The winners of the What to Expect series of parenting books are:
#5 Emily
and
#2 Carolyn S.
You will receive an email regarding the giveaway and you have 72 hours to respond, so don't forget! Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winners!
You know how, when you're pregnant, someone always gives you that What to Expect When You're Expecting book? Yeah, there's a reason for that.
When we found out we were going to have a baby, I was SO excited. And totally freaked out. Ok, the idea of actually being pregnant kind of grossed me out, to be honest. Turns out, I loved being pregnant, so much so that I did it again right away! And I really miss being pregnant -- there is just nothing else like it. Yes, it's hard sometimes, but it is such a unique time in a person's life, and every time I see a pregnant lady I get a wee bit jealous, and I look at my husband and make the sad face, and he shakes his head no and walks in the other direction.
But I digress.
I remember many moments when I was super curious about what was actually going on in there. Or why I was craving sweet pickles wrapped in fried eggs (yes, I craved that. No, I never worked up the nerve to try it. Yes, I kind of regret it.). Or why I slept ALL THE TIME, even at work, even in the car (as a passenger), even if I only had five minutes to sleep. Or why the thought of 85% of foods completely disgusted me, or why I once literally threw up from watching a Hamburger Helper commercial.
Enter What to Expect When You're Expecting! My sister sent me this book in my first trimester and I surprised even myself with how many times I found myself using it. Yes, I know, there's internet, why would I want a book? They're like big, and heavy, and you have to, like, turn pages and stuff. Well here is the thing: I did look stuff up on the internet, and it was helpful sometimes. But it was also not very effective. Sometimes I looked up a topic and found myself linking to a gagillion websites I never intended to visit and time was wasted and I still didn't have my answer. For example, I was downright paranoid about miscarriage and I googled it and I eventually landed at this girl's blog about trying to conceive and her struggle with miscarriage and I ended up reading her entire blog post history and crying and being even MORE paranoid about miscarriage. Not good. Or, the time I googled some weird blood test results I had received and ended up on a website that suggested maybe my baby would wind up having little to no metabolic function, or even worse, stillborn. GREAT.
Sometimes the internet can be a pregnant woman's worst enemy. You're tired, emotional and constantly freaked, and now you're going to add to it a questionable source of info? This is why a book like What to Expect When You're Expecting can be a comfort and a source of quality information; it's like asking an experienced, trusted family member or friend versus a stranger on the street (who may or may not be totally crazy). What to Expect When You're Expecting both informs you and reassures you. It is easy to use with a well-laid-out table of contents and a thorough index. It is broken down in four basic sections: preconception, pregnancy (by month), a section on multiples, and postpardum. There are also three extra sections, one for Dads, one for staying healthy in pregancy and one entitled "The Complicated Pregnancy." It's not a sexy book... there are few pictures and a noticeable lack of cutesy, trendy lingo. But it is regularly updated to reflect current trends in medicine and technology and remains a solid, trustworthy source of information. I can't tell you how many times that book both educated me and put my mind at ease. It's also a lot easier to carry around with you than a laptop (that may or may not be able to get an internet signal anyway). And did I ever fall asleep cuddling my laptop? No. Did I once fall asleep cuddling my copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting? YOU BET I DID.
Jump to your newborn... you wanna talk about questions?!? The questions and concerns you will have multiply exponentially once that kid is out! It is easy to get overwhelmed with worry about every little thing and call your pediatrician 25 times a week. What to Expect the First Year is like a baby bible and will prevent your baby's doctor from hating you! We had post-its and little scraps of paper all through ours. Broken down by month (0-12), this book covers everything from sleeping patterns to nursing/bottle feeding to little medical issues. What to Expect the First Year is THE BEST. It even has recipes for baby's first finger feeding meals, a chart with common illnesses and a great list of home remedies for common ailments. I don't have enough fingers to count how many times this book reassured me that some crazy things Josie was exhibiting were totally and completely normal. I distinctly remember perusing the teething chart to see if she was getting her teeth in the right order (not to mention looking up all those horrible side effects of teething). And even though we had been through that first year with Josie, we looked to this book to guide us through Caroline's first year as well. They were so different, plus I swear you forget so many things babies go through so we needed a refresher with Caroline.
The book is packed with useful information, so it makes sense this is the biggest volume! Just like What to Expect When You're Expecting, this book is well organized, straightforward and to the point, yet it somehow has a comforting, motherly tone and is an easy read, even if you are neurotic like me and you read it cover to cover!
