What Will Baby Look Like? Find Out With the "Baby Morpher"

So I'm not gonna lie - this is a little creepy. But it's also kind of addicting. TheBump.com just launched a new tool called "The Baby Morpher." You upload a picture of yourself, and then your husband/baby daddy, and it somehow combines the two to create an image of what your baby may look like. Like I said - part creepy, part ahhh-mazing! : ) Here are my results...
 

Hmmmmm... No comment? : ) Lucky for us we got this little doll face in real life:

Whether accurate or not, it's still fun! Try it for yourself b clicking here: http://planning.thebump.com/baby-morpher

How Big is Baby? Forget the Stinkin' Fruit... How About Desserts?

While I was prego, I religiously kept track of how big my baby was using The Bump's "How Big Is Baby?" tool, which charted the baby's weekly growth relevant to fruit. I don't know about you, but personally I didn't have a whole lot of fruit around my house (my prego pics are evidence of that!). At week 10, they say the baby is the size of a prune. And at 21 weeks, the baby is the size of a papaya. Sorry - but I just can't relate. So, I've taken matters into my own hands and created a Week-by-Week list based on what pregos really care about - dessert! : ) Enjoy!

(Note: Average sizes are taken from TheBump.com. Dessert associations are based on my calculations of weight, not length.)


Weeks 3&4
Zygote
Pop Rock

Week 5 
Avg. Size: 0.13 inches
Candy Button

Week 6
Avg. Size: 0.25 inches
Red Hot

Week 7
Avg. Size: 0.51 inches
Tic Tac

Week 8
Avg. Size: 0.63 inches / 0.04 oz
Good & Plenty

Week 9
Avg. Size: 0.9 inches/ 0.07 oz
M&M

Week 10
Avg. Size: 1.2 inches / 0.14 oz
Hershey Kiss

Week 11
Avg. Size: 1.6 inches / 0.25 oz
Roll of Smarties

Week 12
Avg. Size: 2.1 inches / 0.49 oz
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

Week 13
Avg. Size: 2.9 inches / 0.81 oz
Cadbury Creme Egg

Week 14
Avg. Size: 3.4 inches/ 1.5 oz
Twinkie

Week 15 
Avg. Size: 4.0 inches / 2.5 oz
Pack of Skittles

 Week 16
Avg. Size: 4.6 inches / 3.5 oz
Hostess Sno Balls

Week 17
Avg. Size: 5.1 inches / 5.9 oz
Two Red Velvet Cupcakes

Week 18
Avg. Size: 5.6 inches / 6.7 oz
30 Jolly Ranchers

Week 19
Avg. Size: 6.0 inches / 8.5 oz
Box of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies

Week 20
Avg. Size: 6.5 inches/ 10.6 oz
One container of Betty Crocker Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Week 21
Avg. Size: 10.5 inches / 12.7 oz
Pint of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby Ice Cream

Weeks 21 - 24 (Month 5)
Avg. Size: 10.5 - 11.8 inches / 12.7 - 20.8 oz
Package of Oreos

Weeks 25 - 28 (Month 6)
Avg. Size: 13.6 - 14.8 inches / 1.5 - 2.2 lbs
Two Rolls of Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough

Weeks 29 - 32 (Month 7)
Avg. Size: 15.2 - 16.7 inches / 2.5 - 3.8 lbs
Sara Lee Cheesecake

Weeks 33 - 36 (Month 8)
Avg. Size: 17.2 - 18.7 inches / 4.2 - 5.8 lbs
Three Dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

Weeks 37 - Delivery (Month 9)
Avg. Size: 18.9 - 20.9 inches / 6.2 - 9.2 lbs
One Gallon of Ice Cream

YUMMY!!!

Stay-At-Home vs. Working Moms - Is a Cold War Brewing?

