Our favorite new accessory! BUNTING!

omg, omg, omg... I hate to jump on the Bunting Band Wagon - but wow is it ever cute!! Bunting is the perfect accessory for so many things... photo shoot? Bunting. Birthday party? Bunting... nursery & room decor? BUNTING!! I had seen a lot of them on etsy but I was never really impressed with what I saw - and many of you had requested them but I always passed... but recently I got excited to try my own... and man did we step it up!

They are fully finished... meaning not one sided like so many of them are... and not basic cut edges that will slowly fray away... they are DOUBLE SIDED - stitched inside & top stitched for extra durability... and a huge 8 ft. LONG!! They come with your choice of two prints & a minky for extra texture... and backed with a solid color cotton so there are no "ugly" sides... and each 8ft bunting has 12 flags on it.

Want your own? They're listed over at our etsy shop for $38 + shipping.
Get yours here!

Mr. Kieran trying out his new teething toy from Nuby!

Nuby teething toys we're always a big hit in my house with Rozzlyn... but she is kinda past that age now. So when my we met our new friends Amber & Shannon - we were super excited to try out some Nuby goodies on their son Kieran! This lucky little man got to chomp away at the Teethe-eez. "One end of the “fish shaped” Teethe-eez™ feature teething bristles, just like the above Gum-eez™. The whole teether is made of soft curves and multiple textures that gently massage and stimulate your baby’s gums. The Teethe-eez™ is made of 100% soft medical grade silicone."

And let me tell you - he LOVED it... he kept flipping around from end to end... chewing on it from all sides and angles. He also loved to grind his gums against the nubs on the silicone. It was the PERFECT time to try this one out - as that week he had been having a rough few nights and teething was in full force. You wouldn't know it from this picture! He was a happy, drooly little dude!

I have absolutely ZERO complaints and give this simply awesome teething toy 5 stars! Want to get one for yourself?
Shop here:
Amazon.com
http://www.idealbaby.com
babyhaven.com

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Multitasking with Nuby!

It's no secret that I am am a pretty busy mom... so its safe to say that I have become a multitasking queen. We are always mixing play time with learning time... or work time with play time... or now thanks to Nuby, Bath time with learning time...

Recently we got our hands on the Nuby Bath Tub Foam Animals and they have added tons of fun for Rozzlyn. She loves sticking them up to the wall as well as watching them float around in the water... Toys like these are great for teaching her new things without it being forced. We talk about the colors, the shapes, and the names of the characters. Her favorite is by far the "blue whale" With the "star" coming in a close second.

"The Nuby foam bath animals bring underwater creatures to your little ones bath time. The characters float in the water and when wet will stick to the bathtub wall providing countless hours of bath time fun. The fun colorful characters will delight and amuse your little one while stimulating their senses."
I always struggle trying to find something negative to say for an honest review - but I truly don't have anything. These are great and a great price - and BPA free as well. I would recommend them to anyone!
Available at:
BuyBuybaby.com & diapers.com

Get social with Nuby! www.facebook.com/nubyusa www.twitter.com/nubyusa www.pinterest.com/nubyusa www.instagram.com/nubyusa

Wow! What a month!

 Let me give you just a tiny glimpse into my last month... my office flooded - forcing me to RUSH/EMERGENCY pack all my fabric, machines, etc. and move out in 24 hours. My insurance deductible was higher than the damage - forcing me to pay it all out of pocket as well as losing sales and getting way backed up while I couldn't work. It was a MESS to say the least... it still is - but we're getting back on track... My mom and step dad got married in Vegas - it was AMAZING, but another week off right after the flooding... THEN to top it off, my son had surgery last friday... requiring time off, and a recovery we are still working through... needless to say - Im a bit off track and the blog has suffered. BUT - I am here now and back with another Nuby review!

Nothing like some fun Nuby stuff to put a smile on my face - tonight I threw (ok, not literally) all the kids in the bath tub... as we filled it up and dumped the toy bag, I realized that all but one were from Nuby. Since becoming a Nuby Mommy Blogger, I have the opportunity to try so many great products from Nuby, and have quickly realized that they are our favorite. Over time the random bath toys got tossed and replaced with high quality Nuby toys. All of which get played with from the baby to the 6 year old.

