Goodbye, old friend

Today we sold my Beetle. I no longer have a Beetle--or a baby, as the baby is five years old now. My Beetle was the first car I bought. It took me to my first adult job. It carried my husband and me away from our wedding to start our honeymoon and a new life together, and returned us home to our first house. It toted our son Henry for his first years, from when he was a baby and I started this blog, to now, when he's grown into a little boy. 114,000 miles later, all I can say is thanks for the memories, old friend. I'll miss you.

Can the Beetle hold a big carseat?

Beetle parents, in case this might help anyone out there searching, I wanted to update you on the last carseat we've purchased: the Britax Frontier 90. It's a huge seat, which has the option to turn into just a booster seat when the child is older and bigger. As a forward-facing harness carseat, it can hold kids up to 90 lbs. and 58" tall, according to the manufacturer website. It's so big, I was nervous if it would actually fit in the Beetle. But I'm pleased to report, it does fit, perfectly. Don't be afraid to order a big seat like this one. The Beetle has a remarkable, seemingly magical, capacity to hold what you need to carry.

Wow, a new post!

Hi, Beetle parents! As you've probably noticed, this blog doesn't get too many updates from me lately. I'm in the second year of a wonderful grad school program, the UC Riverside--Palm Desert MFA in creative writing. It's one of the best things I've ever done. But I do neglect my blog. :)

If any of you Beetle parents or parents-to-be out there would like to help other Beetle owners, I would love love love to post any info or stories you might like to send me. It could be what kind of carseat you've used, what kind of strollers you liked/didn't like for the Beetle, your thoughts on keeping your old car while everyone else is getting an SUV...anything you like. :)

The best part of this site is getting a message from someone who has come across it and is in the exact same situation I remember so well. If you send in any Beetle/baby related material, I will of course credit you for it and link to your own blog or website.

Thanks for reading, Beetle moms (and dads...are there Beetle dads out there?!).

Backseat shade options

Hi, Beetle parents! I love getting e-mails and comments from other Beetle owners who have come across this blog. Moms who have Beetles and babies are an awesome group.

Megan posted a comment asking: Did you ever struggle with sun coming in the back side window on Henry? If so, what did you do. Normal sunshades don't seem to fit.

Megan, you're right, that was a big problem for us when Henry was little (and sometimes, it still is an issue). Sunshades don't fit at all on that small window in the back.



The only sunshade option I could think of was to get the back windows tinted or to find some sort of do-it-yourself film I could cut to size and put on the window (like this stuff: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Automotive/). I never did it, although I am still thinking about it.


I ended up working around the shade problem by keeping a bunch of sunglasses in the car, and some hats, and stuffed animals that Henry could cover his face with if the sun was really bugging him. Not a great solution!

I did see a rear window "sun blind" on the VW Driver Gear website: http://www.drivergear.vw.com/vw08/SKUDetailsVW08F1C0064160.asp. I know it's not the right kind of a shade for that tiny window in the backseat, but I'll keep looking!

If anyone out there has a fix for the Beetle's backseat sun shade problem, please post your tips in the comments! Or if you've had your windows tinted or done it yourself with some sort of film covering, please post about that too.

Good luck, Megan! Let me know if you find a fix.

Stroller rave (aka, I might have a screw loose, but that works for me)

I'm coming out of blog retirement to say that after several months of researching and now several months of road time, I can heartily endorse the Maclaren Quest as a perfect stroller for a 16-month-old AND a Beetle!

I have no idea why everyone I spoke with, including people at Maclaren, insisted that the Quest's hood did not tilt. We finally ordered the thing, because we liked it, it felt sturdy, it was tall, and it could hold more weight than the bulkier Peg Perego Aria. Then it came...and I shoved the hood forward and now it tilts just like I had hoped it would!

I suspect the screws holding the hood in place are probably looser than they are supposed to be. But it's working for me, and I love this stroller. It's so easy to pop in and out of the Beetle's trunk, and easy to fit other things in the trunk with it.

Baby H has taken two trips to Disneyland now with the stroller, and it's fabulous...it's easy to maneuver, fits into our Prius's trunk packed with luggage, and it can recline so Baby H can take a nap in the park.

It also collapses slim enough that we can not only fit ourselves and our stuff in the car, but also onto the seat of a Disneyland parking lot tram (possibly one of the only vehicles with less roomy seating than the backseat of a Beetle!).

Watching families struggle with lugging their giant strollers onto the tram, and in one case, being forced to prioritize fitting their stroller onto the seat before their kid (!), I was really glad that having a Beetle made me get more "minimalist" in my stroller search. Having a little car can end up saving you the hassles that can come with big "stuff"...even if you might have to have a screw loose to appreciate it!

Baby boy clothes: part 2 (Georgie World, come back!)

I was so excited in January to find Georgie World--it seemed like Georgie World's clothing had materialized out of my own head. It was perfect. Surfer baby clothes, tiki shirts, retro bowling shirts...I wanted it all!

So I guess the only good thing about Georgie World closing is that my savings account got a break. But sadly, that also meant I never got my (I mean, Baby H's) awesome clothes!


I've been scouring the internet looking for the tiki-inspired shirts and shorts I had purchased, but alas, have found nothing yet. I went a little nuts at this week's great Janie and Jack sale, where I got this very cute almost retro-ish shirt, but it doesn't quite make up for a lack of a tiki bowling shirt in Baby H's wardrobe. Georgie World, come back! Our little guys need you. (OK, so maybe it's the moms who need you.)

Taking a test stroll

First, the facts, for anyone who might have been desperately googling to find out "Will a Peg Perego or Maclaren fit in a Beetle's trunk?" The answer: A Peg Perego Pliko P3 will not fit; a Peg Perego Aria WILL FIT in the Beetle's trunk! And, a Maclaren Quest and Volo (the only two Maclaren models I tried) will fit in a Beetle's trunk! Happy researching. :)

Now for the reporting:

In my my stroller rant, I ranted only from experience online in researching a new compact stroller. As I have come to see this afternoon, it's just as important to take your stroller for a test drive as a new car, because what looks great on paper isn't always the best when you hit the road!

