Get Baby Naming Help with Baby Ballot

One of the most important decisions you have to make when you find out you are having a child is what their name will be.  Some parents choose to honor a loved one by naming a child after them, some use traditional family names and some just pick names that they heard from TV or came up with from a baby book.  No matter where you get the inspiration for your child’s name it is something that will be with them for forever so it really is a big decision to make.  You can’t really change it once you name them. Sure you can call them by their middle name, which is common when the name Mary is used.  On my mom’s side of the family using a middle name as a first name is somewhat of a tradition.

Sometimes parents have a whole list of names for their baby to choose from. Picking just one name can be hard, especially when you and your spouse prefer different names as the one.  Parents can spend hours thinking about and debating on what name is perfect for their child. When I was born, the sex of a baby wasn’t normally something you found out, so you had to have a name for both. I know some parents don’t find out, but most do. There are many different ways to come up with a solution, like drawing names out of a hat. I have noticed with the popularity of social media and the internet, parents are turning to sites like Baby Ballot. Baby Ballot is a really cool website, where you can share your favorite names with your family and friends and they can vote for their favorite baby name. They also give you a huge list of names for ideas.  I really love all the  names on the girls page.  That way you can cut down some of the stress by having your friends help you make that decision.  It’s a fun thing to do and a way that family can help that live far away and might not have the opportunity to be right there to help with doctor’s appointments or to help with the housework.

For more information visit Baby Ballot.  Be sure to check out the Team Page too at http://babynames.net/team to learn more about the people who worked so hard to make this possible.

Does You Baby Need to Diet?

I try to watch the news at least once a day so I know what is going on in the world. Usually it is at 5 pm. Lately there have been stories about parents putting their babies, yes babies on diets. They are afraid that they will be obese. I personally think that is sick. Babies don’t need to be on diets. They are babies.
 If you knew me when I was a baby, I was huge. I was a chubby little toddler too. I will post a picture of me so you can see how big I was. I ended up being normal or maybe a little too skinny. I think it is wrong to put your baby on a diet. I am not sure exactly how that would even work? Cut out formula or breast milk the child needs for nutrients? Limit their strained pears or peas? Cut out Cheerios and goldfish?

Seriously, babies don’t have huge stomachs. Do they strap them to baby sized treadmills and make them sweat to the nursery rhymes? Then that would cause the baby to be malnourished. What happened to the time where everyone wanted big healthy babies? Now even babies are being a victim of the size matters mentality. Is this healthy to our children’s self esteem, telling them that they are fat and need to diet?

I know that it is unhealthy to sit around and eat candy all day, and eat a lot of fast food. The parents make that choice they are the ones that are in control of what their child eats. I think that treats and fast food are fine in moderation. I would never put my child on a diet for weight loss issues. If it were a medical diet then sure, I am going to do what is best for my child. The baby diet is ridiculous and I am not sure why anyone would subject their child to that. I do believe in teaching about healthy eating and understanding about moderation. If my child had his way he would eat candy all day and Rice Krispy treats all night. It is my job as his mom to say no, you can have a little bit of candy and one Rice Krispy treat. I feed my child HFCS sometimes. I let him eat fries from Mc Donald’s. I do these things in moderation.

Baby Carriers are Beneficial to Your Baby.

Choosing to use baby carriers can be a smart choice for you and your baby. They can provide comfort, as well as strengthen the bond between a parent and their child. Newborn babies need nurturing and warmth during those critical first months of life and using a baby carrier helps with both.

Infants need to adapt to the outside world as well as being outside of the womb. A baby carrier, like Baby Bjorn carriers can simulate the womb experience as well as provide much needed comfort for the newborn, allowing your baby's energy to be focused on early growth. While supported in a baby carrier your child can hear your heartbeat, and feel the rhythm of your walking and breathing, much how they felt it while in the womb. As a result this encourages positive growth.

