Pardon my lateness. This week hasn’t been so pleasant, and it wasn’t due to being pregnant, but being sick. I’m done with the funky part of having a cold but I am now dealing with being light headed all day long. I’m feeling better but I need a solution. It seems like I feel this way right after meals. I remember going through this in September. I shall give my doctor a call.

Thursday’s doctor visit went quick. JT’s powerful heartbeat was checked. I was prescribed iron tablets because my hemoglobin was a tad low but my glucose score was 73, so I passed that. I was also given a number where I would have to schedule a time to come in a watch an epidural DVD. Basically it just covers the process, the risk, yadda yadda. If I don’t watch the DVD, I won’t be issued an epidural during labor no matter how bad that I beg or scream. I don’t know what the future holds, so I’m not going to take that risk of not going to see that DVD!

It seems that now my stomach isn’t growing fast enough for JT. He’s doing a great job with announcing his presence by leaving his little elbow and other body part imprints against my stomach. I find myself poking them back in.

Last night while cooking dinner Daddy asked me Who’s my Haute Mama? and proceeded to lift my shirt to rub my belly. A cheerio fell out on to the floor! I’m Haute and greedy, lol! Before cooking, I was eating honey nut cheerios in the bed and that one of many got trapped in my shirt!

I discovered last night after a shower, that my boobs can leak colostrum. Normally after taking a shower, I poke at my nipples to make sure that they are free of lint and that’s when they dripped. I know, TMI! I screamed and laughed out loud. Now I can get an “I Make Milk” shirt!

I leave you with the song that I think JT’s dancing to in my stomach! *sings* Ladies leave ya man at home! *sings*

(We have been keeping weekly accounts of our pregnancy since the 22nd week. If you’re interested in reading weekly updates prior to or following this one, click here!)

Yoplait has launched a new line of yogurt and yogurt drink for toddlers, both now containing DHA for the brain! Yoplait has made sure that all toddlers are able to enjoy yogurt and receive extra nutrition, calcium and vitamins A and D, without sacrificing taste. Yoplait Kids is blended smooth with no fruit chunks, this is to prevent choking hazards. I know we all love our fruit chunks but our little ones may not be able to handle them. The flavor is toned down a bit from your average kid yogurts. The yogurt remains to keep its rich fruity taste, but contains 25% less sugar than leading brands of yogurt for kids. The texture of the yogurt is made to hug the spoon to ease the mess of feeding. Even I can have a spill while eating yogurt, so I loved this about Yoplait Kids when given a sample.

The Yoplait Kids yogurt drink is a personal favorite. It is made just like the yogurt, but of course it is in the form of a drink. It comes in 3.1 ounces bottles to fit perfect in the grip of a toddler’s little hands. It is very convenient, just grab it and go. No need for fighting with a spoon if your tot is still having a hard time with coordination.

My suggestion for Yoplait Kids would be maybe changing the name of the line from Yoplait Kids to Yoplait Tots. Since Yoplait Kids caters to toddlers, some parents may get confused and buy this for their older children who may prefer their yogurt to contain fruit chunks and be less thick in texture. Overall I think Yoplait Kids is a great idea, but the name should be reconsidered or to go further, make the yogurts for different age groups.

Yoplait Kids can now be found at your local grocery store. The Yoplait Kids yogurt is available in many flavors including strawberry-vanilla, strawberry, vanilla, banana, peach, and strawberry-banana, and the yogurt drink in strawberry, banana, mixed berry, and strawberry-banana flavors. Yoplait Kids is currently offering a coupon for a free pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt. Visit yoplaitkids.com to get yours!

Mommy and I are sick. And it sucks. A LOT! Mommy is just recovering from a tough cold and I’m currently fighting a battle with the flu. (Oh yeah and I’m drugged up on Theraflu right now, so if I say anything dumb, blame it on the Theraflu!) The crazy weather we’ve been getting has finally gotten the best of us. We had a really bad snow/ice/sleet storm on Monday that shut down many schools, businesses, and roads (although just last week we had temperatures in the 60’s, go figure). Then on Tuesday, I was greeted by 6 inches of ice super glued to my car. After telling the neighbor’s kids to stop ice skating on my windshield unless they paid me first, I tried opening my car door to no avail. After an hour of begging and pleading to my car to please let me in, I gave up and stayed in the house for the day.

