When it came to maternity clothes, I thought I knew what to expect when I was expecting. Obviously, I was wrong.
I thought everything looked the same. I thought nothing was flattering. I thought it was all expensive. And then I started looking online, and a whole world of maternity fashion opened up! And now, some of the most useful pieces in my wardrobe (for both work and weekend) are from Everly Grey Maternity.
It was a long day and my pregnant lady feet sure were tired by the time I got home, but yesterday’s Graco event that I hosted at Babies R Us in York, PA was a success!
Yesterday, hundreds (thousands?) of bloggers came together in Babies R Us locations across the country to introduce the new Graco SnugRide® Click Connect ™ 40 car seat, and I was one of them! I got to meet some local bloggers, which is pretty rare for me. My co-host was Stephanie from Binkies and Briefcases, and I was thrilled to meet her!
I also got to meet Skye from Real Mom Reviews, who has been an online bestie of mine for quite a while now!
…and her little man, Emmitt, who was the most perfectly behaved child I’ve ever seen. Skye, I need your secret!
The day didn’t start exactly as we had expected, as our table was super tiny and set up in a high-traffic area. We couldn’t exactly follow the agenda, which was intended to run more like an hour long informational session, so we improvised and just talked to moms, gave lots of info to everyone we saw and tried to be as fun and friendly as possible! (That can never fail, right?) It worked, and I think we may have even pulled in more people that way! For me, the day was all about promoting Graco and the importance of rearfacing safely for as long as possible, and I think Stephanie and I definitely achieved our goal.
We demonstrated with this pretty little girl (I dubbed her Molly.)
…and showed how the new seat fits the matching Graco Click Connect ™ strollers, so you can create your own travel system. It clicked right in!
We even found a baby or two to help us out, and while a few weren’t too happy about it, they all fit nice and snug.
So, what did we tell our attendees?
This new seat from Graco is the first and only seat on the market that allows baby to rearface safely from 4 to 40 pounds, allowing parents to adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of 2 years with ease.
Some of the features we raved about during our events included:
The adjustable base with 8 different settings to allow for more leg room as your rear-facing child gets taller. Scrunched legs and discomfort is probably the #1 complaint I hear from parents who don’t want to rear-face for long, so this blows that argument right out of the water! The base is really easy to adjust with the simple push of a button on each side.
We also told everyone about the built-in kickplate that protects your back seat from little rear-facing shoes. Brilliant! Molly’s not quite there yet…
By far, our favorite feature of the new SnugRide seat is the one-hand headrest adjust. The harness automatically adjusts with the headrest with this easy button in the back, so there’s no rethreading needed, and you can easily keep baby properly fitted in their seat at every stage of development. I find this to be one of the biggest headaches of most carseats (and I always make my husband do it!) so I was thrilled to see this feature in such an affordable seat!
We held two informational sessions, each of which included about a dozen people and ended in our giving away a seat to one lucky attendee!
We recruited a Babies R us helper to choose our winners, and as you can see, everyone had a blast!
Big congrats to Emily of Mama Days, and Naomi, a first-time expectant mom. Both were beyond excited to win such a safety-focused seat!
After the event, we packed up and headed home. The first thing I did was kick off my shoes, and the second thing I did was start my Babies R Us registry online and add 2 new SnugRide seats!!
If you’d like to check out the new Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 for yourself, check out GracoSafety.com. The seat is available in 2 prints, Mena (grey with pink) or Moonstruck (a neutral grey) exclusively at Babies R Us for only $219.99. Extra bases are also available for $74.99.
I don’t have a seat to give away here, but I do have the next best thing! Use the easy Rafflcopter form below to enter to win a $25 gift card to Babies R Us, which you can use toward your new car seat or anything else your little ones might need!
Filed under Pregnancy #2!, Product & Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized
How far along: 22 weeks on Monday!
Baby is about the size of a papaya! 
Fun facts about Week 18: According to TheBump.com, baby is sleeping in cycles of about 12-14 hours at a time. She had more developed eyes and lips, and is looking more like a newborn than ever! Normal weight gain from this point on (for me) is about 1/2 pound per week. Yikes!
Due Date: February 24ish, 2013
Boy or girl: Baby girl on the way!
Currently craving: Still lots of apples, but if I had my way I’d be eating doughnuts. Lots and lots of sugary doughnuts!
Currently Avoiding: Um, mostly doughnuts. 
Weight: 5 lbs total so far.
Sleep: My schedule isn’t allowing nearly as much as I need, but when I get the chance I sleep well. I’m starting to really feel her a lot at night, so I’m trying to really focus on bonding with her during those moments before I fall asleep at night, when I can concentrate solely on her.
Recent Crazy Dream: I had one about some flu-like illness that was killing everyone. I think that’s because of the anxiety issues I’m having. Congestion brings it on HARD, so getting sick is a huge fear right now.
Symptoms? Still having trouble brushing my teeth without vomiting. Breathlessness, lack of energy…nothing else too specific. Maybe a tiny little bit of swelling, but nothing to worry about.
Health: Good! BP and sugars are looking pretty stable, so I get to go 3 weeks between visits this time! WOOO! I’ve been keeping extremely busy, but I think I’m going to have to start slowing down a little soon. A few days off wouldn’t be a bad thing right now.
Movement: Lots! She’s really starting to move more frequently, which is fun. It feels more real, and it reminds me to think about her when I get too busy at work or running around at home.
Any appointments?: Not this week, thank goodness.
Any baby related purchases?: Nope. Still holding off.
Frustrations: Too much to do, too little time. But who doesn’t have that frustration? My job is becoming more demanding by the day, at a time when I need it to plateau a little. I’m also a little worried about the logistics of work, day care, etc with 2 kids, and how we’ll possibly get everything ready for the kids to share a room by February. But, no complaining. At this point, I can only be thankful and very, very happy. 
Bump photo? Here it is! Just about 22 weeks, rocking the bump the best I can!
Filed under My Pregnancy Journal, Parenting & Family, Pregnancy #2!, Uncategorized
I’m hosting, and you’re invited to join me!
(Or one of the other hosts at select Babies R Us locations across the country!)
What:
On October 20, an in-store V.I.P. event will be happening at Babies “R” Us to celebrate Graco’s brand NEW Snug Ride® Click Connect™ 40 the only rear-facing newborn to two-year infant car seat.
Each event will include:
There are two times, so choose the one that works for you.
When:
Saturday, October 20, 2012
1 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. (Your choice!)
Again, I’ll be hosting at the YORK, PA location. (Check with your local store to see if there is an event near you!)
I hope to see you for this FUN event at Babies “R” Us!
Filed under Pregnancy #2!, Product & Restaurant Reviews, The Everyday, Travel, Uncategorized
Surprise! I really, really thought we were having another boy. Maybe I just didn’t want to admit that I would love to have one of each. Either way, doc says everything is looking good, measuring as it should, and baby looks healthy, which really is the most important part.
OMG! That’s my DAUGHTER!
Filed under Pregnancy #2!