Baby carriers and slings can also reduce the risk of premature infant mortality, a fact that was discovered by accident. A shortage of incubators in a hospital in South America forced medical practitioners to wrap premature infants to their mothers in order to provide them with the warmth and stability that would normally come from the incubators. In doing so it was discovered that the premature babies who were strapped to their mothers using baby slings thrived as well and sometimes even better than those in the incubators. This is a testament to the effectiveness of not only baby carriers, but attachment parenting in general.

Another added benefit of baby carriers is that they help soothe crying and colic. According to extensive research, when babies are worn in infant carriers for at least 3 hours a day, they tend to cry 43% less during the day and 51% less at night. This significant reduction in the amount of time spent crying results in a happier, more balanced baby with milder temperament.

The benefits of baby wearing are not only for the infants. One of the obvious benefits of carrying your child in infant sling is that it allows your hands to be free to be able to perform your daily tasks. Baby slings offer a more convenient way to carry your infant, especially in places where a stroller would often be difficult to navigate, such as large crowds or up and down the stairs. Using baby carriers has also been linked to reducing the instance of post partum depression in women, as the act of wearing your newborn simulates the womb effect for both baby and mom.

Basically, a baby carrier or sling should be on every mother's necessity list for the new baby.

Ameda Purely Yours – A Hygienic Breast Pump

For new breastfeeding moms out there looking for a quality breast pump, the Ameda Purely Yours offers patented technology that makes pumping much safer than competing brands.

All breast pumps provide the same basic function nursing moms are looking for, but one of the most important factors that many new moms do not consider is the hygienic qualities of their breast pump.

In years past, all breast pumps worked on the same basic principle of suction cycles, which were intended to express their breast milk quickly. Needless to say, newer, more efficient breast pumps began branching out with their own proprietary technologies to provide higher levels of customization, making them more effective, efficient and easier to use. However, one factor that was left overlooked by many manufacturers for many years was the prevention of contamination.

After various research had been completed, it was determined that most breast pumps on the market did not prevent milk and other contaminants from entering the pump mechanism itself. Over time this issue could develop mold on the interior of the pump, leaving it contaminated and impossible to clean. Any milk expressed by a breast pump with this level of contamination could be rendered unsafe for consumption, thereby making the use of the breast pump a health risk for your child.

Certain breast pumps manufacturers like Ameda took this research very seriously and in turn developed what they call a closed-system milk collection kit for their line of Ameda Purely Yours breast pumps. The resulting product eliminates the risk of milk contamination and also makes cleaning their breast pumps much simpler than other manufacturer’s models. This technology has become standard on all hospital breast pumps, but has yet to become the norm for many personal-use breast pumps in today’s market.

Taking all this into consideration, if you are thinking of purchasing a breast pump you may want to seriously consider investing in a closed system breast pump like any of the Ameda Purely Yours breast pumps. Ameda offers 4 different models of their Purely Yours breast pump, each containing different accessories depending on your pumping needs. These include the Ameda Purely Yours, Ameda Purely Yours with Carry All, Ameda Purely Yours with Backpack, and the more robust Ameda Purely Yours Ultra Breast Pump.

I formula fed MY child, that doesn't make me a monster

First and foremost, I want to say that I have nothing against women who breastfeed their children. That is great if that was the choice you made for your family. The great part of being a mother is making choices for your children. I decided not to breastfeed my son, and that was my personal choice. I know there are a lot of women that feel strongly about breastfeeding and that is fine. What is not fine is how some advocates make women who formula feed out to be bad mothers or monsters.

This is the mentality I have seen over and over again in the blogging world and frankly, I am getting quite sick of it. I keep hearing that formula companies kill babies in foreign countries; babies that co-sleep and tragically pass away are only formula fed babies. Really? Let’s just not sit there and be like oh and by the way if you would have fed your child the “right” way you wouldn’t have had this tragedy happen. That is just heartless and cruel. I personally think co-sleeping is not for my family, I personally think that co-sleeping is dangerous no matter what your child drinks. I am not saying that people who chose to co-sleep are bad parents or monsters; it is just not for my family. How is it that some breastfeeding advocates can sit there and make outrageous claims and make other mothers feel like crap because they don’t share the same opinions as you? Since when did it become YOUR business how I fed MY child?

