Baby Stuff: Sam and Mom's Favorites (0-3 months)

Oh how those first three months flew by!  And today Sam is in daycare for the first time.  I'm at home today and return to work tomorrow...  lots of emotions, but so far I'm doing well.  I think I got a lot of my crying out last week, but hey - it's only Monday.  So today I've been a mad woman getting things done at the house!  And I was also determined to finish this post today.  I've seriously sat down at least 5 times working on it.  It's so hard to find the time and energy to get a big post like this done these days!

So over these very fast few months, I've conjured up a good list of favorite baby items.  This would be my own personal "must-have" list, hind site being 20/20.  But we all know every baby is different.  And mommas, too.  So I'm sure your list looks nothing like mine.  But it's fun to share these things and see what other babies and mommas are into at different stages.  This is a rather lengthy list of faves, so in case you're just breezing through here, I'll give you my top 5 baby items first...

1.  Bosom Baby Nursing Pillow

I must credit my sweet friend, Pammy, for introducing me to this fabulous pillow.  In my opinion, it puts the widely-loved Boppy to shame.  I do have a Boppy - I registered for one anyway because I heard they're great for propping up baby (their original purpose actually), but I'm SO glad I held out and snagged one of these Bosom Baby pillows, too.  First, they are HUGE - lots of room for baby, your elbows, and whatnot.  Second, super soft and cushy (the Boppy is a lot harder).  Third, V-shaped so they fit any size momma, whereas there is no way the Boppy does (though it claims to).  It also serves more than one purpose - it makes a great pregnancy pillow.  I also have the My Brest Friend pillow (which another friend recommended).  That's a good one too, but totally different.  For breastfeeding purposes, I rate these three as follows: #1 Bosom Baby, #2 Brest Friend, #3 Boppy.  Note that the BB pillow is a little hard to find.  Amazon carries it.  Atlanta ladies, the women's shop at Northside Hospital carries them.  BRU or BuyBuy Baby do not stock these - at least not last time I checked.  I lucked up and caught mine off BabySteals.com for half price.

2. Boppy Changing Pad Liners

Thought I'd share this other Boppy brand product next since I just slammed their nursing pillow... ha!  We actually have the Boppy brand changing pad covers (the tan one pictured above), which come with one of these white waterproof liners that just sit on top.  And then Boppy sells extra liners in packs of three.  Um, we have like 10 liners - we go through them like mad!  I absolutely love them.  I have to change the actual pad cover far less often.  If Sam spits up or pees or poops while on his table, the pad takes the hit and we just swap it out.  Now, sometimes a good pee-attack hits a 6-foot wide radius and you're screwed.  But more often, it's just a quick liner change.  LOVE these.  Great for cribs and bassinets too when they're itty bitty.  Only annoying thing is that the washing instructions say to not run them through the dryer.  Um, yeah I totally do and they're fine.  If they wear out faster, so be it.

3. Fisher Price Cradle Swing

Apparently babies either love or hate the swing.  Well, Sam friggin LOVES it.  And so do I.  If I can't get him to go down in the crib, the swing is nearly fail-proof.  Even if he fusses while I buckle him in, he ultimately succumbs to the rocking.  But I especially love this model because the seat can be turned three ways.  It can go back and forth like a traditional swing (facing either direction), or you can twist the seat to face you and it rocks from side to side like a hammock.   We registered for this swing, but were also fortunate enough to get a hand-me-down swing for upstairs (so we'd have one on both floors).  But if we hadn't, I totally would've put up the cash for a second one after learning how much Sam loved it.  My parents also have one at their house - it's a must in our book!

4. Aden and Anais Swaddling Blankets

These blankets are simply the best... huge (44"x44"), square (best for swaddling), and breathable (made of thin, muslin cotton).  Sam always cuddles up with one in his swing.  I have 13 of these total and I'm constantly going through them.  I never leave the house without at least one.  This brand has other great products too (I love the burpy bibs and the security blankets), but the blankets are my absolute favorite.  I wish they made king size sheets out of this fabric.  Seriously.

