-A : by jean

the following post may not be suitable for all.  please read at your own discretion.

-A.  i think that's the size of my boobs now.  i haven't pumped in almost 2 weeks now, and and my girls have shriveled up to a NEGATIVE A cup.  back when i was pregnant and then onto being a dairy queen,  i was a full B cup.  for the first time i had real legit girls; i even had cleavage!  but once i stopped pumping, my girls completely shrunk.  they look like little flaps of skin.  gross.

have you experienced this shrinkage?  i feel like i'm a 12 year-old again, and i need to look into training bras!

one of my friends told me they will fill out again, maybe not to where they were, but they won't stay as just flaps.  i'm starting to worry that they WILL stay as flaps.  is this the trade-off i get for pumping out 40oz a day?

i don't mind being small, but i want SOMETHING there.  there needs to be a presence of some sort!

next time you see me in person, don't be looking at my girls because i will know what you are thinking!
;)

baby fashion : by amy

Is it just me, or do the clothes that kids wear seem to reflect some type of judgment on the mom more so than the dad?  I used to wonder why some moms would splurge on pricey children's clothes when they would only outgrow it in just a few months (sometimes weeks!).  What's the big deal?  They spit up on it, poop through it or smear their lunch on it, and yet some moms are dishing out big bucks for designer clothes like Joe's Jeans, Burberry and Ralph Lauren.  I just didn't understand.

Then, I had my own child and I suddenly kind of understood where those moms were coming from.  For some bizarre (perhaps shallow and self-centered) reason, I felt that my child's presentation somehow reflected me-- the mom-- not the dad.  Do other moms feel that way?  The only time I think the dad might have something to do with the kid's wardrobe is if the outfit is completely mismatched, but other than that, I correlate a child's presentation (dress, cleanliness) with the mother.  Consequently, I make an effort to dress Logan well and make him look presentable (though, we all have our off days).  Don't get me wrong-- I'm not splurging on designer labels for Logan, but I will look for high quality, super-soft cotton that will hold up to a lot of wash and wear.  Yes, I want him to match.  Yes, I want it to be cute and fashionable, and yes, I will pay up for it (and yes, I am sharing them all with Miles!  Jean: She sure is!!! Miles is soo lucky).

When Logan was a newborn, he used to do poopie-up-the-back on a daily basis, so I typically put him in cheap, plain-jane, white onesies.  As he got a little older, he still had sensitive skin (eczema) so I looked for super-soft or organic cottons.  Thanks to discounted brand-label sites such as Gilt, Zulily and The Mini Social, there are lots of baby boutique brands to choose from offering high quality baby clothes at (slightly) more reasonable prices.  I actually find myself losing interest in shopping for my own wardrobe and would rather spend the money on my son's!  That sounds silly, doesn't it?  I guess this is what happens when you become a mom.

Here are some of my fave stores/labels:

Mini Boden: Beautiful, high-quality pieces; super-duper soft cotton.  I love how their designs are so playful.  I especially love their reversible boys' pants- so comfortable and you get 2 designs in 1!

Mini Boden

Ever After: They have lots of basics in my favorite "guy" colors-- greys, blues, greens and violet (and their girl clothes is just as awesome!) and the softest, tissue-thin, pima-cotton shirts (especially good if you have a sweaty kid like Logan).  Also love their sweat shorts, sweat shirts and cardigans.  BONUS- they donate 25% of the net proceeds they receive on your order to a charity of your choice.  Each clothing item comes with a tag and a code that you use to log-on and choose the charity.

Ever After

Tea Collection: Another great brand with high quality cottons and playful designs.

Tea Collection

Egg: Love their designs and quality!  Hate their prices!

Egg

Jacadi: If you have big bucks, don't mind dry-cleaning baby clothes, and have a baby/toddler who doesn't do poopie-up-the-back, spit-up or get dirty when they eat/play, then this might be a viable option for you.  Otherwise, it is just baby-clothes-eye-candy. :)  This is clothes you get as gifts and not buy on your own-- their stuff is just way too impractical (who wants regular buttons on the BACK of onesies??) but probably the most beautiful baby clothes you will ever find.  In fact, we have one piece hanging on the wall as decoration in the nursery!

Jacadi

Baby Gap: Always a solid place for baby basics and stylish outfits.  Their shirts and onesies are soft and hold up well to rigorous play and repeated wash.  Never worth getting anything at full price since pretty much everything goes on sale.  I especially love their pajama collection.

Gap

Old Navy: Best option if you need play clothes-- very cheap.  When they have sales, it's ridonculous.  $5 bodysuits?  $7 performance fleeces?  Can't beat it.

