For Smart Babies...

I'm pretty sure that EVERYONE I know is having a baby right now. OK, not everyone, but a lot of ladies for sure. A few months back I came across BabyLit books and they are now my go to gift for little ones. They take classics and turn them into picture books focusing on counting, colors and the like. 

I bought Jane Eyre and a few others for Teresa right after she me she was pregnant. I love the Sense and Sensibility one, as it's one of my favorite books. Some of the others include Dracula, Moby Dick and even Alice in Wonderland! 

Happy Halloween!

My favorite little niece is a strawberry! Isn't she adorable with her daddy (Patrick's brother Ryan) at the pumpkin patch? She just turned six months old, time flies!

Hope you have a fabulous day celebrating, I plan to eat a lot of chocolate and throw on my traditional purple glitter cat ears!

The Perfect Game

So I lucked out big when one of the two Mariners games I happened to make it to this season was yesterday when Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game. If you're not a baseball fan, a perfect game is when there aren't any hits, walks or errors and none of the batters on a side make it to first base. In the history of major league baseball, this has only happened 23 times so it's kind of a big deal.

Jason's brother Jeremy, his wife, Stephanie, and their five month old, Gracie, were visiting and it was Gracie's first game! Jason and Jeremy are HUGE baseball fans and grew up stalking baseball players for autographs so naturally they were beyond thrilled to see this. Seriously, I kind of thought one of them might have peed their pants when it happened. Instead, Jason took lots of photos on his iPhone and Jeremy called their dad.

Afterwards, Jason snapped that creepily awesome photo of Gracie peeping out from behind a Felix Hernandez cutout above.

If you want to see how big of a Mariners fan Jason is, here's a music video that Jason directed last year. It's basically his childhood in song. It wasn't hard to find props for this shoot, Jason already owned all of the memorabilia that you see and more. My basement is full of baseball bats.

My Niece the Boss-Lady

Indulge this new auntie for a moment. I got the most hilarious email from my sister-in-law, Kasi, last week with photos of my niece Kenedee on my brother-in-law's birthday. Kenedee (who is three months old today!) has an adorable, expressive little face and Kasi's captions were so spot on. Sometimes I really do think kids see their parents as "employees!" Enjoy some cuteness this Monday morning!

1. Boss Lady laughing at employee's joke

2. Boss Lady with employee

3. Employee trying so hard to get approval

4. How she really feels about employee







PS. Thanks Kasi for the photos, you guys are awesome!

Guest Post: Six Ways to Help a New Mom

Today we have a guest post from our good friend and former college roommate, Amber! She's one of the best moms we know, so we thought she'd be the perfect person to share today.

Enjoy!

Hello there, TTWWB readers! I'm thrilled to be here today sharing on some practical and thoughtful ways to help a new mom. I blog over at Love at Home where I share my thoughts on marriage, parenting, faith and daily life. In my free time you'll find me in the kitchen testing out new recipes or in the garage/barn/shed/patio refinishing furniture (I'm a paint junkie) or working on my latest DIY.

Even though I do work part-time outside the home, my most important job on this planet is being a mommy to my two preschoolers! Adjusting to mommy-hood was a whirlwind experience for me. Just as I was getting my feet wet in the world of breastfeeding, diapers, spit-up and sleepless nights after the birth of my first born son, I found out I was expecting number two! Yes, my kids are almost "Irish twins". Without a doubt my daughter was the happiest of accidents, but those early days of caring for a newborn and toddler were some of the most challenging days for me. It was the love, care and support of my family and friends that got me through those long days as a new mommy.

So needless to say, I have a special place in my heart for new moms and with Mother's Day fast approaching, what a great time to be thinking about these special ladies! Without further adieu, here are six practical ways to help out a new mom:

1. Food. Food. Food. I can't emphasize enough how helpful it is to have food brought to your home while caring for a new baby. Food is momentarily life-changing as a new mommy; it nourishes the body and soul, helps the nursing migraines subside, and if you're a foodie like me brings you true joy. Arrange or sign up to participate in an online meal schedule. My favorite online meal arrangement site is Take Them a Meal. Make sure you know about food allergies and dislikes before bringing over a meal. And be a gem and deliver your meal in a disposable container. The last thing a new mommy needs is to track down the owners of all the casserole dishes she has piled up. Don't feel like you have to whip up something from scratch. It's huge treat to get a delivered meal from the new mommy's (and daddy's) favorite take out place or pizza joint. Creative meals are fun too -- don't forget about an early morning coffee and pastry delivery or a late night snack basket (you could just leave the food at the front door).

2. Laundry. Babies pee and poop and spit up more than you can ever expect. While a new mommy might not feel comfortable having you do hers and her hubby's laundry, offering to wash, fold and put away the piles of baby clothes that will accumulate (at an alarming rate) is so incredibly helpful. And if you're willing, do a load of dishes, wipe down her counters and sweep the kitchen floor. A picked up home will help her feel more sane in the midst of chaotic moments.

