaway! with this post i thought it appropriate to do an underwear giveaway! my other contributor, nicole, put together these oh so irresistible undies. aren't they adorable? leave a comment with your own potty training advise or question before friday, the 25th and you could win a pair of custom sized and designed undies.

featured children's room | house of smiths

2011-03-18T10:02:00.000-06:00

ok. so if your not following the house of smiths blog, you need to start now. i found shelley's blog one day, probably during my daily blog stalk, and now i am addicted. you may recognize her, her home or her work from frequent appearances on studio 5. anyway.. she has kindly let me feature her daughter's amazing rooms that she and her hubby have worked so hard on! having 2 boys I am drooling over these bedrooms and my ovaries are aching for a daughter. lol. enjoy and thanks again shelley!

check out shelley's original blog post with tutorials which also feature quite a bit of other rooms in her amazing house and my favorite, the girly bathroom!!!

here is the twin's room. read more about how this room came together here

featured | bungalow boutique

2011-03-14T18:23:00.003-06:00

*** giveaway closed! using random.org our winner is #1 Diana Smith said... That is such a cute hat!!
please email utahbabyblog(at)gmail.com. thanks to everyone who entered!

Bungalow Boutique is a fresh, new, year-round boutique on Main Street in Heber City, Utah. We're housed in two charming vintage homes - a 1940's bungalow-style home (hence the name!), and an 1890's pioneer home. We love modern, fun crafts and art, and we showcase and sell the works of over 40 very creative and talented Utah crafters and artists. There's something for everybody to love at Bungalow Boutique - from trendy re-purposed furniture, home decor, art and pottery, to handmade jewelry, and LOTS and LOTS of adorable accessories for babies (quilts, crocheted hats, hairbands, blessing dresses, shoes, etc.) . If you know of a little princess who loves tutus and hair bows, then we're the place for you! Come on in and visit with our craft-y vendors, and enjoy the ambiance of our cute little shops. We'd love to meet you! Please visit us at our shop, on facebook or follow our blog!

Bungalow Boutique is graciously sponsoring a giveaway of an adorable crocheted baby hat handmade by one of their talented crafters, Maybe Matilda. Check out her blog or etsy shop. To enter the giveaway please visit Bungalow Boutique's website and leave a comment here before Friday, the 18th. good luck!

giveaway | mommy cards

2011-03-09T14:39:00.002-07:00

giveaway closed: using random.org the lucky reader is...... #2 whitney said... Love these!! Love!
please email utah baby to claim your cards! :)

mommy cards are the newest thing in mommy networking. forget fishing through your diaper bag for a scrap of paper or trying to enter a new contact in your phone while you're kids are running wild! mommy business cards (because, yes.. being a mom is a business) are a simple and classy way to give other mom's your contact info. ya.. they might be a little mom-nerdy but i love this idea and had to have some printed up for myself (a little part of me dabbles in graphic design).

love them too? im giving away a set of 50 custom designed mommy cards. leave a comment and a winner will be chosen monday!

Adoption | Oliver's Story

2011-03-06T22:30:00.004-07:00

Tracy sent over her little family's amazing story to share.. and it's well worth reading.

My husband and I both looked forward to becoming parents... we had it all planned out. Get married, go to school for a while, then make some babies. Simple as that. Boy did we learn that the plan is not for us to decide sometimes...

The decision to even attempt to start a family was a bit of a surprise to us. We had only been married a year, and Jon had only just completed his first semester in the masters program for Architecture. We were not quite ready to be parents, but I had such a strong feeling and a pretty clear message from my father in heaven, that it would be ok for me to go off birth control, so off I went and we just kinda hoped that I would not get pregnant too quickly. I felt strongly that I wouldn't for some reason, but you never do know do you?

