The Uniform Project

I just came across the coolest blog. The Uniform Project is the brainchild of Sheena Matheiken, who has pledged to wear one of seven identical dresses every day for a year, starting May 2009. Every day she reinvents the dress with vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down accessories. She calls it an exercise in sustainable fashion. I call it genius! I should totally do this after giving birth. To hell with fitting into my old clothes!

Matheiken is using this intiative as a fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots project working to fund uniforms and educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

Check it out!

Well, we needed showers...

...and we got both kinds on both Saturday AND Sunday.

Matt’s mother lured us to Enotria under the guise of going to dinner with her and Matt’s Grandma Ryan. Let me caveat this by saying it’s been about 28 years since there’s been a baby in their family, so this is quite the event for everyone.

Matt’s mom, Gloria, Courtney and Janene went all out with floral centerpieces, home-made chocolates in baby shapes, footprint cookies, three cakes in the shape of baby blocks, games, and prizes. We had dinner, then got down to some serious present opening.

Aunt Lorraine (Grandfather’s sister) got us a Boppy pillow, a white sleeper with pink polka-dots, a lady bug sleeper, a pack of five organic washcloths, extra nipples, extra bottle caps, and spoons ergonomically designed to help kids learn to feed themselves.

Charlene (Aunt Lorraine’s daughter) got us the Fisher Price newborn to toddler portable rocker, three burp cloths, and a baby farm animals book.

Marie (also Aunt Lorraine’s daughter) got us a beach-themed onsie, a bunny sleeper with matching bib, a four-piece Precious Moments sleeper, pants, onsie and bib set, a set of three headbands, a set of hangers, and a collapsible laundry bag. And, in case Evelyn isn’t going to be spoiled enough, she got her a set of silver flatware. Yup, my baby has a silver spoon (and fork and knife, by Sean O’Hara)!

Aunt Jeanette (Grandmother’s cousin) bought us a polka-dotted sleeper, a three pack of onsies, and a pair of khaki pants.

Aunt Sandy (another of Grandmother’s cousins) and her daughter Francie got us a Rainforest gym, a set of three burb cloths, and a set with two shirts (a duck and safari animals) and a matching pair of duck-footie pants. Aunt Sandy spent a good part of the time Matt and I were opening gifts repeating the refrain, “That’s going to be one well-dressed baby.”

Aunt Pat (my favorite friend-of-the-family) got us a Diaper Genie and some refills.

Mari (mom’s next-door neighbor) got us two pink floral onsies, a kimono top, a pair of pink pants, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and a bear bank.

Ruth (mom’s old neighbor) got us two thermal receiving blankets and a plush pink blanket.

Aunt Phyllis (Grandma Ryan’s niece) got us two crib pads, two extra fitted sheets, two pink panda shirts and matching footie pants, and a set of five body suits,

Janene crocheted a blanket, a washcloth and a Ravens-purple hat, and gave us a purple Ravens onsie, a pink Ravens onsie with matching booties and bib.

Courtney and her mother-in-law got us extra crib sheets and the matching curtain.

Aunt Gloria bought us a flannel sleep sack, a polka-dotted bunny sleeper, a pink polka-dotted sleep sack, a striped lamb sleep sack, a lady bug sleeper with a matching bib (we’re hoping it fits around Halloween!) and our glider. She also got us a nursery cross. And, she had the foresight to have the guests write their addresses on thank you card envelopes, and gave us the envelopes and cards.

Matt’s mother and Grandma Ryan got us the stroller and car seat set.

Then it was time to open the gifts from Matt’s mother who, much like my own mother, went completely overboard. She got us a Baby Bjorn, a white sleeper with flowers, a rubber duckie sleep sack, a giraffe and elephant sleep sack, a two-pack of sleep gowns, two seashell onsies, two bubble rompers, a blue sweater.

She got us two watherproof pads, a pack of five flannel receiving blankets, a 12-pack of cloth diapers, two sets of fitted sheets for the Pack ‘n Play, and the organic Boppy slipcover,

She got a food mill, our Born Free bottle starter kit, and a Mommy Hook, which is a huge D-ring that you are supposed to use to hang your bags from shopping carts and strollers and such.

