I started this post yesterday, and instead of rewriting it, I will start by telling you that at around 8:20pm yesterday evening a brand new beautiful baby girl came into this world.  She is absolutely adorable too!  She was 8lbs and 19 1/2 inches long and has a full head of hair!  I am so excited that she’s here!  She doesn’t have a name yet (well, maybe she does at this point LOL), but she is cute as a button!

Here’s the post I started yesterday:

9:30am

Remember waaaaay back in January (LOL) when we held the fabulous Baby Fest event??? Well, my sis and the beautiful mom of honor for that event is due to have her precious baby girl tomorrow!!  That’s right!
She went in for an appointment this morning and they “stripped her membranes”.  Then they sent her to the mall to walk for a couple hours … and to come back if she started having a lot of contractions.

11am

Well, she ended up back at the doctor’s office and she had dilated to 3 (from a 2) and had significantly effaced in that two hours.  So, she was told to go home, grab her stuff and go to the birth center to be observed.

Of course, this could all land her back at home, and she says that the contractions have definitely mellowed out over the last half hour or so, but for now I’m hoping to meet my niece before the day is over .  I’ll keep updating this post as I know more.  (I know, I know you won’t be reading this probably until after baby is born, but out of respect for my sister I am delaying posting until she gives the go ahead).

5:30pm (ish)

Just got a call that she’s definitely being admitted and has made it to a 6.  Just got her epidural even.  Tonight is definitely the night.  I’ll be taking my BIL dinner as soon as my hubby gets home.

8:30pm

She’s here!  There was meconium in the amniotic fluid and he was born pretty fast so she had to be suctioned a lot and may be extra mucousy for the next day or so, but she is pink and VERY hungry!  She’s soooo very quiet!  Her little cry just sounds like a tiny squeak, not a cry at all, so sweet!  What a little bundle of perfection!  All I can say is AMAZING!

Well, there you have it!  I hope to go and visit again this weekend and maybe take a couple of the older boys along to meet their new cousin .  Thank you so much for putting up with the excited dithery from this proud Auntie!

This giveaway has ended and the winner is #17 – MJ!  Be sure to enter all the latest giveaways by checking the upper right hand sidebar!

When you’re looking for a special gift to give a new baby and mom, this is a wonderful idea.  Kids Personalized Music offers personalized Lullaby CD’s in addition to their great line of other personalized children’s CD’s.

These CD’s are perfect when you want something that is very special and perfect for that precious new little one!  There are thousands of names to choose from and the CD’s come with the child’s name printed on them.  If you have an unusual spelling (but usual pronunciation), no problem, just let them know and they’ll make sure it’s right.

They offer over 2,000 names to choose from and over 24 CD collections (including a Spanish Series) that are perfect for almost any occasion from baby showers to sports!

Their You’re An Angel Lullaby CD has 6 classic lullaby’s on it and 2 original songs.  Though the songs on the CD and the arrangement are perfect for an infant, these are very appropriate for children even when they are 9 years old!   The songs are soothing and beautifully sung and feature the child’s name in such a way that it allows them to drift off to sleep peacefully.

Be sure to visit Kids Personalized Music to listen to some of the music and see the huge variety of CD’s they offer!  You can see lists of names that they have ready and purchase through the site as well.

They have offered one lucky commenter a personalized “You’re An Angel” music CD!  Leave a comment mentioning how you choose your childrens’ names to enter to win.

Don’t forget there are many ways to earn EXTRA entries for EVERY giveaway during Baby Fest, also there is a complete list of all giveaways currently being offered at the top of the right hand sidebar!  This giveaway will close on Feb. 9th.

This giveaway has ended and the winner is #27 – Sheila.  Please check the upper right sidebar for all the latest giveaways!

When I was contacted to review Nana Star®, I hopped over to the site and immediately loved what I saw!   What a creative and imaginative line of books and plushies!

They currently offer two books: Nana Star® and Nana Star and the Moonman and this spring they plan to add yet another book to the series.  They also offer matching plushies … Nana Star plush poseable doll and the Moonman Lovie.

They have received so many awards for these great products too … including (among many others), 2 iParenting 2008 Outstanding Toy of the Year and the Teacher’s Choice Award for the Family 2009.

If you have a little girl (or a granddaughter, neice, friend’s daughter) who is about to become a big sister, this is a very fun set for her.  I say this because when you give her both of these book and plushie sets, you give her the opportunity to share something wonderful with her new sibling. (more…)

This Giveaway has ended and the winner has been contacted.  Be sure to check the top of the right sidebar for the latest giveaways.

