Baby Whoozit Review!

I recently signed up to review toys for ebeanstalk.com. They're a company I really like so when the opportunity came around I jumped on it! After all, what better way to judge toys than from honest reviews from moms?
This company is dedicated to selecting good, safe baby toys. The toy they sent me is called a Baby Whoozit from Manhattan Toy. Check them out, they make great developmental toys.


I remember as a new mom to my oldest son, I was a little weirded out by these things. I mean, they come off as a bit over-the-top as far as things to look at for babies. there's so MUCH to look at! But when I was sent one for my youngest son (who is 5 months old) to test I quickly changed my tune!

The Baby Whoozit is really a great little toy. Very visually exciting, and it's loaded with tons of things to grab (so he can always get a hold of it, perfect for those still developing their grabbing skills), and a lot of different textures to explore. Also features crinkle sounds, rattles and more!

From an exhausted parent's perspective, it allows me a few extra minutes here and there to myself, or to have some special time with my three-year old son, or to just get some of the dishes done. Finley (the 5 monther) absolutely loves the Baby Whoozit and I would recommend it to ALL new parents. It's made very well, and is very simulating (so maybe don't let them play with it right before naps or bedtime). Great for their little developing minds as they observe the world around them!

Overall... I'd say this toy is fantastic and I think all babies should have one! :)

Facebook

So, tell me... How many of you have been SUCKED into Facebook? I know I have. I'm on there practically all day (well, logged in, I'm not on my computer all day, how would I feed/play with/etc my children?). Checking notifications, playing on Super Poke pets, and so on.
I know this is a hindrance but I can't QUIT IT.

In other news, Finn is definitely a thumb-sucker now! I always swore I'd NEVER let my kids suck their thumbs, but after having Seamus (he used me and ONLY me as his own personal human pacifier. We tried to get him to take a paci and his thumbs with no luck) I was so hoping Finn would find something other than ME to pacify himself with. And I suppose the thumb isn't so bad (though may be harder to break later, if he doesn't give it up on his own). He's learning to self-soothe, right?

I must admit... it is completely adorable to watch him fall asleep while sucking his thumb. :)

Friendships

I treasure my friendships, I really do. But what do you do when they don't reciprocate the feelings? What do you do when they truly let you down? What do you do when they don't stick up for you when they should have?

Apparently, you just need to move on and continue your own life, without them. Is it easy? Definitely not. Is it necessary? Absolutely. Which is unfortunate, but you know the old saying...

something about friends and seasons? Yeah. I don't remember the quote. haha SUE ME.

How do YOU deal w/ lost friendships or friendships that are in danger of being destroyed?

My boys

I must say, we make some cute kids. Too bad the baby making shop has been closed permanently! :)
Though... Finley looks a little like an evil leprechaun here...

Bring on the cheese!

Alright, so I'm about to admit something. Something a lot of people make fun of me for...

I ADORE cheesy music.
Seriously, some of my favorite artists are the epitome of cheese!
Here's a list of some of my favorites:
1. Kenny Loggins. Oh how I adore Kenny Loggins! I'm not just talking about "Dangerzone." He's done some amazing songs through the years! Go listen to "Heart to Heart," "This Is It," & "Conviction of the Heart." You need to know he's NOT just the Top Gun song guy. :)

2. Rick Astley. Yep I said it. I'm obsessed w/ the KING of 80's cheese. There's nothing I can say to redeem me here.

3. Hall & Oates. No, I don't just mean "Maneater." I go for the deeper tracks: "Did It In A Minute," "Downtown Life," "Private Eyes." Yep.

I also loooove 80's Power Ballads. Give me some "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner, "Is This Love" by Whitesnake, and "To Be With You" by Mr. Big. OH yes.


Time to fess up: What are YOU embarrassed of?

Thankful Thursday!

1. I am thankful for Finley - this precious life God has allowed me to experience!
2. I'm thankful for having a Trader Joe's local.
3. I'm thankful for the past 6 years I've been married to John (as of this coming Saturday).
4. I'm thankful for our home!
5. I'm thankful I found a nice baby book for Finley @ Barnes and Noble so easily.
6. I'm thankful that God is in CONTROL.

Snuggleberry Finn

Look at that happy face?! Can you blame me for ignoring my blog? haha That was at the height of his pimple-ness. Thankfully it never got as bad as it did w/ Seamus! Seamus had the zits for what seemed like months (maybe it WAS months? I don't remember).
It's amazing how completely different two babies can be.

Sweeps it all under the rug...

