You Go, Girl!

I know, that phrase is so RuPaul, but I just ran over to California Pizza Kitchen for a glass of water (we eat there all the time; our store is right next door) and there was a mama holding her around-six-month-old baby at a table. Totally unremarkable. I've done it many times. What I haven't done, however, was to go out for lunch with a friend and a baby with a fabulously large necklace and sequined sandals. When I say large, I mean the thing had crystals that belonged on a chandelier. She was a big girl, so she could totally pull it off. But what stopped me in my tracks was that I, the proponent of the Hot Mama creed, had always sworn off necklaces whenever grabby hands were near. That meant an almost decade-long costume jewelry drought.

Whoever you are, mama, way to go! :)

Where In The World?

Computer problems + Moving our house + Spring Break/Torn Ligament in hand = Almost No Blogging

To make up for it (and because I still have the use of only one hand) here's an oldie but goodie:

Birth ORDER OF CHILDREN

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

_____________________________________________________

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last
time, breathing didn't do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month..

______________________________________________________

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and
discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

______________________________________________________

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper,
a frown--you pick up the baby

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten
to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to
rewind the mechanical swing.
______________________________________________________

Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until
you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it
off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in..

______________________________________________________

Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour,
whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to
complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

_______________________________________________________

Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing,
Baby Zoo, Baby Movies and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.

______________________________________________________

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter,
you call home five times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to
leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

______________________________________________________

At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children

______________________________________________________

Swallowing Coins (a favorite):

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays

2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!


Smile -- you deserve a laugh a day, mama!

Baby Slings Again

Here's a guide to wearing your baby in a sling the right way:

CPSC Warning on Baby Slings

After a millenia or so of babywearing, 7 deaths have prompted the Consumer Products Safety Commission to issue a report warning about the use of baby slings and wraps. I gotta say, while every single baby's life is precious and should be mourned, I am not sure that freaking people out about using them is really helpful. (Remember that strollers have their own documented dangers.)

Better that we should help people learn the right way to use them. To that end, NBC4 in Los Angeles interviewed One Hot Mama this afternoon and we hope you'll all tune in to see Roxanne's thoughts about babywearing. Of course, I spoke for an hour and the segment will be all of 2 minutes, but that's showbiz! For more info on baby slings and how awesome they are, read this!

For more instructions about Balboa Baby Slings, which we carry, see here.
For answers to all the sling questions you could ever have, try here.

Bravado Bras And Tanks And Being An Old Mother

A huge shipment of Bravado nursing bras and Essential Nursing Tanks arrived at One Hot Mama last night ... they'll be available for order in a few hours. Why not right away? Because our first baby, a little 6 pound, 9 ounce titch of a thing who looked for all the world like a plucked chicken when he was born, played for his school in the finals of the 6th grade basketball championship last night -- and won! He had the game of his young life, and it's hard to describe the thrill of seeing the baby I wore in a sling for three straight years (more solid black and brown Balboa Baby slings are on the way as well; right now we have lots of colours) run back and forth for an hour.

Sometimes it seems unreal that babies turn into people. But they do. Enjoy every minute that they smell so fresh and delicious -- because, after a hard game, not so much! :)

Anyway, the entire beginning of 2010 has been filled with games and lots of other family hijinks. Visit my still-relevant pregnancy and nursing posts from before the season began and I promise to catch up soon.

Glamourmom & Balboa Baby

They're back in stock -- the best adjustable slings and the original nursing bra tanks. We have plenty of both at One Hot Mama! I would say that both items are must-have for any new mother, the ranks of which I no longer join. That's so odd to me, having spend the better part of the last decade wearing a Glamourmom Long Tank and carrying my nursling (or two) in a sling, inspired by Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha. :) Those of you who are mamas of babies, though, stock up!

Family First

Wow. A month since I've posted any bon mots about motherhood, attachment parenting, breastfeeding or clothes!

The truth is that Christmas with four kids takes a lot of work. We actually went on vacation this year, and had a lovely time, and then I was so cocooned that I decided to actually enjoy my kids instead of write about them for a bit. We've had a rather exciting January, with family crises and moving and surgeries, oh my! Sometimes, you just need to take a break and hang.

Remember that when you feel life is going by you too fast -- just stop and get off the merry go round for a turn.

Be back soon. :)