Shower update!!!!

Tonya and I are pretty much done planning Kimmy's baby shower and I am so excited about how fabulous it is going to be. I cant believe that I have to wait until September to actually enjoy it. I went to Teia's house yesterday to do something, I was just tryin to be nosey, and got a glimpse of the invites!!!!!! They are SOOOO beautiful...and that word does not even do them justice!!!! We had to tweek them a little because Teia has OCD and would never do anything taht does not look 100% perfect (which is one of the things I love about her), but the tweeks makes them even more fab!!!

Then I realized that I didnt order any thank you cards...ugh!!! So we had to design some and she will have to order MORE paper and supplies. Man we REALLY love Kimmy. Who knew that invitations were so darn expensive...it will be worth the smile on Kimmy's face. Now it is on to ordering centerpieces and decorations. And I guess I should put together the ONE game that we are going to play. Of course I cant say too much because Kimmy reads the blog. But I cant wait for people to get their invites and to enjoy the shower we have planned for our very special friend and her 'little blessing'.

Check out Teia's blog at Sincerely Teia and I will do a post later when her web site gets launched. Also, you can visit the pregnancy blog of our Kimmy (here).

The glowing Mommy to Be!!!

Aiden Madness!!!!

Below are some pics of my little Angel from the time he was born all the way to recently. We have TONS (and I am not exaggerating) of pictures of him so it was hard to decide what to put up. I hope you enjoy. Be on the look out for a post about breastfeeding as well as a post with a couple great baby finger food recipes that Aiden has tried (and loved) recently!!!!

Aidens first non medical trip out of the house.

On Paul's Birthday at dinner with his family

Aiden's first non bottle meal...it was a mess...lol...and he didnt like it.

Aiden's first trip to Minnesota...and his first taste of COLD weather!!!!

Aiden's bath with Cousin Garyson...his Mommy and I have a picture just like this when we were little.

Aiden's first time in a pool...he LOVED it!!!!

And his first time at the beach...he was very interested in the sand.
He loved the swing when he got on for the first time...

Well that brings us up to last night!!!! I told you there were lots. And that does not even include all the pics that we have on the 1TB external hard drive that we got JUST for Aiden's pictures. I will try and post pictures of him on here more often. But you can always visit Everything Aiden to see regular photo updates!!!!

Bottles!!!!

I know that I said that I would try and post this last week...and I did try...lol. But it was a busy week topped off by a busy weekend. Needless to say it is time for a baby item review. When I do these posts it will be based off my experience as well as feed back that I have gotten from other Mommy's...since everyone has a different experience and view point.

When I was pregnant with Aiden I did as much research on every product imaginable so I could make the best decision possible when it came to his baby gear. When it came to bottles Paul and I wanted something that was BPA free. If you are unfamiliar with what BPA is and what effect it may have on your baby just click here for more info. Now when you go to Babies R Us, Target, or any other place that sells bottles, all the items will have big labels that say BPA free. Babies R Us now ONLY sells BPA free bottles and sippy cups. The only TRUE way to be 100% BPA free is to use glass items. So when Aiden was a baby we used the Playtex Drop In system for all his 4oz bottles and for all of his 8oz bottles we used the Evenflo Glass bottles. Mind you Aiden was only using 4oz bottles for like 6 weeks because he was so greedy...lol.

Aiden is super strong...he holds his glass bottle up with ONE hand...lol

We have had great success with both bottles. The drop in bottles have the wide neck nipples that are great for newborns and the glass bottles can accommodate various flow nipples including Y-Cut nipples for cereal bottles. Aiden was not fully breast fed because I had a breast reduction 10 years ago, so I knew that I was going to have to supplement. He ate like a champ from the drop in bottles and never had a problem with gas...and had a seamless transition to the "old school" glass bottles. But one minor problem that I am experiencing now is that Aiden likes to throw his bottles down in public...I have had 2 break...not cute. So I will be going to get him some Born Free bottles for when we go out in public...lol.

Now there are TONS of BPA free bottles out there. Born Free is probably the most commonly known line of baby products. They have everything from bottles, to pacifiers to sippy cups. They come in both plastic and glass...and have a pretty hefty price tag (one of the main reasons I didn't use them). But from the review that I got from Mommy Teia they are GREAT!!! Her son is 100% breast fed and he has had no nipple confusion with these bottles. Which is great. These bottles do have an air vent system in place to prevent colic...which is also great.

Another bottle that is popular is the Dr. Brown's line of baby bottles....the reason that I didn't like this line (and why a lot of other Mommy's don't as well) is because of ALL the parts you have to clean in order to use the product. UGH...that would get on my nerves. I mean making the time to clean bottles is bad enough but having to clean 3-4 parts per bottle would be very time consuming.

Also, if your baby is breast fed do not get fixated on a certain type of bottle because your baby may not like the nipple that comes with the bottle. So buy a couple that YOU really would like for your baby to use...and if he/she does not take to the nipple...try a couple other brands. It can be trail and error...but you WILL find something that works.