I received an interesting comment on Thursday's post "Dear Mattress Firm: A Note From All the Mamas"  Here it is for your reading pleasure:

Anonymous said... Are you serious? How loud is your tv? instead of boycotting a store, why don't you try putting the dog outside during nap time, fast forwarding through the commercials, muting your tv before the commercials start or perhaps you really need to turn off the tv and take a nap. I'm a single mom that works full-time, I also have 2 labrador retrievers and I'm sick and tired of hearing woe is me stories about how lazy some people are. don't blame Mattress Firm, blame yourself for being too lazy to do something that requires effort like - turn the tv off. Seriously! I bet if the doorbell rang on The View every day, you wouldn't be contacting Whoopi to boycott the show.

My first reaction..."What the fuzzball?!" It's the first piece of hate mail I've received since starting my blog one year ago. So I read it again. And my second reaction was still, "What the fuzzball?!" and then, "Wow, this woman has some serious resentment towards stay-at-home moms!" How did my sarcastic rant about a commercial turn into "you are lazy"? I really thought the Cold War between stay-at-home moms and working moms was a thing of the past. I feel like it's a personal choice we each make, and neither is the "right" or "wrong" decision. As mamas, we've gotta do what we've gotta do sometimes. But here is the question: Am I not allowed to take a breather/zone out while my daughter takes a nap because I stay at home? Truth be told, I work my buns off during the day!  I don't think there is anything wrong with actually ENJOYING being home, watching The View, or maybe even eating bon bons (just kidding about the bon bons BTW). We all do what we can to be the best mamas possible. If that means working outside the home, then that's fine! I wouldn't dream of judging someone's decision. Or call them "lazy" becasue of it. I really hope Miss Ananymous is a one-off, angry woman and not the norm.


I found an interesting article in New York Magazine: Mom vs. Mom. Here are a few thought provoking tidbits I pulled out...

• Motherhood, for all its well-documented joys, has become a flash point for envy, resentment, and guilt. "Everybody struggles, and everybody envies what the other has," says the stay-at-home mother of a 9- and a 14-year-old. "The working mom wishes she had more free time to be available to her child, and maybe have coffee after drop-off. And the nonworking woman would maybe like to have something that's a reflection of her as an individual -- a label that says she's a capable, creative person who knows about more than just baby formula or after-school programs."

• The working mother's plight is further exacerbated by the fact that they're no longer celebrated as the heroines of feminism they were back in the seventies and the eighties. Who cares about Having It All? Working has become deeply ordinary. "There's status to not working," observes the novelist Dani Shapiro. "In the last generation, there was status to working."

 

• While their own mothers, who serve as their role models (whether positive or negative makes little difference), were hailed for staying home and raising their kids, their daughters were educated to help run the world. Those who have chosen to make a career of motherhood wonder whether the brilliant life that was dangled as their birthright is passing them by. Conversely, many of those who are running the world worry they're sacrificing their families on the altar of their own ambition.

 

• If the working moms detect an annoying level of smugness and a lack of self-examination among some of their nonworking sisters, perhaps it's because most stay-at-home mothers don't think of themselves as unemployed. Many have part-time jobs in careers such as real estate, public relations, and interior decorating. Besides, rare is the New York woman these days who didn't once have a job, and probably a rather stressful, responsible job, before she decided to make motherhood her career. In her mind, she's simply on extended sabbatical from the 9-to-5 world.

 After reading the article I came to a very simple conclusion: moms are paranoid. Working moms this stay-at-home moms are judging them, and vice versa! I have a good idea - We are all women! And moms! So why don't we just support each other, no matter what our personal decisions may be?

Amen. : )

Dear Mattress Firm: A Note from all the Mamas

Dear Mattress Firm:

For the last few weeks, you have made life very hard for all of the mamas. Why, you ask? What did you do? It's your commercial. You know.. the one with the doorbell ringing. I would give a better description, but I honestly have no idea what happens in the commercial post doorbell-ring. See, as soon as that gosh darn doorbell rings, all hell breaks loose. Here's a glimpse at what happens in homes across America every time your commercial airs...