My son is three and a half and is perfectly healthy and he has only been sick a couple times since birth. He is smart and very talkative. Guess what he guzzled down his formula. I decided I didn’t want to breastfeed him which was my choice. Thankfully, I didn’t feel any pressure from the hospital I gave birth in to breastfeed. I had already been there for two weeks, they knew I would bite back. I had to wait a while before I got to hold Noah too because they took forever with my recovery and to bathe him. Oh, I had a C-Section, which means I had drugs. I didn’t have a choice with the way I gave birth, so he would have had to wait to be fed.

You are not a better mother than I am, because you breastfed. You don’t have the right to make me feel like I am a monster or I don’t care as much about my child. You chose your breast, I chose a bottle. I think what we should do is embrace each other as fellow mothers and not let it come between us. No one is right or wrong. The judgments need to stop. We are just doing what is best for our own families and children and that is all we can do.

Ella's Kitchen Review and Giveaway

I had the opportunity to work with an adorable company called Ella’s Kitchen. Ella is a beautiful little girl whose parents decided to make a baby food and fruit smoothie line for Ella. It all started when Ella’s dad decided that Ella and all kids in her generation should have healthy fun food to eat. They think on a kid’s level and come up with things that appeal to kids senses and tastes. They even incorporate kid friendly textures too. I think this is really cool that Ella’s Dad came up with this idea. Ella could in fact be the next Betty Crocker.

On the website Ella says:
When I was little my dad made a promise to me and my brother that he would only use stuff in our products that is natural, is pure and helps make us healthy. I told him everything has to taste great, and he agreed! We now have lots of scrummy foods that babies and little big people love.

The pouches are really interesting combinations. Not just your normal strawberry and apple. Some of the more interesting flavors are Carrots, Apples and Parsnips another one is Broccoli, Pears and Peas. All of the Ella’s Kitchen products are USDA certified organic. Ella’s Kitchen promises never to use salt or sugar in their products. They also promise to never use anything in our products that has no nutritional or health value. I love the beliefs and promises of Ella’s Kitchen. They work closely with nutritionists. I love how they always put children first. Ella’s Kitchen is a great company to work with and purchase products from.

Noah loved all of the Ella’s Kitchen pouches. I thought the Strawberry Apple one was really good. I could actually taste the strawberries. Noah’s favorite part of eating the pouches was deciding which color he wanted to eat. He didn’t know what the flavors were so he did the next best thing and chose the colors. He enjoyed tasting them all. They didn’t last long at all. He gobbled them down. A few of the days he ate two of them. He would ask for them over Goldfish and my son loves Goldfish. I was excited to find something that was so good for him and that he enjoyed eating. They are just the right size for Noah’s little tummy. There wasn’t any leftover and it was a great snack or addition to a meal. We will definitely be buying Ella’s Kitchen products and enjoying them for a long time.

The website is jam packed with information about Ella’s Kitchen and even some recipes incorporating the pouches. You all know how much I love to cook. The recipes look delicious. You can also find out where to purchase Ella’s Kitchen in your area along with signing up for the newsletter so, you can keep up with everything going on in Ella’s Kitchen.

Thank You to Ella’s Kitchen for sending me some products to review and providing the grab bag of products for the giveaway.

I have a giveaway for you!

One (1) lucky reader is going to win a grab bag of Ella’s Kitchen Products.

Mandatory entry:
Go to Ella’s Kitchen and tell me which pouch you would like your little one to try

You must do the mandatory entry to receive the bonus entries.

Extra entries:

Become a Fan of Ella’s Kitchen Facebook Page

Become Ella’s Friend and receive updates

Subscribe to my blog via email you must verify the subscription

Follow my blog

Please leave me a way to email you either in your comments or on your blog.
This giveaway will end March 8, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST
U.S. residents only please.

