Happy Turkey Day

We had loads of fun on our trip back east but now we're tired and have loads to do at home so here's a few pictures quickly selected from the hundreds (oh! the excess of the digital age) taken. Hope everyone had a wonderful turkey holiday.

Stuff Stuff Stuff!

And now, my thoughts on baby gear - prepare for ramble, feel free to skip it:

Baby Bargains - Okay, this isn't really gear, but it's all about gear. Actually, I found this book really helpful not for the tips on how to save money, but for the information about what all that stuff is, why I may or may not want it, and what to look for in it once I decide to buy it.

Berkeley Parents Network - Um, also not gear, but a great resource for Berkeley-ites and non-Berkeley-ites alike. If you live within commuting distance, consider siging up for their emails (and then filter out everything except the Marketplace and Announcements emails). If you live outside of the Bay Area, check out the site: it's an amazing compilation of advice on everything from the baby's hair to tipping.

Sling/soft carrier - Oh! there are so many out there. My approach was to buy used and buy several. We have/had the New Native, OTSBH, and Baby Bjorn. I like the simplicity and compactness of the New Native, but unfortunately Zach & I were different sizes so I didn't end up using it much. I like the adjustable-ness of the OTSBH, but it's pretty bulky so we don't bring it around much. The Baby Bjorn was alright, and Molly loved facing out in it, but I couldn't use it long because Molly got too heavy for me. Zach used it (and I think liked it) for quite a while. The Ergo is another carrier that I've never used but I've heard rave reviews about.
Sites to consider: I've heard good things about the slings at Kangaroo Korner and The Baby Wearer has pretty comprehensive sling information.
Timing: I liked having a sling almost immediately and it was fun for Zach to carry Molly around on his belly like I had for so many months. Now that she's bigger I like using the sling for support in the hip-hold, but I'm starting to look into hip-carriers.

Strollers - Another item with a rediculously expansive collection. More than any other piece of baby gear, I think many people (particularly in certain style-concious cities) use their stroller as a status-symbol. If in doubt, read ... oh crap, just read the entire index of daddytypes stroller threads ... I was going to point you in the direction of a piece he did on sroller sighting in Central Park, but there were sooo many stroller pieces... oh, here it is.
I digress. My big piece of advice here is to buy an infant car seat carrier first. Any will do. I've heard good things about the Kolcraft's Universal Carrier, and Combi's Universal Carrier looks interesting if only because it folds up so nice and small! You need the car seat anyhow, and this will buy you time until the baby is older and you have a clue about what might be important to you in a stroller. Plus, it's hecka convenient until your baby grows out of the infant car seat.

Snugglenest - We used ours for months, allowing Molly to nap just about anywhere: in our bed, on the kitchen table, in her crib, in the living room, etc. There's also one by another company that looks interesting to me.

Bottle Drying Rack - not really a necessity, but isn't it cool looking? And while you're there, check out all the other cool-looking stuff that site has!

Sit N Stroll & Backpack Stroller - I don't have either, but just thought they looked interesting and perhaps if I didn't already have a backpack and a car seat I just might look into one of these things. What I am considering getting for our trip east at Thanksgiving is either one of these two sets of wheels for the carseat (that thing is huge!).

Me Too Portable Seat - I got this thing for our travels south and east and love it! So small. So sturdy. So nicely designed. And Molly loves sitting at the table with us, picking cheerios off the table top. Yum!

Svan High Chair - an elegant wood high chair. I saw it in someone's house and was surprised at how compact it is, particularly compared to most high chairs. (Plus, it's gotten rave reviews recently on BPN).

KinderZeat - Another simple wood high chair that grows with the kid. Note the age range difference on the European web site... anyhow, I picked one up off of BPN, but I'm waiting for the safety strap before we use it. It sure looks nice, though. :) In the mean time, our friend's 3-year old enjoyed sitting on it while eating dinner with us.

Ameda Purely Yours - There are two good double electric breast pumps on the market: this one and the Medela Pump In Style. Ameda's is significantly cheaper, and in many ways better: it's easier to clean, has fewer parts, and has a much better hand pump. The Medela, however, has much better marketing. It's the same ol' Beta/VHS thing. In other news... if you're not looking to hook yourself up to a milking machine but perhaps just do some occassional pumping, I've heard absolutely fabulous reviews of the Avent Isis (including some women who use it instead of an electric pump). This just in: I saw a new hands free pump that could either be great or awful - look for reviews.

Easy Expressions Hands-Free Bustier - If you end up doing the double electric milk machine thing, even just a few times a week, this little item will make your time being milked, well, bearable. Ignore the unfortunate promotional materials and order big (or find a store to try it on).

On your mark, get set, GO!

Orange you glad...

She's 8 months old!

(and while we're celebrating, here's a link to a somewhat disturbing article about materialism and parenting. The last two paragraphs are the best. And we all laugh when a kid plays with the box their presents came in...).

Baby Industrial Complex

What better way to celebrate our return from Los Angeles (and other points south) than with a post about STUFF! Baby Stuff! So much stuff stuff! Or, as Zach likes to call it, the Baby Industrial Complex. (okay, okay. I know we've been bak for a while. But first there was the tooth [yes! a tooth!] and then the cold... we've got excuses for days!) I first encountered The Complex while I was pregnant. Our house was a mess even without the baby stuff and then kindly folks started giving us baby stuff. Luckily (or not) I was able to avoid dealing with it by dropping it off in the guest-room-soon-to-be-baby room. I turned off the light and closed the door. I was in total denial. And when people asked if we were ready for the baby I acted casual and said all we needed was the car seat, diapers, and my boobs & we were good to go. Technically, I was right. But you can rest assured that the room no longer scares me and we only keep the door shut when Molly's sleeping. In the last year, however, I have gotten increasingly drawn in by The Complex. I can spend hours researching the best sling or hip-carrier (no clear winner here yet), reading reviews of bath safety gear (thermometers shaped like duckies, heat-sensitive anti-skid stickers, hippopotomus spout covers, and more!), and following gear-head blogs like daddytypes.com, thingamababy.com, bloggingbaby.com, and urbanbaby.com. My point? There's an amazingly wide selection of things out there that parents simply must have. I mean, what kind of parent wouldn't buy a $1,000 car seat (if it were available in the US)? You want the best for your child, right? Anyhow, I have several friends who are pregnant right now (yay for more babies!) and so I've been thinking about what gear to recommend for them. Mostly, I think my initial thoughts on the matter were mostly correct: so long as you have a car seat (they're all fine), diapers (a very individual choice, with no perfect answer), food (boob or formula, can't go wrong there), and a place for the baby to sleep (parent's bed, bassinette, moses basket, cradle, crib, or mattress on the floor; whatever's comfortable for the family), you're set for the first few weeks. After that you'll know what sort of gadgets might make your life easier. They may not exist, but at least you'll have something to dream about. Later, I’ll post my thoughts on specific baby gear. For now, enjoy the photos of our lovely amazing incredible baby girl. Who, by the way, weathered the cold like a champ and is back to her jolly little self, plus a little extra snot (but with all that drool, it’s hard to notice a little snot). from top: In the swing at Grove Park; With Uncle Seth in a park in LA; Celebrating Pop's "66th" birthday; With Cousin Branda & Cessna; Zonked after a spin with the Great-Aunt; Chillin' with mamamama; Doin' the downward facing dog yoga pose; Scheming on how to keep me from combing her hair; Hard at work.