Medela Breast Care

As I’ve written before, I’m new to this whole breastfeeding thing. So far it seems to be going okay, and whoever told me that it was ‘toe-curlingly painful’ was absolutely right. I’ve almost given up a dozen times even though Clementine is only 8 days old. Holy Moly this is hard to get used to! Although, every day it gets a little bit easier and Medela was nice enough to send me some of their products.

The Hydro Gel pads saved my life the first few days, and pretty much kept me from crying. They instantly soothe & are reusable. I highly recommend getting these for your hospital bag, they are magical. The other product they sent was their Tender Care Lanolin. Made of all natural ingredients & hypoallergenic, it’s very easy to apply, even when things are a bit, um, sore. Medela offers a whole slew of breastfeeding products & supplies and so far they have won me over. They have an incredible website that can probably answer any question you would ever have about breastfeeding; it’s such a wonderful resource. For more information visit http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/

Silikids

Silikids is a California based company pumping out all sorts of cool silicone items for children & babies. Most known for their ‘Siliskins’, these thin silicone sleeves are an almost universal safeguard for your glass bottles. Since they first started, they have expanded their line of silicone goods to include kneepads, bibs, bottles & drinking glasses.

V just tried out a siliskin glass which is a new item of theirs. It’s a great ‘big kid’ cup, a 6 oz. glass which is the perfect size for little hands. The thin silicone layer makes for easy gripping which means a lot less spills. And because it’s glass & silicone it holds up incredibly well in the dishwasher, I hate when V’s cups start to get all dingy looking from multiple uses. Once V is a bit more proficient with a glass, I think we’ll be ordering a few more of these.

Silikids was started in 2006 just as the whole BPA scandal was hitting the news. Already in use for nipples and pacifiers, it seemed obvious that it would have many more uses. Silicone is non porous, has a high temperature resistance & is very pliable. Silikids offers more info about silicone here & ordering information can be found here.

So Far, So Good.

Life is still very hectic here but we seem to be on the verge of settling in. Clementine is a total sweetie, just like her big sister. There are times when I definitely feel like a waitress again (what can I get for you? Sneakers? Okay. I just have to run over & feed your sister……), but wow. When I see Violet in all her glory of being a big sister, it makes everything so worth it. I mean, I’ll be happy when the extra shut-eye comes back but man, they are so so cute together.

Ingrid & Isabel

I owe Ingrid & Isabel a huge Thank You. Not only did they save my life while I was pregnant, they are still doing it.

Ingrid Carney is the creator of the Bella Band, an absolute must-have if you ask me. Made of super soft nylon & spandex, the Bella Band comes in an array of colors and is also offered in organic cotton. The Bella Band offers many levels of support throughout your entire pregnancy. From hiding that unsnapped top button on your pre-preg jeans to holding up your maternity jeans post-preg, it is the great helping hand of awkward clothing. It can even allow you to sneak some non-maternity shirts into your pregnancy wardrobe (Thank God, what is up with all those shirt strings, why?).

Ingrid & Isabel have now expanded their line to include an ‘Essentials Collection’ of which I was lucky enough to try the belly leggings from. I’m in love. Now, usually I’m not a leggings person unless it’s snowing out & I need the extra warmth but these babies have offered me great support in the last week or so. I practically lived in them the last few days of my pregnancy and they were the most comfortable post-partum item I had in my hospital bag. Most of you know how, um, vulnerable your belly feels after giving birth & these leggings totally do the trick so that I feel a little more ‘put together’ so to speak. Ingrid & Isabel also offers an Everywear Pant, Ruched Tank & and Everyday Cami. I’m sure I’ll be using my Bella Band & Belly Leggings all winter long as I get ready for swimsuit season again!

Violight winner!

Running a few days behind (but with a good excuse!) & we have finally chosen a winner. Thank You to all who entered! Our winner is Josie, who said:

“Seriously, the ZapiPOP- Za-Za Zapi Toothbrush Sanitizer is probably the awesome-est thing thing ever to be that cute! What a great company“.

Happy Brushing Josie, We’ll be contacting you later today for your info.

