Baby Maternity Retailer: Featuring Laborlooks!

http://www.babymaternityretailer.com/profiles/laborlooks.html

At LaborLooks, we believe that moms deserve to wear something comfortable and functional while they are in the hospital. LaborLooks Maternity Hospital Gowns have been designed by a Labor and Delivery Nurse, Certified Nurse Midwife and OB-GYN to meet the needs of both moms and hospital providers. LaborLooks gowns are great for first photos and make the perfect baby shower gift.

Contact Info LaborLooks P.O. Box 305 Napa, CA 94559 (707) 294-2867 www.laborlooks.com info@laborlooks.com Reviews "I absolutely loved the product and the girlfriend who I bought it for did too! She said it was PERFECT for the hospital and totally functional. Even the nurses raved about the gown and asked for the website so that the could purchase them as gifts. Thanks for the excellent products!!" Kim H. "I just wanted to say that I LOVED the gown! It was better than what i expected! I love looking back at the pictures of the day my daughter was born and I think the gown from LaborLooks really made a big difference in how I felt taking all those pictures!" Micaela M. "I delivered my first baby, a boy, in January 2009. I wore the Devyn Retro gown & got so many compliments on it! It was extremely comfortable & obviously very fashionable :) It was very easy to breastfeed with this gown, which is something I wanted to make sure I could do before I ordered a gown. I am pregnant with my second child - this time a girl! I am definitely ordering another gown & will also take the Devyn Retro with me to the hospital. It washed very well & still looks like new! But I definitely need a pink one since I'm having a girl this time!" Bridget R. Featured Products Maternity Hospital Gowns by LaborLooks

Busy Show

We are crazy crazy and having so much fun at the ABC show. So much in fact that we don't have enough time for a real breakfast...

As in... here are the potato chips we ate for breakfast... delicious.
And this is what we are doing when we should be eating a real breakfast... primping! It takes a lot of work to look this good.

I joke.

But isn't my sissy Ashley awesome?

All Baby and Chid Expo

We auditioned yesterday for the Spokesmom Contest. It was so much fun and the producers made us feel like we rocked the audition.

However, I know that they make everyone feel like they did a good job. But we did our best and we had fun doing it.

Look at these cute pictures of Ashley at our booth!

Booth #1930

Come visit us if you are in Louisville!

Thankful Thursday: We Made It

This will be short, but basically I am thankful that we made it safely to Kentucky for the ABC children's expo.

Our booth is set up and we are getting ready for our auditions tomorrow!

Wish us luck.

Come visit us if you are here.... booth #1930

Trusting Tuesday: Toddlers Have Feelings Too

I found this blog post HERE and it truly touched my heart. Last night as my girls were talking and giggling after I put them to bed, so I went into their room and calmly told them they needed to get back in bed and go to sleep. 15 minutes later after yelling and laughing and someone stealing the other's toy I sternly told them they needed to go to sleep. After 20 more minutes with tears and someone had hit someone else I went into their room, grabbed both of them and put them in their respective beds... no gentleness involved. I then looked each one in the eye, pointed at them and loudly (not quite a yell) said, "go to sleep now!" Both started crying as I walked out and shut the door behind me.

It did the trick. They both fell asleep.

Is that worth it? If I had a boss look me in the eye, point at me, and in not quite a yell, reprimand me for being myself... what would I have done?

I would have burst into tears. My self esteem crushed. I would have felt less than a person should ever have to feel. And I personally did this to both of my daughters last night.

Currently they are both sleeping. Thankfully their sweet innocence will bring them right back to me as the sun on their alarm clock wakes them up. I will kiss and hug and apologize for the wrong that I did to them last night. Their unconditional love (at this age) will let them forgive me as I do my best today to be a better mother, protector, provider, nurturer, and keeper of their sweet spirits. I hope and pray that I will respect these intelligent beings in a way that I would expect respect from those around me.

I am thankful for a new day.

Below is the original article:

http://www.positive-parents.org/2011/09/children-have-human-feelings-like-us.html

This is a guest post by Rhiannon Edwards.
*************************************************************************

After a particularly upsetting (for me) trip to the shopping centre, I'm left feeling deflated. So many parents aren't hearing the positive parenting message, and society seems to not understand children at all. This is for the parents in the shopping centre...

Your child's feelings are real.

That tantrum she's throwing because she can't have an ice-cream? That's the same emotion you felt when you weren't accepted for your first loan.

