Nora's sweet new ride

Rob and I had a really nice day today - lunch out, some errands and a nice walk with Maddie this evening. One of our afternoon stops was at the big REI annual sale. I was looking for closed toe sandals to wear in China, which I didn't find, but they did have 20% off BOB strollers. Irresistible!

Here's photo of Nora's new ride - an orange BOB revolution:

We're keeping it in the basement for now. As you can see, we haven't done the baseboards there yet, mostly because we don't want to stress out Abigail (our 18 yo cat who likes to hang out down there). Trust me, we do have baseboards in the rest of the house. Probably I should have taken it somewhere better for the photo, but it didn't seem worth the trouble at the time.

Obviously we'll also need an umbrella type stroller for trips to the mall and stuff like that. Any recommendations? I was thinking maybe a Maclaren - the Volo is the lightest, but it's also the most bare bones and only has one seating position for the baby. I'm wondering if the Quest might be a better choice because it has 4 seating positions. Does anyone have one and either like it or hate it? Do you have another brand/model that you love?

Back to bottles ... and an apology for the crabbiness!

So, my mom read the last couple of posts and made the following comment on the phone today, "You're right, you were crabby, but I didn't want to say anything." Gosh, I admitted that at work, but thought I had done a better job hiding it on my free time. Guess not. I'm very sorry to everyone who may have fallen victim to my crabbiness. Especially Rob and my Mom. If I should ever turn crabby again, just tell me to snap out of it!

As of now I have chosen to use my personal energy for good rather than crabbiness. Among the many things on my to-do list:

1. Finish pre-work on referral announcements
2. Work on intermediate digi-scrapping class
3. Learn to use new camcorder
4. Work on baby toiletry/medication packing list challenge
5. Decide on diapers and bottles for Nora.
6. Teach Maddie about her rug

... and, next Friday, NEW FINGERPRINTS! Party on, Wayne.

Update: Oops, and again I forget that I'm supposed to be making a crib quilt for Nora. Thanks, K, for pointing that out!

Getting past the crabbiness

... or trying to anyway.

There's still no final word on the cut off date. Someone posted on the RQ forum that her agency said it was the 10th, but so far she's the only one to have said that and as far as I know no one has received their referral yet. So, we really don't know for sure, but it seems like the cut off is probably 1/9/06. I think that this puts our best case back to June.

Two months for me to worry about what might go wrong. I really need to stay busy. So, I signed myself up for another digital scrapbooking class and I bought a camcorder. I figure I can learn to use it now and get some practice in before the call. If anyone is interested, I decided on the Canon Vixia HF10 (flash memory - sweet!). I have one from the new shipment on reserve at the camera store and am planning on picking it up on Friday.

This is new territory - we've never had a camcorder. Rob's prediction is that I will tap out the capability of our home computer in the first week. We'll see - we just added a terabyte of network storage for photos, etc. Hopefully we can get by with that and the 2.5 year old laptop for a while. If not the Mac - PC war will resume between me and Rob (I'm on the PC side and won the last round, but he makes some good arguments).

Time to buy car seats?

This is the week. Britax car seats are on sale - 15%-20% off with free shipping pretty much anyplace you look. This is probably a smart time for us to buy. Prices are good and it will be one less thing that we have to do in the weeks between referral and travel.

I read the reviews in Consumer Reports and they reviewed the Roundabout (which did very well) and the Marathon (which did not so well). I didn't see the Boulevard or Diplomat reviewed, possibly because they are newer models. Right now I'm preferring the Boulevard because it has side impact protection, can be used for children up to 65 lbs and is approved for airline use. I am a little concerned about its size, though, and wonder if the Diplomat might not be a better choice for that reason - the Diplomat also has side-impact protection and is approved for airline use, but the maximum weight is 40 lbs. Do I care? Will we be switching to a booster then anyway?

**Update Rob and I chatted about the car seat and decided to go with the Diplomat (in the Taylor fabric, pictured in the photo above). I ordered two, one for each car. I'll let you know what I think of them when they arrive.**

From bottles to sippy cups...

Back in August when I was first worrying about polycarbonate baby bottles, Annette mentioned that Thermos has a line of kids' products called Foogo, which use all child-friendly materials. Back then you needed to order them online (at least in our area you needed to order them). Today, though, when wandering aimlessly* through Target I found them in both pink/purple and periwinkle/yellow. I bought the periwinkle/yellow sippy cup (pictured in this post) for Nora.

If you're looking for them, our Target had them in the sporting goods/outdoor section by the other thermos bottles and Eddie Bauer outdoor gear. They are not with the other sippy cups in the kids' section.

* note to Rob and my Dad -- See! proof that sometimes you just need to browse!

The most beautiful diaper bag ever

Rob picked up on my none-too-subtle hints and got me this amazing diaper bag for Christmas.

It's the Skooch Groovy, Baby in Chocolate (sort of looks black in this photo, but trust me, it's a lovely chocolate brown) and it came with a matching changing pad. Of course I can't speak to it's functionality yet, but I can say that it is a great looking bag and seems to be very well made. I can't wait to try it out!

