With the holiday's finally over, I have to say I'm exhausted. Running around after 22-month-old, J, and 27 weeks preggers. Again I'm exhausted. I have a looming deadline to post my H1NI Vaccine findings and a Walt Disney World quick tip guide after our very recent trip. However, I, as well as many of you, cannot stop thinking about Haiti. Marta recently posted a letter that was forwarded to us via e-mail from our cousin. It is an inspirational letter that will hopefully pull at your heartstrings and get you to help Haiti in anyway that you can if you have not already. See below:

Veronica, The Baby Mamas thank you for all you have done and your inspiring letter.

Go to uddercovers.com , click on "Shop Now", select the product you would like (3 piece gift sets are also available with this promotion) and you will automatically be directed to the center of the page where you can enter in the promo code! Type in Christmas and it will bring your product total to $0! They will sell out fast. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser/window to do so. Good Luck!

This promotion gives you a $32.00 discount off your total order no matter what you put in your cart! This promotion code is valid once per transaction, so you can order as many times as you would like! 

These covers are so practical and useful, I can't talk enough about them. The prints are beautiful and chic as well. Happy Shopping! 

J's Personalized Wishlist

GeoTrax Starter Train Set

What is great about GeoTrax is they have a plethora of other train sets (electric and non-electric) that all connect together. So your child can keep building and building or just switch it up in countless ways.

Kawasaki Powerwheels Motorcycle

This sporty ATV meets toddler-friendly features with the Fisher Price Power Wheels Lil' Kawasaki ride-on for little drivers. Push-button operation makes it easy for them to stop and go

Radio Flyer Tryke with push handle 

An oldie but a goodie. With this new handle you can help your tot learn to ride without hurting that back!

Disney Cars Die Cast Cars Set

This Limites Edition 20-piece set includes all of your favorite hot rods from the Disney/Pixar film Cars. My son loves imaginary car play.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Hot Dog" Dancer

If your little ones loves Mickey Mouse and "The Hot Dog" Song as much as mine this is a definite must!

Bruin Radio Control Racer

The Racing car is not only cute but the buttons are simple for any tot to master.

Color Me a Song Crayola Beginnings Coloring board

A musical coloring experience! Board will also keep the paper in place while your little one doodles away.

Schleich Scenary Pack/ Nature Set

These play animals are fabulous for imaginary play. Schleich makes almost every animal you can think of so if you have an animal loving child around these are great, clean, and portable. 

 Angel Dear Napping Blanket

This is basically and oversized blankie/lovie. J adores his small ones so this will be a fun surprise. 

Franklin Adjust-A-Hit Golf Club Set

For the future golf expert in your family. These golf clubs are size adjustable according to your child's height. They are sturdy, durable, and easy to adjust. 

Triple Hit Baseball Tee

In this three level baseball training set, your kids can practice first hitting the ball off of a tee to build fundamental coordination skills. Then on the "rookie" level, the ball pops up from ground level as kids practice smacking the ball out of the air. Finally, the "pro" level is a pitching machine, lobbing the ball without a prohibitive amount of velocity, to the batter standing up to ten feet away. Great 'grow with me' toy. 

More Cool Boy Toys

Here are some more cool toys that  J may be too old for , too young for, just not into, or already has. Take a look I think they are great and one may be the perfect gift for your little one. Most of the toys can be found at Toys R’Us, Target, Amazon, Gap, or Pottery Barn Kids. Prices vary depending on the store and special sales. 

Disney's Lightning McQueen Powerwheels Electric Car

Bruder Man Truck with Mini Excavator

My Little Sandbox-Pirate Ahoy

Pretend and Play Gymbag

Musical Band

HaPe Toys Switchback Racetrack

Plan Toys Tree House

Plan Toys Pounder Bench

Plan Toys Nuts and Bolts

Educo My Practical Tool Set

Mini Walkie Talkies

Balance Bike

Leap Frog Learn & Groove Maracas (Bilingual)

Leap Frog Learn & Groove Musical Table (great 'grow-with-me' gift)

Winnie the Pooh 3-in-one Rock and Ride (great 'grow-with-me' toy)

Go-Baby-Go Crawl Along Musical Ball

What are you going to do or what have you done? If you are pregnant what is your OB/GYN telling you to do and why? What are your thoughts? Mamas, will you be administering the vaccine to your little ones? What are your pediatricians telling you? What are your thoughts?