I was almost about to order the Peg Perego Aria online, but I figured I'd better try it out just to make sure it really would fit in the trunk. We went to a very accomodating Babies "R" Us, where they let me put a bunch of expensive strollers in my car's trunk (with some collateral, of course). Here's what we tested, and what we found in the great Peg Perego Aria vs. Maclaren Quest stroller face-off!



Peg Perego Aria
Fits in the Beetle's trunk: yes!
With room to spare. It's short enough, but wide. At first I didn't think it would fit, but after tipping and turning it a few different ways, it easily had room. Whew!
Shade-providing canopy: yes!
In addition to fitting in the Beetle's trunk, the canopy is my favorite feature about this stroller. In fact, the awesome clamshell-folding canopy folds almost as far over as our larger Pliko P3, and that alone almost swayed me to buy this stroller immediately. It's simply the very best canopy I've seen for a compact stroller.

Reclining seat: yes!
Plus a bar across the seat, which Baby H likes to hold onto on his P3.

But now, the part that made me glad for a test drive...

Handling and feel: eh!
Compared to the vast majority of strollers out there, the Aria steers beautifully. BUT...the handles are a little too low for my 6'2" husband. The Aria's downfall for both of us: it feels cheap, and despite being sort of clunky, it doesn't feel substantial to us. Plus, even though it folds up lengthwise to fit in the Beetle's trunk, it's still a very bulky package. Even with the one-handed opening (a cool feature), I don't see being able to fold it up and pop onto the Disneyland parking lot tram in this in a hurry. And for a stroller, that's a real consideration!



Maclaren Quest
Fits in the Beetle's trunk: yes!
I don't quite understand the magic that happened here, because according to the online measurements I found, it shouldn't have worked. But it did. The neat thing about the Maclaren is that it sort of folds in half. The result: a stroller that not only fits in the Beetle's trunk, but leaves room for a couple bags of groceries, too! It's actually a bit longer than the Aria, but it's much less bulky because of the wheel placement, so I feel it's easier to handle, too.

Shade-providing canopy: eh!
This is the only feature that disappoints me, and it was originally SO important to me. There is a canopy, but it's pretty lame. I made the one in the store go forward, but I'm not sure it's supposed to do that! (Sorry, BRU.) I do not understand why such a well-designed stroller has a basically useless (unless the sun is directly overhead) canopy. Is it because England (where Maclaren is made) isn't as sunny as Italy (home of Peg Perego)? Perhaps. This is the sole feature that still leaves the Italian Peg Perego in contention. Maybe it's better to stick with a Medieterranean climate manufacturer where sun is concerned?

Reclining seat: yes!
Nice seat, but no lap bar. However, I like that the harness straps are actually poking through the seat; the Aria (and the Pliko P3)'s harness drives me nuts because it doesn't really attach to the seat; there's a teeny little hook it rests against, and that lasts about 30 seconds with Baby H craning to look around.

Handling and feel yes!
OK, so that's not really a yes-or-no kind of bullet point, but I swear I thought, "Yes!" when I set off for the test stroll. I like the angled handles (like my P3, but unlike the Aria's straight-bar, grocery-cart style handlebar), and they're mere inches higher than the Aria, but that's high enough for Brad to be more comfortable pushing it. Plus, even though it's a lightweight stroller, it feels substantial--the opposite of the Aria.

Brad's leaning toward the Maclaren, because of the height, the very sleek folding, and the fact that it can hold up to 55 lbs. while the Aria can only take up to 45 lbs. (Another curious fact, since the Aria is clunkier.) Plus, he wouldn't admit it, but I think the slicker look of the Maclaren swayed his vote, too.

I'm not decided just yet. I'm hoping that overnight, someone will invent a perfect blend of the Aria and the Quest, and give it to me and Baby H to take out for a test stroll.

Stroller Rant, or, Not Made for the Shade

I'm coming out of my temporary "Beetle and a Baby" hiatus to rant. It's time for some new wheels, and I'm having a heck of a time finding a good model.

I'm not talking about the Beetle, of course, but about a stroller!

I hate to see an umbrella stroller that has a dinky canopy plunked on top, doing absolutely nothing to shade the baby. It's also frustrating to see parents have to drape a beach towel over an otherwise beautifully designed, expensive stroller, just to get some shade.

I love our Peg Perego Pliko P3 because you can pull the canopy down all the way. I'll say that again: the sun shade actually provides shade!

But Baby H is almost a year old now, and I'm getting a little bit tired of stuffing the awesome (but not exactly petite) Pliko P3 stroller in and out of the Beetle. Once we get our new convertible carseat, which I'm not even sure will fit in the Beetle (more on that to come), I think my stroller-stuffing will only become more of a problem.

So, I want a compact umbrella stroller. With a good sun shade. No problem, right?

After hours of Googling, I am dismayed I can't seem to find a stroller with these features:

* Lightweight umbrella style
* Tilting or moveable sun shade/canopy/hood
* Under about 35" (about the size that might fit in the Beetle's trunk)
* Reclining seat

I thought I was saved when I found the Peg Perego Si. Finally, an umbrella stroller with a sunshade that pulls down to actually provide some shade! Here's a great review from Stroller Queen that shows off the shade. Yes!

But, alas, here's where I can see why people go out and buy minivans: this thing is still too big to fit in the Beetle's trunk. It's basically the same length (40") as our primary Peg Perego stroller. Foiled again!

Maclaren Quest Mod in black (love those apples!)

I'm thinking of getting a Maclaren Volo (although that has no reclining seat option) or Maclaren Quest Mod (because it's pretty), and then buying an ugly attachable sunshade like the ones from Protect-a-Bub. I also like that Uppababy G-Lite, because it's stylish and so temptingly lightweight. OK, and because "Uppababy" is really fun to say.