Rounding out the trio is What to Expect the Second Year, which is essentially like The First Year except with all the benchmarks and milestones of that crucial, fast-paced first toddler year. Organized by topic, this book is great whether this is your first toddler or not, since toddlers develop and function so differently. This book covers all the big subjects: eating, sleeping, physical activity, socializing and that all-important chapter on behavior and discipline, just to name a few. For me, the chapter on feeding was a huge help. With Josie, she was (and still is) a classic picky eater, and this chapter not only reassured me her behavior at the table was perfectly normal, but also gave me ideas to encourage better and more varied eating habits.
So the bottom line for me is: why would anyone NOT use these excellent reference books?? They should issue these puppies at the OB's office when you go in for your first visit!
With that in mind, I have partnered with the awesome folks at WhatToExpect.com to give away copies of their 'What To Expect' books to two lucky Must Love Babies readers!
THE DETAILS:
Ways to Enter:
Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 31, 2012
Enter for yourself and then share the link with friends who are expecting or have a little one! Good luck! And thanks again to the nice folks at WhatToExpect.com for making this possible!
To Caroline
I wasn't sure where we would land on the "is she outgoing" question. I spent months and months apologizing for your powerful shyness. Someone would look at you and you would turn and cry to me as if they had pinched you under the arm when I wasn't looking. Even grandparents! God forbid anyone at the grocery store smile at you; they would be rewarded with loud, dramatic tears. I got into the habit of going on autopilot when this happened by saying, "oh, she's just due for a nap" no matter what time of day or night it was. I worried you were leaving a trail of slightly offended, well-meaning adults behind you everywhere we went.
But now I am relieved to report that you have really turned a corner! You love people! Sometimes you still need a tiny warm-up period, but it doesn't take long before you are goofing around, trying to get their laughs and attention. You put your poor grandparents through the wringer, little girl, but I think they'll forgive you.
You really are so fun now. I mean, you drive me crazy since you cry over EVERY.LITTLE.THING (but you come by that naturally, so how can I fault you?), but you are truly the most fun two year old I have ever personally met. You are funny (and you laugh at other people's jokes, too), you are insightful, interesting, sincere, heartfelt, clever and creative. I love when you say, "Mommy, Cahyine's being see-wee (silly)" as if it wasn't obvious that hopping around like a frog at Target wasn't something serious people do. You have this bizarre accent that makes you sound like a Scottish Bugs Bunny -- "girl" is "gale," "four" is "foowah" and "here" is "heeyah." You talk more in a day than Daddy does in a week. And all this when you are just 2 -- imagine when you are 12!
Every day is a party with you, and I get the feeling that if it weren't, you'd make it one. I can learn a lot from you. Yes, you burst into tears at least a dozen times a day, usually over nothing. But you forgive easily and are eager to return to the party and pick up where you left off. I hope you never lose that, because it's so cool, and will make your days much happier! xo, Mommy
To Josie
Girl, you and I are gonna do battle. I can feel it.
Even now, we go through our ups and downs. There are moments when you completely infuriate me. To the point where all I can do is stare at you in disappointed shock and anger. You seem to know exactly which buttons to push; the exact, specific things that will make my blood boil, then you do them all in a row, looking me right in the eye the entire time.
Then, in the very next moment, right when I cannot stand another second of it, your little face crumbles into a horrifically sad, devastated, defeated mess. Your mouth turns down into that classic sad pout, the same one you got when you were teeny:
but i hate my monkey pajamas
Then your cheeks go bright red, gigantic, gigantic tears well up in your eyes and you begin to cry in what is almost slow-motion. Your face shows what could be a hundred different emotions -- all of them intense -- but I always interpret it as extreme regret and compunction for your bad behavior. I don't think you are necessarily old enough yet to have your conscience tugging at you when you misbehave, but I think it truly makes you feel viscerally bad to be that naughty. Like, you can't control it in the moment, but immediately afterward, you are absolutely crushed. Today, this happened, and you actually said to me, "Mommy, don't want to be sad, want to be happy???" through hot tears as you buried your face in my arm. I think I actually heard my heart crack in half.
The funny thing is, I see so much of myself in you sometimes. I pull some of the same crap on myself sometimes, doing something I know is not the right choice, but I do it anyway and instantaeously I feel wretched. If I were three years old, I can see myself responding to it exactly the same way you do. Like the time I was so mad about something I bashed a large metal spoon on top of the microwave? You know, repeatedly? Like, not reeeeally in control? And subsequently felt insanely ashamed when I realized that not only did I make a fool of myself in front of Daddy (well, he wisely stayed in the next room), but also I had foolishly broken a perfectly good microwave. And bent an otherwise perfectly straight spoon. I remember I just wanted to be invisible in that moment. But if I had been three, I think I would have reacted just the way you do.
