New Favs

A slight bloggy-intermission…

It’s no secret that I love shoes.  LOVE shoes. 

When Luke deployed to Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003, my parents and father-in-law came to San Diego to help me pack up our apartment and move be back to Colorado while Luke was gone.  Jerry, my father-in-law, groaned when he picked up a heavy box.  He groaned even louder when I told him it was shoes (which, mind you, did not include all my favorites that were moving with me…).

But if someone had told me how much MORE fun it is to buy little girl shoes, we (ahem, I) may have pursued this baby thing a whole lot sooner.

And now that Piper’s feet are approaching the non-newborn sizes, the world of shopping opportunities is beginning to open.  I couldn’t be more thrilled (and my husband more terrified). 

I’ll preface this with saying that I know there are two big schools of thought with shoes- hard-soled for support or soft-soles for ease of movement; we’ve been in the middle of the debate, too, and I know it’s a “to each his own” kinda thing.  I’m choosing the ease of movement route…  I know I was talking to someone a few months ago about finding really soft-soled shoes (but I can’t remember who), and I figured there are probably others, so I wanted to share.

These are my new favorite shoes for Piper.  See Kai Run infant shoes are very similar to Pedipeds, except for they have little rubber grippers on the bottom for traction (which is my big beef with Pedipeds).  They are exceptionally flexible (more than her Stride Rite or Umi leather-soles), and cute to boot.  I bought these this fall when I was desperately trying to find black dress shoes, which apparently didn’t exist at the time (even online).  I’ve since bought a few other styles for next fall, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not buying them in her size for now.

Their bigger kid shoes (starting at 3) are “hard” soled.  These are, bar none, the softest hard-soled shoes I’ve ever seen.  They very easily bend and are made of really nice, soft leather uppers.  If they made them in my size, I’m sure I’d be game.  The 3s are, regrettably (heartbreakingly), too big for Piper, but I bought a pair anyway because I couldn’t resist.  She’ll get there eventually, right??? 

And their little boy shoes?  Just as cute as their girl shoes.  LOVE them!!! 

My other pair of favorites, which I REALLY like, but am having a hard time finding in her size (which is why I got turned on to the See Kai Runs instead) are these from Stride Rite:

Absolutely 100% flexible (and thin) soles and easy to move uppers.  And they’re light and flexible enough that I can put her down for a nap in them without a flinch.  Just wish they made them in 2s still! 

I know this sounds like an ad; it really isn’t, I promise.  Just like to share my finds…  So, as a bonus, and to get it all out of my system, I’ll share one of my new favorite websites to buy shoes from (including for me!!!)- 6pm.com is Zappos clearance outlet, so it’s reliable.  And if you catch their sales right, dang cheap.  I bought $142 worth of shoes a couple weeks ago for about $45, including shipping. 

I wonder if it’s coincidental that Piper’s decided to start signing “shoes” lately???

This photo shoot brought to you by…

…a very ornery aunt and a very ornery uncle. 

And in order to understand why this is funny, you’d have to understand the underwear/boxer short competitions we have every year at Christmas.  But in order for you to understand that, I’d risk making my entire family sound a little…  odd?…

So, suffice to say that anything that involves a pun wins double points (the worst pair I’ve ever seen had a bunch of antlers/“horns” on them—), and if it’s a pun that involves the wearer’s profession, hobbies, etc., you win. 

Problem is that in recent years, the “boxer short” rule has been…  ahem…  expanded.  And now anything that comes in underwear-related packaging just brings a chuckle.

So, please don’t think that my family exchanges gifts from this (or anything in the realm of THIS) particular vender.  And I guarantee that Piper has no idea what she’s into here.  Nor is she going to find out any time in the next century, I assure you.

But when she found the sack, and it kept her entertained for a good half hour or forty-five minutes, I figured it was as good a toy as any to play with.

After all- there has never been any doubt that kid fits in just fine with our family.

Wowwwwwie!

I have a friend who I’ve known since middle school- we did Job’s Daughters together for a lot of years, and then competed in Speech through high school.  She got a big job in Singapore last March, so I’ve been living vicariously through her and her hubby since then, because, well, if nothing else, I’m pretty sure I’d starve to death if I were put in a similar situation.  But I won’t admit that.  I mean, really- how cool would it be to live a couple years somewhere like Singapore???