She also got Evelyn’s take-me-home set from Serena and Lily, with the gown, blanket, and hat in 100% organic cotton. I have been coveting that set for a while; we even based Evie’s room off of one of their designs.

At Least My Baby Won't Go Naked...

Mom invited me to a pool party at Aunt Shirley's yesterday, so I lowered myself into the tub and conducted the aerobic activity that is manuvering around my stomach to shave my legs. Then I went through all of my tankinis to find something that looked like it might fit, whined to Matt about getting in the pool with me, grabbed our beach towels, and headed down the road.

When we finally got to Shirley's, it was a surprise baby shower! And how such few people managed to accumulate so much baby stuff (especially considering we are rarely at a loss for babies), I'll never know. But I'm very grateful!

Bob insisted his present should be first, and he got us a dual-sided picture frame where one side can be ingraved with the baby's name, date and time of birth, weight, and length. He also got her two Baby Gap onsies, cute little pants with trees all over them, and three pairs of socks.

Next was a crazy amount of goodies from my cousin Jamie. She got Evie three pairs of cotton newborn caps, two five-packs of onsies, two pairs of pants, six pairs of baby socks, a super-cute polka-dotted sleeper, a pack of three bottles, two extra nipples, two pacifiers, and a dishwasher basket that came with a soft-tip spoon. ("I don't get to buy for babies much; I guess I got a little excited," she said. I think so!)

Aunt Shirley (proud owner of a swing machine that hooks to a computer) made a bib that reads, "I Love My Uncle Bob" and gave us the Baby Bjorn that Matt deemed manly enough to be seen sporting his child in.

Megan got us the Munchkin Diaper Duty Organizer, complete with baby lotion, baby oil gel, diaper rash ointment, Q-tips, wipes, diapers, and a half-dozen washcloths.

Lisa made us a three-tier "diaper cake" with diapers, baby bottles, baby wash, baby lotion, onsies, bibs, socks, pacifiers, a bottle brush, a teether, a rattle, a stuffed bunny with teether hands and feet. The only bad thing about it is that we won't ever want to disassemble it! It was the talk of the shower.

Lisa had also made baby sock "corsages" for me and mom. Again, one of those things that seemed too cute to dismantle!

Anne got us a five pack of white onsies (I'm thinking about decorating them!); safety swabs, Johnson's baby wash, lotion and powder; Baby Orajel; Boudreaux's Butt Paste; a 50-pack of outlet protectors; and a first baby doll.

Aunt Carol got us the Germ Guardian Nursery Sanitizer, and two little rattles as part of the packaging. (Every time we hit a bump on the way home, they would rattle and Matt would break out into a face-splitting grin.)

Grandma got us the Pack 'n Play, and commented that we needed to just take it to Mom's and be done with it. (We're thinking of getting her one, anyway.)

Frighteningly enough, the pile of gifts that were left were all from my mother. She got us the Diaper Genie, the crib bedding, a carseat, a Mom + Dad = Me picture frame, and a pack of diapers. Four sleep gowns; two sleepers; a coverall, sock, bib, hat, and blanket set; another a coverall, sock, bib, and hat set; a onsie-pant-and hoodie set; an "Off to Grandma's" onsie and pant set; a onsie that read "I've Got Daddy Wrapped Around My Finger," and a t-shirt and overall set. She also knit a green sweater with little kitten buttons, and made a pink-and-white sweater, hat and bootie set. At least my baby won't go naked!

She also passed along Bob's My First Bible. Shirley asked Bob, "What if you want to pass that along to your own children one day?" but Bob was perfectly happy passing it along to THIS baby. (And we can always gift it to Uncle Bob if he becomes a daddy one day.)

After all the unwrapping, it was time for cake! They had gotten it from Shirley's favorite bakery, and it was chocolate with raspberry filling and read, "The big day is drawing near...Baby Evelyn is almost here!"