Old Navy

Janie and Jack: A very classy-prep-themed line using high quality fabrics.  They have beautiful special occasion/formal-wear.

Janie and Jack

Zara: They have way more options for girls than boys (typical) but love their Euro-fashion-forward looks.

Zara

Stride Rite: Turns out, Logan has extra wide feet and Stride Rite makes wide sizes for babies!  I'm also told their walking shoes are top-notch for tots starting to get on their feet.  They've been making children's shoes since 1919.  Their other brands include Robeez, Saucony, Keds and Sperry Top-Sider.  When it comes to baby's feet, it's worth investing in quality shoes to avoid future foot/walking problems.

Stride Rite

Uniqlo: They just recently started an infant line-- I haven't purchased anything yet but so far, I'm liking what I'm seeing.  Liking their prices and clean designs, but wondering how well it will hold up to multiple washes.

Uniqlo

Uniqlo

If I were to have a girl, I think my bank account would truly suffer since there are TOO many cute and precious options.  Do you enjoy shopping for your children's wardrobe? 

purees to finger foods: by jean

miles has been eating solids for about 2 months now.  he's been eating really well; however, i've noticed that he is willing to open his mouth more when I'm giving him something from my fingers rather than from a spoon.  

does he think i'm giving him a puff and so he almost always opens his mouth?  sometimes i use the puffs to get him to open his mouth and then stuff his mouth with a spoonful of veggies.  he does get annoyed with me at times, but i always give him a puff after he takes a bite!

i usually give him a mix of puree fruits and veggies and now little pieces of chicken and pasta.  speaking of pasta, i found this great mini pasta at the supermarket!  rienzi's conchigliette. it's small enough for miles to be able to eat it whole (although i'm still a little nervous so I cut it in half).  he loves to practice picking it up and putting it in his mouth.  so does that mean he's ready to move on from purees?   he currently has two bottom teeth and his top teeth are about to come out.

at daycare, they say he eats really well with the spoon.  i don't give them any fingers foods yet for miles-- just yogurt, puree fruits and veggies, and rice cereal.  but at home, i guess because i give him a mix of finger foods and purees, he prefers finger foods.  he will almost ALWAYS open his mouth when i give him something from my fingers as oppose to a spoon.  

do i have to start letting him get messy and give him little chunks of food for him to feed himself?  i'm sort of already dreading all the clean up i will have to do afterwards!

date night at Landmarc : by amy

Date night is so crucial for parents.  It's time for parents to not (always) talk about the kids, focus on their own relationship and enjoy one another.  It's also an opportunity for parents to enjoy some of those pre-baby-life luxuries, such as dining out somewhere not-so-child-friendly and enjoying a meal at their own pace.

The husband and I had date night this past Saturday night.  We decided to have dinner Landmarc in TriBeCa, one of my favorite family-friendly neighborhoods in NYC.  The husband had eaten there before and described how delicious some of their dishes were-- some of which I hadn't enjoyed since our last trip to Paris in 2010!  So, I was pretty stoked to enjoy my adult-evening out where I could sip on wine and enjoy a gastronomical adventure.  To my pleasant surprise, the place turned out to be incredibly child-friendly, already serving a handful of families with (very well-behaved) small children by the time we arrived.

Husband says: Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that the chef has children of his own, so he's made it a point to make the restaurant child-friendly and even has a special children's menu that offers quality and healthy food choices for children.

Um, what?  That is awesome.  What a difference this place was from last week's restaurant adventure (read about it on last week's blog post here).

So, I decided to do my own brief restaurant review on this child-(and date-night)-friendly joint for this week's post.  Enjoy!

Landmarc

179 West Broadway, NYC (TriBeCa)

Background:
Opened in 2004 by head Chef Marc Murphy, Landmarc is a French-bistro-inspired restaurant with 2 locations-- TriBeCa and at the Time Warner Center.

Ambience: 
With exposed brick walls, tasteful garden lights (yes, it can be done tastefully!), a few steel ducts, and iron rods shooting up all the way to the 2nd floor, this place has a warm and rustic charm with homage to its industrial-feel neighborhood.  It's a pretty adult-ambience for a restaurant that's so child-friendly.  We had dinner at around 6:30pm, which I guess is relatively early for New Yorkers.  We sat on the 2nd floor-- it was quiet and laid-back (even with families and children present) where the husband and I could enjoy a conversation and the view of West Broadway.

Service:
Excellent and friendly service.  They don't sell wine by the glass-- only by half bottles, but you can get sparkling wine by split bottle.

