Milestones Are Expensive.

More baby gear. It never ends, I fear. Each milestone has a price tag and this month several of them have come all at once: first "big boy" shoes, next step in carseats, next and last size in cloth diapers, a shiny new ergonomic red potty chair, and some other fun "kind of needs" that I sneakily threw in to get free shipping (a whale faucet cover and bath toy storage).

It's funny how having children creates a never-ending need for stuff. And we try not to overdo stuff--we try to minimalize, we try not to pork out with overconsumption, we try to recycle, reduce and reuse. I love craig's list. But you never can be sure that a carseat hasn't been in a wreck, and a used potty, well, we won't even go there.

So, today was necessary--the stuff buying, it was needed . . . and it was a day that I got to gear up again with many firsts (shoes, potty) and lasts (cloth diapers) for my very quickly growing little dude.

Toys For Tots.

With the holidays ever-so-rapidly approaching and Black Friday just a sneeze away, it's never too early to start pondering what's going to adorn the underside of your tree come Christmas Eve. Since we are going to be celebrating both Noah's first birthday and Christmas 3,000 miles away in North Carolina, I have had to start buying and shipping any presents we'd like to give him already--we leave in just under two weeks--oie!

When you are shopping for your kiddo this holiday season, here are a few things to keep in mind while strolling the toy aisle:

• Try and seek out natural, wooden and green toys --they are good for kids and for the planet. Not only do they promote positive childhood development but they are made under sustainable practices.
• Buy toys that are made of reclaimed or recycled plastic using environmentally-sound practices--toys that are finished with vegetable or other natural dyes, polished with beeswax, painted with water-based and non-toxic paints, or retain their natural, unfinished beauty.
• Avoid toys overloaded with sounds, gadgets, etc. Natural, simple toys promote positive childhood development through play. They encourage children to think and use their imagination -- thereby stimulating their intelligence and natural curiosity.

While pregnant with Noah I did some research on why selecting natural toys is so important and I, of course, wrote a blog about it here. My photography skills weren't quite what they are now, but sans the photo, the info. is compelling enough.

Here are a few sites that has made finding beautiful natural toys on the internet a whole lot easier:

• Enfant Terrible: Incredibly French and oh-so-hip
  
• Oompa Toys: huge selection of green and wood toys, as well as, free shipping over $65.00
• Wild Dill: achingly cute organic and fair trade dolls and animals and a large selection of toys that encourage imaginative play
• Child Trek: large selection of wooden Haba and Plan toys
• The Little Seed: a local Los Angeles haunt of mine that has a great online selection too--and it's owned and operated by none other than Punky Brewster herself
  
• Plan Toys: a Thai-based company with incredibly made wooden toy instruments--the drum and xylophone are household favorites
• The Playstore: great selection of Waldorf toys
  
• MiYim: great for your littlest one--beautiful plush animals
• Camden Rose: incredible hand carved wooden toys--Noah has a rattle that remains a favorite teether
• Little Wonderland: large selection of wooden toys made in the USA
• Etsy: don't forget about this little gem--it's an internet marketplace for all things (not just toys) handmade right here in the USA by crafty people just like you and me
  

Happy shopping--and remember, less is more. Giving from the hands and heart is always more meaningful than from the wallet.

When Challenges Are Challenging.

Noah has been challenging during these last two weeks. Getting him to eat, getting him to sleep, getting him to stay asleep, getting him to play independently if even only for a few minutes, have all been insurmountable challenges during these last two weeks.

I am sure that there is a very good explanation for it all--perhaps teething, perhaps a growth spurt, perhaps this new heat wave following a deliciously fall rain has got him feeling down. I am sure that there is a very good explanation.

Reminding myself of that helps. And then there are times when it doesn't: In the dark of the night when my nipple is being turned into pâté from yet another hour of sucking, when he is wide awake at 5:00 a.m. hanging from the headboard squealing and squawking after another sleepless night, when he hasn't napped for 9 hours and clearly needs to sleep, when he won't go to bed at night when clearly he is tired, when he is hanging over the side of his highchair letting every ounce of what just went into his mouth dribble out all over the floor, when he is hollering--not crying--at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason, when he is hanging on my legs whining because I have put him down just to pee.

Gear that I would recommend all expectant parents to be equipped with in time for junior's arrival is, patience. And, unfortunately it's baby gear that's not for sale. You can't find it used on craig's list, purchase it with a Babies "R" Us giftcard from Granny, or get it handed down from a sister or friend--no, you've gotta dig real deep down to the tips of your toes to find it, scrape as much of it together that you can possibly gather and use it real wisely. Stock up on it. Put some away for safe keeping. Because you just might run thin during weeks like these.

It Ain't Easy Being Green.

I muttered these words like a manic mantra under my breath today during the two hours and change that I wasted trying to find a store that sold cloth diapers in the "great" metropolis of Los Angeles. And, guess what? I came up bare bottomed.

It ain't easy being green . . . in L.A., anyway. That's right, a city of almost 10 million people hasn't managed to muster up a few square feet of floor space devoted to moms who are making a concerted effort at ridding the world's landfills of chemical coated and synthetic gel filled poo pants. Yet, there are more farmer's markets and biodiesel peace bugs than I can shake my diaper pail at.

This past weekend, we lazed away our Sunday afternoon in a snugly lush valley just an hour northeast of here . . . among burning sage, drum circles and barefooted dred daddies bouncing vegan tots on their naked knees. So why, in a west coast city of this size and "perceived" embracement of everything natural and eco, is finding cloth diapers sans the internet so hard to do?

