Book Review: Itty Bitty Nursery

If you don't knit now, you'll want to learn after paging through Itty Bitty Nursery by Susan B. Anderson. This book is a delightful collection of adorably whimsical baby gear knitting projects and an excellent follow-up to Itty Bitty Hats, which is chock full of the cutest little children's hats you've ever seen.

I had the pleasure of meeting Susan at a book signing at my local knit shop and she brought along several sample items for this book and her upcoming book. All of her projects are achingly cute, usable and full of fanciful little touches, but unlike many knitting books I've encountered, these projects are achievable. You don't need to be a master knitter with decades of free time on your hands to create your own mini-masterpiece. One of the very first projects is a hat/sweater/booties set composed entirely of squares, which is often a beginner's first foray into learning how to knit. If you're experienced (a-hem), you'll appreciate the more intricate crib mobile, complete with flowers and charming little pastel mouses. Did you ever think you could knit a crib mobile for your little one? Me neither, at least not until now. Seriously, this book is one of the best baby knit books on the market today.

Books for New Moms

My sister's coworker is about 4 months pregnant with her first child and asked me to send her a list of required reading about babies. Here is what I came up with!


What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff
A comprehensive guide to Baby's first year. Huge, but helpful to have on hand.

The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr Harvey Karp
The BEST book on how to soothe a baby. Crucial advice for the first few weeks especially because the baby will need lots of soothing. Can't recommend it enough!

The Expectant Father by Armin A. Brott
This is a book about pregnancy and birth geared towards husbands. Good for the pregnant lady to read too--it had some stuff in it that I hadn't read before.

The Mother of all Pregnancy Books by Ann Douglas
In case she hasn't read all the preggo books yet, this is a good one. Better than reading the more bulky & overwhelming What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Funny But True Books...

Baby Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
A humorous take on Jenny's experiences after her baby was born. Belly Laughs (about pregnancy) is good too. Both are very fast, easy reading.

Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
Hilarious. She might appreciate this book more after Baby has been around for awhile, but it's quite funny.

My own best advice to a pregnant lady...

1) Expect to feel really weird emotionally for several months after the baby is born. Lots of highs and lots of lows. EVERYONE goes through this, even if they don't want to admit it and try to tell you they felt nothing but bliss and fulfillment! You will probably feel more anxiety than you would normally, but this is nature's way of making sure that mommy is vigilant in taking care of her baby.

2) Sleep! Forget about cleaning or email or entertaining visitors and just sleep whenever your baby is sleeping. Period. I wish I had listened more when people told me this.

3) You'll probably get a ton of 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes at your baby shower or as random gifts. If you have gift receipts, put some clothes aside to exchange for 6-9 and 12+ month clothes. Baby will grow ultra-fast in the first few months and will most likely wear an outfit once or twice before it's outgrown. Definitely exchange anything that has complicated closures or ties, if you can.

4) Nursing is great and it's free but not every mommy-baby pair can do it successfully. About 70% of women start out nursing, but only 30% are exclusively nursing at 3 months and only 11% are after 6 months. (2004 data from the CDC). So please don't feel beat yourself up if it doesn't work out for you, because you're certainly not alone.

5) A baby is "a marvelous gift, a magnifying glass from God who reveals for us a more complex and wondrous world" (Lindley Shutz) so have fun in all the little moments with your new arrival!!

Early Pregnancy Excuses for Sobriety

Are you newly pregnant, but not quite ready to explain to your friends that you're not interested in drinking for two? Here are some helpful hints on how to keep your pregnant status secret in a social drinking situation.



1) Mocktails

This can be a bit tricky because you might not want anyone to witness you ordering a near-beer or a tequila-free margarita, but it can work fine if you can go up to the bar by yourself.

2) Fake it

A regular Coke looks the same as a Jack & Coke. Same thing for 7-Up and a vodka tonic. Or try ordering a water at the same time as a real drink, just sip the water instead.

3) Double up

Order the same drink as your spouse and let him double-fist it. Why not let him have a little extra fun since you're stuck being the designated driver anyway.

4) Be a supportive friend

Hang out with other obviously pregnant ladies or recovering alcoholic friends and share in their non-drinking status to show your "support".

5) The old imaginary illness trick

No one can drink if they're taking antibiotics or cold medicine! Invent a fake illness accordingly, but try not to get too creative. The run of the mill sinus infection or migraine will do.

Book Review: Buy, Buy Baby

Buy, Buy Baby by Susan Gregory Thomas is a book written by a mom with young kids to inform other parents about how today's consumer culture has evolved, how the machine of marketing works to manipulate consumers and why we should care about it. The author uses common-sense language to discuss recent and relevant research about the effects of media, screen-time, advertising and general consumer culture on our children. I was shocked to realize how these corporations are using and often funding the latest research in child development in order to sell things directly to babies and toddlers.

Thomas also delves into how babies learn, what they really see when they watch the TV and what it takes for a program or toy to be truly educational. It all boils down the fact that background television and active TV watching erode the ability of a child to focus on active play--and play is the work of children. Creative, open-ended play with blocks or the like is how kids build the foundations for further learning and problem-solving as they grow into adulthood.

In summary, this was an engrossing, thorougly readable and eye-opening book. Before I read Buy, Buy Baby, I thought that babies and toddlers watching TV was no big deal because I was raised with TV too--but I've changed my mind.

Eating Solids?

Is your child ready for solid foods but you need some tablewear yet? Bored with the offerings at Target, etc.? Try out IKEA's new children's tablewear selections. Right now they're offering the delighful MATA, a 4-piece froggy dinnerware set, for only $2.99. At that price, pick up a few extras for Christmas gifts. Could you use more utensils? Try KALAS, an 18- piece cutlery set, for a mere $1.99.

MOTHERS Act for PPD Support

Every year, 8000 American women suffer from postpartum depression (PPD) and only 15 percent of these women actually receive any treatment or assessment for it. Pretty incredible, huh? To raise awareness, there will be a national blog action day on October 24th in support of the MOTHERS Act--The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act.

To show your support for the MOTHERS Act, contact your senator next Wednesday and let him or her know that we American women need this bill to pass! We absolutely need the help and support of our lawmakers to get this bill approved.

Mark your calendars now! The blog action day is hosted by Postpartum Support International, BlogHer and Postpartum Progress.

Ticket Crazy Mommies

The hottest ticket in the Twin Cities right now is for Miley Cyrus' Hannah Montana tour at the Target Center next Sunday. According to the Star Tribune article "Miley Mania Makes Moms Hoppin' Mad", this show is the "most in-demand ticket since the 1991 World Series" but angry parents can't seem to get any seats via the usual methods: Ticketmaster and waiting in line at the box office. All of this mania is bringing issues about ticket sales and distribution to the forefront--exactly where do all those tickets go when they seemingly sell out the instant they go on sale? To get us decent seats to see Gwen Stefani last June, my sister joined Gwen's online fan club for access to pre-sale tickets. I've read that nearly half of all available tickets are commonly set aside for fan club members.

On a related note, I was blown away at how many kids were at the Gwen Stefani concert with their moms. Maybe it was because I was 9 months pregnant at the Gwen concert and had baby on the brain! There were tons of pre-teen girls there, with at least one mom in tow. Surprising to me, considering I would've rather died than be seen with my mom anywhere at that age. But I guess you must make some sacrifices for Gwen!