Mama Speaks

My dog eats his own poo and then vomits it.  I guess we're back to putting crushed pineapple in his food.  Apparently it makes their shit taste like...shit.  Novel concept, really. Okay, where was I?  Baby fever.  My beautiful, precious, awesome new niece (my 2nd) was born around 4 this morning.  Her name is Elisabeth Mae, and she has an awesome set of parents (my brother Dave and SIL Jess) along with her big sister Naomi and big brother Will.  Is it estrogen-y in here or is it me?  Babies are all around me, and let me tell ya, it's hard not to catch the fever!  We aren't going to try again for awhile, but it doesn't mean that the sweet smell of newborns' heads doesn't tempt me.  I wish I could hop on a plane to Iowa and sniff in the deliciousness of her dark-haired little head!  They make beautiful babies.  My SIL homeschools, and she puts Betty Crocker to shame.  Both of my brothers chose ladies to have in their lives ...

Recently, I was asked to help create a list of "must haves" for a rather young mama-to-be.  If only all the baby books, blogs, and unsolicited advisers had given me this list.  Of course, every mom is different, but these are perfect gifts for any mama, in my book. 1. Target brand breastfed baby wipes-they contain lanolin, which helps the often sore bums of newborns (breastfed babies poo more, and even if your baby isn't breastfed, they do wonders for the bum).  The trick is looking for these in the breastfeeding aisle.  You won't find the wipes with regular baby wipes.  These suckers run about $2.44 (which is so awesome compared to the brand name ones at $4-5) but are worth every cent.  2.  Playtex VentAire bottles -my very favorites.   Move aside Dr. Brown, I loved these bottles for their ease of use and effective air bubble-less-ness.  Plus, Playtex has super awesome customer service, and I love them for that alone. 3.  Boppy .  ...