I will skip all the details, but it turns out my feelings were dead on. About a year and a half later we found out that having a baby was going to be an incredibly difficult process for us. BUT, we were given a great chance at success with IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization). Now, for those that don't know, a normal round of IVF goes something like this... 2-3 weeks taking birth control pills to control your cycle, 2 weeks of day and night Lupron injections (small insulin needle in the tummy), 2 weeks of HCG/Menpur/Lupron injections (same as before, small needle in the tummy), that's 3 injections day and night, then retrieval of the womans eggs, then start progesterone injections (great big needle, with thick, syrup like medecine injected into your lower back) for a few days, then implant embryo and continue progesterone injections for at least 2 weeks. Fun eh?
We started our first round of IVF with high hopes and excitement. But half way through our first round, our IVF was canceled when the doctors discovered a severe genetic defect that would affect nearly any embryo we were able to create. They just didn't dare proceed before they found out more about what we were dealing with. We were so crushed to hear such news, but still clung to the hope that medical technology would help. Another couple months down the road and the doctors thought we had a way to get around or problem by using PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) which is a process in which the go through the IVF process, and when we have our embryos, they biopsy a piece of each one to look for genetic defects and implant only healthy embryos. We were thrilled at the idea, and so we went for it. We ended up with 3 embryos that passed genetic testing, so we implanted all 3 and hoped for the best. 2 weeks later, we received the call that my test was positive... I was pregnant, BUT, my hormone levels were very low... which could be a miscarriage, or just a low level, so we waited a few days, re-tested, and I had miscarried. Yet another devastating outcome. That was hard to recover from after all we had been through. We waited a few months, collected ourselves, and tried again. Round 3.
Half way through our 3rd round, I received a call from my brother... a friend of his was pregnant and in a troubled situation, and wanted to place her baby for adoption and wanted to know if we were interested. And something in my heart lit on fire... we thought hard and prayed even harder about this, and decided that we wanted this baby, but we also wanted to continue with our IVF. We explained our situation to the birth mother and she said she was willing to wait and see if our IVF was successful and if not, we would adopt her baby.
As time went on, my heart was filled with the thought of this baby boy... I felt he was mine. My husband told me it was all the hormones and to not get attached, but I couldn't help it. I thought about him everyday. Whether the IVF worked or not, I felt he was mine and I needed to stay with him. My husband didn't like that idea... he wasn't ready for twins. Then, the day before we were to go in for our implant with IVF, the birth mother informed me that she had changed her mind and was going to keep the baby. My heart was broken... but yet, I felt a strange peace. The next day, we were getting ready to go in for our implantation when we got a phone call from the doctors office, telling us that they had just received word that NONE of our 16 embryos passed genetic testing. None. They all had severe genetic defects and would not survive. After going through a whole cycle, we were canceled again and worse yet, the doctors no longer felt that there was anything that could be done to help us. I felt such despair. So much pain and sadness, it was hard to breathe. I lost my chance to be pregnant, and I lost the baby boy that I knew was mine. The next 3 days were like a blur... going through the motions and just trying to move on with my life... but something inside kept thinking about the baby boy... I knew she had changed her mind, but I could not stop thinking about him and feeling this connection to him, so I decided to stay in touch with the birth mother as a friend and support and let her know that if she changed her mind again, we were there. And I continued to think of him every single day.
A couple weeks later a received the news my heart had longed for for so long, she had changed her mind again, and wanted to place the baby with us. There are no words to express the joy I felt, but at the same time, such enormous fear, that she would yet again change her mind. I had to put all my trust in my father in heaven and believe that he put these feelings in my heart for a reason. By this time she was about 33 weeks pregnant and so we started to prepare his room, something I had dreamed about for SO long, and we hoped for the best.
She went into labor 3 weeks early... and stayed in labor for another 3 weeks. It was torture waiting for him to come, but hoping that he would wait long enough to be healthy when he was born.

The day he was born was the most surreal day of my life. I still had those fears that she would change her mind... but in my heart of hearts, I knew he was my son. He was born in 3 pushes and my life changed forever. The room was filled with the spirit of God and this perfect little soul that had just come from his arms. I just stood there, shaking, staring at him, watching the nurses clean him up and check him over. I was in total shock, couldn't move, couldn't speak, when one of the nurses grabbed me, pulled me over to him, and put my hand on his as they cleaned him up. He held on to my hand and in that instant there were no more doubts. I knew he was mind and he knew I was his. I knew in that instant that he was the plan all along. It was absolute magic.
A few minutes later, when he was all cleaned up and wrapped in his blanket and I was finally able to hold him the first time, and I just sobbed. I could not possibly hold him tight enough or kiss him enough or express the love I felt. I loved him before he was born, but holding him in my arms took me to a world of love that I never knew existed. After 3 long, painful years of tests and treatments and failure after failure, and wondering why... here he was, the answer to everything. And our world has been a better place ever since. We could not possibly imagine any other child to be ours. He is perfect. He is my baby boy.