But despite their style and other features, these strollers still don't have a sun shade that offers any protection when walking toward the sun.

Then again, there is this option for Maclaren:



Brad says a parasol is too girly. Brad, let's just call it an umbrella and call it a day. (Although it does pose the question...why not just make a sun shade that works, instead of inventing an umbrella to attach to the stroller?)

Buying new carseats, buying a new stroller...I feel like it's a year ago all over again! Only this time, at least I can give Baby H a hung and see him smile...no matter what he's riding in.

My favorite baby-related books for grown-ups

About pregnancy (mostly):
Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, from Preconception to Postpartum by Tracy Gaudet, MD, and Paula Spencer

What I liked: I wish I had this book before becoming pregnant, but I'm glad I discovered it at all! I really like its positive approach to pregnancy (I'm giving you a shuddering glance, What to Expect When You're Expecting. Thank goodness you didn't even make it home from the library!). This book gives medical info, but gives equal space to your spirit and how your body feels. It offers exercises for your soul. Reading that makes it sound dippy, but I loved it and I don't think I would have "talked" with my baby nearly as often without it--and since that was probably my favorite part of being pregnant, I owe this book a lot!

What I didn't like: The way the exercises are explained could be improved. They're explained once, and then are referred to; I'd like it better if there was an appendix with all the exercises, so at least I could look in one spot, instead of leafing through trying to find the first mention of an exercise. (Or maybe there was an easier way, but my pregnancy brain didn't find it!)

Perfect Hormone Balance for Pregnancy by Robert Greene, MD, and Laurie Tarkan

What I liked: This book emphasizes feeling great while pregnant because of your powerful, wonderous hormones. And since pregnancy (and life) is all about your hormones being in balance, it's pretty important. It was good to refer to, and more fun than a book on hormones might sound.

What I didn't like: I still gained too much weight while pregnant, even though I thought I was following the program pretty well! As a lacto-ovo vegetarian, it was easy to follow for me--or maybe I still messed it up. But I felt great while pregnant most of the time, so something was working.

A Child Is Born by Lennart Nisson

What I didn't like: This is exactly the kind of book I never would have looked at before becoming pregnant. For one thing, the title is a little deceptive: I thought it was going to be all graphic photos of actually giving birth.

What I liked: But to my relief, it's almost all photos of babies developing in the womb. Now, I still wouldn't have been interested pre-pregnancy, but when it was actually happening to me I was fascinated by it!

I loved the BabyCenter weekly update e-mails, of course--Brad and my friends at work would all try to guess what bit of produce would be the comparison for the baby's size that week--but when I didn't want to imagine the baby as a turnip or a honeydew, I would look at this book.


In preparation for baby (mostly):
The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby by Laura Wattenberg (also the accompanying websites, all based on the info from the book: Nymbler, Your Personal Name Assistant, Baby Name Voyager, and the Nymbler blog.

What I liked: As a writer, I'm always intrigued by names: how authors choose their names and why. I had a hard enough time picking my characters' names for Disneylanders--how would Brad and I ever decide on TWO baby names (since we weren't finding out the baby's sex, we needed at least two great names!).

These sites were the ones that helped me the most--and were the most fun! Unlike every other baby name book I've seen, The Baby Name Wizard and Nymbler give you name suggestions based on the "feeling" or "style" of names you already like. I don't know how it works, but I think most of the time, it does! This is fun for parents and writers, too.

What I didn't like: It's a huge time-suck. I would get drawn into the books/websites and not emerge again for two hours. Also, sometimes the suggestions weren't right on, or I disagreed with them. And, the funniest thing: the name we chose didn't come from the book! Although I think I was reading the book when I came across our grandfathers' names, and thought, hmm.... So maybe the book still gets some credit.

Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care by Alan Greene, MD, Jeanette Pavani, and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo

What I liked: I referred to this book all the time when we were deciding what to buy. Plus, it supported me in what I already felt was right (sort of the theme with all of these books!).

What I didn't like: There are some scary factoids about non-eco-friendly materials. It makes life more complicated because Babies "R" Us doesn't always carry the most eco-friendly items (although they're improving). But I think doing the homework and shopping around is well worth it. (And my baby now has nicer cradle and crib mattresses than I do!)

About baby (mostly):
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, MD

What I liked: I think the ultimate "gift of sleep" baby shower bundle (other than a live-in nanny) would be the Happiest Baby on the Block, the Miracle Blanket, and a white-noise machine. This book is essential for understanding how to calm a newborn baby (under three months old). In short: recreate the womb environment. For how to do that: read the book. (Also, this swaddling technique was the best we found for normal (i.e., non Miracle) blankets.

What I didn't like: The author often repeats the same advice. It's very repetitive. The book has much of the same information throughout. (Haha.) But, this could be a benefit for the seriously sleep-deprived!

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by a whole bunch of Sears family doctors/nurses

What I like: At one of newborn Henry's first visits, our doctor asked me what I thought my parenting style was. (Um, sleepy?) I told her I thought I'd be more hippy-dippy about things than scheduled, which I think is still true. She recommended this book to me, and it was a great fit, for the most part. It's all about attachment parenting, so it's very pro- breastfeeding, cosleeping, baby wearing, and baby-led routines; it's not for people looking for a cry-it-out, "sleep training" approach.

What I don't like: When breastfeeding didn't work out for me, I found little to ease my guilt about stopping in this book. A huge amount of Sears advice involves breastfeeding. Although I must say, they do throw in the occasional paragraph about making the best decisions for you and your family, etc., one paragraph after a whole chapter's worth of breastfeeding's benefits doesn't really help. I now just try to gloss over any mentions of breastfeeding and appreciate the rest of the advice.

