Congratulations! You are pregnant. Expecting. Preggo. Preggers. Pick your label-- and love every minute of it! Chances are you spend every free moment researching baby names, updating your registry, and getting your nursery ready. But what about ALSO learning what to do when you bring that baby home? That step often gets left out. No worries. That's what Project Mom is for.
Okay, I like ruffles and girly things. And, um, for those of you with boys, I like camo and navy, too. So I am not someone to deny a "luxury." But I do not understand the concept of "nursery water."
If anyone can shed some light on this, please, be my guest. But as for now I consider it to be one of those marketing scams. Kind of like once you tell someone you need them for a wedding the cost triples. I think nursery water is just as hateful. In my opinion FRESH water, that has not been sitting on a store shelf for who knows how long, in a PLASTIC jug, no less, seems to me a lot better for my baby. Just saying. It claims a fair purpose, and I am not saying it is bad. Just not saying I think it is necessary.
So as you are gathering up all your supplies for babydom, I am pretty sure you can leave that one off your list. Save you pennies for a pair of these shoes (they are my new obsession). My husband is probably rolling his eyes right about now!
So you are eating for two. Not two adults, mind you, but two none the less. Even if you are trying to behave yourself it is hard to stay super tiny when you are growing another human being. Just saying.
But taking care of your diet and your body is obviously important, especially when you are preggers. You feel better, look better, baby is healthier, and your delivery can also benefit from regular fitness. Yep. Exercise is good.
You can rock your gym, but wouldn't it be more fun to workout with other chicks due about the same time as you? You can make new friends AND not feel like the only walking watermelon in your aerobics class. Or if you just had baby, wouldn't it be nice to exercise with other women who just gave birth. Ya know. Someone else still sporting the maternity band. Could meet some new friends and set up play dates!
Oh Baby! Fitness offers a wide variety of pregnancy and mom & baby exercise classes in Atlanta. Choose from Pilates, Yoga, Toning or Water Aerobics. 25 Metro Atlanta Locations. All instructors are specially trained in pre/postnatal fitness, so exercise is fun AND safe. Check them out HERE
Special 10% discount off full sessions for all Project Moms. Enter PROJECTMOM when registering online.
The girls from EDIT will be on hand for an interactive fashion show. Angela will dish tips for how to dress for your bump AND ways to work your wardrobe after baby, too! Make up artist Callie will be there to show you how to create a simple QUICK look (aka. one you can actually achieve with a newborn) so you can look great for all those photos and visitors.
Callie Rogers
Angela King
What else? How about the giveaways: a designer diaper bag from Kristi G, a fetal imaging session from Stork Vision, and a few more we are keeping secret just for fun.
Tickets are only $5. Really. Bring your friends or make some there.
A HUGE thanks to the ladies who came out to last night's event. It was great! Pictures are on their way.
And a MAJOR iHug to Salon Greco for putting together a fabulous evening of pampering for our mamas. You'll see what we mean when our pictures are here. Best.Spa.Ever.
Not to be missed! Click HEREfor tickets (helps us make sure we have enough food :)
And here's another look at the giveaways we will spoil you with (bring your ticket to enter)
babymoon at The Foundry Park Inn & Spa + a $50 spa voucher
5 bags of Jacks Harvest frozen organic baby food
a fetal imaging session from Stork Vision
hair cut and style from a Salon Greco stylist
spa treatment from Salon Greco
two $25 gift certificates for Izzy Maternity
Grab a bite from the delish catering, mingle with other moms to be, enjoy a divine maternity & nursing wear fashion show, and get spoiled rotten from the spa& salon technicians from Salon Greco who will be offering complimentary services to our guests. Spoiling anyone?
Looking for a place to getaway and enjoy some "coupletime" before baby gets here? If you haven't thought about a babymoon, DO. It makes for a great excuse to take a little vacay and allows soon-to-be Mommy and Daddy a chance to hang out and have fun.
The Foundry Park Inn& Spa in Athens is a great local place to visit. The inn itself is the perfect mix between historic charm and modern style. There are the regular (adorable) inn rooms and the Park also boasts a couple luxury spa suites. Nice!
