Swelling, Pain, and a Solution

I will start this by stating that I know how blessed I am to have had a healthy pregnancy so far.  However, the swelling (especially in my hands) has gotten out of control.  It's so painful in the morning that holding a toothbrush and washing my hair are things I contemplate skipping or begging someone else to do for me.  While at work, any amount of time holding a pen or typing leaves my fingertips numb and my hands stiff.

The good news is I got the a-okay from my obgyn tonight to use Arnica to treat the pain and swelling in my joints, and I couldn't be more excited.  I've never experienced swelling like this during my previous pregnancies, and when I did have any pain, I took regular Tylenol.  Since reading about a study linking Tylenol to ADHD, and an overall nervousness with medications during pregnancy, I was really hoping to get the Arnica approved.

The nice people at Boiron had sent me a couple of their Blue Tubes of Arnica 30C Pellets, and since I've known the Arnica Gel to work for me for post-workout pains pre-pregnancy, I'm optimistic that tomorrow morning will be much better.

I also received a tube of Calendula Cream from Boiron, which I had planned to use to treat some stubborn dry skin on JD's scalp.  But the plans changed when Keith and I got some wicked sunburn last weekend.  (I excitedly dug a hole in the sand for my belly so I could lie face down, fell asleep, and burnt the heck out of the back of my legs.)  It feels so good to slather on the cooling cream, and it will speed up the recovery, as the last thing I need right now is to be uncomfortable sitting due to sunburn.  

Boiron, the world leader in homeopathic medicines, has offered to ship these products to a lucky reader, so please enter below.  There is a wealth of information on Boiron's website (a long with a $2 off coupon), and they even have a free medicine finder app.  They also have a giveaway running for an awesome Grand Canyon adventure.

*Boiron sent me these products for free and is providing additional products for a winner.  The opinions, swelling, and sunburn are all my own.

Open to US residents only! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday Tip: If You Want the Perfect Santa Picture...

...take it after your Christmas cards have been ordered and shipped!

Friday Favorite FAIL: Fisher-Price Sing and Cook With Elmo

This Friday Favorite seemed to be a major win.  

dancing & cooking with Elmo

The goal was to keep the boys busy "cooking" while I prepared dinner.  It worked!  Fisher-Price's Sing and Cook with Elmo plays many catchy tunes that I actually didn't mind hearing a couple dozen times.  There were enough pots & utensils for the boys to share, and it held their interest just long enough.

It's actually a pretty smart toy.  The Sing and Cook With Elmo is a large magnet that we stick to the front of the fridge at playtime. The 3 pots and 2 utensils correspond with matching colored & shaped pegs on the magnet, and the pots contain some yummy foods: eggs, pasta, and alphabet soup.

Sharing!

I thought I was a genius for finding this toy,  until...

O figured out how to play the music!

I saw the damage it did to the front of our fridge.

ooops

I guess scratches and gauges on the stainless steal are a price to pay for some peace while cooking.  I probably should have known better.

Things That Are Annoying Me Right Now (more than they probably should)

There is just something about Mondays that makes everything a little more annoying.

WHY are there so many pieces?  Why can't I ever find the ones that go together?

How do the favorite toys end up against the wall, just out of arm's reach, under the very heavy crib?

Why can't 2-year-olds make their own bed?

Why do my organizational baskets scream "TURN ME OVER & DUMP ME OUT!"?

Why can I never find a house phone? And when I do, why is it always dead- except of course when it is in O's room, ringing during his nap?

Why did the groomer put these at-one-time adorable bows in my dogs hair with itsy bitsy rubber bands that are IMPOSSIBLE to remove now that they look gross?

 This though, so not annoying  :)

What's annoying you today?

Never Made it Out of the Box!

This is the most annoying toy I have ever met. The Shake 'n Go Thomas is supposed to talk and move after you shake it. Cute concept except that it's deafeningly loud and starts up whenever someone breathes within 10 feet of it.  

God bless my in-laws who delivered the toy for person who will remain unnamed.  They drove over 3 hours on Christmas Eve with the thing going off nonstop in the trunk.  I knew it was trouble as soon as the gift bag crossed the threshold, and I would have returned it immediately if I had realized we were getting a blizzard and would be stuck in the house with it until Wednesday!

