Today I posed this quick question to Wishpot’s Mom and Dad Experts, they could give their answer in the media of their choice. Here’s what they gave me:
How did you make the decision to find out the gender of your baby ahead of time or to be surprised?
Here are their answers:
I’m an organizational freak so the question to find out was a no brainer on all 3 kids. I had to be very well prepared…basically I don’t like surprises. So, all three times, our babies were happy to show off what they were at ultrasound time! Mom Expert Dana
This is one of the things I let my husband decide. I was experiencing everything, I thought it would be an awesome way to get him involved. He decided to find out ahead of time. We loved calling each baby by their name while they were still in the womb. Mom Expert Susan
Finding Out the Gender on 12seconds.tv Mom Expert Jenna
There was never a question about finding out the sex for any of our kids. The first time, I was so antsy I was going nuts waiting for the 20-week ultrasound. It wasn’t because I cared, but just because I wanted to know. My husband was pretty eager to find out, too. With the twins, I was surprised to learn later isn’t always better. Often times, twins crowd each other so much that you can’t tell the sex. But we were able to find out we were having one boy and one girl, which was too much fun to shop for. Mom Expert Kelby
Mom Expert Dawn
We couldn’t decide on a girl’s name, but we had the boy’s name all picked out very early on. So when it came time to find out the sex of the baby, we knew we could save ourselves a lot of stress and arguing
if we knew we were having a boy. Turns out, he was basically sitting on the ultrasound thing so it was very obvious, even to our untrained eyes, that we were having a boy. Good thing we wanted to know! Mom Expert Sandie
That’s easy. I *hate* surprises 
Mom Expert Amber
I was so anxious about becoming a new parent that I felt I had to know my first time. Hubby didn’t so we made a deal - we find out this time and keep it a surprise next time. We did just that so we got to experience it both ways. I’m glad we did! Mom Expert Jill
I am a control freak, and I really don’t like surprises. I figured there would be enough surprises about the birth that I didn’t need to leave that as a surprise too. And it was nice, it allowed us to come up with a name, decide on decorating, let family know how to manage gifts and clothes, etc, that it was nice to have that one piece of information. Mom Expert Jenny
It was a unanimous decision between hubby and I to find out the gender of our children before they were
born. Both times we were told by the 12 week of pregnancy that we were expecting a boy. I have always wanted to have boys to carry on the family name. I used both the Chinese Gender prediction chart/ Western ovulation charting methods coupled with what we have learnt from books on how to tune our diet (both for the male and female) to increase the chance of conceiving a male. It was 100% accurate on both attempts. Next planned pregnancy will take more careful planning as we are hoping for a girl in 2010. Mom Expert Dominique
We waited 7 years after getting married to make the decision to start having kids, so everything was planned. Both of us were working at the time, so we needed every minute to prepare the rooms and get everything ready at home. We found out the gender of the baby as soon as we could. I had the doctor/nurse make sure to show me again every time we went back to make sure I wasn’t painting the room the wrong color! Dad Expert Jeremy
Being a planner, I couldn’t not know the sex of the baby. I HAD TO KNOW! As soon as possible. There were things to buy, a name to be chosen, a room to be decorated, and SO MUCH TO DO! I am so glad I found out, because when he was born we felt like we knew him. His name fit him so well, and everyone in
the extended family felt the same way because we had known who he was for so long. It worked out well for us! Mom Expert Faith
We’re the type of couple that tells each other where our Christmas gift hiding spots are and never peek. So for us, it was all about the "surprise" factor. Plus I didn’t want to miss out on all those baby gender prediction bets like the Drano Method (did), the wedding ring test (did) or the baby’s heart rate (never did). I’m laughing now that I think about all the crazy things people come up with to guess the baby’s gender! Mom Expert Julie
I knew before I ever got pregnant the first time that I wanted to know the gender of my babies. I’m terribly impatient about these things. I wanted decorate their rooms in pink or blue and know what kind of clothes to buy! I figure that there are enough "surprises" with a baby & I wanted to know his/her name by the time the baby came.
My oldest (my daughter, now 11), however, did NOT cooperate, showing only her little bum on the ultrasound and never revealing that she was a girl. I was convinced that she was a boy. So, convinced, in fact that when the midwife said, "It’s a girl!" I responded, "Are you sure?!" She assured me that she had been doing this a long time and she was almost always right!
