My Mommy "Must Have's"

Lately, I find myself completely surrounded by pregnant chicks.  They're everywhere!  And most of them are either having their first, or in my sister's case, her first in six years...  This time is different than the last baby boom two years ago though, because this time, I have experience!  After all, who better to offer advice on baby products and gear than someone who has had four babies in the past two years, right?!?  :-)  So, for all of my "new mommy" and "new again mommy" friends and family, I have compiled a list of products and gear that I absolutely can not live without. 

• Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair - I love this high chair!  The seat and tray are the same size as a full-size high chair, but it attaches straight to the dining room chair, reclines for smaller babies, sits straight for older babies, and converts to a booster seat for toddlers.  It is awesome!  I don't think I'd ever settle for a full-size, stand alone high chair again.  They're too bulky, take up more room than I have, and I'd end up having to buy a separate booster seat when the kiddos hit toddler age anyway.

• Plain old, ordinary cloth diapers - Oddly enough, I use cloth diapers for everything except diapering.  They make the best burp cloths!  I use them to clean off hands and faces after messy meals.  After they start to wear out a little, I use them as dust rags for the furniture.  And as their final duty, they work great to clean up hairballs and messes that the cat decides to leave for me around the house.  In my humble opinion, one can never have too many plain old, ordinary cloth diapers.

• Lots of Links - They seem like such a mundane, simple little toy, but for some reason, these have been the favorites of most of my older babies (9-12 months).  Little Miss could sit for an hour just sorting them and putting them into different containers.  :-)  I also use them all the time to attach other toys to carseats, strollers, etc.  I lost one too many teethers, rattles, etc. and finally wised up and started attaching them to the stroller with the links.  Baby can throw their toys down, but they aren't going anywhere!  Mimi is so smart!  :-)

• Hyland's Teething Tablets - OMG!  I don't know what it is about these little homeopathic tablets, but they are un-be-freaking-lievable!!!  The Booger Bear had the worst time when he was teething, and a couple of my friends told me to try these teething tablets.  Booger could be crying, fussy, drooling all over the place, chewing on his hands or anything else he could get into his mouth, and just plain completely miserable.  Within 5 minutes of giving him the Hyland's teething tablets, without fail, he'd have a complete turnaround.  I especially loved them at bedtime because they helped soothe him long enough to fall asleep.  I keep these things on hand all the time now for all of my babies.

• Huggies Overnites diapers - LOVE me some Huggies Overnites diapers!!!  Most of my kiddos are sleeping through the night by the time they come to me, and there is nothing ickier than waking up in the morning to a soaked through baby (especially after you've already gotten ready for work).  I'm fairly certain the babies aren't too thrilled about it either.  I found the Overnites when I had the Booger, and haven't had a nighttime leak with any of the babies yet while using them!  They're like magic diapers or something!

• A BIG Nasal Aspirator (lovingly referred to as a "snot sucker") - I always make sure I get the bigger nasal aspirators as opposed to the tiny little ones that usually come in the first aid kits.  The best "mommy advice" that I ever got was from my friend, Trina (who I lovingly refer to as Super-Mommy because she is AWESOME).  She told me, "Don't be afraid to use saline drops and the snot sucker thing."  ...and she was totally right!  Booger Bear (appropriately nicknamed for his chronic sinus infections) loved the thing.  :-)

• Little Squirters Bath Toys - Seriously.  These things rock.  The little flat ones make awesome teethers (Booger and the Munchkin chewed on them almost constantly), and the rest kept all of the babies distracted enough in the bath that they never even realized when I was washing their hair.  The only thing that I don't really like about them is that the water never completely gets out, so once you use them as bath toys, you really can't use them anywhere else.

• Dex Baby Dura Bibs - Love, love, love these bibs!  My sister found these years ago for the twins, and I inherited a few of them to keep at my house.  When I started fostering, I went out and bought my own stash.  You just snap up the "catch all" pocket, and the baby's good to go!  I've even used them as a "snack tray" in the stroller or when we're shopping.  Just throw some goldfish crackers or Cheerios in the pocket, and the kids have easy reach of their snack.  :)  They flatten out and can be easily wiped off.  I throw them in the washer (don't dry them in the dryer though!).  They actually have lots of animal and other styles.  I just saw the "Bad to the Bib" series today when I was looking for a sample picture.  I'm totally going to order these to add to my bib collection!

