Trend Alert! Harajuku Lovers!

Dear Junebug,

Good thing Gwen Stefani decided to have babies because it inspired her amazing Harajuku Lovers line for babies and we loves it. Our friend Alyea got us some very cool HL gear and you wear it all the time.

XO

Mommy

Play Date!

Dear Junebug,

Your friend Matthew aka Mateo came over for a visit today. He's a little older than you so I'm not sure the two of you are into the same things just yet. He was obsessed with your ball pit though which was very cute. Come back soon, Mateo!

XO

Mommy

P.S. you looked very cute in your little Splendid outfit and Baby Gap mary janes. Good call!

First Christmas...

Dear Junebug,

We had a wonderful first Christmas filled with family, friends and God's incredible blessings. Gifts came pouring in for you and all of us adults gave up our presents in order to help some needy families which felt like the greatest gift of all. Someday I hope you will learn that giving to others is often more rewarding than receiving but for now I think it's wonderful to see you learning about the fun of Christmas and enjoying tons of presents that are all for you. Mommy was off of work for almost two weeks so we were able to spend some good quality time together. I will never forget this time... you are such an amazing baby... so much fun to be around.

XO

Mommy

Leonardo the Monster

Dear Junebug,

Already you are proving to be a fearless child as you will take on any monster that gets in your way. Case in point is one of your favorite victims, Leonardo the Monster. I brought him home for you and he's been a great companion. I feel bad for him though because he's got this blue tongue sticking out and you love to bite it. You also chew on his tail and gnaw on his horns. I'm not quite sure whether you are trying to hurt him or if you are just showing him affection because that's similar to how you treat Mommy and I know you love Mommy! I've got the bite marks all over my face and arms to prove it!

XO

Me

Paging Dr. K!

Q: Junebug insists on sucking on a soap and water soaked wash cloth when she gets her bath every night. Is this hazardous to her?

A: not dangerous - just icky

State of the Union: 8 Months

Height: 26 3/4

Weight: 17 lbs. 4 1/2 oz.

gained 12 ounces and 1/2 inch in one month

currently in the 40%

Activities: sleeping great, playing with dog, bouncing in her bouncy chair, standing up while holding on to things, standing up and screaming in her crib, learning to wave, eating three meals a day, rolling around, not crawling.

Carly Cakes.

Dear Junebug,

When Lola passed away your Daddy and I were devastated. Someday you'll understand how special the unconditional love of a dog is for a human being. We rescued Lola when she was 9 months old because her owner had died and she had no one to care for her. I couldn't help but feel like there was another rottweiler out there that needed to be saved so I went looking on the Los Angeles Rottweiler Rescue website. I realized finding a dog that fit our household was not going to be easy. We have you now and that makes the dynamic of our home a lot different than when we got Lola. We spent 2 years training Lola and breaking her of some bad habits. When she was a puppy I think people hit her in the face and it made her scared of a lot of things. Anyway - all the dogs on the website had "issues" so I decided to fill out an application requesting a puppy figuring it would take months maybe years to find just the right rottweiler to fill this void in our home and in our hearts. Daddy was shocked that I had done that and told me he wasn't ready but within a week he realized it was too hard not having a doggie around so we prayed and hoped. One week later I got an email from the rescue, someone called "grandmadoggie", saying they got our application and loved it. They had a 16 month old puppy that was not advertised on the website. She had just been given up by her family because they were a victim of the economic crisis and were forced out of their home. They could no longer care for their dog. Grandmadoggie explained that the reason they called is that this dog had been raised with 5 children between the ages of 5 months and 5 years and would be safe to be with you. The dog sounded perfect! Then she said she had one warning... she said the dog wasn't "pretty". I told her that wasn't important to us and that we'd drive out to see her. So we packed up the car and our family of 3 took the long drive out to Yucaipa (don't ask me where that is). When we got there we were blown away - she was BEAUTIFUL! We named her Carly Cakes and just like that we became a family of four again. Carly loves you and gives you kisses every day. At first you were shocked and cried... Lola was never affectionate like that so I'm sure it was different. But now you love it and pet her and scream and screech at her all day long. I love that you and Carly will get to grow up together. Carly is 90 pounds of crazy, dumb, silly puppy and she's causing lots of havoc around here but pretty soon she'll calm down and Mommy and Daddy will get some sanity. She's not much of a guard dog either but for some reason I feel safer with her around and I know when she's laying in the doorway of your nursery like Lola used to, you feel it too.

