WIWHBT: Mademoiselle à SoHo Crop Top and Shorts

Precious summer perfection...the sky blue seersucker is to die for!  What a photo op it would be to capture the lil' ladies look running around in this outfit on a some bright green grass.  I stress the running, since this gear doesn't come small enough for my tots, but it is a lovely thought.  The prices are still outrageous even with Zulily's discount, but dang it IS cute!

UPDATE (after an hour of killing time while the girls nap): The more I look at this shirt the more I think it's quite possibly the sweetest thing ever.  I hate it when ideas/items stay stuck in my head...

WIWHBT: I Dream of Johnny Bodysuits

Before the girls were born, I registered for a ton of basic onsies because I thought I'd end up changing messy newborn's outfits a couple times a day.  What I didn't realize, as a first time mom, is that I had winter kids and it's just easier to keep them in snap/zip up sleepers all day to avoid multiple part outfits and having to mess with annoying baby socks.  And, thanks to good diapers and stockpile of bibs, they really don't dirty their clothes as fast as I thought they would.  I pretty much had it in my head that onsies (other than for layering when it's freezing) were pretty much useless to me.

Well, then it got warm and they got bigger.  At 6 months, keeping them in their jammies all day just looks odd, if you decide to actually attempt to leave the house.  Plus, my little munchkins are hot blooded like me and roast when they get even the slightest bit too hot.  I now realize that they'll probably live in short sleeve onsies with bare feet all summer to avoid sweat soaked necks and cheeks the color of fire engines.  I doubt they'll even be able to wear the massive collection of adorable legwarmers I've so carefully collected.  Oh, well, if I need a baby fashion fix I'll just crank up the A/C and dress them up.

So, when I saw these I Dream of Johnny onsies on Zulily this morning I got excited about all that sassiness packed into a simple package for summer.  Seriously cute.  Now I just need a boy to dress too.

WIWHBT: Jefferson Slip-On Sneakers

I LOVE my Chucks, but I'm not much for wearing sneakers in the hot, muggy St. Louis summers.  Crocs are awesomely comfortable (wouldn't have survived my pregnancy without them, nothing else fit!), but come on, they are just butt ugly.

Enter these Jefferson slip-on sneakers by Native.  How flippin' cute are these?!?  Even better?  They come in unisex adult sizes and pee-wee versions for the kiddos. The girls and I can have matchy-matchy kicks!

Cribsie Awards: The I Want List

So the Cribsie Awards were announced today, so I thought I'd take a peek at the winners.  While I had some level of familiarity with most of the list, I did discover a few new things that might be awesome for the twinners.

Hold-On Handles -  I'll admit I'm wondering how I'm going to "handle" two kids (who want to go in different directions) once they are old enough to want out to walk on their own.  I mean how do I push a stroller and hold tiny hands at the same time?  Basically these clever rings attach to the stroller (or you, if you're adventurous) to teach your kiddos to hang close, but not have to be leashed or hold your hand.  The concept seems solid and I like that they're able to still keep a bit of independence but not run amuck.

BIT Bikes - Ok, so I've seen various balance bikes.  They mostly look like miniature wooden bicycles sans the pedals.  These BIT Bikes by Kid O are sweeeeeet.  I can just see the girls scooting around on these suckers and hear them fighting over which neon color they like best.  This is one adorable ride!

RiNGLEY Natural Teething Toy -  The Ruby-monster loves chewing on her aden + anais Issie security blanket...so I'm wondering if she'd love this teether.  Sure, it looks plain and I could probably make it from found objects around the house...but anything for the princess.  I guess I should have snagged one when I saw them on one of the deal-a-day sites a while back.  Hindsight is 20-20.

The Wean Machine Portable Baby Food Maker -  Ok, I need this gadget.  How awesome would this thing be to just throw in the diaper bag and mush whatever you want them to eat on the go?  I don't know squat about feeding solids yet, but why carry food if you can just squish your restruant eats and feed the tots?  I'm gettin' me one of these suckers (and some Tiny Bites Food Shears).  Now, if only it washed itself...