That whining to go home? He's feeling the same way you feel after 8 hours at work.

The tears because she wants a $2 ride? Remember how you felt when you were turned down for that promotion? I'm sure you have a good reason for saying no, just like your boss did.

You don't have to change your mind, there's no need to give in, you can still stay firm, but please, take a moment. Put yourself in his shoes, and remember. After you do that, the rest is easy.

Mommy Monday: Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my FAVORITE Mommy to be!

You can try to compete, but seriously, my baby sister is getting ready to have a baby.

Here she is at 24 weeks and I love that she says, "Woke up to a bigger belly..... woweeee... what happened?"
She is such a doll and I hope she has had a wonderful birthday! This weekend she was teaching eyelash extension classes for a wonderful group of gals who are coming soon to an area near you!

Seriously, how stylish is this mommy?

I am just thinking about all the things I want to buy for this little sweet pea.

Special Guest Sunday: Snap Me Swimwear

Ashley and I are so excited to be heading out to the Children's ABC Expo in Kentucky this year! We will be there with our Laborlooks booth, setting up and branching out to meet amazing new retailers, moms, momprenuers, and everyone else starting on Thursday!

Another mom we are anxiously awaiting to meet is the creator of Snap Me Swimwear.

Seriously, why aren't there cute swimsuits out there with snaps at the crotch like onesies?

Here is a cute picture of my Niece Addison wearing her swimsuit.

How often are you taking your little one swimming, or to the beach and you have to change a diaper? or take them potty? How often are you at the port-o-potty and you have to strip them down naked just so they can go to the bathroom?

Ugh. Seriously the Snap Me Swimwear is amazing. It has been featured in multiple media sources like Parenting and Celebrity Baby Scoop. Shop HERE, check out their website HERE

http://www.snapmeswimwear.com

And find them on Facebook HERE

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SnapMe-Swimwear/118360344923499?ref=ts

Fashion Friday: Not Me

I am really not a fashionable person... but it is "fashion friday" so here goes...

I wore a new outfit today. Sometimes I find that I buy clothes that I will be able to wear when I am pregnant again.

Who am I kidding... I almost ALWAYS buy clothes that I will be able to wear when I am pregnant again.

No exception today. Last weekend I went on a little shopping spree with a girlfriend in L.A. I budgeted very nicely and hardly spent a dime. Fabulous!
I did find a fun shirt that I am wearing in the picture here... at the Rack!

Love that store.

A little too much I am afraid.

So when you are non-prego... do you buy clothes that you could wear again when you are pregnant? or just stick to strictly non-pregnant clothes? Do you even get what I am talking about?

Recovery

Thank you so much for your support and prayers in behalf of my mother (and my nerves!). Her surgery was smooth and went off without a hitch. She has been up and walking, on great pain medication, she is passing gas, and she is texting and back on Facebook already!Isn't technology amazing?

Doesn't my mom look stunning in her Addie Gown?

I wish I could be there. But I know that she is in good hands and will be home soon.

Trusting Tuesday: Surgery

Every day at work I talk about surgical options for my patients.

In my office the surgeon I work with does a wide variety of surgeries. Mostly the women who need surgery come to me first. I get labs ordered, order ultrasounds, collect cultures, do a complete history and physical, and talk a lot about what their options are. After we get all the results they return to the office and meet with the doctor to discuss the best or recommended options, risks and benefits of surgery, get informed consent, and then schedule a surgery. Pre operation labs, EKGs, chest x-rays and more are then ordered and a couple weeks later our patients have their surgery.

A long list of things to do, but then they just do it and have the surgery and then they recover and go on with life... supposedly now they are "fixed."

How do these women do it? Today I am sitting here, a nervous wreck because my mom is having a total hip replacement. Her surgery starts in about a half an hour. I know nothing about hip replacements so I have been doing a lot of research. She has reassured me that she is using one of the best surgeons in her area, she TRUSTS him, she is relatively young for this surgery and she has always been active and healthy. She doesn't smoke, drink, isn't overweight, and hardly ever takes any medications. She should do well through this surgery. But the surgery is the scary part. I want to be there for her, which is silly because she wouldn't even know I was there. I want to help her recover but I know that isn't possible for my little family right now.

