Melissa and Doug Coupon Code - 1 Day Only!

Melissa & Doug, my favorite toy company (see my review of their Geometric Stacker here) has been kind enough to offer you blog readers a special 15% off discount off YOUR ENTIRE ORDER! The only trick? You must order in the next 24 hours. So get on it!

If I haven't mentioned it before, Melissa & Doug make my very favorite line of baby and kid toys. They are classic, entertaining, educational and affordable. I am so thrilled to have growing toddlers at a time when Melissa & Doug has made it to the market in a big way!

Check out the Melissa & Doug homepage and enter code BLOGGER15 at checkout to get your 15% off. Expires midnight, 9/1/11. Happy shopping!

One Word Wednesdays

Play-Doh!

Ten C-Section Tips You'll Thank Me For

I have two babies, and I had two c-sections. I had planned with my first to have a traditional birth, but it didn't work out. Thus began my foray into the world of c-section and its recovery, a world I had never looked into before because I didn't plan on having one!

I would first like to dispel the myth/faulty belief that if you have a c-section, then you really didn't have a baby. Are you freaking kidding me? I guess people who believe this think you make an appointment, the doctor unzips you, peacefully takes the baby out, zips you back up, and you all go home in painless bliss.

I see it like paying with cash vs. credit: vaginal birth - pay now; c-section - pay later. With cash, it hurts to take that hard-earned cash out of your wallet, but the pain is immediate and the bulk of it is over relatively quickly. With credit, it's less of a deal to take the credit card out of your wallet, but the pain comes later when you get the bill and stays with you longer when you have to pay interest on that purchase. Either way, you still pay, no two ways about it.

If you have a c-section, don't let anyone diminish the experience by leading you to believe that your delivery was somehow "less" than a traditional birth because that is simply not true. Yes of course labor is painful, and pushing can be traumatic (even for the partner who is there coaching!). But c-section recoveries are notoriously long and can be much more complicated than regular recoveries, and there are more risks associated with the surgery than with traditional births, which is why most doctors prefer to try a regular delivery first if possible. And it can be just as traumatic for the partner in the operating room watching surgeons rearrange your internal organs!

Now, onto my top 10 c-section tips no one really tells you.

1. My single biggest one? ACCEPT ALL HELP OFFERED. And if none is offered, ASK. This one is no joke. If you have a traditional birth, you might be a little sore, you may be dealing with a few stitches, and of course you'll be very tired. With a c-section, you'll be all that plus you'll be in actual, meaningful pain and you will not be able to take stairs, lift anything, and you are likely to have tons of swelling in your legs, making even walking uncomfortable. Even having my husband there to help me find a good pillow position for nursing (since I couldn't reach or twist too well) was huge. But eventually hubby has to go back to work, and an extra pair of hands to help with laundry, preparing bottles, and getting the baby in and out of the car for pediatrician appointments is essential. Trust me, if you try to do these things yourself, you will only delay your recovery and possibly rip your stitches/staples. So even if you are the DIY type, please, this time ACCEPT ALL HELP. If people are kind enough to offer, it means they really want to help. And this is especially true for good friends and family members (grandparents in particular)... it helps them feel more connected to you and your baby and become part of the experience! Win-win!


2. The shaking. It is not unheard of to shake like a friggin' leaf as a side effect of the anesthesia. Sometimes your whole body will shake, sometimes it is just one little part of you. This is normal but it can be unsettling. I experienced this with my first c-section and it made me feel like a freak, but no one seemed to notice except me and my husband.


3. THE HOT BLANKETS. Oooooh, this was the best part of the c-section. Ok besides the baby. The operating room is cold. The anesthesia can make you feel even colder. They give you very very warm blankets and they put them all over you and it is the best thing EVER. I want some right now. It's almost a good enough reason to have a third c-section!