I am seeing some progress in the way we relate to each other. This time last year, you were beginning to challenge me and, dear sweet daughter, YOU DID NOT CARE. You wanted what you wanted and I could be on fire and you wouldn't even look up. Now, however, I see you looking to me for guidance when you are frustrated, angry or sad. It's not Caroline-style, crying dramatically and whining, "Moommmmmeeeee;" it's sometimes so subtle that if I wasn't paying attention, I would miss it. It's a quick micro-glance, or you turning your body towards mine when in the midst of a fit. Sometimes you even mouth the word 'mommy' while struggling to stop your tears. Like you said, you want to be happy, and you know that I can help you, but boy is it hard to ask.
But I hope this trend of progress continues and becomes more fluid as you get older. I have to do everything I can to keep us connected, because you tend to withdraw in difficult situations. You are a little girl; you need your mommy and daddy. That's what we are here for. You and I will do battle, yes; but I hope you will come to realize that you and I will never be at war. You are my little girl, and I will always want happiness for you, and will do my absolute best to make that happen. I love you!
"Thrifty Thursday" continues with another great kid's clothing deal!
Old Navy is having their Back to School sale -- remember, this can mean "Back to Daycare/Preschool" too! Kids' jeans are marked down from $19.94 to $10, and toddler jeans (as small as 12 months) are marked down from $16.94 to $10 as well. Shirts (including polo shirts) are as low as $5! Sale ends August 15, 2012.
If you have not done so, you can sign up with Old Navy to receive promotional emails from them and you will receive a coupon for $10 off of $50 or more. Shipping is always free over $50! This would make the jeans $9 each (shipped) if you ordered over $50 worth of merchandise before the coupon.
Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the heads up!
I guess it's "Thrifty Thursday!"
$0.50 off ONE BOX Original Cheerios cereal
$1.00 off 1 Gerber Graduates Yogurt Melts Snack
$0.75 off Gerber Graduates Grabbers
$1.00 off 2 Gerber Graduates Puffs Snacks
$0.75 off 1 Gerber Organic Pouch Product
$1.00 off 1 LISTERINE Kids Rinse or 1 REACH Kids
$1.00 off any Flintstones™ Multivitamin Product
$2.00 off one package of GOODNITES Underwear
$2.00 off any 2 Playtex OrthoPro or Binky Pacifier
Redeemable at Walmart
$1.00 off U.S.A. Kids Cups Product
$1.00 off on any Little Fevers Infant Product
$1.00 off on any Little Tummys Product
You can find more printable coupons for other items here.
Carter's is having a 40% off sale sitewide (excludes clearance and doorbusters). Combine the sale with this Carter's coupon for 20% off of $40 or more, and you've got some good deals! If you are shopping online, use code SAVENOW.
Note: This is not a sponsored post. As always, all opinions here are my own.
My last post got me thinking about when my girls were so little, which led me to think about all the crap we had for them. We still have lots of crap now, but it is more like toy crap and less like baby supply crap. Back when our house was filled with baby supply crap, we spent SO MUCH time at Babies R Us. I am talking every week! Between diapers, wipes, Diaper Genie refills, baby gear, clothes and of course upgrading to bigger sizes of all those things, I swear the staff there recognized us.
It was on one of these trips to Babies R Us that I discovered the Summer SwaddleMe Swaddler. I think back then, the brand was Kiddopotamus, but it must have been bought out by the Summer company. When I saw it on the shelf, I am pretty sure I remember a golden light shining down on it and angels singing. A little preface:
In the hospital, the nurses showed us how to swaddle Josie with the hospital-issued receiving blankets. My husband Dan watched this process once, maybe twice, and was convinced he had it down. So was I. To make a long story short, if at that time we were to participate in a Swaddle-Off, I would have been soundly defeated every time. Dan was excellent at swaddling, which pissed me off to no end, because I sucked. It took me forever, Josie fussed most of that time, and when I was done I would stand up to admire my work and before I had returned to a fully vertical position, Josie would have busted out of her swaddle and given me a dry look that said, "Really, mom? Weak."
