We are tickled PINK!!

Eloise Lane Harrison made her debut on July 12th. I don’t think anyone has stopped smiling since her arrival.

First picture

LolliPop and Eloise

5 days old

We are all pretty smitten…..

Baby’s Barista

Even though this product is not for me. I found it too cool not to share.

Reason #1: If you know my husband, you know that he drinks coffee like it is going out of style. We currently have three different coffee pots on our kitchen counter plus one coffee grinder and a giant sack of Starbuck’s French Roast coffee beans that no matter how many times I put them up, they always find there way back out. I do not need one more appliance sitting out on the counter.

Reason #2: If you know me, you know that I have NEVER warmed a bottle in my life. I either make them with room temperature tap water or serve them to the babies straight out of the refrigerator. None of my children have seemed to mind either method and I have to admit that the bottle warming (or lack thereof) has come from sheer laziness on my part. I am going to start breastfeeding the new babe, but when it comes time for the bottle, you can bet that they will be served lukewarm to cold.

I am sure most of you out there may not agree with this method and so that is why I am blogging about a new product I found. If you are going to warm a bottle…. this looks like the way to do it.

Beaba, the makers of the uberchic Babycook Baby Food Maker (again, not something I have done) have recently come out with the Bib’expresso bottle and baby food warmer. This hot little gadget’s unique water flow mixes powdered formula quickly, reducing air bubbles and eliminating hot spots.

According to the manufacturer, here is the benefits of the Bib’expresso:

• Bottle preparation in 30 seconds.
• Safe - The bottle is always at the right temperature thanks to direct water control
• Practical - direct water flow mixes the powder formula and helps ensure more even temperature
• Easy to Use - just one hand required to prepare the bottle
• Removable, ultra-compact bottle and food warmer can be used anywhere
• Microwavable sterilizer/bottle storage compartment included. Can hold up to three 10 ounce (300 ml) bottles. Protects sterilized bottles from light and dust and keeps them handy and ready to use when preparing baby's bottle.
• Self-cleaning steam system for in-depth cleaning of the device.
• BPA-free.

Sounds pretty cool!

Balance Bikes

I was searching online this morning for a tricycle for Jack for his second birthday. I didn’t get very far into my search when I came across balance bikes. I have never even heard of these, but after watching several videos on YouTube, it seems like it might be the way to go. They are actually touted as pre-bikes and do not have pedals. The thought is that traditional bicycles place too much of the focus on learning to pedal--skimping on developing your child's motor skills. According to the Strider website, there are no "tricycle tip-overs" or "training-wheel wobbles" to create a fear, hesitancy, or dislike of bike riding.

Pictured below are the top three balance bikes on Amazon.

Strider, $99.00

Smart Gear, $71.00

Skuut, $68.56

Does anyone have one of these? Which one do you recommend?

Charlie’s 5th Birthday

Charlie doesn’t turn five until July 18th, but with Baby Harrison arriving in less than 10 days, I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and have the birthday party early.

The 100 degree heat didn’t bother the kids who had fun swimming, jumping in the bounce house, riding the Ferris wheel, and running around the yard with sparklers.

Unfortunately, these are the best pictures I got of the two monkeys before the party.

The cookies on top of the cupcakes were made by Country Cookies by Jamie, I filled the push up pops with brownie bits and vanilla icing and the cake was picked up the day of the party at Kroger.

Raspberry lemonade and water with blueberries filled the beverage dispensers.

Outside tables were covered in brown paper and buckets filled with crayons, flags, and pinwheels served as centerpieces.

Sparklers!!

Party Favors were water rockets.

And a few pictures of the party people…. I wish I would have taken more!!

Happy Birthday Charlie!!!