My Review of Bumkins 3-Pack SuperBib- Boy’s Assortment

Posted on by Becky

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

Package of 3 adorable SuperBibs made of Bumkins’ proprietary waterproof fabric. It features a catch-all pocket and has a VELCRO® brand closure. Stain and odor resistant. Measures 10″ across, 9″ from neck down. Sized to fit 3 months – 2+ years. PVC, Phthalate & Vinyl Free. Made in the US…

AMAZING bib!! All toddler moms need one!

By 2Under2 on 8/25/2008
5out of 5

Pros: Stain Resistant, Comfortable, Sturdy Construction, Easily Stowed, Appropriate size, Washes Easily

Cons: I can’t think of any cons

Best Uses: Protect Clothing, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: Parent of Two or More Children

Who reviews BIBS, right?!?! So you KNOW these must be incredible! As a mom who is OCD about her kids getting food on their clothes, I have to say I have found the answer to that problem!! For infants I used the Carters Dribble Happy Waterproof bibs, but once your child is in the high chair eating solids on his own, you need something bigger!
My toddler doesn’t like the huge bibs with sleeves, but this one is acceptable.:-) The material is soft–like cloth–and yet waterproof! My toddler has been unable to stain it (with tomato sauce, popsicles, whatever!). You can wash it off after each meal and it will be dry by the next! Or you can throw it in the washer! The pocket ACTUALLY CATCHES food that falls! but crumbs do not get stuck in the seams (which is one of my beefs with a lot of bibs this style). Plus the fabric pattern is cute & trendy. You really only need one or two bibs, because they’re so easy to wash! When you consider the quality and how often you will use it, even a frugal shopper like me will be buying only the best toddler bib! BUMKINS!!!

(legalese)

My Review of Fisher-Price 900MHZ Long Distance Monitor

Posted on by Becky

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

The 900MHz Long Distance Monitor from Fisher-Price® features a small, edgy design that makes the receiver very portable. The transmitter features a night light which is perfect for your baby’s nursery. The 900MHz allows for a long reaching 900 feet of range and 4 channels to avoid static in tra…

Crystal clear signal/sound! 4 Channels!

By 2Under2 on 8/25/2008
4out of 5

Pros: Reliable, Good Range, Clear Signal, Great Features, User Friendly, Multiple Channels, Simple

Cons: Poor Battery Life

Best Uses: Infants, Toddlers, Sleep, Preemies, Naps, Newborns, Remote Monitoring

Describe Yourself: Parent of Two or More Children, Parent of a preemie

I have a 20-month-old daughter and a preemie baby boy, living in a rowhome in the city. This monitor is great! There are 4 channels, so when you get interference (inevitable in the city, especially w so many houses packed in so little space), you can always switch to another channel. The sound is crystal clear, like the child is in the same room! It picks up any little sound, even my little guy sucking his paci! or my daughter’s nasal congestion!! In buying a monitor, I wanted one with lights AND sounds, because sometimes I don’t want to hear all the baby noises, but I want to be able to glance over and see if they’re making noise. The nightlight is fine–I don’t really care if it has one or not–mostly my daughter likes to turn it off & on. The batteries never seem to last long, so I usually just plug it in whereever I’m going to be, and only occasionally use it with the batteries. Would definitely recommend it!

(legalese)

“How Rich Is My Condition . . .”

Posted on by Becky

? When my heart is lonely, discouraged, or melancholy, the truths of the great hymns of the past speak peace to my soul.

“Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” by Henry Francis Lyte

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still mine own.
Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.
Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure; with Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”; I have set my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me.
Man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me; heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.
Take, my soul, thy full salvation; rise o’er sin, and fear, and care;
Joy to find in every station something still to do or bear:
Think what Spirit dwells within thee; what a Father’s smile is thine;
What a Savior died to win thee, child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?
Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heaven’s eternal day’s before thee, God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Momentous Events

Posted on by Becky

Last week was full of momentous events!

First of all, we are homeowners again! We bought a 3-bedroom rowhome. Before we move in, we are taking out the carpet, re-doing the hardwood floors, painting, installing a shower in the bathroom downstairs, installing a dishwasher, purchasing a washer and dryer . . . So we will be busy. But we are excited!

Mara and Micah will each have their own bedroom! There is a basement which can be used as a family room. A 3-foot pool in the backyard (which I want to keep for the kids–Daniel thinks I’m crazy and we will not have time for it.)

