The Indestructable Pacifier Teething Ring - Product Review

OK, truth be told, my 2 year old daughter still has a pacifier.  We're in the process of taking it, but that's for another blog posting.  About a month ago, she started biting holes in her pacifiers, which I assume is because she's getting her 2 year molars.  Anyway, she was going through a 2-pack of pacifiers in an afternoon.  There are 2 reasons this is a problem for me.

1.) It gets expensive fast.
2.) I live 1/2 hour to the closest store.

So, on my next trip into town I found the RazBaby teething ring pacifier!  I figured if it looked like a pacifier she might take it, and I hoped that she'd not want to use it as a pacifier because it's bigger and doesn't work the same.  It worked amazing as far as a teething ring goes.  It's indestructable!  Never again will I need to buy another pacifier.  I still have one problem though.....now she's using it as a regular pacifier.  Because it's bigger I can't understand anything she says.  I tell her to take it out of her mouth - which she does - but it didn't break the addiction.  Oh well, at least it's not breaking my purse anymore :).  It makes a great conversation piece too.

If you'd like to see what other kind of great baby products they have CLICK HERE.

I WON!!!

I won this gift set from Gift-A-Cupcake! She was expecting her second baby and whoever came closest to the 'birth stats' won a set of bath items from Springdale Spa. It was me! And I have to tell you....I was even more excited when I used them. The scent is warm vanilla sugar and is amazing!

Gift-A-Cupcake offers these awesome gift baskets shaped like cupcakes. I recommend you go check them out HERE!

Bed Bug Bumper - Product Review

*DISCLAIMER* - This is a product review only.  I am not advising you sleep with your child.  Please do your own research on the pros & cons of co-sleeping before making that decision.

Here's a little background into how I came across the gobedbug.com website.

From the day my husband & I were married I always said I would never co-sleep with my children.  I wasn't against it, it just wasn't for us.  Then came our 6th child.  It started the very night she was born.  From 7pm - 4am she just wanted to be held.  During the day she would sleep anywhere: crib, floor, car seat, it really didn't matter.  But come bedtime and she would be up every 10 - 15 minutes if she was not in someones arms.  Let me just say this got old fast.  By the time she was a week old I couldn't function anymore.  Then one night while absolutely unable to function I fell asleep with her on the couch.  She only woke up once to nurse and that was it!  I wondered if I was onto something.  So I continued to sleep on the couch with her.  I tried my best to be safe about it.  I would sleep sitting up, with her cradled in my arms between me and the back of the couch.  My back was suffering....but I was sleeping :) 

I know there are many people who are dead set against sleeping with your child, whether it be for personal reasons or safety reasons.  But let me just say that the safety of my other children, as well as my own safety, was at risk.  I was falling asleep standing up while making lunches, holding the baby, etc.  Not to mention the fact that as soon as I got in the car it was a struggle to stay awake behind the wheel.  So please keep that in mind before giving judgement. Thanks! :)

Once I realized she was able to sleep at night, and it wasn't a matter of her days and nights being backwards, I started to look into products that might assist her (and I) in getting her on track (remember, I was against co-sleeping).  I tried swaddling her tighter, I tried having her sleep in the car seat, I tried the womb bear/sleep sheep, I tried having her sleep with one of my shirts, and more.  Nothing was working.  Then I found the co-sleeper.  The problem was that my husband and I were pretty sure she wanted body heat/cudding and that's why she was sleeping so good while being held.  With a co-sleeper they are not technically next to you. I thought it was on the expensive side if it wasn't going to work. 

While doing research on the pros and cons of co-sleeping (I was starting to give in to the sleep deprivation) I came across http://www.gobedbug.com/. They make foam bed rails that fit under your sheets but work like a regular guard rail.  The whole reason they came up in my search was because they make one for co-sleeping.  The cost was really reasonable ($20 + $6 shipping).  I figured it was worth a try.  After all, sleeping on the couch was getting old and my body was starting to feel it. 

From the very first night we were only getting up once in the middle of the night.  This was great considering she was only about 3 weeks old.  I put her between me and the bed rail.  It felt so good to get a decent night sleep.  I'm still not totally comfortable sleeping with her, but now that I have a good month of semi-sleep, I've started working on transitioning her to her cradle.  I recently heard somewhere that, when it comes to babies being able to regulate their own body temperature, women should really be pregnant for another 3 months.  That would be the 'ideal' for the infant.  I'm not sure whether this is true or not, but it seems to be the case here.  She'll be 3 months old next week, and I'm already seeing a huge difference.  In the mean time, during this transition, I'm very grateful I found go bed bug :).  I feel safer than putting her between us and now I'm able to function during the day.  If you have decided to co-sleep I highly recommend this item.  You can visit them gobedbug by clicking HERE.

On top of the great product, the service was super fast.  They also offer regular bed rails as well as additional products.  Don't hesitate to go check them out.

Going Rouge: An American Life ~ by Sarah Palin

I am currently reading Going Rouge by Sarah Palin. First, I have a disclaimer. I am not a political person! I am not reading this because I was 'into' the presidential campaign either. The only reason I picked up this book was because of everything I've heard from her regarding her take on her children & family. I wanted to see for myself what she had to say.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. She's funny and down to earth. She writes in a way, as if to say, she has nothing to hide. She gives her side of the accusations thrown around during the presidential campaign, but never comes after her accusers. Because I am not into politics I have a very hard time following them. Her style of writing makes it bearable to read and easier to understand.

The downfall.....If you're expecting to pick this up and read it in a weekend you might want to think again. It's not a short book. But then again, have you ever read an autobiography that was? I haven't. There is an upside to it though. The chapters are broken down so you can read for 15 minutes a day and not be lost when you pick it back up (which I like).

Whether you're a fan of Sarah Palin or just a fan of someone who would drop everything to put their family first you might want to put this on your 'things I want to read' list. If you're not a fan of hers, but willing to listen to what she has to say, you might be open to learning more about her and actually enjoy the book too.

All in all, I would recommend this book. If you don't want to spend the money on a hardcover book you can always rent it from the library (that's what I did). There's always eBay too. And when you're done you can resell it and get your money back :)