While we're talking about on-the-go feeding/snacking, I'm also into the Munchkin Snack Catchers, want to try out some NurturMe dried baby food (lightweight and handy to keep in the diaper bag - and half off on the BabySteals archive), and can't wait to try out my Boon Squirt Spoon (which is much bigger in person than I expected).

The list also helped me discover a few kids fashion buzz sites I knew nothing about.  I'll have to start watching them to find out even more stuff I need but can't afford on my SAHM "salary".
   • The Baby Blackbird
   • Editors' Picks at Tada! Shop
   • Child Mode
   • Planet Awesome Kid
   • House of Jelly

UPDATE 5/23/11:  I've bought and tried the sampler pack of NurturMe baby food and the Squirt spoon.  The food was yummy and the girls seemed to enjoy it.  It was nice that it could be reconstituted with juice, formula or water and mixed to the consistency of your tot's liking.  The sweet potatoes smelled a bit "dusty" but tasted yummy...the apples were sweet n' tart and my hands down favorite.  The Boon squirt spoon holds much for food than I expected, was easy to use with smooth purées and super easy to wash by hand (if you can't wait for your dishwasher to do the dirty work).  

Dare to Dream: The Magic Nursery

A little bonus of going through the world's most complicated IVF cycle was that we knew we were having girls from the moment they were plopped back home in my uterus.  So, about a week into my second trimester I started to allow myself to think about the girls' nursery.  After so many pregnancy losses, I never really dared to dream about my ideal baby room, so I started to hunt around online for the perfect theme.  All I knew I was that wanted something bright.  Real bright....like hot pink and orange bright.  I'm just not one for pastels & sticky sweet cuteness.  I quickly discovered that I was screwed in the world of baby bedding and I was bummed.  My secondary problems were that I needed TWO of everything and the nursery (formerly my husband's office) is pretty freaking small.  So much for the round baby cribs I'd always drooled over.

Then, there it was in all it's bright pink, non-cartoony, monkey adorned glory...and on final clearance (at Pottery Barn Kids, of all places)!  It was one of those moments when I feel sky open to bathe me in the light of the shopping gods (queue the chorus of discount fairies singing my name).  Despite my overwhelming nervousness about it being too early along in my pregnancy to be buying curtains and bumper pads, it was just too good of a deal to pass up.  I bought every single piece in the Emmy nursery collection and was totally giddy.  I seriously think someone designed this stuff specifically with me in mind.  It was my first baby purchase, and the first time I really started believe that I was going to actually be a MOM. 

So, that was the one thing that started it all.  I now had a direction and spent the rest of my pregnancy finding/making the rest of the bits and pieces to pull it all together.  A monetary gift from the grandparents and Restoration Hardware's multiples discount helped me justify the purchase of my one big splurge -- Martin iron canopy cribs.  I was still putting together the girls' mobiles (made from the most charming needle-felted toys by asherjasper) while laid up in antepartum at the hospital with Pre-eclampsia.  Hell, to be honest, I was still sewing the last of the basket liners & closet curtain tie-back ands when the girls were a couple months old. I won't even talk about insanity of labeling every shelf and drawer in the closet when I was frantically nesting.  

But, in the end, it's my dream nursery and it still brings a massive smile to my face every time I walk through the door.  I still feel all the love & hope I put into it while my little ladies were still cooking away inside me...and somehow I know the girls feel the love too.  Maybe that's why they lay down peacefully in their cribs every night and go to sleep without a peep and wake up with a smile.  I think there's just a lil' bit of magic in there.

Their perfect, funky hand-painted name plaque was made by Fantasy Creations.

Took me forever to find just the right rug - it's made out of tangerine (t-shirt) jersey knit.
I snagged the glider used off Craigslist and added a swanky Luxe Basics dot minky cover.