XO

Mommy

Judah's Big Top!

Dear Junebug,

Your friend Judah turned 1! Judah's Mommy, your Auntie Ali, put on a circus spectacular to celebrate the occasion. No detail was spared. The whole front yard was transformed into a circus tent, Mommys and Daddys put clown noses on, chili dogs and birthday cake was enjoyed by all. We even got to come home with a goldfish although Daddy wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility so our friend Sheryl adopted the fish and put it in her pond. You got to play with lots of kids in the bouncy ball pit which was awesome. Mommy is fixing up a little ball pit of your own because you loved it so much! Judah was in great spirits and was the hit of the party. But I gotta say, a close second was those pink patten leather baby bloch ballerina flats you were sporting. I mean..... ridiculous.

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Time to Eat!

I don't know who was traumatized more when it was time to introduce solid foods. Junebug seemed to hate it and I was not happy about putting anything in her body other than nature's perfect food. I actually considered breast feeding Junebug until her 18th birthday. Obviously, that's not gonna work! One option that makes me feel better is making my own food. Nuke a sweet potato, throw it in the blender and voila! No preservatives, chemicals, etc. I read recently that Gerber food in a jar has a shelf life of TWO YEARS! Do you know how many preservatives have to be involved for that to happen? Every time I walk by those little jars at the market I get completely freaked out! But in order to get to my homemade, yummy, safe food I had to cross the cereal hurdle. I chose the most organic looking cereal at Whole Foods and read the ingredients. Lotsa big words... that's not a good sign but I guess I have no choice. You always have to start with cereal. So we did and we got through it. Here are a few tips that helped me along the way:

1. Babies don't hate the taste of the cereal, they just don't know how to eat: when I first started feeding Junebug, she spit everything out and I interpreted that as she hated the food but I quickly realized that she just didn't know the feeling of f00d going down her throat or in her mouth. Once she learned what to do, she was fine.

2. It's actually possible to microwave the cereal for 5-10 seconds.

3. The doctor recommends introducing one food at a time for three days. Do not introduce more than one food at a time because if the baby has an allergic reaction you won't know which food caused the reaction.

4. I recommend the munchkin brand spoons. They are the best for shoveling in the food.

5. Always put a bib on the baby and keep a damp wash cloth close by. This cereal and food gets really hard and crusty on the high chair and it's easier to clean when it's fresh and not after the fact.

Yay for Great Grandma Gay!

Dear Junebug,

We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. I hope you enjoyed your first "turkey day". We spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa's house and you ate a nice big portion of liquified turkey and carrots. It's been a hard week since Lola has been gone but it's important to celebrate the people who are in our lives and not dwell on those loved ones who have passed. Today I was thinking how lucky you are to have 3 Great Grandmothers still alive and well. You loved meeting your Great Grandma Gay this summer and we wish she was close by so we could be with her. I've learned so much from my Grandma Gay. She's got an incredible eye for antiques and is a siamese cat lover, major bird watcher and world traveler. She could tell you great stories... she even used to be a cowgirl! Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks and I say we give thanks for our Great Grandma Gay!

XO

Mommy

Imagine Drinking This!

Dear Junebug,

With your first holiday season fast approaching, I can't help but think about all the little babies out in the world that won't even have clean water to drink. They won't have milk either! Because their Mommies don't have enough water, their bodies can't make breast milk to feed their children. Over 1.1 BILLION people don't have clean water to drink. It's going to be a long time before you can understand what this means but I feel like I have to tell you about this right away so you never grow up taking your life for granted. I hope you grow up to love this cause as much as I do.

