2007 May : Tips for Moms & Baby Websites

Baby Shower Games

My baby shower party did start off a bit strange because there were different groups of people who didn’t really know each other. I think some music would have lessened the awkwardness. And perhaps some games up front to break the ice. We didn’t have any games until the end, after everyone was done eating. We played only three games.

The first game involved the guessing how big my stomach is by cutting a piece of yarn. It was funny to see what the guests came up with. Many had cut a really long piece of yarn, thinking I’m really big. How sad. This game sure makes the mother to be feel a little strange because all the guests end up eyeing you and your belly, trying to figure out your belly’s measurements!

The second game played was funny. Everyone tried to draw a picture of a baby with the piece of paper on their heads. So they basically had to try to draw a baby on their head. Many looked like deformed animals! One of our guests even went off the paper and started to draw on his and didn’t even know it!

The third game was the dirty diaper game. The guests were split up into groups. My cousin melted five different kinds of chocolates into a five diapers (which looked like real poop). Each group had to guess which type of chocolate is in each dirty diaper. It’s hilarious to see their facial expressions when they have their faces buried into the diaper. I’ll tell ya – the melted chocolates actually do look real. The chocolates my cousin used were: Kitkat, Reeses Pieces, Hershey’s crunch, and two others. This was the real ice breaker because everyone started talking to everyone else, wondering what the other teams picked. The trick to this game is not to tell them the five choices. They have to guess from sniffing the dirty diaper only.

My cousin also was going to play the BINGO gift opening game, but she forgot to bring the game cards. All the gifts are given a number and each guest will get a game card. Basically, it’s like playing BINGO, but it’s with opening gifts. Who ever gets BINGO first on their game card wins a prize. This is a great game to play if you’re expecting a lot of gifts. Also, your guests won’t be too bored as you open all of your gifts. I noticed how bored my guests started to get as I opened more and more gifts.

Games are an absolute must for your baby shower. They get your guests engaged and entertained. If you have a game that you would like to share, please feel free to add your game idea as a comment below.

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Organic Milk

I’ve had problems with drinking milk in the past so I stopped drinking milk all together. But since calcium is an important element in a pregnant woman’s diet, I had to make sure I get my daily glass of calcium and vitamin D. So I tried organic milk. Oddly enough, organic milk does not disturb my stomach. So if you can’t take regular milk, try switching to organic milk.

Another alternative is Organic Soymilk. I like the ones from Costco – the three pack of Organic Soymilk in Vanilla flavor. It does contain a little less calcium and vitamin D than milk or organic milk, but it tastes great and gives my stomach no problems.

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Organic Food During Pregnancy

Eating healthy and staying healthy is probably one of the most important things about pregnancy. I already eat a lot of fruits to begin with, but ever since the pregnancy, I have been craving for fruits more than ever. After talking to other moms to be and those were pregnant before, I found that this fruit craving is common. The bulk of my grocery shopping expenses are towards fruits now. I know it’s probably healthier to eat organic fruits, but they get rather expensive! Are they really worth it? What about other organic foods, such as veggies and meat?

According to the April 2007 edition of American Baby, the top 12 fruits and veggies that contain the most exposure to pesticides are:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Imported Grapes
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

That’s a nice list because that’s almost everything I eat! As far as organic meat is concerned…I don’t know too much about them except that they are really expensive. I’ll have to say, however, that I tried Organic Grass Fed Bison meat and it was one of the best tasting, most tender meat I have ever tasted. The guy that sold it to me said it contains a lot of omega fats, which is especially good for pregnant women.

When buying organic foods, take notice that they could be labeled either All Natural, Organic, or 100% Organic. All Natural only refers to no additives in the ingredients and is based on the producer’s testimony. Organic means that at least 95% of the product’s ingredients are organic and meets other criteria as defined by the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). Click here to read about the guidelines. 100% Organic on the other hand means that 100% of the ingredients of the product are all organic and can not contain any antibiotics.

Nevertheless, organic foods contain higher levels of vitamins, enzymes, and omegas so it is much healthier. It might be a good investment if your child eats a lot of fruits and veggies. Buying organic food is your choice since it does cost more. Regardless if you’re on an organic diet or not, it’s imperative that you eat lots of grains, fruits, and vegetables to keep a healthy and balanced diet.

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Mason or Scott???

This is our first baby and we’re having trouble deciding on a name for our baby boy. The good thing is, we’ve narrowed it down to two: Mason or Scott. Mason is a really unique name whereas Scott is a really cute baby boy name.
Help us pick a name!! Please click on the comment link below and let us know what you think….Thanks!

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Are Baby Walkers Safe?