My boys, on the other hand, were more than happy to "reveal themselves" right from the get-go! My daughter was so disappointed both times. She asked "Maybe it’s a girl and that was just her finger!" Mom Expert Buffi
Quick Question Thurs - 1 on 12seconds.tv Mom Expert Jen
I always get your email right after the deadline. Sorry! My answer - There was never a question! I’m a need to know control freak, so my husband didn’t get a vote. Poor guy. Here’s a wedding picture that’s symbolic of our whole life. Mom Expert Tara
When my twin boys were only 11 months old, and barely walking, I discovered that I was pregnant again. I was very surprised, a little overwhelmed, and a whole lot excited. This time I felt good and had lots of energy, very unlike my pregnancy with my twins. I pretty much knew that I was baking a baby girl, but my husband was sure we would have another boy, simply because only boys had been born in his family for over 100 years.
Fast forward to month 5 of the pregnancy - It was time for the ultrasound. I wanted to know for sure that our baby was, in fact, a girl, but my husband did not. We debated back and forth all through the first half of the ultrasound, up until the technician asked if we had made a decision. I said yes, my husband said no. The stinker.
Our technician suggested that she write the gender of our baby on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. This way, if we decided to find out, we could, in our own time. Great idea. We kept that piece paper, sealed in that envelope, for almost an entire month. On New Years Eve, surrounded by our friends and family, like any good parents, we took bets. Just as the clock struck midnight, we opened the envelope and discovered that we were having a GIRL! The satisfaction of knowing that I was right was reward enough, but to top it off, I won 10 bucks! Mom Expert Christine
Mom Expert Katja
Today’s guest
post is brought to you by Jessica McFadden, our Preschool Mom Expert!
She along with countless other female bloggers attended the Blogher 08
conference this year. I am so honored that she’s sharing her
experience with us! - Jessica, "WishMom"
****
BlogHer 2008 in San
Francisco was an amazing experience. The ground-breaking conference
series packed 1,000 writers into one of the world’s finest hotels for writing workshops, blogging
discussions, speakers, panels.
And parties. Lots of parties.
That provided swag. Loads of swag.
There were two large ballrooms full of vendors giving away freebies and
presents, as well as various intimate
suites and swaggy events for blogger networks,
all in the hopes of wooing us, the all-important female consumer.
I loved it. As a former marketing professional, current blogger and a
hard-working gal that paid my own way to the conference, it was incredible and
divine to be showered with love and tokens of affection. I felt like
Catherine Zeta-Jones, strolling through the swag suites, stopping to take
photographs and learn about new products.
My favorite swaggy goodies that I picked up? The Zivio Bluetooth Headset by Joby and
the reversible sling by
Mod Mum. But it’s hard to play favorites.
Check
out my Wishpot BlogHer Swag Wish List
for the complete run down of all the fabulous products showcased at
the conference. All items listed are products that I personally recommend, have
tested and hope that you enjoy!
Jessica McFadden writes A
Parent in Silver Spring, is a contributor to the DC Metro
Moms Blog, We Covet and is stoked to
be the Preschool
Expert on Wishpot.
I am actually all aflutter about doing back to school
shopping. I was disappointed that stores still had summer clothes in mid-July,
and I was irked that I couldn’t find my daughter’s school supply list at
Wal-Mart yet. I know that sounds a little crazy. There is a reason I am so
worked up. This is the first time I will be going back to school shopping for
someone besides myself, and I’m 35.
My daughter is a rising kindergartner, and I find that I am
eager to be a cool mom. Not in the lenient and indulgent sense. I just have
unpleasant flashbacks to back to school shopping of my own childhood. Let’s
just say it often involved having items mom called “cute,” “adorable” or
“precious” thrust upon me. You may not know me, but precious I am not and never
have been.
Worse yet, it was the 1980s and I still remember
not-so-fondly having my mom, quite impressed with her coolness, bringing home cheap
knock-off hot pink Chuck T. wannabes (translation: kid teasing inducers,
because kids can spot a coolness fake from a mile away). And sewing me a pair
of plaid culottes (ouch!). I also remember being crushed that my mom wouldn’t
spend $60 on Guess jeans. It was part of the reason I joined the work force in
my early teens.
I don’t have the money, or even the desire, to get my
5-year-old daughter designer school clothes and gear. But I do like the idea of
giving her some funky, fun and cool stuff as she enters the world of being
judged as to your level of coolness. I decided to recommend a list of Must-Haves for
Too-Cool Rising Kindergartners here on Wishpot. Let me know if you add a
back to school list here, because I’d love to see more mom recommendations.