Your baby can take part in the Pampers Great Baby Relay

I wanted to share something really cool from Pampers for my readers that have babies. Join in the Pampers Great Baby Relay. You can submit a video of your baby crawling or walking for the Pampers casting call to be in the upcoming Pampers commercial. I wish they had something like this when Noah was a baby. He was adorable when he was crawling and just starting to walk. Submit your videos to Pampers by February 20, 2010. The commercial will air February 28, 2010. Happy crawling and walking!

Here are the official details:
Did you know that a cruising baby in one day can take as many steps as a marathon runner in a race*, and a nine-month old baby can crawl up to 400 meters in 20 minutes**? It's this active play that continually inspires the Pampers brand, and that's why moms and dads are encouraged to log on to Pampers.com beginning February 15 to join in celebrating the development of their own best players. Parents can upload videos of their babies crawling to the world’s great baby relay on Pampers.com. All videos featuring babies crawling from left to right that are uploaded by Feb. 20 will be included in a casting call for a commercial that will air on Feb. 28!

I have a relationship with Pampers so I have the opportunity to tell you about exciting news and about new Pampers products.

Lavender Lab Review

When I was pregnant with my son I was reading a parenting magazine. I saw an ad for Cloud B baby products and instantly fell in love with them. I immediately went to the website and looked at how adorable they are. It was something; I wanted my son to have. Cloud B is a company that makes products to help children sleep easier and better. Cloud B the baby sleep specialist, was established by two new mothers with the philosophy that every baby deserves a sound night’s sleep for healthy development. Cloud B’s products are developed in consultation with an advisory board of pediatricians and sleep specialists with a single focus: to achieve a better, safer sleep for baby. They have an array of items from the Sleep sheep family to Lullabags. Cloud B has won many awards for their products.

When my son was 2 months old I bought him the sleep sheep on the go. It is a stuffed sheep with a sound machine in it. It helped lull my son to sleep every night. We got it on vacation when we were in Virginia Beach. It not only helped him get to sleep but it helped me sleep as well- which is always important as new mom.

I wanted Noah to have the Twilight Turtle under the Christmas tree for his first Christmas. This time I ordered it on their website. It‘s so cool. The twilight turtle is your own personal planetarium in your child’s room. My son loves the stars. He will sit there and say let’s count the stars. He will also sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. On a few occasions, when our power has gone out during a storm, Twilight turtle has been my son’s comforting night light.

I had the opportunity to try the Lavender Lab. It is a stuffed dog that is filled with lavender. When I opened the box, my son was very curious to see what was inside. I pulled out the Lavender Lab and Noah started reaching for it saying, “I want my puppy.” I was interested in its soothing lavender scent. I handed it to Noah and he sniffed it and said “mmm smells good.” The lab is cuddly soft and just the right size for a child to hug. Noah noticed that the Lavender Lab has a purple nose and purple ears. The idea behind the Lavender Lab is you place it on your child’s pillow (or your own) and when it is bed time you remove it and the scent of lavender helps you fall asleep.

There is a really cute story about the Lavender Lab that comes with it. It has really helped my son fall asleep faster. He had been staying up late since I moved him to a toddler bed. He loves to carry around his Lavender Lab with him around the house. He named it Puppy. He will hide his Puppy and say where is puppy? There she is. I admit sometimes after a long day, I spend a few moments cuddling with Lavender Lab.

Sleep Sheep and Twilight Turtle have been treasured “friends” of Noah for nearly three years and still in excellent condition. I am sure Puppy will be around for years to come.

When someone asks me what is something every new mother should have? I always mention Cloud B. I talk about all of the wonderful products they make and how much my family love s them. I also will recommend them as a baby shower or new baby gift. I whole heartedly believe in Cloud B and it is a must have for any parent of a young child.

Thoughts and Reflections about Tommy.

August 20,2009
Today marks the one year anniversary of Tommy’s passing. I thought I would write a post about my thoughts and reflections of Tommy’s life.