Another Good Reason to Move to Paris

Paris' most famous department store has apparently opened the world's largest dedicated shoe space. We stayed about a mile from Galeries Lafayette but didn't go. However, now that they have turned their basement into a 34,500-square-foot shoe extravaganza, I don't think I'll be skipping it next time I'm in town.

WWD reports that French women buy an average of six pairs of shoes a year. I can rise to that challenge!

Things I Love in July

Cherry tomatoes from my backyard
Cuties
Matt's peppermint-patty brownies (thank heaven they are gone!)
Sea of Shoes blogger Jane Aldridge and her mom in August's Vogue
Noisettes
Tiffany Notes pendant
Kung-fu baby kicks
Old friends
The pink apron Matt got me from William-Sonoma, with "Mommy" embroidered on it
The promo poster for The Time Traveler's Wife
Black-and-white toddler dresses at BabyGap
And two things I saw but didn't purchase at a recent trip to Anthropologie:

Windflower Necklace

The Fallen Ruffle Wrap

Ugly Americans?

Heart disease. Diabetes. And the latest medical condition on the rise due to Americans' unhealthy eating habits? Gout. The Disease of Kings (called so back when only aristocrats could afford to get so bloated with fatty foods and alcohol) is hitting as many as six million members of America's overweight middle class. Obesity is holding steady or growing in each and every state of the union. Seriously people, it's becoming an epidemic. Put down the soft drinks!

Read more in the NY Times.

The Nursery

Stine has been very patiently waiting for pictures... any pictures!... that have to do with the baby. So finally, here are some pictures of the nursery.

This is what you see when you first walk in:

dresser with changing top, and bookshelf on the left;

and the crib on the right.

I got the closet doorknob from Anthropologie,

the alphabet birds poster from Bold & Noble (in the UK!)

and the lightswitch plate from a crafter in Canada.

Since the room is such a bright, peachy pink,we are toning it down with white furniture and blue textiles. And while there are several sheep in the room (the one on the window was sent from Spain from Matt's brother, and the one in the crib makes womb noises), I'd like to bring in more of a bird theme. That's part of the reason why there isn't anything else on the walls...I haven't found the just-right bird things...yet.

Baby Cucumbers!

Since Matt's been home, I've put him in charge of a few daily chores, like watering the garden and making dinner (which is at least planned out in advance). This morning, he sent me a text message reading: Great big cucumber... I love you. Uh, PICTURES!

So he sent me two:

This is the fruit of my one teeny-tiny sunny patch of backyard. I'm not doing much this year; only a puny basil plant, a ton of mint (which came back from last year), some oregano (which has come back several years in a row), some chives (which has been around as long as the oregano), a slightly struggling tomato plant, and a quite happy cherry tomato plant. Just wait: one of these days, I'm going to have a big sunny yard and lots of plants!

Matt's Father-to-Be Day

I have to pat myself on the back for this one... For Father's Day, I went to Dadgear.com and got Matt a flaming skulls diaper bag. It has a refillable wipes case, big pockets for diapers, two pockets for bottles, a changing pad, and straps that can attach to a stroller. Nope, I'm not subjecting my man to a Winnie-the-Pooh diaper bag. This is one he'll be proud to carry, and willing to use long after the baby is out of diapers.

I started with the whole brown paper packages, tied up with strings...
yet Julie Andrews did NOT make an appearance.

Then put it in the crib, for Matt to find it:

(I had to tell him where to look.)

The string comes off the present...

...and becomes a present for Angel.

Yeah, Matt liked it.

Is it just me, or does he even look a little misty?

Inside the bag were two books: Daddy Hugs and Daddy Cuddles,
especially for him to read to his baby girl.

I think I did pretty well!

Menu Board

It's been a while since I've posted my menu boards, and I've had a request for dinner ideas, so here you go:


A little dark; sorry about that!



I'm trying to eat low-mercury seafood twice a week; we usually end up with a fish and a shrimp every week:


Angel apparently enjoys tilapia. My excuse for having him on the table is that otherwise, he sits at my feet and whines the ENTIRE time we are eating, and my nerves can't take it.




That gnocchi was The Shit:


We ended up with a lot sliders. But the rolls were homemade!