Here are some tips on buying cool back to school stuff
without breaking the bank:
- Look for unique and handmade items at local boutiques or online at mom-owned
clothing and accessory shops. You don’t need to get your kids Lacroix to give them some style. I love Etsy, Skimbaco and Tote and Tee to find affordable but stylish back to school gifts for little ones. The best part? You can often support fellow moms, plus these are often handcrafted and of much better quality.
- You don’t have to buy a ton of unique or higher-priced items to make your kid look and feel stylish. Instead of spending mid-price on a lot of mediocre stuff, spend half your back to school budget splurging on special items. Spend the other half on budget buys, scouring for sales. I have found there are lots of really cute and cheap clothes and gear for kids at my local Target.
- Hit
eBay to find brand and designer name stuff at bargain basement prices. Sure, it may be a season old.
- Hit the sales racks of higher-priced children’s clothing shops for summer clothes on sale. For one thing, unless you live somewhere Arctic, your child will probably wear some summer clothes at the start of the year.
Also, you can retrofit summer clothes to become winter clothes (say a
sleeveless dress worn over a cheap discount store turtleneck and tights for girls, or a funky bowling shirt for a boy worn over a white long underwear shirt).
I know it is tough to even afford all this back to school
shopping. Luckily, my daughter’s supply list is short. I’ve seen some of the
lists for older kids, and I dread figuring out how to afford a full page worth
of supplies.
Are you looking for a little help in the realm of back to
school shopping? Enter the Type-A Mom Back
to School Contest for a chance to win a $140 prize pack to offset some of
those shopping costs. We will also hold a Back to School Bash for moms,
co-hosted by Type-A Mom and Mommy Talk, at 9 p.m. EST on August 16th
at Mommy Talk. If you’d like some more
advice and tips, check out the Type-A Mom
Back to School Survival Guide.
Kelby Carr is the Wishpot Type-A Mom Expert.
She is the operator of a network of parenting sites in which moms and dads can
share advice and earn money for doing it. Her sites include Type-A Mom, Foodie
Mama, Dadosphere and momShare, a Digg-like site just for moms.
Want more information about the featured products and the clothes and make-up Wishpot’s Chief Mom Officer, Jessica Smith, is wearing? Check out her Wishpot Baby TV Featured Products pick list and her What I’m Wearing on Wishpot TV pick list.
(As seen at NewBaby.tv)
Don’t get stuck with a frumpy wardrobe once your belly bump starts to show. It’s a no no to wear those “tent shirts” or clothing out of your husbands closet these days! There are so many modern and trendy maternity shops out there to choose from; all with stylish, chic prego clothing to fit any size, shape, personality, and budget. All I needed this last pregnancy: Ann Taylor Loft Maternity {for my professional side}, Old Navy Maternity {for my casual side}, Preggers N Proud {for my playful side}, and the generous supply 
of passed down pregnancy clothes from my fabulous friends {for everything else}!
YES, Ann Taylor Loft has maternity clothes! Same fab style you know and love, now in maternity wear. These outfits take you from the office, to drinks with friends {virgin daiquiri for you}, to play dates in the park; professional, trendy, casual, whatever your style.
Perfect on your budget; Old Navy Maternity clothes are hip and modern, and just as comfortable as their regular line of clothing! And so affordable! You will need those perfect, comfy maternity jeans; you will find them here!
Lovin’ My Buddha Belly! Preggers N’ Proud offers adorable maternity tops to help show off your expanding belly and make a statement at the same time! How many Hot Moms do we have out there??
And hopefully you also have some hand me downs from family and friends to finish off your wardrobe for the next 12 plus months {I added on a few months for post delivery…no, you will not be back into your old jeans straight out of the hospital, sorry} If you are the first to be pregnant in your circle, I found a fantastic children’s consignment shop that also sold maternity clothing {most with the tags still on}, check to see if there is one near you. You’re pregnancy wardrobe does not need to cost a fortune to still remain stylish!
Happy shopping!
–
Like this post? Get more at Babyluxe Daily!
Yay! Today is Quick Question Thursday!
I asked our Mom Experts the following question:
What has been your most embarrassing mommy moment thus far?
Here are their answers:
When Logan was a newborn in the NICU, I was so sleep deprived that I pumped breast milk for five whole minutes before realizing that I hadn’t attatched a bottle to the pump! I had pumped directly onto my lap and was soaking wet! Stephanie - Dandelion Momma
When my oldest was a year old, at Christmas Eve Mass {when of course it’s
PACKED in church}, he decided to go #2, loudly, at the quietest prayer
moment. MANY people heard and laughed, I was as red as can be! Dana - Babyluxe
First Sunday @ church with crying newborn + light blue shirt + 2 leaky boobs = entertainment for churchgoers and embarrassment for me! Jen - Networking Mom
So, so many… Most recent, picking my son up from summer school on his first day I decided to chat up some of the moms. All is well, I get into the car and look in the rearview mirrior. Note to all never ever grab a handful of blueberries as you leave the house. Susan - Lil Mom That Could
OMG - nearly dropping my baby when I fell asleep while nursing her in the middle of the night.
