Tra-la-la... Baby Tunes!!

We're big music lovers in my household and I'm a big believer that music has an influence on the development of a baby's brain. So we have all types of tunes playing on the iPod throughout the day. Some of our favorite playtime music is Reggae (Bob Marley, Toots and the Mayhals), Calypso (Yay, Harry Belafonte!), Swing (Glen Miller, The Andrew Sisters, The Brian Setzer Orchestra), Bossa Nova, some folksie stuff (Peter Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel) and even some Van Morrison (this is more for Mommy than it is for baby). We do have one favorite musical artist who is specifically for kids and this is Justin Roberts. If you're a parent and you haven't heard of him I would check out his website... IMMEDIATELY! His music is so much fun and some of his tunes even make me a bit weepy... sigh... I'm not the biggest fan of "children's" music, but, as an adult, I really enjoy listening to his works.

Now for my "Beddie Bye" playlist. I've been using this playlist since Miss Betty Jane 1st came home. They are more soothing ballads rather than traditional lullabies. Do they work? Well, she's been sleeping through the night since she was 3 1/2 months old so I must be doing something right. Here's my list:

Cry Me A River - Diana Krall (At times the lyrics were somewhat fitting.)
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles
Ruby Tuesday - Franco Battiato (From "The Children of Men" soundtrack.)
Moon River - Henry Mancini
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
Blue Moon - Elvis Presley
Edelweiss - "The Sound of Music" soundtrack
The Very Thought Of You - Tony Bennett
Fix You - Coldplay
Yellow - Coldplay
Fruit Jar - Justin Roberts
Rocketship - Justin Roberts
Blowin' In The Wind - Peter, Paul & Mary


These are my personal favorites and they seem to work like a charm. Here's wishing all the parents of little ones some peaceful sleep!

À votre santé!

Hoppy Easter!!!

Wishing you a wonderful Easter! Bwwwaaak, Bwwwaaak!

Birthday Dresses!!!

With Betty Jane's 1st Birthday party right around the corner, I've been checking out tons of sites in search for her dress. Well, dress(es)... since she's having 2 parties. I may sound like a completely Type A mom, but I didn't want to get anything that was too busy due to the fact that it would clash with the birthday decorations. I know... Flame me now. But we do have pictures to think about, right?  Plus,  I think the child should be the one that shines and not the dress (or the decor, for that matter). So with that in mind, I think I have made my decision.

Now, I absolutely LOVE the clothes at "Janie and Jack" and "The Gap" and I know that Betty Jane will only have a "1sy Birthday Party" once, but honestly, I can't justify spending $60+ on a dress that she is probably only going to wear once. So I looked on Etsy, the offers at Zulily, Children's Place, Babies R Us, Gymboree, Target and Carter's. And the winner is... Carter's! Hands down, they have the cutest Spring dresses out there and the prices are pretty easy on the pocketbook. Love that! So, here are my choices...

This is a white woven dress with little neon pink hearts embroidered on the front. Very sweet and elegant for a 1st birthday. At $14 the price is pretty elegant too. I thought for her 2nd party we could get a bit more colorful so I chose this one...

 This orange and pink flowered cotton sateen dress came in at $12.99. Can't beat that!

I'm so excited to get some pictures of my sweet Betty Jane in these little numbers! Until then...

À votre santé!

Ma Fille, Betty Jane

I find it fitting that I begin this blog with an introduction to my daughter due to the fact that she has opened up a whole new wonderful chapter into my life. Named after her Great-Grandmother, Betty Jane, she is currently 11 months old and THE light of my life. I know it's cliche and it's been said so many times before, but I never knew that I could love someone so much. Being one of those people who was kind of "Blah" whenever the baby conversation came about, I have turned 180 degrees. Everyday is truly amazing with her and it keeps getting better. I don't know how, but it does.

 

Betty Jane

Seriously, did you really think you were going to get away from this blog without seeing a picture of my sweetie pie?

The lucky girl is having two 1st Birthday parties. One in Los Angeles (Mommy is hosting) and one in Chicago (Grandma is hosting). So, as you can probably guess, I'm in the midst of birthday party hoopla. So far I've decided on a Sweet Monkey theme from a printable party package that I found on Etsy. By the way, if you haven't used Etsy as a resource for wonderful handmade items, I highly recommend it. Especially their items for babies and children. Cute, unique and AFFORDABLE!!! I purchased some artwork for Betty Jane's nursery and they were able to do the prints in the colors that I wanted. That's another thing... if you ask the seller nicely, many times you can get things that are custom made to your liking. Yay for that!

À votre santé!