• Take and Toss bowls with lids - I use these all the time for baby snacks, baby food, my own snacks, and even as containers to mix frosting colors during Christmas Cookie Decorating Day.  :)  I put dry cereal or oatmeal in them to send to daycare so they can be easily mixed.  And even though they are labelled as "take and toss," I wouldn't dare throw these puppies out!  They hold up really well in the top shelf of the dishwasher, so I just wash them and use them until they inevitably get lost.  I'm sure I'll end up moving my couch or other furniture and discover a treasure chest of take and toss bowls under there at some point.  :)

• The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn to Toddler Tub - This tub is one of the least expensive, but in my opinion, the best!  It has a newborn sling, the reclining tub as they get a little older, an additional upright backrest for toddlers, and can be used in sinks as well as bathtubs.  I use this tub until the kiddos start trying to stand up, and then moved up to...

• The Safety 1st Tubside Bath Seat - I initially bought this for the Booger Bear when he outgrew the tub, but refused to sit down in the bath.  I had absolutely no intention of chasing him around the bathtub and having to write up incident reports every time I gave him a bath and he inevitably slipped or hurt himself, so...  The tubside bath seat it was!  And I LOVE IT!  I used it for both the Booger and Little Miss in the last week she was with me, and I'm so glad I have it.  The babies seem to feel more secure, but still have the freedom to play in the "big" bath. 

• Soft, water-filled teething rings - I tried several different teething rings and teethers for my babies, but the big "winner" as far as the babies were concerned seems to be soft, water-filled teethers that you put in the refrigerator.  If any of the kids had a choice, they always went for the soft teethers over the harder ones.

• Flannel lap pads - I use these almost as much as I use cloth diapers!  They work great as extra protection on contour changing pads.  They are awesome for sheet protectors for small babies who still spit up throughout the night (although once they start moving around, it's anyone's game).  They also work great as liners for carseats, strollers, etc. to protect the seats in case of leaks.

But I think my #1 "Mommy Must Have" would have to be...

• Plain old, ordinary short-sleeved onesies - "Why?" you might ask?  Well, I'll tell you...  It all stems from something that happened when the Booger Bear was with me.  Fortunately, it didn't happen to me personally, but the story that his Daddy told me after one particular visit put the fear of God and baby high-fives into me.  Yep...  Apparently, the Booger dug deep into his diaper and gave his great-grandpa a "high five" that he will likely never forget!  From that point on, I put a onesie on him every single day until the day he went home to live with his Daddy.  I wasn't about to be the recipient of one of those "gifts" that he had bestowed upon his Papa.  :-)  I happened to mention my love of onesies and my logic behind it to the Booger's dad and new mom recently, and his Daddy thought it was pretty funny.  He said that he always wondered why I had started putting those on him all the time.  I pretty much just told him that I was attempting to save the world...  One poop-free high five at a time...  ;-)

That is SO WRONG! (Or Maybe Not... They Might Be Onto Something...)

Ever since I started blogging, I've had people come up to me with topics or their own ideas about what I should write about.  I'll get random emails from people with photos attached saying something along the lines of "What do you think of this?!?"  That's actually how my first "That is SO WRONG!" post came into being.  A co-worker sent me a photo of high-heeled swimming flippers, and I felt the need to share.  I'll be talking to my BFFs about something and they will say, "You need blog about that!"  Or, like this evening, I will receive a random text from someone giving me my next blog post assignment.

From my BFF - "Blog idea...  PajamaJeans.  Saw them on TV.  I won't lie...  I would like a pair!  :-)  lol, seriously!  Check it out!  :-)"

So, of course, I did.



I have to say, what I thought was going to be another "That is SO WRONG!" post is kind of turning into a "They Might Be Onto Something Here" post.  I mean, seriously!  Who doesn't want a pair of pants that have "the styling of your favorite jeans together with the comfort of pajamas?!?"