I notice my baby is getting a little antsy as we play. I'm also dragging a bit. It must be that time - NAP TIME! Hallelujah! I get a bottle ready, change her diaper and try to settle her down before her afternoon nap.She starts to doze and I bring her up to her crib. Ahhh... a few peaceful moments to myself. I grab a Diet Coke, cue up The View from the DVR, and plop onto the couch for a little downtime while the baby naps. As The View ladies gab away, I start to zone out. I hear Whoopi throw it to the commercial, and then...IT happens. The gosh darn doorbell rings!!! No, not MY doorbell. The MATTRESS FIRM DOORBELL! Of course, the dog starts going nuts, thinking someone is at the front door. Barking and running... running and barking. I start yelling at the dog to hush up. And before you know it, "Wah, wah, wah!" rings out from the nursery. What should have been a 1 hour nap was only 25 minutes. And mamas across the country vow to never shop at Mattress Firm.

So I ask you Mattress Firm, on behalf of all the mamas, please do away with the doorbell ring at the beginning of your commercial. Actually, I beg you. Because the next step is to never watch TV - and then we won't see your commercials anyway.

Worn Out Mama in the ATL,
Sweet Leigh Mama

Not Really a PX90 Kind of Girl

My husband came home yesterday with a genius idea (and by "genius" I really mean "something only a man can come up with and not see why it could be a bad idea"). He had a stack of DVDs a mile high and a huge grin on his face. I'll give you a synopsis of the conversation that followed:

Me: What is that? The entire Lost series on DVD?

Daniel: No. It's the BEST. THING. EVER!! We're going to get into the best shape of our lives. You are going to love this.

 Me (sipping on my third iced coffee of the day):  Interesting... so they are work out videos? Like Billy Blanks or Denise Austin? I can definitely kick your butt in some Tae Bo action.

Daniel: EVEN BETTER! It's PX90. (He pauses... waiting for a response. Like I'm supposed to know what PX90 is.) It's a 90 day workout plan that is really intense. I was thinking we could do it every night after Paige goes to sleep.

Me: What exactly do you mean by "intense?" Like, do I need a to wear a sweatband and sneakers? 'Cuz you know I'm not really into sweating...

Daniel: (Completely ignoring my questions...) So each day we're going to do a different workout, but we may need to get some of the special gear like the chin-up bar, weights, resistance cords... We're going to be soooo ripped.

Me: I don't do chin-ups. I'm not really liking the sound of this. You know I'm pretty exhausted by the time Paige goes down at night...

Daniel: Cool! I'm glad you're excited too. We'll start tomorrow night. Maybe pick up some yoga mats while you're out tomorrow. This is going to be GREAT!!

 Me: (see expression below)

So, ummm... yeah. I guess I'm starting PX90 tonight? Fun times! Did I mention I'm not really into sweating?: )

Here is a link to PX90 if you are as clueless as I was. 

Speechless Saturday: Mischievous Paige

Words Only Mommies Use

Last time I was at the pediatrician (my new pediatrician, BTW... not the one who called me a "barbarian" - click here for that story if you don't know what I'm referring to!) she mentioned I should start offering Paige something called "Biter Biscuits." I nodded and smiled like I totally knew what she was talking about. But I didn't. I had never heard the term before in my life. As soon as I got home I started doing some intense research (aka Google) and found them. There is actually a product by Gerber called Biter Biscuits! I figured it was a generic name. WRONG! They are a specific product designed for babies to hold and chew. Instead of crumbling, the "biscuit" dissolves to avoid choking. Of course that's what they are! ; )

I think back to last year at this time when there was a whole set of words that I had never heard before. It is like a secret vault of terms and products that non-Moms don't realize even exist. But, once that baby pops out, we use these terms like we've been chatting about them our whole lives.

Case in point: Boppy. In no way does it describe what the product is, does or looks like. But EVERY mama knows exactly what it is, AND probably has one.

I've compiled a list of Mommy-isms... Think back to before you were a mama - this list would have looked like a foreign language! I guess we know what our husbands feel like now : )

Feel free to add more in the comments section below! Maybe ones for phases I haven't gotten to yet?