If you are a new or expecting mom who is/wants to breastfeed your baby, meet your new best friend … the Cushie Pushie.  It is a support pillow for breastfeeding mothers that is compact in size so it can go anywhere you and your diaper bag go.  This great little invention is covered in a fun selection of fabrics and offers breastfeeding mothers an easy way to get the proper position so they can simply focus on their baby.

I was very fortunate … when my first son was born at 10 pounds (indeed, he was a whopper) he had absolutely no problem getting down to business breastfeeding.  I know that this is not necessarily the experience of most first time moms who choose to breastfeed.  (more…)

It is for shops like this that I consider myself VERY blessed to have the opportunity to live vicariously through my little sis (aka. Baby Fest’s mom-of-honor)!!  She is not only expecting a baby girl (yay), but is also mommy of my 9 year old niece who happens to be the “tryer-outer” of all things girlie that come my way.

So, when Kristina Davidson, owner of A Little 2 Sassy asked to be a sponsor for Baby Fest, I was VERY excited.  As a very girlie girl myself (I know … who knew?), I am in absolute heaven every time I visit this great site that is all-things-girl! (more…)

This giveaway has ended and the winner has been contacted!  Please be sure to check the upper right sidebar to enter the latest giveaway!

My Precious Kid offers an absoluely unbelievable selection of safety products for children and families.  What many people don’t know is that they also offer a wide variety of other baby, child and family products as well!  

Kay Green, owner of My Precious Kid sent us one of their fabulous Swaddle Blankets and Tessa couldn’t be happier!  This is definitely one of the things we learned quickly … babies adore being swaddled, and I’ll happily admit that Tessa definitely has this particular aspect of infancy DOWN.  These blankets make it easier for parent’s to properly wrap baby while it is also that much cozier for baby!   (more…)

This giveaway has ended and the winner (#67 – Gina Stratos) has been contacted.  Please be sure to look in the upper right hand column for all the latest giveaways.

The Happy Panda Baby boutique specializes in high quality baby clothes made to fit the bigger baby.  Two of my boys definitely fell into this category … born at 9 and 10 pounds these boys definitely did NOT fit into the same clothes as their average sized peers.

Although our size chart was developed for the baby plus size community, it can provide the right fit for any baby boy or girl. Our unique tagless baby clothing is designed and made in America.

Their clothes are wonderful and very fun, but don’t think for a second that’s all they offer!  They also have a great selection of gift sets, diaper cakes (their best seller is the Happy Panda Face) and paci plushies (which are very cute).    (more…)

Last week I posted about Micah & Co. and shared with you that we’d be visiting them a couple times during this event.  Well, since we’re right in the middle of the Baby Shower planning of Baby Fest, this is the perfect place to tell you about their great Baby Shower section.

Plan the whole shower using the beautiful and inspiring products they offer … from Invitations and Thank you cards to the entire theme for the shower.  (more…)

This giveaway has ended, the winner is #25 – Sharon Harmon.  Congratulations, Sharon!  Don’t forget to look in the right sidebar for the latest contest!!!

When Christian Walker contacted me about their unique and creative Custom Confetti I was very intrigued!  What a creative product!  I’m getting carried away though so first let me introduce you to Pink Poodle Boutique … a fun online shop featuring a variety of very cute products.

With their Tutu’s, Feather Boas, Wands and Wings … little girls will love any gift purchased from Pink Poodle Boutique!  Tonight however, we are starting to look at a couple of very creative baby shower ideas and their custom confetti definitely fits the bill. (more…)

This giveaway has ended and the winner is #11!!!  The winner has been notified.

Several months ago I introduced all of you to Sharmooz, a mom-owned company.  Today, I’d like to re-introduce you to the shop as well as a new book written by the owner.

The Sharmooz Company was born due to the patent pending Baby Sharmooz that may reduce or eliminate infant balding. This propelled the company that currently has 7 luxury satin product offerings (geared towards skin and hair care) for the Mom and family, two patent pending products and now in several retailers (children boutiques, gift shops, salons and spas).

The mom behind Sharmooz recently wrote and released a Parenting Advice book Don’t Rock That Baby…The Other Advice. “The book was launched because I wanted a quick read, funny and caring steps of how to manage the first year of motherhood.”

If you want to check this book out for yourself, visit the website.  We’re also offering one copy for a lucky commenter, so be sure to leave a comment letting us know why you would like to be entered.

If you choose to go shopping with Sharmooz you can get free shipping by entering the code FREE.  Be sure to shop by 3/31/09 to take advantage of this offer. 

For extra entries, click here for all the details.