XO

Mommy

Note: Great organization that builds clean water solutions for the world: Generosity Water

photo courtesty of our friends at Charity Water

State of the Union: 7 Months

Weight: 16 lb. 9 oz.

Height: 26 1/4 inches

Gained 1 1/2 inches and 1 lb. this month

Currently sitting in the 50% in both height and weight

Feeding: 3 meals of solids (cereals, veggies, fruits, pureed proteins, yogurt, tofu, egg yolk)

Sleep: still waking up twice before 6am mainly because of teething and new poopy schedule

Activity: rolling, scooting around, screeching, saying mamamama and "hi", sucking on Mommy's face and pinching other people's faces, smiling and laughing a lot.

LOLA 1999-2009

Dear Junebug,

I don't even know how to start to explain this to you... Your beloved doggie is no longer going to be with us. I'm glad you are too little to understand this because I would never want you to feel the pain and sorrow that Mommy and Daddy are feeling right now. Before you were born Lola was our baby as well as our protector and friend. But despite always being number one around here, she has loved you so much since the day you came home. You may have noticed she would lay down in the doorway of your nursery. That was her way of protecting you. When we told her she wasn't allowed to sleep in our bed anymore (Mommy was afraid that if you were on the bed Lola could jump up and hurt you) she was okay with that and never complained.

She's been suffering from this awful disease called cancer and after 3 months it finally got to the point where she couldn't be herself anymore. I hope someday you will experience the unconditional and amazing love of a puppy dog. Until then we live with the incredible memories of our Lola dog.

XO

Mommy

Note:

Special Thanks to the Sherman Oaks Veterinary Group for handling our situation this morning with the utmost care and class. If anyone ever finds themselves in a position to have to put their dog down I highly recommend going here. http://www.shermanoaksveterinarygroup.com/

Also -

Dr. Nancy Scanlan treated Lola's cancer with acupuncture and herbs. She was amazing.

818-784-9977

Trend Alert! Boho Chic!

Dear Junebug,

We L-O-V-E this jumper our friend Edna gave us from Bonpoint... you look like such a chic little Bohemian party girl. And smart to pair it up with your silver faux python skin gladiator sandals!

XO

Mommy

Time to say Goodbye...

Dear Junebug,

Your surroundings have been looking a little different lately. That's because we moved! Sorry if it's been confusing. I'm working hard to get your new digs up and running but in the meantime here are some pics of your first nursery on Crescent Heights so we can remember all the good times we shared there.

XO

Mommy

Credits:

Keep Calm and Carry On Print - Etsy

Crib - Shabby Chic

Bumpers - custom made from an Indian quilt purchased at ABC Carpet and Home NYC

Crib fitted sheet - Home on Montana Ave.

Missoni throw blanket - Lost and Found in Hollywood

Area Rug - Madeline Weinrib

Glider and Ottoman - Serena and Lily (Astbury Glider)

Indian throw - Target

Leather magazine container - West Elm

Changing Table/Dresser - Weego Baby in Santa Monica

Indian Painting - framed hand painted pillow sham from John Robshaw

Day bed - CB2

Day bed cover - fitted sheets from Company Store

Throw Pillow on daybed - John Robshaw

Horse - Neiman Marcus (courtesy of Nanna and Poppi)

Funnygirl print - Movie Poster.com

Floor lamp - Shades of Light

Hot pink lamp shade - Fantasy Lighting

Drapes - Restoration Hardware

I Want Candy!

Dear Junebug,

I keep meaning to tell you about your first Halloween. I had all kinds of costumes in mind for you... everything from a little devil to a piece of shrimp sushi but ultimately we went with this little pink skeleton number which you loved very much. If you rolled up to my doorstep in your little carriage I'd give you a trick AND a treat!

XO

Mommy

Happy Birthday to Mommy

Dear Junebug,

Your Mommy turned 38 years old today. I'm sure if you could talk you would wish me a Happy Birthday! We laid in bed this morning and watched the sunrise together which was even better. I just want you to know that if I never received another birthday gift for the rest of my life it would be okay because the best gift I ever got was you.

