(New) Mother's Day Giveaway from Belli Skincare and Friends

Belli Skincare is partnering with some fabulous friends to give one new mom the Mother's Day gift package she *really* wants! Tomorrow – May 3rd, you can get 20% off online purchases using code BLIMOM20 and enter to win a prize valued at more than $700 featuring items from Belli and their partners Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Belabumbum, Chewbeads, Goumi, MobyWrap, Guava Family, and Ovia.

I'm well past my babymaking phase (phew!) but I appreciated a lot of these brands when I was deep in the throes of new mommyhood. In fact, I remember being positively wowed by Belli's Stretchmark Minimizing Cream after having Jasper. And I love Belabumbum's soft, sexy loungewear and undies, which thankfully go beyond nursing bras. I could LIVE in their Copacabana collection,  if anyone feels the need to get me bras and boyshorts in every color combination…

A Parent is Born

My mom says she used Pampers with me, although I can't remember, obviously. I've always been partial to Pampers, even though our birth care center distributed the other big brand. They fit Roo and Jasper best and provided the best leak protection. Both of my kids are prone to skin irritation from dyes and fragrances and I wish that Swaddlers Sensitive had been available when they were infants. We still use Sensitive Wipes for Jasper and flushable Kandoo Sensitive wipes for Roo.

Anyway, I tend to think pretty highly of Pampers (especially their funding of UNICEF projects in Africa with the lovely and talented Salma Hayek) so when I was asked to view their new web series about pregnancy, I didn't hesitate. "A Parent is Born" is a 12-part documentary about real-life couple Suzie and Steve and their journey to parenthood. Now, I have watched many an early '80s-era educational film about pregnancy and childbirth and this is thankfully nothing like them. It's heartwarming in a realistic way, not a cheesy, eye-rolling way… kind of like watching home videos, actually. It's easy to identify with the couple, especially with chapter 9 ( "The Racing Minds of Pregnant Parents") which shows the emotional teeter totter that expectant parents are on, balancing excitement with abject fear and worrying. You generally don't see that on tv…



If you're expecting your first child or you know somebody who is, "A Parent is Born" is definitely worth checking out. Each episode is about four minutes long, so it's not a major time commitment. It might give future dads a heads-up on what to expect, too, without too much of the fluffy baby stuff.

What To Wear When You're Expecting

Imminently pregnant lady on your Christmas list? Here's a great gift idea! The Peanut Shell, makers of easy-to-use and chic pouch slings for babywearing, have come out with a line of similarly chic hospital gowns. No way! I was so paranoid about what I was going to wear in the hospital when I was pregnant with Roo. I really didn't want to be photographed with my newborn in a faded, horrible hospital gown so I bought a robe and gown set to pack in my hospital suitcase. And then promptly ditched them for the hospital gown when I realized that they didn't have all the little snaps and ties that allow for the various tubes and monitors to discretely do their business. I'd rather wear something hideous than have a nightie hiked up for the vital signs belt any day! Now, thanks to The Peanut Shell, birthing mamas can be cute AND comfy, no matter how many tubes and straps are dangling from their nethers…



The Peanut Shell hospital gowns feature gorgeous cotton prints and a jaunty ribbon bow to tie over your bump. The shoulders feature snap closures to allow for easy breastfeeding and the back has a row of snaps going all the way up, for easy access and modesty. Flirty ties on the cap sleeves and coordinating piping make this gown cute enough for non-preggos, too, should you choose to wear it as a postpartum house dress.



The Peanut Shell's other new addition is the It's Time! Hospital Bag for your big day. These stunning bags were handcrafted for The Peanut Shell exclusively by Dena Rooney-Berg and feature pockets for lip-gloss, camera and your iPod, as well as a file folder pocket for all of your hospital paperwork.



I love the Snapdragon "It's Time" Hospital Bag with the aqua blue Asian motif. Pair it with the matching Snapdragon Hospital Gown and it's almost reason enough to go for Baby #3. Almost.

Who's Your Daddy?

If your mate is ambivalent to the constant barrage of parenting books and magazines you're poring over during your first pregnancy, here's a painless (and often chuckle-out-loud funny) way to him know he's not the only guy in the world who is totally confounded by impending fatherhood.



Being Dad is a video snapshot of contemporary adjusting adjusting to their new roles. It's comforting to see a bunch of dudes from various ethnic and social backgrounds sitting around talking about the ridiculousness of pregnancy and parenthood from what is, to me, a fresh perspective. It's like the male version of a Girlfriend's Guide book, with added profanity, graphic birth video and a good deal of beer. It's refreshing to hear birth stories from a father's point of view and the expert information is actually from this decade– no weird Cosby Show sweaters or Farrah Fawcett hairdos in this movie, thank goodness. Most of these people seem entirely relatable.

