New York Nanny Center » Pregnancy

Happy New Year!!!! Change is coming

Lindsay Bell — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 02:33:38 +0000

Wow….where did 2013 go? It’s hard to believe a new year has arrived so quickly! Our year was filled with laughter and joy while we witnessed our sweet little baby grow into a beautiful big girl.

And now, as we head into 2014, our thoughts turn to preparing for life with not one girl, but TWO! Our second daughter is due in April and as we think about to those first few months with a newborn, we nervously giggle at the thought of being that tired with a toddler to care for as well!

Ahhhhh New Year’s kisses

The one good piece is Avery could not be more excited about welcoming her baby sister into the world. She sings to her every day, kisses my belly each night, and talks non-stop about all the things she will do with her little sister. Every morning she asks me if her little sister is big enough to be born yet and is always so sad when I tell her not quite yet. Her intense love for her sister before she even meets her is truly amazing. Now… we know this may change once the needy little gal arrives. That being said, I can’t help but look forward to watching them build their relationship as sisters throughout the years. I never had a sister and have always wondered what it would be like. I can only imagine it will be filled with good times and bad, but come April, let the fun begin!

-Mindy is a Sitter2Mom

Shower, Shower

Alison Gore — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 17:43:10 +0000

It was a showery baby shower in Toledo, Ohio this past Saturday afternoon. I drove through what seemed like a monsoon with a friend only to arrive and have to carry myself and gifts through the rain. Practically felt a few sprinkles inside as I looked up through the ceiling windows… there was quite a storm brewing. The party had a “Where the Wild Things Are” theme. Decorations included a poster drawn by an art teacher hanging on the mantle and a wooden boat skillfully carved by Grandpa (filled with children’s books brought by guests to start baby’s collection). As the shower ended, guests were invited to my friend’s house for an after-barbecue and she was alerted that the male companions had to be rescued from the local watering hole as their golf game was cancelled due to the elements. Back at the house we were greeted by a fallen tree that ended up on the neighbor’s roof. Oh, the bad timing. However, she barreled through all the obstacles that day with her high energy, determination and hard work as a gracious hostess to all her guests. The shower was soggy, but a success nonetheless!

-Mama Bell

P.S. The food was delicious.

The Waiting Game

Alison Gore — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 17:34:17 +0000

Meet our newest Sitter2Mom blogger, Samantha! Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are expecting their first child in August!

With 4 1/2 weeks to go until our due date, I am finding myself torn between wanting to do 10 million things at once to get ready for the baby and telling myself that this is really the time to relax and enjoy the down time as I will never have that chance again once she arrives, yes I am expecting a girl!

Laundry is the first thing on my to-do list!

I am a doer, a type A-personality, a list maker, a compulsive planner, a cleaner; so the side of me that has the constant to-do list running through her head is the side that is winning out. I suppose this could also be what they call nesting? The need to tidy everything up and make sure everything is just so, however, at 8 months pregnant this is really the time to be sitting with my feet up and a bowl of ice cream resting on my stomach. As I type this I am currently doing my first loads of laundry for the baby, washing onesies, blankets, bibs etc… an easy thing to check off the to-do list! Next step is figuring out where to put it all!

Nesting or being type-A? It’s a fine line!

My “plan” for the next few weeks is to do one baby related task a day and to spend the rest of the day doing things for me, however, knowing me it will be the other way around on day 1. It is so hard to imagine that in just 4 weeks (give or take), the waiting will be over and our entire world will be turned upside down, I imagine that is the moment I will be finally be able to put away the to do list – a least for a little while!

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers

Alison Gore — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:08:00 +0000

Old friends together again. Who would have thought 35 years ago when picking out a cute top to wear out on a Saturday night, that we would be spending our Saturday night together getting excited about making a diaper cake for her daughter’s baby shower. One old friend introduced another old friend to the recipe for a diaper cake. Ingredients called for ribbons, baby items a little tulle, and a lot of diapers. When I was planning my daughter’s shower I breezed through the internet looking for shower ideas and found this gem.

Diaper cakes are a great functional centerpiece!