Anyway, Piper got a box in the mail today from Miss Erin- and it could NOT have been cuter!!!

It came complete with a pretty pink (and shiny!) dress…

…and BEAUTIFUL (Piper said so herself!) bracelets (which were exponentially more fun to watch Luke trying to put them ON than it was watching Piper take them OFF)…

…and a parasol.

Piper begged not have to put on her pajamas. 

Thank you, Erin and Dave, for thinking of the squirt!  The chopsticks are bound to bring hours of entertainment, I’m sure!

Car seat help!

Okay, so I’m hoping that you guys can give us a hand.

Piper is (still) in her infant carrier.  But, obviously, once the new baby comes, she’s going to have to find another way to travel.

Colorado law says that kids need to be one year old AND 20 pounds before they can go forward-facing in their car seat, which, if Piper stays where she is on the curve, will put us somewhere around December or January next year. I’ve also heard that a lot of pediatricians recommend that kids with Ds remain rear-facing until they get their neck x-rays at three years to check for AAI and AOI.  We have an Odyssey van, so hopefully rear-facing a convertible seat won’t be too big an issue. 

So, what do you use?  Love, hate, or otherwise?  I think my two top choices are the Britax Advocate and the Britax Boulevard, but I really don’t want to buy their newest versions because they go up to 70 pounds, which would put Piper in 8th grade, and I don’t want her drowning in it now. 

One of the only other things we need to get before Baby comes is a double stroller.  These are harder, because it feels like everyone has something different that they look for.  But, that being said, anyone have one that they LOVE? 

PS- On this note, if you’re in the market, check out AlbeeBaby.com- we bought Piper’s car seat and stroller there the first time and we’ve bought some other stuff there, to0- it’s by far cheaper than most other places on a lot car seats, strollers, high chairs- and it has free shipping with no tax.  They are great!

THE Face

Piper has perfected her “I’m really really mad at you and you WILL know it” face.

Unfortunately for her, it doesn’t quite work- I’m pretty sure that laughter is not her desired outcome.

But, really- who can NOT laugh at this face???  I don’t think that you can see it so well in this picture, but usually the pouty lips are accompanied by dimpled eye brows.  Her speech therapist should be thrilled with the oral motor muscle toning exercises that Piper impresses upon herself.  She takes this therapy business very seriously.

This little munchkin…

…had surgery 16 weeks ago.

Sixteen weeks.

And this last week, last week, she has FINALLY started sleeping through the night again.  (Do you hear the angel’s rejoicing?  No?  Must just be here…)

Problem is, she wasn’t up once.  Or twice.  Usually it was three or four (or five or six) times. 

You ever get that feeling that you’re losing your mind?  I was seriously starting to wonder if she was having real sleep abnormalities (lots of kids with Ds are on medication of one sort or another for sleep- but they all seem older than Piper).  I’m sure that the hospital itself, along with the time it took her to heal afterward, played a huge role.  But she has also been teething non-stop (she cut two a couple days ago, which, for those counting, were numbers three and four, and she has at least four more that are ready any day now, I think), which I’m convinced was at least 95% of her issues.  After all, his is my daughter who has a very loooow pain tolerance. 

Whatever the reason, I don’t care, because BYGOLLY, getting to sleep through the night has been pure HEAVEN.  HEAVEN.

…of course, by posting this, I’m dooming her to revert back.  Whoops.

Piper <<ahem>> “helps”

Piper LOVES to help.  She helps with everything. 

Problem is, sometimes her “helping” is enough to drive a person over the edge.

For example- if I have to fold the same item (rather, “itemS” is probably more accurate) 18 times before I can get it put away in the drawer, I just might scream.

I’ve gotten to the point where I try and fold clothes when Piper’s asleep.  Unfortunately, I seem to overbook her (often limited) napping hours, and it doesn’t always (hardly ever) happens that way.

So, what’s a mom to do?

Improvise, of course!

My solution? 

Giant socks up to the shoulders.

I call it “sensory awareness”.  Or “helping her learn to manipulate her environment”.  Or something.

It’s particularly funny when she tries to crawl on the wood floors.  Good thing she thinks it’s funny, too. 

And I’m willing to walk the line of “unusual methods” because, gosh darn it, it works. 

…poor kid.