Mommin' It Up!

April 7, 2011

Good Friends

Late last week we planned a last-minute trip to St. Louis – Andy’s grandfather was ill and we wanted to go visit him sooner rather than later. The only thing was, Saturday Sam’s birthday.

I was a little worried that Sam’s birthday was going to get lost in the shuffle, and I wanted to make sure we made the day special for him, even with everything else that was going on.

I emailed my friend Gina, who lives outside St. Louis, asking where I should order a Cardinals birthday cake, and she immediately wrote back saying she’d make him one.

Later that day, I was IM’ing with my friend Beth, telling her about our trip and my concern about Sam’s birthday. “Are the Cardinals in town?” she asked me. “You should take him to the game.” Next thing I know, she says she’s arranged for four tickets to be waiting for us at will call.

Saturday morning, Gina drove into the city and delivered this:

Needless to say, Sam loved it.

Later, we surprised Sam by taking him to the baseball game.

Sam had a great third birthday, in no small part because I have such good friends.

We are both pretty lucky.

April 5, 2011

Sam.

Sam’s birthday was Saturday. I am having a hard time believing he’s three. In some ways it seems like it was yesterday when he was born. In other ways, it seems like he’s always been with us.

Even though he’s only three, he’s got a few great loves in his life. His house (the kid is a total homebody), his sister, and baseball.

Especially baseball.

The day Sam was born, my dad christened him “Sluggin’ Sam.” The next day Dad went to the Reds game and snagged the first fly ball he’d ever caught, after, you know, about 50 years of trying. He brought it to Sam at the hospital.

By Sam’s first birthday, his favorite word was “ball.” He couldn’t walk, but he already loved to play ball. I had the brilliant idea to have a ball motif for his birthday party – we could decorate with all sorts of balls and we could serve melon balls and meat balls and all sorts of things… but his father quickly determined that the theme for his party could not be BALLS.

By his second birthday, he called himself “Baseball Sammy.” He never went anywhere without his baseball cap and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was his favorite song.

Last weekend, we spent his third birthday at one of his very favorite places in the world – Busch Stadium – watching his beloved Cardinals.

He was SO excited. Random strangers took pictures and video taped him yelling “Go Cardinals, GO!!!!” My facebook page was not the only one featuring Sam that day.

Sam’s interests aren’t particularly diverse or varied – he finds something he likes and sticks with it. But his passion and enthusiasm are inspiring to me, and I learn from him every day.

He is such a great kid.

Happy birthday, Baseball Sammy. I love you more than everything put together.

March 31, 2011

Things I Love Thursday: Baby Stuff (Guest Post)

Today’s post was written by my lovely sister, Anna.
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Standing in target with my baby bump barely showing and registry gun in hand, I was overwhelmed with the products made for babies. I was a first time mom with a small house and little storage space. What did we actually need? I had no idea. Luckily, I have a cousin and sister with a super-fantastic blog. Emily and Jenny let me write this guest post asking their readers about the baby products that they couldn’t live without. I wanted to get the products that would be the most helpful for our baby, and not be overwhelmed with things that we would eventually find to be of little use. Keeping the suggestions in mind, we were blessed to be given absolutely everything we needed by our friends and family at one of our four showers. That’s right, four showers. We are so thankful and amazed by the generosity.

Our bundle of joy is now eight months old, and we’ve managed to not break her yet! We consider that nothing short of miracle. In my time as a new mom, here’s what I’ve found that we can’t live without:

The hospital where I gave birth is a certified baby-friendly hospital. And it was fantastic! The nurses were great, the doctors were great, the epidural was dreamy, and it is conveniently located to a Chick-fil-a. Yum! But the best part was how helpful everyone was helping me get the hang of breastfeeding. Their lactation consultants were so very helpful. I’ve happily made it through 8 months of breastfeeding without bleeding nipples! Locations of baby friendly hospitals can be found here.

I love the Graco SnugRider Infant Car Seat Frame Stroller. On the 359 days of the year that Ohio’s weather is nasty, I don’t have to take our baby out of her car seat to put her in the stroller. I can just pop the car seat right into the stroller. It’s also very lightweight, easy to maneuver, and easy to collapse.

The Fisher-Price Newborn Rock ‘n Play Sleeper is the cradle of dreams! I love, love, love it. Our baby slept in it while in our room for the first month or two. She would happily sit in it while I was on facebook… I mean, while I did chores. My husband could get her to go to sleep by rocking back and forth. The best thing ever. Sell everything you own and buy this! And, when our baby was going to sleep in the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, she loved, loved, loved, being swaddled in the Miracle Blanket. Let me tell you, this thing is miraculous. I’m incapable of swaddling with a blanket so that she couldn’t break out of the swaddle. With the Miracle Blanket, I could wrap her up in seconds and she would be snug as a bug all night.

Oh Baby Hawk, how I love you. Let me count the ways. Our Baby Hawk was the only thing that would calm our baby down when she was a newborn. The swing didn’t work, neither did the car seat or the stroller. But our Baby Hawk would do the trick without fail. We carry our baby in it when we are cooking (and by we, I mean my husband), at the grocery, on a walk. She loves it. With the Baby Hawk, we can carry her around without aching shoulders or back. The best part is that it allows her to be right up against our chest, which is pretty much her favorite place to be.

My other suggestions for postpartum moms? Spanx and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.