Quinn and I recently attended BabyLegs’ Spring 2011 photoshoot, as they needed some cute little legs to model the newborn leg warmers, and we were happy to oblige.  Here’s more about our experience and some other pictures from that day:

Here is Quinn with a dad (not her dad, a model dad.  He was a pro with her as he is a dad himself).

There were also shots of her with a mom (like me, only WAY more model-like) and an adorable little girl.

Here’s a photo of Quinn’s little friend at the hair and make up station before this shot was taken:

The shots of Quinn by herself required some self-sacrifice on my part.  Click here for a video that shows the behind the scenes action.

Yes, I'm lying on the floor to prop her up!

Here's a resulting photo

SO MANY adorable little kids that did such a great job!

Thank you to all of the great models and parents!

BabyLegs favorites like orange/aqua and rainbow are available now in both Newborn and original sizing and are 10% off this week.  Spring 2011 designs will be available in January!

Cheers, Amy

After a requisite hunkering down with a new baby, there comes a time to get oneself out of the house.  This has been a gradual process for us, starting with walks around the neighborhood and a quick trip to the store for a missing ingredient.  Only now,  two months later, are we attempting longer errands and meeting people for coffee and such.  Why did it take so long?  And why does it continue to be so difficult sometimes?

One reason is that life is still very unpredictable, particularly when it comes to feeding: we don’t have a set feeding schedule yet.  There is still cluster feeding on some days, which can lead to screaming bloody murder in the produce department, even though I just fed her and I am sure I have a couple of hours to get things done.

Another reason that we have stayed in is that I was wary about my frumptastic appearance.  My hair color had grown out and I was sporting a perma-pony tail.  I was stuck in maternity clothes that I was SICK of.  (My mommy uniform had consisted of a nursing tank top, maternity jeans that were falling down, and a hooded sweatshirt.  Every day.  Lather, rinse, repeat.)  And I’m not even going to bore you with my anxiety about the extra 20 pounds.  While I have been lucky not to have experienced serious post partum depression, I was still suffering from low confidence.  I finally went in and got my hair re-colored and cut and purchased some reasonably-priced transitional clothes at the gap that I’m not embarassed about.  Something about suiting up in clothes that fit and a teeny bit of makeup to cover up the undereye circles- now I feel confident and ready to bump into people I know.

Quinn asleep in the stroller with our all-weather Woobee

Finally, I am just figuring out what to bring with us and how to manage an infant in public spaces.  I always bring our Woobee blanket, and it has been handy when we’ve been caught in the rain and to keep Quinn cozy in her stroller and car seat when it’s chilly.  BabyLegs leg warmers are always in the diaper bag of course, in case she needs an extra layer or has a diaper blow-out.  And way more diapers and wipes than you ever think you’ll need.  Feeling comfortable nursing in public and changing diapers wherever has also been an adjustment, though it turns out that nobody really  seems to notice much or mind.

So, we hope to see you out and about.  If you bump into me, I promise to have the confidence not to shrink off in the other direction, as long as you don’t give me dirty looks if Quinn is hungry or has a wet diaper!

It is a total understatement to say that I love being a mom.  It’s the best, most amazing thing ever.  Somehow, even when I barely get any sleep, am covered in spit-up, am constantly changing diapers, and am walking around for HOURS soothing hiccups and trying to get Quinn to sleep, the good still manages to outweigh the challenging.

An unhappy Quinn

And the last couple of weeks have definitely been challenging!  There have been a lot of “frequency days” full of nursing, as often as every two hours some days.  Diapers have mostly succeeded, but there have been a few really messy failures.  And her hiccups are the worst.  Internet research and the dozens of baby books we have all say that hiccups don’t really bother babies and will go away on their own.  Well, they bother our baby and I have a hard time believing that she is the first.  They often last 30-40 minutes and are usually uncomfortable enough to lead to crying and fussing. It also turns out that the fussy evenings (the legendary “witching hour”) are not just a rumor; they’re real.  We’ve only threatened to put her up for adoption a couple of times, which given the challenges, I think is pretty good.

A much happier Quinn

Fortunately for all of us, she has matched all of the challenges will some serious cuteness.  She is now flashing adorable smiles, complimented by heart-melting gurgles and coos.  I’m not historically a sentimental sort, so who knew that I could be such a sucker for the baby cuteness, but I’ve fallen hard for this little bean with monk hair.

Our continued happiness may hinge on being able to find a cure for the hiccups though, if a cure exists.  If you have any ideas- please let me know!

My mom has been a godsend.  Seriously.

First, I got mastitis.  I was in a fever-haze for a couple of days while I figured out what was going on and while the antibiotics kicked in.  Mom swooped in to provide extra help with Quinn so that I could literally just sleep and feed Quinn.  Then, the hubs was out-of-town for work the following week and mom saved the day again, coming to stay with us for four days.  Could be the extensive baby-soothing experience, or just the willingness to do whatever needs to be done.  Could be that there is nobody like your mother to take care of you when you need it.  Either way, grandma is super helpful and great to have around.  Let’s hope that she comes back real soon.  And thanks, mom.  You’re the best!