On site there are two places to eat. The Hoyt House is out of this world. And if you are in the mood for a little nightlife (maybe just to keep hubby entertained?) they also have The Melting Point. Live music certain nights, restaurant, bar, and a cute patio outside to relax if that is more your speed.
And then there is the spa. O-M-G! It is a quaint hideaway that does nothing but spoil.With treatments including massage therapy (Swedish, Hot Stone, Aromatherapy, and more), body exfoliations, wraps, facials, nail care, waxing, Oh My, what is not to love? There is also a fitness center and pool if you want to keep up with your fitness while you are away.
Okay, so at first baby just grins away at you with that gorgeous, gummy smile. And then he starts drooling a lot, maybe gets a little fever here and there, and ummmm might at times be fussy. Why? The joys of teething.
By 1 yr that toothless grin has been replaced by several baby teeth that by 2 yrs are all here ready to bite and chew. You or baby's food.
At some point your brain does a little panic. Ahhh, do I need to brush these baby teeth? When does my kid need to start seeing a pediatric dentist? And where do I even find a children's dentist? Ahhhhhhhh
No worries. Alpharetta Children's Dentistry has answered all of these questions. Go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief (we did!).
Follow this link HERE and learn all about topics like:
tips for your kid's first visit
taking an office tour (kind of like a test drive)
oral health info for toddlers & preschoolers
the answer to the fluoride / no fluoride question (in toothpaste too)
Those of you lucky enough to snag at ticket to our Sept 29th Preggo Party will get a cheat sheet with ALL this information. It is a great reference to keep on hand.
Their philosophy is positive dental experiences for all kids (from toddler to teen!). Who wants their kid to be afraid to go to the dentist? Not me. So I appreciate their goal to make every visit fun and comfortable. The waiting room has a toy room sure to make FAO Schwartz green with envy. If you have ever had to sit in a waiting room with a child, you KNOW how great this attention to detail is.
If one of their 2 locations isn't convenient for you, be sure to find another pediatric dentist that thinks like a kid. Everyone will go home smiling about it:)
At about 6 months your baby might be ready for baby food. The first time Junior ever tries to eat from a spoon is pretty comical. And by that I also mean messy. They just aren't real sure what to do with it. Some babies gobble it up while others just push it right back out. Either way, expect an adorable mess when you are finished.
There are many options when it comes to what type of baby food to get. Of course there is the commercial kind at the grocery store. It is the cheapest (that you can buy) but depending on how healthy you are, it might not be the most wholesome. Believe it or not a lot of those brands have a lot of secret sugar in them. And the way they are made actually decreases their nutritional value. Read the labels before you buy.
Most stores are now carrying more and more organic brand baby food, too. These are slightly more expensive but are made from purer ingredients and are rich in vitamins and minerals. Read the label. Earth's Best is pretty good, in our humble opinion, but there are many options out there.
Another option is to make your own. At first this might seem a little overwhelming but from what I have heard it is not that big of a deal. In essence you just steam or boil your average veggie and puree your average fruit (both will need added water to soften them up a bit) into a consistency your baby is okay with. Ice cube trays are great for storing any extra, although containers are also on the market for homemade baby food.
My personal choice is a combo of the two: organic AND homemade. Jack's Harvest is an Atlanta based company (really two moms with major domestic gifts) that makes and sells frozen organic baby food. You can purchase it through Whole Foods and also through Amazon.com. Why I like Jack's Harvest? No pesticides in the fruits and veggies. No crazy cooking process that robs my baby of what she really needs. Just two moms making delicious, healthy food. It is convenient and more importantly GOOD FOR MY BABY :)
Here's is what Jack's Harvest is all about: (from their website)
Jarred baby food is cooked at extremely high temperatures so it can sit for years. Over processing removes a lot of nutrients leaving food bland and tasteless. (Would you want to eat it?) Jack's Harvest not only tastes better, it has a higher nutrient content. Your baby has taste buds and knows what tastes good. They also know what looks good and smells good. Jack's Harvest feeds your baby's senses with beautiful colors (our peas are bright green) - wonderful smells (the smell of cinnamon boosts brain activity) - and delectable flavors (that we taste test ourselves!). Shape your baby's precious palate with food that is healthy and delicious and help them learn what fresh foods look, smell and taste like.
