O's first tooth has finally arrived!!! Her lower left incisor made its debut today. She has been chewing on everything she can get her hands on--including my fingers. Today, she bit down hard and I felt the tip of the tooth. It was a proud moment indeed.
In addition to her Tiffany silver rattle rings, she also loves to chew on her Kushies Zolo "friends." In particular, she enjoys chewing on the nodule of one of the stuffed characters on the Linko Clip Together Teether and Toys. Ever since she was 3 months old, she's been able to find that nodule on the long strand of linked toys and stuff it into her mouth. Now that she has teeth...ahem, tooth...she will most likely destroy the nodule in no time. O also enjoys sitting and laying under her Shangrila activity mat.Kushies was originally a Canadian doll company, founded in 1953. It now offers not only toys, but children's clothing and accessories as well. Zolo is an American company that offers toys and designs for the home. I am not certain what the connection is between the two companies, but I suspect Zolo is the designer and Kushies is the manufacturer. In any case, the award winning team produces well-designed, quality toys. And more importantly, the babies find the toys irresistible. Hey, if the National Gallery of Art sells them, they must be good, right?!
Architectdad, O and I spent the afternoon with architectdad's relatives. Cousin M reminded everyone that all of us have been in the U.S. for at least 25 years. In fact, my family and I immigrated to the U.S. on the 4th of July in 1982.This country has offered all the opportunities that my parents dreamed of for my brother and me. It is truly an amazing country in that respect.Happy 4th of July!!!
You'll be surprised how many people say this to me everyday: "Hey, looks like you're going on a foxhunt!" Dude. Beagles hunt rabbit and hare, not fox. While their hunting instinct is still strong, our prince and princesses would probably not do well out in the field all day with the pack.
But they'll look good trying. I bought them hunting collars so that we can play pretend. Well, how can I resist ORANGE polyurethane-coated hunting collar?! Actually, they are very practical for everyday use as well. The polyurethane-coated nylon collar is soil and odor resistant and water repellent. Warm soapy water is all you need to keep them looking new. The ring-in-center design rolls over to prevent the hounds from entangling themselves on fences or bushes. As an option, you can even attach a brass name plate directly to the collar so there's no dangling tag to lose. In addition to orange, there are six other sunglo color choices.
If you are partial to leather collars, I also recommend the leather beagle collar. The ring-in-center style is available in leather as well. Since I am not a big fan of dangling, jingling collar tags, the flat name plates are perfect for our hounds. All of these products can be purchased from Morrco online. I have had very good experiences with my purchases, and the shipping is fast and efficient.
Marimekko is a Finnish textile company that designs, manufactures and sells clothes, interior design textiles, bags and other accessories. While browsing through fabrics for O's custom Bugaboo cover, I came across some of the most beautiful designs by Marimekko. Most of the hand screened prints are quite large in scale (55" wide with 93" vertical repeat, for example), and are therefore not suitable to use for the Bugaboo cover. However, they would be great to use on interior design projects.Another Scandinavian textile company worth mentioning is the Danish company, Kvadrat. Alongside its American partner Maharam, Kvadrat is a favored textile source for architects and interior designers alike.O's Puo made her a couple of tailored terry cloth covers for the Bugaboo. They fit so well and are in some ways better than the Koeka cover. Puo took the original fleece cover and made a paper pattern which can be used over and over. Can't wait for her custom Marimekko Bugaboo cover!
There is a book that a lot of parents are raving about; it is called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." It is a no-nonsense book about how you can help your baby develop good sleep habits, which will in turn make him/her a happier child. No doubt, a sleeping, happy baby most likely has well-rested, happy parents as well.While O has always been a good sleeper, she is now waking up in the middle of night looking for me. I'm chalking it up to temporary separation anxiety (is that like temporary insanity?!). The book says babies, like adults, will naturally wake up several times a night. But the trick is to get them to fall asleep again by themselves. So I have been letting her cry it out for a couple of minutes, then I go into the nursery to comfort her. Usually, the binkie alone will do.If reading the book still doesn't help, you can opt for what a lot of parents have done--hire a sleep coach. I'm not certain what exactly goes into the "coaching", but the parents swear by their methods. Many say the whole experience has changed their lives. It is not cheap, but well worth the investment if you have exhausted all other resources. Having happy parents are just as important, I think!
My last experience to the baby superstore was hell; I think it had a lot to do with the fact that O was 1) uncomfortable in her infant seat and 2) the view facing backwards just doesn't cut it anymore. E and I talked about this yesterday and I think it is almost time for the convertible car seat.Most people will tell you that your baby shouldn't sit facing forward until she/he is at least one year old. However, most infant seats have a 22" or 22 lb limit, whichever comes first (geez, sounds like a car warranty!). At this rate, O will grow out of her seat before she is 9 months old! ***The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the child be 20 pounds and one year of age before switching them to a forward facing car seat. Therefore, a convertible seat that can face both backward and forward would be an ideal choice for a baby who is over 20 lbs but under one year of age.***
After searching around on the internet, the Maxi Cosi Priori by Quinny is at the top of my list. There are actually three Priori models: the Fix, the XP and the SPS. All three models conform to the ECE R44/04 safety guidelines. The Fix comes with an IsoFix floor attachment for added stability in frontal crashes, while the SPS offers the most side impact protection out of the three. As far as I can tell, only the XP model is available in the U.S. at the moment. It features a padded seat and three reclining positions. The Priori is suitable for babies and toddlers 9-18 kg (20-40 lbs). Both Pacifier and Elite Car Seats sell them, although they have not been released just yet.
Quinny is also responsible for the wildly popular Buzz stroller, just recently released in the U.S. The base model comes with a one-touch folding frame and seat (in delicious colors!), and you can either add the Maxi Cosi Mico infant car seat and/or the matching Dreami Bassinet--each sold separately. The base model is $500; the infant car seat is $150; and the bassinet is $190. In the end, you would be spending less for the Buzz system than you would for a Bugaboo, and you are getting a lighter, easier to fold product. Not bad at all!
Here is something for your little Ernhardt or Danica--ultra sleek toy cars from Automoblox. Each toy car is made up of wooden "blocks" and plastic Lego-like pieces. The models range from compact to sports utility. The idea is that all of the pieces are interchangeable, so your little one is free to create a totally new model from the existing ones. The solid German beech wood is accented with brightly colored polycarb roof and matching rubber tires. 
Each car conforms or exceeds the U.S.'s ASTM F963a guidelines, as well as the E.U.'s EN-71 standards. The craftsmanship is intended to be of heirloom quality, so that your child can pass it on to his/her child.Architectdad bought a few for his cousin in Texas. He compared prices on various websites--including Automoblox--and ended up buying them from Amazon.com because it offered a slight discount.BTW, we just received our Boon Flair high chair today (bought it from Amazon on Friday). Love it, love it, love it!!! Easy to assemble and clean. Fabulous!
In addition to her Tiffany silver rattle rings, she also loves to chew on her Kushies Zolo "friends." In particular, she enjoys chewing on the nodule of one of the stuffed characters on the Linko Clip Together Teether and Toys. Ever since she was 3 months old, she's been able to find that nodule on the long strand of linked toys and stuff it into her mouth. Now that she has teeth...ahem, tooth...she will most likely destroy the nodule in no time. O also enjoys sitting and laying under her Shangrila activity mat.
