My latest obsession: the reverse pregnancy calendar.www.mymonthlycycles.com/whencalcct.jsp?calctype=rpc

Plug in the date you want your baby to be born and it tells you the day that you must conceive. How convenient! You can schedule your baby’s birthday.

Having trouble deciding on your baby’s birthdate?  First, head over to www.babiesonline.com/horoscope/ and pick your baby’s desired personality. Then, plug in the the dates for that sign into the reverse pregnancy calendar and mark your calendar.

This is how it works… Life does goes as planned, right?Well, this is my latest past time, atleast. Just don’t tell my husband. We are not even thinking about talking about having another baby any time soon.

The 6th annual Luna film festival will be held at the Arlington Cinema and Draft house on April 11. Proceeds will benefit the Post-Partum International local peer lead support groups. Tickets are $10.00 at the door. Wine tasting begins at 6:30 and the movies at 7:30 p.m.

What began as a love affair has come to a bitter end. After 2 frustrating experiences at JW Tumbles in Arlington, we will not go back.

We took Peanut to Pay to Play Wednesday evening at the JW Tumbles in Arlington. He enjoys getting one last play in before bedtime. And, we were happy to join him.

After last night, playtime is over.

Last Wednesday, the other kids played while their parents chatted with one another. One family chose to bring dinner for their kids to eat in the common area in between their play time. But, since the parents were busy chatting with one another, one of the children brought his chicken tender onto the slide with him. Luckily, we noticed this and grabbed Peanut.

I complained to the one young employee who was busy talking on the phone almost the entire time we were there. A few minutes later, she told the parents there was no food allowed in the play area.

Last night we returned to for another round of pay to play. The same young employee was on the telephone again. This time a few parents decided to bring a large buffet of food for their children. The parents did not seem to understand that this is a children’s gym, and not a children’s restaurant. Open boxes of snacks were lined up in the common area.

Once again, Peanut was having fun playing when we noticed a child eating his dinner in the play area.

What is wrong with these people? Can’t their children eat dinner at home before or after they play? Could it be that even in this day and age, some parents are clueless about food allergies? Just a little common sense and consideration could prevent a horrible accident.

When I complained to the employee, she graciously put her caller on hold. She told me that maybe the parents did not know about the no food policy, to which I wonder, “well, isn’t your job to tell them? They are right in front of you.” I did not see a prominent sign declaring the play area a no food zone. I did not see wipes offered for children to clean their hands after they ate. I would not have joined JW Tumbles had I not been reassured that there would be no food in the play area.

Children’s health and lives are at stake. JW should be more attentive to its own policies. Hang a sign, offer ways for children to clean their hands and hire staff that pays attention to children around them.

We will not go back. Peanut will have to play at home for a while.

Peanut made his first friend over the weekend.  A friendship he started all on his own.

We were at open play at JW Tumbles. On his 50th trip into the tree-house, Peanut approached a little girl playing with the steering wheel.  He smiled and said “Hi”.  The little girl allowed Peanut to turn the wheel with her.  He was happy and tried to talk to her, but, with his limited vocabulary, he only managed to say, “Hi, Dadda”. The little girls’ parents, noticing Peanut, said to their daughter, “let him have a turn.”  The little girl put a protective hand on Peanut’s shoulder and replied, “I am. This is my friend.”

I felt a surge of pride.  I was so happy.  Another child called my son her friend.  We have done well, my husband and I.  At 14 months old, our son can successfully navigate the playground and make friends.Peanut was happy too. He beamed as he replied, “Hi Dadda”.

I can be a bit of a germ-phobe.  Rumor has it that the last time my husband was sick, I sprayed him with antibacterial sanitizer.  And, there are times when I want to give Peanut a good antibacterial hosing down such as after a trip to the park or a gym class.  But, I don’t want to expose him to alcohol just yet.

Luckily, I found Clean Well hand sanitizer spray and wipes.  It is uses plant oils rather than alcohol to kill 99.9% of the germs.  It is non-toxic and safe for kids and not tested on animals.  Smells pretty good, too.  As for my husband, I am sure the fever made him hallucinate.

Play:Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz: This is the book that started it all.  Peanut does not sit still.  Ever.  He barely makes it through dinner in his high chair, before it is time for him to be on the go again.  Therefore, I imagined it would be quite a while before he would sit and listen to a book.  But, a few months ago, we received this book as a gift and we have not stopped reading together ever since.  He enjoys all flap books, but this one and the Gossie series by Olivier Dunrea are his (and our) favorites.  Another favorite of ours is Hug by Jez Alborough. Watching him clap with excitement when Mommy comes to give Bobo a hug is one of the highlights of my day.  He could listen to the rhymes in Just like Mommy and Just like Daddy by Cecilia Johansson for hours.

Jumperoo: The rain forest jumperoo is the official toy of my play group.  All of the babies love it and most own one.  Peanut started jumping at about 4 months. At 13 months, he doesn’t spend too much time in it anymore.  But, when he does, he has a blast.

Chicco Baby Activity Walker: This has been a long time favorite. Peanut runs with it, walks with it and is clearly proud of himself when he hits the jackpot and gets the shape in the correct hole.

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Home: Peanut can play with this for hours.  He loves fitting the key into the door and putting the mail in the mailbox (and taking it out again and again).  We bought it at Toys R Us.  Check out the reviews on their site and you will see Peanut is not alone in his obsession.

Music table: We have two. He loves them both. We have the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn table and the Learn and Groove Music table. Both from Toys R Us.

Scotty Cameron Putter: Just like his daddy, Peanut already appears to loves all things golf.   I do not recommend giving a baby a putter, ofcourse.