Are you a contest/sweepstakes junkie? I know I am. I wonder what compels me to enter all of these contests? I almost NEVER win anything (I've won like 3 things my whole life), but the drive still runs me. ::shrug::

What are your addictions? Are you into entering every contest you can? Do you enter them for stuff you don't even REALLY want?

Trials & Blessings

Ok, So Finn update time!
He's doing GREAT! He's been such a huge blessing to our little family. I mean, he's only 2.5 weeks old, so all he really does is eat, poop and sleep, but MAN is he GREAT!
Seamus is completely in love with him. All he wants to do all day long is hug him, kiss him, snuggle him, pet him and hold him. Constantly throughout the day I hear "I love him, Mommy!" and "He's cute, Mommy!"
My heart MELTS, I tell you!

Of course, when Finn's sleeping soundly Seamus wants to pet him and I get mad because he's ASLEEP. We all know not to wake a sleeping baby! Except Seamus. he's clueless. hahaha
He's been dealing w/ the adjustment great all things considered. He's just very defiant with us, and has not been listening well (and has learned to lie! ACK!), but it's expected at least.
I can't tell you how often we have to spank or send him for a time-out in his room. Seems like he's in his room w/ a sore bottom about 90% of the day! :/ Poor kid. I hate having to discipline him but I can't let him just get away with things! :/

Life has been a big adjustment, for sure. but little things have been getting easier. I've actually gotten the dishes and laundry caught-up on, and have even swept/vacuumed the downstairs (upstairs is a WHOLE different story!). Little by little, right? I really want to hire a cleaning lady though, just to come in and do all the stuff I will never get to, like cleaning around the woodstove, dusting, scrubbing the showers/bath, cleaning the windows, etc. :/ I need to start budgeting so that maybe I'll be able to afford a twice a month cleaning lady or something for a while.

I also can't believe how much LOVE I've received from the girls in my moms groups. I haven't had to buy or even make (aside from heating something up in the oven) a dinner since Finn was born! I didn't have this type of support when Seamus was born so John spent a LOT of money buying take-out dinners every night for a while. This time? We have been SO BLESSED! Needless to say, we will definitely be returning the blessings to those other pregnant moms when the time comes for them to give birth!

Welcome Finley Iain!

Alright guys! We officially have BABY!

Finley Iain was born 5/2/09 @ 9:24pm! He was 7lb 12oz, and 19 inches long. Perfect in all ways!

The birth story is below, feel free to skip it if you don't like birthing details. :)
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At about 3am my water broke. Thankfully it waited until I sat on the toilet so there wasn't any cleanup or anything needed. :)
John and I made sure we had everything together, called his mom to meet up on the way to take Seamus, we grabbed him from bed and left for the hospital.
Made a stop @ Starbucks for coffee (for John) and a croissant & milk (for me). Thank goodness for them being open @ 4:15! haha
Got to the hospital, checked in, and sat outside Labor & Delivery for a bit while they got a room prepped and such.

Went in and our nurse was fantastic. Super nice, friendly, and gentle/calm. Great demeanor for an L&D nurse (unlike the last one!)
Got triaged and then moved to the actual delivery room.
Spent a long time waiting and waiting for things to get going, but progress was very slow, and they don't like to wait too long once your water breaks (risk of infection and such).
About 12 or so hours in they decided to start Pitocin, slowly, to get things moving, which I was OK with. It was NOT my plan, going in, to get Pit. but the Dr was very accommodating and was willing to meet me 1/2 way and let me wait a while longer than she had wanted.
So, Pit. started, and things got moving, though still not super fast.
Contractions got horrendously bad over time (obviously), and though I'd wanted to go epidural free, I only made it to about 8-9cm dilated before I needed it. Pitocin contractions are supposedly much worse than regular contractions, so had I not needed the pit. I'd have probably been able to have a natural birth! heh It helps me feel better about myself, knowing that. lol
So, I got the epidural and all was well in the world again. I could feel the contractions still, just not much pain, so that was good!
Things started moving along pretty fast after that - I'd only had the epidural about an hour or two before I had to start pushing.

Got to pushing, and by the 7th push I was told to STOP because the Dr wasn't there yet. So I tried to hold in the baby, and did, until the Dr got there. Another good push later and out popped Finley Iain!
I only had a tiny 1st degree tear too, unlike the episiotomy I had last time that ruined me for a year! :)

So Finley was born at 9:24pm, on May 2, 2009! He weighed 7lb, 12oz and was 19 inches long. Just about the same size as Seamus.
Overall labor was about 18 hours, and only the last 5-6 hours were trying. :)

Still pretty sore, it's hard to even walk around my house, but breastfeeding is going pretty well! Just working on a slightly off latch w/ Finn that's causing some pain. Hope to have that fixed soon. :)