FAIL
FAIL
CLOSE ENOUGH
Meanwhile, Dan swaddled her in half the time with half the effort, she cooed sweetly during the process, and she was wrapped tighter than a burrito at a Mexican food truck (great, now I'm hungry). As much as I was happy for Dan that he could pull it off, I was also mad at him that I could not. Yep. Mad at him.
So when I saw that SwaddleMe swaddler on the Babies R Us shelf, it wasn't just a swaddler, it was an answer to my prayers. It was a great equalizer for me; my lack of prowess in the swaddling department would become a moot point with this bad boy, swaddling would no longer be a skill I could not use on my parenting resume and my status as "Competent Mom" would be restored. If the thing worked.
I bought just one, because they aren't too cheap and I wasn't sure if it would work. I chose the green cotton (retails for $12.99) and took it home with visions of me snatching the blue ribbon for parenting right out of Dan's hand. (I'm just a little competitive.)
The SwaddleMe did not disappoint! At first when I took it out of the package, I was like WTF because it's just a tangle of panels and velcro tabs. But thankfully (for the spatially-challenged like me), it comes with instructions. Yes, instructions. And yes, they helped. Once you have it laid out, even brains like mine can see how the baby goes in. Just a couple steps later -- voila -- bundled baby.
Beat THAT Dan
The fabric of the cotton is like a very soft, durable t-shirt, perfect for summer nighttimes. It comes in your standard colors -- pink, blue, green and white -- and a couple patterns, too. They also have an organic cotton line with various gender-neutral colors and patterns. At one time, we tried a lighter, flimsier fabric that they carried at the time, but it wasn't as good; I think the fabric was too light to really make the baby feel swaddled, and Josie wriggled around inside it and never settled down. (I haven't seen that fabric since they were bought out by the Summer company.) They also have a fleece line which we LOVED, since we lived in Boston at the time and it could get cold at night.
Caroline wasn't as keen on being swaddled as Josie was, but she liked the SwaddleMe sans arm confinement:
And as Josie grew bigger, she liked this variation, too:
So as you can see, we got a lot of mileage out of the Summer SwaddleMe blankets. I have bought them for friends who have had babies, and I saved our old ones in case we ever have another (somewhere, Dan just had a sudden, unexplained heart palpitation). Some babies of course can't tolerate a swaddle, but I have never met a baby who doesn't like a blanket when he or she is cold, so you could always use the SwaddleMe without arms, like we did with Caroline. It is a little expense up front to stock up on a few of these, but I can't exclaim enough about how it's so worth it... my kids were more comfortable which meant I was sleeping better, both because they were not waking up chilly and because I had peace of mind with regard to their safety, knowing the SwaddleMe would stay in place and not end up over their face like a traditional blanket can. Plus, Dan could no longer throw in my face the fact that I sucked at swaddling. Worth every penny.
I noticed that Summer is also now making the Summer SwaddlePod. This appears to be a zip-up, super tight and cozy swaddle system meant for newborns up to 10 lbs. I haven't seen these in person but they look pretty cool, too!
Now that baby looks happy! (image credit)
Bottom Line: thumbs way up for the Summer SwaddleMe!! Check them out on the Summer website, at Babies R Us or at Amazon -- they have a 2-pack of SwaddleMe swaddle blankets for $19.99 - a great deal!
My Little Girls,
I was just thinking about the days you were both born; not so much about the events of those days, but mainly about how small you were. You were both so tiny! I guess all babies are, but you both seemed SO insanely small. Josie, I remember sitting with Daddy on the couch the night we came home with you and we were just looking at you. All of a sudden I was just hit with the realization of what a huge responsibility we were about to undertake with you, not in a burdensome way at all, in an exciting way. And how you really can't be prepared, not truly. I mean, we bought you little clothes and you had a bassinet and a crib and lots of pacifiers and tons of diapers... all that stuff. But we felt so nervous! I recall saying to Daddy, "I can't believe they let us bring her home with us!"... meaning the nurses at the hospital. I was thinking of how they must love all the little babies and it must be hard to send them home with parents who may or may not do a good job, they'll never know. (And that is why I could never be a maternity nurse, I would hide the babies from people who were giving me bad parenting vibes. And then I would get fired.)
Caroline, you were a lot bigger than Josie when you were born, but trust me, you seemed just as tiny. You were hilarious - Josie was so stoic, rarely cried (except when she was hungry!), she was really reserved. You, on the other hand, were expressive FROM DAY ONE. You made so many crazy faces and noises, I actually googled (that means, "looked up on the internet," in case they don't have Google anymore by the time you read this) -- I googled "my baby makes tons of faces" to see if it was normal. I never got an answer, but the more we got to know you, the more we realized that you just show how you feel, no matter what, and it was fine. And it was kind of beautiful. No, actually? It was really beautiful, and it still is.