4. Shoulder pain. This one sounds random, but it is not as rare as you might think. I have read two causes for this: either referred nerve pain from the trauma of the cutting of the abdominal muscles, or trapped air bubbles that travel upward once the incision is closed. Either way, it KILLS. I did not experience this with my first, but with my second c-section I sure did! In my case, it came on all of a sudden and I felt it through my right shoulder, down the back of it and into my ribcage. I can do some pain, but this one brought me to tears. Didn't help that my nurse was like, "hm, weird!" We only found out from another nurse that this occurs in some c-sections and it is nothing to be worried about. To try and prevent as much of this as you can, ask for some kind of Simethicone (like Gas-X) as soon as you get back to your room if they haven't given it to you already... and keep it coming. Otherwise, just gotta grin and bear it.


5. Since I brought up nurses, let's talk about nurses. In my two 4-day-each hospital excursions, I found there are incredibly GREAT nurses who you want to bring home with you and stay in touch with forever, and then there are -- well, the other ones. I had a couple nurses who really could have cared less if I was comfortable, in pain, needing help to get to the bathroom or change clothes, etc. They came in, dispensed medication (often late), took my vitals, asked me noncommitally if I needed anything else as they had one foot out the door, and you didn't hear from them again until you buzzed them for something (at which time they came in with an attitude). The only thing you can really do is suck it up and realize their shift will likely be over in less than 12 hours. If they are really bad or rude, dismissive or mean, feel free to contact the client relations agent in your hospital. This should be a comfortable, helpful time for you as you recover from major surgery with your brand new baby. You don't need extra stress! But if the nurse is just detached or cold, just do your best to ignore her and wait for the next shift nurse! Most of the ones I had were either very good or truly awesome.


6. If you want to try to breastfeed, ask for a lactation specialist stat! In many hospitals, they will be up your butt anyway, so you might not really need to worry about asking for one. But nursing after you have a c-section is a WHOLE different thing from nursing after a traditional delivery. You are super sore, you have to be extremely mindful of your incision, and normal movements like sitting up, leaning back, shifting, twisting or putting your arms behind you in any way can be scary painful. Having a lactation specialist work with you to figure out the top 2 or 3 positions the baby likes can eliminate lots of guesswork and therefore lots of extra movements. She can also show you how to best use the tools (like breastfeeding support pillows, regular pillows, washcloths, etc.) that will totally help. Side note: if you and your LC don't click, don't feel bad. I had one kind of weird crunchy one that took my tears of frustration personally and got an attitude, and I had another more modern one who was helpful but was short with me when I couldn't "just scoot up and put the pillow behind you." In the end, one of my first regular room nurses ended up being the very best at helping me try to nurse while hardly being able to move!


7. Oh, the swelling. How much will depend on the person, but chances are good that if you have a c-section, everything below the knee (and maybe even above) will swell. This happens because of all the saline they pump into your IV after major surgery. I suffered from swollen feet and ankles (WAY more than in pregnancy) with my first c-section, but my second one brought a whole other kind of swelling I didn't even know existed. In the hospital, I was swollen from my toes up to my hips. Once home, it had settled to just the knee down, but it was INTENSE. My skin felt like it was about to burst. A couple times I tried to sit with one leg bent under me on the couch and OH MY GOODNESS was that a mistake. Two weeks later, the calves were improving but I still could not wear shoes. I am serious. It took a full 7 weeks for the swelling to completely dissipate. To avoid it as much as possible, drink as much as you can from that giant water bottle they give you in the hospital. You have to take it a little slow at first, but at some point you can chug a lug, and I recommend it. Yes that'll mean more bathroom trips (once your catheter comes out! Ew!) but it will flush out all that saline and your swelling will improve. Keep it up once you get home!
   