Melanie - Modern Mami
MonkeyBoy’s teacher called one day after school. Apparently, MonkeyBoy and another student ran out of the bathroom with their pants around their ankles pretending to pee on everyone. Yeah, my son got into a pee fight at school. Every adult in the school (teachers, janitors, the principal) now knows MonkeyBoy by name and face. Sandie - MacPea
Okay, off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything too public that I can share anyway….but this post DID come to mind from a few months ago. Buffi - SugarMommy
The story isn’t quick, but the link is. :) haha! Tara
Congratulations! You’re having a baby! Welcome to pregnancy, home to hormonally-induced sleeplessness, all-day morning sickness, the big belly bump and chocolate-covered tuna fish sandwich cravings! You’re going to love it here as much as I did. In fact, I loved it so much that I did it twice inside of two years! And now that I’m nine months post-partum, I have enough of my sanity restored to guide you ladies through what promises to be an interesting roller-coaster of a ride.
No One Said It Would Be Like This!
No one can prepare you for the wonderful world of pregnancy, since everyone has a different experience. But prepare for this – every post child-bearing woman and her aunt, mother and sister will tell you the tale of their time with child, and trust me, you just won’t care. Unless somehow relevant to your experience, chances are you’ll tune out even before the last of “let me tell you about when I was pregnant” are delivered. You have two choices: grin and bear it, or smile and excuse yourself with the pregnant woman’s finest excuse – you need to pee.
I’m Tired and I Just Don’t Wanna!
I was so tired during my last pregnancy that I rarely made it from breakfast to dinner without interruption. Being tired is almost unconscionable to us women, never mind those workaholic bosses who equate pregnancy to a minor inconvenience, a blip on your professional radar. Ladies – being tired while pregnant is a typical, normal symptom. Go ahead and treat the symptom with sleep. Don’t make excuses for it any more than you’d make excuses for sneezing from a cold. And to those woman who claim to be “so energized by pregnancy that I ran 5 miles daily” – you’re liars.
The Be-All End-All Baby Shower
You’ll undoubtedly get the call at some point between months 4 and 7 – your mother-in-law/sister-in-law/best friend wants to celebrate your unborn baby by throwing a party for you at a date that conveniences her at a place of her choosing. If you’re like me, you’ll want no part in this. If you’re not like me, you’ll agree to it anyhow, thus having a new event to angst over. After all, how will you negotiate the guest list, the menu, the time and date, all to your liking? You won’t, so once you come to terms with this fact, turn your attention to the real significance of such an event – the all-important GIFTS. Expect to receive many, but anticipate liking none. Lucky for you there are new ways to prepare for the receipt of baby gifts, like the invention of revolutionary Wishpot, a social shopping site which allows users to create registries and add items from any and every store on the Internet. So, relax and visit the baby experts registries (specifically MINE!) and lose the confusion. It’s all right there in black and white.
Relax!
Don’t get me wrong. The prospect of having a new baby is incredibly overwhelming, and rightly so. You’ll hear stories from every former new mama about the hardships of those first months, bleary-eyed and big-boobed, stroller-pushing and alone. Well hear this – I was one of those new moms who took fate into her own hands. Sure I was up umpteen times per night to feed an insatiably hungry baby who seemed to drink her weight at each feed. Sure I had no clue what I was doing and even if the being I was doing it for, cared. But in the interest of sanity, I took control of the situation before it took control of me. A few suggestions:
• Get home from the hospital, get settled, then join a local new-mom group. It’s never too soon (unless your pedi advises to stay home). We ventured to our first class just 11 days into this thing, and it was the best choice I made for myself. It got me out, gave me a network, and helped me build my confidence. Who says you can’t nurse a baby in a public place just days after learning how?
• Line up help. Mothers, sisters, best friends, baby nurses. Doesn’t matter who it is, just make sure you have a steady stream of help since you’ll want need a baby-free hour or two to bathe, rest and just tend to yourself every day.
• RELAX! While it seems like this foreign creature who has taken up residence in your home will be erratic and unpredictable forever, once you get to know each other a little bit, you’ll be hard-pressed to remember life before baby. And it’s true what “they” say, each month does get more fun.