I love you.

XO

Mommy

Product Test: Aquaphor!

After 6 months of buying things and using things I feel like I have enough knowledge to start making some recommendations. The first one is Aquaphor. I have used Aquaphor on Junebug's tushy from day one and she has never once had a diaper rash - not once! It comes in this convenient tub which sits on the changing table with a loose cap for easy access. I highly, highly, highly recommend this product. In most places this tub costs $17.99 but if you get them at Target they only cost $14.99. If you see them at Target in a tub, scoop them up because they constantly sell out of them.

State of the Union: 6 Months

Weight: 15 pounds 9 ounces

Length: 24 3/4 inches

Activities: rolling around the crib, eating cereal and smushed banana (but more spitting it out than eating it), chuckling and laughing, bouncing in activity center, trying to talk, popping bubbles at mommy and me class while socializing with other babies, sitting up, teething

Mommy Tips: The F Word

At some point I became a militant breast milk lady. When I was 4 months pregnant I read a book called "Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven" about nutrition during pregnancy. It talked a lot about the benefits of breast feeding and the negatives about formula. There was one line that really stuck with me... something about how there's never been a recall on breast milk. Wow. As I continued to get educated about breast milk I became fascinated with this perfect food created by God and petrified of the food made and packaged in a factory... Formula. That's when "Formula" became the new "F word" in my house. Despite all my trials and tribulations with breast feeding (and there were many) I never let go of my commitment to it and my aversion to the F word. Well, this week was Junebug's 6 month birthday and to celebrate the occasion I caved ... I gave in to the F word. Keeping up with my job and exclusively feeding breast milk to my baby became incredibly overwhelming. If I don't get home on time to give her that evening boob sandwich things go to hell in a hand basket pretty quick because I have no surplus of milk... I'm hanging by an ounce. It's like living paycheck to paycheck... like the stress of having your rent due the day you get paid. Pumping once before work, 3 times at work and once before going to sleep has become the only way to get through the day. This week the pressure just became too much. A three day all night video shoot became the straw that broke the camel's back... but here's what happened...she drank it and she's ok with it. She still smiles at me, she still nurses and loves me unconditionally and I'm a Mommy who's no longer living on the edge. I made it a lot farther than I ever thought I would and I think I'm ok with that.

Trend Alert! Baby Dior!

Dear Junebug,

Before you were born I swore I'd never ever buy you baby designer clothes. However... when I set my eyes on these Baby Dior uggs, all good judgement went out the window. How can any fashion obsessed new Mommy pass these up? And in LA you can throw these on with your jammies and score a Sunday brunch fashion hit!

XO

Mommy

Tardy for the Party

Dear Junebug,

I can't tell you how difficult it is sometimes to get you out of the house in a timely fashion. Between your nap schedule, feeding schedule and pooping schedule it's tough to make our social commitments on time. This weekend it was your friend True's first birthday. He is such a cutey and we didn't want to miss out on all the fun. We made it in time to see the farm animals even though I had to twist Daddy's arm to let you get a closer look at the goats (he was stressing over something about a rare flea that feeds off livestock or some similar insanity).

By the way - you looked very cute - who knew Osh Kosh B'Gosh meets Payless Shoe Source could look so chic?

XO

Mommy

Lil' Red's Traveling Buckaroo Ranch 818/848-3565

I like my duck!

Ricci!

Dear Junebug,

We can't stand the fact that your Great Grandmother Ricci lives all the way in New Mexico and can't come over and hold you like this. God knows if she was around more you'd be a lot better at tummy time (she was one of the first ones to put you on your belly)... and you'd be quite the reader by now I'm sure. She drove all the way from Albuquerque just to meet you this summer which was a huge treat. I know she thinks of you every day and she sends us lots of cute emails. You should convince your Great Grandpa Phil to move Ricci out to Cali so we can have her all to ourselves!