8. Your memory might be fuzzy, especially right after surgery. Guys, I'm telling you, with both my c-sections there were things I don't remember and things I completely made up. For example, with my first, I could have SWORN they brought us the baby like an hour after we got up to the recovery room. In reality, the baby never left our side. And with my second, I was all upset because I remembered not being allowed to try nursing her right after the surgery. I was complaining about this MONTHS later to my husband and he said, "yes you did, when we got to the aftercare room they gave her to you and you tried nursing her, both sides." I have zero memory of this. So what I am saying is: be prepared for a fuzzy period right after surgery. You may not experience this (and I hope you don't, cause it's kinda sad), but just expect it. I didn't know about it, and it made me feel terrible after the fact.


9. You might be numb in spots near your incision. Like, forever. Or maybe just for a little while. I had several spots along my incision that were numb for months afterward. I still have a little one, about 1", that is numb and it has been 14+ months since my second c-section. My mom still has one to this day from my sister who is 30-something. Totally normal.


10. Do not stress about the scar. I was not a bikini-wearing supermodel before I got pregnant, so I wasn't overly concerned with how my scar would look in a tiny boyshort, but even if you are a supermodel, be not concerned. You HAD A BABY dude. You carried that sucker for 9 months, had morning sickness, food aversion, smell aversion, swelling, bad maternity fashion, other assorted ailments not fit for public consumption, and then had major surgery on top of it. So are you seriously going to stress about a 4 or 5 inch little scar? That's dumb! Wear it like a badge of honor! Then later in life, discreetly show it to your child to guilt them into cooperating with your every rule and to your husband to remind him what you went through to give HIM a child (expect flowers within 48 hours of the reminder). See, it's a good thing!

Hope those help some of you, and good luck!

48 Hour Thred Up Sale

So if you don't know about Thred Up, it is a company that basically runs an online baby and kids' clothing, toy and book swap. How it works is:

1) You choose a box you like. The regular price is $5 a box plus $10.95 shipping. If this is your first box, the box will be FREE and you'll just pay shipping. If this is not your first box, you'll pay $3.50 plus shipping during this 48 hour sale. The box arrives at your door within a couple days.

2) You pack up and list a box of your own gently used baby/kid items. Thred Up provides free boxes for you when you sign up (they mail them to your door).

3) When someone chooses your box, you just ship it free of charge. Thred Up covers the shipping and schedules a free pickup so you don't even have to go to the post office!

I have not yet tried Thred Up, mainly because we don't have the extra funds to go shopping right now! But from what I have seen, here would be the pros and cons:

PROS

• thorough descriptions of items in box and their condition


• ratings for each lister


• lots of items at a VERY affordable price


• no need to drag the kids out to shop, everything is delivered to your door


• searchable database of boxes
  

CONS

• no pictures of the items!


• Shipping costs are at an all time high right now, though the shipping is a little less than what you would pay retail at the post office


• you can't cherry-pick the items, so you may have to take some items you aren't as excited about to get the ones you really want

All in all though, if you are looking for some high quality used clothes, books or toys for your baby or child, Thred Up would be a nice option. Membership is free and it costs nothing to list, unlike eBay. The 48 hour sale ends August 25th at midnight PDT, but you can always get your first box free.

Have you tried Thred Up? What did you think?

 

Free Photo Calendar from VistaPrint

This deal is now over!

Just wanted to tell you all about an offer going on over at VistaPrint. They are offering a FREE Photo Wall Calendar from now until Friday, August 26th, 2011. I haven't used them for photo calendars yet, but I have created photo calendars online and I have used VistaPrint for other things, and I have been happy with both!

There are two things I love about photo calendars. One, they are great to hang on to and look at years later, especially if you have kids! We have one on our wall right now and I used pictures from the same month the year before. It's nice to look back and see what the girls looked like a year ago and see where we were and what we did.

The other thing I love is that they make cool grandparent gifts! It's a personalized, meaningful gift (for just a few dollars shipping with this deal!). And making it now means it is ready for the holidays -- one gift down!

Click here to check out the deal. Shipping starts at under $6.

One Word Wednesdays

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!

(The girls as they appeared during the 5.9 earthquake yesterday. Yes, DURING.)

