Sweaty Bands

We have now hit 5 months since having Logan. I've been working on my weight, exercising and tweaking my diet for a few weeks now. During pregnancy, I couldn't wait to have my body back to being just mine and not a home for my little growing baby. I pictured fitting into my clothes, styling my hair and having lots of cute family photos that I was proud to post all over the place.

Hello reality! After giving birth... I got my body back but this body is not the one I used to know.

Around 3 months after birth, most women go through a stage of postpartum hair loss. Yup, that is right. HAIR LOSS. I'm not talking a few strands... I am talking chunks of hair. It's insane. Like everything else, I read about it and thought I was prepared for it. Nope. Not so much. I've clogged our sink and tub drains and we vacuum three times as often.

So, my clothes don't fit right, my hair is falling out and all I want to do is look nice while I workout to try and feel good again. What is a girl to do?

Well- I know one thing that has been helping me- Sweaty Bands!
I have an oval shaped head and my bangs have been forever falling in my face during all sorts of workouts. I have tried all the drugstore headbands to hold my hair in place during workouts... the thick and thin, they last about 5 minutes and fly off the back of my head. I knew I needed something that would actually stay in place, keep my hair back (and those strands out of my face) and "hide" what I feel like is a thinning head of hair.

I received two Sweaty Bands in the mail and immediately put one on. I decided to test it out during my Insanity workout since it's all about jumping all over the place. 45 minute workout later and the headband was still in place- right where it started. YES!

Cute- check
Functional- double check
What is even better is this is a company from my hometown Cincinnati, Ohio. Even though I don't live there anymore, I still love supporting local companies! 

Seriously these bands not only hold your hair back but they are also cute! At around $15 for a narrow or $18 for a wide band, they are not the cheapest out there but they are the first bands I have tried that actually do what they are meant to do.

The bands have a bit of elastic in the back that fits snugly around your head and is mostly hidden by a ponytail. The back of the fabric has an almost a velvety fuzzy feel which makes it stay in place and absorb sweat. Speaking of sweat, you have to hand wash these cute bands... but I'd rather spend a little more and take care of something if it is good quality- so not a big deal to me.

There are many designs to choose from and they also make custom bands as well. (They had Boston strong bands that they were selling at the race expo for the Flying Pig- also available here).

I've been wearing my Sweaty Bands for over two weeks now during everyone of my workouts and I can honestly say that I love these bands! They are even great for a bad hair day when I'm out running errands!

You can check out Sweaty Bands on their website, Twitter and Facebook.

*This product was received for review, no other compensation was provided. All views expressed are honest and my own! :)

Boba Carrier 3G & Giveaway

First things first... I Love love love Baby wearing!

When Logan was just a tiny little newborn, his favorite place was to be snuggled up on Geoff or my chest. It made for lovely, slow days enjoying his newness and getting to know each other but eventually we had to get back to real life. To keep him close to us, feeling safe and secure, we would wear him in wraps and carriers. This also allowed us to get a few things done like making lunch, grocery shopping or running errands. He was also a newborn in the middle of winter (aka flu season) so it also kept strangers faces further away from Logan when we were out. (People love babies always wanted to "take a peek". It was much easier to cover and turn my body to keep him away from someone coughing or getting too close, then if he was sitting in his car seat or stroller.)

There are many benefits of baby wearing such as
-Physical contact with baby creates a more intimate bond (works for both parents) and their attachment is more secure.
-Walking and movement and hearing the parents heartbeat mimics what was experienced in the womb and have a soothing effect.
-Decreases the risk of "flat head syndrome". Babies are supposed to sleep on their backs due to SIDS and spend a lot of time in their infant days on their backs in car seats, swings, seats. Tummy time and wearing your infant helps to keep the pressure off the back of their heads.