I made it myself according to the directions, not hard, just time consuming. Making it with a helper was much more fun. We first took apart smaller diaper centerpieces made for girls and turned the pink accents into blue. That was an easy fix. The finished product, the diaper cake, which was decorated with “Where the Wild Things Are” accents made for an excited Grandma-to-be. I don’t think I’ve seen her so excited since we found giant ice cream cones from Dairy Queen for only 50 cents back in college. Her “Wild Things” ideas should make for quite a cute shower. As the animals in the story said to Max, “We’ll eat you up we love you so” This baby will have all that animal love and more.

-Mama Bell

Pass The Pickles ‘n’ Ice Cream… STAT!

Alison Gore — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:41:04 +0000

Lately I can’t seem to escape a pregnant belly – everywhere I look my friends are getting preggers! Cue wicked ‘n’ weird pregnancy cravings like pickles and ice cream. Cravings are our body’s way of telling us to give it more of something – specific nutrients, water, primary food (TLC). Ever wonder what’s behind cravings?

Well, it all depends on whom you ask and there are a variety of causes, including.

Nutritional Deficiency – Your body may be craving a specific food as a result of a nutritional deficiency. For example, a craving for ice cream may mean a calcium deficiency.
Hormonal Changes – Your hormones undergo a major transformation during pregnancy, affecting your smell and taste.
Lack of Primary Food – You may just be craving some primary food from your partner. If this is the case, ask him/her to turn up the TLC, so you can turn down the cravings!

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition the most commonly craved foods during pregnancy were:

Ice cream
Sweet foods
Chocolate & other candies
Fruit
Fish

Tatiana’s Tips For Fighting Off Food Cravings:

Give into your cravings every once in awhile. (Except for alcohol!) However, it’s important that you control your cravings by not giving in all the time, and when you do give in, limiting yourself to that special treat.
Grab the healthier version of what you crave. For example, if you want a brownie try a LaraBar chocolate chip brownie flavor, made with no added sugar, made with fruits, nuts and spices. They have plethora of healthylicious flavors to curb your cravings, like: apple pie, key lime pie (my fave), pecan pie, and more!
Exercise. Try walking, spinning, the elliptical machine, pre-natal yoga, and other low-impact activities (as permitted by your Doctor).
Grab a green drink. Drinking your greens will help to regulate your cravings and provide you with the Folate, a B vitamin, which is crucial during pregnancy. Here’s my Green Goddess Smoothie recipe if you want to make it at home.

Important: Contact your health practitioner if you crave unusual substances such as ashes, clay, dirt, paper, or laundry starch (yes, you just read that!). This craving, known as pica, may be a flashing red sign of nutritional deficiency, usually of iron or zinc.

Boy or Girl? According to an Old Wives’ Tale, the type of food cravings one experiences can indicate the baby’s gender. For instance, if you are craving protein rich foods like cheese and red meat, or sour foods like lemon, supposedly you’re expecting a boy. And if you crave sweet things like chocolate or fruit, you could be expecting a boy.

Questions? Contact me for a free phone consultation and let me help you tackle your pregnancy cravings the healthy way!

Blissfully Yours,

Tatiana Ridley

-Tatiana is a a Board Certified Nutrition and Health Coach (CHHC) and graduate of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). She is the founder of Tatiana’s Health and Wellness.

To Swaddle, or Not To Swaddle

Alison Gore — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:56:03 +0000

With two new nieces, my mind has been completely taken over by all things BABY.

One thing in particular that I have been obsessed with is swaddling. The twins were literally taken from the womb & placed immediately into a swaddle.

Here is what a swaddle looks like.

This simple technique mastered by many hospitals to comfort a newborns is preached to new moms as they take their lil’ ones home & boy does it work. The twins stay nestled in a swaddle all day & night. They are completely at ease. It’s when they are taken out of the swaddle for one of their many changes that it gets loud.

Swaddling is quick & easy. Most swaddle blankets even include instruction. Check out these photos to show you how to properly swaddle a baby.

Why swaddle?

Keeps baby cozy and mimics the womb
Helps reduce nighttime scratching
Helps regulate baby’s temperature until that fully develops
Can soothe an overstimulated lil’ one

This technique definitely isn’t a one-size fits all solution for helping a lil’ one sleep, but it sure works on my twin nieces & was highly recommended by the nursing staff at Mount Sinai.

-LB aka Aunt Linny

Diaper Diaries Week # 2

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:14:21 +0000

Oh, those sleepless nights as I sit here writing this with heavy eyelids.My days are filled with diaper changes,every three hours feedings,swaddling, bathing, all those innate behaviors that have come back with a vengeance.The inside of my daughter’s house is a cross between a florist and Babies R Us. I’ve definitely been getting my exercise waiting on everyone, but that’s okay, it’s nice being needed. It’s also fun listening to my daughter and son in law trying to figure all this out.

