My father-in-law generously gifted us a super fancy stroller before Tavi was born, and last week we took it for its inaugural stroll.

Dre and I have already gotten super used to baby-wearing, so using the stroller felt like a huge novelty. You mean, the baby sits in there? And I push this thing? And we walk behind it?

This particular stroller is called a BOB, and if you know strollers, it's totally the SUV of baby-pushing devices. Even though we got the lowest-end model, the thing's got shocks, for godsake! We just call it The Overkill Stroller.

Overkill or not, there's no denying it was a smooth ride…

Continue reading "This is me pushing a stroller and feeling weird" →

We're launching a new column here on Offbeat Mama, dedicated to travel advice from an addicted expert. Sarah Franklin edited a book all about traveling with kids, and she'll be taking your questions. Here's Sarah to introduce herself. -Ariel

Pre-kids, my husband and I were that cliché of the thirty-something childless couple, traveling here, there and everywhere with just a copy of the New Yorker and the latest iPod as accessories. Lest you assume I’m exaggerating for the sake of a story, here’s a list of the trips we made from our home in Seattle in the year before our firstborn arrived: Alaska; Hawaii; England and Wales; California; Portland (OR), and New York (twice). Oh, and a weeklong road trip to the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, just for good measure.

In that last pre-kids year, with every trip we took we’d look at each other and say, with a mixture of query and reassurance: “We can still do all this with the baby, you know…” Yeah, we were that cliché too. The couple who assumes that their baby, born into a mobile world, will automatically become a mobile baby, fitting neatly into our universe in his/her hipster pouch/sling/backpack, scaling Mount Kilimanjaro with us with nary a peep about altitude sickness.

Continue reading "Ask the travel addict" →

I recently miscarried a child that I wanted very, very much. I went to the doctor last Wednesday and the doctor told me she couldn’t find a heartbeat, and the baby looked a little “under-developed.” About three weeks under-developed to be exact. She wanted to do a follow-up to be sure, so right after my appointment with her I went and picked up my husband and went back for another ultrasound. Same result. Two days later, I went in for another appointment. My pregnancy hormones had dropped off the chart, the baby had no heartbeat, and had been nesting in my belly lifeless for about three weeks. Three weeks?! Hello body, any sort of signal would have been nice. I had no signs of miscarriage, problems with the pregnancy, health, nothing. Low and behold, a part of me was literally dying inside and I didn't even know.

Continue reading "The "safe" zone wasn't so safe" →

There seem to be a cavalcade of cutesy, feminine DIY projects for the baby girls of our funny little world, but what is seriously lacking are some rad projects and ideas for our mud-buggin', bouncing-of-the-walls little boys! Well, this is no longer the case because February is "Celebrate the Boy" month over at Made By Rae.

Continue reading "The Month of the Boy" →

I started making salve a few years ago as holiday presents for my friends and family. They've told me that the salve has been the one thing that's helped their dry winter skin, and they've used it on everything from their lips to their cheeks to all-over body balm.

Since my baby is due to arrive very soon, I wanted to make an all-purpose salve that would work for moisturizing and soothing both my skin and the babe's, and wanted to come up with a recipe that would theoretically work on everything from my (soon-to-be) cracked nipples to his little bum. For that reason, I decided to forgo any scent (as in essential oil) in this recipe, to keep it as edible and natural as possible. (You can use essential oils; just make sure they are safe for baby.) So far, I've been using it on my rather gigantic belly, and already it's helped to soothe itchiness and fade some yucky stretch marks that have been developing.

Calendula Rosemary Mama Salve

I adapted this recipe from a number that I have seen on the Internet, including this one. My recipe uses the Simpler's Method, which uses parts instead of specific volumes. You can vary the herbs depending on your needs, but I've found that calendula and rosemary are a great combination. These two herbs have awesome antifungal, antiseptic, and vulnerary (wound healing) properties. If you're lucky enough to live in a temperate climate like I am, hit up your backyard garden or friends' homes for fresh calendula and rosemary. I only use the calendula flowers, though you can also use the roots as well. You can cut whole sprigs of rosemary, too, and use them.

You will need:

Continue reading "How to make Mama Salve" →

Photographer Leah Muse (who some of you may remember from OBB, or her awesome Royal Tenebaums nursery) recently put together a wonderful book for her partner's birthday.

She had a friend take photos of her and her daughter all over Austin, TX. Each photo featured them holding signs about what makes the birthday boy so awesome.

The results are so inspiring…

Continue reading "DIY photo books make the most awesome gifts" →