The Switch

I'm a traitor. I've switched sides. I spent so much time on one side of the line, that the fact that I'm just barely over on the other side seems so bad. But it's not my fault. All my friends were doing it. It was only once. I just tried it. I was holding it for a friend. I did it for a good cause! No matter what the excuse is that I tell myself, it's too true to be avoided. I'm a traitor.

Last night, I made the switch. For the first time, I used Burt's Bees Wash and Shampoo instead of a Johnson and Johnson product. I felt terrible for even thinking of using it, and I felt even worse when I actually bought it, but I have no good excuse because I did think about it and I did buy it. And last night, I even tried it. For those of you who think I'm making a big deal out of nothing, my client at work for the last 1.5 years has been Johnson's Baby, and for the last few months, Aveeno Baby. Overall, for the last 2 years, I've been working with Johnson & Johnson in some capacity. So while using a Burt's Bees product doesn't seem like the craziest thing (except for the fact that it cost $10 for a 12oz bottle of wash/shampoo), it is to me.

I've spent a lot of time reading over the benefits of Johnson's Baby products, and did my part to introduce new (and existing) moms to their wide range of products. I even used their products on Kaylani for the past 12 weeks and we all loved it, specifically the Soothing Naturals Wash and Shampoo. But in the back of our minds, Burt's Bees was always there. Ever since that fateful day back in the summer of 2007.

We were at our friend Heather's house, visiting her and her son Ben. Mommy was still pregnant of course, so we were just taking it all in. All it took was one sniff of Ben's hair and we were hooked. Whatever it was, we had to have it. More specifically, we had to have it for Kaylani. "It" turned out to be Burt's Bees. And while I was true and loyal to my client, "it" was always in the back of my mind.

So we tried it, and we loved it. The smell was a blend of coconut and something, and it didn't even matter what that something was. Kaylani took a nice long bath and came out smelling as good as ever. And, to top it off, she also slept for 9 hours after bath time. 9 hours of sleep, and smelled like coconut and something. I'd say that's worth $10 for a 12oz bottle. Now the bath and the fact that she was tired was probably the real reason she slept for 9 hours last night, but so far, I'm a believer. And being a believer makes me feel like a big traitor. I just hope that using Burt's Bees doesn't come back to sting me in the end! Get it? Yeah...

Unsolicited Advice

When you have a baby, it's like you just gave birth to a sign that says "please give me advice on how to raise this child." And since giving birth is a personal experience that only those closest to you should be a part of, then only those closest to you should be able to see that sign, right?

I can handle advice from family and relatives, and from our pediatrician, and from friends of ours that have babies, or even friends of ours that have been around babies. Sure, it gets overwhelming at times, but I know they mean well and want to share their experiences and their learnings with us. Most of the time, I'll even listen. But complete strangers is where I draw the line.

I'm not the friendliest person to people I don't know. I know it's hard to believe because I'm like a big soft, teddy bear to those who know me (stop laughing), but it's true. When it comes to holding conversations with random strangers, I'm not the one to keep that conversation going. Mommy is definitely the type of person who can keep a conversation going. She can be walking down the street and someone will just stop her to tell them their life story. I've seen it happen, although we were in a cab in the Dominican Republic. In the 40 minutes it took to get to the airport, she knew enough about our driver that she could have written his autobiography.

Well tonight, we went to the grocery store and since Kaylani had just napped, and just nursed, we brought the Baby Bjorn and let her look out at the world. They say first impressions count a lot, so I'm glad this wasn't her first impression of the world. Here's how it went down. We were in the tomato sauce/pasta aisle, and this lady walked by me, stopped, turned around and we had the following conversation.

Stranger: 2 months?
Daddy: Yep, in just a few days!
Stranger: It goes by so quickly. I have a 6 year old that comes up to here on me (puts her hand at her stomach). I also have a 3.5 year old that's getting real big. It's hard to believe.
Daddy: I bet.
Stranger: She's adorable. Let me tell you something. Make sure you celebrate every month as a birthday. Before you know it, it'll be over.
Daddy: That's a good ide..
Stranger: I'm telling you, you won't even believe it when it happens. Just the other day I looked at my 3.5 year old and my 6 year old and ..
Daddy: *Staring at cans of tomato sauce for a few minutes*
Stranger: Anyways, congratulations again.

Not bad you say, right? Well, the stranger then walked down the aisle a bit more and found Mommy looking for pasta and they had the following conversation.

Stranger: Congratulations!
Mommy: Thanks!
Stranger: Are you a stay at home mom?
Mommy: (Dressed in sweat pants and a shirt with spit up) Yes, can you tell?
Stranger: Is she fussy?
Mommy: Yeah, sometimes but she's pretty good
Stranger: Are you breastfeeding?
Mommy: Yeah...
Stranger: Are you eating broccoli? That gives your baby gas you know and could cause them to be fussy
Mommy: I eat a little bit, just because it's healthy for me
Stranger: Well everything we eat goes right to them. My mom was drinking milk and apparently I was allergic to milk because when it came through the breast milk, it would bother me. Are you giving her infant massage?
Mommy: Yeah, usually every night
Stranger: With what? Lavender oil?
Mommy: No, I normally just use my hand. I don't put lotion on her much
Stranger: Well use lavender oil. And do it at the same time every day. When my 6 year old was a baby, I used to bathe her, and then wrap her up and nurse her while I was sitting on the toilet. Right there in the bathroom. Every night! And afterwards, I would give her an infant massage with lavender oil. That was our regimen. And she wasn't fussy at all.
Mommy: Hmm, lavender oil huh? I'll try that
Stranger: You can get it over in Aisle 20. They have all the natural stuff there.
Mommy: I have some at home. You know, gifts from people and such
Stranger: Don't use Johnson & Johnson, any of their products. They're really bad for babies
Mommy: Oh really?
Daddy: (Starts counting to 10 slowly and breathing deeply)
Stranger: Yeah, real bad ingredients in there. You know, it's not just what we eat that goes to the baby, it's what we put on their skin too. It goes straight to them. I used Johnson & Johnson lavender cream on my baby and she had a rash for MONTHS. Wouldn't go away. All of their products are bad.
Mommy: Okay.
Stranger: Well congratulations, don't forget about the lavender oil, and to celebrate her birthday each month.