Boba was nice enough to send me a Boba Carrier 3G to try out in their very cute 'Tweet' pattern. (They also have a Boba wrap, Boba air and Organic carriers as well available on their website)

When it arrived in the mail, we immediately took it out of the package, adjusted the straps to fit (very easy to do with the instructions) and tried it on. There are some really cool features that makes this carrier really stand out.

You can wear this carrier with an infant without an extra infant insert.
They have foot straps that attach on for older children to keep their legs from hanging down- it keeps them in better alignment.
The strap for the chest/back slides up and down for a comfortable fit.
My favorite- there is a little strap on the shoulders that you can strap a purse to so it doesn't fall off your shoulder! Awesome. :)

Since the carrier is adjustable, Geoff can also comfortably wear it as well. Lucky for us, we are similar in height so most times i just have to adjust the straps around my hips after he has worn it. (I guess my hips spread a little since giving birth) I do have to caution that his arms aren't as flexible as mine so getting the carrier off is a bit trickier for him to do by himself. After wearing this carrier around for hours, we both agree that it is very comfortable!

He loves looking around while we are out and there is a sleeping hood (removable- just snaps on/off), which is great for sunny days or when Logan falls asleep on us.

You can also wear the carrier on your back, which we have not tried yet since it's meant for babies over 20lbs. The carrier can be worn from birth up until 45 lbs (or your baby is 4 years old) so we have a few more years of carrying little Logan around!

Logan absolutely loves being carried! I think our first big outing was at 12 days old to Costco and since then he has been worn on countless walks, days trips to Portsmouth Nh, Newburyport Ma & Boston, doing chores around the house and my favorite through the airport. (I didn't even have to take the carrier off to go through security!)

If you are pregnant, have small children or want to have a really great gift to give a pregnant friend...

Enter for your chance to win a Boba Baby Carrier, a Boba Wrap or a Boba Air! All products can be seen at www.bobafamily.com. With Boba products it is easier than ever to enjoy Freedom Together as a family and Boba wants YOU to get a chance to use their products. To enter to win, “Like” them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boba) and follow them on Twitter (www.twitter.com/boba).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This product was received for review, no other compensation was provided. All views expressed are honest and my own! :)

Sanur, Bali & Tanah Lot

Okay... lets finish this trip recap up! We left Pemuteran early in the morning to get started on our drive down to Sanur. It was quite a long drive but made a few sight seeing stops along the way to break it up and stretch our legs. Here are some beautiful views (one of many that we saw from the car) of rice paddy fields.

We had arranged for our driver to make a big stop at Tanah Lot on the way there. We tried to figure out a way to get there for sunset (to get some good photos) but it would pretty much eat up an extra day to do it, so we decided the afternoon was good enough. It worked out well that way because we had overcast skies and light rain, our sunset photos probably would have looked similar to those we took.

 Tanah Lot means "Land in the middle of the sea" and is thought to be the work of Nirartha, a 15th-century priest. It is a beautiful rock temple that holds a place in Balinese mythology and we loved it! (I'm only showing you a small amount of the photos we took!)

Once we made it to Sanur, we checked into our hotel, which was right by the water and went walking along the main road for dinner. Our hotel was just a walk away from quite a few restaurants, cafes and bars. I had a huge craving for queso and chips (which we did not get) and McDonald's chicken nuggets (which we did get). Besides eating, we relaxed at the pool, laid by the beach and I sipped on many fresh squeezed juice combos. Yum! 

I had wanted to do a few things here, especially swimming with the dolphins but they cautioned against it, being pregnant... maybe next time!

 We had an amazing time in Bali! I hope some day we will get to come back and show Logan around!

5 months

**First of all, I want to wish all of my Mom readers (both children and pets) a Happy Mother's Day!!! :) Hope you get a nice massage, a full nights sleep and a new outfit... or at least 5 minutes to snooze in bed. haha. **

 Boy, oh boy! I can not believe my little nugget is 5 months old already. It's crazy that I start out each month exclaiming how fast it went and how big my little boy is... but it's amazing how quickly babies grow! When I see a Mom with a newborn it is actually hard for me to remember Logan that little.