5. Baby Bjorn Active

Sam and I have already put some serious mileage on our Baby Bjorn.  He loves it.  The first time I put him in it, he immediately relaxed and passed out.  And he just now is able to face forward in it, which is super fun for him.  I'm a big fan of baby-wearing (I also have the Moby Wrap and he likes that too, but I'm afraid he's going to protest it now that he can face forward in the Baby Bjorn).  I don't like fooling with a car seat by myself... if I'm out shopping anywhere with a buggy, Sam is in the Baby Bjorn.  Keeps my hands free and I don't have to worry about him because he's attached to me.  Plus, convenience aside, "they" say it's better for baby not to be in the car seat ALL the time.  And he's working on his neck muscles and such when I'm wearing him.  So it's a home run no matter how you look at it.  I wear it a good bit around the house too - Sam's a good little helper.  Couldn't live without this thing!  And the "active" style provides more back support than the original Baby Bjorn.  I think that's the main difference.

Other Favorites (0-3  months)...

Carter's Keep Me Dry Pad - I have several "sheet saver" type products for the crib.  This is the cheapest one I got and it beats the other fancy pants ones.  The flannel like fabric kinda clings to the sheet, so it stays put.  Love these.  Just throw it over the crib sheet and you rarely need to change the actual sheet.

Bright Starts Ingenuity Automatic Bouncer - Sam's Mimi got him this!  And boy are we glad because our boy loves it.  It's a great way to read to him now too - when I'm using big picture books.  He's so wiggly that it's often hard to keep hold of him and handle a book at the same time.

Chicco Keyfit Caddy Stroller - I knew I wanted to get a "snap-n-go" type stroller for the infant seat.  We got the Chicco Keyfit 30 seat, so when I heard Chicco came out with its own version of the snap-n-go, I immediately registered for it.  And it is awesome.  I did not want a big travel system and I'm so glad I stuck with my gut here.  The Keyfit Caddy is ridiculously easy.  I can lift it out of the trunk with one hand and pop it open in seconds.  And the storage basket underneath is huge.  Like I-could-stuff-a-dead-body-in-there huge. 

Baby 411 - My favorite go-to reference book.  I have several books and this is by far my favorite!  Plus it's funny and entertaining.  I've already bought two other copies for friends.

"The Merry Goes 'Round" by Jewel - Sam loves him some tunes.  So much so that he's been known to wail in between tracks.  We constantly have music going in the nursery.  This new CD by Jewel is one of our favorites!  I must say, the first track called "Sammy the Spider" sold me.  But the whole thing is awesome and something adults can actually enjoy too.  I love Jewel anyway, so it was a no brainer for me to get her children's CD's (Sam also has the lullaby one).  Another one we love is the Rockabye Baby CD with classic rock tunes made lullabies.  So fun!  Sam's awesome Auntie Jenn hooked him up with that one.

Mirrors - Sam has this particular one for the car, but mirrors in general are a BIG hit right now.  Particularly in his play gym, Sam spends a good 30 minutes or so several times a day just staring into the mirror giggling and cooing at himself.  Highly entertaining, apparently.  I'm constantly moving his gym mirror back and forth from the crib.  I'm sure I'll eventually break down and get one just for the crib!

Sleep Sheep - A sweet friend told me I'd need this and she was right!  We have both the regular size and travel sizes of this item.  It's a stuffed sheep that velcros onto a crib or bassinet or whatever and plays several different white noises on a timer.  Sam's favorite (or Mom's really - because it puts him in a trance!) is the Ocean noise.  We have an ocean noise on his regular white noise maker, but it's not as good.  We have kept the travel sheep on his car seat until he started daycare (today) - so now the mini one is on his crib at school. 

The Jesus Storybook Bible - I cannot fully explain the awesomeness of this book.  Just get it for yourself and you will see! I had no previous knowledge of it - we received it as a gift and I am so grateful now that Sam and I have been digging into it.  It basically walks through the entire Bible, in short-story or chapter form - showing that the Bible is one big story, where every little story along the way whispers Jesus' name.  OMG... like I seriously cried when I read about Adam and Eve.  It is SO well written, so beautifully illustrated (every page is full of color from edge to edge), and honestly - forget kids... if you want a better understanding of the Bible in general, get this book.  Yes, it's written in a very simple way that appeals to children, but it's not watered down.  I adore this book.  I know Sam and I are going to wear it out!

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes - I told you Sam loves his tunes.  This is a great little inexpensive toy that plays several songs at the press of a button.  A lot of the music on baby toys is very grainy and makes you cringe a bit - but the sound quality on this little gadget is actually really great.  And Sam loves it.  It has little lights that blink in sync with the songs. 