We had been ordering all of our cloth diapering supplies from a mom and pop venture out of Portland, Oregon called Babyworks, since Noah was born. The Owner, Pauline, walked me through the daunting dance of being a new parent and cloth diaper doer with gentle skill. Just the mere thought of venturing out into the world to discern one colorful all-in-one from a waterproof pocket diaper was simply too much to bear during those early months. We had many a long telechat. But now those supplies of early are growing much too tight for the buns and tummy of our sprouting little greenie and we yearn for fresh dooty duty gear.

I, too, am finally ready to physically branch out into the wide expansive universe of reusables and want to peruse the many varieties there are for the pickins'--with my hands, my fingers, my eyes--with all of my five senses, I want to shop. One of the many reasons we chose cloth diapering was to circumvent the wasted energy and resources used for the production, packaging, shipping, etc. of disposables. We longed to buy local. After all, we figured, how hard would it be to find cloth diaper supplies in a city where plenty is it's middle name? But, discovering only one diaper cleaning service in the suburb of Pasadena that was so sub par we decided to scrub our own hemp prefolds should have been more than a subtle clue.

As my search dismally dead ended today at a few wrong numbers of bygone baby stores, I once again had to turn to my trusty mouse and keyboard to quell my cloth diaper yearning. So, Heather and Shannon at the Cloth Diaper Outlet in Springfield Oregon, thank you for making cloth diapering supplies readily available to us lowly residents here in the city of Angels. Apparently, this city's little angels poop in plastic.

Can't Live Without, Or Always Leave Without.

I have noticed that baby gear talk frequently dominates my various mom group conversations. Whether it be bib babble, carrier comparison, or diaper debates, us mamas always go ga ga for gear. And it is no surprise that we do, either. Other than our babies, there are not many other things that we spend as much time with during the first year, than the things that we use to care for our babies.

So, as a way to provide what is hopefully valuable information to my fellow gear-monger-mommy readers while still managing to dish out Noah news for family, I've decided to start another series of posts called "Can't Live Without, Or Always Leave Without". In these posts I will dish out my two cents--more or less give my humble opinion about--gear that we have used and/or have owned (how it washed . . . or didn't wash, how it assembled . . . or fell apart, how Noah loved it . . . or hated it).

Each item will either be deemed as "can't live without"--because of its ability to in some way make caring for our little Noah Finn a little rosier and we, therefore, never leave the house without it--or "always leave without"--because of its inability to in some way impress us and we, therefore, always leave it at home.

I hope that this series will provide moms, both new and savvy, a little glimpse of other products that they may want to try or buy.

So, check back soon for my first post of the series, and please share your thoughts and own gear experiences . . . because, as a mom, I am always up for good gear gab!

I Heart Antilop.

So, after much feverish pondering for the better part of a month, Dean and I finally decided to simply *splurge* and purchase the Antilop highchair from IKEA this weekend. Well, Dean was actually working so I went with my friend Asami and her little one, Kai. But Dean was in on the decision as much was discussed beforehand.

Kai, who is nearly 18 months old has this chair and the rather spendy Stokke Tripp Trapp--and Asami simply swears by the IKEA bargain. If Asami's glowing recommendation wasn't enough to seal the deal, the review on Droolicious.com called "7 Days Of Highchairs", certainly was.

Once I recovered from pouting away my dreams at a Svan chair purchase, I must say, so far so good with the Antilop. Shelling out a whopping $25.00 ($19.99 + $5.00 for the tray) for simple modern efficiency that's easy to clean is enough for me to make the drive out to the valley on a sultry Saturday afternoon . . . anytime. And, our little foodie simply cannot get enough of it!

The Grandparents Sadly Go.

Grandma and Grandpa left today following their eight day visit and we honestly hated to see them go. Mom and Dad were incredible! Having them here was such a pleasure as Dean and I were able to take a much needed siesta from endless loads of laundry, cooking, cleaning and bathing, changing . . . you get the picture . . . little Noah Finn. On top of all of that, I am not sure how we managed to pack in rest, relaxation and tons of "firsts" for Noah like fun outings to Manhattan beach, the La Brea Tar Pits, hiking in Bronson Canyon, shopping at the Grove and Babies "R" Us (of course), the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, Daddy's recording studio, a beer brewery and even an Ethiopian restaurant--but we managed to nonetheless.

In addition, we also gave quite a bit of our baby gear a "test run". Here's a rundown: the Hot Sling: hated it!, the Baby Bjorn: loved it!, the Organic Baby Comfort Swing: the jury is still out!, the Bumbleride Stroller: loves it when he's not demanding to be held instead!, the Skip Hop Space Play Mat: the jury is still out!.

Visits like these truly remind me of how fortunate I am to have a loving family--and how difficult it can be during special times like these to be so very far away from them.

We have many great pictures from the visit--check them out on our flickr page!

Tomorrow, my best friend from my college days at ECU, Jessica, arrives to pick up where my parents left off. So, I'm sure we'll be reporting new Noah Finn adventures from her visit very soon!

Bunking With Baby Is Not So Bad.

We've been busily preparing our new little roommate's living space--gently and tastefully trying to blend together mommy, daddy, baby and kitty areas.

Thanks to Oma, for the beautiful crib, mom, the stunning changing table and friends and family, for all of the other goodies that we will use to provide tender, loving care.

Typically, I'm not a huge fan of bannering out baby's name with big chunky nursery letters--but the ones hanging over the changing table were an exception the moment I saw them. They were made from beautifully and authentically distressed wood taken from disassembled and then recycled railroad ties in India!

The only thing missing now is little Noah Finn! Until then, Miles and Linus are doing an aggravatingly good job of keeping all of the new snugly baby stuff warm while they nap.