The Nuby Bath Time Clock & Thermometer is more of a kid friendly mommy toy though... and one that I happily used to prove to my husband that the bath water was too hot. I couldn't wait for it to show up in the mail... "The Nûby™ Bath Time Clock & Thermometer can help keep bath time safe and fun. It's unique 3-in-1 design incorporates a clock, a timer that counts up or down, and a thermometer that displays in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Not only that, but the Bath Time Clock & Thermometer floats and will alert you if the water is too hot or too cold. It also automatically counts up when the sensor contacts the water so you know how long your baby has been in the bath!" Once we figured out how to change it from Celsius to Fahrenheit, using it was a breeze. It has been an awesome little feature that is just always in the tub now... it does all the work for me and I can easily notice the temp without having to do anything. And since its kid friendly, it doesn't matter if they play with it...

Available at:
www.BuyBabyDirect.com
www.IdealBaby.com

Get social with Nuby! 
www.facebook.com/nubyusa 
www.twitter.com/nubyusa 
www.pinterest.com/nubyusa 
www.instagram.com/nubyusa 

New nursing Pads up in the shop!

We teamed up with the awesome and fabulous Wee Essentials to being you the MOST AWESOME and EXCLUSIVE nursing pads on the marked in our eyes :) I personally used these while nursing and stand buy them 110%. Check em out!

Nuby Review: Tear Free Rinse Pail

I had spent some time going through Nuby products and reading reviews and I was super excited to try this one out... the Nuby Tear Free Rinse Pail.

Rozzlyn is 18 months old now and like most kids, doesn't really love water in her eyes... What's funny - is my middle son, Zavery (5) hates it even more... So as great as this works for Rozzlyn, its even more perfect for Zavery. He says, "I hate when soap gets in my eyes because it hurts and makes my eyes hot." The Tear Free Rinse Pail has been great at assisting us with bathtime. "It features a comfortable grip for mom, a deep, slender base for easy filling in shallow water and a unique tear-free edge. The tear-free edge is soft and contoured so it can be gently placed against your baby's skin to help prevent water from running into your baby's eyes while rinsing their hair." Its a must have in the tub. The only problem I have it that it can be a little tricky to get it positioned in the right spot. 

Example: See left... If it isn't pushed up against the skin when you pull up to dump the water it will drip...
However - if you raise it up a bit on their heads, and push the silicone firmly but gently against their skin it creates a nice little seal - preventing the water from passing through.

Overall - another great Nuby product! How could I ever be disappointed when they make so many of great products.

Want one of your own?
 • www.BuyBabyDirect.com
• www.cookieskids.com
• www.amazon.com
• www.idealbaby.com
• Kmart

Get social with Nuby! www.facebook.com/nubyusa www.twitter.com/nubyusa www.pinterest.com/nubyusa www.instagram.com/nubyusa 

Its POTTY TIME! Nuby Potty Seat Review

It's impossible for me to believe that it is time to start potty training Rozzlyn. SHE IS JUST A BABY!! And by a baby I mean not at all a baby... she is a full on walking, talking, toddler - pooping on the potty. Too much info? Sorry. This is a post about a potty seat - things could get messy. ;)

I should probably start this by saying........ Im sorry Rozzlyn - don't hate me for this when you're 13... I promise I won't (I totally will) pull these pics out to show your first boyfriend. *13? Boyfriend? Ha... Maybe when you're 23* LOVE YOU BABY GIRL! 

So Ms. Rozzlyn its a champ at pooping on the potty. I would say in the last few weeks we have had about 15 poops on the potty... and the Nuby Potty Seat has been a HUGE help at all this progress. While I totally want to throw the potty chair in the back of the closet - keep her in diapers forever - and pretend she will always be my baby girl.... I am aware that she must grow up. And the sooner she is out of diapers, the better. So as usual, Nuby to the rescue..."This small Potty Seat by Nûby™ is one easy-to-clean piece. It has been designed so that little boys and little girls can use it comfortably." It is so perfectly sized that Rozzlyn fits on it perfectly - yet it still slips right between our toilet and sink. Though - the color is so awesome I wouldn't really care if it was out in the open either! We snagged the Teal and I love it.