There is always a reason, there is always a plan. And it is good.

I would love to answer, as best I can, any questions anyone has about IVF/fertility/adoption. You can email me at tracylaynephotography(at)gmail.com or find me on facebook. :)

brands we love | simple and classic

2011-03-01T22:38:00.018-07:00

Who says sick days can’t be productive? Instead of having 1 sick day, I had 4 sick days in a row this past week. While buried in tissues, I surfed the web and came across these incredibly cute sites! Every single one of them made me say “Oooo!” or “Ahhh!” at least once or twice. I hope you find something that tickles your fancy too!

featured nursery | oliver

2011-02-27T22:52:00.002-07:00

finally a little man's space. :) i love everything about his room.. im a big fan of bright rooms with color and this room has lots of it. ollie's mom said she had so much fun putting together this room for her sweet little guy who she couldn't wait to finally meet. After 3 failed rounds of IVF tracy and her husband adopted adorable ollie (more on their story soon). what a lucky guy to be able to spend every night in this fun space. ;)

children's room inspiration | bunk beds

2011-02-24T22:40:00.001-07:00

since i know my boys will eventually end up sharing a room the obvious choice would be bunk beds. i was looking online for a few ideas and found a whole world of amazing ideas for bunks.

found here

if i could design a room for my boys and do anything i wanted. it would quite possibly be identical to this room. grey walls. yellow and navy blue accents. hanging beds. love it.

found here

Giveaway | Bitty Bakes Cupcakes

2011-02-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

this week's giveaway is from the fabulous bitty bakes cupcakes. i've tried these cupcakes myself and they are to die for! jessica brought me a few samples and if anyone knows me.. they know my love for cupcakes. they lasted all of 5 minutes at our house.

***giveaway closed: using random.org the winner is:
Chelsea said... YUMMY! Would LOVE to win this for my nephews birthday, we are celebrating it at the Great Strides walk this year to find a cure for him from Cystic Fibrosis.

please contact jessica at bittybakes@yahoo(dot)com! Thanks everyone!

bitty bakes is giving away 3 dozen cupcakes to a lucky reader of utah baby... yes, that's right, 3 dozen! these will be perfect for your next birthday party or baby shower! please visit bitty bakes on their blog and facebook. leave a comment below and the winner will be announced wednesday, the 23rd.

Best Apps for Moms.

2011-02-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

I dont know about you.. but i love my apps. Some of them i use every single day and find them so helpful for parenting. What did our parents ever do without smartphones? Ive compiled a list of some of the best apps for moms both for iphone/ipad/itouch and droid. If you have other apps you've found helpful when it comes to parenting, please share!

WebMD: free (iphone) Check your symptoms, access drug & treatment information, get first aid essentials, and check local health listings on the go, from the most trusted brand in health information.

Grocery Gadget: $4.99 (iphone, droid) A unique shopping list productivity app designed to help you save time and money at home and at the grocery store.

Silent Bodygaurd: $0.99 (iphone) Send out an alert from your phone if you find yourself in trouble. send SOS email, text and facebook/twitter messages with your GPS location every 60 seconds without alerting attackers.

Potty Predictor: $4.99 (iphone) Potty predictor works as an aid to help in your training efforts with the proven successful method of scheduling.

Mom 2 Be: free (droid) a tool that enables mothers to track the progress of a woman's pregnancy

My Cycles: free (iphone) This handy little app will calculate your period and ovulation schedule, displaying likely arrival times for each so you can time baby-making (or prevent it, whatever the case may be).

Baby Tracker: Nursing: $4.99 (iphone) Designed to make the frantic first days of breastfeeding a little more organized.

Garage Sale Rover: $2.99 (droid) It displays all the garage sales posted on Craigslist for the week in your area on a GPS-map.

Hipstamatic: $1.99 (iphone) satisfies your inner photog by throwing a retro, analog feel on top your iPhone pics, giving you unique, unexpected results.

iPregnancy: $3.99 (iphone) written by a practicing OB/GYN, iPregnancy helps you keep track of all your little squiglet's milestones: estimated due date, gestational age, and weekly schematics of baby's development.

Martha's Everyday Food: $0.99 (iphone) Martha has you covered with easy-to-access recipes the whole family will love.

