Am I really a MOM???

I'm 31 years old and I have twins, so I'm a mom. But, I don't feel like a mom. When I think of a mom, I think of themed sweaters, Coldwater Creek and granny panties. I guess it's all in my head because none of my friends who are moms fit that description. They're all super cute cardis, JCrew, and thongs (OK, well since we have given birth, maybe just cute bikini undies). At the end of the day I am a mom. I absolutely love being a mom and I love the change it has brought to my life...the good change and the change I'm not used to yet.

Here are some reasons I DON'T feel like a mom:

I love bad (really bad) reality tv. I'm talking The Hills, Real Housewives of Atlanta (because the OC & NY aren't that bad, right?), the Bachelor/Bachelorette (except for this new one with the pilot...WTF?), Keeping up with the Kardashians and I could keep going.
I still have a strong urge to go out dancing with my girlfriends like we used to when we were 25, single and dancing on the bar. At what age would that just look creepy?
I LOVE Glee.
I still buy In Touch, US Weekly, OK and read Perez Hilton online. Sometimes I buy Time and Newsweek...promise.
I drink too much wine when I go out with my girlfriends. You know the kind of night where you go out as a sophisticated adult to a wine bar and choose your glass by the actual description, but by 9pm you'd drink it even if it came from a box.

Here are some reasons I DO feel like a mom:

I have a pact with my BFF (who has two beautiful little girls) to get our boobs done and tummy tucks when we turn 40.
When I hear the song "Do your ears hang low" I think of my boobs (hence boob job at 40)
The only time I go without a bra is in the shower.
I can get spit-up on without flinching.
If I'm changing my son's diaper and he starts to pee, I use my hand to block the pee.
I think it's cute when my daughter has a stinky fart.
Hearing myself or my husband talk baby talk doesn't make me cringe.
Seeing my babies smile can make me tear up.
Sometimes I want to wake my babies up just to hold them before I go to bed...but I don't because I want to sleep more!
I now understand the true meaning of unconditional love (I know, sappy)

I might be a mom, but I did promise my husband I would never wear a themed sweater!

Big Kid Seats

I've had these booster seats for Max and Tessa for a while, but just broke them out of the boxes today. I LOVE them! The babies are just four months (today!), so they are not ready for solid food, but these seats have backs that recline. I can't leave them in the bumbo seats on their own quite yet. They can only hang out in those seats for a few minutes with me right there. But, they really like sitting up. So, these seats are perfect. Because they are booster seats, I can put them right on the floor. I can strap them in, they can lean back and play with some toys and I don't have to stay right there. I'm very excited I figured this out today!

My Quotable Kid

I just saw this in the Paper Source (although you can order it from any book store) and thought it would make a great gift. It's My Quotable Kid, a journal that you can use to keep track of funny things your kids say. It has a place to pu other details too like age, place or pics. Very cute.

Bootylicious!

I got on it. A scale. You know, one of those big old doctor's office scales. Then, I moved the big scary black bar over and over and over until it finally leveled out at...one hundred and you need to start working out. My twins are just about four months old, so it's time for me to face the music. I have some baby weight to loose. Now, I had a healthy chest size pre-pregnancy and now I'm breastfeeding two babies. So, I could say that about 10 lbs is in my boobs, right???!! I swear it feels like 10 lbs!

Anyway, I headed over to the local YMCA and signed-up to slim down. Now, I wasn't one of those preggos that felt all glowy and alive with the sound of music working out every day. I was the preggo puking EVERY morning until 17 weeks and then I got so big (14 lbs of baby by the end) that I could almost tie my shoes. What I'm getting at is that this body hasn't moved faster than a brisk walk in a very long time.

But, I got myself pumped up, made a play list for my ipod, got two new sports bras (to wear at the same time...yeah I need two) and headed to the gym. I decided to start slow with a short run on the treadmill.

Here's where the title of my post comes in. Do you know the song Bootylicious by Destiny's Child? Do you remember the line "I don't think you're ready for this jelly?" Jelly. The word takes on a whole new meaning to me now and no, I was not ready for it. Within 10 seconds of running on the treadmill all I could feel was jiggling and a lot of it!!! Seriously, I don't know how the guy behind me didn't fall off his treadmill from laughter. Really, I'm not kidding...somehow a giant tub of jelly got attached to my ass and two more on my thighs.

I guess I was in denial about my jelly. Don't get me wrong, I lost quite a bit of baby weight right away from breastfeeding, but I still have a ways to go to feel comfortable with my body even though it is forever changed. But, the bottom line is I'm working on it and I'm going to embrace it as being bootylicious while I'm slowly shedding that jelly. And, yes, I do have the song on my playlist.

Now, if the treadmill could only take care of those tire tracks on my stomach!!!!!!!!!!

If you are a new mommy and need some workout motivation, here are some songs that keep me going. Do you have any good workout song suggestions for me?

Bootylicious - Destiny's Child
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z/Alicia Keyes
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
I Got a Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
Single Ladies - Beyonce
Cowboy Casanova - Carrie Underwood
Evacuate the Dance Floor - Casada

YOU Having a Baby

If you are a fan of Dr. Oz, he has a new book out for preggos...YOU Having a Baby

Etsy Kids

I've been a fan of Etsy for quite a while, but I just recently realized they have an Etsy Kids site. Check it out for unique homemade gifts.