It was also moderately comforting to know that my husband is not the only guy who managed to say exactly the most unsupportive thing throughout both pregnancies. Seriously, Bob used to make truck backing-up beeping noises at me. I still haven't forgiven him. Perhaps if you slip a copy of Being Dad in your SO's stocking you might avoid a similar fate…

A Smooth Under-Belli

I won a trio of Belli products in a Hybrid Mom contest recently. I was hoping they'd send stuff for nursing mamas (which I am) but I got some products for pregnant ladies (which I am not). I figured I could use the Pampered Pregnancy Body Wash and All Day Moisture Body Lotion regardless of my barren womb. I mean, who doesn't need to be clean and soft, right? They're both great products. The body wash has a light lavender scent that is very pleasant and the lotion is incredibly creamy and smells luscious, like lemon tea. But you know what REALLY knocked my socks off?



Belli's Stretchmark Minimizing Cream is absolutely amazing! I balked initially at the $52 price tag, even though I didn't have to pay for it. (I still like to think about whether or not the retail price is "worth it" for beauty items. Especially if I'm going to recommend them to anyone.) Honestly, this one is. I didn't get any stretchmarks with Roo. I only gained 12 lbs with that pregnancy. But Jasper was another story… I got a couple of lightning bolt stripes underneath my giant belly that precluded me from bikini-wearing this summer. Oh, wait, I haven't worn a bikini for ten years! Okay, so my stretchmarks weren't that drastic, but they bothered me.

When I read the testimonials online about Belli's Stretchmark Minimizing Cream, I knew that I had to try it. And poof! Within a week of putting it on after showering in the morning and before bed at night, you can barely see the evil scars. In fact, the stretchmarks I got on my hips as a teenager when I, umm, "blossomed" have even faded to obscurity. That was twenty years ago, ladies. Nice work, Belli! And thanks again, Hybrid Mom! C-Section mamas (and the accident-prone, like my husband!) should take note of the Surgical Scar Reducer, too. I wonder if it works on overscratched mosquito bites?

Coincidentally, today is the last day of Belli's really excellent VIP deal: enter code VIPPARTY for 30% off your ENTIRE purchase! A good time to stock up on Stretchmark Minimizing Cream, if you ask me…I really want to try the Eye Brightening Cream and Body Firming Serum, too.

Belli is also having great contest to celebrate their website redesign, but hurry- it's going on through Sunday. Check it out, y'all!

Mama Mio, Here We Go Again…

I hate to admit it, but some product lines actually make me wish I was pregnant again. Mama Mio, for one. Oh, how I loved rubbing my belly with their sublime Tummy Rub Oil. Truth be told, I wasn't impressed on first use. I have always been a greasy girl, so the concept of dousing myself in oil was not very enticing. But Tummy Rub soaked in quickly and its scent (Gravida, a proprietary blend of ten essential oils) reminded me of the ocean. Happy times.



Fast forward ten months and it's hard to find time to pamper myself with a ten month old who only likes to sleep on me and a four year old budding drama queen. I miss the giant belly that gave me a pass to have some downtime every once in a while. Luckily, Mama Mio makes stuff for post-partum mamas, too. I've been using Boob Tube to try and minimize the effects of nursing two hungry babies. It helps to retain elasticity and firmness. Perky!



Tummy Toner is a serum that seeks to lift, tighten and tone slack skin. I didn't get any stretch marks with Roo, but Jasper gave me some. This helps me resent him less.



Shrink to Fit Cream is amazing. It reduces the appearance of cellulite (which I don't have too much of, thankfully) and water retention (which I have in spades, not so thankfully). The website touts its active ingredient as Adiposlim™, an amazing new ingredient proven in lab testing to help shrink fat cells and then prevent new fat cells for forming. I don't know about that, but it makes my skin look smooth and almost bathing suit ready. Plus it has the Gravida scent that makes me happy, happy, happy.



Mama Mio has a ton of gorgeous gift baskets that are perfect for gifting to expectant mamas and yourself. The next product of theirs I want to try is OMega Body Oil, which I am thinking might give me all the jollies of belly-rubbing pregnancy, without all that extra added… baby.

Love at first sight…

My recent pregnancy really sucked largely due to one thing: swollen feet. I didn't have that problem when I was pregnant with Roo, but this time my feet and ankles were horribly puffy and misshapen for pretty much the last trimester. And then after Jasper was born, I was put on blood pressure medication that made it even worse. It was really humiliating. I couldn't wear anything on my feet but flip flops or Crocs. In the end, even the Crocs were too snug. Aren't you glad I didn't take any pictures?

Anyway, the reason I am writing this is because I have always had a bit of a shoe fetish. It's been torture wearing ugly shoes all summer, especially when it would have been nice to have some pretty things. Well, here are the prettiest shoes I've seen in a long, long time.