My Days: free (droid) lets women record the dates of their menstrual cycle and then estimates when a woman’s upcoming fertile days will be and when their next period will occur.

Mom Maps: free (iphone) This app boasts more than 24,000 kid-focused locations in metro areas, and utilizes your GPS functionality to get you there.

Jorte: free (droid) mobile personal organization.

Lose it: free (iphone) Set goals and establish a daily calorie budget that enables you to meet them. Stay on track each day by recording your food and exercise and staying within your budget.

NineMonths: $0.99 (iphone) contraction and kick count app

Featured Newborn Photographer | Monkey Face Photography

2011-02-14T09:10:00.001-07:00

Each month we will be featuring a local Utah children's and baby photographer. This month I was happy to have been sent the work of Monkey Face Photography. Heidi owns a studio in Farmington where she does an incredible job capturing newborns and babies. To check out more of Monkey Face Photography's work click on the links below.

http://www.monkeyfacephotography.com/

http://monkeyfacephotography.com/blog/

http://www.facebook.com/monkeyfacephoto

featured nursery | lyla

2011-02-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

recently at a newborn shoot i took a few minutes to snap some images of the baby's nursery. i love little lyla's space and how simple yet elegant it is. the dramatic white curtains and wall moldings were the perfect touch for this princess' room.

dvd winner announced.

2011-02-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Using random.org the winner of the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred Dvd is...

#7 Meggera said... I LOVE the 30 Day Shred. Totally created for a woman with a mission... aka a MOMMY with little ones running around. I tried doing P90X, but who has THAT much time in a day to exercise?! Seriously?. Right now I am doing a program by the same guy who helped create Body for Life. It's wonderful! Kicks my trash, but doesn't take hours to accomplish. My kind of workout!

Fitness with Emily | Taking back your body

2011-02-09T09:20:00.002-07:00

I am trying to button up my blouse and it is about two inches from closing over my chest. I am sucking in and those jeans just aren't going up no matter how much I will them to. I am standing looking in the mirror at me...well I think it's me. It's me living inside a body that is unfamiliar, a body whose chest is now a size DD (what????) and a layer of fat that used to not be there before I pushed out my precious baby girl! The drags of a post-partum body...sound familiar? A baby changes your body and there is no way around it, but we know it’s worth it and there IS a way to get it back. For some their body may never be the same as before babies, but what is perfect anyways? How about focusing instead on being fit, healthy and happy? That sounds a lot better to me!

There is a time that comes when you feel ready to get your body back, and for everyone it is different. Some have to wait until they are done breastfeeding (to prevent losing their milk); some had what we like to call a 4th degree tear (OUCH!) and need healing time. It is important not to feel rushed and to only start an exercise regime when you are ready! This article will focus on the fitness aspect of getting back in shape. I know that nutrition is a huge part of getting your body back and losing weight, but since I am not a nutritionist but rather a professional in the fitness industry we will start there.

Hate to say it ladies but it’s time to Get uncomfortable! With all my clients and classes I reiterate this every day. In order to see change and get results you have to get out of your comfort zone! Metabolic Training is all the rage right now and is an excellent way to get uncomfortable. It is about taking your heart rate up for a period of time then bringing it down with little rest and then taking it back up. The great thing about metabolic training is that workouts can be short and very effective, as we all know time is precious!

Here are some examples of Metabolic Training:

-Tabatas: Choose an exercise i.e. squats, tuck jumps, pushups. Do the exercise for 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times. In 4 minutes you will be slammed. (There is a great IPhone Ap for Tabatas)
-Sprints: Distance or Timed, change up your regular jog. You will get double the workout in half the time.
-Pyramid Workout: 15/30/45/60/45/30/15
Choose 4 exercises i.e. skate jumps, jump squats, high knee runs. Make the hardest exercise your 15 second interval and the easiest your 60 second interval. Rest only 15 seconds in between each exercise and there you have it!

Alright, anyone motivated to start moving right now?! Granted fitness is my job but just writing this out gets me excited! Yes working out is hard, but the endorphins and results you will see outweigh the pain. So just get started, as that is the hardest part!

Sign up for something, whether it is a half marathon, a dance class, or a personal trainer. Sign up for something that sounds fun to you and is a goal and go for it. A deadline is a powerful thing and it will push you.

