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Review and Giveaway: 'What to Expect' Series of Books

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:

• Two (2) readers will receive one of each: What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year and What to Expect the Second Year

Ways to Enter:

• Leave a comment (make sure to sign in or leave your email) telling me how you would use these books


• Like Must Love Babies on Facebook (leave me a comment letting me know)


• Follow Must Love Babies on Twitter (leave me a comment letting me know)


• Tweet about this giveaway (mention @MustLoveBabies in your tweet)


• Blog about this giveaway (leave link in comments)


• Subscribe to my blog (leave me a comment letting me know)

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!

Letters to My Daughters: Life's a Party

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

One Word Wednesdays

Pride.

Letters to My Daughters: Battlefields

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!

Old Navy: Toddler Jeans $9, Shirts $5

"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!

Baby and Kid Printable Coupons

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 2 Gerber 2nd Foods

 

$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.

Carters: 40% Off + an Extra 20% Off!

This dress is just $11.52 after the coupon!

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.

One Word Wednesdays

Blockhead.