Munchkin Portable Nightlight - This was a big help in the very early days when there were several night feedings and Sam was still in the bassinet.  Great little portable nightlight that goes off automatically after 30 minutes.  I think it was also soothing to Sam as he was falling back asleep after a feeding.

Plain white onesies - I love all the fun baby clothes, but really... is there anything cuter than a baby in a plain white onesie?  I make sure I have a set of these in short sleeve and long sleeve at every stage.  Carter's bodysuits are my favorite but Gerber onesies are OK too (just know their sizing runs WAY small).

Tummy Tub - This product has probably brought about the most laughs of anything we have.  Sam looks so friggin hilarious in this thing.  It's simply an upright tub for baby, so they are always in water and don't get cold.  We either bathe him in this or just on a body sponge (also pictured) in the regular tub. 

Tiny Love Take Along Mobile - Another great recommendation from my friend Pammy.  We never did get a full size mobile for Sam.  But once he started getting into his crib toys and play gym, I thought he'd enjoy a mobile.  So I decided to try this mini travel one, and he loves it!  It is awesome because you don't have to wind it like you do a lot of mobiles.  It just has a simple on/off switch and runs for a good 30 or 40 minutes.  But the coolest part is, it attaches to almost anything.  And the top pieces comes off and will strap to a car seat or stroller.  He's become such a big fan, that we sent it off to daycare with him today and I just hopped on Amazon and ordered a second one.  Love it!

Dr. Brown's Bottles - We initially tried several recommended brands of baby bottles to see what Sam preferred.  Honestly, that boy loves to suck anything so I'm pretty confident he'd do fine with any of them.  But Dr. Brown's won out in the end.  The original size (not the wide-neck) have smaller nipples, whereas the other bottles we tried (Avent and Playtex) had honkin' huge nipples.  Sam seemed to have a little bit of an easier time with the Dr. Brown's bottles.  But what swayed me in the end was the fact that Dr. Brown's bottles fit on my breast pump.  None of the others did, so that sold me.  Now that Sam has moved past the 4oz bottles, I can still use them to pump and store breast milk.  Win, win.

Skip Hop Diaper Bags - I have several bags that I rotate and two of them are Skip Hop.  The best feature of their bags?  The stroller attachment straps.  So anytime I know I'm going to be using the stroller, I make sure I carry one of my Skip Hop bags.  Love it!  Very affordable and they come in a huge selection of fun styles and prints.  The green messenger style pictured is my personal fave!


Phew! The funny thing is, now that we've passed the 3-month mark, we can already see Sam's interests and needs changing.  Can't wait to see what our next round of favorites are!  Stay tuned...

French Fries & Beethoven

A lot of Sam's toys have classical music that plays as he swings and bounces and whatnot.  Grainy, electronic versions, but recognizable classic pieces nonetheless.  One popular one being Beethoven's "Fur elise," which TO THIS DAY I cannot listen to without thinking of this McDonald's commercial from *cough* 1986...



Tell me I'm not the only one!!!!!!!!!

Ridiculous.

Ridiculously cute, that is!  OMG... Sam needs these.  I love all the Trumpette socks.  (Not only are they stupid cute, but they stay on.)  These boat shoes take the cake though!

Also love these little Vans-like skater shoes... swoon!

And don't get me started on the Trumpette socks for girls.  Shut up.  Shut your mouth!

Sam's Nursery Pictures

Finally, the finished product!  To really appreciate the transformation, be sure to peek back at the before pics.  I love how the room turned out and I love spending time in here.  Truly, a dream come true.  It's so sweet and perfect for our little boy.  I couldn't be happier!  Enjoy...

The gorgeous built-in shelves that have been in my head for years turned out great!  One of the hub's best friends built these.  We were blessed to have so many talented friends and family help us out with this beautiful room.

Definitely one of my favorite parts of the room is the wall and ceiling paint.  We went very neutral, but bold at the same time.  The crib wall is striped with two shades of taupe.  But the real kicker is the ceiling - it's a very striking metallic bronze.  My absolute favorite part!  We did the paint ourselves.  The stripes were the most challenging - the hub handled those!

The rocker was a gift from Sam's Mimi! And the fabric closet "door" was sewn by my sweet bestest!  And I'm not sure if she remembers this, but KK also gave us that oval mirror that hangs above the crib as a wedding gift (ahem, nearly ten years ago).  Yeah, we hadn't used it till now!  We added the wooden "S" and voila... insta-nursery decor.



