V-Dawg has a Brand New Bed

Sometime this year, the crib (used by all the Thomson grandchildren) will be handed down yet again to another bebe Thomson, and so Miz V gets to move into some plush new night digs.

Here's a slideshow of V demonstrating the exciting features of this particular bed.

Have Bed, Will Travel

We're getting ready for another road trip - and we have several planned for the next few months. We have four trips scheduled in the next few months. It makes sense to have our own travel bed rather than relying on hosts and hotels to provide V-friendly bedding.

We borrowed a Peapod for the China trip in December, and it was fantastic, portable and really worked for us. For the summer season and beyond, it will be a great help.

We'll be ready to hit the road soon!

Car Seat Bingo

So this is the new vehicle seat - while Miz V does still fit the bucket, it's a tighter and tighter fit. According to the legal fineprint (and Ontario law), she is now just big enough to move up to a front-facing chair, but I think we'll keep her in the bucket a few weeks more - the recommendations are to go to the seat's maximum, which is a few pounds away. Since Miz V is okay about riding backwards (apparently some kids HATE it) and it's supposed to be safer rear facing, we'll let the bucket ride awhile longer. But we do have the new seat ready to go, so should be good to go when she's ready for the next level.

Soo...put your hands together and welcome the Britax Roundabout (in Denim, because it was on sale) to the party. It's the only seat that fits comfortably in the back of the Golf, and should be good until she hits 40 lbs. Hopefully at that point she'll be ready for a booster seat. Car seat #2 - here it is!

Shoes and Chairs

This week Miz V acquired two new items that are signs of things to come.

Item One: Shoes. Fall is closing in fast, and as the air gets that electric crispness, the barefoot look goes out. The shoes we have in waiting are still a bit big, so for now we have the first pair of Robeez, the legendary "don't fall off" leather slippers. V appreciates their leathery teething goodness.

Item Two: High Chair

Next month Miz V starts solid foods. And since it's easier to process one new thing at a time, we're getting used to sitting up in a tall chair first. So far this new seat is a smash hit - it's got a cool tray to play on, and it's fun to sit up and see what's going on.

Naked Couch

Somebody (no names) has been spewing all over the sofa for the past four months. So this week we washed it. In the washing machine. I freaking love Ikea.

New Wheels

As Miz V settles into her third month on planet Earth, she has enough neck control to sit up for measurable periods of time. This is excellent news, not simply from a development standpoint, but also from the child-conveyance-device perspective.

That is to say, she can now fit into a lightweight stroller.

It's umbrella time! While her apple green convertible pram is still the bees knees as far as we're concerned, it is a bit broad in the beam. Wide. Spacious. Roomy. It is awesome for big outings, but would make serious enemies on public transit. So, let's explore options...Which lightweight stroller should she fit into? Which would fit our budgets? Which would Laura be able to push without unleashing a string of expletives at her darn thumbs? There was much debate and research around the realm, with many websites scoured and product reviews scrutinized...

We spent the morning running the gauntlet of stroller showrooms. Miz V was very patient about being plunked into seat after seat like a sack of flour, poked and prodded by one 5 point harness after another. In the end, her favourite was the same as mine: the Maclaren Quest Mod.

I like it because it corners like a Porshe on rails, and I can collapse it with one hand. This was the only two handled stroller that I could steer without twinges of pain. It also feels very sturdy - the knock-offs we checked out seemed ready to disintegrate in a slight breeze. But it's quite light - around 12 pounds. It should work for the next three years easy.

Miz V likes it because it goes fast. The girl has a need for speed, my friends.

Shaking my head, I refuse to tell you what I paid - suffice to say that since it was the 2007 model, the inflated retail price had been reduced by $95...but on the bright yuppie side Miz V at last has her British brolly stroller and can hold her head high among the Bugaboo set...cross your fingers the other 3 month olds don't taunt her for having last year's graphic print...(please note the previous comments are extremely sarcastic and should be read in a heavily ironic tone.)

More places to go!

eat!