Food:
So solid.  We ordered the following:

- Roasted Marrow Bones with onion marmalade & grilled country bread: I liked how they served the sea salt on the side so you can season your own marrow.  I can also eat their onion marmalade by the spoonfuls.
- Red & Yellow Beets with arugula, walnuts & goat cheese: Classic, clean and super-creamy goat cheese.
- Caramelized Sweetbreads with pea puree, fava beans & leeks: The caramelization on the sweetbreads actually made it taste...sweet!  (Sweetbreads: thymus gland of a calf/lamb/pig and nothing to do with "sweet" nor "bread").  The vibrant, green pea/fave bean/leek puree was one of my favorite parts of the meal-- complimented the sweet-sweetbreads so perfectly.
- Steak Tartare with field greens & grilled country bread: Perfect blend of dijon, capers, and onion bursting with every bite!

The children's menu conveniently comes with a a cartoony-Chef Marc on the back for kids to color in.  It has all of the usuals: pizza, chicken fingers, burger, mac and cheese, fish sticks, etc.   So what, big deal, right?  They offer a special children's menu with items that are in accordance with MyPlate, the USDA's new dietary guidelines to help guests make better food choices for their children.  These items are $12 each and are all served with sliced apples & bananas:

- Green Eggs & Ham with spinach & basil pesto and cheesey whole wheat toast
- Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Legs with steamed broccoli, brown rice & yogurt dipping sauce
- Whole Wheat Quesadilla with chicken, cheese & vegetables
- Sliced Skirt Steak with steamed broccoli & cheesey brown rice

Can't wait to take Logan here when he's a bit older!  Yeah, I'll order him a MyPlate-friendly entree, but I also can't wait to introduce him to delicious caramelized thymus glands, creamy duck liver and gelatinous bone marrow, mmmm!  What kid wouldn't want that?? ;)

lets talk about...: by jean

yes, let's talk about it.  really quick, short and sweet.

when i went in for my 6 week postpartum check up, my doctor asked me if we needed to talk about birth control.  i laughed at her.  i mean come on, it's only been 6 weeks since i gave birth!  of COURSE i don't need to talk about birth control! (read about my labor story here)

in the end, doesn't it come down to sleep or sex or all of those chores waiting for you-- vacuuming, dishes, laundry, cooking, showering?  many times, yes, i am too tired to even think about sex but other times there's just so much to do as soon as you come home-- make food, feed, burp, bathe, make bottle, feed, burp, change clothes, put to sleep, make food for yourself, eat, dishes, get stuff ready for tomorrow, shower, watch tv, pass out.  there aren't enough hours in the day to do EVERYTHING!  do you guys have time for sex?  yes, i hear that you have to MAKE time, but if you do have the time, don't you just want to sleep or veg out in front of the tv?

and how long after you gave birth did you start having sex again?  i can't really go into detail since most of you know who i am and it wouldn't be fair to my roommate, but i will say he was very patient with me.  :)  feel free to respond anonymously!

msnbc's article about how to reclaim the passion
huffintonpost says swedish parents have had sex while baby is in their bed. what?!
redbook's post-baby sex survival guide
the bump's article "do people ACTUALLY have sex after babies?"
discovery health's 10 ways to spice up your sex life
parent's breastfeeding take on and sex

dining and whining : by amy

My epicurean adventures were pretty good during my pre-baby life.  VIP at Strip House.  Late night eats in K-town or Palisades Park.  Spontaneous drives to Philly for a cheesesteak.  Paris.

Then, I got pregnant.  Spontaneous eats were still good (for evenings when I wasn't passed out by 8pm), but so long, Starbucks.  Smell ya later, sushi.  Au revoir, charcuterie and champagne.
(OK, so all of these things are probably fine during pregnancy if you have just a bit, but I didn't risk it.)

After 9 months and 38 pounds, baby was born and I was on the breastfeeding diet, which meant no/low caffeine and alcohol.  It also meant we started a library of take-out menus.  As many of you know, new parents become the top customers of local take-out/delivery joints.  Revenues of downtown Metuchen restaurants peaked in Q4 2011 thanks to us.

When we did go out to eat, it was rarely very enjoyable and never spontaneous.  I wasn't terribly comfortable nursing in public, but was able to do so when necessary.  It was a combination of getting and keeping Logan in the right position while not flashing everyone.  I've seen moms do it so effortlessly even without a Brest Friend or a Boppy.  I must have really weak arms or my boobs don't hang down for baby's easy-access since they aren't big enough.  Anyway, between that and getting somewhere in between Logan's napping or my pumping schedules, going out to eat just seemed like more of a nuisance.  Once Logan was exclusively on formula (~8 months), I was able to comfortably eat out and expand my dining horizons...on a limited basis.  "Limited basis" is the operative phrase here. 