Josie, everyone talked about how perfect you looked! Nannie (that was Daddy's grandma) talked a lot about how perfect your tiny ears were, and now you are three and they are still tiny! You had sweet pink cheeks and a tiny, cute little mouth. Daddy and I couldn't believe how small and quiet you were. I woke up and checked on you like 100 times a night. I remember I thought bringing a baby home would make our house kind of crazy, with a lot of scrambling around and lots of crying and screaming. In fact, you coming home made our house so very peaceful. Daddy and I were just very calm, even Stevie was calm! I do remember some frantic moments, mostly centered around my attempting to nurse you, but overall things seemed very quiet and nice. You were a great first baby for Daddy and I, because you were mostly pretty easy, which made us feel like we were doing a pretty good job.
Caroline, you challenged us a little more, mostly because you were very vocal about your needs and wants! But you were pretty easy, too, overall. You loved your baths and Stevie took to you right away -- she would lie next to you and would pick up her head and look at you every time you fussed. Sometimes she would put her chin in your lap. If we put you in your swing, she would go lie over there... she was very protective of you. You were easy to feed but boy were you tough to burp! We had to give you special drops of medicine to help your tummyaches after almost every bottle for a while there. You were also a big napper... you napped more than your sister did at that age.
Mostly though, I was thinking tonight about how, even though Daddy and I gave up a lot to have both of you, you girls have made our lives so much better. Right now, you are 2 and 3, and we have really fun, happy, good times, and sometimes we have rough times right now as you two navigate your way through learning how to behave and get along and still be your own people. But earlier, when you were just two tiny babies, Daddy and I were shocked at how much we loved you right away! We loved you more than anything we had ever loved before, and although we knew that we would love our kids, I think we were both taken aback a little at how MUCH we loved you and how instantaneous it was. Josie, we thought we had a pretty good life before you were born... Daddy and I went out a lot, heard lots of good music, had long talks late at night, went on fun trips... but all of that kind of faded to the background once we had you, because you were the new light in our life and brought us so much happiness! Caroline, Mommy was a little worried (being pretty inexperienced) about how we would show you as much love, because we loved Josie so much, it seemed like mathematically there wouldn't much room left in our hearts. But that was just needless worry, because guess what? Our hearts grew when you were born! And we loved you and were excited to have you in our lives just as much as your big sister!! Somehow our hearts, our hours in the day and our budget stretched just for you, and it felt like you had been there all along. Daddy and I had our little family, and we could not be any happier if we had tried.
So when you open my desk and dump out all the pens, when you color with chalk on the carpet, when you throw yourselves on the floor of the mall and scream because you don't want to hold hands, when you dump mandarin orange juice on the carpet, when you throw your toys at us because you don't like something we said... I will try my best to not be bothered by it too badly, because I will think of when you were teeny tiny babies and remember how much we wanted you both, how lucky we are to have you and how insanely much we love you! And we always will.
xoxo, Mommy
Do you have a guilt problem? Man, I do. I can feel guilty over big things, small things, dumb things, ridiculous things, important things, things I cannot control, things I should be trying harder to control... and that's just in one day. I have first-world guilt, stay at home mom guilt, white person guilt, east coast guilt, my pantry is too full guilt, too much Bravo tv guilt, and lately I have been having a lot of 'my kids are too healthy ' guilt. Then I feel guilty about that, because I should never have any negative feelings about my girls being healthy... they deserve that and I am SO blessed to be able to say that. (And by the way, I never use words like "blessed," so this is really saying something.)
(See? Blessed.)
But the thing is, every kid deserves that, and some of them don't have that good fortune right now. Lately I have been learning a lot about pediatric cancer (a general term), the families it affects and the children who are nothing less than insanely tough fighters. There are blogs and websites devoted to these kids that will bum the living hell out of you, and I speak from experience because I have spent, oh, 45 out of the last 60 nights reading them and crying and hating cancer more than I already did.