This one was from the first full week Matt was home after back surgery. Bless his heart, he did a lot of the cooking (though his pictures of the board aren't as good as mine):



The spanish tortilla (basically, a frittata) was super yummy, and not bad to look at, either:


Finally, this week's menu. Posting these, I notice that I pair shrimp and cous cous a little too often...

Note: most of these recipes come from my Everyday Food subscription. I go through the latest issue on Friday or Saturday, make the menu, make the grocery list, then do our shopping on Sundays. It's nice, because we don't have a lot of repeats in any given month. (Except shrimp and cous cous, I suppose!)

You Are What You Eat

Had a busy morning: first off to the farmer's market, then a stop at Sephora for Lancome's new mascara, then Trader Joe's to finish off our grocery shopping. I love-love-love buying fresh local produce, especially from those who practice organic, sustainable farming. I really need to get with a CSA program. I say that every year, and still haven't. Bad girl!

Frankly, the grocery stores are getting entirely out of control. Last week at Giant, there was a display of insanely, unnaturally large cantaloupes. I just stood in front of them, openmouthed. And no one else seemed to notice that they were 50% larger than last year's cantaloupes, or why they should mind. No one seems to notice the food is so much BIGGER than it's meant to be. It's all genetically engineered to be uniform-looking, survive long shipments, and grow to unusual proportions. As a result, it's less tasteful and less nutritious.

Right then, something hit me: produce is often sold by the pound, the size of the produce we are eating has gotten out of control... that has to be one of the reasons produce has gotten so expensive. By comparison, the stuff you get at the farmer's market is smaller, and occasionally dares to be misshapen, but has such a better concentration of flavor. So that's where I choose to put my money.

And just when you think it's safe to buy organic, The Washington Post published a disturbing article a few days ago, called Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label Is Questioned. It's about how higher consumer demand and lower federal standards turned the organics market into a $23 billion-a-year business.

There were a lot of disturbing facts, but here's one that hit this mother-to-be: synthetic additives in organic baby formula banned just three years ago can now be found in 90% of organic baby formula. 90%!! Why? Because a USDA program manager was lobbied by the formula makers and overruled her staff. I hope this breastfeeding thing works out!

Small, independent organic companies are being bought up by companies like Kraft (Boca) and Kellogg (Morningstar Farms). And they have the money to press the government to expand its definition of "organic," especially through their Organic Trade Association (which wants you to buy THEIR kind of organic products, those prepared, processed and packaged with synthetic food substances). Don't think things like the OTA have power? Check this quote:

Under the original organics law, 5%of a USDA-certified organic product can consist of non-organic substances, provided they are approved by the National Organic Standards Board. That list has grown from 77 to 245 substances since it was created in 2002. Companies must appeal to the board every five years to keep a substance on the list, explaining why an organic alternative has not been found. The goal was to shrink the list over time, but only one item has been removed so far.

And here's another gem from a man making decisions about whether the food you eat is truly organic:

"I say, 'Let's find a way to bend that one, because it's not important.' . . . What are we selling? Are we selling health food? No. Consumers, they expect organic food to be growing in a greenhouse on Pluto. Hello? We live in a polluted world. It isn't pure. We are doing the best we can."

I don't think he is. Do you?

I choose to pay more for certain organic products, and I expect them to be free of synthetics, pesticides and other chemicals; not to be genetically engineered; and to be grown in a way that is gentle to the environment. Farmers and food producers shouldn't be able to shop around and hire private certifiers to inspect products. There should be clear guidelines on what can be used in organic products, and that list shouldn't grow! Terms like "access to pasture" should have specific definitions; don't put true organic dairy farmers at unfair competition with those who run more or less confinement dairies. There has to be a strict interpretations of "organic." The organics industry shouldn't focus on growth at any cost; it should focus on preserving the integrity of the organic label.

Remember that old saying: you are what you eat? If you want to learn a little more, I recommend In Defense of Food; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; and will be sure to eventually blog about Food, Inc.