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Nursery Inspiration

I haven't had a chance to post Junebug's nursery pics but I wanted to stress how important it is to start with some solid inspiration. Mine came by way of this photo of Amanda Peet's daughters room profiled in Domino Magazine (RIP). I feel like a nursery doesn't have to be so "baby-ish" - Mommy has to enjoy the surroundings too! I love this look because it's casually sophisticated, cute and pink without being "baby pink". Junebug nursery pics coming soon!

OH EM GEEEE!

Dear Junebug,

Your stylist has topped herself yet again! Check out your brand new Kid Scamosciato in Mystic White Gucci flats. I mean... seriously! Can you believe that all you did to deserve this was get born?! That's cookoo... she's spoils you rotten. These came from somewhere in Europe. She told me she was jogging down the street and saw them in the window - had to stop. She said Mommy would have done the same... that's funny. What would this lady not do for you? Maybe she'll dive into your first birthday cake?

XO

Mommy

Baby Einstein

Dear Junebug,

I know how you feel... this is the same look I had on my face when I was sitting in algebra class in 8th grade. Do what you can.

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Got Milk?

OK... This is your definitive guide to producing more breast milk... I'm obsessed with making more more more! The goal here is to pump anywhere from 4 to 8 oz each session. It's critical to have extra because you can freeze it and it's good for six months. As a working Mommy I better come home with at least 12 oz of milk from the office or else.

Got too much frozen milk in the freezer?! Donate it to the local hospital for babies who are in intensive care and need it (I wish I had this problem). Listed below are the best tips for producing more milk:

1. Drink LOTS of water!

Drinking water is key to your milk production. Try to drink an entire glass of water every time you nurse and then drink more.

2. The law of supply and demand...

The more you feed or pump the more milk your body makes. So increase the number of times a day you either feed or pump.

3. Fenu greek capsules

According to Breastfeeding.com - Fenugreek seeds contain hormone precursors that increase milk supply. Scientists do not know for sure how this happens. Some believe it is possible because breasts are modified sweat glands, and fenugreek stimulates sweat production. It has been found that fenugreek can increase a nursing mother's milk supply within 24 to 72 hours after first taking the herb. Once an adequate level of milk production is reached, most women can discontinue the fenugreek and maintain the milk supply with adequate breast stimulation. Many women today take fenugreek in a pill form (ground seeds placed in capsules). The pills can be found at most vitamin and nutrition stores and at many supermarkets and natural foods stores. Fenugreek can also be taken in tea form, although tea is believed to be less potent than the pills and the tea comes with a bitter taste that can be hard to stomach.

4. Dark Beer

One dark beer a day is a very common way women increase milk production. Since I am sober I had to find an alternative to alcohol and it's a great one! Cuban Malta... a non-alcoholic beer and can be found at any local Cuban market. I like Malta Hatuey or India. Only one downside... it has ALOT of sugar - about 40g per serving but it works! Serve very cold... even over ice works great. Some Doctors claim that alcohol could decrease milk supply... it's the hops in the dark beer that helps so you might as well go the non-alcoholic route just to be safe.

5. Fresh Pineapple

If you look online for information on pineapple and breast feeding you will find that most people say that pineapple shouldn't be eaten while breast feeding because of it's acidic value which causes gas in babies. Well, our Nanny turned me on to this remedy and it has hands down been the best in causing a spike in milk production. I say try it.

6. Atole de Maiz (Cornflower drink)

Anyone who is latin knows what atole is. It's a gruel made by boiling Indian corn, or maize, pounded to flour, in water, and also in milk. Here's a link to the recipe - Atole de Maiz. It tastes like paste so one good tip is to add some cinnamon sticks into the mix. It works!

7. Mother's Milk Tea

There are several teas on the market that claim to benefit and increase milk production. Yogi Tea brand makes a good one. My lactation consultant told me this tea doesn't do anything for milk production but you know what? I drink it anyway! You never know! Make it into iced tea and drink tons of it... it's a healthy beverage.