At our 4 month appointment, Logan weighed in at 14lbs 10oz and 25 inches long!
He also had his 4 month shots... and despite getting really mad at being held down and getting stabbed by needles in the legs, he really didn't have any reaction to the shots besides to sleep really good that night.

Let's talk sleep... so I already chatted about how we switched to the Magic Sleepsuit (still loving it).
Apparently there is a magical thing at 4 months where your baby stops sleeping so easily. From what I have read, when they are working on something new developmentally (like rolling over) that can cause a disturbance in their sleep. Good thing we have now mastered that skill and hopefully that extra night wakings at 4 months are a distant memory this month. ;)

 Remember when I thought my baby was teething? Well it turns out that he was! He now has 2 teeth and a fun little banana toothbrush which he loves to chew on. We are very proud that we have instilled good teeth habits at such an early age. We will see what happens when he realizes whats really going on. :)

Other than that, this month has been full of new developments and boy, are we having fun! We get smiles everyday and cute little laughs more and more. We've taken day trips to Boston and Portsmouth, NH and lots of walks through the parks around us. Logan and I attend a Mom's Group once a week so he can get used to being around other people and I can have some time talking with adults when Geoff is flying! :)

Logan has a really strong grip and will try and bring anything he gets his hands on to his mouth. I've been letting him touch lots of things around the house to experience different textures and feels. I accidentally let his grab onto a straw for my smoothie one day and when I took it away he got so sad and cried Big Fat Tears. It was the first time that I saw him realize that he couldn't have something he wanted.... oh man did I feel bad! :(

He also does this really funny thing when he is laying down. He pulls his head up when he wants to see whats going on... it looks like he's doing a crunch. The pediatrician thought it was hysterical because he does it ALL day long! I think he is either trying to sit up or working on his Baby 6-pack Abs.

He now rolls over all the time. His favorite is from back to tummy and will play until he's tired and then yell for one of us to roll him back onto his back. He not only found his feet, but he realized that they are just as fun to chew on.

Loves:
His Jumperoo!!!!
Goofy faces and funny noises
Watching us eat
Chewing on everything- especially his feet
Rolling from back to belly
Swinging in the swing
Taking walks in his Carriers and Stroller
Bath time

Dislikes:
Having socks on his feet
Going to sleep
Shots
Teeth coming in
Things being taken away

I am so grateful that I have been able to spend everyday for the last 5 months with this little man! I can not wait to see what changes this month will bring!

Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit

The time had come to ditch the Swaddle. I am not going to lie... I was scared! Logan had been sleeping so well- getting up usually once during the night (around 3am for a quick meal and right back down to sleep). We were in a groove and it was working well. I was not ready for a change.
However, he was rolling more and breaking out of his swaddle nightly. Even though we have the Angelcare monitor, I didn't like the thought of extra fabric that could cover his face. (Plus, my baby still looked like a newborn all swaddled up nice and tight... sniff, sniff)

A friend of ours had recently told us about baby merlin's Magic Sleepsuit and how well it was working for them post-swaddle. I went right home and googled it to see what it was about.

The Magic Sleepsuit was designed by Maureen a mother of four and a pediatric physical therapist, who was having troubles with her babies sleeping well in their crib. The sleepsuit is designed to help make the transition from the swaddle by providing babies a cozy and secure feeling by muffling their reflexive startles. (Check out the moro reflex for more information.)

When ours came in the mail we opened it right away to check it out!

They have 3 color choices- blue, pink and yellow and I was very happy to have a yellow one since we have tried to keep most of our baby things (besides clothes) gender neutral.

The first night we decided to use it, we were so nervous of how the night was going to go. We did our normal bedtime routine and then zipped him up in his new suit. He looked so cute, like he was ready to roll around in the snow. I nursed him, laid him down in the crib on his back, whispered 'I love you' and tip toed out of the room. 11 and 1/2 hours later he woke up. Whhhhhat!!!!