Perfectly Imperfect

Sometimes on the web it is easy to forget that people only show you the GOOD parts. The tidy rooms. The finished projects. The most perfect cupcake in the batch. And of course, the cute baby photos. It can be easy to begin to feel inadequate. Sometimes I have to catch myself when I look around and think, "How are all these people doing this? And doing it so perfectly? And then finding time to blog about it forcryingoutloud?"

When my house, my tiny little crackerbox of a house, is in bad need of a once over. A run of the sweeper, as my Grandmom used to call it. And the beautiful roses that my husband bought me (just because I had a migraine) are wilting and fading. And a wall remains only half painted, because Josie woke up from her nap early a couple weeks ago and we never got back to it. Our bedroom is the holding area for all the junk we don't have a spot for. Our once-perfect coffee table has crayon marks and pen scribbles on it. We are fighting (and winning) a battle with pantry moths. I haven't the slightest clue as to how to start potty-training. I ate Fig Newtons for breakfast this morning. My kids cry and make hideous faces and refuse to eat meals I have lovingly prepared for them. And I have no intention of stopping the bottle with my littlest baby anytime soon, despite the frowns of my pediatrician. I just can't. Because I am so dang imperfect.

 

Josie's toilet creation

That all-important 1st birthday cake... that cracked in half and all the icing bled

 
Christmas morning blues

Despite my best efforts to get them to look at the camera and smile

I say "say cheese" and this is what I get

2nd birthday cake camera moment is a bust

And I kept them there at least 2 days afer this!

The wall that will one day be finished, but not today

 

So when you are perusing the blogosphere, please, for me, don't forget that what you see is what you are wanted to see. Few bloggers want you to believe they are anything less than perfect. They want to inspire you and show you what they can do. They want to impress you and wow you. They are the people who dress really cute, with scarves and like, toe rings, to go to the grocery store. And carry their best bag.

I am the blogger who wants to console you and let you know you are not the only one who not only doesn't get pedicures, but is still wearing the same nail polish from 4 months ago. What's left of it anyway. I'm the blogger that says, "don't make dessert, just eat some chocolate chips." The blogger that approves of letting your kids hang out in the crib for an extra 10 minutes so you can sleep. (Unless they are crying, then that's just mean.) The blogger that knows that, on a bad day, intentions are just as good as actions.

So I'm just saying: No judgments here.

Clearly.

One Word Wednesdays

Sunshine.

One Word Wednesdays

Morning!

Disclosure Statement

Must Love Babies is a personal blog. I write about things I care about relative to baby, kid and family matters and I hope they also interest, help or entertain others. Occasionally, if I come across a company or product that will make my readers' lives easier, educate or entertain their children, or save them money, I will pass along what I have found. In doing so, I may utilize the following:

• affiliate links


• sidebar ads


• promotional blog content


• reviews

Sometimes I will receive compensation from these companies for spreading the word. Sometimes I won't. When I do, I accept this compensation because I devote time, energy and money to running this blog and I appreciate the opportunity to recoup some of that money and have a few cents to put away for my kids.

However, it is extremely important to me to make it known that I ONLY recommend and promote companies and products that I believe are high quality and would be of value to my readers. All opinions and reviews expressed here are my own. I DO NOT write paid positive reviews. I write honest reviews, and companies who do compensate me for reviewing a product or discussing a service here are doing so because they believe in their product/service and know that an honest review from a real mom is the best kind of advertising.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact me at mustlovebabies AT aol DOT com. Thanks!

Pampers Gifts to Grow Program

Do you use a ton of Pampers diapers and wipes? Then you should really be enrolled in Pampers' Gifts to Grow rewards program!

I am a pretty frugal shopper but I must admit, I am a loyal Pampers customer. NO they are not paying me to say that; it's just the truth. I have tried other diapers but I keep coming back to Pampers. And for me, no wipe beats Pampers Soft Care Baby Fresh wipes. I know, I sound like an ad but I swear, this is just my opinion! (By the way, I do prefer the Huggies wipes dispenser, so I bought one container of Huggies wipes, used it up, then I refill it with the Pampers wipes!)