Consistency and Change...wait aren't those two different things? When it comes to getting results, it is all about consistency. Set aside some “you” time everyday or at least a couple times a week and keep at it. You have to be consistent. But, change it up; don't just run on the treadmill everyday or do a spin class over and over. Go for a run one day, a metabolic training workout the next, a spin class the next and a dance class the following day. The more you switch it up the less likely you are to get bored and the more likely you are to get results.

No one said it was going to be easy and you have to remember that every person’s body is different. Treat yours with respect and be proud of what you just did. Your body carried a baby for 9 months and delivered it. Give it a break and love every curve while you have it because pretty soon those DD's will be saggy AA's (crap did I just admit that?!). My rule of thumb is it took 9 months to put it on so give yourself at least that long to get the weight off. Success does not happen overnight!

EMILY'S TOP PICKS:

At home workout DVD: Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred

Fitness Class: Zumba

Running Song: Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow"

Workout Top: Lululemon Run Swiftly Tech

Running Shoes: Mizuno Wave

Questions regarding your specific situation?
Email me at ejanelson@gmail.com

Now how about a GIVEAWAY!? Leave a comment telling us about your favorite workout and one person will win Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD......from my Top Picks list above! winner will be announced saturday, the 13th.

Donate | Caps for Good

2011-02-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Save the Children and the Warm Up America! Foundation are asking Americans across the country to pick up your knitting needles and crochet hooks to help save the lives of nearly four million newborn babies in the developing world. The initiative is running from September 2010 to the end of February 2011, so you still have a few weeks. At the end of the program, caps will be distributed to pregnant women and new moms and their babies in Save the Children's programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Check out their website, where i took this info from, and find out more.

featured nursery | lily

2011-02-03T20:41:00.002-07:00

i've never seen a cupcake parlor themed nursery until lily's mommy sent over the images of her room and few special details on how the room came together. how adorable and creative is this? I think my favorite is the mobile or the rocking chair oh and lily.. she is really such a doll.

"The theme of Lily's nursery is Cupcake Parlor, inspired by old time ice cream parlors and cupcakes. What makes this room really special is that many of Lily's family members contributed to the decor. Daddy installed the decorative wall molding and painted stripes in Pink Lemonade. Mommy, Brooke Baker, refurbished her rocking chair from when she was a child and assembled a mobile out of a rolling pin, pink rick rack and felties purchased from Etsy. Aunt Mindi (http://www.mindileatham.com/) supplied cut paper art featuring Marie Antoinette inspired girls with big, cupcake decorated wigs and a Rapunzel hair accessory organizer with long, pink yarn braids. Aunt Heidi sewed patchwork cupcake pillows with removable, Velcro cherries and Grandma made a gorgeous quilt and striped awning to go over the window.

Lily's bedding is pink damask with green bows, fittingly called The Lily Collection. The furniture includes a Young America crib, vintage white dresser and girly chandelier lamp. Lily's bookshelf is filled with delicious titles such as If You Give A Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff".

brands we love | paige lauren baby

2011-01-31T17:38:00.011-07:00

While I was checking my morning emails, I noticed that the half-off site, Zulily.com, had listed some new products that I was interested in investigating. While looking, I noticed that a particular brand of clothing that I’d never heard of before, was quickly going out-of-stock. Originally priced, this brand was out of my price range, but on Zulily, even the most high-end brands can look inexpensive and within reach. I was able to snag a classic yellow short sleeve dress for my daughter, sized 12/18 months. I had completely forgotten about the dress until it showed up on my doorstep. When I opened the package, it took me a second to remember buying it. Once I remembered the purchase, I began to admire the dress. Incredibly soft material with a classic look that I knew would look darling on my daughter. That night, I googled the name and browsed the entire line from Paige Lauren. I’m in love with the style and material of their clothes. They are timeless and classic. I seriously check Zulily daily, just waiting for that brand to pop up so I can snag another darling outfit.

A quote from Paige Lauren herself, “I’m not concerned with the latest trends or decorative baubles. I think that clothing should be timeless and beautifully constructed. If something isn’t well-made than it isn’t worth getting at all. I’m proud that PAIGELAUREN baby manifests those values to the fullest.”

You can find Paige Lauren Baby at Babinskis in SLC and in a variety of independent online shops.

mac lipglass winner

2011-01-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

using random.org we have a winner of the mac lipglass.

