Pregnant, Healthy and Taking it All in Stride

Sara at 36 weeks, healthy and happy!

We recently had a “Dear le•top” question about weight gain during pregnancy. One of our readers (and my good friend), Sara, wrote an insightful comment about her experience. Sara is now 36 weeks into her pregnancy with her first baby — a girl! (though no names have been discussed, I am rooting for my name! LOL!). Sara has not gained a lot of weight with her pregnancy despite her very healthy appetite, so she’s had to deal with a fair amount of other people’s anxieties and opinions about her weight gain (or lack thereof). I’ve read about how, once a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes everyone’s “friend”– as if there’s an invisible sign inviting everyone (even strangers) to talk about pregnancy stories, birthing and labor stories (especially the horrific ones), opinions, too-personal questions and belly pats! It seems to come with the territory of being pregnant.

Sara’s had a great pregnancy by all acounts, and even though her baby is playing games and doing cartwheels and flips, Sara’s taking it all in stride and just enjoying her pregnancy. I can’t wait to meet my namesake! 😉

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“Magic” Blanket Giveaway Contest

le•top baby: 12 x 14 soft soft security blanket in Pink and White

Nadine’s Magic Blanket email from her mom started us thinking about a fun giveaway contest. Do you have your own “blankie” stories? Whether it’s a story like Kristin’s two roommates coming to college with their childhood blankies, or Nadine’s Magic Blanket, we’d love to hear about them, so please share! We’re giving away sets of two little blankets (an heir and a spare) from le•top baby. We make them intentionally little with “security blanket” needs in mind…soft, warm and comforting, but durable and perfectly sized…that way, it doesn’t get dragged around on the ground so much, and it doesn’t take up so much space! Tell us your “blankie” stories and you might win a soft new set! Click here to share.

le•top baby: 12 x 14 soft soft security blanket in Yellow and Blue

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Nadine and the Magic Blanket

Nadine with her one and only (until now) Magic Blanket

We all know how important a child’s “blankie” can be, heck back in college, TWO of my roommates still had their blankies on move-in day! So you can imagine the palpable sense of urgency in an email sent to us by a loyal rabbit moon customer in Huntington Beach, CA:

I would like to find out how I can purchase one of your pink blankets, as it was my daughters first blanket, and it became her favorite one. One she will not let go! I want to make sure that we have a backup plan in case something happens to hers!!…Please let me know!!“

Nadine takes her blankie everywhere, and we mean everywhere! Poor mom is left with a very upset little girl when it comes time to give blankie a “bath”, because, according to mom, it is not just a blanket, but a “Magic Blankie” for the way it instantly soothes Nadine when she feels troubled. We were able to direct her to a new blanket so Nadine doesn’t have to go through any more crises (like bath time) without her number one sidekick. I could almost hear the big S*I*G*H of relief on mom’s end of the computer when I emailed that she was getting a back-up Magic Blankie!

You know…on days like this…we love our jobs here at le•top more than we can possibly say!

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Update: Mommy and Me Week

We had a wickedly great time at the theater!

Just wanted to update my loyal blog readers because I know you all miss me. 😉

Miranda and I are having a wonderful week spending quality time together. Each day, my little girl has woken up with a smile because she knew something special was in store for her. Yesterday was a BART ride into San Francisco to see “Wicked.” She had a fabulous time, and so did I. She wore her Dorothy costume from Halloween, and I’d have to say that she practically stole the limelight. As we walked around during intermission, everyone “ooh-ed” and “ahh-ed” when they saw her. “Oh, she’s so adorable!” “Look at her ruby red shoes!” “Where’s Toto?” People were even asking to take her picture. It was like paparazzi! She barely batted an eye as she looked up at whomever was complimenting her, and she would give them her biggest smile. I don’t think I could get used to so much attention.

Tomorrow is another day of fun for us. By the time the weekend comes, I will be broke! (If only I could have an income but never have to work, we would both be happy.)

