What a great weekend...

the only thing that would have made it better is if my husband had been home, but alas, he was off spending the weekend with some friends in not so sunny California.

I got to spend an amazing weekend with my son. In all the hectic moments of work, I am constantly struck by how much I miss being with him. Having a mother/son weekend was fantastic....I got to hold him, snuggle with him, kiss him and love on him whenever I wanted...and although he's a wiggle worm, he pretty much let me.

We went to the NC Agricultural Festival at the fairgrounds today with my mom. And although the inside noises were a little much for the bug...as soon as we were outside, he was happy as a clam.

My big boy is going to the "Older Infants" classroom tomorrow for the first OFFICIAL time. I can't believe it. Time is just flying by.... I want to close my eyes and memorize each moment. He is such a delight to me. Tonight, just watching him open his mouth for more yummy sweet potatoes and squash, was perfect. His grins, giggles, "talks" and even his pre-fuss......all adorable. I am such a lucky mom. Thank you God for giving me this amazing little person.

Cloth diaper update...

So with Aidan being sniffly last week, teething and transitioning to his crib, we have NOT started using the Bambino Mio cloth diaper system yet. But maybe this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

The Bug's New Favorite Toy

Bonjour Sophie!

Allow me to introduce the Wonderbug's new favorite toy.... Sophie the Giraffe! . This fabulous French teething toy is a must-have! My son chews and chews and chews...and yes, sometimes it looks like he is sucking face with a giraffe.
Sophie is made of 100% Natural Rubber (and is BPA and Phthalate Free) and Food Paint, making her VERY SAFE for babies.

I say to all moms with a fussy, teething infant -- GO BUY SOPHIE! You will not regret this purchase.

Everything's going "Netflix"

After a pretty rough night, I got up this morning, made a pot of coffee and sat down to enjoy the Sunday News & Observer . I came across this syndicated article in the Style section that has left me a tad perplexed. Apparently, these days everything can be "rented". There is a company called the Wow Clothing Club where you can rent designer kids clothing. Seriously?

I'm sorry....I am a big fan of my Chip & Pepper and Diesal jeans, but my size doesn't fluctuate THAT much. I get a lot of wear out of those jeans. And I understand that that's sort of the point. Kids change so frequently that there is no point in buying that adorable, OMG, I have to have it toddler dress by ZaZa Couture unless you have a bazillion dollars. (To those of you that do, I am insanely jealous.)

But I digress. Basically, this company lets you join their club for a minimum of $39.99 per month (although they have a special right now for $19.99 per month). Smart move on their part. This gets you 2-3 outfits that are shipped directly to your house for the entire month. The NEATEST thing is that you don't have to wash the clothes prior to returning...you simply stick them back in the mail, postage already paid.

So now you have the opportunity to let your little Princess wear 2-3trendy, adorable and very "with it" brand names to a few birthday parties a month ... (Ok, maybe it would be worth it for a FANTASTIC Easter dress or family portrait.) But for $39.99 couldn't you also have purchased a dress that you would be able to wear more than once, therefore getting more value? Or for that matter, you could probably get a FEW outfits for the same price..although probably not a good dress. Even though I have a boy, I have drooled over the fantastic girly clothing options out there.

To Wow's credit, you can cancel your membership at any time. So if you want to get a few outfits for a very special occasion, this would be cost effective. But in the long run, it seems pretty pricey to me....spending a min. of $39 a month EVERY month. But maybe that's just me. I am obviously not their target audience.

But for those that are, please note that all clothing is washed using 7th Generation detergent and boys clothes will be added if there is demand.

Inappropriate Story Time

So anyone who knows my husband knows that he does not believe in the line. You know...that line that people cross occasionally when saying a crude or crass comment? Well my husband usually catapolts across the line....and to his credit, his comments are usually hilarious...albeit inappapropriate in some manner.