• Biter Biscuits
• Boppy
• Bumbo
• Puffs (not the tissues!)
• Sleep Sack
• Sleep Sheep
• Nipple Shield
• Butt Paste
• Teething Tablets
• Gripe Water
• Playard
• Baby Bjorn
• Snuzzler
• Melissa & Doug
• Medela
• Diaper Genie
• Wee Blocker
• Soothies
• Robeez
• Dreft

I Used to Despise Sweatpants...

I used to despise sweatpants.

I couldn't understand why anyone would want to lounge around in the same thing they wore to bed.

I couldn't wait to start a new day so I could wear a cute new outfit, which of course I picked out the night before.

I used to take at least 2 showers a day and I would spend at least an hour doing my hair and make-up after each one.

I used to make a big cup of coffee and sip it slowly as I caught up on the news in the quiet of the morning.

I would go for manicures, pedicures and to get my hair done whenever I was in the mood for "me time."

I used to be late for everything, all the time.

I used to avoid talking on the phone or to people in general because I spent all my energy at work being "on."

I used to dream of what it would be like to be a wife, and then a mom.


And then it happened. I become a mom and everything changed...

I own 20+ pairs of sweatpants and can't get enough on their cushy, comfy feeling.

I often wear my "pajamas" until around noon... sometimes all day long.

I pick out outfits based on functionality, not fashion. And I pick them out five minutes before I am about to walk out the door.

I take an average of half a shower a day. My makeup consists of Chapstick. My hair can almost put itself in a messy bun on top of my head.

I make iced coffee because it takes too long for hot coffee to cool down. And I chug it. I would consume it via I.V. if I knew how.

I get my dose of daily news from The View while my little one takes her nap.

My idea of "me time" is taking a nap.

I plan ahead and arrive on time - if not early - for everything. I build in wiggle room for emergency diaper changes, feedings or overall meltdowns.

I can't wait for the clock to strike 8 a.m. so I can start calling, texting and visiting friends and family. If you let me, I will talk your ear off.

I am a wife. A mom. And a woman whose life was turned completely upside down. But looking back, I sometimes wonder if it was my former self that was upside down. My pre-Mommy self. And if that only now, I am finally right-side up.

Embracing the Bump

Some people document each week of their pregnancy with photos of their belly. It ends up like a flip book, where you can see how the belly grows over time. And I personally LOVE seeing these pictures! I honestly can't get enough of them. So why is it that during my pregnancy, I pretty much refused to have my picture taken, let alone posted in any sort of public viewing arena? My husband and I actually started out on a good foot - we took two weeks worth of pictures (basically when there was zero bump - just some nice bloating). But then morning sickness set in, and... welll... let's just say that everything went down hill pretty fast after that : )

Next time I am prego, I'm going to document every week of it in pictures. I promise. Every stretch mark. Every yellowish-purplish bruise from my Heparin injections. Every strange shape my belly button takes. Because no matter how uncomfortable it is at the time, it's something we only get to experience a few times in our lives. And it's BEAUTIFUL! I may even commemorate the whole thing with a belly cast right before birth. Ok... that may be crossing the line... but we'll see!

I actually wanted to do that - create a belly cast - before I gave birth to Paige. I saw Kendra Wilkinson do it on her TV show (don't judge! : ) ) So I went out to Michael's Craft Store, picked up all the supplies, and sprung the idea on my unsuspecting husband the next evening when he arrived home from work. I even had the Kendra episode cued up on the DVR and played it back so he could see how "magical" it was. Let it be known that Daniel isn't very artsy nor crafty, and after 9 long months of my craziness, the thought of putting plaster of paris over my bare belly in the middle of our living room pushed him over the edge. Actually, I think it was my comment that I wanted to hang the belly cast - painted in metallic bronze like an ancient Greek sculpture - in our entryway once complete that really frosted his cookies. **SIDE NOTE: I always wondered what would be the final straw to what he was willing to do while I was prego... and this, my friends, was it! My luck had run out**  Two days later I was admitted to the hospital, and then... no more belly to make a cast of! Although a cast of my still swollen uterus may have been interesting... YEAH RIGHT!!! Wow... I really digressed there! : ) Anywho...