3. The 2pm "just hold my baby" visit. Sometimes it can feel exhausting to have visitors and know that you need to mentally engage in a semi-intelligent conversation. Offer to drop by, with no intention of socializing (and really stress that) so that the new mommy can take an uninterrupted, hot shower or even better, a nap. After having both my babies, my sisters would walk through my front door, I would hand off baby without so much as a nod or a smile, point to the freshly pumped breast milk in the bottle on the counter and stumble to our bedroom like a zombie for two uninterrupted hours of sleep. It was a little piece of heaven.

4. Arrange for an in-home massage. Did you know these exist? A group of girlfriends got me a gift certificate for a post-pardum massage therapist to come to my home just days after my second baby was born. She set up right in our master bedroom, dimmed the lights, and brought in soothing music and aromatherapy. I wasn't quite ready to leave my baby yet within the first week, but I was ready for some pampering! While my mother-in-law loving cared for my newborn in the next room, I melted away and enjoyed a bit of serenity in my own home. Bliss.

5. Offer to run errands. It may just be a quick trip to the pharmacy or grocery store, but getting out of the house may seem monumental for a new mom. If you're in the new mom's part of town, or are planning a trip to the grocery store anyways, give her a quick call or text and find out if she needs anything. It could really settle her nerves of trying to pack up and shop with a fussy baby.

6. Ask what might be helpful to the new mom. Common sense maybe, but asking exactly what is helpful to a new mom days after a baby is born is so important. Offering your suggestions is fine, but what may seem helpful to you, may in fact overwhelm the new mommy and do more harm than good. So just run things by her first before jumping in, inviting her to suggest ways that would really help her out.

It was great to be with you today. Stop by and say hello if you like -- I love new visitors!

Happy Mother's Day!

Baby Shower Gift Guide

Welcome to day two of our Mom/Baby/Aunt week!


So if you’re like T and I, without kids and sometimes are a little stumped as to what the ideal baby shower gift would be, we polled a few ladies who’ve become mommies recently and here are some great suggestions...

Etiquitte baby socks are apparently amazing because they stay on! Also, they are super cute. 

Two different friends recommend the book Baby Wise, a guide to nighttime sleep for newborns. I know sleep is a HUGE gift for new parents!

Especially for first time parents, the big ticket items, cribs, strollers, etc. are super important. If those sorts of things are on your friend’s registry, coordinate a group of people to go in on it with you. The baby's gotta sleep somewhere so why not in this cute crib from Land of Nod!

Another mommy friend says, "It's always fun to get quality baby cloths that last through multiple babies without getting all pilly." She suggests Baby GAP, Janie and Jack, Osh Kosh, Gymboree and Hannah Andersson.  I love this little Janie and Jack baby swimsuit!

My Breast Friend. Oh my gosh, the name is killing me! But I was told they are great for breastfeeding...

Burt's Bees Getting Started Kit. Nurses recommended the Burt's Bees diaper ointment to a friend for her new daughter. The whole kit is perfect for a shower gift, maybe along with some other bath time supplies. Another new mom (with twins!) told me she was very thankful for all the bath supplies she got, making it so she was stocked up for months and didn't have to keep running to the store for baby shampoo and such.  

My sister-in-law, Stephanie, who became a mom to Gracie in March, gave us some of my favorite advice. She said,  “Mommy gifts are definitely awesome because it’s super sweet to know that people are thinking of you as a person as well.” Some of her favorite gifts were wine and Starbucks gift cards! These things are pretty exciting when you haven't had them for nine months! I love this idea. How perfect would a bottle of Sofia Pink Champagne be as a gift for someone expecting a girl.

Lastly, if you've been given registry info for the mommy-to-be, another friend gave us a very compelling reason to stick to it. Amber says, "Mommies to be spend hours doing research, reading books, surfing the web, and talking to other mommies as they put together their registry and figuring out the kinds of things they envision using for their child and there is nothing worse than getting a stack of disposable diapers as a gift when you are super particular about wanting to use cloth diapers only." 

Be sure to check back later this week when our good friend, mother of two, and bestower of the above advice about sticking to the registry, Amber from Love at Home, will be sharing some tips for how to show your love to new mommies once the baby has arrived!

On Becoming an Aunt

“Only an Aunt can give hugs like a mother, can keep secrets like a sister, and share love like a friend.”

~ Spanish Proverb

Jenny and I both became aunts this spring to beautiful baby girls, Gracie and Kenedee. It's the first time for both of us so needless to say we're pretty excited about the whole thing!

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be an aunt. It seems to be a special sort of role in life that can include being a confidant, exposing her to new ideas and cultures, giving her great gifts, loving her through the ups and downs of life, and being there for her parents as they dive into their new roles as mom and dad. Right now I’m in awe of her tiny little fingernails, baby coos, and little half smiles and I’m excited to get to know this little munchkin even more as she gets older and grows into a young woman. I couldn't be prouder to call myself an auntie to this perfect little girl.

How about all you aunts out there -- what advice do you have for us as a new aunts? We'd love to hear!

PS. I’m excited to kick off our week that is all about babies! Whether you’re a new mom, a friend to a new mom, an auntie or uncle, or a grandma I think we have a little something up our sleeve for most people. Hope you enjoy the articles, photos, gift ideas, products and tips that we have to share with you in honor of mother’s day and the new babies in our lives. Coming up tomorrow: baby shower gift guide!