Well reading bedtime stories with him has taken on a whole new twist. His theory is that pretty soon, Wonderbug will be able to understand everything we say, so he has a very short window to entertain himself with our nightly story ritual. For example, last night we were reading "What's Wrong Little Pookie" and Pookie's Mom was trying desparately to figure out what was wrong with him....well in J's version of the story, when asked if he was was hungry, Pookie replied with no, you Dumb Beeyatch. WHAT?????? I gave him a look. He laughs. Then tonight, we were reading Dr. Seuss....who knew that Dr. Seuss wrote about ho's? I mean, I'm sure you could come up with some really fabulously inappropriate children's stories that rhyme, but really honey....

God love him, so I just roll my eyes and let him have his fun. We are certainly going to be in trouble when the bug can talk. We just have to hope his first word isn't something AWFUL. That's so going to be us. No one is going to want to send their children to the Lane household for fear of what they'll learn.

For now, I leave you with:
Some have two feet, some have four
my five month baby dong hangs to the floor.
Where do they come from, I cannot say.
But they have come a long long way.

Wow.

My Sweet Potato Baby

As I mentioned, we started solid foods this week. Aidan has been enjoying many meals of rice cereal and bananas -- but tonite, we started SWEET POTATOES!

Damn, it gets a smidge messy. :)

Insert a snippet of pride here...

WOW. I am floored. Surprise. Sort of blushing.
This blog has been nominated as one of the best local blogs in Raleigh!!!
Help me win (of course only if you think I deserve it) by voting DAILY!!

Simply visit Parents Connect and click on Raleigh/Local Blog. (You can also get there by visiting the icon in the sidebar.)

I am so honored. I hope I can keep up now that I know lots of people are reading my little snippets here and there.

Wherefore art thou "What Not to Wear"?

So I need insider tips on winning the lottery. No I'm not in a financial crisis and yes, there are MANY MANY people that need it and deserve it more than me...but here's the thing. I have no clothes. Ok, I take that back. I do have clothes; my husband will tell you I have lots of clothes.

But none of them fit. Or none of them fit right. I had many a friend, many magazine articles, many books, tell me that my body post-pregnancy would never be the same. And I believed them. I understood. BUT SERIOUSLY??? I have some clothes that are now too big -- good problem to have, trying not to complain here! Then I have clothes that are VERY CLEARLY too small. Not helping my self esteem in any way, shape or form. And I absolutely HATE EVERYTHING IN MY CLOSET...save the two outfits I bought back in February.

What is a girl to do? Obviously a baby changes your financial situation - we have diapers, daycare, a new car payment etc. And I know I could buy ONE outfit or maybe TWO to boost the ol' body image. But I don't want ONE...I want an entirely new wardrobe. Is that too much to ask? Clinton and Stacy, where are you???

We have officially started food...

oh and we have a tooth!! I can't believe it..an honest to goodness, chiclet sized tooth.

Sunday started out pretty crappy. We were going to go to Artsplosure, but low and behold, the hubby and I were both SICK...again. But the day quickly turned around when we got to enjoy Wonderbug's first attempt at rice cereal and bananas! He loved it. And then...a few hours later, as the bug chomped down on daddy's finger. I hear "Go wash your hands!". My ears perked up...I ran in...and oh my goodness...A TOOTH!!!

Pictures to come.

Cloth Diapers -- let the journey begin.

One of my goals since I've become a mother is to try to be more green. I will be the first to admit, I am not that great at it.
I do my best by trying to recycle. I buy green cleaners and laundry detergent. But I am AWFUL about turning off the lights (my husband does his best to remind me) and I am a huge USER/WASTER of paper towels. (I have tried to buy recycled paper towels so I feel a smidge better about my bad habit.)

So initially I used disposable diapers because it's easy, convenient and....most day cares won't deal with cloth diapers. But after a few weeks and a bout of diaper rash, we tried to use some more eco-friendly disposable diapers by Seventh Generation and Nature Babycare. But honestly, they leaked. They leaked a lot...and I just couldn't deal with so much pee (and excess laundry) to save the planet. So back to disposables we went.

This weekend (and next) we are going to go on an adventure. I got a pack of the new Babino Mio cotton nappies ( I am so 8 years old; I giggle everytime I say "nappy"). They are reusable, washable diapers. I am anxious to try them out. I hope I have the stamina to stick with it because I really want to do my part...even if it is just on the weekends.