The cribs take up most of the room, but I love how they don't feel visually bulky at all.
Plus, the peanuts will be able to see each other easily through the rails.

And they get the only walk-in closet in our circa 1883 home...
complete with a little pink crystal chandelier.  Jealous.

One of the mobiles I made with custom sets of painfully cute needle-felted toys by asherjasper.
Check her stuff out, it's AWESOME.  She can make anything you can dream up.

Photo ledges holding Pearhead Sonogram and Babyprints frames, 
me and my hubby''s baby pics and our first photo as a family the day we left the NICU.

...oh, and of course Ted Bear, my well-loved childhood friend.

I have had this poster print for years waiting for just the right place to put it...

A bejeweled mirror I snagged at TJMaxx!

Finally got the basket liners made when the girls were a couple months old.  Phew.

Empress Arts Crystal bulb covers found on Zulily at a massive discount.
They diva-fied the previously manly ceiling fan and finish off the room.

WIWHBT: 10 Again Tees

I'm usually pretty luke warm on baby tees with sayings on them, unless they have a wry sense of humor (and are particularly soft/comfy looking).  But, I happened across these on Zulily this morning while doing my daily browse during morning naptime.  Shouldn't I be doing laundry you say?  Yep.  Instead, I'm day dreaming about winning the lotto again and mentally making note of where I'd spend all that coin.

These 10 Again tees are pretty darn tempting for the twinners...

Sure, I HATE it when people label my twins....I, however, am allowed.

WIWHBT: Zolo Play Garden & AMMO Books Alternative ABCs

I'm such a huge sucker for the funkiness of Zolo stuff.  This garden toy thing is adorable...but who the heck is gonna spend almost $75 for it.  At 57% off though on HauteLook, it's not totally crazy.  I mean who doesn't need a magnetic stacking set of alien plants to pretend to water?  Come on, it's seriously cute and I bet the twinners would enjoy sucking on all the nubs hanging off those plant parts.

Wow, you're thirsty lil' freakshows.

Also, on Totsy is one of my absolute favorite books (luckly we already got it as a shower gift), the Alternative ABCs by Eric Ruffing and Dave Parmley.  It's a kickass tattoo/graffiti style ABC book with pages such as "B is for Boombox" and "M is for Mowhawk".  Seriously cool shiznit, and at only $6.95 you should grab one for yourself and for your next cool chick baby shower.  

I is for Ink, K is for Kicks, L is for Lowrider.  Take a little trip, take a little trip, take a litte trip and seeeeee...

WIWHBT: Pazitos Poppy Sandal

Ok, so here's the debut of the "What I Would Have Bought Today" or WIWHBT post.  This is the deal-a-day site stuff that made my buy button trigger finger itch, but I just don't have the disposable income for.  It's cute, I need it, but I alas...I only have one sugar daddy.

So, to kick it off, here's today's pick.  The Pazitos Poppy sandal off Hautelook for 50%.  Diva-esque and adorable... and comes in two coordinating colors for the twinners.  Drool.  The lime pair makes me want to guzzle a margarita AND host a playdate all rolled into one.  Guess who's itching to open the pool?

Let's Face it...She Leaks.

Oh Scarlett, what beautiful, sparkling eyes you have!  And that adorable dimple on your cheek that shows up every time you flash that killer smile...just to die for.  But seriously, your adorable face leaks.  A LOT.  Not quite a slow drip, more like a busted water main.  Constantly.  And the spit slinging raspberries aren't helping the situation.

This fact has led to the purchasing of a slew of bibs in search of just the right combo that will keep me from changing her shirt every half hour and having to sop up her jumperoo after every over-enthusiastic jumping session.  Here's a couple of great cheap fixes and my favorite splurge.