The Vaccine Book by another Sears family doctor

What I like: It's got all the medical information you need, presented in what I think is an objective manner, and is even kind of funny! Plus, it's super short compared to the massive Baby Book, so it's not that intimidating. The alternative vaccination schedule in the back makes it worth the price alone.

What I don't like: Again, there's the breastfeeding talk, but I understand why it's relevant.

Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent by Meredith Small, anthropologist

What I like: I'm still reading this one, but it's fascinating. It's about ethnopediatrics--how different cultures raise their babies, and how that might differ from what's actually best for babies.

I think it's a great coincidence that, while I am reading this book, Baby Henry has taken to using his soft "baseball bat" toy--he loves to swing it around, and sometimes even hit the little squishy ball! Brad said he looks like a "cave baby" with a club. This book reminds me that that's exactly what he is.

It reminds me of the line in Jurassic Park, where Dr. Sattler says that the newly recreated dinosaurs have no idea what century they're living in. It's the same for newborns. Good to keep in mind.

What I don't like: I think you'll sense a pattern that I have residual formula-feeding qualms. This book's "eating" chapter doesn't make it better. The author flat-out says that one of my main problems with breastfeeding does not exist. I need to finish reading the whole thing, though.

On the list with a big asterisk
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, MD

What I don't like: Honestly, I don't feel comfortable with most of what the author suggests. I think it could be very valuable if you're into sleep training, though. But this book is on the list because...

What I like: I learned a HUGELY important nugget of wisdom from this book that I haven't seen in any other baby books (and I've currently got more than 25 of them): Young babies generally get sleepy after they've been awake for two hours. Try to put them down for a nap in sync with their natural rhythms, and life will be much more pleasant for everyone. Talk about a revelation! Yes, indeed.

Those are my tops, but I'm sure I'll think of 10 more to add to the list as soon as I hit "publish." If I do, I'll make a new post.

And, if you're interested in my favorite baby books for babies, check out my new blog: Pat the Blog!

My favorite baby things

In the spirit of Oprah, I thought I would put together a list of some of my favorite things that I loved while I was pregnant, and that I've loved since having Baby Henry. (Although unlike Oprah, I will not be giving any of these away to my audience!)

My favorite things during pregnancy:

Bra extender
OK, this isn't a very glamorous start to the list, but it's got to be, penny for penny, the best investment I made in clothing while pregnant! I got an extender for less than a dollar at Macy's (is it even possible to get anything else for less than a dollar at a department store?) and I used it constantly while pregnant and even after, while I was rapidly fluctuating between sizes. Lingerie department employees always seem to hate bra extenders, saying they mean your bra isn't really the right size--but really, when your size is changing every other day during pregnancy and after delivery, do you really want to invest in a new bra each week?

Bella band
This stretchy strip let me wear my pre-baby jeans a little bit longer. It's a great idea--and much like the bra extender, means you get a little extra use out of your pre-pregnancy clothing.

Ann Taylor Loft Maternity
Other than the bra-strap extender, my black maternity dress pants from Ann Taylor Loft were the best thing I bought. They were more expensive, yes--about $78, if I remember right--but I swear I wore them at least three times a week all during my pregnancy, and for way too long after! (I tried to find a link to the site, but it's down right now--poop.)

No- and Low-VOC paints
There are many brands to choose from now--it's important for a pregnant mom and baby, and really, for everyone pregnant or not. Offgassing stinks. (Haha.)

Z Recommends
Essential for checking out bottles, toys, pacifiers, anything you might register for, for BPA, phthalates, lead, and other toxicity issues.

Skin Deep: Cosmetics Database
I used Skin Deep before pregnancy, because I wanted to see what was in the products I was using, if the companies tested on animals, and what the safest products were. When I was pregnant, I researched for new shampoos, deodorants, makeup, skin care, and, of course, baby products with new zeal. I still refer to it all the time before buying a new product for Henry (or me).

My favorite things for baby:

Miracle Blanket swaddling wrap
This has been--and still is--indispensable for us. Henry busted out of every other swaddling blanket we tried--the "SwaddleMe," with its Velco, lasted all of about two minutes, even when he was a tiny newborn. We swaddled him with just receiving blankets ourselves (following The Happiest Baby on the Block's swaddling instructions) for his first month. Then I discovered the Rookie Moms' awesome registry tips, and they recommended the Miracle Blanket--and that's exactly what it is. Henry still loves to be swaddled in it at seven months old.

Angelcare motion monitor
My fellow Beetle Mom recommended this monitor to me while I was pregnant, but I thought I wouldn't need it. "Hey, it can't be good feng shui to have a movement pad underneath my baby, right?" Haha. You know what's not good for energy flow? Not being able to sleep because you're so anxious about your baby breathing. Thank goodness for this amazing bit of technology.

The sensor pad goes underneath the cradle/crib mattress, and is so sensitive, it detects the baby's movement (i.e., breathing). On our "deluxe" version, you can adjust the remote unit's settings so it only sounds if your baby makes noise at a certain level (so you don't have to hear static all the time). And I love the temperature reading (and setting so the alarm will sound if the temp drops or rises more than your settings).

We actually had Henry in our bed for the first several weeks, in the also excellent (and recommended by Beetle Mom) Snuggle Nest. I love the Snuggle Nest, too. When Henry started wiggling out of it, though, and we moved him to the cradle next to our bed, this monitor saved what was left of my sanity.

The first night using this monitor, I slept deeply enough that I had my first post-baby dreams. That's worth the price right there.

Snuggle Nest
I applaud cosleeping if it works for everyone involved--and by "works," I mean "everyone gets some rest." But when Henry was brand-new, I was too anxious to sleep next to him "loose." The Snuggle Nest saved me--he could be close to his parents, but I could rest easy knowing he was tucked in his own little "nest." (Thanks, Brooke!)

