Hallo again!

It has been a while and lots of good stuff has happened. Truffle is 7 months already and she is doing very well. She is almost sitting on her own - the bobby is a great support to keep her up straight. She is excited about food and when she is hungry - she is hungry. I cook all her food, well most of it - and freeze it. It's the easiest way right now since I am back to work. Sleep has been a challenge but last night was the first night that she has slept 8 hours straight. Wow. I think my sleepless nights are counted for. The babe has developed a great sense of humor and loves to laugh. Its the best feeling when she belly laughs. OMG - that makes the day. Teaching her new things is our biggest priority. Getting her interested into music, reading, the outdoors, etc. is so important since she is like a little sponge.

What's Next? What I have learned so far as a mew mom...

Happy Easter!

Our local food store ran out of egg dye to color our Easter eggs so Oma and I had to think about how we could color some eggs. We decided to try it with beet juice and turmeric. We first cooked some of the eggs in water, turmeric and a little vinegar and the result was surprisingly beautiful. With the eggs that we cooked in beet juice we weren't as successful. After we took the eggs out of the water, beet juice and vinegar mixture they instantaneously lost any color. But by rubbing the actual beet onto the egg we achieved a nice marbling effect. Here they are:

Over the years I collected a variety of wonderful Easter eggs from back home in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Check out this video (in German) about the tradition of decorating eggs in the Czech Republic.

Here are also some other videos on different decorating techniques - simply beautiful:

- Egg etching technique

- Egg shell carving

Easter egg and crochet flower arrangement

In our house we are slowly getting ready for Easter. My wonderful mom created this beautiful Easter arrangement with handmade crochet flowers she made. These flowers are just very cute and charming. Mom says they are easy to make but I wouldn't know. I remember crocheting when I was little but never tried it again.

Here are closeups of these beautiful things. They take about 10 min to make if you know how to crochet. To finish them off Mom used wooden pearls as accents on the base of the hanger.

So pretty!

Naps and Deer

Today was a louzy day outside because it was rainy - yikes. I really shouldn't complain since the weather has been a charm so far, but when it's miserable - it's no fun. Sophia though wasn't too faced by it. She took a nap outside in her comfy bassinet which is a pretty nice and cozy setup. We decided on a Mamas and Papas stroller that is flexible enough to carry a bassinet and a car seat. Sophia loves being outside - the fresh air, the birds, the noise from our waterfall are all so good for her.

While I was taking a peek to see how the babe was doing, our dog Schatzi rushed out the house to chase some deer away that appeared in the far back of the property line. I realized that our dogster is getting old. Not so fast and furious anymore. But in her world, she did a fine job. I actually haven't seen deer in a while so it was nice to catch a glimpse before they ran off to safety....

BPA ban in food

If I find something important and interesting that's making headlines in the news out on the web I try to repost it on my site. I found this article on the mom365.com site about the FDA's rule on BPA in food. It is scary to me knowing that BPA is still being used in so many different forms of packaging. Even in baby food. Truly something needs to be done by the government to control the use of this poison that sickens already the most vulnerable. Hopefully this is a way in the right direction. Here is the article below; read for yourself:

"FDA to Rule on BPA in Food and Beverage Packaging"

"In the wake of Campbell's announcement in early March that it will phase out BPA - aka bisphenol A - in its packaging, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might be on the verge of banning BPA from all food and beverage packaging.
BPA is in the lining of canned foods like pasta sauces and formula, as well as in jar lids and plastic bottles (it’s also on cash register receipts), and the FDA is meeting this weekend to rule on whether the government should force a complete ban. The Environmental Working Group, which is petitioning the agency to impose the ban, claims that studies have found the chemical compound in breast milk, amniotic fluid and cord blood. BPA can disrupt hormones and has been linked to a slew of issues, including learning disabilities, early female puberty, obesity and cancer.
In the past couple of years, states have ruled against BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, yet eliminating BPA altogether from children’s diets can seem tougher than avoiding Google. Last month, a health group coalition sampled 12 baby food jars in Maine - where BPA is outlawed in sippy cups and baby bottles – and found BPA in 11 jars of baby food from major companies, including one organic baby food. The coalition also found BPA in Campbell's Dora the Explorer SpaghettiOs. Campbell Soup Company says it will phase BPA out of its products this year, whether or not the FDA rules in favor of the ban.
Campbell's director of corporate communications, Anthony Sanzio, told Mom365 that Campbell's is already using BPA alternatives in some products. He said the company is responding rapidly to customers' BPA concerns, but added: "There's not an exact date that we can give for when all BPA will be eliminated from every product. We need to test and try different BPA alternatives. Not every alternative works with every type of food. Sometimes it's a matter of how the alternative affects shelf life of food, sometimes taste."
Check back for updates on the FDA ruling.
Meanwhile...
How you can limit BPA exposure in your children’s diets
If you give your kids juices or sodas, choose glass bottles over cans, especially for acidic citrus juices.
Chose BPA-free water bottles.
If you use formula, use powdered rather than canned.
If you don't need it, toss the receipt – and wash your hands after you’ve been shopping.
Do you think the FDA should ban BPA? Or should the agency leave it up to companies, like Campbell's, to phase it out?"