My grand babies bundled up for their first doctors visit.

Until next week,

Second hand of eyes, ears and hands

-Mama Bell

Best Baby Shower Themes

Alison Gore — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:38:26 +0000

The past few months my mind has been focused on my new nieces! Now that they’re here, I’m spending every spare minute with them, but before they were born I had so much fun throwing showers for my sister and helping her prepare for their arrival. For one of my sister’s showers in Ohio, my mom did a cupcake theme complete with a diaper cake! One of the last showers we threw for her in NYC really emphasized our country roots with a cute farm theme. We had so much fun planning this shower and finding the right decor and treats.

The sunflowers reminded us of warm weather in Ohio

We had cow shaped cookies and hung onesies from clotheslines.

Loved this idea for using a clothesline as a way to show off new outfits!

If farms and cupcakes aren’t the theme for your next party, here are three of our other fave themes for celebrating with family and friends:

Spa Party

Is the mom-to-be feeling a little stressed? One theme that’s really popular right now is a pampering party. Plan some spa-inspired activities like manicures or mini massages and give the new mom a day of relaxation. Couldn’t everyone use a little pampering?

Mocktail Party

Give you mom-to-be a reason to dress up and enjoy a fancy girls’ night with drinks like a Momtini, Mamarita or Mamajito (alcohol-free concoctions of your favorite drink with club soda or another fizzy drink). Not only will these be tasty drinks, but when presented in a fun glass or punch bowl, they’re also a part of your décor.

Bookworm

Go bookworm-style with a children’s-book-themed party and ask guests to bring their favorite books to help build your baby’s library. It’s a great way to expand your lil’ darlings collection! Create book-themed snacks like a cupcake caterpillar for “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Hope your upcoming showers are a blast! Let LLD know if you need help planning, shopping, or staffing your next shower!

-LB

She’s Here!

Alison Gore — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:50:44 +0000

For months, I’ve been sharing my pregnancy journey with you….today I am happy to tell you that five weeks ago I had a perfect, gorgeous, amazing baby girl!!!

Of course, that’s my completely objective opinion. Right now I’m on maternity leave and enjoying every minute! I don’t care that I usually don’t shower until noon because I’m too busy feeding, bathing, playing and talking with my baby. It doesn’t matter that I am usually covered with spit up, rarely put on make up and haven’t worn much besides leggings and nursing tanks for weeks. I am happy! So, the other day when I started worrying that I should be preparing to go back to work and brainstorming for my next endeavor, I stopped. I reminded myself that this time is precious and will go by so fast. I will never have it back. There will always be another project, but there will never be another newborn time in my daughter’s life. I don’t want to miss a minute! So, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go play with my daughter.

–Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade, and is expecting her first child with husband Rob in January. She has joined forces with Lucky Lil’ Darlings to bring NY moms a weekly workout class with on-site childcare, intenSati for Mommies. Check out Jolynn’s class blog for more information on her classes and transition into motherhood!

-Photo by Amy Cannon Photography

Worth the Wait

Alison Gore — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:26:38 +0000

This past week has been a LOT of waiting, but it was all worth it!

Thursday: My husband and I headed for the east coast for the hopeful weekend of babies. We jockied trains and subways and learned what it feels like to be sardines in a can. The night ended with a calming dinner in the Upper East Side of NYC.

Friday: Got up early to clean and shop for my 30 year old daughter who never has the time to do it herself. Meanwhile, my pregnant daughter was at her doctor’s appointment and we were hoping it was going to be baby time, but no luck. Home to Jersey we went.

Saturday: We began the weekend sit in awaiting babies. My husband had trouble sitting for long periods of time, so he did a lot of eating and gained a few pounds as a result. I walked the streets of Bloomfield 30 mph winds and all and did the “Hazel the maid” cleaning there too.

Monday: I had to send my husband home. He is in the “oil” business and had to go to work. So the waiting game continues. Another appointment at the doctor’s tomorrow. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Tuesday: More waiting. Went to the hospital, but got sent home again.

Wednesday: They’re here!!

Ava & Amelia were worth the long wait!

-Mama Bell