Any other cloth diaper users out there? I know there are a variety of them to try nowadays and I'd love to do a comparison.

I will post a review once I've mastered them.

Remembering what to write...

Every day I have a list in my mind of the things I want to blog about.
Then every day I get home from work, I clean all the bottles, love on the wonderbug, eat dinner, sit on the couch with the hubby for about 30 minutes and go to bed.

My thoughts slowly drift away and then I can't remember what I wanted to talk about.

Work is crazy. I am doing my best to NOT check my email while I'm at home, but I am REALLY lousy at it. I see my son for a total of MAYBE 1.5 hours a day and that just sucks! He's changing all the time and I feel like I'm missing it. :(

My 1st Mother's Day

Slept in (a smidge), hubby made French Toast and coffee, took a walk with the family, got a massage and hubby made a fabulous dinner! I have the best husband in the entire world! Thanks honey.

Wonderbug has a new trick!

First Road Trip

We are heading out this afternoon for Wonderbug's first official road trip. J's sister is graduating from college this weekend and we hope to take WB to the beach too! Hopefully he'll cooperate in the car. His Auntie KK will be watching him while we're at the ceremony. I know she is stoked to show him off.

More posts with pictures later. Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the fabulous mommy's out there!

Win a Svan ... and get a laugh too!

So one of my favorite bloggers is Rebecca Wolf of Girls Gone Child . Honest, raw and absolutely hysterical, Rebecca tells it like it is. I met her at the L.A. Baby Celebration event a few weeks ago as she pushed quite possibly the cutest 7 month old ever (I have to say 7 month old and not baby because really...Aidan has to be the cutest...right?) around in her Micralite Toro stroller. I wish we could have chatted more..she was awesome.

Anyway, she is giving away the ever fabulous (not biased much!) Svan High Chair on her blog this week...so check her out and good luck!

Little Seed "Deserving Mommy" Giveaway

Happy Mother’s Day Give-away!

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Scandinavian Child has partnered with The Little Seed to give away some fabulous baby/toddler items to a Mom in Need. Nominate someone today!

Mother's Nite Out

This Thursday is National Moms's Nite Out. I will be attending the event in Apex sponsored by Green Pea Nursery (one of our ever fabulous retailers) and Go Mom!.

Here's a quick summary of the event happenings. All of you Triangle Mama's should join us!

Look out America, mom’s taking the night off! The first National Mom’s Nite Out is scheduled for May 7th, 2009 and includes special events, virtual communal celebrations and the common goal of celebrating motherhood. More than 200 mom bloggers, 50 mom websites, and a dozen companies have committed to giving Moms a well-deserved night off.

Join us for a wonderful Walkabout starting at GreenPea Nursery. We are inviting Moms to bring their gal pals out for a night in Apex where select shops and restaurants will be open just for this event. Start at GreenPea where you will get a card to take to each participating business, who will have special in-store offers and discounts. They will stamp your card and you simply return to GreenPea to enter into our grand prize drawing with goodies from everyone included. The best part about the night is there is no obligation, except to have fun...we just want to see everyone come out and join the MNO spirit. Also, we will have swag bags with goodies for a limited number of attendees...we think 100...and we will be streaming live video from GreenPea to share in the fun with Moms across the country about our nite.

Supporters of Nancy's Butterfly Fund will also be out for the evening to promote the cause of stopping domestic violence against women and we are very excited to see them participate in memory of Nancy Cooper from Cary, NC.

My baby is growing up...

Aidan rolled over this morning! He's been so close for a couple weeks now,but this morning his hips finally cooperated. He can't quite figure out what to do with his arms, but he made a full rotation.

It's been a big week as he also discovered his feet. He rolls around and grabs at everything. AND...he slept through the night...TWICE. He slept from 8:30 to 5:00 - huge accomplishment. He didn't make it the whole night last night, but I know it's always going to vary.

He is getting to be SO fun. He reacts to everything now and his smiles are the BEST. My mom's parents are in town to meet him for the first time, so we're headed over for brunch in just a bit. We'll post more pictures soon.