She also made the lovely basket liners for me!  See her tutorial on these here.  The hamper (which you can kinda see there by the crib) was a bit of a challenge.  I didn't like any of the ones I saw at BRU and the like.  This was actually my grandfather's hamper.  Yeah, kind of a weird tribute, but it's cool to have a piece of him in the room (even if it used to hold his dirty underwear).



Had a ball filling these shelves.  And it's a work in progress!  Lots of sweet gifts from friends, but also a few things from my childhood make an appearance too.



Filling the drawers was also fun... they're our main source of storage in the room, besides the closet.

This little caddy was used to hold cake pops at one of my showers... now it holds diapers!  The little night light back there is one of my favorite baby items.  It'll be included on my list of must-have's that I'll post soon!  That bird house is just a random item I found at Hobby Lobby for filler.

Our beautiful DIY cornice board!!!  One of my very favorite pieces in the room.  Dad and the hub built this together.  And my sweet friend, Melissa, monogrammed the fabric before it was assembled.  A very easy project.  And simple to change the fabric... like if it needs to be pink at some point! ;-)

Our gorgeous bench seat cushion... I did have a designer friend make this for me.  Definitely one of the few "splurges" in the room, but it totally makes the bench - which really is the focal point. LOVE it!  That seat also lifts to reveal a big storage area underneath.  Currently it is housing our diaper supply!



Some sweet details...  the pillow (and all crib bedding and extra fabric) was ordered from a GREAT local company called Carousel Designs that does affordable custom crib bedding.   I will use them again and again! My friend Melissa also monogrammed this pillow for me (and did the applique "S" on the one above). 



Another must-have - the Sleep Sheep!  Yeah we have this full size one and the travel one (attached to Sam's car seat).  Love!  This little toy bag was something I already had from my samples kit when I was selling Javis Davis bedding.  It just happened to match almost perfectly!

The main print used in the room - this gorgeous paisley.  It was definitely love at first sight when I found this.  Which is not what I originally imagined for a boy... I always thought I'd do something bright and funky!

Wall decor above the changing table.  Found these fabulous safety pins at Ballard Designs.  They were featured as a cute addition for a laundry room, but I thought they'd be perfect in a nursery!  The lovely name plaque was given by another sweet friend.  Also one of my very favorite details in the room.  Sam's name has such special meaning for us, so this was a perfect gift.

Oh and how I adore the finished bathroom... I told you how much I love baby and kids' bathrooms, so we put a lot of work into it.  My dad and the hub did the beadboard themselves.  That medicine cabinet was a random find at Home Depot!  I had one picked out at Pottery Barn for twice as much.  Monogrammed towels from Horchow, duh.  Don't make me tell you again that there is no better place to order mongrammed towels.

Cheap clearance shower curtain from Kohl's!  Mongrammed by Melissa.  :-)  Oh and all these bathroom fixtures were purchased YEARS ago at the Pottery Barn outlet.  We had never installed them till now, but we've seriously had them for like five or six years.  Glad my taste didn't change too much!

Sam's Nana got him this sweet little robe.  A baby robe, seriously... so cute!

And surely you remember the crazy orange closet!  Here it is fully loaded.  Hard to tell in this pic, but the wall color is a bright sherbet orange.  Just fun.  Not meant to match any decor in the room, obviously.  Just a happy and bright color that works well with blue OR pink.  :-)  This was our very first project in the room.  I decided on this color before we knew boy or girl or what we'd be doing in the nursery itself.  Closets are fun.  (Mine is partially painted too - metallic pink.  I mean, why not?)

Yep, all that work for a teeny little person... blood, sweat, and tears from us and so many others who love this little guy.  Definitely more time, thought, effort, and money has gone in to that one space than any other in our house!  Haha... gotta love it!

Easter Musings

One of the most exciting things to me about becoming a mom is introducing Sam to all the fun holidays and celebrations throughout the year and years to come.  Though I've yet to purchase any scrapbooks or memory albums, I've got a big collection of things to put in books and one specific scrapbook I want to put together is a "Book of Firsts."  We'll have a lot of those this year!  And next up is Easter...