#2 Matt & Ali said... (Following Cassy's blog)I'm a huge fan of MAC makeup! I simply can't live without their paint pots, eye shadows or my favorite lipglass,ICESCAPE that they only carry around holidays. UGH!! I have to use it super sparingly to make it last.It's the perfect light pink color!

(email utahbaby for details)

diaper bag makeup must-haves.

2011-01-22T23:10:00.005-07:00

We have all had that moment when you've left the house, without putting makeup on, brushing your hair or even, GASP! your teeth, for a “quick Starbucks run”. Well because the baby was being unusually well behaved you did the unthinkable and decided to stroll into Target wearing your husband's t-shirt, your black leather jacket, sweat pants and Uggs. An hour and a half later, its nearing noon and you have a play date at Arctic Circle, you look like a bag lady, your kid is no longer being patient after walking around Target all morning and you have a fifteen minute drive ahead of you. But you don't panic because you stay well-informed and just happened to have looked at the Utah Baby Blog and read a certain article post by a certain contributor (ahem) entitled:

The Mommy's guide to all-in-one products to keep in your purse/diaper bag for a gorgeous natural look in 2 minutes or less...

Which takes you longer to read than it will to actually apply- GUARANTEED!

Tinted Moisturizer. A tinted moisturizer, like Neutrogena's Health Skin Enhancer, is an all-in-one miracle solution for your skin. Not only does it moisturize, it also has SPF 20 to protect your skin from the sun and has just enough color in it to be applied quickly without obvious mistakes and even out an uneven skin tone. And BONUS! This is not going to make you shiny so you don't need to worry about carrying a powder compact and adding another step in the process. Just use your fingers to spread the moisturizer as evenly as you can in a rush and then move on.

Step 2: Blush. I love Pixi Energy Blush - NO.2 in Pick-Me-Up Pink because, not only does this color shade look flattering on just about anyone, but it is 2-shades-in-one: a subtle shimmering feminine blush and a pale shimmery highlight shade as well as a nifty little brush to apply it with. So first use the lighter color to highlight your cheekbones, your eyebrows and the bridge of your nose, then sweep the pink from the apple of your cheek (you can find this by smiling, the fullest part of your cheek is your apple) to the top of your cheek bone and onto your eyelid. This creates a great, natural and feminine look.

Now for step 3: Mascara. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara has consistently ranked high by consumers because it is extremely inexpensive and works fantastic! Now here you have the option of a clear mascara that can double as a tool to tame unruly eyebrows and will definitely brighten up your eyes or a neutral mascara (like a brown) that will help to open up your eyes and give them more of a POP! but not recommended to use on your eyebrows. Personally I'd go with the brown because I feel naked without mascara but the choice is yours.

Lastly...Lipbalm. MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Calm Mode is the perfect choice to moisturize and put some color on your lips! Very easy to use and one container will literally last you for the rest of your Mommy-ing Days. BONUS! This can double as lustrous eye color in case you want a bit more VA-VOOM on your lids.

Now all you have to do is throw your hair in a messy bun and a piece of gum in your mouth and you're set, no one need ever be the wiser.

xoxo -C

Hold on, there is more! of course there has to be a giveaway. we're giving away a MAC Tinted Lipglass. To enter: head over to cassy's blog and become a follower, come back here and leave us a comment with your own makeup must-have. Winner will be announced Wednesday.

http://www.cassysmacattackblog.blogspot.com/

winner and upcoming giveaways.

2011-01-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

we have a winner of the adorable newborn hat by bitty baby. using random.org....

comment #17: Colby and Steph Stringham said...
Oh yeah!! I need one of those for my baby! I have yet to find a dang hat that fits his little head! please email utah baby for details.

coming up we have some really great giveaways like.... toddler underwear, make-up, cupcakes, burp rags, baby jewelry and as soon as we get to 150 followers or 150 fans on facebook we'll be giving away this lovely petunia pickle bottom organic diaper bag! super awesome, right? spread the word.

DIY | baby food

2011-01-19T23:19:00.011-07:00

Before you turn away, thinking that you are too busy or inadequate to make your own baby food, stop and read. There is no one more challenged in the cooking department than myself. Not only do I hate cooking, I hate grocery shopping even more (this stems from spending hours with my mom at grocery stores as a child). I often burn Hamburger Helper and manage to, very frequently, mess up Macaroni and Cheese. So trust me when I say, if I can do it, anyone can.