Then matters got worse. There I was, typing away on my laptop, minding my ooown business, when *WHAM*!!!!!, our electricity shut off! A couple of seconds later it came back on, then *WHAM*!!!!!, it shut off again! And this time for good. Turns out there was a major power outage in our area, and it lasted for three…long…hours.

So as you can tell, this week has pretty much sucked for Mommy and I, thus the reasoning behind lack of updates here on Mommy Daddy Blog. But we were able to make it to the OBGYN today for Mommy’s pregnancy check-up, and we are now officially in our THIRD trimester of the pregnancy! What an exciting journey it has been, and it’s only going to get better! Mommy will talk more in-depth about it in her 28th Week Update, so look forward to that!

In the meantime, we’ve added a new section to Mommy Daddy Blog called Shopping Guide where we will list companies and products that we have reviewed and recommend, as well as discount codes for you to use! So be sure to check that out!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine’s Day! Mommy and my Valentine’s Day plans had to be postponed of course; although we did spend the entire day together wiping each other’s snotty nose. Now if that’s not love, I don’t know what is! As for anyone else out there under the weather, we feel your pain!

Long before learning about the baby wearing movement, I wanted to wear my “future” child. I just couldn’t picture myself doing tasks around the house without my child being by my side. I couldn’t picture myself pushing those bulky strollers while traveling either, goodness why do they still make those things anyway? Now I realize the MANY benefits of baby wearing and I want to make sure that we as a family can take full advantage of them. According to Dr. Sears, babies who are worn seem to cry less, get “humanized” earlier, learn more, and are smarter and more organized than babies who aren’t worn.

About 2 years ago I was introduced to baby slings, pouches, and mei tai’s just by randomly browsing the web. I thought these carriers were so cool and they seemed very easy to use. They are made simple, come in gorgeous fabrics, and babies and their mothers absolutely love them. I already have a Peekaboo Pouch baby sling and I am going to be purchasing quite a few slings from Slinglings. I don’t intend on purchasing any type of carrier that resembles a back pack, just for the record. Those seem to be too bulky and can cause muscle and back problems in the babies that are worn in them.

Alright baby wearing mamas it’s time for some questions. What is your favorite baby carrier and why?

A day late publishing this post, but I had it written yesterday!

Today marks 27 weeks and I am starting to feel a little more pregnant. I waddle, I really don’t like wearing anything other than slip ons, and my legs are catching it from the instant weight gain. I weigh 121lbs with a total gain of 16lbs. I managed to put on the last 4 pounds in a week! Now that’s not a bad thing, I’m just amazed. I didn’t get a chance to prepare or anything. I know that if you should gain more than 4lbs in a week you should contact your doctor, but I gained exactly 4lbs so I’m fine. I already went up a bra cup, now I will need to go up a size too. I’m on the last hook and it’s still tight on me. I just bought new bras around Christmas and now I need to buy some more! When I lay down it feels like there are bricks smooshing me into the bed. Each night I feel like I need a full body massage. I’m starting to breath heavier as well. I’m starting to lack energy and I’m trying to cope. It’s always nice to relax, but I have a lot of business related tasks on my todo list. There’s no way that they can be put on the back burner. At any rate, I am getting enough rest. When my body starts to give up, I lay down immediately. JT is definitely getting bigger. I can press on my stomach and feel him. His movements are also getting much stronger. I can’t believe there’s a baby inside!

I’m just enjoying being pregnant. All of the changes going on with my body are more amazing than a pain. Next week I’ll be starting my 3rd trimester! This is all happening so fast! We also have a doctor visit on Valentine’s Day, hoping we can see JT’s face again!

So this is what pregnancy is all about…I’m getting to the good stuff now!

(We have been keeping weekly accounts of our pregnancy since the 22nd week. If you’re interested in reading weekly updates prior to or following this one, click here!)

There he was, all snug in his blankets, with a face so precious, it made my heart smile. There he was, lighting up the whole room with his glistening eyes. There he was, murmuring his very first sounds of life. There he was, my son! My very first child! I could not describe the feeling I felt. The moment was so beautiful! I was so happy! My eyes were tearfully gleaming with joy! He was my son, Jayden!