So in an effort to make up for my lack of photo memories as a prego, I've created an album on the Sweet Leigh Mama Blog Facebook Page where all the pregos and mamas can post their belly pics. Fun, right? I posted one of my own belly to start... a photo that until now has remained locked far, far away.... So please add your pics ASAP so I'm not the only fool in there : ) (If you can't add directly to the album, upload to the wall and I'll move them over!)


Yaaaaaaaay bellies!

How to Hard Boil an Egg and Other Things I'd Like to Figure Out

There is a lot of talk lately about "Bucket Lists" - things you'd like to do or accomplish before you die. This list is not that serious. It's more of a "Sand Pail List". It's a list of things I'd like to figure out or do sometime in the near future. Here goes...

Sweet Leigh Mama's Sand Pail List

1. How to hard boil an egg
2. Choosing tap water over bottled water
3. Doing a self-mani and pedi without smudging the heck out of it
4. Finding an exercise plan I can stick to
5. Staying organized
6. Recycling as a habit vs. a chore
7. Improving my patience
8. Finding a church I will attend regularly
9. Getting gas before I'm on "E"
10. Avoiding gross razor bumps
11. Stop scratching bug bites before they turn into giant scabs

I'll let you know when I can cross some stuff off this list... Today I've decided to try and master the elusive hard boiled egg .. wish me luck : )

Welcome to our pOOL: Yes, there's a little pee

Two words you never want to hear in regard to your neighborhood pool? FECAL CONTAMINATION. Ew. Yes - I'll give you a moment to stop gagging. That was the headline of the community e-bulletin I received Friday night. Our neighborhood pool was closed for 24 hours due to "fecal contamination." After that, they reminded parents - in large, bold all-caps lettering might I add - that "children who are not potty-trained must wear swim diapers in the pool." Thanks for the reminder ; )

So this may be kinda gross, but every time I enter a pool with children in it - especially babies - I pretty much resign myself to the fact I'm swimming in at least 5% urine. I mean, how can I not be? Think about it - the "swim diapers" are pretty weak excuses for urine containment. In fact, I sometimes wonder if they contain ANYTHING! And I'm pretty sure other mamas realize this too, but that it's one of those things we all know but never discuss publicly.

Speechless Saturday

When the Cookie Crumbles

I have a confession: I've been holding back on y'all. See, after I gave birth, there was one topic I wanted desperately to write about, but just didn't know how to without being super gross. I wrote at least 4 posts on the topic, and deleted them all... "Do pregos REALLY want to know what happens down there post delivery?!" I know I would have liked to know! I guess it's one of those things every mama knows and no one discusses.. because - uh oh - what if I was the only one this happened to?? Well, leave it to TheBump.com to lift the shroud of secrecy. There is something very odd about seeing the word "crotch" in girly cursive letters, but the article is pretty good. Crotch Care 101: The truth about postbirth recovery

Here are the takeaways from my personal experience (NOTE: read at your own risk...preferably not right after eating breakfast)

It's not me, it's you...

A strange thing happens when you have a baby. Actually, it begins when you announce to the world that you are pregnant. Friends - especially "couple" friends without children - seem to fall off the face of the earth. It's like if they get too close to you, they might catch it... You know... The pregnancy bug! Maybe they just feel uncomfortable. Or maybe they are afraid things won't be the same. Well, I have news to share. Things aren't the same!

Speechless Saturday

I've decided to start something new here on Sweet Leigh Mama - "Speechless Saturday" : ) What exactly is Speechless Saturday? Why, I'm glad you asked! Every Saturday morning-ish I'm going to post a picture without any words or commentary. You all can post captions on what you think is going on, what the person/baby is thinking or saying, or give background to the story. You can also email me your photos to post! You can put it in the comments section or on Facebook. I think it will be fun : ) So here goes the first one...

Yard Crasher

As mamas, we wear a lot of different hats. Caregiver. Master Chef. Maid. Taxi Driver. Nurse/Doctor. Cheerleader. Psychic. How about "Landscaper"?