Pampers also puts out coupons at the beginning of each month in your newspaper's Proctor & Gamble insert. You can also sign up to receive more coupons from them here. I use the coupons in conjunction with store sales to get good deals. For example, last week at Target I bought 2 value boxes of Pampers at $24.99 each, used two $4 off coupons, and received a $10 Target gift card which I used the same day on other merchandise (split my purchase into 2 transactions). So between the diaper sale, the gift card and the coupons I saved $32 on two boxes!

Even better, I use the codes from the wipes and diaper packages to get free stuff from Pampers' Gifts to Grow program. Joining is free, all you have to do is sign up, enter your codes, save your points, then redeem them for stuff you want. I have 2 girls in diapers, so the points add up pretty fast. So far I have received three personalized photo calendars and a set of fifty 4x6 photos from Shutterfly and a Dora the Explorer potty seat. Plus I still have over 1800 points -- and counting!

You can use your points for charitable donations, sweepstakes, photos and photo gifts, toys, books, invitations, announcements, thank you cards, magazine subscriptions, gift cards, and more. Pampers is always adding more items to the list. With the exception of the Shutterfly rewards, all items are shipped to you FREE.

Right now and until Aug. 18, 2011, you will earn triple points on all wipes codes! And until August 31, 2011 you will earn double points on Pampers Splashers diaper codes. So go through your stash and enter those codes now before the bonus point offers expire!

Want more codes? They are always publishing promotional codes, especially for specific groups of people (for example, Babycenter readers) or for events such as holidays. I don't use Twitter but I do follow Pampers on Facebook and they put out codes fairly regularly, usually worth 10 points but sometimes more. Here is a recent list of codes you can use to get started:

• BABYISDUEANYDAY - 5 points


• WELCOMEGTGPTS10 - 10 points


• GTGREWARDS4MOMS - 10 points


• WELCOME2PAMPERS - 50 points
  


• JOINNOW4REWARDS - 50 points


• 2BEGINEARNING50 - 50 points


• GIFTSTOGROW4MOM - 50 points


• pampers4momjfm1 - 10 points


• CONGRATS2NEWMOM - 10 points


• GTGWELCOME10PTS - 10 points


• PAMPERSGTG10PTS - 10 points


• 10PTSFREECODE4U - 10 points


• CAREFORNEWBORNS - 10 points


• GTGCOUPONPOINTS - 10 points


• WELCOME2VILLAGE - 10 points


• GETSTARTEDNOW10 - 10 points

That's 315 points right there!

So if you haven't signed up for Pampers Gifts to Grow rewards program, what's stopping you? Your hatred of free stuff? I didn't think so!

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites

Ok, let's just clear this up. This has nothing to do with babies. But there is a picture of a cute one in a minute.

Anyway, this week I read about Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites. The recipe for these are here. Really, there is no "recipe," it's pretty much common sense, but I want to give credit because as simple as these things are, I never ever thought of making them, which makes me a LOSER, because they are GOOD. That was quite a run-on sentence.

The original recipe calls for peanut butter to be mixed in with the chocolate. I do like peanut butter alright, but 90 percent of the time I am not a fan of PB and chocolate together. The other 10 percent I am either having a weird craving, or I am pregnant, which also means I am having a weird craving. In any event, I left the peanut butter out, but feel free to give it a shot.