Mom Expert Jill is Chief Mom Operator at www.AlexCaseyBaby.com. Inspired by the birth of Alexandra Casey, Alex Casey Baby was born out of a mother’s love for exceptional baby products.
Today’s guest blog post is brought to you by Shannan, Wishpot’s House of Boys Mom Expert. In her house, she’s outnumbered, so it is all about frogs and snails and puppy dog tails…everything little boys are made of!
One of the most fun and exciting times of new motherhood is taking your baby on her first excursions into the outside world. Before you were a mom, you could just grab your purse and go wherever you needed or wanted, without a second thought. For me, the change to having to plan my outings between feedings and naptimes, plus making sure that I had everything I needed packed in the diaper bag, was enough to nearly cause a panic attack.
More than once, I have thought to myself, “Oh, I’m just going out for a minute, I don’t need to take along diapers. He’ll be fine until we get home.” Without fail, I was strolling through the grocery store - twice¬ - and one of my kids had a nasty diaper blowout that required not only a change of clothes, but a full on bath. Of course, these were the few times I decided to venture out without a diaper bag, so my carts of groceries had to be abandoned while I left the store to go home and clean him up.
Another time that I was caught unaware, I swore that I had restocked the bottled water in my diaper bag after the last outing. My husband and I were sharing a car at the time and he dropped me off at my mother’s house to spend the day. I had my middle son, who was then three months old, along with me and I was thrilled to be out of the house. He didn’t do well with breastfeeding, so I had switched him to formula by this point. I went to make him a bottle and of course, no water. Mom lives 8 miles west of nowhere and has well water, so going straight from the tap was not an option. As her car was in the shop, we couldn’t go to the store, so my day was spent boiling and cooling water so that I could feed my ever-hungry baby. Not a good time!
My point in all this is always be sure that your diaper bag is stocked and ready to go, no matter how short your trip or how certain you are that you have everything you need. Restock when you get home to save yourself time if you need to rush out the door. Thinking ahead will save you some of the precious time that you have and keep you from experiencing “accidents” that will leave you running full-speed from a store to deal with an icky mess.
To help you make sure that you have everything you need, here is a list of things that you should keep in your diaper bag and replenish every time you leave the house:
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Washcloth (for bigger messes)
• Changing pad
• 2 changes of clothes for baby
• Feeding supplies (bottles, formula, water) if bottle feeding
• Burp cloths
• An extra shirt for you (trust me on this one)
• A blanket
• Small toys
• Pacifier (if you use one)
• Cell phone and emergency number list
You might have a list of things that you just cannot leave the house without, but this is a great base that will help you assure that you aren’t stuck with a disaster that you can’t handle when you go out with your new baby. Have fun and go with the flow! Remember that things will rarely go perfectly when going on an outing with a baby, so roll with the punches and enjoy it. They will be grown before you know it!
Want to read more from Shannon? Check out her blog From Cribs to Car Keys.
Interested in a laugh til to you pee but still educational and honest book about your upcoming or current pregnancy? I’m sure you’ve heard about it, it was the most recommended book by all my “girlfriends” through each of my pregnancies; I’ve read it twice, cover to cover!
The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine is such a refreshingly honest portrayal of the bond “girlfriends” have as they educate each other on what actually happens prior, during, and after pregnancy. The real life of a pregnant woman and her loved ones is nothing close to text book material. Each woman, each pregnancy is different, with surprises {which your doctor will probably never mention} around every corner! No fear though, this book with help you through it all, HONESTLY, and give you a whole bunch of laughs along the way!
My girlfriends and I have shared this book, passed down through several pregnancies. To say it is a “survival guide” is an understatement. This book comes very highly recommended, see for yourself; read the reviews out there! If this is your first pregnancy this book is a must; but even with my third, I still enjoyed every sentence, laughing out loud often, but still learning something along the way.
Make sure hubby reads it too! If anyone needs to know the real dirt behind any pregnancy, it’s the daddy!
———-
Mom Expert Dana from Babyluxe Daily loves Spring and flowers, enjoys eating out with her husband and a
good glass of wine, she’s an internet junky, a “beginner” fan of baseball
{as her 6 yr has just started}, and a firm believer to the “laid back”
approach to parenting!
 |
|
Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale is here! Friday July 18th! And for all of you that would prefer not to wait in line….I’ve got a useful tip for you
Nordstrom’s Biggest Sale of the Year starts ONLINE on Friday at 12:00 PM PST!
So really don’t worry about the line cause you just moved to the front of it!
 gift girl |
| |
|
|
|
