Fall Festivities

Today was a jam-packed, fun-filled day for the family. We kick-started the day by hosting some friends from our mommy and baby class for a little GTG...Halloween themed. Lots of people brought treats and 7 of us moms and infants sat around playing, talking and digressing over coffee cake and mimosas. Fun was had by all and it was really neat to see how much the babies had grown in the month since class ended.

Following the party, the 3 of us went to the area pumpkin patch to carefully select a few carve-worthy pumpkins. Little Miss L slept through the entire experience, so no real photos were snapped...however, we enjoyed the fall family time together. Below is a photo of Miss L in her candy corn outfit as we were finishing up our trip (she was ready to be home!)

Last activity of the day was the Wings vs. Wild hockey game...her first Wings game! She did awesome...chilling mostly in her Baby Bjorn and absolutely was captivated by the lights and activities on the ice. A friend even got us into the Club level seats, which were really nicely located and a bit separated from teh masses. One thing is for certain - if we got a $1 for everytime someone commented that "she's a doll," we really wouldn't have to worry about funding the college education.

Time for bed as tomorrow = breakfast of pumpkin pancakes and mimosas (leftover champagne), football, carving pumpkins and getting ready for the week to start all over again.

Our lil' Candy Corn

First Wings Game

Baby Show and Tell

Last week at our "Mommy and Me" class, we were asked to bring in an item or two for "baby show and tell." That is...bring a baby item that you love using, makes your life easier or that your little one loves. I had to think long and hard about this since Miss L isn't old enough to really "like" anything in particular.

So, I decided on sharing the following two items...

First item: "My Brest Friend" pillow. Yes, it sounds funny. However, this "boppy-like-item" is better than a boppy. It straps all of the way around me providing support for my back. It has two little bumps in the front to help support my hand under her head. And it is much firmer than a boppy, which I'd like to think Miss L enjoys. Lastly, it has an attached pocket for keeping small items in - say an extra pacifier, lanolin, or nursing pads. Basically, had I known about this...I wouldn't have registered for a boppy.

Second item: The exercise ball. We use it to bounce on while holding a crying baby and "usually" it will instantly calm her. We put her on it for "tummy time." And lastly, it makes a great ottoman in our living room.

In all honesty, these items are great...but what I really wanted to share but didn't want to sound showy...was that my new cell phone - HTC EVO 4G - is the best new mommy tool. I got this when Miss L was 9 days old...since my crackberry was on its last leg and my husband wanted to make me happy with a new little tech gadget. (Truth be told: He HAS to maintain a crackberry for work and wants a smart phone to call his own - this allows him to live vicariously through me!)

My phone

• allows me to set multiple alarm clocks for waking up little one to eat in the middle of the night
• provides hours of entertainment while nursing her at 4am...enabling me to read my library on my nook, enjoy facebook, read trashy E! news online or watch a youtube video on how to use one of the handy "wrap" carriers...moby, k'tan...etc. 
• has endless "baby" oriented apps - such as "What to expect baby," "Baby week," "Baby care," "Baby Monitor (haven't figured it out yet!)," and the all-mighty "White Noise" app...need I say more!

Point is...all new moms should get a smart phone and learn how to use it for a great start to feeling refreshed, organized and in tune with a modern society that is moving faster than they are getting off the couch these days.