So anyway, here are the ingredients I used:

• 3 bananas

 

• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
  


• sprinkles and such

 

• an "assistant"  
  
  

And here is what I did:

1. Cut up bananas into bite-sized pieces. Feed several to assistant.

2. Melt chocolate chips in a bowl. Now, this got tricky for me. I melted them in the microwave, which worked, but the chocolate began to harden after just a few dips. I tried to reheat the chocolate, and that was a colossal failure, it just got weird and lumpy. So I had to melt the other half of the bag in a new bowl and then in my head said "go GO GO" and dipped as fast as humanly possible. Even so, I still had an entire banana left when the chocolate started to harden again. I would suggest melting the chocolate in a double boiler so it stays warm and fluid the whole time. Forget the microwave. Then pass assistant off to the Daddy so you can concentrate.

 

3. Dip the bananas into the chocolate. Easy enough.

4. Put them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet.

5. Add sprinkles, chopped nuts, coconut, or nothing if you're a purist (or lazy).

6. Freeze for an hour, then transfer to a container with a lid and freeze for another couple hours.

Voila!

The original recipe link above says these taste like vanilla ice cream on the inside. I have to disagree -- tasted like banana ice cream to me, which, let's face it, shouldn't be surprising. We tried these and I would make that double boiler change AND I would cut the banana pieces in half next time... these were kinda big and whether you bit into them or shoved the whole thing in your mouth, the result was tasty but COLD. Like, bordering on painful cold. So do yourself a favor and cut them small!

The things I love about these are 1) they are easy to make, 2) they are cheap, 3) the chocolate makes it feel like a really special treat, yet 4) these are better for you than most really special treats. Because, hey, they're fruit. Chocolate covered fruit, but fruit nonetheless. Still better for you than ice cream!

One Word Wednesdays

 

Sesamestreet.

How to Save Money on Baby Formula

When my girls were tiny, I didn't have much success at nursing. As a result, I had to rely on baby formula, also known in our house as powdered gold. (If you are one of those richie-riches who uses premade liquid formula, I would call that "liquid diamonds.") This stuff is pricey.

The average name brand can of powdered baby formula, here on the East Coast anyway, is about $24.99 for the larger size can. My girls each consumed just over 1 of those a week. So I would have paid upwards of $100/month per baby IF I just paid retail. But anyone who knows me knows I don't do retail. Retail is a bad word in my house!

So I thought I would share a few ways to save on formula for you new or expectant moms, or for anyone who knows one, to pass along.

• Buy generic. I have to say, I did not do this. I will buy the generic of most anything -- unless it involves babies. I am positive it is just a hangup of mine, it is purely psychological... you think a trusted name will deliver a better product. Truth is, with the strict FDA standards imposed on baby formulas, they will all deliver equal nutrition and meet the same safety standards, no matter what name is on the package. The reason for the price difference is mainly because the generics don't spend millions of dollars on advertising, free samples, and freebies (like those diaper backpacks filled with goodies some hospitals give out to new parents).
  

Generic formulas can save you several dollars a can -- bulk clubs like Sam's Club or BJs have brands that can save you even more, up to $12 less a can. For us, that would have been a savings of $50 a month at least! If you're on a serious budget, generics will save you the most over the long term and may be a great option.

• Brand loyalty programs. All the big brands have loyalty programs that you can sign up for online. They usually have some sort of email newsletter and then occasionally will send you paper coupons with your name listed on them (which they call "checks") by mail. You take the checks to your store and they deduct the amount of the check from your total. See below for links to sign up for these programs.
  

Most of us use just one brand and stick with it for our babies, but you can sign up for more than one brand of course. This led people to sign up for all the big brands, find others who had checks for brands they wouldn't use, and then trade. I have done this myself but it seems like the formula companies don't like this practice... many stores now require a photo ID to use the checks! Crazy! However, if your store does not require this, definitely find someone to trade with!

Whether you can trade with others or not, these checks can really help. I signed up for Good Start and the check amounts varied from $1 to $11 off one can of formula. Most were for $5 off a can. I received them for about 6 or 7 months, then they started changing to coupons for baby food and snacks (their coupons are based on how old your baby is).