Spa Baby tub
I remember seeing this years ago online, and laughing at how funny it was. The babies were in buckets! But when the high-tech tub we registered for didn't fit in our kitchen sink, I traded technology for what is essentially a bucket...and my baby and I loved it! (Henry's even on the Spa Baby photo gallery page: http://www.spababytubs.com/gallery/)

In the Spa Baby bucket! I mean, tub.

Motherlove nipple cream
Again, it doesn't sound glamorous, but this is the best! For one thing, it checks out on the Cosmetics Database. For another, my lactation consultant (yes, Rebecca, it's a real job!), loved that I had this. And even after I gave up breastfeeding, I still use the cream on any skin rash Henry gets, and it works fabulously. I got mine at Whole Foods.

California Baby skin and bath products
Again, great rating on the Cosmetics Database for most products--the Super Sensitive bath wash and lotion are great for brand-new skin. And no fragrance! (I know, the Burt's Bee's Baby Bee stuff smells sooo good--and I do use it sometimes because of that--but California Baby works better for Henry's skin.) And...even my local Target sells California Baby! Let's hear it for Target!

Ergo Carrier
The Baby Bjorn was good, until Henry doubled his birth weight. Then my back protested. And then I got the Ergo Carrier (from http://www.myfavoritebabycarrier.com/, because they offer a free trial period--very important!). I can't carry him for hours, but it certainly makes shopping a lot easier on me and my back! (The only drawback: Henry can't face outward, which he enjoyed in the Baby Bjorn. But he seems to like snuggling up to me and peeking, anyway.)

BabyLegs
I love Baby Legs! They're adorable, they're fun to coordinate with outfits, and they're practical: changing a diaper on a wriggly baby is much easier without the extra step of getting pants on and off. Plus, I'm planning on wearing the very soft, extra long organic Baby Legs on my arms after Henry's done with them! (One problem with those fuzzy organic Legs, though: they seem to shed fuzz everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE on a baby!) I get mine at http://www.mom4life.com/, a shop that only carries mom-created products.

Flame Baby Legs + Elvis jumpsuit

Seventh Generation wipes
I love Seventh Generation stuff in general, but even if you're not especially into them, these wipes are great because they're not too wet. Some we tried are just soaking wet and don't feel good to me.

Speesees bibs
So, I like a lot of cute baby clothes and bibs (those are posts in and of themselves!). But I had to mention Speesees because they're so soft, they're so big, they're stylish (important, since Henry wears a bib constantly because of major teething drooling), and they work. Oh, and they have snaps at the back instead of Velcro, which scratches his poor little neck.

Combi play yard
Combi makes great-looking, sleek stuff, and I would love to recommend so many products, but some of them have had sound problems. Until I get them resolved, I'm just going to recommend the (silent) play yard. It's cool, but also totally portable, even coming with a tidy little bag that it really folds up in nicely. I don't mind walking through a hotel lobby carrying this thing.


Baby's favorite things:
Henry likes a lot of the above. (And for some reason, always wants to eat the California Baby creams.) He also likes many things that cost nothing, such as chewing on his own fingers and ours! But here are a few more things:

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
I don't like for him to jump too long in this every day, because (like the Baby Bjorn, too), I'm a little worried about what the suspended seat might be doing to his boy parts. But man, he LOVES to jump in this toy! It's been his favorite thing to do for months. He also loves to chew on the weirdly floppy dragonfly toy, spin the gecko toy, and look at the flashing lights.

Enjoying the Jumperoo

Honestly, I was a little skeptical about this at first. In Elisha Cooper's charming, hilarious, and touching book, Crawling: A Father's First Year, he refers to some baby toys as being like Las Vegas and Atlantic City--all gaudy flashy things that don't go with his place's minimalist decor. But, like his kid, my baby LOVES this thing, and so I love it too and even like seeing it in my living room now. It's at the point where, on a recent visit to Target, I saw the "new" model of the Rainforest Jumperoo and exclaimed, "Ooh, the new one's out!" and rushed over to examine it. (Mostly the same as ours, but curvier and sleeker-looking.)

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio black-and-white dot carseat
Speaking of good-looking items, I like it, strangers like it, our doctor likes it, and, most importantly, Henry likes it! He still loves looking at and touching the white dots.

Good luck, expectant moms! And happy shopping. :)

The swingin'est baby boy clothes!

If I were a guy, I would wear retro-styled bowling shirts, hipster T-shirts and jeans, and all the tiki stuff I could find. (As a female, however, I don't think the aloha shirts tend to flatter me.)

But, the universe solved my dilemma by giving me an adorable baby boy, who I can dress and will contentedly smile and coo at me no matter what he's wearing! And he's going to be wearing some awesome threads!

Tiki shirt and plaid shorts from Georgie World. Details below.

The one problem with dressing a baby boy, I've noticed, is that there simply aren't as many cute boy clothes to choose from in stores. Or even as many clothes, period. If you visit a baby clothing shop in any mall, I predict the store will be set up to appear to have half girl clothes and half boy clothes. But you may notice that, sneakily, the register and check-out display is on the "boy" side of the store--meaning no clothes can be displayed there. And if there are tables in the center of the store, girl clothes fill them up. So the boys are really getting maybe a third of the store for themselves.

In many ways, this is probably a good thing for my bank account. Girl clothes are irresistably cute. Even the tacky ones are often way more stylish and cute than the boys' offerings.

So I am indebted to Cool Mom Picks for running a Q&A highlighting their past reviews of boys' baby clothing retailers. I literally could not order fast enough from Georgie World!

The backside of some impossibly charming boy shorts.

Tiki shirts! Bowling shirts! Retro cuteness! I love it all. And I ordered big, so hopefully Baby Henry will be able to grow into the clothes and get maximum use out of them.



I'm pretty sure that between visiting Janie and Jack yesterday (which has all-encompassing cute clothing, even if the boys get less retail space than the girls) and Baby Gap, for some retro T's (courtesy of a much-appreciated gift card), Henry will be better-dressed than me for a while. And I am totally fine with that!