But they will also inspire you. I have noticed that all these kids seem to have at least one thing in common besides stupid cancer: hope. But it is different than the kind of hope we adults have, where fingers are crossed and prayers are said and we hope for the best but brace for the worst. These kids just have a bright outlook. They know they are sick, but they refuse to let it dampen their spirits. They have their low days, their down times and they get tired, but they are kids, and kids love life and live it to the fullest, and these kids do not let cancer take that away from them. So when I didn't sleep great, have too much on my to-do list, my kids are being bad, I am mad about something -- whatever -- I try and remember these kids and what I can learn from them. Mostly I just want them to get better. But sometimes I do allow them to teach me a lesson. Which is to shut the hell up and be happy, 'cause really, what do I have to complain about? (Other things too, but that one is the biggie.)
With that in mind, I recently read about this organization over on Runs for Cookies. Headbands of Hope is run by a gorgeous model woman named Jessica whose life was changed when she volunteered for the Make a Wish Foundation. She was moved by little girls fighting cancer and that, despite how tough they were, some of them were really troubled by losing their hair due to their aggressive chemotherapies. She had an idea to donate pretty, feminine headbands to girls who had lost their hair to their cancer treatments. She started Headbands of Hope to enable her to increase these donations, because, my friends -- for every headband you purchase from her site, she donates another one to a girl with cancer who could really use it and $1 to St. Baldrick's, a well-known children's cancer charity (they also help her distribute the donated headbands). I am thinking that a sweet little headband is more than just a fashion accessory for a girl who has lost her hair -- it probably represents a lot more... femininity, being able to focus on looking pretty and fashionable instead of focusing on being sick, regaining confidence, etc. So you get a pretty headband for you or any girl you know and you help out a little girl with cancer in the process! Talk about a win-win!
Let's talk fashion exclusively for a quick moment. Guys, these headbands are cute. They really are attractive and the flower/bow thing is definitely all the rage right now. They also have sparkly glitter stretch headbands that I really like, they are a little sportier but still feminine. I am not typically one to care about what's "in," but these are both stylish and on trend (as the trendsters say) and they have lots of patterns and colors to choose from. They are definitely a TON cuter than the ones I see in the stores. Plus, they have sizes that fit babies all the way to adults.
My only wish would be that Headbands of Hope be a nonprofit, which it is not. But regardless, I cannot think of a better way to show support and solidarity for girls with cancer, so I will be purchasing a couple of these cuties for my little girls, so two other cuties can get their headbands! I will let the girls choose which ones they want, but I am really hoping one of them chooses this one:
So pretty! Maybe I will turn into a headband-wearer!
Anyway, please take a moment to go check out Headbands of Hope and see if you can get a little shopping done for the girls and women-folk in your life, and brighten the day of a little girl with cancer at the same time!
Carter's is having a sale right now -- 40% off their entire store (online too)!
Plus, you can combine the sale with a Carter's coupon for 20% off any in-store purchase of $40 or more (excludes clearance and Doorbuster specials)! Coupon expires July 25, 2012.
Might be a good time to go see what they have for fall!
What's fun, free and something that the dog can be in on, too? Playing in the river!
We live off the Rappahannock River, and in all our time here, we have never gotten over there to hang out. We think about it all the time, we drive by and see people tubing, sunbathing, cooking out, swimming, etc. but I don't know -- we just never have actually made it over there ourselves somehow.
Today we wanted our dog Stevie to be in on the fun since we feel like she is left out a lot lately. So the five of us headed down to a popular spot on the river and had at it. The girls instantly found rocks to throw and see how big of a splash they could make. My husband took Stevie off her leash and let her splash around, chasing rocks he threw. She was in heaven.
Until the lifeguard came over and ruined her fun by insisting she be leashed. It is hard to run through the water chasing a rock when you are tethered to a five-foot leash. I understand the kid was just doing his job, but almost no one was at the beach, and the couple people who were there were far away. Really, he couldn't have looked the other way for a few minutes? Ah well, at least she got a bit of time and some time outside the house.
The girls got soaked in their clothes -- I didn't pack any extras since I doubted they would even venture in ankle-deep. They kept squatting down to dig up rocks in the river bed, and before we knew it, their shorts were soaked. It was a lost cause so we just let them go for it. We decided to embrace the -- uh -- country-ness of it all and we let them ride home in only a diaper. Josie is really a nudist at heart (and Caroline's not much better) so they were really loving the breeze on the trip home.
The girls have talked about the river all afternoon, so we know we'll have to go back -- this time in bathing suits. Maybe we can find a secluded spot with no lifeguard to let the dog off the leash for a little bit. And maybe Mommy will even venture in past her toes (I have a thing about slimy river beds). Maybe.
$0.75 off 2 Gerber 2nd Foods