Please click here and share your thoughts, comments, opinions on your most recent research on this vaccine.

I will be posting my findings in a couple of weeks when I have done some more thorough research. Your comments will be extremely helpful to me and the other mamas facing the same dilemma. 

Thank you Mamas!

Finally the six weeks passed and it was time to go back to the allergist. J’s hives had all cleared up, he was not sick, did not have a rash, he was in perfect shape to be tested. I went armed with a bottle of milk, toys, books, his “binky” (or “boto” as he renamed it), and tons of snacks. I was not sure what we were in store for. Luckily, the testing was pretty easy. The ‘prick’ was very mild and J barely felt it. They pricked him about 100 times. The pricks were all placed on his back. After waiting for 15 minutes. The testing was over. Results: J is not allergic to ANYTHING! I was so relived. According to the doctors J’s hive outbreaks were due to a virus and nothing more.

However, very recently I received the allergist’s diagnosis in the mail and there it was: Urticaria (hives), allergic rhinitis, and ECZEMA. Eczema? I couldn’t believe it. I was told it was not eczema. So J broke out into hives AGAIN this month. It is a pattern. First he gets a slight rash on his torso, diarrhea for a week, and then once the diarrhea disappears, the hives appear. It seems to have been a virus again. No fever or vomiting just discomfort. This time it was not nearly as bad as before. Thank goodness. And it was gone in a couple of days. 

Time passed and then we started to notice that J was getting what appeared to be a diaper rash or burn on the sides of his hip and rings around his legs. The exact places where his diaper is constantly rubbing against his skin. Someone mentioned that he could be allergic to his diaper but I thought that was impossible since he has been using the same brand (Pamper Cruisers Ultra Absorbency) since he was born.

After about two weeks the rash began to get worse and worse no matter what we did. J started to tell us that the rash was hurting him and he did not want to put his diaper on. We tried putting tissues on the areas so the diaper would not rub against them but that did not work. So we went back to our trustworthy Dr. E.  I went with the allergist diagnosis in one hand and concern in the other. Is this eczema? Is it hives again? I couldn't figure it out. 

Dr. E looked at it and immediately said it was an allergic reaction to the diaper. He has seen many cases of the same rash recently and there is no explanation. He believes the Pampers company has changed their formula or has added a new chemical that is causing this reaction in toddlers with atopic allergies. 

We had to switch to Seventh Generation Chlorine Free diapers. Side note; I was concerned about overnight leakage since J would sometimes wake up wet even with the ultra absorbency diapers. So I have been putting a feminine pad in the diaper. I make it into a rainbow shape and place it as a blocker on the front inside part of the diaper before I put it on him. Just a quick tip in case you have the same issue. 

We have also been putting a prescription medication lotion on the rash called Cutivate (as recommended by Dr. E) for about a week. He is finally getting better. 

But I have to say we have changed our lives a little. I continue to flush out his wipes with before I start using them. I was given this tip before I was born and I still do it. It flushes away all that extra chlorine and it makes the wipes must softer to the touch. I also went back to my first blog on this subject (Hives and Rashes and Eczema, Oh My!) and reread, my friend, trusty LC's tips on controlling Eczema. Feel free to go back to it if your child has atopic allergies. It will certainly help. I will keep everyone updated on this subject. Oh, and don't worry I am in the process of writing an "informative" e-mail to the Pampers Company. 

Before

After

Here's J playing in his new space!

Since we got back from our annual summer vacation our small home began to feel like miniature match-box. J (and his toys) seems to be taking over the house. I decided it was time to take action. First, a major spring-cleaning was in order. Second, re-design J’s room from baby room to toddler room. His calm and soothing nursery will now be converted into an inviting area he can relax, sleep, AND play in. Third, have a garage sale.