Case in point: On Saturday night, we went to Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC for my sister-in-law's birthday.  The last time I had been here was circa 2007 after Jean's graduation from grad school.  I remembered the space being very small and narrow, even for NYC.  Since then, the restaurant moved to a larger space though not by much.  I had a "feeling" about this one, so we called in advance to see if they had a high chair or booster chair.  This was the first restaurant we had ever been to where they had neither!  (And no apologies either.)  They also only had back-less wooden stools.  Can it get any more toddler-unfriendly than that?  I had to take my "mom hat" off for a second and put on my "child-less demographic hat"-- it is not a legal requirement for restaurants to accommodate small children.  They clearly do not want patrons with small children b/c the place is practically a freaking fire hazard to begin with so why muck it up even more with small children running around?  Makes sense.  (OK, putting back on my "mom hat.")  Up yours, David Chang!

(just kidding!  yourporkbunsaresoamazing)

So, we came prepared with the right equipment, but also prepared to not really eat as we would probably be taking turns wrangling with our toddler.  I left the big UppaBaby Vista stroller at home, brought our UppaBaby G-Luxe umbrella stroller and packed our travel-friendly Eddie Bauer folding sit n' go booster chair (both referenced here).  They were surprisingly friendly about me leaving the stroller (folded or not) at the front.  We had reservations since we were eating their fried chicken feast, which meant we had an actual table as opposed to bar seating.  Fortunately, one of the stools happened to be against the wall, so we strapped our sit n' go booster chair on that stool and leaned Logan against the wall, like this:

"Um, this is awkward.  Hence, my awkward face."

Awkward, but it worked.  Logan feasted on pork buns, vegetable ramen and chicken.  The table next to us ended up bringing an infant, maybe 3-4 months old (obviously too small for any type of seat).  The mom was one of those moms that nursed so effortlessly!  She was there with a group of maybe 4-5 guys and 1 other woman, and she just whipped it out, holding the baby with one arm while eating a pork bun in the other.  I hated, envied and admired her all at once.

Needless to say, we won't be going there again until Logan can sit up and sit still in a chair by himself.  All of the chain restaurants, while not terribly exciting (c'est la vie), are typically pretty kid-friendly.  In fact, Legal Sea Foods was voted #1 kid-friendly restaurant by Parents magazine.  They let us bring our entire stroller in and roll it up to our table.  Our other favorite local kid-friendly joints are So Kong Dong Tofu House (Korean tofu stew joint in Edison, NJ), Le Peep (Edison, NJ), Wholefoods (Union and Princeton, NJ), Wegmans (Woodbridge, NJ), Ichi Umi (Edison, NJ), and DoKeBi (our favorite Korean casual joint in Leonia, NJ).

What are your favorite kid-friendly restaurants?

i'm leaving on an airplane... : by jean

we are taking a trip to korea next month for 3 weeks!  almost all of my relatives live in korea, and my parents now also live there too.  my dad hasn't even met miles yet so we are very excited!  i haven't been back in over 10 years!  i'm also a bit terrified to be on a 14 hour flight with an almost 9 month old baby.  i don't want to become THAT family with a screaming baby.  oh boy.

did you know that kids under 2 years old travel for free?  unless you decide to buy a seat for them, they are free for domestic flights, and for international you just have to pay for taxes.  going to korea isn't cheap so i'm hoping i can go at least once more before miles is 2.  you just have to let your airline know that you have an infant and they will reserve a seat with the wall in front so that you can get a bassinet for your baby sleep in.

here are some things i'm planning on bringing:

1. stroller: uppababy umbrella stroller.  amy got this, and i loved it.  it's light, easy to fold, has a carrying strap, AND it reclines so i got the same one for miles a little while back.

2. carrier: baby bjorn carrier.  our friend cynthia lent this to us when we had miles and so far it's been working out great.  it'll be good when we go through security in case miles doesn't want to stay in his stroller.  he's usually calm in the carrier.  hopefully that'll still be the case!

fisher price booster seat

3. booster seat: eddie bauer sit and go chair. initially, i was thinking of bringing our fisher price booster seat, but it is a bit bulky.  when i mentioned this to our friend julie, she said she had a new one that's never been used so she'll give me hers.  amy also has the same one for logan.  it's very compact and easy to take around in case a high chair isn't available.  since miles eats solids twice a day, i definitely need some type of chair to strap him down and feed him in!

4. crib: i WAS contemplating getting a travel crib or a pack and play, but i'm thinking i can just let him sleep on the floor with lots of pillows and cushions so he can't roll ALL over the room.  that should be ok...right?  or am i crazy?