When she left, I stopped counting (I got to about 323 I think), we looked at Kaylani (who was sleeping at this point...lucky baby) and the front of the Baby Bjorn to make sure that the "please give me advice sign" wasn't showing. It wasn't, so maybe this lady thought she was a close friend of ours. Whatever it was, it was unbelieveable. I was waiting for Mommy to say "You know my husband works with Johnson & Johnson", but she didn't, and I'm thankful, because I don't like to get into arguments with people like that.

Okay, well that's the end of my little unsolicited advice rant. Sorry for the long post, but I thought it was best if I relayed the entire conversation. Maybe I'm overreacting, maybe I'm not, but whatever it is, it sure makes for a good post. And by the way, if you're reading this, chances are you're someone I know, so your advice is welcome (to a point). And if you're a complete stranger, well you can still give me advice because it's the internet and I can easily tune out written comments! Speaking of tuning things, check out this video of Kaylani and her piano. It's hard to say if she's staring at the lights or at the camera, but either way, Hollywood here she comes!

Stand Up, Sit Down, Cry, Cry, Cry!

We had a full day today. Okay, a full half day since it didn't start until 2, but Mommy, Daddy, Yin Yin, Yea Yea, and Kaylani all went shopping today. We headed over to the Jackson Outlets to see if we can take advantage of cheap deals on even cheaper clothes. The past few journeys out with Kaylani had gone off as well as they could, but this trip had a slightly different twist.

First of all, the Outlets are outdoor so we had to walk outside to get from store to store. Normally, not bad, but when it's 40 degrees out, it poses its own little challenge. We bundled her up nice and tight every time we stepped outside, and only had to stop once to feed her in the 5 hours we were there. From a baby-outing standpoint, it went great. She slept the entire time, cried when she was hungry, and went back to sleep. No diaper blowouts, no tantrums, just sleep.

So, in anticipation of what I'm sure will be a 1 on the scale of 1 to sleep tonight for Mommy and Daddy, I present to you, Jon's 10 Step Sleep routine (a spin on the Johnson's 3 Step Sleep Routine found here).

Step 1: "Bubbles Away to Dreamland" - Taken straight from the Johnson's routine. Every other night, we give Kaylani a nice tub bath (tonight was only the 2nd time, so before her umbilical cord came off, it was sponge bath time). She gets nice and clean, a quick towel cuddle, then dried off.

Step 2: "Massage Your Way to Sweet Slumbers" - Also straight from the Johnson's routine (although we use Aveeno Baby cream instead of the Johnson's Bedtime lotion - sorry Jbaby team)! After she's all lotiony, she gets pulled into a onesie (seriously...pulled), and her nightgown.

Step 3: "Quietly Off to Sleep" - Last step in the Johnson's routine, and we adhere to it. Mommy will read her a few books (headlined by Buenas Noches Luna), Daddy will soothe Kaylani with the sweet sounds of a keyboard typing away (currently happening), and Mommy will hum song like tones at Kaylani while she nurses.

Step 4: "Sway Like the Wind Blows" - The last step in the Johnson's routine sounds nice, but it doesn't work, so we added on. After gliding in the glider until she's almost asleep, the trick is to get to your feet and still keep that same movement for Kaylani. This usually causes her to stir, but not wake up...yet.

Step 5: "Swaddle Like a Duck" - Not so much like a duck, but here's when Kaylani goes in her crib and gets swaddled up real tight. The key is to keep a hand (preferably Mommy's) on her chest so she thinks she's still bundled next to her. It's like asking for someone to put a finger down when you're tying a bow, except instead of a finger, it's a hand, and instead of a bow, it's a baby.

Step 6: "Quiet Please" - Here's where the "shushing" comes in. The next few minutes are spent with rhythmic "shhhhhh" noises that I believe are to simulate sounds within the womb. Don't quote me on that, but I do know it works.

Step 7: "Run Away!" - If she's asleep, or calm, here's where we make our exit. We head to the bedroom, and then turn on the monitor to see if all's calm on the bedroom front.

Step 8: "So, do you come here often?" - When step 7 lasts less then 10 minutes, it's time to pick Kaylani back up and repeat Step 4. On a good night, Step 4 can be done standing with a side to side sway (which is much easier than a back and forth sway while standing...unless you're drunk).

Step 9: "Sit Down and Shut Up" - When standing Step 8 doesn't work, it's time to get back into the glider. If we're lucky, we don't need to unswaddle her, because that would take us all the way back to Step 4 instead of just going through the motions. Either way, if this doesn't work, then it's Step 8, Step 9, Step 8, Step 6, Step 7, Step 8, Step 9, Step 8...you get the point.

Step 10: "Baby is a Four Letter Word" - Hopefully it doesn't come to this, but if all else fails, you call for reinforcements, which is Mommy's boob. Sorry to be so graphic, but hey, it works. I try not to resort to this for at least an hour so she can get some rest.

Alright, well sorry for the long post but that held me over pretty well. It's time for me to follow Step 4 for real. Hopefully I'll only have to do it once tonight...