While I was standing in the ridiculously long return line (I had other things to return at Kohls- I would certainly not wait just to spare this toy from the trash.), I got mixed looks of pity and hatred from the people stuck in line with me because this toy would not shut up.  I exaggerated how carefully I was moving the bag, but it did not stop going the ENTIRE 45 MINUTES I WAS ON LINE!  (Just realized I should have looked to see what kind of batteries it came with because they were awesome.)

Good riddance Shake 'n Go Thomas!

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Our Sassy Sensation Station Suction Toy is Possessed!

JD loves loves loves LOVES this toy.  We put it on his highchair tray, and he loves to spin it, pound on it, and pry it off and throw it.  It makes him laugh out loud every time.  However, the music is creeeeeeepy and repetitive, and there is no way to shut it off!  The weirdest thing is that it goes off on its own all the time.  I was motivated to write this post because I could hear it going off in the kitchen while I was writing the last post (I am the only one up)!  My dad swears the music is from the Adams Family or something.  I even tried "washing" it, but running it under the faucet did not break the music box.  We may "lose" it  :)

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Not loving our new Safety 1st Winnie the Pooh Walker :(

We were so excited for JD to get this new walker for Christmas because he desperately wants to be on the go!  However, after putting it together, his feet are a good 6 inches off the ground when it's on the lowest setting.  It will be months before he will be tall enough to "walk" in this walker, and by then, he'll probably be walking on his own.
The box says that it is for 4 months+, so why can't an above average sized 6-month-old (95th percentile for height) use it?  We've contacted customer service, so we'll update this post when we hear back.
The reasons we chose this walker were the non-obnoxious color/design, the activities on the tray (which slides apart and can be used as a feeding tray), and the seat:  Hubby is disturbed by things that leave him "hanging by his package".
Anybody have a walker they love that my little guy can realistically use?


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"Infantino Surfboard Tummy Time Mat" is cute but unnecessary

The design of this mat looks great, but you can accomplish the same goals by rolling up a towel under his chest during tummy time.  The attached pillow gives him needed support when on his tummy, but the small toys and water feature are useless.  We're encouraging him to look up when he is on his tummy, but the floating creatures are under his nose.  He also likes the way the plastic water thing feels and won't stop trying to suck on it! haha
I'm now looking for a good mat that has a mirror or something to look at that will encourage him to lift his head.

Here is Ava showing James how tummy time is done!

Here is a funny video of my husband finding alternate uses for the mat! haha

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"Tiny Love Nature's Serenade Developmental Mobil" Noisy- but he likes it!

This mobile was a project to put together, and it doesn't quite sit flush on his crib (because the sides of the crib are curved), but he really enjoys watching it.  But.... it drives me NUTS!  The music is repetitive and annoying and the little bugs make a lot of noise when they move.  The blue light is pretty bright also. In the middle of the night, it lights up his whole room.  The good news is that he is almost always fast asleep by the time it turns itself off (how it puts him to sleep I'll never understand).   I just have to keep the volume down on my monitor because it is so irritating.  I have read that some babies are scared of it, but mine is captivated and content  :)

Beware of Babies R Us return policy! Read before you register!

As stated on their webpage, Babies R Us "will gladly accept returns on merchandise within 90 days of the original purchase date."
The problem:
My in-laws bought us the travel system we registered for.  They bought it right after we registered in March and gave it to me at my shower in May.  A couple weeks after our baby was born in July, we decided to try out the stroller and discovered a defect.  We called Babies R Us, but they could do nothing for us, even though the product was defective and even though it was from our registry.  It was after 90 days.  Luckily we were helped by the manufacturer, but it took a whole afternoon of phone calls.
Because most people register more than 90 days before the products will be used, this new policy is causing a lot of headaches.  And remember, they will not accept returns within 90 days without a receipt unless it is from your registry.  Make sure you save those gift receipts for gifts not on the registry, and don't register early for gifts you may want to return!  (You'd be surprised how many gifts you end up returning!)