The Boutique Bib:  aden + anais 100% Cotton Muslin Burpy Bib
I LOVE these things.  Seriously worth every friggin' penny.  Not only are they wonderfully soft (and get better with every wash), but they are multipurpose!  They double as a generous sized burp cloth that fits nicely over your shoulder.... but, my favorite is to use them to cover the fronts of their exersaucer/jumperoo seats and also under their heads when they're snoozing in their Podsters.  Lets face it, both of these are a pain to disassemble and throw in the washing machine.  So, they protect your gear, your clothes, your babies outfit and look cute to boot.  I could honestly rave about these things all day and should actually be embarrassed about exactly how many I own.  The Alpha Bit is actually my favorite color, with Star Light coming in second.  I will say that the less print they have on them, the softer the muslin is right off the bat (for this reason, the heavily striped ones are my least favorite).

NOTE:  While I would love to say that the aden + anais  stuff made for Target is exactly the same as the boutique versions, they just aren't quite as nice.  I bought some "Made for Target" BirpyBibs off Babysteals, and while they look exactly the same (same size, same trim material, etc), the muslin is just not quite as buttery soft.  I have washed them 30+ times already, and while they do puff up nicely (to about 80% of the fluffiness of the boutique ones and it takes about double the washings to get there) they are not quite as soft.  Do they function the same?  Yepper.  Would I still buy more if they were on sale?  Yepper.  Honestly, if I didn't own both types I'd still rave and rave about the Target ones. But, since this question comes up all the time on Facebook walls, I thought I'd throw my 2¢ out there.  The same goes for the muslin quality of the swaddles (and the Target variety is also 44" square instead of 47").

a + a's Burpy Bib is the spit!  Bib, burp cloth AND gear protector!

The Base Bib:  Green Sprouts Eco-friendly Waterproof Terry Bibs 
These are dirt cheap, colorful and do the job.  They come in a rainbow 10-packs of girl colorsand boy colors and are free of designs/patterns/nonsense that make them clash with whatever outfit she's sporting that day.  They are very thin and waterproof (which makes them not bulky at all to wear, yet protect the goods beneath) and wash up beautifully (even after the 50th wash).  I seriously bought a couple of 10-packs and use them constantly.

The "Avoid the Neck Cheese" Bib: Green Sprouts Eco-friendly Waterproof DripDrop Bibs
Lazy about holding a birp cloth under your lil' ones chin to soak up the dribble as they suck down a bottle?  Then these are great.  They have an absorbent foam ring around the neck that catches that stream that rolls out of the corner of the mouths.  No more sour smelling neck rolls!  They come in packs of 3 in basic girl ($2.99 right now!), boy and neutral colors.

The Green Sprouts Terry Bibs. 
I don't drool.  This is insulting.

The Green Sprouts DripDrop Bib.
Sorry, my double chin was in the way.

Oh, and just a sidenote.  The only thing that keeps my little drooler's mouth region clear of that horrible spit rash is nipple cream leftover from my breastfeeding (well, pumping) days.  Works great and uses up what otherwise would have hung around in my medicine cabinet for years.  Ahhh the things you learn from Google.

   The Twincesses Are   |   6 Months, 7 Days Old   

Who's the Preemie Now?!?

Just got back from the girl's 6 month pediatrician appointment and boy are my little monsters growing!  Scarlett, as usual, is the leader at 16lbs 12oz and 26 1/2 in long.  Ruby is hanging right with her at 16lbs 6.5oz and 26in.  That's 75th and 50th percentile on the term baby charts!  Not bad for 34 weekers.  So they're totally caught up with their non-preemie counterparts and healthy as lil' ponies.

They rocked their AC/DC Rowdy Sprout t-shirt dresses (snagged for cheap off The Mini Social) and Silly Souls Hot Babe socks (via Totsy) and flashed everyone at the office their best smiles.  That'a girls!

   The Twincesses Are   |   6 Months, 5 Days Old   

Traffic was heavy on the playmat today causing a two baby pileup.

Must. Not. Go. To. Mall.