5. car seat: i was planning on bringing one but my mom found some sites in korea that you can rent!  so, one less thing to pack.

Aside from the big items, other things on my list are:
-diapers
i'm sure i can get some in korea but i don't which brands are good and the american brands are probably super expensive, so i'm going to take as many diapers as i can
-wipes
-blankets
-disinfecting wipes
-toys
-clothes
at least 2 extra sets of clothing for the plane ride in case of accidents
-bibs 
disposable and regular bibs
-hat, sunscreen
-bottles
at least 2-3 bottles for the plane ride and maybe 2 more in the suitcase as back-ups just in case?
-food/miles's spoon
i will be completely done pumping by the time we go to korea so i was planning on packing one big tub of formula to take with me (i'll have to do the math to make sure its enough for 3 weeks).  also, since miles is eating solids at least twice a day, i was planning on buying some pouches like
ella's kitchen for the plane ride and for the first few days since i'll need time to go out to the market and make food for miles
-children's tylenol

am i missing anything else?

and what about jet lag?  how do i deal with jet lag with an infant?!

here's baby center's packing list for traveling with a toddler.

a link from tsa about traveling with formula and breastmilk.

oh joy's post on flying with a baby

a cup of jo's post on traveling with baby

did you know that if you have an iphone, you can text and do facetime with other iphone users anywhere in the world?  as long as you have wifi, it doesn't cost you extra!  just a little tip. :)

it sucks to sip : by amy

Our babysitter that watches Logan on M/W/F typically starts to eliminate the bottle altogether when a baby turns one.  To prepare for this, we started introducing Logan to the sippy at around 10 months old so he could get used to it.  If you type in "sippy cup" in amazon, guess how many hits come up?  A mere 3,788.  Oh, that's all?  I rolled up my sleeves and started my research.  At some point, I got fed up by the fact that I was investing all of this time reading about a <$10 purchase, so I started buying a few at a time based on some popular reviews.  Including ones we received as gifts, Logan's gone through 12 sippy/straw cups to date -- 2 of which are still going through "testing" mode.  Please tell me I am not the only mom out there who's tried 10 cups on their kid.  I'm a new mom so cut me some slack!  I am still learning!

I realize Logan is still very young, so I know it's not 100% based on the cup, but, there were definitely cups where even I thought to myself no wonder Logan isn't even giving it a try.  Here were my 3 biggest losers:

Boon Swig Flip Top

This cup looks super-chic for a sippy (...b/c babies care about that), but I think this cup is adult-proof.  I typically test every cup to see what is required to suck the liquids out, and I was getting nothing but air on this one.  I even gave it to my husband to try just to make sure it wasn't me.  We were stumped.  Logan tends to throw up when he sucks on air, so I didn't even risk giving him this one.

Munchkin Mighty Grip

These sippies look pretty basic, right?  Nice contour and easy-to-hold, but impossible to suck stuff out of!  Yes, it has as a valve, but you can't remove it.

OXO Tot Sippy Cup

Again, another mod-looking sippy cup and with handles for easy-gripping.  This was actually one of the first ones that Logan tried, so it really could've just been him, but he wasn't getting anything out of it.  It also had a hard-top-nipple which I think he was confused by.  Maybe good for him when he gets a little bit older.

Obviously, all of these sippy cups have worked just fine for other infants/toddlers-- probably ones that were actually old enough to start using them :P  After the frustration of failed sippy cups, I decided to change my strategy: straw cups.  And then I found this:

Zo-li Bot Straw Cup

This is my winner-winner-chicken-dinner.  Why do I like it?  It has a flip-top cap so I can toss it in my diaper bag without worrying about the straw-top getting dirty.  It's also leak/spill-proof (as long as you twist the top on properly) so Logan can toss it around all he wants.  Lastly, and the big selling point of this cup, is its weighted straw which allows the baby to drink every last drop in the cup no matter how he holds it.  Logan can hold it up right or tilt it back, and he'll still always be drinking something.  This feature is what makes the expensive Lollacup popular, but the Zo-li offers the same benefit at a friendlier price-point ($5 cheaper).  Logan's been successfully sipping his water out of this straw cup, but milk is another story.  We're currently transitioning him to cow's milk, but the babe refuses milk from the sippy/straw.  My doctor tells me this is a very common issue and that we still have time on that, so we'll give him a few more months on the bottle.  I have a feeling that is going to be another adventure...

P.S. These are the ones that are undergoing "testing" -  the ones I plan to use with milk one day:

Thermos Foogo Leak-Proof Straw Cup

Munchkin Click-Lock Insulated Straw Cup