Always try to combine those checks with sales! If you shop at Babies R Us, for example, they often mail out store coupons for formula when you buy multiple cans at once (if you are on their mailing list). These coupons often coincide with sales to encourage shoppers to buy multiple cans. So if your cans are on sale for $3 off each, and you use a store coupon for $7 off two cans, plus you have two $5 formula checks, you have just saved $23... that's like getting a can for practically FREE!

• Follow your brand on Facebook/Twitter. Many brands publish coupons from their Facebook or Twitter accounts that are not made available elsewhere. I have printed several $5/1 can coupons for Gerber Good Start this way. Extra hint: often, once you click on the link for the coupon, you can use your "back" button to print the coupon twice.

• Get the hospital hookup. It's crazy what the hospital will send you home with. We just asked the discharge nurse if we could take what was left in our room home with us to get us started and she said yes, then left and came back with armfuls of the stuff. It was all the premade liquid kind, and let me tell you, at 2:49 in the morning, you are THRILLED to not have to mix up a bottle, and even more thrilled that you didn't have to pay for it. Ask your nurse!!!

• Lastly, try calling the formula company. I did, and it worked. I just told them we were new parents on a super tight budget and asked if they would send me extra coupons. They did, along with a coupon for a FREE can! Never hurts to ask, people!
  

Some folks have mentioned making your own baby formula. After all, this is how it was done back in the day. I personally would not recommend this if you are trying to save money. To mimic all the nutrients, vitamins, health-boosters and the gentleness of commercial formula, you would need a small arsenal of ingredients -- vitamin drops, multiple dairy sources, various food-grade oils, etc. I really think you'd do nutritionally better for less money with commercial formula. Just my opinion.

Below are the links for loyalty program sign-ups, along with a couple links for baby food companies.

• Gerber: Sign up here for their Start Healthy, Stay Healthy program (sign-up is to the right). Receive information on your child's development, booklets specific to your child's current feeding stage, Good Start formula checks and coupons for Gerber baby food, cereals, utensils, pacifiers, bowls, sippy cups, etc.

If you haven't delivered your baby yet, you can also click here to print a certificate for a free backpack, formula sample, bib and booklets and guides from Gerber, distributed by your hospital (if they participate). By the way, go here to print a $1 coupon off of Gerber Onesies -- I loved these when my girls were newborns! They are also one of the few brands that has some very affordable in-between size sleepers (like 9 months size for example)... I found those at Babies R Us.

• Similac: Sign up here for their Strong Moms program and receive samples and checks via mail. If you enroll right now you also get a $20 credit at Shutterfly towards premium birth announcements!

• Enfamil: Sign up here for their Family Beginnings program and receive a diaper/tote bag, thermal bottle bag, a week's supply of Enfamil, formula checks and newsletters and booklets with information on your baby's development.

• Earth's Best: They don't appear to have a Welcome Pack, newsletter or parents' program, but they do have a coupon page with printable coupons on Earth's Best products.

• Beech-Nut: Sign up here for their e-newsletter. Newsletter includes baby's development information, feeding tips, and printable coupons. Beech-Nut also has a Label Saver program, where you save the UPC codes from Beech Nut products and trade them in for coupons.

• Happy Baby: They don't appear to offer a Welcome Pack, but they do have an e-newsletter that they send out every three months with coupons and nutritional tips. Sign up here if interested.

Hope that gives everyone some options! Feel free to pass this info along to other parents or parents-to-be. I have used loads of coupons from these programs and they have really helped to make a dent in that baby budget!

Some Hands-On Learning

Caroline is learning the parts of the face. Every time she is within a foot of my face I have to protect my eyes from poking fingers as she says, "eyesssss, eyesssss." She is also fond of plucking a single strand of hair from my head and gleefully pronouncing, "hair!!"

The other day our poor dog Stevie was the subject of her learning. We usually think Stevie is a good dog, but at times like this, we have no doubt.

 

"Eyessssss!"

 

"Nossssse"

 

"Whishhhis" (whiskers)

 

"Teeeefff"

 

Good Dog.