Tinytongs

Violet is currently fascinated with chopsticks right now. She has a tiny pair that she wants to use all the time & honestly, it drives me batty. I don’t have the patience to use chopsticks 9 times out of 10 & I certainly don’t have the patience to teach a 3 year old how to use them. So the next best thing? Tinytongs.

Tinytongs are the creation of Carys Bice & her husband Justin. Carys was looking for something to bridge the gap between finger feeding and utensil using for her little ones and Voila! Tinytongs were born. Tinytongs are child sized, soft, silicone tongs that are lead, BPA & Phthalate-free; they have all these neat little grippies so they stay in your little ones hand and they are very simple to use (& they are dishwasher safe!). V thinks these are the coolest & they have quickly become her go-to utensil. They open just enough so that she can’t cram huge amounts of food in her mouth and she loves to ‘pinch’ her food. I have a feeling these will be really great when it comes time to teaching Clementine how to eat as well as help her develop coordination. Since V is 3 she picked them up very quickly but I imagine it would be just as easy for a smaller child new to solid foods.

For more information about Tinytongs, check out www.tinytongs.com Save 20% on any order with the code: lw20

Clementine is here!

I am so elated to announce the birth of our newest little sweetie, Anna Clementine. She arrived Wednesday afternoon weighing in at 8lbs 11.5oz & is 20″ long! She is a super sweet baby & we love her dearly (obviously). Big sister Violet has already even given her a Spongebob sticker.

happygreenbee : Sale & Giveaway, stay tuned!

Littlewhirl will soon be featuring a review & giveaway of happygreenbee clothing, which I am so excited about (Can you even stand how adorable these hoodies are?)! happygreenbee features awesome, colorful organic clothing and they just so happen to be having an inventory reduction sale through 11/15 – 50% off the entire site with no minimums and free shipping after $25! They are trying to make way for the spring line, which I’m sure will be fantastic. Happy Shopping!

I forgot how much I loved this.

Anne Taintor never fails to make me laugh.

Enjoy a waste-free lunch with Planetbox.

Ever since V started playgroup last year I’ve been pretty obsessed with finding the perfect lunchbox. I love packing lunches, I would probably do it all day if I could. Heck, if I had the dough, I’d probably be a crazy bento-mom with a million little sauce containers and shape cutters. However, all those little pieces would drive me insane I’m sure.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the Planetbox, a single unit stainless-steel lunchbox that has a bunch of nifty compartments, cool magnets & a sweet carrybag made from recycled polyester. I was in love. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that one was on it’s way to our house.

Planetbox is the creation of Robert & Caroline Miros. Robert is an engineer who has designed consumer and medical products for the past 15 years. Caroline has worked extensively on children’s health education and environmental programs. They have 2 daughters, 4 chickens and a passion for promoting the health of children & the environment (and they are super nice folks as well!).

Safe & Non-toxic, Planetbox is made of 300 & 400 food grade stainless steel which means no leeching of nasty chemicals into jr.’s lunch. It’s also waste free, our kit came with a big dipper & little dipper container that can be used for messier treats like yogurt, hummus or pasta. So all we really need is a spoon, fork & a cloth napkin! Planetbox comes outfitted with a sweet set of magnets for the front, one even has room for a name, which we all know is helpful among the pre-school set. V *loves* her kitty magnets and is pretty enamored of the whole box itself. She’s fascinated by the latch & loves how it folds out into a ’special tray’ keeping her lunch tidy, net and unsmooshed. I love having only one piece to wash, it’s so much better than cleaning out piece after piece of tiny tupperware & then dealing with finding a lid for said tupperware, which is like finding that lost sock that you *know* was in the dryer. Planetbox also helps to escape the headache of how-am-I-going-to-cram-all-of-this-into-my-kids-lunchbox?, it’s all laid out, easy as pie. I know that I’m not over or under feeding V, which I really like. I love our Planetbox, it makes for headache free lunch packing and I know it will last forever! Caroline has even made a really nifty ‘how-to’ video for first time Planetbox users. For more information & ordering, stop by www.planetbox.com, it’s well worth the investment!