JunkFood at BabyGap Beatles T-shirt

Photo from BonittoKid, since it's no longer on the J&J website. But from BonittoKid, I just noticed another older J&J design, a parrot T-shirt! Oh man.

In conclusion:

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." -- Mae West

The Beetle gets no respect (but that's OK with me)

Brad is officially able to drive again, having passed doctors' exams, the DMV's requirements, and his wife's own ambiguous requirements. This means it was back to me and the Beetle again. (Of course, I could well have driven the Beetle the whole time, anyway, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it, knowing there's a new Prius sitting around.)

Anyway, Henry and I piled into the car today, and I was completely surprised by how HEAVY the Beetle felt. Motor Trend says the curb weight (whatever that means) of the 2003 New Beetle is 2,961 lbs., and that the curb weight of the 2008 Prius is 2,932 lbs.--practically the same. But the Beetle drives like I imagine one of those old cars in film noir movies would, the cars that are always plunging into rivers or racing trains or that sort of thing. I think it's a good thing in a car, personally. (The heft, not the charging-into-rivers part.)


How I might imagine the Beetle: 1946 Packard from Old Car and Truck Pictures

Anyway, I navigated onto the main thoroughfare, feeling like I was driving a boat, and was promptly cut off, and then someone drove about 2 feet behind the Beetle's cute little rear for a while. Well, that's more like it. I'm back in the Beetle again. And I'm happy to be there, even if it doesn't command respect. At least I can be comfortable in the driver's seat!

Trying on your car

So, as some of you know, Brad was in a car accident in our 2007Prius a couple of months ago. The old Prius really took one for the team, as they say, and is no longer with us, but thank God, the universe, the airbags, total luck, and anything else that played a role, Brad came out of the accident perfectly fine. The Prius was a mess, but it did its job, and we had no hesitation to buy another one, exactly the same (only in a slightly different shade of blue). And, it's definitely fun to have a brand-new car!

2008 Prius in Spectra Blue Mica (our color, Toyota's picture. That's not us hopping out of the car at a chic hotel--if it were, we'd be lugging around a lot more stuff! LOL)

Actually, since Brad hasn't been able to drive, he hasn't even gotten to drive the new car (which is no fun for him!).

(Let me take this opportunity to give a public-service announcement about voluntarilly waiting a few minutes after receiving a new vaccine for the first time to make sure your body responds well to it!)

Brad will be able to drive again in a couple of weeks, but so far, I've been the only driver of the new car, and the Beetle's been mostly sitting in the garage. Although I'm a fan of saving gas, and the Prius's four doors certainly make it easier to hoist Henry around, I have to say that I'm looking forward to mostly driving the Beetle again.

The Beetle is a good fit for me--and I don't just mean in looks or "personality." I mean in the way I sit in the car, it is vastly more comfortable for me than the Prius.

I love the Prius. It's a testament to how much I love it that, knowing that the driver's seat is uncomfortable for me, we still got another one! (OK, so it's intended to be Brad's car, so my driving comfort didn't really matter that much. It's just an odd circumstance that I happen to be driving it exclusively right now.)

But that darn seat makes my shoulders and back hurt and my arms tingle if I drive it more than a couple of hours a day. (And, alas, in traffic and if I'm dropping off Brad and picking him up, that could be over 3 hours of driving!) And the crazy thing is that, at least on the 2007 and 2008 models, I cannot figure out how to really adjust the seat or the wheel satisfactorally. The rental car we had for a while had fancy automatic tilt adjustments and everything--it was awesome. The Prius, for all of its futuristic features, has a seat that's stuck in the Stone Age. I really hope they change that in the 2010 model.

Fred's car has more seat adjustments than our Prius offers (by the way, I found this photo at a funny account of driving a Smart Car).

The weird thing about the seat is that it's not something I would ever have noticed on a test drive, because it only bothers me when I've been driving for a long time. The passenger seat, by the way, is totally comfortable. It's something about the position of the seat, pedals, and steering wheel that's all wrong for me.

Anyway, my point in all of this is that whatever our next car might be, however far in the future, I'm going to try and rent the car and drive it for a week before buying it.

Fortunately, Henry doesn't seem to care what car he's riding in--he's happy to look out the window, play with toys, and usually fall asleep! I think that despite the seat issues and the accident, we're having pretty good automotive luck overall (knocking on my Ikea wood desk). Getting from A to B safely, and even happily with a 5-month-old, is good enough for me.

Safe furniture

It's been a while since the last post, and a lot has changed: I left my job to stay home with Henry full-time, and we have been having a great time together! (But I admit, I am always really glad when Brad gets home from work and I have another grown-up to talk to.) Henry is 5 months old, a real little person, and he cracks me up.



I love his sweet smile and laugh, and he happens to laugh a lot while on our beloved changing table.

So, today, I am scouting out more adorable organic baby clothing (Speesees brand, if you're wondering) online, and I come across news that says there are high levels of formaldehyde in products by the manufacturer of our changing table/dresser combo.

This is our dresser, only ours is in black. It's the Jardine Olympia combo unit.

That article lists the biggest offenders of formaldehyde emissions, and our changing table/dresser combo isn't on there. But does that mean it's safe?

With our carpets, and builder's paint on the walls, and curtains bought with "eco-friendly, energy-saving" thermal backing (that I now realize is made of PVC), and various cheap furniture throughout our house, I know there's more off-gassing happening than I'd like to think about. Hopefully we can change that one piece of furniture at a time.

But I was hoping for the baby's room to have as fresh a start as possible, to have at least one room in the whole house that was "safe." It ticks me off that it's not as safe as I thought--and that these manufacturers have been selling their products knowing what they contain and not warning consumers. And it ticks me off that we've got a solid wood piece of furniture that cost upward of $400 and it might still be unsafe!