Dwellstudio Books

I ventured out to Target this weekend to pick up a few things and came across these beautiful books by Dwellstudio. I've been a fan of Dwellstudio for a while. Their store has beautiful things for babies and adults and I love their line of baby bedding/blankets/toys/clothes at Target. Well, now they have these books to add to the mix. They are great for babies and lovely to look at and read to them. A set of these would make a great baby gift. I also checked online and you can get the books at Toys R US and Barnes & Noble.

Ivory & Moss

I am pretty jealous because my friend Laura just got a pair of shoes from Ivory & Moss for her daughter Elsie. I've seen the site on Etsy before and drooled over the shoes. I checked out the site again when Laura reminded me about it and saw that they also have cute headbands too. Elsie got the cute red shoes above. Check out those boots!!

ittikid.com

Another good recommendation from Jenny. Ittikid.com is a site with great unique baby items. This Scandinavian store offers beautiful clothes, accessories and even some non-baby items for mom and dad. I especially like this shop for the baby boy items since I have found it pretty hard to find cute boys clothes. These were my favorite baby items.

Bottoms Up!

My friend Jenny (one of my preggo friends) sent me a link to Hello World Clothing Company and they have the coolest baby onesie. I love it! Zips from top down OR bottom up. First of all, any onesie with a zipper is a plus in my book, but a bottom up zipper...that's just exciting! Seriously though, the zipper at the bottom would come in very handy for the middle of the night changes those first few months. AND, they are super cute!

Bumper or No Bumper

Everyone knows about the bumper/no bumper debate. Well, we decided to go with no bumpers on our cribs. The babies have been fine in their cribs (they were in the same crib until 2 1/2 months). But, our son has always moved around quite a bit and the other morning we went in to get him and found this. He is in a sleep sack and he had his legs between the bars. We were not sure whether or not to be concerned or to laugh. We mostly think it's pretty funny and I'm not going to put in a bumper because of this. But, a bumper would keep his little legs safe and sound.

Mamabargains...Hot Item!

I really like Mamabargains and their daily deals. There's a good one right now. I've seen a stoller on there from time to time and today it's the SKY stroller. It's normally $500 and it's on Mamabargains for $230.

Uncommon Goods

I've been on the Uncommon Goods site before and loved it, but I just got a catalog in the mail for the first time and it reminded me to check them out again. I looked at the kids products and found lots of cute stuff. Here is what is pictured above:

Newborn Frame
Animal Bookends
Animal Hampers
Diaper Pin Wall Hook
Sock Monkey Blanket

Check them out!

Painting the Crib...Awesome Idea

I really wish I would have seen some pics of painted cribs or thought of the idea before we did our nursery. I absolutely love our nursery, but I REALLY love the idea of a painted crib. I think the two cribs above are awesome. I would have had a tough time deciding between the gold metallic and a fun bright color. The gold metallic crib pic is from the blog Urban Grace and the yellow crib pic is from Odeedoh. Can one of my preggo friends please do a painted crib so I can live vicariously through you?

I heart You!

My friend Jenny is pregnant with identical twins (YAH!)! It is sometimes hard for me to contain my excitement over the fact that one of my best girlfriends is having twins...just ask my husband how much I talk about it!

Jenny is thinking about purchasing a fetal heart monitor as gift for her hubby so he can listen to the little twinkies any time he wants. She was doing some research and found that there are some pretty cheap monitors on the market. The one above is from target and is $20.

Did anyone buy one/use one? Thoughts? Did they work ok? Was it a good buy? Did you use it frequently?

Elephant Toes

We received several very nice personalized items for the babies and one of my favorites was a set of burp cloths from my friend Alison. She purchased them from Elephant Toes. They have so many beautiful things. The burp cloths are almost to pretty to use! I will definitely be ordering some gifts from Elephant Toes!

Lilgrams

A friend of a friend created the site Lilgrams. It's a way of communicating special moments, stories, pics and videos about your children to family and friends. I am just starting to navigate through the site and learn more about it. You can have a 30 day free trial if you are interested.

Minted - Great Designs on Paper

I saw Minted mentioned in Real Simple magazine and checked out the site. As many of you know I am a huge fan of Tiny Prints, but I really like the invites on this site. Here are a few of my favorites

Kids CDs You Will Like Too

I have received lots of CDs as baby gifts which I have loved. My husband and I both love music and want to play lots of it for the twinkies. I hope it helps them develop a love for dancing and I have my fingers crossed that they have my rhythm and not my husbands! Here are two of my absolute favorites. Nicky's Jazz for Kids and Rockabye Baby Lullaby Renditions of U2. I also just found out that the Rockabye Baby cds are a series and you can get lullaby renditions of Coldplay, The Beatles and Bob Marley. Who knew?

Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay

My friend Maria gave me this great book, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. It's a hilarious read for new moms. Here's the book description:

The moment the second line on the pee stick turns pink, women discover they've entered a world of parenting experts. Friends, family, colleagues, the UPS delivery guy -- suddenly everybody is a trove of advice, much of it contradictory and confusing. With dire warnings of what will happen if baby is fed on demand and even direr warnings of what will happen if he isn't, not to mention hordes of militant "lactivists," cosleeping advocates, and books on what to worry about next, modern parenthood can seem like a minefield.

In busy Mom-friendly short essays, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay delivers the empathetic straight dirt on parenting, tackling everything from Mommy & Me classes ("Your baby doesn't need to be making friends at three months old -- you do! But not with people you'll meet at Mommy & Me") to attachment parenting ("If you're holding your baby 24/7, that's not a baby, that's a tumor"). Stefanie Wilder-Taylor combines practical tips with sidesplitting humor and refreshing honesty, assuring women that they can be good mothers and responsibly make their own choices. A witty and welcome antidote to trendy parenting texts and scarifying case studies, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay provides genuine support, encouragement, and indispensable common-sense advice.

Stefanie also has a blog, Baby on Bored. Check it out for a good laugh.

Stella and Dot

My BFF gave me the best birthday gift a few weeks ago, a necklace from Stella and Dot. It has three charms. Two initial charms and one birthstone charms for the babies. I absolutely love it and wear it almost every day! Stella and Dot really has a lot of beautiful pieces. I added a few pieces I loved above.

Head Above Water

It's been almost three months since Max Alan Cranley and Tessa Louise Cranley were born and I finally feel like I have things under control. Well, really that I just have my head above water. It has been an amazing experience having twins, but very very hard too!

I'm going to try and get back to posting good baby finds as I learn what I like, what works and what's just plain fun/cute. I'll start with my top ten for the first three months. These are products that we have really liked and some that have been life savers. What are your favorite products for the first three months?

Safety 1st Bathtub - fits perfectly in a sink separated down the middle and has drainage holes so no overflowing
Black on White Book - the babies could focus on these images within the first couple of weeks
Carter's Velour Sheets - so soft you will never use anything else
Mam Bottles - these were a recommendation from my sister-in-law and the babies love them
Mam Pacifiers - babies took these very easily from day one
Graco Pack n Play - this one was a lifesaver because of the vibrating bed. Puts the babies right to sleep
Gymini Play Mat - Both babies fit on this and there is lots to look at. They love it!
Medela Sterilization Bags - Great for cleaning when you don't want to run the dishwasher every night (when it's not full)
Aden & Anais Swaddles - These work great because they are huge. The babies quickly grow out of all other swaddles on the market. We only used these for the first month an a half, but when we did use them, they did the trick. Cheapest at Target.
Kolcraft Contours - Because we have twins, it was hard to pick a stroller that met all our needs...this one does

Light Dimmer for Any Lamp!

So, this isn't fancy or cute...but it is a fabulous idea! I read that having a light that has a dimmer in your nursery would be very helpful for nightime feedings and soothings, so I went to Ikea to see what type of lamps I could find with dimmers. Well, they don't have that many. BUT, what they do have is 100 times better.

This is the Ikea Dimma. It's a cord that you can attach to any lamp and you in seconds you have a lamp with dimmer. I bought one (and should have purchased several) for $7.99, brought it home and plugged the lamp in the nursery into it and it works great! Basically, you plug the Ikea Dimma into the wall and then, plug your lamp cord into the back of the Dimma plug. I need to remember to pick up a few more as this would be a nice feature for lamps in any room.

Who knew it would be that easy to make any lamp dim???

Custom Chalk Board Paint

I initially didn't want to hang anything on the walls above our cribs, so I was thinking of different options so the walls didn't look so bare. I kept thinking about chalkboard paint. Maybe three circles for the babies initials, but I didn't want black circles...and the schoolhouse green chalk board paint definitely wouldn't go in the room. I kept thinking, I wish I could get chalk board paint in custom colors.

Well...you can! Not only can you buy chalkboard paint in 24 beautiful colors from Hudson Paint, apparently, you can make your own. You can find instructions to make your own on Martha Stewart's site, on Apartment Therapy's site, or a bunch of other sites online if you just google it.

Mobile

I just purchased this mobile. We don't have too many "stimulating" toys yet, so I thought we should have at least one. Everything in the nursery is pretty calm and understated color wise, so I thought this would be great for the babies to stimulate their visual activity. It's cute and it attaches to the crib, so we don't have to figure out how to hang something from the ceiling. It comes with 10 double sided black and white cards and 10 color cards. I purchased it from Giggle...a great modern baby products site.

Baby Update

For the two of you who read this blog, sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I have been busy getting things ready for our twins. They should be ready to come out and join the world in two weeks or less! We can't wait. I'm certainly ready for them to join us! I'm getting pretty impatient these last few weeks, so I'll try to pass the time by posting a few more things before the big day. I probably won't be posting too much after that for a while. Hopefully, I won't loose the few readers I have!!

Great Baby Blog

My very stylish friend Jenny sent me a link to this very stylish baby blog called Kenzie Poo. It's very cute and you can find a lot of great ideas for your babies room on this blog. Check it out!