The living room is HUGE!! There is room for our couch, loveseat, coffee table, chair, the piano–WOW!! I was beginning to wonder if that was possible!! We love having a large living area because we love being able to have people over. God has left us here on earth to serve other people. Hopefully we will be able to have family over–and friends from church and soon friends from our block! We loved that about our old house in South Carolina, and as we purchase this home, we ask God to help us use this home to bring glory to His name through loving others and sharing it with them.

Second, Mara has discontinued her morning nap! This is monumental, because now Mommy has only the afternoon nap in which to accomplish anything requiring solitude! LOL!! Life has (once again) changed forever! It seems like the time was right, since she had begun crying every time I put her in the crib, and just laying there or playing in her crib during both her naps. The first day, I took Mara to Liberty Lands Park to let her play and keep her from getting too sleepy before lunch. The second day she & Daddy went to his parent’s house while I took Micah for his 2 month check-up with Dr. Kantor.

Which brings me to the 3rd momentous event: The pediatrician has taken Micah off the caffeine! After reading the monitor download results from Jefferson, the pediatrician confirmed that Micah has had no true apnea/brady episodes since coming home from the hospital over a month ago. Hopefully, coming off the caffeine will help Micah sleep better and also lessen his reflux issues. . . I truly hope this will help! He screams for hours every day and struggles to sleep like a normal baby. If all goes well, and the September download is perfect too, Micah can come off the monitor altogether in October! Coming off the monitor will mark the “end” of the whole preemie saga.? I for one can’t wait!

Well, after those three events of the week, there is not much more excitment to report! 🙂

2 Under 2 Visit the Pediatric Ophthamologist

Posted on by Becky

Yesterday Mara & Micah both had appointments with the pediatric ophthamologist. Overall the eye appts went fine. It was my 1st experience taking both children out for an appointment where we had to wait about an hour–of course, right at lunchtime.

Mara was okay at first, because I told her the dr was going to look at her eyes. She kept saying “Eye! Eye!” and pressing one eyelid shut . . . But when we got in there, and the dr was prying her eyelids open while she lay on my lap and putting 3 kinds of drops in them, she was screaming. It didn’t help that Micah was screaming from the stroller too. And when the dr turned off the lights and shone his headlamp into Micah‘s dilated eyes, Mara freaked and started yelling, “Light! Light! Light!” through her tears. The doctor said, “Say ‘bye-bye’! Say ‘bye-bye’!” which of course frustrated her, because that was exactly what she wanted.

I saw Breanna & her mom again (Breanna was Micah‘s little roommate in the NICU). Did I mention how I feel like God is allowing our paths to continue crossing for a reason?? . . . Anyway, Breanna has passed Micah in weight and length!! at 7 lbs 4 ozs and 20-1/4 inches! I was so happy!!! She has the chubbiest cheeks and she looks soooo healthy. She was 10 weeks premature, and struggled more than Micah to learn to eat, so this is encouraging. She is also not on a monitor and sleeping through most of the night! So she is doing fabulous! Connie said she lost my number, so I reached for one of the business cards on the counter to write my number down for her. . . I wasn’t prepared for the response of the receptionist, who snapped, “Did you just TAKE one of our business cards?!?!?!. . . Here! give that to me. I’ll give you a scrap piece of paper.” . . . wow. . .

I was like “I’m sorry.” Daniel said he would have laid a quarter on the desk and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you guys are so hard up for money. Here’s a quarter–it should buy you four more business cards!” :-)? . . . oh well. . .

Then there was Alex, the 2-year-old boy in the waiting room. He was climbing in Mara’s seat (in the double stroller) and standing on the chair next to me trying to pat Micah in his car seat. . . so I’m saying ‘please don’t touch the baby.’ Finally his dad/grandpa called him and he ran across the waiting room, got on a chair and started jumping. Mara (seeing this) began yelling, “Bad! Bad! Bad!” and “spanking” herself on her rear end w her hand (indicating what she thought should be happening to the errant child) . . . fortunately, her “bad” still sounds more like a bleating sheep at this point, so I’m sitting there saying enthusiastically, “Hey! Mara! Let’s read a book!” 🙂

On the bright side, Micah‘s eyes continue to develop as a normal (full-term) baby’s eyes would, and he just has one more appt in 3 weeks. The dr believes that Mara’s “strabismus” has cleared up!! which is good–basically meaning her eyes are tracking together now, no need for a patch or surgery. 🙂 However, he said that she will be near-sighted as she grows up (like me–not Daniel’s perfect vision). So he wants to see her again when she turns 3. . . . she will be my little red-headed, freckled girl with glasses. . . oh my. . .