The surgery part is what I am having a hard time with. I trust hysterectomies because I see them all the time. I trust c-sections because I am there and I know when they happen (at my practice!) they are needed. I trust the surgeon I work with because I see him work and I know what kind of job he does. I should just be able to trust that my mother is in good hands and this hip replacement is necessary for her. She has lived with pain too long and is unable to walk some days because of it. Guess what, it still scares me. I cried last night as I went to bed and I prayed for comfort and I prayed for the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, and staff who will be there with my mother. I am glad my mother won't be reading this post until after her surgery.

Here is some info about her surgery:

http://www.metrocrest.com/five-things-you-should-know-hip-joint-replacement-surgery.htm

I know the recovery will be the easier part for her (all relative people!). She has had 6 vaginal births (5 without epidurals), 3 miscarriages, lost her mother, raised 6 amazing children to adults, had a brain tumor with a 16 hour surgery to remove it, been happily married over 30 years, keeps the cleanest house I have ever seen, and the list goes on. This woman is tough. She can do tough stuff. She can do really hard things and she does them with grace. I know she will be okay, but being on the end of a family member having this surgery makes me take a step back and look at each and every one of my patients who may need to have surgery.

Thank you for your prayers and support and concern for my mother today. It means the world to Ashley, our family, and me.

Special Guest Sunday: Drool Monkey Organics

Truly a brand new company, Drool Monkey Organics is another one of the Spokesmom.com companies to make it for an audition with us at the ABC show in Kentucky at the end of the month.

I am so excited to meet Kamala Corkin, the momprenuer who founded the "organic solution for her drooling baby." I can't wait to feel the fabric and hopefully snag one while I am there so that I can have it in my arsenal for my next baby.

Both of my daughters have had some sort of lovie that they sleep with, hang on to, and hold when they are needing that extra sense of security. I would love to have an organic, SIMPLE, lovie that my next baby can hold on to. Nothing huge, gross, or filled with artificial things, because, in all reality, my home is already FILLED with that crap!

Please show your love and support for Drool Monkey Organics by heading over to their website

www.droolmonkeyorganics.com

and like them on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/DroolMonkeyOrganics?sk=wall

Picture from www.droolmonkeyorganics.com

Fashion Friday: Second Hand Stores

Our local second hand children's store has a HUGE lot of maternity clothes. Was I the only one in the world who didn't know they sold maternity clothes at these kind of stores? Totally keeping that on my list for next time....

So back to the amazing fashions at second hand stores. I found these awesome boots for my daughter who is obsessed with horses.

This may have been the best $9.99 ever spent.

What kind of things have you scored when buying at second hand stores?

Wild Wednesday: Playground Thieves

Seriously... Playground thieves?

AAACKK!

I am sure they are out there. Especially those busy playgrounds, and how about mall play places? Disneyland? I know they are out there and that makes me nervous.

Guess what I stumbled across today? Thanks to http://www.strollertraffic.com/ and their Facebook page I was introduced to this lovely guy

The Buggy guard. the mom hook with a lock!

You can find it HERE

http://buggyguard.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=7

Seriously I wish I thought of this stuff in advance and contacted them and tried to do a review and giveaway and blah blah blah, but I didn't. So go support them anyway, they have no idea who we are, but if we find them at the ABC baby show at the end of September, then I am totally bringing one home.

Have you ever had something stolen from your carseat? stroller? diaperbag?

I had my diaper bag stolen once. It was on the top 20 worst days of my life.

Trusting Tuesday: Near Miss

When I say "Near Miss" I am talking about those times when something terribly, horribly, unthinkably wrong could have happened? But then didn't?

Seriously, I know we all have those events.

So how do you recover from them?

A couple years ago we were together for Thanksgiving with the whole family in California. Cousins and aunts and uncles and grandkids running around having wonderful family time.

My Aunt and her family were staying at my Grandma's house and my Aunt has rheumatoid arthritis. R.A. is an autoimmune disease that can be and usually is very painful. It may sometimes be managed (for a short time) by exercise, weight loss and eating healthy, but usually when someone is diagnosed with R.A. it is because of the pain and stiffness they are feeling.

So yes, my aunt has RA. Well, she takes quite a few pills every day to help her R.A. I am not sure what they are but here are a few that people may take with R.A.

Imuran (INFO)

Ridaura (INFO)

Plaquenil (INFO)

Arava (INFO)

Methotrexate (INFO)

and many many more....