We also got some wonderful gifts for Nora from Rob's sister K and her family who had our name in this year's family exchange. They got her a red (yay!) Chicco backpack carrier, which Rob has already put away on the top shelf of Nora's closet where I can't reach it. They also got her some sporty Christmas jammies for next year, Counting Kisses board book and Tails board book (the Tails book is from Nora's cousin J who is 2). Thanks, J, for wanting Nora to have a copy of your favorite book. Nora is very lucky to have you to show her the ropes!

Outdoor adventures with baby

If you've read this blog for a while, you know that Rob and I enjoy outdoorsy activities like hiking, camping and kayaking and would really like to share these things with Nora. This year's camping trips were mostly about figuring out how to make it all work with a little one.

I've also spent some time talking to my friend K who's a backpacker about how she manages with her 9 month-old daughter and she swears by the Sherpani Rumba frame carrier. $229.95 - gulp. It's one of those things that I'm always looking to find on sale. Well, today ... jackpot!

I received an email from REI advertising an extra 20% off one item at REI-Outlet. I clicked on it, not expecting much, and was very happily surprised to find a closeout 2007 Rumba (black color only, which is ok with me) marked down to $149.93. With the additional 20% off it wound up costing $119.93. I saved $110! I'm so excited!

I haven't told Rob yet, so I think it might be part of his Christmas gift ... or maybe an anniversary gift (our anniversary is also this month). If you talk to Rob, please don't mention to him. Thankfully he doesn't read this blog, so he won't find out here!

P.S. This is for hiking/camping only. The plan is still to use the Ergo as our day-to-day carrier.

The baby care packing challenge!

Well, it's the end of the month and time to post this month's Packing List Challenge. This is a cross-post of my entry over there. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!!

This was a really hard challenge for me - I didn't know anything about most of this stuff. Please let me know what I've missed or if you have any other comments about the list - Thanks!!

Feeding:
- antibacterial dish soap
- sink stopper
- Rubbermaid container for wash bin
- nipple brush
- tongs for swishing nipples in hot water
- bibs (2 - 1 in backpack)
- disposable bibs
- 2 8-oz Playtex drop in nursers
- 6-8 Playtex fast flow silicone nipples
- 120-150 Playtex drop in liners
- snack bowls w/lids
- spoons and forks
- teething feeder (I got the Sassy one because it had a cover)
- extra mesh bags for teething feeder
- formula bags -or- twist ties for drop in liners -or- powdered formula dispenser
- thermos (in backpack)
- cheerios *buy later*
- rice cereal *buy later*
- goldfish *buy later*
- biscuits *buy later*
- powdered electrolyte *buy later*
- formula (n/a - agency provides first bag, we'll buy more in China and transition to US formula at home)
- Rubbermaid canister for formula (I've heard that Chinese formula comes in bags and gets all over the place unless you transfer to another container)
- scoop for formula do I need this?
- funnel for formula do I need this?
- plastic measuring cup *still need*
- pacifiers (4 - 2 in backpack)
- sippy cup do I need this? won't she be taking a bottle?
- 3 burp cloths
Bathing/Diapering:
- Huggies size 3 diapers - enough for a few days, buy more in China does this seem like the right size? may buy some size 2 when we know her size
- Huggies Natural Care wipes (5 - 40 ct soft packs)
- swim diapers
- diaper disposal bags
- Aveeno diaper rash cream
- California Baby baby wash
- California Baby baby lotion
- Burt's Bees Baby Bee apricot massage oil
- changing pad (in backpack)
- disposable changing pads
- disposable wash cloths
- baby comb and hairbrush
- baby nail clippers
- baby nail scissors
- baby toothbrush
Nora's Clothing:
- hat (in backpack)
- 1 pair shoes (probably white tennies - to keep baby safe from the clothing police until we can go shopping)
- swimsuit
- 5 sleepers *still need*
- 5 outfits
- 1 sweater
- 1 hooded jacket
- 5-10 pair socks *still need*
Toys:
- stacking cups
- Baby Einstein Mirror Me board book
- Snuggle Puppy board book
- soft photo album w/family photos
- lovey (in backpack)
- inflatable safari roller
- Taggies bucket buddies
- Haba rattle
- plastic keys
- beach ball
Misc:
- anti-bacterial wipes
- table cloth for floor play *still need*
- outlet covers
- night light

It was probably smart to do this before the luggage challenge -- I've learned something about the size of bags I'll be needing! If anyone has any suggestions for how I can pare back, please let me know!!

A fun, productive afternoon

Rob and I went to check out Peapods, the natural baby store this afternoon. I wanted to look at the g diapers and Ergo baby carriers in person and I knew they had both. The jury is still out on the diapers, but I did get an Ergo! Ours is the black with camel lining. Ergo doesn't make carriers in a ton of colors or patterns like Mei Tais, but I've talked to a few people who have them and read the reviews on TheBabyWearer.com and they seem to be the most universally liked of all carriers. Hopefully it works for us.