Here is a video that Rene aka Tommys Mommy made about Tommy’s life.



When I first started talking to Rene I was captivated by Tommy. He was so adorable and so strong. I learned about Tommy’s health problems and I learned about Congenital Heart Defects. I didn’t even know it existed until I started talking to Rene. I instantly fell in love with Tommy. His smile was one of those that could make your heart melt. I felt a bond with Rene and Tommy from day one. It could have been that Tommy was only a couple weeks younger than Noah but I think it was something more. I honestly think that Tommy was put on this Earth to inspire and educate. He touched so many lives and now through his story and spirit will touch many more. Tommy’s memory will live on forever.

Tommy was special not because he was medically fragile but because he had a purpose and was so determined to survive. I think that people spend their whole lives doing the good things that Tommy did in his 23 months on this Earth. Tommy was a happy little boy and loved to flirt with the nurses. He was a celebrity to them. He had such bright eyes and a radiant smile. I carefully followed every moment of Tommy’s life from the time that he was 10 months old. I laughed at the silly videos that Rene posted. I smiled when he would do something sweet or anytime I saw his little face. I would cry tears of joy when he made progress. I cried those tears of joy when I saw the video of him saying Mama, when he got his trach out and when he attempted to eat the blue water.

Rene was and still is great about answering my questions about Tommy and the health issues he had. She taught me so much. Sometimes I felt like I was asking her a really stupid question. She would always answer and explain everything to me. I am by no means a doctor.

One day when Tommy was in the hospital I got an idea to make him a Get Well poster. I wanted something big and bold that he could study and enjoy looking at. I made him a Thomas the train. Still to this day, I have no clue how I was able to do that. See, since I am left handed I am naturally a horrible cutter. I did it free handed. I didn’t use any stencils or trace anything. I was really proud of it. It turned out really awesome. A Thomas for a Thomas Rene said to me shortly after I sent it to her. I would have done anything for him. Just to see him smile.
Tommy’s life was full of ups and downs. There were Good days and bad days. I know that Rene would never trade them away and that she keeps them all close to her in her heart.

I remember a year ago when I found out Tommy was gone. I remember that I was sitting on my bed on the computer and there was an urgent update on his Care page. I was just washed with worry. She hardly ever updated marked urgent. As soon as I saw the email I logged in to his care page and read the news. I just sat there for a moment reading the words. It took a minute to process and then I just felt a flood of tears. I was bawling so hard. I hadn’t cried that hard in a long time. I didn’t think I was ever going to stop. I think I cried until I had no more tears. I woke up all kinds of people. I went in to Noah’s room just to love on him. I needed my little boy. I also woke up my mom and told her what happened. Then I texted a friend of mine that knows Rene and Tommy and she called me and I told her about what happened. I am not sure how she understood anything I said because I was crying so hard. That was a very sad very painful next few days.

It felt like some horrible nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. You know when you are dreaming and you aren’t sure if you are. Then something out of place happens that you know couldn’t possibly happen? I was waiting for that moment. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to hear that Tommy was ok. But sadly it was not a dream and he was gone. I spent those few days looking back at Rene’s blog reading thru the posts of his short life. She documented almost everything. I couldn’t look in to his eyes without crying. I was wishing that it wasn’t true. I really miss Tommy. He was a great little boy.

When I went to visit Rene as I mentioned before we went to Tommy’s grave. It was so emotional and real to me. I hadn’t been so it hit me like a ton of bricks. I just stared at the place where he is buried. I know that the part of Tommy that we all love isn’t in the ground. That part of Tommy is in Heaven. He is dancing and singing and laughing with a perfect heart and no scars or signs of a trach.

I am raising awareness for Congenital Heart Defects any way I can. I am helping Rene get Tommy’s story out there. I am helping educate people about CHD. I created a memorial page on Facebook for Tommy. Today is Bubbles for Tommy and I will be out there with my son blowing bubbles for him. Anytime I see bubbles I think of Tommy. I believe that the bubbles are floating to Heaven for him to play with.
I will have a wonderfully exciting post coming up soon so stay tuned.

