christine and ili take on the world

diy tutorial roundup: bird kitty cupcake dollhouse

top row: bird mobile, pointy kitty

bottom row: mini cupcake stand, fabric dollhouse

mama gear: pretty nursing bras

these are not your mother's nursing bras.

top row: bella materna, cake lingerie

bottom row: you lingerie, passion maternity

baby gear: baby & toddler girl shoes

there is no doubt that ili's shoe collection outshines my own. she's about to move up a shoe size so i've been scouting around. get ready to sigh with me.

top row: livie and luca, livie and luca

bottom row: toms, ak designs 

CLOSED mini-giveaway: gDiapers gWetbag & gWipes

i like to welcome a new year in by winning, so let's welcome 2012 with a mini-giveaway. one lucky reader will receive a gDiapers gWetbag and 100% biodegradable gWipes.

to enter:  simply follow me on twitter (@christineandili) and leave me a comment on this post letting me know you've done so. limit of one entry per twitter account. deadline is january 5, 2012. winner will be announced january 6, 2012. good luck!

baby gear: gDiapers

ili was a cloth diaper baby from the time she was 2 months old until she potty-trained just before her 2nd birthday.  i'm looking forward to cloth diapering baby #4 from day 1. here's a pic of ili in a gDiaper.

 gDiapers  are a two-part hybrid system (hybrid diaper: consists of a washable, reusable cloth diaper cover which can be used with either biodegradable disposable inserts or washable cloth inserts)  featuring washable cotton gpants with a snap-in liner made of breathable nylon that is permeable to water vapor, but waterproof to liquid helping to prevent diaper rash and over-heating.  gDiapers are plastic-free, elemental chlorine free, latex free, and perfume free, both the gpant and liner are machine-washable. insert options include 100% biodegradable gRefills, washable gCloth or homemade cloth inserts.  gRefills can be home composted, tossed, or flushed. gRefills are the only certified 100% biodegradable diaper and break down in about 3 months, unlike disposables which can take up to 500 years. when the gRefill or gCloth is soiled simply remove, replace, and re-use the same little gpant.

ili's daycare provider had no problem with gDiapers, i simply loaded ili's diaper bag with 5 gDiapers and a wet bag and instructed her daycare to place the soiled diaper in the wet bag and send it home.

i love the fit of gDiapers, they were very trim on ili compared to other types of diapers we'd used and cost efficient since we made our own cloth inserts. the most surprising benefit of gDiapers is the resale value, especially on limited edition prints. when i found out baby #4 is a boy, i traded a limited edition gDarling set of ili's for a newborn baby bundle which retails over $100. there is a whole community of gDiaper users who buy, trade and sell their stash, find them here on facebook.

the greatest benefit is the customer support. if you need help figuring out the proper sizing, the reason behind a sudden diaper leak or replacing worn velcro, you can easily reach a gDiaper therapist by phone, email or facebook.

i'm looking forward to trying out the tiny gpants when baby #4 gets here. they fit newborns weighing 6-10 lbs and do not require a snap-in liner like the larger sized gpants. i'll be sure to post a follow-up review.

check out other gDiaper accessories like biodegradable wipes, wet and laundry bags here. i'm lucky enough to own a gTote (no longer available) which i still use now that ili is out of diapers.

here's a link to a homemade cloth inserts tutorial. for more information on gDiapers, here's a link on how it all began.

baby gear: citrus lane

i enjoy receiving packages in the mail and a "of-the-month" club sounds right up my alley, but while i like cheese as much as the next pregnant woman, i wouldn't necessarily be interested in a cheese-of-the-month club. i don't drink wine so wine-of-the-month isn't for me either.  enter citrus lane to the rescue.

citrus lane is a monthly subscription service containing "real recommendations from real parents for products that solve real problems". in other words, its a monthly box of goodness packed with 4-5 "best of" products that are just right for your child's age from birth to 3 years. i like citrus lane as a baby shower gift, you could gift a subscription or a deluxe baby shower box.

i've personally given a citrus lane subscription as a baby shower gift and couldn't wait to sign myself up when i found out i was pregnant with #4.

for more information, here's a link to how citrus lane works. 

baby gear: let's talk strollers

i am 20 weeks pregnant as of last friday which means i officially have 20 weeks ahead of me to obsess over a stroller for baby #4.  today i have my eye on the joovy caboose ultralight stand-on tandem stroller. to be specific, i'm diggin the greenie color. 

with so many stroller options available right now, i think it's important to identify your needs before purchasing. for me this totally makes it impossible to buy on looks alone, which seems to be a good thing lately considering the retail price on some of the cooler looking strollers.

my list of needs (as of today) for a new stroller are: 1) must accomodate an infant car seat; 2) must transport #4 and ili; 3) must be light enough to handle without my husband's assistance; 4) must turn on a dime; 5) must be compact when folded up.

according to joovy "The new Ultralight Caboose is the lightest, most maneuverable tandem stroller available on the market today." and "The patented Stand-On-Tandem design gives your older child the freedom to choose between walking, standing and sitting."

i like the sound of both of those statements so i dove into the features and specs. my favorite features are the over-sized canopy, large storage basket and 3-position front seat recline. if you dig around in the specs you'll see that the stroller weight is 21 pounds, with folded dimensions of 10.5"H x 21.5"W x 41.5"L. i find it interesting that the minimum age for the rear seat is 2.5 years. although i'm not completely sold just yet, with a reasonable budget price (the lowest cost i've found online is $199.99) i'd say that the joovy ultralight caboose  is at the top of my list right now. 

family fun: new years eve with a toddler

top row: nye ball drop cupcakes, balloon drop

bottom row: decorate new years tree, diy water bottle noise maker

pregnancy: placenta encapsulation

spoiler alert: im about to post about consuming your own placenta. if the idea of doing so makes you want to reach for the nearest barf bag, do it, but continue reading because you may be surprised by what i've found.

powdered placenta has been used in traditional chinese medicine for centuries. almost every mammal ingests their own placenta after the birth. so why is the concept so alien to most of us? placenta encapsulation is a common topic when midwives or doulas are present during birth. i've only delivered in hospitals but had heard the topic brought up at a baby shower. lets google.

this link states that placenta encapsulation is an invaluable part of postpartum healing for both mother and child and lists the following benefits: 

· Balance your hormones
· Increase milk supply
· Combat Fatigue
· Increase your energy
· Prevent signs of aging
· Recover more quickly from childbirth
· Replenish what was lost during childbirth
· Bring the body back into balance
· Prevent and treat the “baby blues”
· Shorten postnatal bleeding time
· Increase postnatal iron levels

· Regulate hormones during menopause

this link explains why to encapsulate the placenta and provides an explanation of how it's done.

this link lists multiple articles stating scientific research regarding placenta encapsulation.

this link takes you to an instructional post on how to encapsulate your own placenta with step-by-step instructions and photos.

i've commissioned sara from mommy feel good to turn my placenta into capsules and a tincture. read more about placenta tinctures here. i'll be sure to create a follow-up post describing my experience.

bought this week

top row: kanoe, goodbyn

bottom row: aden + anais, medela sleep bra