Of course, I'd rather not re-buy a different piece of furniture. Then again, I'd also rather not wonder constantly just how "low" the levels of toxic chemicals are. I hate that parents even have to wonder about the safety of products--but I'm really glad that there are people out there watching out for this, and making the companies change.

I hope that if Henry decides to have kids, he won't have to worry about the chemicals in baby food, bottles, clothing, furniture, or homes. I'm sure parents will always worry. But hopefully it won't be about something that should get fixed now, at the turn of the century. I'm very proud to live in a state that's a leading force in making that happen.

Beetle and a baby-carrier

Despite my previous post's wonderings about the implications of genetic testing, I am still also concerned with the more pressing matter of getting around town with Henry in the Beetle. I love looking in my rearview mirror and seeing Henry's reflection in his own little backseat mirror. He seems to like looking around, out the back window, and he still loves to snooze while I'm driving.

The only problem is actually getting him into the car. As of 4 months of being a parent, I maintain that it's doable to have a Beetle and a baby--but I now realize that bench-presses really should have been and important part of my pre-baby planning!

So, I have a Peg Perego 2007 Primo Viaggo car seat (in "revi black"--white dots on a black background. Henry LOVES looking at the dots!). There's room for the car seat in the back of my 2003 New Beetle--it's just hoisting it back there that is the challenge with the 2-door Beetle (OK, it's a hatchback, so techincally it's 3 doors. But you know what I mean.)

I just surmised a probably unscientific weight for the carseat. (weighed myself, then held the carseat and weighed us both, found the difference. Makes sense, right?) I determined that the carseat, by itself, weighs 10.4 pounds.

Henry now weighs about 15 pounds (using the same method). No wonder my back's sore! That's 25 pounds of baby + baby-protection I'm manuevering past the folded front seat and into the back!

Sometimes, I opt to crawl into the backseat and place or retrieve Henry from the carseat, instead of taking the whole thing out. I think that will be my new preferred method...unless he's sleeping. Then I will hoist him, carseat and all, until my muscles completely give out, rather than wake him up!

So, it's very possible to travel with the baby and the carseat in the back of the Beetle. But I am starting to see (or feel, I should say) the intrigue of the less stylish but easily accessible minivan (or a lighter-weight car seat)!

Not that I'm trading in the Beetle any time soon, or opting for a lighter carseat, either. (Although it would have been nice if this seat could have been stylish, safe, AND lightweight. I guess I'll settle for safe and stylish, though.) Besides, Henry clearly appreciates the mod look of it, and for now, that's worth some heavy lifting. We'll see if my back agrees with my aesthetics.

jeans and genes

I tried to find some decent-fitting pants today, as Brad wandered Ann Taylor with Henry, looking wide-eyed at all the bright and sparkly holiday clothes, and very happy facing out (finally!) in the Baby Bjorn. I was unsuccessful in finding any jeans (or other pants) that were better than the maternity pants I was currently wearing. So yes, I am still wearing maternity pants!

Anyway, after Henry was sleeping soundly tonight (maybe dreaming of colors and shapes he'd never seen until visiting today's Christmas-decorated mall!), Brad and I settled onto the couch to watch DVR'd shows we'd been meaning to catch up on. Brad fell asleep almost instantly (he got up with Henry last night so I could sleep some more!). I, having had a nap AND a Frappucino this afternoon, took this as a sign it was a good time to watch my recorded Oprah of the day.

One of the topics of today's show was 23 and me, a company that seems to make it shockingly easy to find out all about your genetic history and predisposition to traits and diseases. It was like I was suddenly watching a sci-fi movie. But it was just Oprah.

It's amazing to me that you can get this information for $399. I know it's a lot of money, but you'd have this information about yourself for the rest of your life--and maybe the information you get could make your life better. Or not.

I didn't opt to do any genetic testing while I was pregnant. The only condition I was concerned with, due to a slight family history, was one I'd had the test done long ago for anyway, and I wasn't a carrier. I just didn't really want to know any more. And, as crazy as this sounds, not only did I not want to find out the baby's sex before it was born, but I started to think--toward the end, after having many ultrasounds--that maybe I shouldn't even be getting so many ultrasounds. Maybe it's not good to intrude on what's still a mystery. (OK, they were necessary for health reasons, so of course I would have gotten them. And I did like peeking in on the baby. But I started to feel a little weird about it.)

But, I'm still interested in the concept of this DIY genome kit.

Maybe the difference now has to do with wanting to protect myself and my family however I can--and now that we're all here, if I find out I have a likely chance of getting, say, osteoporosis, I could make myself and future children eat a lot of organic milk. (Or whatever could help prevent that.) You get the idea.

On the other hand, percentages are not guarantees, and maybe learning there's a good chance of a certain condition would only make you focus on the negative, and be afraid of it. I don't know. How could you know if the results would make you confident or worried?

It is undeniably, crazilly futuristic, though. I am still impressed at the amazingness of e-mail or IM, sometimes (seriously!). So this just blows my mind.

I wonder what kind of traits it tells you. I'm sure it covers many diseases, but what else? Can it delve into nature-vs.-nurture topics, like "natural" talents or skills?

I don't know if I'd ever do the test. But it's pretty intriguing to know I could. And it would really take the family tree concept to a whole new level.

On the town

Henry, the Beetle, and I have been getting out a little bit more--mostly using our feet (and the stroller), but also driving around.

Ready for a trip!

I took Henry to my office for the first time (well, the first time when my coworkers were actually there), and he provided me with the very educational experience of changing my first diaper in the trunk of the Beetle. It was just loaded with experience.

Then, when I had the diaper changed and my baby was smiling at me from the trunk of my car, and I was feeling quite pleased, he peed before I could get the new diaper on him. Another learning experience.