The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood

With Matt laid up for the next few weeks, I HAD to get out of the house a few times. Friday, it was the library. After checking out the new releases section, I wandered over to the parenting/childcare section and got the Complete Baby Care video I wrote about earlier, Heading Home with Your Newborn, an updated Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, Cozy Knits for Cuddly Babies, and The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood.

TMGGM really could've been broken into two sections: one on prenatal/postnatal/newborn care, and the other on caring for toddlers. If you are having your first baby, you can get away with skipping around rather than reading the whole thing like I did. Most of the content is very worth the read.

It goes over:

• What you need to prepare for a new baby (I've come across about a half-dozen of these lists, and they all have slightly different things. My only recommendation on that is NOT to get one from a place like Babies R Us...they are pretty incented to get you to buy!)
• Labor, birth, legalities, postpartum recovery, and choosing daycare
• The first few weeks home, including dealing with visitors
• Feeding considerations
• Sleep patterns
• Baby care, emergencies, vaccinations, and milestones
• Instilling good behavior, communicating, discipline (This is one of the chapters I think is most helpful. I like the idea of redirecting with"yes" behavior instead of saying "no" all the time. "You want to throw the ball? Let's go outside; we don't throw the ball inside the house." I think the RIE method is worth looking into as well.)
• Breaking old or bad habits and potty training
• Recommended toys and games, playdates, and picking a preschool

I'd definitely refer to this book again once my baby is a toddler. And bless my library card; after reading this, I have a list of other books I want to check out. Matt thinks that by the time I actually HAVE the baby, I should qualify for a degree in early childhood care and education.

Baby Videos

So far, Matt and I have watched two parenting videos. The first one was called Understanding Birth; we both really enjoyed that one, and got a lot out of it. While I had an idea what to expect, Matt didn't, and it not only brought the idea to life for both of us, but it gave us some things to discuss about how we wanted our birth to go. As I'm getting closer to my due date, I may even borrow this one from the library again to practice the labor techniques.

The second one was called Complete Baby Care. Matt found some of the content helpful, mainly how to lift and hold the baby, care for the cord, and give a bath. Otherwise, the video seemed a little outdated and wasn't as informative. It's getting dumped right back off at the library in mere moments.

BabyCenter.com has also been a great resource for videos. They tend to be short, well-edited, and pretty darn fascinating!

Picking a Pediatrician

I haven't chosen ours yet, but here are some of the things I'll consider or want to ask when choosing:

• Is the doctor conveniently located?
• Are office hours convenient, including weekends and evenings?
• Does the doctor have partners, and is someone always on call?
• How quickly will a doctor call you back?
• Do they accept my insurance?
• What are the doctor's hospital affiliations?
• Will the doctor come to see the baby after she is born?
• What are the doctor's child-rearing philosophies?

Rattled!

Just finished reading a memoir by the author of the Storked! blog on Glamour.com. Not that I had heard of the blog before picking up the book, so for anyone else is isn't familiar with it, Christine Coppa was a 26-year-old Manhattanite with a dream job working on a start-up publication, and a sort of Sex and the City existence with her network of glamourous girlfriends, all-night party sessions, cocktail brunches, and model-like boyfriend. Until they had unprotected sex, she got pregnant, and he skipped town.

Christine writes about her pregnancy, how she pulled her life back together, the birth of her son, her desire to get her son's father into his life (he declines), and the first few life-changing months of motherhood.

One of her friends has a quote on the back cover, reading, "Christine Coppa is a potty-mouthed, modern-day Holly Golightly." Maybe she gets that from their personal relationship, but I don't see that in the book. She's not terribly potty-mouthed, the book was engaging and well-written, and I don't see her as fey or tragic. (Although she's gone through some rough experiences, including major back surgery and once dated someone who became paralyzed in a motocross accident.)

If I weren't having a baby of my own in nine weeks or so, I'd probably be jealous that she's able to support herself on her writing, that she works in New York City, that she has designer clothes and a large group of fashionable girlfriends. But then I see Matt looking into the waiting crib, hear him talk to my belly, or feel his hands seeking out the little movements going on inside of me, and I think I wouldn't trade this life for all the Gucci diaper bags in the world.