On our way home, we stopped at JoAnn Etc. so I could pick up some fabric swatches for the cushion I'm making for Nora's toy box. Honestly I expected to find a few possibilities, bring home swatches, reject them all and repeat the process about four more times. Instead I found fabric and it was on clearance for $2/yard! The pink will be the cushion and the green and pink stripe will be used for piping. I love the funky, bright retro print. It gets better every time I look at it. It's even got butterflies (the green things).

buy any good diapers lately?

This month's packing list challenge is baby "stuff" to take to China. Diapers are one of the things on my list, so I've been looking. Are any of you familiar with g diapers? I found them this evening as I was searching for diapers that didn't have cartoon characters all over them. The idea is appealing to me. I don't like the idea of filling up the landfills with disposable diapers, but I don't think that I'm up for cloth either. These seem like a happy medium - a reusable cloth outer pant with biodegradable liners. I'm wondering how well they work... if you know, please share!! Thanks!!

Toxic baby bottles - in case there isn't enough to worry about

Precisely three days after buying baby bottles I heard a news story about the dangers of polycarbonate baby bottles. I should have known this, especially since Rob threw out all our Nalgene bottles a year ago for the same reason. You can read more about this on the link above, but in a nutshell the BPA used in polycarbonate bottles leaches into food and poses some health hazards.

I guess I should be happy that the bottles I bought were a combination of Playtex "premium"* polycarbonate bottles with drop-ins (the drop-ins are plastic, but not polycarbonate) and Playtex nursers (not polycarbonate and also used with drop-ins). It could have been worse. Still, though, I am thinking about taking them back. I wonder what's worse - a plastic bottle with a drop-in that might leach something or a glass bottle that might break. As far as I know there is no such thing as a stainless steel baby bottle.

I also thought about baby dishes a while back (making it all that much weirder that I didn't recognize the bottle issue) and have been actively looking for stainless steel dishes and storage containers. In case you are wondering, there are not many available. I found this dish, this dish and these storage containers and not a lot else. Even Kiwi magazine (I know, we have some tree-hugger tendencies) - which first put this anti-plastic dish concern in my head - didn't have anything to offer up. If anyone has other suggestions for non-plastic baby dishes and food storage containers, please let me know.

* don't you love the "premium" bit - you pay extra to poison your child.

Mega Mail Monday - Daddy edition

Great news!! Are you sitting? Better sit.

Last week Rob took a class at work - something about thinking on your feet - and one of the other participants made a comment about every child needing to be read Aesop's Fables. So he ordered Nora an Aesop's Fables book!

This is the first thing that Rob has bought for Nora on his own! I think that she is becoming as real to him as she is to me. I so love that he's thinking about reading to his little girl!

P.S. Also in today's mail was a replacement for the first Combi diaper bag that arrived damaged. I didn't post about that at the time because I wanted to give BabyStyle a chance to fix it before I bashed them for sending me a torn up bag. They fixed it. All is well. Shop at will.

Gearing up

While I've bought some toys and books and a couple of little outfits, I really haven't purchased any of the baby gear that I know we'll need. No high chair, no car seat, no stroller... I know that we have plenty of time before Nora comes home, but I'd like to spread the expense if I can and avoid the big cash outlay right at the time when we'll be paying for a trip to China. So what I've decided to do is watch the sale sections on all my favorite websites and start snapping up some of these necessities.

This morning I found a Combi Urban Sling diaper bag for $24.99 at BabyStyle. That's an awesome price for a diaper bag and it's stylish and neutral enough (we got the black) that I think either Rob or I could carry it without embarrassment. I'll let you know what we think of it once it gets here.

By the way, the downside of frequenting all these websites is that I find a gazillion other things that I'm not shopping for but can't resist. So, in the box with the diaper bag, there will also be a 12-18 month velour track suit.

Today's lesson in opposites (aka the camera dilemma)

We have not done much preparation for our trip to China, but one thing that has become clear to me over the past year or so is that I will not be able to carry my beloved digital SLR every place we go. It's a great camera, but it's big and it's heavy. Too big. Too heavy.

So, for Christmas, Rob got me a teeny little camera. It is so teeny that I can carry it in my pocket ... and it's 10 megapixel so the images are really quite good. It can also take short video, which will be nice for our first days with Nora. There are a couple of tradeoffs though. The big camera has better optics and it's MUCH faster; it powers up instantly and takes some crazy number of shots per second. The little one, you push the button and wait for what feels like an eternity. I took it with us to the dog park once and came away with a bunch of pictures of Maddie's tail (the rest of her was out of the frame).

I'm determined to learn to use the little one, though, because there is no way I'm going to schlep the giant camera and a baby and a boatload of baby stuff all across China. Now what I wonder about is video. Is it worth it or will we never watch? Is a video camera something we'll want or can we get by with video clips from the Elph? What about those one-use video cameras from CVS?