The global recession hit our happy home pretty hard so I had a small if not non-existent budget to redesign J’s room. Like so many of you, I’m trying to redesign on a dime!

So here is what I did. J’s room previously had a crib, changing table with built in hutch, rocking chair, and a twin sized bed. Luckily the changing table we had originally bought had a built in hutch that converted to a standard bookcase. This was a huge space saver and a completely convenient piece. I’m not going to lie, once J hit eight months he was crawling and squirming everywhere so the changing table was not very safe anymore. We converted it early on and we just placed the changing pad on the floor. We have been changing him like that every since.

We had originally had the twin sized bed in case one of us (mainly me) had to sleep in there when J was an infant, during one of those many hellish sleepless nights, so that the other person could sleep. We also figured this would eventually be his “big boy bed”.  So we moved the twin-sized bed to our very small office (thank God for Ikea), currently my husband is working out of it but he will be moving his office elsewhere soon. The bed is a day bed and works well as a couch for now. We also figure that this office will eventually become J’s room when we decide to have another baby.

Once we moved the bed out, it created a great deal of play space for J. So we moved his foam Skip Hop play mat (Play Spot)  into the room. So he could play comfortably on the floor. It also works well as a changing pad.

As a former teacher I still felt the room needed something else to keep it more organized, make it more inviting to play, and keep it educational. I must tell you, I recently read an article that claimed that garage sales were at an all-time high. They were right. I began to frequent garage sales and found some amazing stuff. More importantly, I found an almost brand new low book case from Ikea (miracle store if you live on a budget and in small home) that would work great to store and organize J’s toys.

I really wanted to get J a small table so he could sit and play. He is not used to sitting at a table on his own. I figured he was ready to start exposing him to sitting on his own. I was looking into Ikea (www.Ikea.com) and found some very affordable options. A table and 2 chair bare wood set for only $24.99. However, I was also lucky enough to have a fabulous neighbor with four boys who gifted me a beautiful Pottery Barn Kids honey colored wood play table with pull out shelves underneath. The table is in great condition and the perfect height. Her boys had outgrown it and she was looking to get rid of it. It is a great idea to get your mommy friends together and have swap parties. One of my friend has recently done this with clothes a purses. It is a great and fun way to get some new stuff, not spend any money, and clean out all your unused supplies.

If you don’t have friends with kids check out your local baby and child consignment shops. I have found some great ones in my area with amazing products and clothes in fantastic condition.

My mother in law was also nice enough to frequent Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Steinmart, and Target for me. She ended up buying J a great large area rug fro his room on the cheap at the TJ Maxx Homestore in our area.

Now that I cleaned out and reorganized the house, it’s time to have a garage sale. I felt inspired with the ones I just went to. I encourage you to do the same (reduce, reuse, recycle). And remember one mama’s trash could be another mama’s treasure.

Obviously, my parents and Dr. Baby Maker’s (so annoyed with the nickname) parent’s were all unbelievably concerned. It was a non-stop barrage of questions from EVERYONE that knew about the hives or saw him. What did you feed him? What plant did he touch? Do you think he is allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, soy? Does he wear tight pajamas to sleep? Has he been in the pool much? Absolutely everything you can imagine. Not only my husband and I were going crazy thinking all the same things and worse. Everytime we would go to feed him we would read all the ingredients and think twice about giving him anything. We switched him to soy milk and cute out all dairy. We did not go outside. We did not let him go near the pool (which he loves). It was awful. And worst of all, J loves food. All food, he will eat anything. He really enjoys eating. Everytime he tastes anything it is all “Ummmm”, “Yummyyummyyummy”. The poor thing lost weight during this whole dilemma.

The allergist was a very kind and gentle doctor. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything either. Since he had been on steroids all the allergy tests would come out invalid. We have to wait four more weeks. Talk about frustrating. Luckily both doctors told me not to worry and put him back on his old diet. They mentioned to be modest with his milk but otherwise to continue. They have still not ruled out if it was a virus or an allergy, we have yet to see.