Perhaps it's silly to go nuts over an Easter basket for a little munchkin that spends the bulk of his day doing nothing but sleeping and pooping... but hey, I can't help myself!  But what do you put in an infant's Easter basket?  I mean, it's not like he can eat a chocolate bunny (though Momma can totally help him with that).  I was thinking books and maybe a couple of toys. But then earlier this week, Sam and I were on a date with my friend Pam and her newborn and we walked into Pottery Barn Kids at Lenox and it was like a beautiful Easter explosion!  Sure, I'd seen all this stuff in the catalog, but it didn't really do much for me till I saw it in person.  (This is why I try not to shop.)

They had lots of cute basket options and all kinds of goodies for filler, but I especially fell in love with the whole Peter Rabbit collection.  And though it's a lot more than I'd pay for a comparable basket at Hobby Lobby or wherever else, I'm totally smitten over this bucket...

I can't find it on their site, but in store they had a mini bucket and a large one.  I could be sensible and get the mini one for my little mini man. But sometimes sensibility goes out the door when I look at those sweet cheeks! I mean, seriously, just look...

Exactly.  So now I'm all inspired by the Peter Rabbit theme.  It's just so sweet and timeless.  Plus, I can only justify buying this bucket if I can get another use out of it.  It will look so great on Sam's bookshelves in his nursery (yes, getting those pics up soon - promise!).  Makes for a great looking toy bucket and I'm always keeping an eye out for fun things to go on his shelves. 

So then to fill it... definitely some Peter Rabbit themed goodies.  Which PBK has a ton of, but I will *probably* refrain from getting any of it there.  Sure, a lot of it is their exclusive collection, but not the books.  Um, unless you happen upon a clearance deal or great coupon, don't ever buy kids' books at these stores!  Make a mental note and then run to Amazon or another bargain book dealer.  Kids' books are seriously so stinking expensive.  So yeah, I've already been adding some stuff to my Amazon wish list while I'm pulling ideas together, including this...

Yeah, that won't exactly fit in the bucket, but I love it.  So it may have to just sit beside the bucket.  The Easter Bunny often had "extras" outside my basket, so I'm confident he still does this.  And there are like a million little Peter Rabbit stuffed animals out there, including this sweet one that plays a nursery rhyme...

Pam and I also strolled around in Anthropologie while at the mall and I found these GREAT flash card sets for kids.  It'll be a while before Sam is ready to actually learn this stuff, but the colors and pictures are so darn fun.  Eric Carle, of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fame, has several box sets of gorgeously illustrated cards for kids.  And they're really good quality - like similar to board books as far as thickness and glossy appearance.  Anthropologie had a few of the sets selling for full retail at $14.95, but I found the same thing on Amazon for about $10 (and hello, free shipping and no sales tax).  Yeah, so I'm pretty sure he's getting a set of these...

Lastly, I think I will find a little Bible to include in the bucket.  You can never have too many life manuals, and Easter is about Jesus after all, right?!  Can't wait to start putting it together!  Oh and then wrapping it all up in cellophane with fabulous ribbons... OMG too fun.  We'll be lucky if we get an unintentional smile followed by a fart from Sam after seeing his first Easter basket, but it'll certainly make my heart swell!

And speaking of my dapper little dude, I've been on the hunt for the perfect Easter duds for him.  I know it's still a couple of months out, but so far I'm pretty unimpressed with the selection for boys out there.  Easter to me means PREPPY and COLORFUL.  Sans dinosaur and truck images.  Love those, but not on Easter.  So, I think I finally found "the one" at Baby Gap...

Also saw these sandals at Old Navy a while back - how stinkin' cute?!  Hopefully it will be warm enough for this ensemble.  You just never know.  But that little Gap romper is on sale this weekend, so I may have to go and snag it.  If you're looking for cute Easter looks for your little one, Baby Gap by far has the best selection I've seen yet (especially for little girls - swoon!).  I've looked at Carter's, Osh Kosh, Gymboree, Target, BRU, Buy Buy Baby, and Old Navy... and none of them had anything that got much more than a "meh" from me. Gymboree had a few cute things, but ugh - too $$$ for me.  I'm cheap.

So yeah... getting awfully excited about Easter Sunday!  We haven't made it back to church since Sam arrived, but I think we will give it a go Sunday week.  Not ready to put him in the nursery (he'd be old enough but Momma's not ready!), but he should do just fine in his Baby Bjorn or Moby Wrap.  He LOVES being held or carried.  Such a sweet boy. :-)

Back soon with nursery photos and my maternity favorites...  Until then, TGIF and have a fabu weekend!

