Adiri Natural Nurser:Dani's Best Bottle Award!

About a year ago, a friend mentioned a bottle she was considering trying with her son. She had heard great things about it but she said it "kind of creeped her out" because it looked so much like a boob.
I was curious so I went to the local Babies R Us and looked for a boob-shaped baby bottle.
I immediately found the adiri Natural Nurser.
I grabbed one off of the shelf and read about it. It looked interesting and I was looking into all of the latest bottles as I was hoping to be pregnant again but not necessarily nurse my child and needed a helpful tool that was the closest for my baby to natural nursing. I ended up getting pregnant and recently had my daughter. Now I could try these bottles.
I tried the stage 1 bottle and it worked really well. I went from the breast to that bottle first...before going to the Born Free bottles I had bought (which have a whole bunch of parts to assemble not making for easy night feedings but I still like the Born Free and would take them over Dr. Brown's straw system any day!).
I loved that the adiri bottles are very simple, soft and easy to assemble, basically consisting of 3 main parts. The latching was the tough part. Once my daughter latched on, she fed very easily and there was little or no mess and less fussiness (and gas) after feeding. There are 2 main cons I (and my husband especially) find. One is that if she doesn't latch correctly immediately, formula flies out and makes a bit of a mess, hence the constant burp cloth under her chin. The other is the price. The bottles retail for around $12.99 each. I went online and found them a little cheaper when you buy them in multiples.
Once again, I really like these bottles. The are so simple to assemble and easy to clean that I would definitely recommend them. I ended up buying two of each of the three different stages which are color coded (white, slow flow, Stage 1 0-3 months, blue, medium flow, Stage 2 3-6 months and orange, fast flow, Stage 3, 6+months). They are all 100% BPA free, leak-resistant with a neat "Petal vent" system that is supposed to protect your baby from ingesting extra air bubbles (which can lead to fussiness or colic), they were designed with the help of moms, lactation consultants and docs and the adiri Natural Nurser won the Medical Design Excellence Award for 2008.
A great choice for parents who would like a "Safe, Soft, Simple" way to feed their babies!
Two thumbs up from the Becoming Mumma!!
Read more about these bottles at www.adiri.com

Loved Disney Pixar's Up!

Today I decided I would take my 3 and a half year old son to see the new Disney Pixar film Up!
In the midst of my last days before giving birth to my second child, I found that being super-hormonal and/or emotionally weak, I had a lot of tears in the beginning. Yes, it is animated but I am going to, once again, chalk it up to the raging hormones!
LOVED this film! It was very charming, sweet, with a great story and some very relatable and funny moments between many of the adorable characters.
Primarily, it tells the story of Mr. Frederickson and a little boy named Russell, who enter into an adventure together to fulfill a lifelong wish of Mr. Frederickson's Ellie Mae. They meet some very interesting, colorful characters along the way that ad humor and charm to the whole movie, beginning to end. There is also a villain that ads excitement to the film and the film ends on a wonderfully high note.
I definitely recommend seeing this film and I would definitely say this is suitable for children as young as 3 (hopefully with an attention span to sit through the previews and movie) and adults alike!
Two thumbs up from the pregnant mumma!!!!
Becoming Mumma

Update on the Topsy! Yay and Nay!

I am a little happy and disappointed at the same time.
The disappointment: I didn't hang my Topsy Turvy high enough and some pesky rabbits and birds got to the tomato plant. I had some beauties growing and those little pests came in and chewed bits and pieces off and then the tomatoes were gone.
They grew beautifully up to that point so I definitely love the product. I am just sad I didn't take enough care to really get it higher as to avoid these pests!!!
Oh well, I know better for next time.

The Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter Worked for Me!!!!

Okay, so I am getting a ton of questions regarding this rumor going around that I bought and tried one of those "As Seen on TV" Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planters.

It is definitely true. I got one. Here is my story!
I live in one of the hottest and driest states and it is hard to have your own garden here. I am also pregnant and craved tomatoes and was going through a ton of them and thought it would be good to grow some of my own. I saw the infomercial and decided to check for the TT at Target...bought one but it was defective...the lid wouldn't fit. I took it back. I had already bought the tomato plant and the soil and just needed the device. I decided to focus on my Early Girl tomato plant (plant matures within 52-62 days) and then go get another planter. Target was sold out in 2 weeks (this being in March) and I walked into Walgreens one day and there they were for $9.99! I grabbed one and took it home and had my husband help me set it up. It is fairly easy. There are a few things you should note though.
You need to buy your own soil and a young plant and have somewhere sturdy and high to hang it on. It comes as the planter and a hook and no seeds or other extras, that is up to you.
I combined Miracle Grow and regular potting soil with a bit of saved coffee grinds (I only used half of the Miracle Grow because I was told it is high in nitrogen which produces more leaves than fruit or veggies on the plants). You take the sponge out of the bottom of the planter (it has a slit in it to hold the plant in place so don't throw it out it will go back where you removed it from). Take your plant out of the pot it is in and insert the roots through the hole in the bottom of the planter then put the sponge back down through the top and fit the slit around the plant's stem leaving about 2 inches above the sponge, of stem, and begin to fill with soil mixture. I had my husband hold the plant steady while I poured in the soil. It worked well and we hung the planter on a sturdy Shepard's Hook and filled in the rest of the soil. The plant hung nicely from the bottom and we then filled it with water from the hole in the top (slowly). I grew my plant in its own pot for about 3 weeks before transferring it to the Topsy Turvy but I certainly don't recommend that. The larger the plant is, the more difficult it is to insert into the planter so it is best to start small. After about 2 more weeks in the planter I began to seen some really nice flowers and soon enough, about a week ago, my first tomato! Now I have 4 tomatoes and I am so excited. They are beautiful and more are popping out every day it seems!
I have not had a problem with bugs or sun, regardless of some extreme heat here in AZ. There is a bit of shade from the planter on the plant protecting it from getting burned. It is still lush and green and I water every day. If the leaves look a little droopy, I water. Watering seems to be best in the latter half of the day too because my plants stay hydrated through the night and seem perky in the morning sun! I am going to give this a thumbs up! I love this planter and I am thinking of purchasing others to grow a variety of tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers. I also used this as a teaching tool for my son as he is learning about growing his own food and being proud of taking care of the plant itself, then reaping the rewards of your care! He looks at the new tomatoes every day and is very excited to see them! I grew up in Eastern Canada where we had gardens and grew our own fruits and vegetables and I really missed that. Now I have a way to do that even in the different environment I live in now! I have posted pictures to show you my success with the Topsy Turvy! Happy Topsy Turvy-ing!!!!