"PajamaJeans are so comfortable, you'll want to sleep in them!"  (I freaking love to sleep!  And there's nothing more irritating than coming home from a long day of running errands in real jeans, only to have to change into pajama bottoms before taking a nap.  By all means, save me those thirty seconds!!!)

"Just because you're busy, doesn't mean you can't look sharp."  (So true!  I can ROCK those PajamaJeans!  Just you wait and see!)

"The secret is in the DormiSoft fabric."  (Seriously, people!  It's cotton and spandex!!!  Does it get any better than that?!?)

"High contrast top stitching.  Back pocket design details.  Even brass rivets, so they look like they were made by some European designer!"  (I have to admit, this statement worries me a bit.  They "look like" they were made by "some European designer."  I think I'd feel a little more comfortable if the actual designer stepped forward to claim their work, but then again, I don't know...  They do have brass rivets, people!  Them's "fancy" jeans!)

"Available in 8 sizes including extra small and plus sizes!"  (Awesomeness!  Because definitely, if it can fit an extra small super model chick it is totally going to fit me too!  They are made out of DormiSoft fabric, remember?)

"Run a few errands in sweats, and they start to wrinkle and sag."  (This, I would not know.  I am a firm believer that sweat pants were not made for short, chunky chicks.  I actually don't believe that sweat pants were made for anyone for that matter.  But I'm sure if I were a skinny girl, and I actually owned a pair of sweat pants, I'd probably hate it when they wrinkled and sagged.  Then again, if I were a skinny girl, I would totally dress like a high-priced call girl and wouldn't have a need for PajamaJeans at all!)

"For the first time, you can get PajamaJeans with DormiSoft for just $39.95!"  (Wait a minute!  You expect me to pay $40 for a pair of pajama bottoms?!?  Albeit, pajama bottoms that "look like" they were made by some European designer...  They are still pajama bottoms.)

"If you order now, you get this 100% brushed cotton t-shirt absolutely free!"  (Oh, well...  I suppose if I'm getting a free t-shirt...  I love me some free stuff!  And you know this little t-shirt is gonna look great on my chunky bod!)

So...  I haven't yet made the final decision on whether or not to take the PajamaJeans plunge, but if you see me "looking put together all day long" in some soft-looking jeans with high contrast top stitching and rivets, and rubbing my legs like the girl in the commercial, you'll know I caved (but I think I'll let Katie buy them first.  :-)

My Wild Ride (Part Three)

After Itty Bitty left with the angel couple for the weekend (read Part One and Part Two if you haven't heard the full saga), and Mom and I did our little "Happy Dance of Relief," my mom left, and I stood in the middle of the hurricane disaster zone that was once my home and basked in the sweet, sweet silence.

It was 7:45pm, and I hadn't slept more than a total of 4 hours in the past 48.  I was beyond exhausted.  Unfortunately, at that point, I was so tired that I couldn't go to sleep.  You know how you get to the point where you've been running on pure adrenaline for so long that your body won't shut down?  Well that's where I was...  So I got on the computer for a couple of hours and tried to wind down.  Fortuately, Little Miss slept her predictable 12 hours so by the time I was able to calm down, I slept like a log until she woke up.  Well, except for my own snoring that kept waking me up, having those full body twitches that happen when your body is so tired that you can't see straight, and swimming in a puddle of my own drool...  (And I wonder why I'm still single... ;-)  But I did get a full night's sleep.

The next morning, I heard Little Miss' usual sweet baby babble in the monitor and her trying to talk to me.  I always call myself  "Mimi" so it doesn't confuse the babies when it comes to their bio moms, and Miss tried so hard to get that to come out.  I would hear, "Mah-ay-eee-Mah-ay-eeee" every morning when she woke up and was ready for me to come get her.  :-)  I went up to get her, and she was all excited when she saw me (like she was every morning)...  But as we headed downstairs, I saw her excitment over seeing her Mimi turn into dread as she remembered that The Squalling One had been there when she went to bed the night before.