So for the past three months, I've been the sole source and provider of food for Miz V. And while we enjoy each others company, it's time that we have more options. Specifically, this weekend Matt and I have our first "no bebe"event - the Kiri Te Kanawa concert at the Elora Festival with Matt's folks. Miz V will hang with a neighbour. And we don't want her to starve or worse - fuss.

So this week we've accelerated the process of introducing bottle feeds. The pump is my new constant companion. And V has rejected bottle after bottle. Loudly and with extreme prejudice. What to do? To the internet!

And a few googles later, I decided to swallow my sticker shock and try this:

No, it's not a condom.

What this is, in fact, is an Adiri Natural Nurser Ultimate Baby Bottle. According to the website,

The Natural Nurser Ultimate Baby Bottle is made from high quality 100% polycarbonate-free and bisphenol-a free materials that is warm to a child’s cheek, like a breast, when filled with warm milk. A patented nipple design helps alleviate nipple confusion for breastfeeding babies. Shaped like a breast, they encourage the same type of open-mouthed latching that is required for breastfeeding, making bottle feeding and breastfeeding more easily interchangeable.

Shaped like a breast? Warm to the cheek? Wacky! Turns out Miz V is very much her father's daughter when it comes to firm preference for the well designed and executed . I.D. (International Design) magazine chose this bottle as one of their Design Review winners for 2008, right alongside the iPhone in the Consumer Products category. And while the price is high, we haven't much storage space anyhow, so having one or two bottles in use is infinitely preferable to a kitchen full of bottles and gadgets that make her howl.

She doesn't love it, but more important - she doesn't hate it. And it does seem comforting.

It was funny, this evening she let Matt give her the bottle, but she kept her eyes locked on me as if checking to see that it was okay to eat without me.

So, more options! I just think it's funny she refused all traditional bottles and settle for this odd new device. We have an early adopter on out hands...

Sit down!

Miz V is growing like a wildflower, and starting to hold her neck up. This is her new bumbo seat - an odd dense foam contraption from South Africa designed to allow infants to sit upright with ergonomic support. V's sitting in it for a few minutes a day to help strenghen her neck.

Plus, she looks pretty funny in it. Amusement for all!

registered...

I caved.

Today I went to Babies "R" Us (shudder - the precious "R" gives me hives) and filled out a registry.

Don't get me wrong - I know and accept that bebes require stuff with which to clothe, bathe, transport, feed, store and amuse them. I am also very grateful when people are generous and want to share their generosity with the spawn currently using my guts as a mosh pit. I just have always felt odd about the registry process, I had the same reaction to the wedding registry. It feels like getting all your family together and reading them your Christmas wish list in a loud obnoxious voice. That said, I know there are good and practical reasons for having a shopping guide available.

There is also furniture and a bunch of random stuff we're getting from Ikea, which has no registry, so Ikea gift cards are also welcome.

PLEASE, DO NOT THINK THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR STUFF. I am not asking for stuff, I am letting people know what I am planning to get.

I've been asked a lot about what colours we're using. I can now tell you the stroller we're coveting is green and grey (see picture). I prefer solid colours, especially in jewel tones (the darker the better) for clothes and other things. Remember, I am that freak friend of yours who thinks babies in black are absolutely adorable. I really don't like pastel colours. Unisex styles are better. Please, no princess stuff - if the spawn is female, I want to wait for the inevitable pop culture indoctrination to take root before I have to deal with Disney-promoted narcissism. On the other hand, if there is a skull on it, I will giggle with glee. Also , inappropriate t-shirt slogans and leftist political screeds always earn applause (everyone has their something...). Toys: great! Preferences: wooden and sturdy, soft/plush, minimal plastic, stuff that has no batteries, lights or canned music, no small parts (obviously) and prefer no "character" stuff. Watching all the recalls this past year, I'd really rather have a smaller amount of quality toys than many things I have to keep checking out on online recall lists.

Hand-me-downs are also very welcome - bebe will be learning the joy of thrift shopping at the knee of an expert, secondhands are terrific.

Enough materialist ranting!