Strange how I ended up spending my first week of maternity leave. I thought I was going to be catching up on my sleep and nutrition. It’s the exact opposite actually. I don’t sleep until 3 am and wake up at 9 am. I miss breakfast and eat only lunch and dinner. I end up splurging on junk food. Just two days ago, my husband and I bought a strawberry cheesecake from Costco and it’s nearly gone. =( The only thing good so far is that I am walking more often. It’s got to be the guilt trip…

On Wednesday, I spent the entire day sorting out all of the gifts we received from the baby shower. Boy did we get a lot of gifts! It’s strange that we most of our gifts were not even from our registry! Most of the gifts we got were baby clothes. It must be the easiest thing to shop for. They were all so cute! Also, we got a few duplicate gifts because not all of our friends, family and colleagues used the registry. But that’s OK. I’m so grateful that I have so many friends and family members that care enough about us to even get us gifts! The baby hasn’t even been born yet and he’s already got more assets than I do! =)

One of the items on the registry was a baby walker. You know, one of those with the large plastic round base and has a seat in the center for the baby to sit in and walk around? One of these:

We had the Walker with Toy Bar by Baby Trend on the registry and a colleague of mine purchased it for us. But after some research, I’m reading that walkers are dangerous for babies.

According to an article I read from iVillage (http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bsafety/0,,46q2,00.html), baby walkers are NOT safe (that’s just great…now I will have to exchange the Baby Trend Walker for something else). In 1997, 14,000+ babies ended up in emergency rooms because of injuries from walkers. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended banning the manufacture and sale walkers but it never occurred. Instead, walkers were redesigned with bigger bases so they could not fit through doorways. I wonder how that can help since the baby can still quickly glide across a room or fall down the stairs of a two story house.

Because of the safety issue, I’m thinking of exchanging this walker for something else. Perhaps one of those stationary walkers? Or should it be OK to have one since I don’t have a two story home? Does any one have any suggestions? Or perhaps you have comments on the safety of mobile walkers?

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Maternity Leave

Well, this is my first week of maternity leave (my third day to be exact). My due date is June 29 so I took three weeks earlier than what California’s State Disability Insurance (SDI) will pay me for. I was a little confused at first with what the state offers. My doctor told me that I can take off anytime for maternity but the state will typically pay for only 4 weeks prior to the expected delivery date. However, I was told that I should be able to take as many days off as I can if I have the doctor’s note.

So I called the SDI office for clarification. They said it is the doctor’s discretion and that they can’t really argue with the doctor. They just need to fill out the doctor’s certification on the SDI application. That tells me that I should be able to take my maternity leave early and still get paid, right?

Now here’s the thing. I am not having any complications. I wanted to take off early because my body was worn down. It was really tired. The little bugger in my belly was taking up a lot of my energy. Also, I drive approximately 20 miles each way on the 405 freeway to work – which is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes each way. So the traffic wears me down even before I get to work. I fall asleep behind the wheel A LOT because I am not sleeping well at night. It was too dangerous and unhealthy for me and the baby.

So I had the doctor fill out paperwork for my company (different from the actual SDI application). He left the date open for me so I can decide when I wanted to take off. I decided last Friday would be good. Last Monday, I told my company that my last day would be Friday, then called the doctor and told him. He said most likely, SDI will reject my claim for early leave. He said early leave was for those with complications, such as those with heavy bleeding or high blood pressure. And I had none of those. He will certainly try, but they will ask for my medical records to see why I needed to take off early. According to my doctor, my reason was a “personal” reason rather than a “medical” reason.

So here’s what I learned. Correct me if I’m wrong. For a normal pregnancy without “medical” complications, CA SDI will pay you approximately 55% of your salary up to FOUR WEEKS PRIOR to your expected delivery date and SIX WEEKS AFTER your delivery date. Then you can also tag on ANOTHER SIX WEEKS (for a total of 12 weeks) from FMLA. I believe the maximum weekly pay is $882. To see the weekly benefit amount, click here. For more information, it’s best that you visit http://www.edd.ca.gov or call them at 1-877-BE-THERE. You would also have to check your company’s maternity leave policies. My company will pay me the difference between what SDI will pay me and what my full weekly salary is so I will still get a full paycheck. But only up to 240 hours, or six weeks.

Paid or non-paid, it’s a good thing that I took my maternity leave early. I am a lot more relaxed now. I can take my leisure walks around the parks, eat healthier, and sleep whenever I am tired. I get to enjoy the my quiet surroundings (I’m sure there will be constant crying later). I get to go to the movies all day if I wanted to. I get to shop whenever I feel like. I am much happier. And plus, I get to spend more quality time with my husband. That’s something I may miss once the baby is born. All I can say is that I’m enjoying my leave as much as possible.

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Evenflo Snugli Serenade Vibra Soft Baby Carrier

US $21.49 (5 Bids)
End Date: Sunday May-20-2007 18:30:25 PDT
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LOT OF 9 SIMILAC ADVANCE 12.9 oz INFANT FORMULA

US $14.50 (11 Bids)
End Date: Saturday May-19-2007 15:03:45 PDT
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Original post by baby (Category: Baby ) and software by Elliott Back

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Vintage Pampers Toddler Diapers 1974 Adult Baby AB/DL

US $51.00 (6 Bids)
End Date: Friday May-25-2007 19:00:00 PDT
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Original post by baby (Category: Baby ) and software by Elliott Back

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ergo backpack baby carrier black and camel

US $70.00 (5 Bids)
End Date: Monday May-21-2007 17:29:03 PDT
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Original post by baby (Category: Baby ) and software by Elliott Back

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