A Royal Baby...

http://www.notmassproduced.com/

I was so excited to hear the great news yesterday!  Just as we all watched Prince William marry Kate Middleton, I was equally as excited to see that she is expecting her first baby.  I give her so much credit.  She manages to remain true to herself and carries out her duties in such a class-act fashion.  I can't wait to follow along her pregnancy journey!

Guest Post:

As my second guest post (ever!) I am so happy to introduce Meghan, a dear friend of mine. She doesn't actually blog, but wanted to write a post for me! I thought it was fitting seems how July is Cord Blood Awareness Month and she actually has experienced banking her son's cord blood. I didn't know much about it, but thanks to Meghan I am fully aware! Here, Meghan describes her journey into motherhood- enjoy!

For any new mother-to-be, pregnancy brings on so many feelings and emotions that sometimes it’s hard to separate which feeling is which. For me, pregnancy brought on happiness—happiness that I was finally starting a family with my loving husband, Ryan; fear—fear that I wouldn’t be a good mother; and wonderment—wonder at how amazing it was that I was creating this little person inside of my body and wondering what sort of person my baby would become. When my son David was born, my whole world changed and refocused—my life was now all about my family (mostly David, of course) and I couldn’t be happier to begin on the journey of motherhood.

Pregnancy involved many more preparations than I had originally thought—I pictured a cute round belly and afternoons spent looking fabulous in cute maternity clothes while perusing baby shops, picking out equally fabulous clothes for my son. But life is full of transitions and fine details. With my round belly came morning sickness and swollen ankles. Trying to maintain my ‘cute maternity look’ required pregnancy exercise classes and not indulging in my ice cream sundaes topped with mountains of hot fudge. Small sacrifices for the big picture—a healthy baby boy.

More important than worrying about how I was looking and faring the pregnancy changes, was worrying about my baby’s future health. My side of the family has a scary history of leukemia that has taken loved ones too soon. Ryan’s side also has suffered from cancers and diabetes. There is no cure-all insurance to save my little David from future sniffles and ailments, but I wanted to do what I could to help him and his future brother and sisters from whatever sickness I could protect them from—this thought was what fueled my decision to use umbilical cord blood banking. After much research and deliberation, we chose to go through ViaCord, a private cord blood banking company. They we so helpful every step of the way! While there are few guarantees in life, we know that if anything were to ever happen to our David, (or another child down the road!), we have done anything and everything we possible can to help. 

David is a healthy, happy baby—although he is growing too quickly before our eyes! I’ve already started scaring Ryan with talks of our next addition to the family—I can’t help but love being a mommy!

A WOMB FULL OF MUSIC

 My husband and daughter woke me up today because they had music playing in the kitchen (louder than most people would play their morning music, trust me).  I went downstairs and saw the two of them dancing. My husband had our daughter in his arms and was spinning around with her. It made me tear up a little bit (I tend to go OD on emotions when I think things are cute).

So reflecting back, the reason I shed a tear was because it reminded me of when I used to dance around the kitchen by myself playing relaxing music while my daughter was still in the womb. Sometimes I would play music while cooking or baking, or sometimes just for the two of us to hear, to relax to.

I wanted to share this idea of playing music to your unborn child because I know some of my friends never heard of it when I told them about my kitchen escapades. I found an article on playing music for your baby while they’re still in the womb that said, “Prenatal stimulation through music heard regularly while in the womb might provide some babies with a sense of confidence and relaxation after they're born.” Of course there are probably studies that show there is proven stimulation through playing music for a baby in the womb, but the fact for me was I enjoyed it!

I've always liked a variety of music, country, classic, jazz, some hip-hop so Lily was exposed to a variety of music. I am sure I looked silly in the kitchen dancing around, but I found it relaxing and it always put a smile on my face.  I like to think Lily liked the music then, as she still likes it now!

Are You Kidding Me?!?

Manhattan

Normally I like to remain neutral when discussing issues that can easily be debated. I like hearing both sides of any argument, as very often both have valid points. However, an article I just read from Shots Health Blog, has left me a little perturbed. Who thinks its ok to drink alcohol while they are pregnant? Not me- that's for sure! It seems like there is a study out there for almost everything in the world. This results of this particular study suggest that a few drinks a week, and even binge drinking, aren’t tied to developmental issues and may be ok to have. Really? 

I did some quick Google-ing and according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome effects up to 7 births out of every 1000 in the US, or about 0.7%. Ok, so while that may not seem like a huge number, out of the 4,130,665 births in the US last year, that’s almost 30,000 infants being born affected by alcohol!

To me that just seems unacceptable, and unfortunately these are the types of studies that get picked up by all the papers and news shows. I guess what I’m really nervous of is that people who don’t educate themselves beyond the headlines will read this and immediately assume it’s ok to knock a couple back during their pregnancy. I’m not trying to guilt or scare moms into never drinking again, all I’m asking is that, if you know for a fact your baby won’t be affected by alcohol by not drinking, is it really worth giving into temptation and having a couple just because some random article claimed it may be ok?

Full article can be found here! 

The No-Bake Diaper Cake!

One of my dear friends, (who's name also happens to be Katie- great name huh!?), is expecting and is due late July. At first I couldn't decide what to get her for her shower... should I go practical? or should I go extreme and buy things I know she wouldn't typically buy, like cutesy clothes and flower headbands? After a lot of thought, I decided I was determined to do both! What better way to do so than a diaper cake! Everything the cake is made of is 100% usable... I doubt she will reuse the pins though. 

