My Gorgeous Girls

The girls had a photo shoot earlier this month to celebrate BooBoo's 4th Birthday (March 6) and Bug's 6 month half-birthday (Feb. 5). Bug wanted nothing to do with the photographer so we only managed to get about 10 good shots but here are our favorites. (Sorry they're so small, it was all I could upload but you get the idea)

You are also more than welcome to check out their photos here.

Danny the Dragon Book and CD Review

One thing that you should know about me is that I LOVE books and reading. I can often be found at the local library with the girls just searching the endless rows. I cannot get enough of the smell of the ink and the feel of the pages. I love losing myself in the fictional stories and gaining new insight when sifting through a biography. I am so thankful that BooBoo has already developed a love for books. I normally have to read 5-6 stories to her at bedtime before she is completely satisfied. Bug is still too young to know what books are but I still read to her everyday so that maybe she will also love reading. Why am I telling you this? I was recently contacted by the Imagination Publishing Group to review the children's book Danny the Dragon "Meets Jimmy".

Danny the Dragon "Meets Jimmy", written by Tina Turbin and illustrated by Aija Jasuna, was a nominee for Best Children's Picture Book of 2009. Danny the Dragon is the story of Danny and his friend and navigator, Skipper, and their encounter with a young boy named Jimmy. Jimmy finds a seashell at the beach one day and learns later that inside live Danny and Skipper. Danny and Skipper have dinner with Jimmy and his family and later, they play catch with the neighborhood children. Jimmy even asks them to stay at his house for awhile, with his parents permission of course. Without giving away too much of the story, Danny and Skipper find acceptance from Jimmy, his family and his friends. This story looks to teach children about acceptance of others, no matter what their appearance. The storyline is a wonderful reminder of the innocence of children and how we as parents are the ones who show our children how to be accepting of others.

BooBoo loved this book and asked me to read it 4 times the minute it arrived. She enjoyed the story and the beautiful illustrations. I was impressed by those same illustrations, they were colorful and very engaging for young children. Unlike some of BooBoo's books, she never lost interest in this story. She had question after question for me to answer and that is what I love about reading to her, she is always ready to learn something new. When I asked her what her favorite part was she said that it was when the shell first "talked".

We also had the opportunity to review the DREAMS CD what is an accompaniment to Danny the Dragon. The first track on the disc is Danny the Dragon in its entirety. BooBoo liked that she could "follow" along in the book as she listened to the story. The rest of the CD is filled with beautiful songs that flow with the story. J who is our resident "music buff" was very impressed with the quality of the CD. This CD actually came in handy on one long car ride, keeping both BooBoo and Bug entertained.

Danny the Dragon has quickly become a favorite in our home and is one book I feel confident recommending to other families. We cannot wait for the next installment of Danny the Dragon.

About the Author:

From the Danny the Dragon website:

"Tina Turbin wrote her first story at the age of 16, and has since gone on to enjoy many years of working with and helping children and their families. Tina is a tireless advocate for children and families with intense research and involvement in children's education, literature, celiac disease, allergies and gluten-free issues. Tina's research led her to writing about these topics, leading to her extensive interviews and revelation in these fields. She has since become a passionate and tireless supporter in the effort to raise awareness on these issues. Tina dedicates herself to widespread activism with extremely reputable organizations, while she continues to write delightful children's books.

As a prolific researcher and writer, Tina lends her expertise to a variety of weekly publications, radio shows, websites and launched her own highly successful gluten-free resource website http://www.GlutenFreeHelp.info/.

Tina takes great pleasure in her abilities as an award-winning author, humanitarian, researcher and friend to many. Read more about Tina Turbin at her sight http://TinaTurbin.com."

You can purchase Danny the Dragon and the CD DREAMS at http://DannyTheDragon.com.

I received both a copy of Danny the Dragon and the DREAMS CD in exchange for my review. This in no way swayed my opinion and this is my honest review.

Playful Foaming Wash Review, Giveaway and Coupon Code

*This Giveaway is now Closed*
I recently had the opportunity to try Episencial's Playful Foaming Wash. This product is from the Episencial skin care line that SproutBaby just began carrying. All of the products in this line are inspired by Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the many fruits from the story. Not only are there body washes but lotion, diaper rash cream, face balm and sunscreen! All products are made from natural ingredients and as the bottles state : safe for ages 0-150.

I received my sample of the foaming wash with my regular mail and the minute I opened the package BooBoo started hounding me to know what it was. I told her that Mommy got a sample of bath wash for her to try. That girl almost ran me over trying to get into the bathroom! BooBoo LOVES bathtime so I decided that it was fine for her to take her bath at 11am. After BooBoo was settled in the bath I opened up the foaming wash to use on her hair. While the product is technically fragrance free, it is made with orange extract so it actually had a delicious citrus smell to it. BooBoo enjoyed the picture of the Hungry Caterpillar on the package. The wash did foam up nicely and one thing BooBoo loves about bathtime is bubbles. It also washed off cleanly, no weird residue. BooBoo's hair felt softer after having been washed with this product.

What I liked best about this product was that it was made with sensitive skin in mind. Both BooBoo and Bug have eczema and most baby wash breaks out their little bodies but with the Playful Foaming wash that was not a problem. This is a product that I would definitely purchase for my girls and one that I would recommend to anyone with sensitive skin issues.

How would you like to try one of Episcensial's skin care products?

