Design Nest: April 2008

For the past week I have been struggling to find the ultimate self-published baby book website/design and order it in time for Mother's Day. Finally, an easy Mother's Day gift for Mom S and Mom G with none of the out of the house shopping required. Plus, neither moms really "internet" much (thats how mom says it) so I knew that they probably hadn't seen one of those photo books yet and would be impressed by the quality- just like a professional book. I was familiar with the basic options from Kodak and Shutterfly, but I was looking for a custom designed look that didn't take forever. Here is what I found.

1- http://www.photoworks.com/- This website has some nice options and I found it by trusting some reviews I found online. I didn't end up ordering from them and here's why. It took 4ever to load up photos to the website. I don't generally load photos to share with people, so I didn't realize how long it took. It took several hours (no we aren't on dial-up- wireless Cable internet) and it kept messing up and requesting that we make it try again. I finally got them all on there, and found an acceptable layout. This website had several layout options that I liked- I was looking for not too cheesy, but baby looking, yet sophisticated. So then it was time to add the photos. The program had some major problems with my images. It kept switching out photos on its own, and it even got to where I would look in the folder where I loaded the photos and there would only be one photo there, copied 50 times. It was really weird. I did their online chat help and they informed me that my java was bad and I needed to download new version. By this time I was pretty much tired of fooling with it and was ready to move on to a different site.

2-www.mypublisher.com - With only a few hours left to make the book and make the standard shipping deadline in time for Mother's Day, I decided to try this My Publisher that several of my friends had recommended. I downloaded the software from their website and was please to see that orders over $50 were 20% off and orders over $100 were 40% off! Plus, as soon as I logged in the emailed me a coupon for one book free. Naturally, you can't use the one book free with the other offers, but still, either was good deal. So I downloaded the program and flipped through their layout options. And then, I wasn't so happy. There were only a handful of design options and they didn't seem to be super customizable. Maybe if I had gone further with the process I could have found more customization options, but I didn't have time for another disappointment. I needed groovy designs and I needed them fast. Despite the great deals, I decided to try one other site I heard good things about.

3- http://www.blurb.com/

/ - Jackpot!
I am completely infatuated with blurb and its blurberati. It’s changing my life. I will take this opportunity to count the ways I love the blurb.
Their free software Booksmart is wonderful. It’s easy, fast and has super sophisticated layout options that totally customizable.
You can post your book on their site and sell it directly through them to the public. You set your own profit margin (if you choose to sell your book for profit).
After publishing with them you can "Announce" the publication of your book through them or through posting a blog badge of their site.

You can browse their bookstore for inspiration- and I highly recommend it. They hav

e some incredible books in there.
They have great templates, including a cookbook template and blog template that will automatically link up with your blogger account. Genius.
Their books are reasonably priced- even as low as $13, full color. I chose the hardback- 40 color pages fro $25.
They just came out with a facebook option for getting photos off your facebook page. It's amazing.
I can't stop talking about how much I love this site. I have ordered Davis's baby book (don’t tell the moms) and I am in the process of designing a family cookbook, my design portfolio, my art portfolio, and I'm teaching my dad to use their software to do a book of my great uncle's photography.
Here is a link to Davis's baby book, a preview of which is currently available in their bookstore under new releases. The photos in this posting are from his book.

Davis Timothy ...

Book Preview

I named it "Here Comes the Son"
Enjoy your own Blurb creation.

Jenn

Sorry for the delay in posts. We celebrated my 30th at the house a couple of weekends ago, then headed to St. Augustine for some beach time. I was completely unpreparred for the amount of time that it would take to prep fro a party and care fro a baby. Pics of Davis’s first beach trip to come in the next post. But this post is all about some of the stuff that we just couldn’t have made it without. If you are pregnant, you have probably already heard people refer to the first three months of the baby’s life as the “fourth trimester”. I think there is even a book with that title. This posting is all about what I found to be the best gear to be prepared for those first few weeks. Speaking of, Davis is two months old today! It doesn’t seem like that long, yet it feels like he has always been with us. Weird, in a good way.

1. Itzbeen Baby Timer-

This gadget is simple, yet such a life saver. Since Davis was our first, we came out of the gate stunned and a little intimidate

d by the race of parenthood that lay before us. All of the sudden, every nurse that came in wanted to know when he ate last, how long it took him to eat, when he doodled last, how many tinkles he had, etc. Those of you that know me well, know that I had only a loose understanding of time before I had Davis, so I had no idea how long it had been since he had done all that stuff. Plus, they keep you pretty doped up, making clock-reading and simple math a real challenge. I’m sure that the nurses at the hospital would never believe that the bloated and befuddled new momma that couldn’t calculate the total number of feedings in 24 hour period had once solved complex Calculus problems and proofs. Even Tim, whom my family believes to be one of the smartest people on Earth (and I agree), was having a hard time adding it all up. Thank goodness we had the Itzbeen. The gadget has four timers- each with a different image so there’s no reading required. Feeding is represented by a bottle, diapers with a little diaper, sleeping with some zzzz’z, and then the magic star button. I used that one to track my pain meds so I didn’t look like a total addict and start requesting the pain meds every 30 minutes or something. The Itzbeen even comes with a little nightlight that is great for checking to make sure that everyone is breathing OK in the middle of the night. Yes, even two months into this, I still check that he is breathing OK in the middle of the night, and when we are in the car, and even if he is asleep in the swing.