We have used the sleepsuit for about 3 weeks now and I can say that his sleep is right on where he was in the swaddle. This was pretty much a seamless transition for us. I tracked his sleep on my iphone app (which I had stopped doing) just to make sure I could remember both the bad and good nights.

We hit a rough couple of days where Logan started waking up twice at night, which even though it is still good for his age- is not normal for us. The third night, Geoff wanted to try the swaddle again to see what would happen. He was still up twice and arms were out in no time. Call it the 4 month wakeful, a wonder week, teething or a full moon but I'm glad it only lasted a few days.

(See he already knows Sleepsuit= Sleep. haha)

Most of our naps are either still in the swing or on the go (car seat, stroller or carrier) but I've been working on moving one nap into the crib. Mostly so I can workout without having to tiptoe around not to wake the baby. I've been using a combo of the Sleepsuit and our crib mobile to aid in his naps. Most days he goes anywhere from 45 minutes to around an hour. This is an improvement since crib naps use to only last around 20-25 minutes. 

Babies at this age are not supposed to have any blankets in the crib with them (SIDS) so the sleepsuit not only keeps them cozy but also warm. The warmth is supposed to aid them in staying asleep- once they are put down in the crib and not snuggled in close to mom or dad. It has open feet and hands so that the baby doesn't get too hot, or if it's too cold, you can just add socks or mittens. It's also fluffy enough that I don't worry about him rolling over and getting stuck just yet, like I did with the swaddle (since rolling is so fun for him now). It's easily washable and can be dried on the low setting just in case of any accidents.

The only complaint I have is that it does make is a little harder to nurse on the boppy before bed since he is so fluffy. :)

I have to say that I would completely recommend the Magic Sleepsuit to anyone whose baby loves the swaddle but is quickly outgrowing it. There are two sizes 3-6 months and 6-9 months, so you can keep your baby all snuggled up for the majority of his first year.

You can learn more about Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit here.
You can also find Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit on Facebook!

*This product was received for review, no other compensation was provided. All views expressed are honest and my own! :)

Pemuteran, Bali

We had hired a driver to take us from Ubud to Pemuteran and left after breakfast in the late morning. It looked simple enough on the map but little did we know that Bali doesn't really have highways like here in the States. We traveled winding roads, up into the hills and back down again taking us around 4+ hours. We stopped for lunch and had some amazing views of the rice fields and scenery along the way!

After a long afternoon of driving, we arrived at our hotel. We checked in and were taken on a long walk through the grounds to our little villa. We stayed at Adi Assri Beach Resort and Spa and since we told them it was our honeymoon, they put us very close to the water. I loved how we had the water in front of us and the mountains behind- it was very beautiful!

When I was doing all my research, I picked Pemuteran because I thought it would be a good contrast to Ubud and Sanur which are larger towns and more touristy. I figured that we could have some real R&R with little distractions and boy, was I right. There wasn't a lot to do besides relax, lay by the pool and walk along the beach. I'm going to post a few photos but the sunsets were out of this world- seriously some of the prettiest I have ever seen!

The hotel was right on the beach and had 2 swimming pools, a restaurant, bar and massage tent. The beach was nice with soft black sand! They had a few computers up front with slow slow internet... enough to take a few minutes to email home but we didn't need anything more than that.

A walk along the main road took us to a few shops, restaurants and cafes. Our hotel restaurant was decent but a ten minute walk down the road led to very good food at a fraction of the price. :) We ate at this particular Warung everyday for lunch and once for dinner. So good! We loved that they had coconuts to drink... yum!

Our time here consisted of a lot of reading books by the pool, walks on the beach, eating, napping, a massage and watching the sunset. It was amazingly relaxing with little distractions. I had scheduled the least amount of time here, hoping we wouldn't get bored. I was so relaxed after our stay that I was sad to leave.

next update... onto to Sanur!