So, the mostly-retail-abandoned Crestwood mall has been turned into what is now called ArtSpace (pretty much giving cheap rent to dance studios, community theaters, artisans and a couple homegrown retailers).  My friend and I stopped in to check out the store of some lady she knows, which of course lead to us wandering around the ghost town of a mall checking out the spaces still for rent and daydreaming about opening a cheap startup business.  Sigh, oh the fun we will have when I win the Powerball.

While exploring the oddly deserted place, we came across one of those kids play areas at the old Dillards end.  All I could think of is what a AWESOME free place to have twin playdates with friends when the little monsters become freewheeling toddlers.  It's complete with a diner-esque vinyl upholstered seating barrier almost the way around for mommy comfort (and kid containment) and is filled with squishy climbing toys atop a fall-safe rubber floor.  The floor could use a good scrubbing if you're a germ-phobic type, but all and all it's just sitting there waiting for some rough and tumble action.  The place is totally abandoned (this is 2pm on a Monday and we saw maybe 2 people walking around) and the kids could run amuck.  I'm totally stowing this little nugget away for rainy days when the girls are older.

Seriously.  The $10 skirts made me giddy.

What I did NOT remember is that there are still a few mainstream retailers in the joint.  Sigh.  There was a Gap Kids with a Baby Gap section.  Dammit.  I desperately try to avoid going to the mall because I know I will get sucked into some retail therapy. Normally my little splurges aren't a problem, but now that I'm doing the whole SAHM gig, I'm on "allowance" and have zero wiggle room in the budget.  I have been searching the usual discount outlets and deal-a-day-sites for a spring jackets for the divas, and have been having a REALLY hard time finding lil' windbreakers that aren't covered with goofy embroidered tulips.  But, then there they were in front of me.  The My First Denim Girls Jackets that I've been oogling online for two weeks but trying not to hit the buy button.   Groan.  In person they're just what I expected...ADORABLE, and lightweight, and comfy, and would go with everything, and, and, and.  Fine, BabyGap.  You win, the girls need them.  Oh, and to top it off I got wooed by the painfully cute suede fringe sandals and diva-licious yellow dip-dyed tulle skirts calling to me from the clearance section.  Thankfully I found a long-forgotten gift card in the bottom of my wallet that eased the final tally.

Gimme a break.  I'm a recovering clothes horse who's now shifted my addiction over to pint-sized fashion.  It's WAY more fun to dress up the cutest baby girls on the planet than it is to try to wedge my destroyed midsection into a pair of designer jeans.  Thanks so my split stomach muscles from approximating the size of an Airstream trailer before delivering the twinners, buying clothes for me is just no fun anymore.  I still shed a tear every time I thin about purging my closet of all those cute tops that I just can't squeeze into anymore (unless I want to look like I'm smuggling a dodgeball).  I won't even mention the Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress that now accentuates all the wrong body bits.  These are the times I take a deep breath and try to remember how amazing my body is for creating two masterpieces.

   The Twincesses Are   |   6 Months, 4 Days Old   

Let Consignmentpalooza Begin!

Wahoo!  The spring kids consignment sales season has begun and I was ready for an excuse to get out of the house and buy cheap baby stuff.  Lets face it.  I spend all of my time in my living room attempting to entertain the lil' ladies, and the more junk in the arsenal that keeps them occupied the better.

The Haul (minus the ponies) from JBF!

The first one we hit up was the Just Between Friends sale in Kirkwood.  Thanks to waddling out out last year to a few of these things when I was massively pregnant, I'm no consignment sale virgin.  I got there about a half hour early, had my pockets stuffed with Sesame Street Envirosax, and drug a friend along to help block and carry.  I was stoked to find that not only were we third in line, but as you wandered through the building to find the gym entrance, there was a massive window that gave us a birds-eye view of the playing field below.  Infant toys to the right, gear to the left, and a pair of wearable dressup ponies dead ahead -- AWESOME.  So, after a brief wait for them to open the floodgates (and thanks to a free pass from a buddy a few people back) we were in and on the hunt!  I snagged the ponies first, then did the rounds for all of the cheap musical floor toys I could stuff in our sax.  We didn't even get run over or pushed, and it was quite the pleasant experience!  A very nice sale overall, although a bit short on bigger gear (jumperoos, exersaucers, etc).  