What's not to love? Give it a try. We'll have some AWESOME coupons at our upcoming Preggo Party if you want to see how yummy Jack's Harvest is for yourself. September 29th is right around the corner!!
After that now-nasty soon-to-be-adorable belly button stump falls off, you can give baby her first bath. It really is a sweet experience, but here are a few lessons from the front lines.
1. Baby cannot sit up by herself until around 6 months so you need a tub that will allow baby to lay back or sit up with your assistance. And then you have to somehow use your other arm to wash baby while she slips all over the place. If possible have a helper (like Daddy) tag team the first bath in case you need some extra hands. Wanna make it easier? Try these items:
A Bath Sponge (just lay it in your sink to keep baby from bumping his or her head on the edge and giving her a soft place to sit. You can also add one to your standard baby bath tub. These are CHEAP, like $6ish, and are really all you need in the beginning. Every now and then baby might poo on it (VERY rare) but for a $6 replacement, not that big of a deal. Find it HERE
A Bath Bucket (since baby cannot hit up these are VERY helpful for the newborn stage, but not cheap at $45ish a pop. Baby will outgrow it eventually, but at least you have a bucket you can re-purpose for other things. Fine one HERE. The regular baby tubs are PERFECT. Fine one HERE for about $10. You can use either a bucket or tub until baby can sit up properly. Just beware that once baby starts moving around, she will splash splash splash in these little tubs. Solution? Take it off your counter and start laying it in the real tub. That makes it easy to fill up, store, and saves your bathroom from a super wet mess. We are not big fans of the expensive baby tubs. For something you will only use for maybe 6 months, not worth it. But to each his own...
A sit up seat (once baby hits around 5-6 months you can try one of these seats if you like. Find one HERE for about $38. They slide over the edge of your tub and allow baby to take a bath in your regular bathtub. The plus? Your back gets a little break and you have some free hands. These are helpful for that transition time when baby is too big for a baby tub but cannot sit up well enough yet to take a big bath without your help. This is not a must have item, but it is a helpful little fellow.
they come in pink too!
Spout Cover (when baby starts sitting up in the big tub these are a good idea. Babies LOVE splashing and wiggling around in the tub, so cover the spout to make sure they don't head butt it. These little covers also give baby something to play with when old enough, too. We like 2fers around here! Find one HERE for about $15 on average. There are animal ones like these and more modern, sleek designs, too.
Extra Bonus Tip: Just like changing a diaper, the difference in air temperature can cause baby to pee (or more!). So unless you want to end up like my husband--- t-shirt soaked in baby urine--- yum!!!!, do not take off baby's diaper until you are ready to put her in the tub. If you realized that you left the baby wash in the closet, do not get baby naked and have daddy hold her until you get back unless you want a good laugh. On daddy. Literally. Keep the diaper on until the last possible moment...just in case.
If you are nervous, or just curious, how to give a newborn a bath, check out this YouTube video. Okay, it is a little cheesy. But it IS helpful. If nothing else it at least gives you an idea of how to give baby that first bath. And take pictures of the first bath if possible or video it. There is nothing cuter than a sweet little baby, all clean and fresh, wrapped up in a towel after a bath. Love it!
There are about a gazillion different styles of diaper bags. And the one that is right for you depends on how you plan to use it. More on that later. For now we wanted to let you in on a little secret. Buy two diaper bags. A big one for when you will be out for a while. And a mini one for when you are just running into a store or going on a quick errand and do not need to rip your shoulder out of socket.
Get a diaper bag you are going to WANT to carry around. Don't feel the need to get Winnie the Pooh unless YOU like Winnie the Pooh. Your kid won't know the difference and you can get him or her a bag for themselves later. If Daddy is going to be taking daddy out a lot too, consider getting a gender neutral bag. Totally up to you.
Paige Purse fits inside larger bags or can be carried on its own
Chloe Convertible
There are also sets that come together like these 5 piece options both from WalMart
You can get a stylish diaper bag at any price point. Make sure they are durable because after lugging all of your stuff around, they get beaten up. Strong straps, easily cleanable inside AND out. Pockets and storage are a must. Kristi G (featured below) has a EZ Wipe collection that is genius. Wipes are accessible from the outside. More on her later... but here is a sneak peak.