Equipment:Bob Revolution stroller: In a previous post, I complained about the Bob Ironman stroller (still HATE it). But, since I am such a Stroller Strides fanatic (www.strollerstrides.com), I needed a good walking stroller. The Maclaren Quest is good, but Peanut would get antsy and start standing up just a few minutes into class.  I gave in and bought yet another stroller, the Bob Revolution.  We all love it.  It moves so easily, even with just one hand (something the Maclaren and the Ironman can not do).   It is comfortable for Peanut who actually sits rather than stands in it.  I take it just about everywhere.  You can fit tons of packages under the carriage.  I no longer carry a diaper bag and fit everything in the stroller itself.  My complaints: (and I can not imagine a stroller that would not warrant a few) it is heavy to get in and out of the car.  Also, it is large and, occasionally, I have some trouble in stores with it.  Overall, I am thrilled that I added the Bob Revolution to my ridiculously large stroller collection.

JJ Cole Urban Bundle Me Toddler: I get comments about this almost on a daily basis.  We keep it attached to the Bob Revolution stroller.  It is comfy and cozy for Peanut.  It is as if he is traveling in a sleeping bag.  We do not need to put him in a huge winter jacket, just a light coat and zip up the Bundle Me.  The best part is that it collects all stray toys that would have otherwise been thrown over the side of the stroller and lost.  I love that when he eats his Healthy Times Teddy Puff’s from the snack trap, the excess puffs are contained inside the Bundle Me rather than following us like a trail of bread crumbs.  For infants, I still prefer the baby polar fleece that zips on the outside of the infant car seat (see prior entry, The Buying Guide). I would not use the Bundle Me in a car seat for safety reasons.

Diaper Genie 2: We tried many diaper pails and have found this one to be the best. Easy to use and contains the stink. We first tried the Diaper Champ, but we found that it was too difficult to close.  After you put the diaper in the pail, you turn the handle to flip the diaper into the bottom. We found the handle to be extremely difficult to turn, even when the pail was empty.  There were times when I thought my husband would throw the thing out of Peanut’s 3rd story window.  Next, we used a regular garbage can.  Easy to open and economical, but we needed to take the trash out everyday, or else.  Also, for some reason, Peanut was fascinated by the plain white trash can and, if allowed to, would spend hours trying to knock it over.  The Diaper Genie 2 was our last and final pail.  You do need to buy special garbage bags, but they are easy to install and dispose of.  As long as we take the trash out every few days, there is no smell.

Everything else:California Baby Shampoo and Body Wash: No nut butters.  No parabans.  No sodium laurel sulfates.  And, smells wonderful.  No need for anything else.

Healthy Times Baby Food: This is the only jar organic baby food I have found that is not processed in a facility that also processes nuts. We used Earth’s Best for a year before I learned that they process nuts on the same equipment used to make the baby food (they do say that they clean the equipment in between).  But, knowing what I do now about food allergies, I only give Peanut Healthy Times. The flavors sound great, too (such as Aloha Mango Chicken and Pumpkin Pie).  And, Peanut seems to enjoy them. It is sold at Whole Foods, but, for the more exotic flavors, try their website, www.healthytimes.com

In retrospect, a multi-level townhouse with a baby was, perhaps, not the best option.  We put off installing gates as long as possible.  We did not know which gates to buy and since we needed 5 of them, we wanted to get the right ones.  For us, the right ones would be easy for us to install and use and hard for Peanut to master.  We tried and rejected a few before we settled on Kidco Safeway Gate Model G20C.

First we tried the hands free gate.  I loved the idea that I would simply step on a pedal and the gate would magically open.  And, it was nice to open the gate with just my foot; but I did not find that this gate was truly hands free.  While the gate opened by stepping (hard) on a pedal, it swung open and stayed there.  It did not automatically close, so you did have to turn around and use your hand to close the gate.  The gate is also very narrow and we needed to install an extension in order for it to fit.  Some of our stairwells were too wide and even with the extension, the gate would not fit.  And, you can only use one extension.  Also, it is a pressure gate and did not seem too sturdy.  The most annoying aspect of this gate is the width of the opening.  The space you have to walk in through the gate is very narrow.  I had a hard time maneuvering through it without hitting the side of the gate even when I was not carrying Peanut.  And, I am a pretty small person.  These gates were soon returned.

Next we tried the Dream Baby Extra Tall gate.  These were rejected right out of the box.  First, the gate is so narrow, we would have to install 2 extensions on either side of the gate to make it fit.  Second, it is not just “extra” tall, it is enormous.  I had wanted a taller gate since Peanut is tall and a climber, but this gate was ridiculously high and, therefore, a huge eyesore.

Our final attempt at finding the perfect gate was the Kidco Safeway Gate G20C.  We installed these at the top and bottom of all stairs.  They are not perfect, but they are the best in my opinion.  The good: They have a very high safety rating.  You push down a small knob on the side as you push the gate open.  Easy for an adult, impossible for a baby.  Even our very wild and enterprising son can not get master them.  He can not open them, get under or over them or knock them over.  They are wide enough to fit all of our stairwells.  They are the right height; tall enough to prevent Peanut from trying to climb over them, but not so high that we feel like we are in jail.  We installed them with the Kidco installation kits which is basically a piece of wood you install the gates to and then attach to the banister so that you do not have to drill into the banister.  The bad: the gates were not that easy to install.  It did take time.What I have learned is that there is no perfect gate, but we like the Kidco Safeway ones the best. 

Our next home will be a ranch.