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Keep Dreaming! This Week: Australia

We dreamt of Italy last week, and this week, we’re dreaming about Australia! A good friend of the family, who is a native Aussie, was able to whisk up this fantastic deal and take her husband back home this coming September. Oh, how I would love to grab my husband and steal away to Australia! I have always wanted to go “down under” and catch a performance at the Sydney Opera House, Surf the Indian Ocean, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and chase some ‘Roos in the Outback. After watching Baz Luhrmann’s epic Australia, I really felt the pull to go… and at this price, it’s more about the lack of time than perhaps the money! If you’re able to take advantage of this great price, please share pictures of your epic adventure with us…you lucky Koala!

$655 — Australia from Los Angeles (Roundtrip)

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le•top Grandparent Love: Grandsons Meet Snow!

Wade hitches a ride with dad at first. Otto looks like he's ready to make a snowball!

I admit it — I’m showing off photos of my grandchildren again! Their parents took the boys to “see” snow for the first time! They just drove up past Baxter somewhere, along Highway 80 – it was snowing so hard they closed the road. They took a little sled and trudged around for a bit, and then came back (at their age, it doesn’t take much to entertain them!). Otto was really excited to tell me he threw a snowball at his parents!

For those of you who are just done with snow because you have it all the time, this whole practice must seem very odd. That’s OK. My son-in-law’s family and friends back around Boston think it’s weird to actually TRY to get to snow (never mind getting in a car and drive to it)…the things we do for our kids!

Wade looks a little dazed -- helped along by his pony jacket being snapped wrong!

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le•top Chef Series: Sweet Potato Biscuits

…In under 20 MINUTES!

Another recipe submission by my friend, Dawn. I asked her why she had all these quick recipes if she didn’t cook, and she replied, “Did I say I actually used the recipes?” Thanks for sharing these great, quick recipes, Dawn!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Ingredients:
•    1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
•    2 heaping tablespoons sugar
•    4 teaspoons baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
•    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
•    2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Evenly roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.)

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Shopping with Dad is Fun! Our Final Favorites Contest Winner Makes Us Smile

Robert was our last and final Favorites Contest winner, and as I did with all the other winners, I helped him fill his virtual shopping cart of $500 worth of le•top and rabbit moon clothes…and he was so cute! Throughout our conversation, he kept repeating, “I never win anything, not even at the casinos!”, and,  “This is so fun! I would never have guessed 4 years ago that I would be into doing something like this!” What a dad! 🙂

Awww...coordinating outfits from the le•top Twinkle Collection for sisters, Ruby and Mary. le•top's Flower Power shirt and skirt set (bottom left). Dress from the Bougainvillea Collection, rabbit moon (bottom right).

Robert has two daughters, Ruby, 4 months, and Mary, 4 years. As you can see from the photos of some of Robert’s final selections, Mary loves dresses and skirts! Her dad told us that she will not wear pants…except for the time she and her mom were out shopping, and she said, “Mommy, I am taking this home!” “This” was the rabbit moon Orchid Tracksuit (obviously the kid has great taste). Cute! We’re looking forward to seeing the photos of Ruby and Mary modeling le•top and rabbit moon. Can’t wait!

Congratulations to our four winners, and thank you again to everyone who entered our Favorites Contest for the Fall 2008 Collections. All of you made this a fun and exciting contest for us! Do you think we might have a contest for our Spring 2009 Collections? Hmmmm…stay tuned! 😉

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Nesting Phase Happens for a Reason

Emma's "nest" (with a detail of wall stencil). Emma's daddy did a great job painting the walls!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my friend Erin T., who was in the nesting stages of her pregnancy. Well, she is done nesting and into motherhood  —  she delivered little Emma Grace last week! Erin’s nesting phase came in really handy because, as you can imagine, she’s been busy utilizing her “nested” nursery for multiple diaper changes, wardrobe changes and much, much more! We wanted to share some photos of the new room she and her husband created, so you could see what the finished product looks like. I love the pink and brown color scheme, and it is proving to be a big theme for girls recently, as a couple of other friends have chosen the same color combination for their upcoming girl’s room/nursery.

What color scheme did you pick out for your son’s or daughter’s nursery/room? We’d love to see the results of your nesting creations! Click here to upload your photos.

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le•top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

No, I did NOT say that!

…submitted by: Kaitlin

The last “le•top Takes” funny quote reminded me of a story my coworker shared with us the other day. Out of nowhere, her 4 year old daughter just recently asked:

Mommy, when am I going to have big women nipples?”

She was referring to breasts…oh dear…!

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