This past week I have received a boatload of fantastic advice from moms with children with allergies, food and skin. Of all the advice one of my friends, LC, had some great concrete advice for kids with eczema that I felt I has to pay forward. Below please see all her tips, I hope they help someone. Also stay tuned for my next blog on allergies, rashes, and hives. I have a feeling I am about to learn a great deal on the subject.

LC’s eczema reducing tips:

I recently read that dust mites also have an effect on eczema. Here are the few steps that I took

1. Rugs: Took out all rugs in his room and main play areas

2. Stuffed animals : either took them out of his room, the few that I left, I washed in very hot water and wash them once a wk.

3. Bedding : covered his bed and pillow with a dust mite cover - can go to achooallergy.com (there’s an online coupon – google achooallergy online coupon – I think its 10% off. Either wash in very hot water or leave out in the sun for an afternoon.

4. Blanket and bed/ pillow sheets:Very hot water or direct sunlight kills dust mites.

Few other regiments that I keep to:

1. Clothing: keep him cool, all cotton clothing

2. Oatmeal in his bath :(I bought organic oatmeal (nonprocessed or unbleached) put in a tea diffuser and let it sit in the bath for a few mins before I put Sebastian in the bath. Feel that this softens up the water. I also do not bathe him every night, just rinse of his private areas, hand face and neck every night - and bath every other night.

3. Soap for bath : I either use nothing – just water, or Califonia baby wash – super sensitive wash. They just came out with a Calendula wash – which is on its way. Will let you know how it works out.

4. Lots of lotion : a friend told me about “vanicream” I just bought it, its on the way for delivery. I’ll let you know if it helps any. I currently use a Calendula based cream for the bad areas – it helps a bit, but you have to test it out on a small area – could sting a bit when you 1^st apply it. Rest of the body I use Eucerin lotion. I do keep a tube of 1/2% hydrocortison. But I use it very, very sparingly, only when there is a huge breakout to get it under control and then switch to non-steroid base lotions.

Father's Day is coming up and I have been thinking about what to get Dr. Baby Maker (I am honoring his request for his alias name to be changed from Hubby to Dr. Baby Maker...whatever). I light of our current worldly economic distress, I was mainly looking for recession friendly gift ideas.

Here's what I've got:

1. Cook Meat with Beer: Cook him some sort of meat; preferable on the BBQ. Marinate it with your usual marinade and add some of his favorite beer to it. You can even try even pouring some beer over the meat while its BBQ-ing. I have learned men like anything involving beer, especially cooking with beer. They love that sort of thing. If your kids are old enough they can help you make the marinade.
2. In-home Private Spa Session: Most men like to be pampered. I have even met a good portion of men that enjoy pedicures, and what man doesn’t like a massage. Trouble is most men don’t exactly feel comfortable walking into a spa or salon. So why not bring it to them. Make or buy a father’s day card and make some homemade “Spa Tickets” for him to redeem on Father’s day.
3. Action Adventure Movie Tickets: Keeping in sync with homemade tickets Dada can redeem; Give him tickets to any action adventure movie that his heart desires. For example; Terminator Salvation, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, etc. Obviously, some of DBM's must-see's. Let me tell you, I can’t wait to see one of these Oscar Award winners…but I’ll do it for my husband, he deserves it.
4. Picnic at the Beach/Park: Put together some yummy yet manly sandwiches, chips,  and don’t forget the beers. Pack up the family, a football, soccerball,  or frisbee and head to your favorite local park or beach together.  Enjoy your day as a family!
5. French Kiss: Now this last one is absolutely FREE and definitely recession friendly. Let him know how much you appreciate him. Tell him, even though you know you do most of the work around the house and with the kids,  you appreciate everything he does for you and your family. Just say thanks and make sure to give him a big, fat, wet, French kiss. Believe me, just like I know they like food cooked with beer, I know he will definitely like that.  Even if you don’t do any of the other things, do this.

Hey, it’s Father’s Day. We all know Mother’s Day would be completely different. By the way, whenever I googled "beer images" for this blog, women with bare breasts kept showing up...what's up with that?