And yet another, more embarrassing one (for me, anyway) this afternoon:

I venture to Target, just me and Henry. He is a dear and doesn't even make a peep the whole time we're in the store, even though he wakes up halfway through our trip. I get to checkout, manage to have a little bit of conversation with the checker and the person in line behind me, pay for everything, and stride confidently to the doors. A great trip! I am so satisfied with myself. Then I hear, "Ma'am!" and turn to see all of my purchases in bags, waiting for me at checkout.

I thought I was doing much better on sleep, but apparently not.

(As a side note, as the checker is yelling, "Ma'am!" and waving me down, I turn and some guy next to me says, "Your shirt." I looked down and saw nothing wrong with my shirt, so who knows what was going on there. I actually don't want to know.)

Just when I start to feel like I've got it together, another "learning experience" pops up and makes me feel that having it all together is a hopeless endeavor. I think I just have to be glad that Henry and I both ended up successfully buying things and getting them home, without either of us crying. And that at least if I had to forget something on the shopping trip, it wasn't Henry.

Adventuring out: Beetle, baby, and me

Henry is now 2 months old, and my post-baby posts have been, um, a little sparse. As I'm returning to feeling more like myself again (or at least, a version of myself who can live on a lot less sleep), I hope this will improve!

But we have now had some adventures out of the house!

I admit, I haven't had the guts yet to face my ultimate fear: going to the grocery store with Henry by myself. I just can't quite get over the thought of having my cart loaded up with frozen food, only to have Henry start screaming uncontrollably. Then I have to decide: do I rush out of the store as fast as I can (what I would want to do), but leaving my cart abandoned? Or do I try to get it together, calm him down in the store, and finish the shopping trip? (The latter is more reasonable sounding, but a lot scarier!)

Anyway, I have at least ventured, just me and Henry, to the next most terrifying public place: the mall. This trip required the stroller. But I can now say, from personal experience, that you can fit a baby in a carseat AND a stroller into a Beetle...but it's not gracefully done (by me, anyway).

The only way I can get the stroller to fit is by putting it in the back seat next to Henry. And that involves either hoisting it in through the trunk, or angling the thing in through my driver's side door. Both are difficult. I should have taken up weight lifting!

On the other hand, I have to say, I felt greatly accomplished when I did manage to do this and stroll around with my baby out amongst other actual people. I felt like a pro. (That is, after I realized that I couldn't take the escalators with the stroller and had to locate the elevators in the parking garage to actually get into the mall.)

A much easier feat is going on a walk in the park. This excludes the Beetle from the fun, but it does save gas!

Henry on our first walk, just the two of us.

[EDIT: The sun shade is down only for photographic purposes...he's safely covered up during the walk!]

Ready to roll

Our baby arrived--exactly one month ago today!

Henry at 4 weeks old

Henry Carter was born on July 16 at 5:57 a.m. in Davis. We had a safe and fairly quick labor--so quick that we even surprised the nurses at the hospital when we returned so soon after they sent us home. In fact, if we'd stuck to the recommendation to stay home and monitor the contractions, as Brad's coworker Jennifer has pointed out, I would have had a REALLY interesting blog entry--since I might have delievered the baby in the car on the way to the hospital!

Fortunately, all turned out very well, and Henry is healthy and keeping us more busy than I ever thought possible. Well, maybe "busy" isn't quite the right word--"constantly attentive," perhaps?

It's much harder than I ever expected to be a parent. I didn't think it would be easy, of course--but it was impossible for me, pre-baby, to know the feeling of being "on call" 24/7. Unlike other jobs, you can't exactly tell the baby, "I'm sorry, my shift is over." Well, you could tell him that, but it probably won't matter!

Henry is a very sweet baby, though he seems to have the patience of Donald Duck--he's very easygoing and content until something sets him off, and then he's got a few seconds until he blows! Fortunately, he calms down pretty quickly. And he's adorable. Even when he's screaming (depending on my mental state), I think he's pretty cute--his mouth is just all gums!

Today, on his one-month birthday, he took his very first car trip in the Beetle. Brad expertly installed the second car seat base into it last night, and we all went out today on a big adventure--to Babies "R" Us, where we had to argue a bit about their strict return policy (before they let us do what we wanted, thank goodness--I think Henry's well-timed crying outburst might have given us an advantage), and to my office, where I retrieved most of the plants at my desk so that Rebecca isn't more burdened than necessary with caring for them while I'm gone.

Henry seems to like the car, and his carseat, and he likes to move.

Henry likes to move even when he's laying down--he's batting toys and scooting!

When we've ventured out in the car previously, we took the Prius, and I sat in the backseat with Henry while Brad drove. Today, we had to take the Prius to get repaired (more on that below), so we each took a car to the repair shop. I peeked at Henry in the mirror many, many times--although I couldn't really do much while driving when I saw his little head had fallen sideways in what looked like an uncomfortable position! But I also couldn't do much to console him when he started crying at every stoplight. Once we got moving, though, he quieted instantly. He's got the need for speed. Guess he got used to that on our daily commute!

As for the Prius's repairs: As you might know, last week I went on my first outing by myself in six weeks (having been put on modified bedrest for high blood pressure for about three weeks, pre-Henry's considerate early arrival, and then having been on my own self-induced house stay after he was born). It was great. It had been so long since I'd driven myself anyplace that I felt like I did when I first got my driver's license!

I'd had such a fun outing (to acupuncture) in the morning that I thought I'd go on another one, down the street to the store, in the afternoon. I took the Prius that time--and am blaming what happened next on a severe lack of sleep. I didn't pull the car far enough into the garage when I got back--and closed the garage door on the Prius's bumper!

So, I insisted we pay for the Prius to get fixed ASAP. I could not stand to see the Prius's shiny bumper all scratched up knowing that I made such a silly mistake!

Thankfully, today's outing went much more smoothly. As we were driving home, it was surreal and wonderful to see my usually empty backseat filled up with my new little family: Brad and Henry. And a lot of plants.

Well rounded

...and I'm not talking about the Beetle!

Me at 34 weeks