Tommy

This is an important post that everyone should read. Feel free to pass along the link to my blog.
I am going to be using my blog to raise awareness about Congenital Heart Defects.
I am sure some of you are thinking what on Earth is a Congenital Heart Defect? This disease was unknown to me until I met a wonderful woman named Rene and her son Tommy. A congenital heart defect or CHD is a birth defect. That is caused by an incomplete or an abnormal development in the fetus's heart. It occurs in the early weeks of a pregnancy. Some of the defects are known to have been linked to other genetic disorders such as Down's Syndrome but MOST of Congenital Heart Defects causes are unknown. Sometimes there are other medical problems that are accompanied with CHD. I know what you are thinking this would never happen to my child. Hopefully it never will but here are some very alarming statistics.

400,000 babies in the World are born with Congenital Heart Defects a year. Each day 10,830 babies are born in the US out of those 411 will have a birth defect. 87 of those babies will have a congenital heart defect. Please remember that is EVERY DAY! 365 days a year! According to the March of Dimes CHD is the #1 birth defect.In the US more than 25,000 babies are born with CHD each year. It doesn't discriminate by gender race or origin. There doesn't have to be a history of CHD in the family. The parents don't do anything wrong. The mothers are seldom using drugs or alcohol during the pregnancy. If you are Pregnant, or know someone who is or are planning on getting pregnant please request that you or they get a Level 2 ultrasound to check the heart. After the baby is born please request that they take your child's blood pressure on ALL FOUR limbs. You should be sure that you request your newborn have a pulse oximeter test done before he or she leaves the hospital. It is not invasive and is one of the quickest ways to measure the oxygen levels in your baby's blood.
Let me introduce you to Tommy. Tommy was born 7 weeks premature with a combination
of heart defects and a poor swallow. His heart diagnosis is as follows: Double Inlet Left Ventricle with Transposition of the Great Arteries, Pulmonary Stenosis, Ventricle Septal Defect, and Patent Ductus Ateriosis. This is also known as "single ventricle" or "univentricle". It basically means the blood containing oxygen and the blood without oxygen meet in one place in his heart, mix together, and recirculate. This gives him low oxygen saturation levels in his blood. His poor swallow, also know as "dysphagia" is caused by Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction. The muscle at the top of his esophagus works sporadically. It causes Tommy to aspirate his saliva into his lungs. For this reason, Tommy is fed exclusively by a feeding pump. Tommy had open heart surgery at 4 weeks old, and because of his poor swallow,he could not make it off of the ventilator for 5 weeks. He required a procedure called a Tracheotomy to breathe on his own. Because of the breathing tube,he now has a condition called severe subglottic stenosis. This is scar tissue below the vocal cords. He cannot breathe without his trach. The aspirations caused another condition with the generic term "lung disease". His bronchial tissues are inflamed causing Pulmonary Hypertension. He takes a combination of medicines and requires oxygen 24 hours a day.

Could you imagine having open heart surgery at FOUR weeks old? Most people are at home with their newborn not waiting in a hospital while your child has a major surgery just to survive. Tommy had his first real breath of air without his trach at 23 months. Sadly Tommy passed away August 20th 2008. His heart went into lethal arrhythmia from undiagnosed bronchopneumonia. That was about 5 weeks before his second birthday. Tommy was a bright child with big beautiful blue eyes. His smile would make you smile. He was full of charm and life. He was medically fragile but he was definitely a WARRIOR. He had such a strong will. He brought joy and hope to so many people. Tommy loved to play with bubbles and watch Finding Nemo. His favorite song was The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He is loved and missed by everyone who was blessed to know him. Now Tommy is in Heaven and he is singing and playing. I know Tommy is looking down on those who love him. He will always have a Nemo shaped spot in my heart.
Please remember this information, pass it along. Help me raise awareness for CHD. In Memory of Tommy who is Forever ONE!