Dear Scale...

Dear Scale,

I must write to you today because I feel you have let me down again. We have been through a lot, but no matter how hard I try, you always seem to make me feel bad about myself. I have been in relationships before, but nothing has ever been this inconsistent, unreliable and abusive as this one. Some days you are generous and make me feel good and somedays you are just downright mean. I try and try every day to make you treat me well--I do everything in my power. Sometimes it seems that the harder I try, worse you are to me. And if I slip up just once, you tell me horrible things that absolutely ruin my day.

But no matter how often I tell myself to just walk away from you, ignore you, hide you, or even throw you out the window, I just can't seem to let you go. And when I cry, you just sit there, blank and expressionless. You don't even care that I am sad. So, from this moment on, our relationship is over. Please don't show your face; it will just make things harder. I can't take this anymore.

Well, until I want you back.

Sincerely,

Melissa and Therese

OLD NAVY SALE ENDS TODAY!

Just looked at the Old Navy website because Diapers.com told me it was the LAST DAY for this sale. And let me tell you, they have the CUTEST selection of shirts, skirts, dresses, jackets, coats, jeans, etc...EVER!!! If you dont believe me, see for yourself!

http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=60116&mlink=5151,2196449,clickMain&clink=2196449

GER: It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy

Declan came home from the hospital, started crying, and wouldn't stop. He cried every day, for far longer than the three hours that are supposed to be indicative of colic. He couldn't be put down. If he wasn't asleep, and wasn't being held, and even if he WAS being held, he cried.

"Let's hope he's not colicky," my mother-in-law said, one night at dinner.

I read up on colic--no one knows what causes it, though there are suppositions that it is gas, the result of immature intestines, hyper-sensitivity to outside stimuli, and so on. There are formulas, like Enfamil Gentlease or Enfamil Neutromigen (that smell like wet dog food and cost twice as much as regular formula) or gas drops (which are really more of a cure for the helplessness that parents feel than anything else). But the good news was this: most symptoms of colic disappear after three months.
So, we took out a loan against the car and bought the dog-food-smelling formula. We did not notice a difference, save the excess, cheese-like spit up spewing from my baby after every single meal. Spit up that smelled like dog food.
We started to pay attention to his fussiest times, and noticed that they were right after he ate. When he was laid flat on his back, he cried and contracted his whole body inward, and his face turned a deep purple. He was struggling. He grunted and cried for an hour after meals, spit up profusely, passed out, and then woke up (at most) after two hours, absolutely starving. In my neurotic desperation, I looked it up in every baby book I own. The symptoms pointed to baby acid reflux, or GER, gastroesophogeal reflux. After a confirmation by his pediatrician, we were told that once his esophagus matured, probably by six months, the symptoms would fade. However, some babies deal with GER until they're almost two years old.

Two years old? Let's hope he IS colicky!

Declan was put on Enfamil AR, a thicker formula (which can also be achieved by adding 2 tsp. of cereal to a regular formula). We fed him a bottle and he took a three-hour nap, his first ever. When he got used to the formula, and was still having a little trouble, we incorporated Zantac into his routine. Not on our own, of course, but there are medications that doctors feel comfortable prescribing to slightly older infants (10 weeks and up). After that, Declan started sleeping through the night. He is a completely different baby--happy and normal-colored.
He still spits up. His spit up is reminiscent of ricotta cheese, and it happens enough that my husband and I have made created the verb "cheesed" (i.e. "he just cheesed his new shirt again"). Despite the mess, I embrace his spit up because it is no longer of exorcist proportions. Hopefully that esophagus matures within the next couple of months. Otherwise I'll have to give it some chores and more responsibilities.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink: Making the Most Of Baby's Clothes

As a parent, you see your kids grow out of clothes and shoes so fast that you are hesitant to even buy the right size for fear that it wont fit by the time you get home from the store.

Recently, when the weather changed here in NYC, I was looking in Emma's closet at all of her adorable summer dresses knowing that by next summer she wont be able to fit into any of them. Then, this weekend, Jesse put Emma in a summer dress and a cardigan over because it was chilly outside. I saw it and thought "YOU LOOK SO CUTE! We can do this with all of your summer dresses." So now, every day, I put her in a cute summer dress, a cardigan and maybe leggings depending on how chilly it is.

The same rule applies to sandals (only if you are a little girl). If you get a cute pair of socks, maybe one with beads, your baby can wear sandals with socks through the fall (see picture above--Emma is very, very excited).

So, I just wanted to share my discovery with all of you moms out there. I now get so excited to dress her everyday and play with her outfits. You can get these baby cardigans from many stores. I got Emma's from Baby Gap. If you buy 2 or more, they are $11 each!