Anyway, to start I collected my supplies:

Rubber Bands- I used 5 large ones

Two Boxes of Diapers (I try to get all white ones, sometimes there is a blue-ish hint to them)

Pins- a box with white pin tops works best

10" Round Cardboard Cake Board

1 Paper Towel Doily

Ribbon (Of your choice, I went with a green and a burlap for a vintage look)

Decorations- this include flowers, bows, socks, headbands, etc.

3 Cake pans/pots- these should vary in size, and will create the tiers for the cake

Now it is time for the work

Depending on what theme/look you are going for your supply list will vary. To start, take your largest cake pan (or pot, or whatever round object you have found) and start by fanning the diapers around the outside. There is no certain number of diapers to be used, it just depends on the size of the object you are using and the diapers. Eventually the diapers should circle around and create a hole in the middle, this is where the paper towel doily will be inserted to hold the three tiers together. Once the diapers are snug enough inser the doily and wrap a rubber band around the outside of the diapers. I used two just to make sure they were secure. Remove the bottom tier, with doily, from the pan and place it on the cake board. This is the base of your cake. Repeat this step two more times using the two smaller cake pans to make the next two tiers. Place each tier on the doily- usually the doily doesn't show through the top tier. 

*Note: The smallest tier only needed one rubber band because I was able to double it!

Now, that the cake is structured, let the fun begin! There are so many ways to decorate a diaper cake. For this cake in particular I started by measuring, cutting and pinning burlap around each cake tier. Then I did the same thing with the green ribbon, layering it on the burlap.

*Note: Line up the seems of each ribbon. That way they can all be covered up and used as a center point for everything else.

Once the ribbon is in place, start placing your decorations. I usually have a general idea of the look I am going for, but I always have a variety of supplies on hand to choose from. For this cake I chose to do big pink flowers down the front, and burlap bows down the back to cover the ribbon seems. I wanted to keep the cake very girly, after all she is having a girl! Everything is pinned onto the cake, so the diapers are not harmed. For added decor, I used two sets of booties, (which are adorable I must say!) and some head wraps. To top off the cake, I stuck a pink feather down the doily and added a little bling by using a green baby bracelet around the feather. 

Everything was very simple to do! I love making these cakes! Especially because I know Katie can use everything on the cake... I think I have said that 3 times now :) Oh well! 

To make the cake look more "present" like,  I wrapped it up in cellophane and tied a pretty pink and white checkered bow on top!  She LOVED it! 

MAY: Pregnancy Awareness Month

Photo by: Jennifer Bradford

                                                                 

Hooray, May is Pregnancy Awareness month! As many of you might know, I am passionate about topics surrounding pregnancy. I love writing articles about prenatal care, postnatal care, losing baby weight, adjusting to motherhood and much more. If anyone is interested in posting an article in honor of Pregnancy Awareness Month please feel free to email me! I would love to write something for you. Also, here are some great sites to check out that are promoting this special month!

Pregnancy Awareness

The Bump

A Parenting Production

Email me at: moorekm26@gmail.com ! Happy May everyone!

Save Money Before Your Child Even Gets Here- What?!

In 2011, CNN reported that the cost for having a baby had grown more than 40% in the last decade, and that chances were good that this trend would continue! If you are a new mom or you are looking forward to a pregnancy, that’s about the last thing that you want to hear. Being a parent isn’t cheap, but the truth of the matter is that it doesn’t have to be as expensive as some people are making it out to be, either. When you are considering how to save money on your baby products and your household products, there are a few tips that you can use.

Network
If there are other moms in your area, chances are good that they are going to be wondering how to get rid of things just as you realize that you need them. Baby equipment like cribs and changing tables are expensive, but they are also limited use items. After their babies get to a certain age, they are going to want to trade them out for different things. Network with other women to figure out what items can be traded around.

Clip (Online) Coupons
While you are going to get plenty of coupons through the mail, don’t forget to look up coupons online. More and more stores are offering online deals and email coupons and if you get on the right mailing list you can expect to see some truly impressive savings. Clip your coupons. Ideally, start doing so long before the baby arrives. There’s nothing wrong with stockpiling things like baby food or diapers.

Get On Mailing Lists
While most people pass of mailing lists as spam, the truth of the matter is that the right mailing list can be worth all of the frustration. Get on mailing lists for a number of different places where you shop, and you’ll discover that you can find out about deals long before other people do. Also, simply being on a mailing list can make a huge difference when it comes to things like pre-sales and secret deals.

Hit the Second-Hand Stores
Some items you will want to buy new, especially where infant safety is concerned, but there are plenty of items that you can find very easily if you go to a second-hand store. For example, you can find many small home appliance at the right store, including toaster ovens, toasters and mixers. Similarly, if you need dishes or pots and pans, a second-hand store will give you some excellent options. Be ready to do some searching and remember that it can take several visits to different places before you find everything that you need.

Get Crafty
When it comes to clothing for young children, there is a good chance that you can make them yourself. Babies are small and require only a small amount of fabric. If you know how to thread a needle, you will discover that it is very easy to sew some clothing for your small baby.

Don’t despair; while it is expensive to have a child, you’ll find that there are some great ways to save cash.

Pregnant and Beautiful

I think I can let this picture speak for itself so I will keep this post short. Alessandra Ambrosio posted this picture on her Facebook page .




Simply gorgeous!