Immediately I wanted to share my son with the world! I wanted everyone to experience what I was feeling. I took him to work with me and showed him off to my co-workers. I took him to class with me and showed him off to all my classmates. Everyone was happy! Everyone was delighted! My son lit up every single room in which he laid presence in. He was perfect! I loved him more than I could ever love. I smiled at him. He smiled back at me. And then…

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* !!!!!!!!!!

What the…?

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

My eyes slowly opened as I reached over and slammed the snooze button. And that’s when I realized, it was all a dream!

Hurry up and get here son, Daddy’s waiting on ya!

Question: What has made parenting easier for you?

SuburbanDaddy says “Learn how to swaddle! It’s a real art form. The nurses at the hospital are experts, and babies calm down as soon as they are snug. I could never get the swaddle to hold for more than 5 minutes, so we used the ones at babies r us that wrap around with velcro.”

To be honest, I did not know what the heck swaddling was up until a couple of weeks ago. After I read SuburbanDaddy’s comment, I thought to myself, “What in the world is swaddling?” Before turning to Google to tell me what it was, I tried figuring it out on my own. I began to focus on the word……………swaddling…………swaaaaaadling………sssssswaddling……… And that’s when it hit me! I came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with swimming and paddling! Swimming + Paddling = Swaddling! Right? Then I wondered, “But what the heck does swimming and paddling have to do with babies?” Could it have something to do with a baby “swimming” around in his/her mother’s stomach? But then how would he/she have access to paddles? Becoming frustrated, I just asked Mommy what swaddling was. After she laughed at me (for an hour or two) when I explained to her what I thought it meant, she told me what it was. I felt like an idiot.

So since I’m a complete dummy when it comes to swaddling (Swaddling For Dummies, anyone?), as I just previously proved, I’ll let my research do the talking on the subject.

Running a quick search on Google for “swaddling” will net you loads of information on the practice. It turns out that swaddling has been around for centuries simply because it has many benefits and very few risks. Swaddling is meant to emulate the tightness and security of the womb for a newborn baby. Loosening a swaddle over time can help him/her adjust from the tightness of the womb to the openness of the new world they’ve just entered. This can make the transition for the newborn much easier and much more comfortable. Many more benefits of swaddling include:

-helps the baby sleep through the night with very few awakenings
-keeps the baby warm
-prevents the baby from startling him/herself and even scratching his/her own face
-calms the baby

There are also some risk factors of swaddling. It is recommended that a baby is swaddled only for the first month or two of his/her life. Swaddling for longer could potentially interfere with his/her mobility and development. Excessive swaddling could make it difficult for the baby to become comfortable or fall asleep without a swaddle, as he/she would rely so much upon it. It is recommended that you loosen the swaddle over time so that becoming reliant upon it can be prevented.

In case you are interested to learn how to swaddle a baby, here are some instructions on how to do so:

1. Lay the blanket out on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond.
2. Fold down three or four inches of the top edge of the blanket.
3. Place your baby on the blanket so that his head is overlapping the top edge you turned down.
4. Tuck your baby’s right arm into the flap made by the folded down edge of the blanket and the right corner of the blanket. Pull that corner across his body, tucking it behind the opposite side of his back.
5. Bring the bottom corner of the blanket up and tuck it inside the blanket near his chest.
6. Tuck your baby’s left arm into the flap made by the folded down edge of the blanket and the left corner of the blanket. Pull that corner across his body, tucking it behind the blanket on his back.

Or if that doesn’t work for you, you can always buy a swaddling blanket with Velcro flaps to make it easier for you as SuburbanDaddy suggested. Mommy and I have these types of swaddles on our Babies “R” Us baby registry. And speaking of Babies “R” Us, they are currently having a buy one get one 50% off sale on all Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe swaddles! The offer ends on the 24th of this month, so be sure to hurry and check that out if you plan on swaddling your bundle!

So now I would like to hear your opinions on swaddling. Do you or did you swaddle your baby? If so, how did he/she react to it? Are there any other benefits/risk factors of swaddling that I did not mention here? Are there any swaddling methods you would like to share?

This post is a part of our Parenting Made Easier series. Our goal for this series is to help new and expecting parents learn ways that parenting can be made easier through tips and advice given by “veteran” parents. If you would like to be featured in this series, just leave a comment on the original post sharing your own tips and advice on what has made parenting easier for you. And be sure to subscribe to our feed so that you don’t miss out on any updates to this series!

(Sources: Baby Center, Wikipedia, and About)