Seriously, click on some of the links to see how serious these drugs are. Not to mention these are just the ones that help to treat the R.A. We also have to know that often there are heavy duty pain pills for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Back to the near miss... Thanksgiving night rolls around after a full day of playing and fun at Grandma Grape's house (great grandma) I get a phone call from my Aunt. She is concerned because she can't find her pills. She had already called my sister and alerted her. She had talked to her son and he said, "I think Ryann ate the pills"

In a fit of hysterics I ran downstairs, threw open my daughter's door and shook her awake. The nurse in me grabbed a flashlight and looked for pupil dilation. They were equal, round, reactive to light, etc. I then listened to her heart and lungs, and I asked her if she knew what happened to the medicine.

She had no idea what was going on.

It took some time, prayers, tears, and looking up the number for poison control "just in case" before I would let her go back to bed. She promised she didn't eat the pills (or any candy, because come on- some pills look like candy!) but I didn't fully believe her since she was only 2 and maybe she was just saying what I wanted her to say??

The next morning my nephew fessed up that he had taken the pills and put them somewhere else. We found the pills and all the pills were accounted for. Everyone was fine. Everyone lived.

I got my first grey hairs, but we all were fine physically. Emotionally I was still a wreck.

This was one of the scariest "near miss" events that I had. I hate thinking about this event so much that I haven't spent the time to teach my daughter about pill bottles and medicine. WHY NOT? Am I not trusting enough that we can both handle it?

So here is my goal today. Today I am going to head on over to Walgreens, buy a pill box, fill it with pills (NOT CANDY!) and teach my daughters that they are NEVER allowed to eat things out of these pill boxes unless mommy gives it to them.

What can you do today that will help you trust yourself and your children? Do you have any near miss experiences that we can learn from?

Mommy Monday: Labor Day

I love Labor Day.

I love the babies and moms who go into labor on actual labor day.

It seems so fitting.

Hopefully we will get a picture of a 2011 Labor Day LaborLooks mommy!

For now we will celebrate our 2010 Labor Day babe and mommy!
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

I am not on call this weekend, but my sister Ashley is, she will be helping mom's and babies in the wee hours of labor day.

Enjoy and be safe.

Special Guest Sunday: PumpEase

Another mom who will be auditioning for the Born By Mom's reality show is a Canadian mother who founded Pump Ease. Pump Ease is kind of like a bra that goes over your nursing bra which allows you to pump hands free! It fits women of almost all sizes... 32AA to 48H and beyond.

It is machine washable, cute (you know we love cute!), and simple to use. Check out their website and blog

I was a pumping working mom for over a year with both girls.

When I worked at night at the hospitals as a labor and delivery nurse I didn't worry about doing something else with my hands... except it would have come in handy the times I fell asleep pumping.

But with my last daughter I was pumping at the hospital while trying to finish charts; pumping in the office while trying to answer emails, phone calls, and sign off labs; and some days I even had to pump in the car.

This would have been sooo handy.

Guess what? Someday it will come in handy because I will definately be purchasing a PumpEase hands-free pumping support.

Look what else they make that is cute:

This would have helped keep people out of my office when I was pumping last time.

Fashion Friday: Walmart Deals

Interested in a $4 maternity shirt?

Yes, it is from Walmart, in their clearance section, but seriously... you can't beat $4. Well, you could, if it was $3, but hard to find for sure.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Faded-Glory-Maternity-Solid-Scoop-Neck-Tee/15549361

Thankful Thursday: Work -out of the home- Mom

WOOTHM

"Work Out Of The Home Mom"

I am a "working mom." I don't know many moms, stay at home or work outside the home, who aren't working moms. However, I am one of those moms who leaves for work almost every day. I make my 45min commute after I drop my girls off at daycare.

If I didn't LOVE my job, it would be a lot harder to leave my girls every day.

If I didn't NEED my job, it would be a lot harder to leave my girls every day.

If the women I serve didn't hold a special place in my heart, it would be a lot harder to leave my girls for work.

Thankfully I want my job, love my job, and while I financially need a job, I am so grateful that I get to interact with women of all ages and walks of life who come to me.

With that being said, I love the days when I can sit at home all day with my sweet girls.

No real agenda, just have fun and be silly and get to know them a little more and more each day. It will be a lot nicer when this 115 degree weather in Arizona cools off and we can go outside.

Daddy snapped this shot on his phone- Ryann was inspecting my eyeballs (I got scolded a lot for closing them when her finger got dangerously close to my eye) and Cara kept making me "stick out your tongue and say 'AH.'"