Currently, our favorite thing to do is to brush our teeth on the potty. We always start with a clean potty of course... but I feel like it established two great morning habits in one... brushing our teeth... and the necessary morning potty trip. PLUS - brushing her teeth keeps her distracted and sitting their much longer than if I just place her on the potty... she is usually ready to get up after about 5 seconds. If we're lucky enough to get some potty out - I just dump it in the toilet and wipe out the potty with an antibacterial wipe.  SO SO easy... and if it takes more effort that than (which it usually never does) I just wipe it out with some dish soap and a cloth diaper wipe/rag. SO SIMPLE! Highly, HIGHLY recommended if you want a simple potty without all the bells and whistles. We used to have one that played music every time they went potty. Fun - until it stopped working properly and was going off constantly with or without a sucessful potty trip. All that stuff just isn't necessary. Keep it simple - sleek - and stylish with the Nuby Potty Seat.

 Available at: www.BuyBabyDirect.com

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Nuby helps you transition your kids in so many ways!

My roommate and her daughter have been living with us for awhile now while they looked for a new apartment. While they have been here, they've been sharing the boys' Nuby plates, cups, spoons and what not... When she let us know she was going to moving into her own place soon, I wanted to do something special to help with the transition - and I knew Nuby could help... and the timing couln't have been more perfect.
She was having a rough day when I realized that the special Nuby box had showed up... I told her maybe I could cheer her up... and its safe to say I did.  Nuby sent us over their Fun Feeding Set - "Set includes 2 bowls, 2 plates, 2 forks, 2 spoons and 2 tumblers (9oz / 270ml). Each piece is durable enough for every day use and has been sized just right for your little one. They are also easy to clean and are 100% BPA Free!" These are go-to staples in our house... the bowls and plates are used EVERY day - and Maddie has been practicing with the big girl cups! So it was perfect for her to have her own set now to bring to their new place. Aymee is a busy mom on the go - so the travel holder for the spoons and forks will be great when they're out running around or perfect for a picnic! The Nuby Fun Feeding set is "ideal for children who are beginning to feed themselves. They feature a fun design and are available in a variety of colors."

My favorite part about the set of bowls is that they are microwave safe.  This morning I made Rozzlyn some oatmeal using one of hers... Its always nice being able to do everything I need to feed her out of one bowl. Less mess and easy cleanup.

Want to get your own set? Available at these retailers: 

www.BuyBabyDirect.com

 www.diapers.com

 www.amazon.com 

Walmart

Get social with Nuby! www.facebook.com/nubyusa www.twitter.com/nubyusa www.pinterest.com/nubyusa www.instagram.com/nubyusa

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Nuby Octopus Floating Bath Toy

We're a huge fan of bath time in this house... and all of our toys have pretty much been replaced by Nuby. I've always had an issue with cheap toys that suck in water and get slimy and mildew in them. Gross. Nothing worse then squirting a toy at a baby and a chunk of who knows what comes out... not cool in my book. When I became a Nuby Mommy Blogger the first things on my list were new toys and Nuby has gone ABOVE and beyond my expectations. I have been so thrilled with every single one of them.

The newest one on our list has been the Octopus Floating Bath Toy... It sits on top of the water and comes with three little rings that you toss onto its arms. Ms. Rozzlyn LOVES it. Its easy for her to hold on to - which is great because the first thing she wanted to do was poke and touch all the little bumps.

Its great for hand/eye coordination while she tries to put the rings on the arms... and of course even the older boys have fun making a game of it too. I definitely recommend getting your hands on one of these! They're made to last and you won't be sorry :)

Currently available:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Nuby-Octopus-Bath-Time-Toss/dp/B008CDR7LW
Sears - http://www.sears.com/nuby-octopus-bath-time-toss/p-SPM651109014?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Get social with nuby! They are always going amazing giveaways so be sure to follow them! www.facebook.com/nubyusa www.twitter.com/nubyusa www.pinterest.com/nubyusa www.instagram.com/nubyusa

TURTLE!

RockerByeDaddy sent me this cute video of Rozzlyn today playing with her Nuby Tub Time Turtle... how cute is she... She is talking so much now! I just had to share :)

Guest Blogger: Amy - Trust your instincts.