When it comes to bottle accessories....I bought the Evenflo Bottle Cozys for the glass bottles and they are great for when you are on the go. I also SWEAR by my The First Years bottle warmer. What I love about this item (that is still at my bed side) is that it has a cooler on the back that can hold 2 bottles and keep the cold over night!!!!! So for all of you mommy's that don't want to get out of bed or go downstairs to get the midnight feeding bottle...it can be right there for you when you need it!!!! And when you no longer need the warmer you can take the cooler off and just use that. Aiden prefers his bottles cold so I have not been using the warmer since he was like 4 months. But the cooler is a fixated item on my night stand!!!! I recommend ALL of my mommy's to be to register for this item. Also, I know that a lot of you mommy's register for the nice portable bottle coolers for the diaper bag, but Similac will send you a starter bag that will include the best travel bottle cooler. It is not as large as the ones that you will buy...AND IT IS FREE!!!! I love mine...so much so that I just ordered another one for a back up. I already posted about my favorite bottle brushes, but in case you didn't see it before click here to check them out.

One more thing before I wrap this up...save your money when it comes tot he sterilizer products. All it takes to sterilize bottles and nipples is boiling them in water once a week for about 3 minutes!!! THAT IS IT!!! So why waste money on something that can be done so easily for free. Buy yourself or your baby something nice with that cashola!!!! I know that I don't post enough pictures of my little man so the next post will be all about AIDEN!!!!

Baby FEVER!!!!!

I am SOOOOOOO excited. One of my best friends in the WHOLE world and my Sorority Sister Kimberly Griffin is having a BABY!!!!!!! Words can not express how happy I am for her and Joe. She is most deserving of the gift that she is carrying in her belly!!! She has done a pregnancy blog and it tells the story of how I TOLD her that she was pregnant when she was here for my Birthday weekend...as well as a bunch of good stuff (including pictures) about her pregnancy. She knew that she was pregnant but wanted to keep it to herself until later in the pregnancy. But she knew that I was going to be able to tell...lol. Call it Mommy Intuition!!!!

So Tonya (our other BFF) and I are planning the most fabulous baby shower EVER (Well next to Aiden's lol)!!!! Befitting of the PRINCESS that she is carrying. Kimmy designs and makes the MOST BEAUTIFUL initiations, and did Aiden's much talked about baby shower invites...you can go to his blog to see them. So when it came to getting invites for her shower we knew that we could not get her the run of the mill invite....and I didn't want HER to do her own invites because everything is going to be a surprise!!! So I contacted my Spec who is also SUPER talented when it comes to invites and cards...Teia James. Her business' name is Sincerely Teia (cute huh?) and you can check out her blog to get some info on who she is and what her vision is.

Teia is a new Mommy herself to a handsome little man, Mr. Carter James....so I was a little hesitant to ask her to do the invites. But I assumed that if I asked far enough in advance she would be more likely to do them. I WAS RIGHT!!!! I was over her house one day and she started showing me samples of invites that she has seen or done and she showed me something that I FELL IN LOVE WITH. And have since then based the theme of the shower from the invite. So I went to her house for my consultation on Friday thinking it would not take long. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! I was there for 3 hours!!! I, of course, had to pick something that was intricate so we had to pick different papers and embellishments!!!! Well all I will say is that these invites are probably going to be BETTER than Aiden's!!!! And that is pretty darn hard to believe. I am so excited about them!!!!!

Then on Saturday I went to Alabama to visit the Mommy to Be and to handle some of the baby planning...yes I am her baby planner!!! So we went and did one of her registries and I had already had a pretty good idea of what she was looking for when it came to furniture so when I showed it to her and she loved it I was SUPER happy. She looks beautiful and so very happy....and I really like Joe (he has been hiding from her friends!!! lol). And we even went and got some baby clothes...she had not bought anything for the baby yet. By my 20th week Aiden had a FULL wardrobe...lol. But don't worry Auntie Aja will be spoiling her ROTTEN!!!!! I love girl clothes!!!!

This week will be pretty uneventful but be on the look out for my posting about bottles and breastfeeding info. Hopefully I will get both done before the end of the week. My darn computer needs a new battery and I have just not gotten around to ordering one :(.

All around the world!!!

Man it has been a hectic past 6 days...and it is not over yet!!!! Aiden and I flew out of Atlanta on Friday afternoon after his 9 month check up. He is 22 lbs 3oz (even though he feels like he weighs 30lbs!!!) and is 30in long!!!! The flight went wonderfully as usual because Aiden is a trooper. He fell asleep as soon as we got on the plane and woke up about 10 minutes after we landed. We went to Minnesota for my little brothers Graduation and Graduation Party.

Everything went GREAT!!! I got to go to my cousins Graduation party on Saturday and was sooooo happy to see my favorite Aunt/Godmother Debbie. It was her first time meeting Aiden and it was definitely love at first sight!!!! Then Sunday was Raaj's (my little brother) Graduation Party and it was a hit. Of course I didn't sit down very often because I was working...lol...but everyone had a good time and Aiden got lots of attention from all of my Aunts, cousins, etc.

Monday was the Graduation and I am super proud of my little brother...who happens to have Downs Syndrome. He was so excited about having a party in his honor and walking across the stage. I don't know whose bright idea it was to have a graduation on Monday evening at 8pm but Aiden acted a fool!!! And I could not even blame him...it was WAY past his bedtime. But he was so handsome in his outfit!!!! Before the graduation I went to dinner with my dear cousin Jalove and we had too much fun!!!! So we skipped the post graduation gathering because Aiden and I had a 5am...yes you read that right...flight to Hilton Head for a vacation/work requirement. Aiden once again was a trooper and did fabulously on BOTH flights (had to change planes in Atlanta and was tempted to just go home...lol). Once we got to Hilton Head he was able to take a real nap before he got to experience the pool for the first time!!!! How exciting. You can see some of our pictures from the trip below (I will add later today) and go to Aiden's Blog to see lots of pictures from his first pool experience. Until next time...