As we headed down the stairs, Miss got very quiet and hesitantly peered around the corner looking straight to the rocking chair where my mom had been rocking Itty Bitty the night before.  She looked at me questioningly, and I put her down.  She proceeded to search the entire downstairs...  living room, dining room, kitchen, my bedroom...  She finally went to the crib where Bitty had been sleeping the day before, looked inside, and realized that Bitty was nowhere to be found.  I honestly think if Little Miss could talk, she would have had the exact same reaction that the rest of had...  "And she's outta here!"  Instead, she turned around, looked at me, smiled, giggled a little bit, and ran up to me for hugs. :-)

Even though Bitty was away for the weekend, Little Miss still wasn't herself.  She was okay as long as I was in the room.  If she lost sight of me at all, she got hysterical.  My mom, dad, and brother-in-law had come over to help me finish switching bedrooms with Miss.  She was in her highchair eating lunch, and seemed interested in everything that was going on (as long as I was sitting in the chair next to her).  The men were even able to coax a few smiles out of her (which was huge because Little Miss was terrified of men for the most part.  I think she had finally seen my dad and brother-in-law enough to know that they weren't going to take her from her Mimi.)

My mom stayed to finish helping me move the small stuff, but it became clear that Miss still wasn't ready for me to leave her sight.  I had tried to move a few things upstairs while my mom kept her occupied, but she was totally onto us.  She would have a blast playing with my mom as long as she could see me and could come to "home base" (aka. Mimi) every couple of minutes for hugs.  By my second trip upstairs, Miss was hysterical, back to rocking herself, and sobbing like crazy.

(Let me just interject here that no 12-month-old baby should be put in a position of feeling like they need to comfort themselves.  When Little Miss first came to me, she spent more time rocking herself than she would allow me to rock her.  She had no idea that she could relax into my arms when drinking a bottle because they had been feeding her by having her stand in front of them.  It took three weeks to get her to a point where she no longer rocked herself over and over, to relax and let me comfort her...  So the fact that after only a couple of hours with Itty Bitty in the house and Little Miss had completely reverted back to her old behavior just killed me.)

After my mom left, I promised Little Miss that for the rest of the weekend, it would be "just her and me."  It took most of the rest of the day to convince her that things were back to "normal" for the time being, and that she could relax and be herself, but by Saturday evening, she seemed to be getting back to normal.  I think the fact that she had a brand new bedroom directly off of the living room and easy access to all of her toys helped out quite a bit.  :) 

By that evening, Little Miss would disappear into her bedroom for short stretches of time and come running back out to give me hugs.  I finally realized that she was getting back to normal when she had disappeared into her room for about 5 minutes and things got really quiet.  If you've ever been the mother of a toddler, you know that silence is not always a good thing.  I got up to check on her when I heard hysterical baby laughter coming from her bedroom.  "Oh boy...  What is she doing?"  Fortunately, I was greeted by the happiest, most heart-warming sight that I'd seen in days...

Out of all of her toys and everything that she had to play with in her new room, Little Miss had discovered the laundry basket.  She had dumped out all of the dirty clothes, turned the basket on its side, and proceeded to climb in and out, in and out, in and out...  For the next 24 hours!!!  She had apparently discovered the mecca of all toys.  She was in smiles for the remainder of the weekend, and I was so happy that what was most likely going to be her last weekend with Mimi ended with smiles, lots of laughter, and big time hugs and cuddles from my favorite baby girl.

(Stay tuned for the conclusion of "My Wild Ride" - Coming soon...)

You Know You're a Foster Parent When... Part Two

After writing the first "You Know You're a Foster Parent When" post, I came across some more that I thought were funny and soooo true!  Here are a few more for a little foster parent comic relief...

You know you're a foster parent when...