SproutBaby is giving one of you lovely readers a bottle of Episcensial Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath to use with your little ones. This bubble bath is made with natural ingredients like organic peaches, plums and oat. So not only is it gentle enough for the most sensitive skin but it smells delicious too. Even the bottle is biodegradable! You can also visit SproutBaby's website now through March 31 and using code SBBL151 receive 15% off your first purchase!

What do you need to do to win?
For your MANDATORY first entry, visit SproutBaby and check out the Episencial skin care line. Come back and leave me a comment letting me know which product from the line you would like to try.
Make sure to leave a valid email address where I can contact you if you win.

Want extra entries?

1. Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect. (1 entry)

2. Follow me on Twitter and make sure to leave your Twitter name. (1 entry)

3. Follow SproutBaby on Twitter. (1 entry)

This giveaway is open to US residents and will end 3/6/10 @ 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn via random.org and will be contacted by email. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize or I will have to draw a new winner. Again, remember to leave a valid email address with your comments and leave a separate comment for each entry.

*I received a free sample of Playful Foaming Wash in exchange for my review. This review is my own honest opinion.

Bug's 6 Month Check-up

Bug turned 6 months on February 5 but her doctor's appointment was not until February 12th. I was very excited to see how much she has grown since her last appointment on December 24th. Here are Bug's stats as of 2/12:

Height: 25 1/2 in (increase of 1 1/2 in from 12/24)

Weight: 13 lbs 15 oz. (decrease of an ounce since 12/24 but I'll explain below)

Bug's weight...*sigh*... where do I begin? Apparently at Bug's last appointment the nurse weigh her in kilograms and was not smart enough at converting the result into pounds and ounces. The result was Bug's weight being 1 1/2 to 2 lbs heavier than she actually was. Needless to say the pediatrician tried to make it MY FAULT!!! He said that maybe I'm just not producing enough milk for Bug and that if I need to I can supplement with formula (ummm, no). Then he said that maybe it was because the nurse weighed her last time with her cloth diaper on (again, not the problem). J and I both remember perfectly the nurse telling us 3 different times at Bug's last appointment that she was having trouble calculating Bug's weight and that it was between 12 1/2 lbs and 14 lbs but that she was going to go with 14lbs. Thanks a lot for that one.

Just to be on the safe side with my milk supply and Bug's growth, I will be purchasing milk supply stimulating tea and making sure that I am eating enough meals throughout the day. J and I are also going to be looking for a new pediatrician because this is not the first time that we have had problems. BooBoo had to have x-rays done to test her bone age back in September and we still have not gotten the results from them even though we have asked repeatedly. Fingers crossed that we find a better pediatrician and that Bug gains a little more.

About

Wow, where do we begin?

What started as a blog focused solely on the day-to-day adventures of my two daughters has slowly blossomed into a place for me to connect with other moms, review products, host giveaways, and yes, write about my girls. (And I know that was one long run-on sentence but that's how i roll). We have our good and bad days just like everyone else, but not everyone chooses to write about them.

In a nutshell, I am the 24 year old mother of a preschooler and an infant, married to my college sweetheart, and trying to keep my sanity in this crazy, chaotic house. I may not always post when I plan to, and I may never have my blog set up just how I want, but who ever said the life of a SAHM is perfect?

I would love to hear what you have to say! Please leave me a comment or email me at wernertjd@yahoo(dot)com.

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Our first ear infection

This past week has been an adventure. One that I had hoped to miss out on completely. What adventure would that be? Bug's first (and hopefully last) ear infection. J and I missed out on ear infections with BooBoo, so we were not prepared for Bug's symptoms.Before we dive into the screaming, coughing, no sleep in sight and a trip to the ER part of the week let me just tell you how Bug got sick.
The girls and I went down to visit my family for a few days. J was unable to go with us due to his work schedule. My sister and my 4 1/2 year old nephew, Ace (yes, his real name!), came over to visit at my grandmother's house. What my sister failed to mention before coming over was that my nephew was sick. He and BooBoo played together, they played with Bug. and I think you know where this is going. The next day both girls were sick! I take responsibilty for letting the kids all play together but they are little and they do not see each other very often. Both girls ran a low-grade fever the first day and by the second day(Tuesday) BooBoo was up running around. Bug on the other hand had become extremely cranky, refused to nurse, would not sleep and would not even let me carry her in the ring sling. Since we had to drive back home I decided to wait until Wednesday morning to call the doctor. That was Mommy Mistake #2. Bug finally decided to nurse at about 6:00pm and then did not eat again until we got home from the hospital at 3:30am. She also would not sleep more than 20 minutes at a time all night. When Bug started tugging her ear and coughing so hard she was spitting up I knew we were in trouble. The minute that J got home from work at 1:00am (we only have one car and BooBoo was fast asleep) I headed out the door with Bug and to the ER. After infroming the nurse of Bug's symptoms and taking her temperature, we were placed in one of the examination rooms. By the time the doctor came in to check Bug out she had fallen asleep on my chest. Bug was furious at the doctor for waking her up to check her infected ear and she let the WHOLE hospital know it. The doctor let me know that Bug indeed had an ear infection and that she needs/ed antibiotics for the next ten days.
So, here we are a few days later and Bug is doing much better. She is back in her bed and not the carseat. Which I know is a horrible place to let a baby sleep but it let both baby and mommy get a few hours of much needed sleep by relieving the pressure in her ear.She is also back to nursing full time for which I am so grateful. Ok, let's recap: sick cousins, craknky baby, hospital visit and ear infection.

And how was your week?