Below is one of my favorite fruit recipes. Most of the fruits and vegetables follow this same routine but can also vary depending on the food. Many more can be found in the book, Super Baby Food. This is the book I still use to this day.

Tools you will need:

The fruits or vegetables you are planning to use. I often buy in bulk at Costco. I try to use organic foods whenever they are available.
Ice cube trays. (I have about 10 on hand. I got them at a dollar store.)
Saran wrap
A freezer with adequate space to store multiple ice cube trays.
Microwave
Fruits and veggies peeler. (most skins will need to be removed before processing since skins are often considered choking hazards for young babies and toddlers)
Food processor or blender

Apples -

Step one - Peel the apples.

Step two - Slice the apples into smaller pieces. (see picture reference)

Step three - Put apple slices into a large, microwavable safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water for each pound of apple slices you use. Cover (I use a microwavable safe dinner plate) and cook for 3 minutes or until apples are soft (check softness by sticking a

fork in them).

Step four - Once they are cooked, put into food processor or blender and start mashing.

Step five - When the apples are completely mashed and take more of a puree form, use a tablespoon to scoop out and fill each ice cube square.

Step six - After filling ice cube trays, immediately seal them up with saran wrap. Make sure you wrap it up tight so no air gets in.

Step seven - immediately put into freezer.

Equivalents: 3 medium apples = 1 pound = 2 1/2 cups peeled and sliced.

Wait a day before you take them out. Transfer the cubes into a zip lock bag and put back into the freezer until you are ready to use. Apples stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months. A side note, when heating up in the microwave, I usually do it for 45 seconds for 3 cubes. Always make sure it’s not too hot for your baby. Microwaves can heat certain spots of food more than other spots, so be sure to stir it up before serving.

giveaway | bitty baby hat

2011-01-18T10:32:00.004-07:00

today's giveaway is an adorable handknit newborn hat from bitty baby. these are great for your little newborn's nogin and would also make a perfect shower gift or photography prop. to enter please leave a comment (please just one) and winner will be announced friday, the 21st. winner will choose from either of the hats shown. (must be a facebook fan and follower to enter).

bitty baby hats takes mostly custom orders. to find out more about pricing and style email jordan at jordancjensen{at}hotmail.com

Awareness | Max's Story

2011-01-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hi friends. My name is Morgan and I am here to tell about my darling little family and our life and experiences over the last four years. I will give you a short introduction about our family for those of you who don't know us. I am married to a wonderful man named John. We have a four year old boy named Max and we just adopted our darling baby boy about a year ago whose name is James. We love each other. We adore our kids. Life is good. I am going to mostly write about my sweet little Max. Max is my best little friend. He loves to be with me and I love to be with him. He loves anything that has to do with dragons or dinosaurs. He loves to dress up like super heros, play with trains and wrestle with his daddy. He says the funniest things and can always make me smile even on the worst days. In my eyes, he is perfect. I title this post Max's Story. Here it goes...