My Miscarriages, My Fault?

I am 27 years old and I have a healthy little girl, so how is it possible to have 2 miscarriages in a row? My thoughts are all over the map. I go from being very rational about it all to getting completely discouraged all over again. I think, What if I can never have another baby? What if I can't enjoy being pregnant again? What if Emma is an only child? Will I hate every pregnant woman forever?

Then I try and stay positive. Because, as everyone keeps telling me, there are a lot of women who have two miscarriages in a row and then have a perfectly healthy baby. And I tell myself, Maybe Emma needs a little more attention and I will get pregnant a little later. At least I can drink wine again. At least I can have two cups of coffee in the morning if I want to. I can get back to vigorous cardio activity and try to lose a little more weight.

But, at the end of the day, I go to sleep without anything in my uterus when less than a week ago I was lying in bed rubbing my belly, telling my baby to "please hang on this time." I prayed. I made sure I wasn't doing anything morally wrong; instead of rushing by him, I would give a couple of bucks to the homeless guy on the street. I did everything more carefully--I even walked more carefully. And as women, we feel ultimately responsible for the outcome of our pregnancies, and feel guilty if our bodies aren't creating the perfect pod or the perfect 8 lb. child. The bottom line is this: if I blame myself every time something like this goes on, I will make myself insane.

I guess this is what I mean when I say my thoughts are all over map.

So, here's a message to myself and to everyone else who is reading this (and maybe you have had a miscarriage before, too): Nature takes care of things. "Miscarriage is rarely anyone's fault, and sometimes pregnancy loss is even a predetermined outcome at the time of conception" (source uknown). After all, I will have another baby, when my body is ready to do it right. And this time, it just was not right. At least I have a daughter, and I should enjoy her, enjoy my husband and enjoy our life together. I need to enjoy wine and going out with my friends. I need to take the pressure off of myself! I have been stressing out so much over my pregnancy and I am so OBSESSED with having a friend for Emma that when something like this happens, my world falls apart.

Therese, relax. Just let things happen as they happen. When the time is right, you will get pregnant again and stay pregnant. If I stay positive and happy, my family will be positive and happy. Because what I know for sure is when mama's not happy, ain't nobody happy. And lucky for me, I am already a mama.

Have you heard of DIAPERS.COM!!

As I am sure most of you have, I asked my sister the other day if she had heard of diapers.com and she hadn't! So maybe you haven't! Jesse and I always order Emma's diapers and wipes from the website and they ship to us FOR FREE in 1-2 days!!! I seriously have ordered at 8pm and received the package the next day at 4pm! Also, if you are ordering formula, you can get any kind of formula in any size and most of the time it is on sale! And, if you are a first time shopper, you get 15% off. Just check out the website at www.diapers.com.

MUST HAVES FOR THE FALL!!!

Hey guys! I know that as moms you want to be comfortable but you still want to dress trendy. I know for me, I dont want to get stuck in a track suit at home everyday. At one point, I thought I was going down that road. I started to think, if you let yourself 'go' your husband may someday let you 'go'. So, Therese, do your hair! Do your make up! Dress cute! I think it also will make you get out of your house/apartment if you do that. So, that being said, please see below.

These pull on black Jean Leggings are AMAZING! They are comfortable, flattering and inexpensive! You can find them online (here) or at Bloomingdales, Fred Segal and some boutiques. I bought them just last week and have worn them 3 times already! All my friends have complimented them and I am making Melissa buy a pair! You can wear them with boots for the fall/winter and also with a pair of flats for the 'transition' time between summer and fall.

http://www.shopvintagehavana.com/product_detail.asp?s_cid=260&s_pid=11889&colorid=3&NumRec=3&ItemNum=0

Next, a pair of fun flats! These are Tory Burch but you can get something similar from other stores I am sure. These are particularly comfortable and cute! You can throw them on with your new 'jeggings' or a pair of skinny jeans! SUPER FUN!

http://www.shoesshopnow.com/tory-burch-flats-leopard-p-8723.html

I also just bought a thin black belt that you can wear with anything! A nice blouse, a dress, a t-shirt, etc... It really dresses up the outfit!

Here is one that is very inexpensive from Target!

http://www.shopvintagehavana.com/shared/images/products/midsize11889-3.jpg

Or here is a Michael Kors stretchy studded black belt that is very cute!

http://www.michaelkors.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod8480004&parentId=cat146&masterId=cat144&cmCat=cat000000cat101cat144cat146&index=2&tid=V1

Stay tuned for more!