Last week a friend of mine was telling a bit of her delivery story... I was so blown away I asked her to share the full experience with us here at the blog. I feel like I should warn you that its a little intense - but ends well with a happy healthy mom & baby... want to share your story? Please do! email me at rockerbyebaby@gmail.com

Amy:
A year ago today, I had a lot to do. I probably did more than I should have, considering I was on bed rest. I was placed on bed rest at 32 weeks because of preterm labor contractions. After 3 visits to the hospital for monitoring and shots to stall labor, I was on the maximum dose of terbutaline. Contractions were still coming, irregularly. My blood pressure was elevated and was told I may be developing pregnancy induced hypertension at one of my hospital visits. A year ago today, was Election Day. I had to visit my polling place and vote for the midterm election. Afterwards, we stopped at a local bistro for a latte, my one allotted caffeinated drink a day. Early afternoon, we went to my weekly appointment at my OBGYN. For the first time during my pregnancy, she had a difficult time locating my son's heartbeat. I became nervous, but eventually she settled on a sound and said "120's, not bad." I was a little worried, stating that it is usually in the 140's to 150's, to which she was not concerned. It was still in the range of acceptable. After the appointment, we went to Wal-Mart. I just HAD to get post-baby underwear and a nursing bra. This is not a task I could send my husband to do alone. We did a little more shopping, and I began to feel awful. My head hurt, my stomach was upset. I told Robbie we need to get home, I had overexerted myself. I must not have been used to that much activity after 3 weeks of bed rest.

After getting home, I lay on the couch and drank water. I began to think the day over, realizing I had done far too much. I thought of my developing child, and realized he had barely moved during the day. I may have just been too busy to notice, and many times as the pregnancy nears the end, the baby will move less. However, just the day before he was very active. I was able to get 10 kicks in 10 minutes or so. I decided to count his kicks, as I was supposed to do daily, but typically didn't have to because of how active he was. Half an hour passed and I only had 4 little flutters. I began to worry. After an hour, I only had 6. My office said to call if I do not get 10 kicks in 1 hour. I called and left a message for the on call doctor. I lay down on my bed while waiting for a call back, drank some more water, and got a sudden somersault of activity. It was easily 10 movements, very energetic. I thought I must be overreacting. However, the on call doctor called back and said that I should go to Labor and Delivery just to get checked out.

Off we go again, 4 time in 3 weeks. I figured they must be getting tired of seeing me! I was afraid of them thinking I was overreacting, but I thought I'd rather go and be sure than something bad happening and regret not going. A nurse who had seen us before greeted us at the nurse's station. There were 3 or 4 other laboring mothers there that night, so I am sure they were slightly annoyed to have to deal with us. I can only imagine how many "I don't think my baby is moving much, can you check on it?" pregnant women they get. They didn't even have me strip into a gown, just pull up my shirt. The nurse used a Doppler and searched around for my son's heartbeat. Nothing. She called another nurse in. She messed around for a while, still nothing. A third nurse was also unsuccessful. A call was placed to the on call doctor who had told me to go in. She ordered an ultrasound. They wheeled the machine into my room, and turned the screen away from me. The faces of the nurses suddenly got solemn. Another call was placed to the on call doctor. She arrived in a huff a few minutes later, seemingly annoyed.

"What?" she demanded of the nurses. They directed her to the ultrasound.

"So?" She didn't see what they saw.

"Just keep watching," the nurse pleaded.

A few moments later, the doctor's face turned solemn to match the nurses'. She turned to me and explained, finally, what was going on. "Your heart rate is around 120. The baby is dropping to the 50's and 60's, this is why we had a hard time locating it. We need to get him out immediately. We are taking you to the operating room and doing an emergency c section."

I asked if I would be awake, or if my husband could be there. Unfortunately, the answer to both was no. They suddenly began stripping me, removing all jewelry and clothing, replacing it with a hospital gown, and attaching leads, a catheter, and an IV. I said good bye to my husband, he looked so worried. I took a deep breath as I watched the ceiling above me as they moved me into the OR.

Once in the operating room, they began to prep me for surgery. A nurse put betadine on my stomach. The doctor yelled at her, saying she wanted the Doppler used to monitor the baby's heart rate until the anesthesiologist arrived. They stalled and followed my son's heartbeat while waiting for the anesthesiologist. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but suddenly my doctor apologized to me. She said they could no longer wait for anesthesia, and that he had to come out immediately. She asked what was available in the room, and was told about 4cc's of lidocaine (according to Wikipedia, Lidocaine is used topically to relieve itching, burning and pain from skin inflammations, injected as a dental anesthetic or as a local anesthetic for minor surgery.) I was given about 4 shots across my stomach, and the surgery began.