Max was born at 38 weeks and was absolutely perfect. John and I were living pure bliss and we had never loved anything or anyone as much as we loved Max. I remember always watching him while he slept after we first brought him home from the hospital and thinking how lucky I was that he was mine. I remember telling myself over and over that I would do anything to keep him safe. When Max was about two weeks old, he started crying. And crying. And crying. I take that back, it wasn't crying, it was screaming. I took him to the doctor and of course it was colic. Duh. Why hadn't I thought of that? This whole time I was thinking that something had to seriously be wrong with this baby to scream that much. We switched formula after formula, tried medicine after medicine, tried soothing method after soothing method and nothing was working. I remember one day being so frustrated because nothing was working, I decided to drive him up to the ER at Primary Childrens because something had to be wrong. Well Max checked out just fine and they sent us on our merry way. I cried the whole way home. I was exhausted. I was frustrated. I needed answers. For the next five months we dealt with a screaming baby. Those five months were hard and there was little sleep. I had somehow survived and when Max was six months old, we packed up and moved to Houston for the summer for John's job. To our surprise, Max was slowly pulling out of his "so-called" colic and was turning into the happy playful baby we had dreamed of having. I had so much fun with Max in Houston. I took him everywhere with me and people would comment on what a good baby he was. He would smile and wave at everyone we saw in passing out and about. He was finally so normal and so happy. I was so happy. When Max was almost a year old, we moved back to Utah. Our family was beyond excited to have their sweet baby back home. He was crawling all over the place, saying the typical one year old words, "mama", "dada", "hi", "bye"....you get the picture. We celebrated a wonderful first birthday party and life was good. It was at about fifteen months old, that I started noticing Max doing some weird things. He had lost every word he could ever say. He had become completely mute. He had started having major tantrums over the smallest things. He had become almost completely anti-social. Eye contact was really off and I could hardly get him to look me in the eye let alone a stranger. He had started this stacking madness with every can or cup he could find in the house. He would stack and stack all day long. He became almost obsessive with certain toys and activities. I knew something was definitely wrong and I was secretly devastated. Here I had finally gotten my happy perfect baby and he was slowly starting to slip away from me again. My mom was the first person to ever say the word autism to me. I remember thinking, "He doesn't have autism. Those kids rock back and forth all day and never talk, that's not my baby." Well as the next three months went by, Max progressively got worse and I knew something needed to be done. I decided to take my mom's advice and I made an appointment with a well known psychologist at Pingree School for Autism. Max had just turned eighteen months old when we had our "big" appointment with the doctor. I remember being a nervous wreck that day. I dressed Max up in his Sunday best hoping that if he looked adorable, it might help. Desperate, I know. We were only in that doctor's office for about twenty minutes before my life was forever changed. All it took was twenty minutes of him watching Max. He looked right at me and blurted out, "I am sorry but your son has autism." He might as well have just thrown a knife at my heart. Everything I had ever hoped and dreamed for Max had just been taken away from me. At that moment, I had never felt more empty. It's a feeling I will never be able to explain. The doctor went on to tell me that I needed to start therapy or get on a waiting list for a school for autism. I remember saying, "Okay, so insurance covers all of this right?" He almost laughed at me. Insurance covers nothing that has to do with autism in the state of Utah. Perfect. My life just got better. I drove home empty and alone. I don't remember the rest of that day, probably because I spent it in bed crying. I do remember that night however. Around midnight, sleep just wasn't happening so I decided to start researching and reading about autism. I started researching therapies, diets, Defeat Autism Now doctors and vaccines. The next morning I had a plan for Max. I started making phone calls and by that afternoon, I had interviews and doctors appointments set up. I made a promise to myself that day that I was going to do anything to get Max better and if I had to spend the rest of my life doing it, oh well. I was Max's mom and I was the only one that was going to be able to help him get better. Max started doing intensive ABA home therapy 30 hours a week with three different therapists. I stopped all vaccines, put him on a gluten/cassien free diet, started seeing an autism doctor who started Max on vitamins and supplements and we started chelation. Six months into therapy, Max started talking. He started counting. He started saying his ABC's. He was talking. His internal body issues started clearing up with the diet and supplements. He started looking at and recognizing people. He was on a slow start to coming back in to our world. Everything we were doing had started working and was paying off. For the next two years and to this day, Max is still doing 30 hours a week of therapy. He is still on a special diet, we are still doing bio-medical treatments. He is doing amazing. He is on track to go to pre-school with kids his age. He is socializing. He knows his shapes. He knows his colors. He can say the ABC's forward and backward. He can count to sixty. His behavior is getting better. And most importantly, he is talking. He told me right before he fell asleep tonight that I was his best friend and he loved me. These last four years of life have been challenging. There has been anger, despair and exhaustion. There has been joy, kindness and amazing miracles. We have seen the bad and we have seen the good. And most importantly, we have seen amazing blessings. I have people tell me all the time that I handle all of this really well and for the most part I feel like I do. But I also don't wear my heart on my sleeve... I never have. I think all of us moms out there need and deserve a good cry every once in a while and trust me, I get my share of them. I occasionally sneak into Max's bed after he is asleep and hold him and cry. I cry because I am overwhelmed. I cry because I am exhausted. I cry because I am scared that what I am doing for him won't ever be enough. But it's these moments that I remember to tell myself to keep going. Max is worth it. I am beyond grateful for my experiences with Max. We have a long road ahead of us but I know together we will be okay. Max amazes me everyday and I feel beyond blessed that I am able to be a mom to such a special little spirit. He has taught me humility. He has taught me how to love un-conditionally. He has taught me patience. And he has taught me that nothing great comes easy. I am proud to say I am Max's mom. He is and always will be my hero.