1. You find yourself buying new stockings every Christmas.
2. You've had family portraits taken every year for the past five years, and no two of them have the same people.
3. Your church pew resembles United Nations.
4. You consider a "prime" parking spot the one that is closest to the cart return, rather than the one closest to the door.
5. You have three children named, Crystal, Chrystal, and Krystal.
6. You carry an extra carseat in the trunk "just in case."
7. You say things like, "I'm taking Little Timmy to jail so he can visit his dad" and "Baby and I are going to rehab today" and don't give a thought about the looks of abject horror on the faces of the people overhearing your conversation.
8. Your 4-year-old asks, "Can we call the caseworker and ask her to bring us a new brother?"
9. You open your garage door and passing cars stop, thinking that all of the toys, bikes, and baby furniture mean "Garage Sale!"
10. Your local grocer tells you that if you ever decide to move, he would like advanced notice because he will have to lay off three employees.
11. You consider going to the bathroom a "vacation" if no one knocks on the door.
12. "Special" time alone with your husband is a full night's sleep in your favorite baggy jammies.
13. You understand "teen speak," and find yourself using it in your everyday conversation.
14. You have to carry a list of your children's names and birthdates.
15. You find a urine stain on the carpet, and DON'T suspect the dog.
16. You have to stop and really think when someone asks you, "How many children do you have?"

But still, my personal favorite is...

You know you're a foster parent when...

"Your heart is bigger than your brain."  :-)

That Is SO Wrong!!!

Um...  So, yeah...  I just had to share this because for once in my life, I am completely at a loss for words. 

Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration.  Believe me.  I have words.  I have LOTS of words about this one!  But first, I need to attempt to clear the frightening image of what you are about to see from my brain, wipe the "laughing tears" from my eyes, catch my breath, and locate the words that will accurately describe my feelings about the following:

(I apologize in advance if you feel slightly violated and embarrassed upon viewing this.  I know I sure did!)

Direct from last night's episode of "The Sing-Off..."  The all male group, On the Rocks, performing Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." 



Don't get me wrong...  These guys can sing!  They are definitely talented (hence their status of being one of the top six groups on this show).  My discomfort stems from their attempt at "choreography."  If I had just closed my eyes and listened to their performance I don't think I would have been scarred for life as I am now.

My initial reaction when the song first started was, "Wow!  That sounds real!"  Then the lead guy came out and started doing his "sexy walk."  I quickly realized that this guy is more feminine than I am, and I got a little worried.  As the song progressed, I realized that most of these guys are more feminine that I am, and all I could think was, "Really?  Are they serious?"

About halfway through the performance, the guys really start to get into it.  All of the body rolls and stuff...  And when the entire group got together and did that whole "spanking" thing...  I sat there, completely dumbfounded, mouth agape, and for once...  Speechless.  Then, they all got down on the ground and slithered forward...  "Oh, sweet Little Baby Jesus, tell me I did not just see that!"  And Lead Guy did that whole "reverse humping" thing... 

"NO!!!  NO!!!  MY EYES!!!  MY EYES!!!  PLEASE MAKE THE BAD MAN STOP!!!"

From that point on, I was laughing so hard that tears were pouring down my face.  "One lump or two? (in soprano harmony, no less!)"  The literal "pouring of the sugar" move...  More "spanking..."  Hands caressing the lead guy...  Lead guy caressing himself...  I was dying!!!  I was absolutely dying in hysterical laughter (and at the same time, wanting to poke my own eyeballs out with hot pokers and curl into the fetal position and cry for my Mommy to make it stop).

All I can say is that I am so unbelievably glad that I wasn't a judge on that show last night.  Although, I must admit, they handled it very well with comments like, "That was sweet alright!  I really liked the choreography." "You had some rather 'artistic' moments in there."  "You just can't help but smile when you watch that."  (You're not kidding! ;-)  Yep...  Very proud of those judges!  It took me a good 10 minutes to compose myself after that performance, so I doubt my "What the &$^# was that?!?" that I would have stumbled out between chuckles and blotting my eyes would have gone over very well.  :-)

As one of the judges said, "I really wish you would have owned it just a little more.  This is one of those songs where there's no turning back."  I'm not entirely certain that's correct though...  because I keep going back to it over and over again...  mostly in my nightmares as I see Lead Guy doing that reverse humping thing in the middle of the stage...  That was SO WRONG!!!