Baby Gift

There are already so many wonderful reasons to receive gifts; birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and now I'm adding to my list the birth of my son.  It was such a treat to receive a beautiful Ashley Morgan necklace  to commemorate his birth.  I cherish it very much as it will remind me always of his special arrival.

Adding to the beauty is that she is local designer who is also a goldsmith and mom, go Ashley!

Love lots,
Mommy Sf

My Peek Away

Before the baby arrived, I attended the Fort Mason Baby Fair, which will be back this June 2011. It was great to have so many local resources and vendors at one location.  Vendors hosted hourly workshops, exhibiting their products and how to use them, it was great and I look forward to going again now that the baby is here for some refresher courses.

One of my favorite vendors were Peekaway, who created this multifunctional changing pad, breastfeeding pillow and breastfeeding wrap.  It comes in several pretty colors and fits great in the diaper bag.  It's been a lifesaver the few times we've been out and I've needed to feed/change.

Love Lots,
Mommy SF

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes have been around for ages.  We thought we knew the words until our little one arrived and we began singing. I'm sure we aren't the only parents who make up words, and in all honesty do the babies even care? But in case you do and are interested in the history check out: Nursery Rhymes .

Love Lots,
Mommy SF

The Diaper Dooty

The choice between cloth and disposable was simple. We wanted to combine cloth and compostable diapers thinking it would be the most environmental.  Then we found out in San Francisco (and many other cities) you cannot throw human waste into the green compost bin.  (However, if you're interested in disposable diapers, check out Earth Baby. They provide a great home delivery/pick-up service and compost almost the entire diaper.)

I continued my search and discovered hybrid diapers.  These are cool reusable shells with cloth or biodegradable inserts.  I went on a google search for companies that carried these systems and found that these were popular and had several companies to choose from.  All seemed similar and I couldn't figure out which to choose.  I didn't want to go the trial by error route, as these started kits are pretty pricey.   

Newborn G Diaper

So we reached out to a friend who was in the thick of things for about a year now, who recommended GDiapers. She also suggested purchasing G-Flapper inserts from the Nappy Shoppe, a thicker insert for heavy wetters.   And just like that we bought a GDiapers starter set from Diapers.com, 12 G-Flappers and another 24 GDiapers small cloth inserts. She also told us that she started using cloth inserts when her baby was first born and only used the biodegradable inserts when traveling.  We would like to go cloth all the way but are keeping an open mind to see what works best. If washing our diapers becomes to much we're going to invest in Tiny Tots.

If you purchase the GDiapers starter kit you'll notice it doesn't come with any cloth inserts, this is because they don't recommend cloth diapers for newborns, particularly because the meconium leaves a difficult stain to remove. They suggest and include their biodegradable inserts. Check out the GDiapers "how-to" videos to get an idea how they work.  

Here is a list of the contenders we reviewed:

GDiapers

GroVia

Bumpkins

Bambino Mio

Kushies

Other "compostable" diapers:  

Seventh Generation

Broody Chick

Earth's Best

Love Lots,

MommySF

Babymoon(s) Here We Come!

Getting pregnant, we quickly realized that our trips together would have a +1, so we decided it was a good excuse to plan some getaways.  We always talked about short local visits, but never planned them, so now the fire was under us to get going.

photo by pkbvisions (daddy)

Mendocino was the first place we headed and it was just perfect for reflecting and absorbing what the next few months and beyond would have in store. The drive up the coast was gorgeous; stunning redwoods, artistic shades of color, a must! We went in mid-September and it wasn't very busy nor were the rooms too expensive.  

Although our destination was Mendo, we stayed a few miles away at the Albion River Inn.  We spent the next few days waking early and starting our day with a complimentary breakfast and then off forging for things to do. Mendocino is a scenic sleepy town with some good eateries and picturesque coastal views.

photo by pkbvisions (daddy)

We then headed to Indian Springs in Calistoga for an amazing pampering at the spa and pool. This place is a hidden gem.  It dawned on me how much it reminded me of the movie location for Dirty Dancing. The retro layout and kitch pool clock.  If you've been you know what I mean. 

photo by pkbvisions (daddy)

On a whim we got cheap flights to New York City in mid-November (thanks Virgin America). We lucked out with some fantastic weather and overall had a memorable trip.  NYC is hard place to sum, so let's just say it was perfect.

Our last and final trip was to LA. We have some wonderful friends there and knew this would be our last hurrah so we headed there with every intention to enjoy ourselves.  And we did, our hospitable friends (who are also expecting) took great care of us and dedicated their weekend to make it enjoyable But I quickly found that a 7 month pregnant lady doesn't need to be at a hotel bar, no matter how mellow. However, we did get to enjoy lots of great conversation, mainly about parenting, wonderful food and warm weather.

Love Lots,
MommySF

Sprout on Union Street

10% Off When You Order Online This Week Happy Valentine's Day! Shop online at www.sproutsanfrancisco.com from February 14th - February 21st and receive 10% off your entire order! Use offer codevday10 at checkout. Tell your friends!

Disposable Bibs, I Love It!

Dwell Studio creates beautiful products.  Giggle carries some but you can buy directly from the site.  We recently received the most adorable and functional baby gift from our darling friends Christina and Gamar, disposable bibs!  What an idea.  I know so many moms that would love these but most likely don't even know they exist.  This will for sure be part of all future baby gift sets and I'm sure it'll be part of yours too!

Love Lots,
MommySF