Introducing Jack's Brother, Baby Ben!

I am so embarrassed that all of my great intentions of blogging have fallen short (translation: non-existent). I have had a very good reason and that has been the new addition to our family, Baby Ben!! It's not just Jack's Mom Says anymore - it is Jack and Ben's Mom Says! While Jack has adjusted beautifully to the addition of his little brother, my husband and I are still working out all of the kinks of our own adjustment. Going from one child to two was a significant change, especially with both of them so young. I loved 'having' most of the baby gear already available (and assembled), but still needed a few new purchases. Having friends that are currently pregnant and have asked me what they need to get for their little loves, I have sat down to go through my must haves form Baby Jack that are being  used again and my must have new purchase for Baby Ben. So for all my mama-to-be friends, these were the must haves:

The  Puj Tub is piece of foam is so simple and basic it chaps my hide that I did not think of this brilliant idea and patent it! Holds iddy bitty babies in most every sink comfortably so that you can easily wash and clean all of their many creases and folds. Jack used to fall asleep in this all the time. Ben usually stayed awake, but that is mainly because there is a 2 year old Jack helping me wash him!

The Fisher Price Cradle 'N Swing has been a lifesaver with both of my babes. Both spent the first few months of life contentedly swinging and snoozing away. LIFESAVER. Could not have done without.

Our current favorite item is the Jumperoo. Lovingly called the 'Circle of Neglect' it has kept both my babies HAPPY and OCCUPIED while I frantically squeezed in a shower, pumped breastmilk, threw together dinner, did laundry or tried to pay bills online. Even better, with Ben in the Jumperoo, Jack will jump around  him and get him to jump/mimic his movements, my boys are actively playing together and laughing - what more could a mama want??

Lastly, the last 'must have' that we have gotten our money's worth and then some has been the Pack N Play. For snoozing, for setting a baby that has just learned to roll, for minor containment while trying to do something. It is easy to travel with and set up and lived at the grandparents house for a good six months. It also was big enough for Jack to sleep in until he was almost 2. 

Now, for the family of '2 kids under 2' gear.... I tried my hardest to hold out and not purchase anything new, not only because I was not working and we were on a tight budget, but I already had SO much kiddie gear in my house, we were running out of room. Of all my purchases, this one was well worth every single penny (and it was a large amount of pennies)...  The Double Bob Revolution . I LOVE this stroller. Hands down the most expensive piece of baby gear I purchased with either child and well worth the money. For our purposes we needed a jogging stroller that would fit both kids, was compatible with our Peg Perego car seat, would work on cobble stone and sand, and that would continue to fit both kids for a couple of years (many strollers are too short for older/taller kids to keep their feet from hitting the front wheel or hanging over the sides).  It has performed up to the task and then some. It is very easy to run with, has all of the safety features we were looking for and both kids fit comfortably in it. Compared to our 2010 Single Bob, the style and design changes are all better (more user friendly peek-a-boo flaps to see kids when canopy is down, lock buckle to keep stroller folded up). The Revolution has always been our favorite of the Bobs due to front wheel being able to swivel or lock at your discretion - really important for active joggers and for those cruising on uneven turf.

Very happy to be blogging again and am making a conscious effort to do so more! Too many great adventures and discoveries have happened on this crazy road of parenthood that must be shared!! Until next time, Jack's mom says make your baby purchases thoughtful and functional, everyone else will get you the fun and frilly stuff!

Baby Carriers - Organic vs. Convenient - None of it amounts to Jack (and his preference :)

One of the initial dilemmas of becoming a parent (or even earlier - as an expectant parent) is what gear do I get my kid? Everyone of your friends, mother's friends, mother-in-law's friends and perfect strangers will tell you that you 'have to have' this type of carrier, stroller, toy, or other piece of baby equipment. Don't fool yourself - it is equipment - it comes with instruction manuals, disclaimers, warranties, and safety features (usually making the equipment much harder to assemble and use).  Notwithstanding the overwhelming amount of advice I received about all of the baby-gear, I still could not make a decision about the baby papoose - Bjorn? Ergo? Moby? So like any good undecided parent, I registered for all of them and decided that I would figure it out later. This was actually my first 'smart' move, that I later outsmarted myself on. Had I merely registered for all three, received all three and then gone to a friend to try out the gear before opening my own - I would have been certified as 'brilliant mommy' and could set up shop as my own mommy-think-tank. However, that was not the case.

I opened the carrier that I liked (the Moby) and was determined to have my kid love it as well. As you can imagine - he hated it, hates it still and yet because he barfed on it and I washed it - I am now stuck with a very handy, organic, baby-friendly piece of fabric that does nothing more than take up space in my already cluttered closet. The Moby is a sling like device that is one really long piece of fabric that can be wrapped around your body in many different styles to create several organic holds for baby and mommy. Jack can't stand it. Jack likes the Baby Bjorn (which I originally returned), despite the rumors that it is not as good for babies' hips as the Moby or the Ergo due to the way the baby's weight is supported - it is the contraption my kid likes, so it is the one that we use! He likes being able to face out and see what is going on. We are just starting to try to use the Ergo - which is much more comfortable for the parents, in my humble opinion, due to the way it spreads the babies' weight over both your hips and shoulders (not just shoulders like the Bjorn). Jack is warming up to the Ergo, and with multiple positions for the baby (front, hip and back) - we remain optimistic that this will work for the whole family.

So, as more friends of mine get pregnant and ask my advice on what gear I love and could not live without, my recommendation is this: try someone's first! save receipts for everything and find a mommy friend who will let you stick your kid in their gear to see what makes him/her scream and what soothes them. It will save you countless trips to Target, Babies R Us, and Wal-Mart trying out and returning all the different 'must have' baby contraptions!

I was lucky enough to have a dear friend, Leslie, let me come over and plop Jack in the various chairs, play-yard/gyms, and contraptions until I found ones that he liked (it happened to be the least expensive and one that I would never have picked out on my own). Mommy friends are invaluable and priceless - it is more important to pick them up than any of the gear on a registry.