Mommy Tips: A clean tushie and a good night's sleep

Here are two items that have been completely invaluable - The Sleep Sheep and the Prince Lionheart Wipes Warmer.

White noise is so critical to soothing a baby. The noise reminds them of the swooshing sounds inside the womb. The Sleep Sheep is genius because it attaches to the crib or sits in the moses basket and features several white noise options - ocean, running water, whale sounds, mommy's heart beat. They come in two sizes, I used both sizes up (one stayed in crib and one for travel) until June was about 8 months old.

The wipes warmer is great and it prevents diaper rashes. You fill it with either little towels (eco-friendly) or you can get square cotton pads from the pump station; wet them, close it and let them warm up. The warm wipes are so comfortable on the baby's bottom and I prefer to clean the baby with just water - NO CHEMICALS!

Both of these are great gender neutral gifts for your friends too! You can find both at amazon.

My Little Book Worm

Dear Junebug,

"They" say Mommys should read books to their babies from the day they are born. I was never good at that. It seemed strange to me to read a book to you when you had absolutely no interest in what the heck I was saying. So despite that, I'm so relieved that you have taken to books on your own. Lately, you could sit for an hour just looking at your books and you can turn the pages all by yourself. Yay!

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Art Cards for Baby

It's hard to find inexpensive artwork for a baby that's beautiful and unique. Junebug's little friend Jude gave her these flash cards made by Wee Gallery that were so beautiful and artistic I decided to frame them and hang them in her bathroom. They come in several different sets of 6 and only cost about 12 bucks. You can chose from underwater animals to barn animals, etc. They are obviously a great gift! You can find them at amazon or uncommon goods. I got frames at IKEA that fit 3 cards in each frame. I think the entire project had a price tag of $40.00! You can't beat it.

Preparations have begun!

Dear Junebug,

I can't believe you are turning one year old so soon! Mommy really wants to throw you a nice party to celebrate you because you are the most wonderful creature that I've ever known. I know you probably won't have a clue what is going on at your party and couldn't care less at this point but I do want you to look back at pictures and know how much I cared and hope that you'll see that all the effort put into the day was because I love you so much.

XO

Mommy

I Love Rock N Roll...

Dear Junebug,

Will you please STOP IT RIGHT NOW with you and your little friend True and your little baby rock n roll t-shirts?! There's only so much cuteness.com I can take! It's a little bit ridiculous.

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Best Manicures EVER!

Before I had a baby I didn't have time to get a manicure. Now i REALLY don't have time to deal with a manicure. This is why the new technology by OPI, Axxium nail gels are the most amazing invention. They use nail gel instead of nail polish and it lasts a loooong time. As I type, my manicure has been looking good for 15 days! This is unreal. I highly, highly recommend. And P.S. don't bother with minx nails which cost $75.00 and sometimes last less time than regular polish. It looks cool but it'll be a pain for any new Mom.

Teeeeeth!

Dear Junebug,

You've got 4 teeth now and you are wasting no time using them. Yesterday when we were at the park I was holding you and all of the sudden I felt this sharp pain on my arm. I looked over and there you were biting me! HARD! When I started screaming you had no reaction at all. It's as if you had no issue with taking a big chunk out of Mommy's arm. I hope it was yummy!

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Boyfriend Jeans!

Making the transition from maternity clothes back to your old closet can be stressful. When it comes to hiding the little post-baby flaws, the boyfriend jean is a MUST! I scored a great pair at Marc by Marc Jacobs on Melrose for $79.00. There's no other pair of jeans I've even wanted to put on since I got these. The main thing is not having a tight jean around your slowly shrinking belly and getting the muffin top, they also flatter the hips and bum and are easy to wear with heels, flats, sandals and feel high fashion even though they are slouchy and torn up. Nothing is worse than feeling yucky about your body after having a baby. Treat yourself to a boyfriend jean. You won't be sorry!