When I tell you I feel everything, I don't mean I felt pressure and tugging. I mean, I felt the blade of the scalpel across my abdomen. I felt a gush of blood and fluids around me. I was held down while they pried my stomach open. I screamed while my organs were removed. I had a nurse holding me, repeating "It's okay, you're doing great, remember to breathe," over and over. My body bucked, I am sure I kicked, I tried turning away and fighting. I thought, why haven't they gotten him out yet?I am not sure if it was the beginning of shock, or meditation taking over but I gave in and my body relaxed. An unknown amount of time later, at 11:27 pm, I heard the sound of my son cry, and they announce "It's a boy!" I felt relief. About that time, the anesthesiologist arrived. They said, "You're going to go to sleep." I remember thinking "Why am I not asleep yet?" and then everything went black.

A few hours later, I awoke. I asked "Why does my throat hurt?" Apparently I saw my mother and said "Mom! It's really you!" I asked about my son. He was under an oxygen tent. I was told later he coded when he was born and had to be resuscitated. They had to x ray me post surgery to make sure no tools were left in me, then they had to x ray my son to make sure his lungs didn't collapse. The following morning, the pediatrician came in and told us that he had a very irregular heartbeat. They did an EKG and sent it to the leading pediatric cardiologist at the Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. We were told he was having arrhythmias and that they were going to send him to the NICU in Peoria. Unfortunately, I had to wait until I was released from the hospital before I could join him. On his fourth day of life, I was released. We made the 1 hour drive and I held my son for the first time.

There were many triumphs and set backs the first couple months. He was taken off oxygen on his second day. He was not eating well, so we had to monitor how much he took in. I had to pump and provide, as I was not allowed to breast feed until he was a week old, and then only once a day. Because of his prematurity, he had to pass a car seat test before being released. He failed the first one because he had an apnea. We began giving him caffeine citrate to help with the apneas, and had to take Logan home on an apnea monitor. It was a blessing and a curse, as it gave us peace of mind, but was a pain to haul, gave false alarms frequently, and had to be on him at all times. He was put on Zantac for reflux, and I had to stop pumping and giving him breast milk as well as put him on a special formula, Nutramigen, for cow's milk protein intolerance that caused blood in his stool.

I looked at him today and cried. I cried because I wasn't sure what the lack of oxygen when he was born would do to his brain, or that his prematurity would do to his development. I cried because if I hadn't gone to the hospital when I did, he most likely would have been born stillborn. I didn't expect to see him walking before 1, or able to call me Mama or my husband Dada. I didn't know what to expect that first day, or those 12 days he was in the NICU. I didn't know what to expect of my little 5lb 15oz, 18in, 35 week miracle. And now, he is a perfectly healthy 1 year old boy. He weighs over 25lb and is over 31 inches tall. I am so thankful to have him in my life.

Nuby Review - Ol' McDonald Singing Plush Cow

We're so in love with our new Ol' McDonald Singing Plush Cow!! Not only is he so incredibly soft and squishy - when you squeeze his tummy he sings the Ol' Mc Donald nursery rhyme. Cutest thing in the whole world? Listening to a just over 1 year old sing E-I-E-I-O! Don't worry - Ill share that in a minute. First - the details. They come in 4 different characters, a Duck, Cow, Lamb or Pig - all making their own animal sound along with the song. They are all baby safe and have no exposed buttons or choking hazards. As always - a huge huge huge thumbs up to Nuby.

And now for your viewing pleasure... Ms. Rozzlyn squishing and loving on "Betsy" our cow :)

Goodbye Sickness, Hello Work!

Wow - It has been a LOOOOONG two weeks. I got sick with the absolute WORST cold I've ever had on December 28th... here it is January 8th and I am still fighting off the sniffles, aches, and pains... In that two weeks Zavery got sick, Rozzlyn got sick... Izzaq got sick - and daddy got it at the end of the cycle. I would not have survived without the natural Hyland's baby and kids cough & cold products!

Everyone is slowly getting better... which is good, because I am out of time. I HAD to get back to work. The nice thing about being self employed is that if you have to take some time off, you can - if You're organized... The problem with being self employed is that if You're not working... nothing is getting done. So here I am! Back at it... sniffling and hand sanitizing along the way... Check out the shop! I've got a few new goodies listed and a brand new Harley Davidson inspired crib set for you to drool over! Bikers beware! If you don't have kids - this bedding may make you want some! ha!