The Loot from Recycled Treasures

Since I was so stuffed full of toys from JBF, I was almost thinking about not even going to the Recycled Treasures sale in Chesterfield on Saturday morning.  I mean, I AM lazy and getting up at the crack of dawn and driving way out there wasn't the most exciting idea (Who am I kidding, I have twins. I'm always up at the crack of dawn).  However, the first time mom's presale pass was burning a hole in my pocket and I couldn't stand the thought of what I'd miss.  Dragging my gal pal out in the early AM for the second day in a row (and thanks to Dad for being on babysitting duty), we arrived about a half hour early all hopped up on drive-thru Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuits and Coca Cola.  Here the lines were already a bit longer (about 40 people in front of us) and we had no idea what lie ahead through the distant door down the hall.  After the wait, and being talked into signing up for the Macaroni Kid's newsletter, the line started to flood in and we got a glimpse at the goodies.  

This sale was about the same overall size as JBF, had a similar amount of toys (although less variety) and had some vendors ranging from handmade clothing, bows, marshmallow shooters, candles and crafts.  I snagged a few more musical toys, a couple of sets of big pop beads, a spiffy wooden teething toy and other randomness.  Overall, things seemed a little more bargain priced than yesterday...but also a little more well loved.  My favorite find was two pairs of knock off baby Crocs for $1, which are now the official Jumperoo shoes...hopefully preventing more blisters on Scarlett"s toes (the spazzy hopper of the year).  After finishing our bargain hunting we perused the vendors and I spied two pairs of ADORABLE striped legwarmers.  I know I have a baby legwear addiction problem, but I needed them.  Foolishly, while attempting to carry lite, I had neglected to have some cash on hand and the vendors didn't take plastic (seriously people, get a Square).  Crap.  I knew they'd haunt my thoughts later when I pulled the girls' orange and purple Little Seed onsies out to wear later this week....oooooh how cute they would have matched!  Not willing to just let the hope die, the lady who checked us out at the consignment sale took pitty on me and let me get a few bucks cash back so I could snag 'em.  PHEW.  Tragedy avoided.  The photo of the girls rockin' their new stripes proves that they were, obviously, necessary.

Of course we needed these.  Mom's smart.

All n' all, both sales were quite nice and now have me daydreaming about next month's!  The Stork Lady sale  in Crestwood Mall's old Macy's is gonna be the sh*t again this year and of course I'm excited for the STL Mother of Twins Club Re-Sell It so we can hopefully find some matchy-matchy outfits and twin gear for the girls.  Heck, maybe I'll even be organized enough to start consigning a thing or two.

   The Twincesses Are   |   6 Months, 3 Days Old   

Happy 6 Months Girlies. Celebrate with a Milestone.

Wow.  6 months old.   It seems like just yesterday that you lil' ladies were in your plastic boxes trying to learn to take bottles and keep those temps up in the NICU.  And now here you are helping me write about your adventures and oh-so-close to sleeping through the night.  Sigh.  You're just growing up too fast.

Ruby decided to roll back-to-front this morning...just as I was getting Scarlett up from her nap.  So, of course I walked back over to the playmat to discover her on her stomach.  I missed it.  We have at least an hour of video of her from the last several weeks giving it everything she had trying to make it on to her tummy.  She squirmed.  She grunted.  She pushed and contorted with all her might.  And we were right there struggling with her...cheering, groaning and getting all of her valiant effort on tape.  But, she chose to do it alone and quietly while I had my back turned.  The lil' squirt.  I did manage to capture the second time she managed the great feat on video, and the third with the iPhone.  Funny how the first one was an epic battle, and now it seems like she can do it with no effort at all.   She looked at me like she had no idea what the big fuss was all about.

   The Twincesses Are   |   6 Months Old