One month, already?!

It's true... today Sam is ONE whole month old!

We of course had to come up with some creative ways to document his monthly growth.  My SIL sent us a fun idea she found on Pinterest where you put baby in an outfit that's entirely too big for him at first, and photograph him in the same one every month to see how he grows into it.  So we did that with a size 12mo sleeper - which totally swallows him right now!

Then we put him in one of the PB Kids baskets from his changing table... (OK that reminds me that I totally need to get nursery pics on here!)

And the "main" pic is this one - just a simple overhead view of him on a blanket with one of MY old toys - a crocheted Cookie Monster doll.  Love it!

I always love seeing how people document the actual month.  I've seen onesies and tees and stickers/patches you can use to put on the kid.  I liked that idea, but of course decided to do a budget-friendly version with stuff I already had.  So the solution?  Iron-on printer paper.  It's so darn easy...

Here's a very quick how-to if you're interested in doing something similar...


Easy Month-by-Month Iron-on Decals

1. You will need a plain onesie or tee for each month.  I just went with plain white onesies by Carters.  (Or sorry, "bodysuits" since Gerber officially coined the term "onesie" - whatev.)  And I'm doing these month-by-month because who knows what size Sam will need as he grows!

2. Assuming you've got an iron and a printer at home, the only other thing you need is iron-on printer paper.  I have found this at the grocery store, but Walmart usually has it and certainly any office supply store would.  It comes in the same packaging as labels - so look for those.  I used Avery brand and it comes in two varieties - one for light fabrics and one for darker fabrics. 

3.  I designed my own image just using Microsoft Word - I went really simple.  But you can get as fancy pants as you want.  Design your own decal, or find some clip art or other pictures to use.  The big thing to remember here, once you're ready to print, is you'll need to print a mirror image of the decal.  Some programs have you do this through the print menu, or you may be able to flip the image itself before printing.  I created my image in Word and then copied it into Paint (yeah, that free program under your Accessories - love it) and printed from there.  So I just flipped the image itself before printing.

One other thing to note - this iron-on paper is designed for inkjet printers.  I broke the rules and used a laser printer though.  It worked fine for these small and simple images, but really an inkjet printer will do best.  The heat from a laser printer screws up the iron-on material some and may affect your decal.  But the image itself transfers fine if the paper around your decal survives the printing (which mine did).

4. Transfer the image!  Follow the instructions on the iron-on paper package - they are plenty detailed and easy to follow.  It takes a matter of seconds to transfer the image - especially a small one like this.  And then you're done!  Come month #2, start back at step 1.  :-) 


So there you go.  We are obviously having a complete BALL with Sam.  Love him to pieces.  He is ridiculously cute.  He's a good sleeper too.  The nights are hard... we've had to grow accustom to "naps" rather than getting a full night's sleep, but we're coping well.  He's a fabulous eater and pooper too.  The plumbing is definitely working.  His projectile pee and poo range is quite impressive.  I just recently had to start a clothes bin for items he's already outgrown!  I mean, really!  He's out of most of his NB items and is in 0-3mo or 3mo sizes now. He's growing like a weed, that's for sure. 

I've got lots of great post ideas swimming in my foggy head right now... it's just a matter of finding the time and opportunity to sit down at the 'puter and get them posted.  I definitely want to share my favorite maternity items and baby items so far, among other things.  You know I love dishing on fun clothes and products!  And as I mentioned, I need to get our nursery pics up!  My Dad took a bunch of great ones after we got everything finished, so I'll have to get those on here shortly. 

Also... any fun Valentine's Day plans, y'all?  We typically stay in and do fondue for V-Day, but seeing as we stay in like ALL the time lately, that's not quite as appealing this year!  So we are having our first official date night on Tuesday!  Well, date afternoon really.  My parents are going to watch the little man at our house while the hub and I go to see "The Vow" and then have an early dinner at a local Italian restaurant.  We have 5pm reservations - which officially makes us old farts.  Seriously, who eats at 5pm?  People with one-month-old's at home with grandparents waiting to have their own Valentine's dinner out.  Yep, Nana and Grandpa have 7:30pm reservations, so we'll be home in time to relieve them.  And we thought caring for the dogs was hard enough to coordinate!  Ha!  Looking forward to it...  you know I love Valentine's!  Any reason to celebrate is... well... a reason to celebrate!  Hope you all have a great one filled with lots of love!