A tribute to the Omas

Sophia is blessed to have two wonderful grandmas a.k.a. Omas (in German). Both ladies are talented knitters and crocheters. Sophia has received from both of them adorable little knitted jackets with hats, bags and easter ornaments. Below you will find a small collection of these wonderful things.

This little red jacket was a gift from Oma Marianne for Sophia's first Valentine's Day. She looked so adorable. I love the buttons which are little sheep.

Oma Eli made some wonderful pot holders for me. Here is one sample. I don't think I can ever use them in the kitchen - they are just too cute. They will make nice decorations! Happy kitchen....

Swaddle! But which kind?

Swaddles are the best invention ever. They are a life saver when baby needs to sleep, feed and calm down. Babies feel very comfortable and secure in it, since they were used to this snug feeling in moms belly. But not every swaddle is made the same way. I am using 2 different types for Sophia. The brands are: JJ Cole Collection and Summer. The winner for me are swaddles made by the brand Summer. They fit tight and are easy to adjust on the babies body. The swaddle by JJCole is a little awkward to close simply because the velcro area where you close the swaddle, is to small. That is a limitation because you can't re-adjust the closing flap to a tighter position. So if your baby is smaller, there is more wiggle room. And that is a drawback. We want to be able to adjust the swaddle to the baby! It also provides too much leg room, so the baby kicks more and can't find rest. But the design of the fabric is cuter. With the SwaddleMe by Summer you have the better design at hand. You can adjust the tightness very easily and it works well for all sizes of babies.

Clean baby clothes

Here are the days where it is not uncommon to change a baby 2 to 3 times a day. My mistake was that I switched to a larger diaper size a little too early. I had finished up all newborn diapers and thought that it was time for number ones - but mommy was wrong. Sophia ended up with lots of little poopy accidents - stains in her clothing. And this stuff is hard to get rid off. At the moment I am using a detergents that's made of grapefruit extract. It's a mild detergent free of perfume and other harsh chemicals but it doesn't get every stain out. So I tried Oxiclean which works wonders. No more yellow stained clothes. I usually gather a few soiled clothes, fill up a bucket of very hot water and pour in about half to one full scoop of Oxiclean (depending how many pieces of clothing there are). Then I add the clothes and let it sit for up to 12 hours. After washing everything in the washing machine I have simply clean clothes again. Works great!! No need for bleach....

Introducing: Anna Sophia

She has finally arrived, our beautiful girl. What an amazing experience it was up until now and it is only going to get better. She was a late one - I had to be induced after 5 days past her due date. But after 15 hours I held her in my arms. This was the greatest feeling ever. It's amazing how small she is but she shows vitality and strength. My breast milk came in late and she almost lost a pound. But now she has gained it all back - 1 oz a day. Tomorrow, she'll be 2 weeks old - I can't believe how time flies. My husband Christian was a true angel the first week home with the baby. He ran to the store, cooked great meals, made me go to bed when I desperately needed it. Now every day gets easier. We are trying to figure out a schedule that works for her (foremost) and us.
Anyway, here she is:

Cute nursery curtains

I made some wonderful little curtains for the nursery - they are so adorable. I didn't really like any that I found online or in-store so I decided to sew them myself. A few years ago my mom-in-law gave me a pretty decent sewing machine which does the job quite well. So, I researched a few different fabric sites and ended up ordering the fabric from fabricworm.com. I was very pleased - they looked exactly as shown. And after 2 hours they were made. Here is a picture of the fabric I chose - by the way, this fabric is organic.

Be a smart shopper...

Having a baby is not a cheap experience as we all know. But there are ways how to save some big bugs. My best advise: do your research! Look out for sales; research coupons online on sites such as coupon cabin.com; know what return policies and shipping charges are; make sure that online prices are the same as in-store prices - they do differ sometimes so make sure that you get charged the lower price.

I made a mistake by ordering from a less well-known site to me called babyviva.com. I did not research their return policy and that cost me $60 in return shipping charges. Make sure that you order from a site that gives you free return shipping. Yes they are out there. Additionally I have been charged a restocking fee of $26. It all adds up! So please be an educated shopper.

Also, check out 'Consumer Reports' and make sure you can get a current copy of 'Baby Bargains' - both give good ratings and advise on anything baby.