Hetty Rose high heels are custom-made to your measurements with antique kimono fabrics in a small workshop in Essex, UK. Oh, god, how I wish I could afford a pair of these amazing things. Here are my favorites, the classic round-toed pump called Amalie:



If I had a pedicure or, let's face it, prettier feet, the Maya would be an excellent choice:



Mika is vaguely '80s, a party girl:



And the seemingly neutral Kimiko has a saucy peeptoe and rakish bow on the heel:



Prices start at £260. More beautiful styles are available online at Hetty Rose. Shoes are handmade to order and take approximately six weeks to cut, stitch and finish. The process includes taking measurements and photos of your feet and then (if you are based in the UK) they do a fitting at a half-way stage.

I can't even imagine how fantastic these shoes must feel on. Probably just as good as they look!

What's up with Jasper.

Jasper Atom Burdette was born on Thursday, July 19th at 12:16pm. (For all you mommy geeks: pitocin drip went in around 7:30am, contractions started in earnest around 10:30. I was just starting to ask about getting an epidural when he made his entrance. Bob swears it was like four pushes but I'm not so sure!) He weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was 18.5 inches long. Unfortunately, he started having trouble with his breathing about five hours into his life so he is still in the hospital.

The doctors think he must have swallowed some amniotic fluid on the way out and developed an infection in his lungs, probably pneumonia. He was in Neonatal Intensive Care for a few days (he was known as "the big, strong guy" because most of his peers were preemies, some as small as a pound) but I am happy to report that he is back in Special Care with no extra oxygen or IV action. I've even gotten to nurse him a couple of times, which has been really nice for both of us.

He is still on antibiotics and has to stay in the hospital until the course is through, which will be Friday or Saturday. With any luck, I will be able to go back into the hospital with him tomorrow and stay in a mother/baby room. Roo will probably be ticked since she has been really happy to have me home since I was discharged but I think it will be better than commuting to the hospital several times a day and pumping like a crazy mommy cow…

Anyway, here are some pics of the new little guy and our hospital stay.


Obviously, my labor contractions hadn't kicked in yet.


Jasper's first bath.


Daddy explains why brothers don't suck.


Roo has serious doubts!


Mommy loves Jasper.


Sweet little boy!


Roo finally decided that her brother does, indeed, rock.


Roo and Daddy hang out in the hospital.


Once this tube is out of my nose, I will rule the world!

Jasper's birthday will be tomorrow…

Whoops, I thought I'd have some time to do some last-minute posting but Jasper is being induced tomorrow morning bright and early. Why induce? Well, let me show you my swollen hugeness:


Please remember, I only gained twelve pounds with Roo. The snazzy Organically Grown shirt is from OWTK daddyblogger Jeff's shop, World's Fair. I have been meaning to write about it and the super cute Tree Hugger shirt he sent for Roo and the Organic Baby tee for Jasper but obviously I have been too busy laying on the couch like a beached whale. Here's about how the last month or so has felt:



Here's Roo and dad hanging with the Red Robin mascot. She really does like the bird, she just doesn't want to be filmed smiling these days.



Unless she's in disguise as a monkey.



Or a street corner hoodlum. Actually, this was a mosquito-inflicted wound. It seemed like a regular bite, but the next morning I woke up to this face. Yikes.



On that note, I'm going to go pack for the birth care center. More news soon!

Paper Bag Princess

Sorry for the absence of posting this week. Roo started preschool four mornings a week in a new classroom, with a new teacher, followed by swim lessons. It's been a busy, busy week here at the old homestead. This coincides with the weather getting unbearably hot (94º right now and balmy) and my introduction to the glories of ankle swelling, which I was miraculously spared from during my last pregnancy. I had no idea my ankles could get so, uh, round.

Anyway, Bob and I hit a couple of yard sales between preschool drop-off and swim class. A couple of He-man bad guys for Roo's collection, some clothes, a post hole digger, assorted files and a trunkful of Pyrex ware. Woo-hoo, I am so set to be the queen of casseroles. Feel free to send me your recipes, I am feeling super freezer-friendly these days since it's too hot to actually cook over the stove.

My favorite purchase today was this book for a quarter:


I am sure many of you have heard of this already, since it does have the air of an instant classic, but I don't remember it from my youth. (I know I am older than the hills but it lists the publish date as 1980, so it should have been in libraries when I was still in elementary school...) I was totally blown away by how cool it was when I read it to Roo pre-nap. I bought it because it had a dragon on it but was amused by its premise. The dragon burns down the princess' castle, including all her fancy schmancy clothes, and kidnaps her betrothed prince. So she dons a paper bag (the only unscorched thing she could find) and sets out to rescue him. Bla bla bla, she tricks the dragon, saves the prince only to have him criticize her slovenly appearance. So she dumps him. End of story. How cool is that?!

More info at author Robert Munsch's page.

Belly flop

I had a sonogram today and was expecting some news like "your baby is huge and you will be delivering him much sooner than we previously had thought" but they actually pushed my due date back a week. July 30. Apparently, the fact that I am HUGE isn't problematic and the only reason I have to pee all the time is because Jasper's doing headstands on my bladder. Great.