I have found this item on amazon and at traget online. http://www.amazon.com/Itzbeen-Baby-Care-Timer-Green/dp/B0012BS2O2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1208540749&sr=8-2

BTW- Target has finally released their mod line nursury furniture- I could tell it was coming, but way too late for us. I'm still shocked they were so behind the curve with that. It also appears they have some nice Dwell bedding available. These Dwell patterns appear to be made especially for Target, as most Dwell bedding is more pricey than the Target price-point.

2. The 5 S’s

- This comes from the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. It comes in book form, too, but there is no way you will have time to read through a book once the baby comes, and even if you do, you may be so sleep deprived and disoriented that you may forget how to read. The 5 S’s are five ways to sooth your baby when they are wailing. Unfortunately for me, Davis has got quite a set of lungs that he chooses to exercise frequently, so these techniques have been super helpful. The five S’s stand for shushing, swinging, swaddling, side (place baby on their side), and sucking. Its worth getting the DVD to get the visual on these. You’ll also want to avoid our version of the 5 s’s- Swearing, Screaming, Sobbing, Snacking, and Sipping. I can assure you that our 5 S’s are completely ineffective in resolving your little ones gripes and will likely result in weight gain, increased use of antidepressants, and inability to operate vehicles or heavy machinery (note- breast pump may be classified as heavy machinery).

http://www.amazon.com/Happiest-Baby-Block-Crying-Longer/dp/B0006J021C/ref=pd_sim_ba_title_1

3. The Pump- Speaking

of breast pump, lots of my friends have asked me which one I chose. Its not galmerous, its not stylish, but you are going that route- you gotta have it. First of all, I hate pumping, but the pump I chose seems to be pretty good. And if you prefer for your baby to only have breast milk, then a pump is a must. No pump and you can pretty much kiss your former social life goodbye because you will be hold-up in the house with your crib munchkin (to qoute Josh C.) until they are on solid food. Think you can feed and then take off a couple of hours? Think again. There seems to be no pattern to Davis's feeding schedule and he often gets in to a feeding frenzy that is a real drag. On the reccomendation of my sis-in-law Kim, I chose the Lansinoh Double Electric Pump. This model comes with a DVD and highly reccomend having your hubby watch the video with you. It was way better for Tim to see someone else hooked up to that contraption before he saw me in it. After watching the DVD and seeing what pregnancy can do to another woman's body, he just kept telling me how beaustiful I was. I secretly think he was just really greatful that my bod didn't go all National Geographic like the ones he saw on the DVD. Anyway- back to the pump. To put it crudely, it sucks like its supposed to and its not too big and it only costs about $150. And really, wouldn't you rather only spend $150 and use the rest of the dough to get a message while you hubby stays at home and feeds the baby?

http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Double-Electric-Breast-Pump/dp/B00157DIWE/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_title_2

Warning- chicks only for next paragraph-One more thing- be sure to get the nurses at the hospital to give you nipple sheild. We've all heard the horror stories from the breast feeding trenches, but with the help of this little thing, I never experience any of it. And I only had to use it for about a week. It somehow helps the baby learn how to latch on easier and for your bod to adjust to it. I have survived the first two months of feedings with no nipple caualties and only minor pain.

4. Swaddle Me by Kiddopotimus-

We call this swaddling blanket the best burrito. It makes burritoing (that’s our term for swaddling) Davis super easy, even in the dark when he is screaming and wiggling around like an octopus. Check out this photo of D all burritoed up. Yes, it looks a lot like a baby straight jacket, but he seems to dig it. We liked the 123 Swaddle blankets, too. They come with a cheat sheet sewn into the tag of the blanket. I can’t believe how many blankets we use- I use the cuddly home-knit ones when we are strolling or just relaxing on the sofa.

http://www.amazon.com/Kiddopotamus-Co-Microfleece-SwaddleMe%C2%AE-Sage/dp/B000BF2V56

5. The Noise Maker-

This little device has made getting D to sleep and STAY asleep way easier. Plus, I think it works on getting Tim back to sleep, too. Our model has several settings, such as waves and the heartbeat. I find the heartbeat to be creepy, so we keep ours on waterfall. Davis’s fav sound is AM radio, totally blasted in the car (I love to see the look on the drive thru attendants face when I roll up to order my diet coke -3/4 diet, ¼ regular- with the AM radio blarring) But since the AM radio noise is only slightly less irritating than screaming, we stick with the noise maker waterfall sounds at night. We have the homedics Sound Spa- note that I think the "on" light on this model is alittle too bright. It could almost double as a night light.

http://www.amazon.com/HoMedics-SS-2000-Relaxation-Machine-Nature/dp/B000F3QG0U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1208542833&sr=1-1

You can get one at any drugstore or Target-type store.

6. Moses Basket-

I’m sure that this item wouldn’t be an essential for most people, but I LOVE ours. I keep it right by our bed so that when Davis wakes up at 3 am, I can just lean over and pick him up. Sometimes I can get to him so quick that Tim doesn’t even wake up. We have ours on a rocking stand that I often rock while I’m laying down next to it. Mom made an adorable liner for ours, but I think most baskets come with one. I love that we can easily move it from room to room. This was especially nice when he was very little and I didn’t want him out of my sight. Tim would just take it the front of the house for me in the morning when he left for work and then we would move it back the bedroom again in the evening. It’s not heavy or anything, I just couldn’t move anything after the C. We recently took it with us when we rented a house at the beach and it’s a lot less hassle and a lot more style than a full size pack and play. I recently

read that “they” recommend that babies graduate to the crib once they are a month old, but I’m just not ready for him to be out of our room all night yet. I know I will have to get used to that soon, but for now, he is with me.