And, here is where I beg.

Just one last post - just in case anyone is still reading over here (and, by the way...what are you doing? We moved!! Come find us at www.firstimpressionsbaby.com/blog!!)

Anyhow, I thought I'd divulge a little secret - that, may or may not in fact be much of a secret anymore. You see, I have a personal blog as well (want to go visit me there?).

Okay, are you back yet?

The fun news is that I was just nominated to be among 800 others in the Hot Blogger Calendar! It's a real deal where the winners will get to fly to NYC and get all prettified and get their pictures taken and appear in a real life calendar!

So, will you please vote for me? Well, if you think I'm worthy. I wouldn't want you to lie or anything in the polls. Here's the link to vote. You will have to scroll down to "Boss Sanders" and it's not in A-Z order. I'd very much appreciate it, and once again...my personal blog is up top and there's a picture of me in the main header (in case you need to see before you vote. I understand).

UPDATE: (Or, you can vote here. Look for Boss Sanders)

$100 Winner from Sleepy Wrap!

Come check out who won $100 in our latest giveaway! Be sure to change your bookmarks to : www.firstimpressionsbaby.com/blog so you don't miss out!

Looking For More Kid-Friendly Recipes?

If you've reached the end of your cookbook and are in need of more kid-friendly recipes, take a look at these (they are adult-friendly, too!):

Whole Foods has a huge range of kid recipes - from breakfast to lunch to snacks to meals - and, it's all healthy!

If you are looking for recipes that kids can cook with a little help, check out this site by Kid's Health. They even have some recipes for kids with cystic fibrosis, diabetes, vegetarians, lactose intolerance, and celiac disease!

Tiny Tummies, another website with some great healthy recipes, is also geared to get little ones in the kitchen to help. The idea is that by getting them into the kitchen, they'll be more likely to eat the fixings. Check out their great list of what's in season and the recipes to go with!

We also found Mollie Katzen's website - she's an author of some great children's recipe books and has listed some of her fabulous (and healthy) recipes online, too!

Wondertime has some more kid-friendly recipes...

LookyBook

We're loving this new (to us) website called LookyBook.com. On it, you will find picture books galore that you can preview (in their entirety!) before you buy! You never have to buy a crappy picture book again!

Speech Delays - What To Do

...Continued

If you discover that your child may have a speech or language delay, one of your first steps would be to see a speech pathologist. There can be a number of reasons for these delays, so one of the first things the speech pathologist will do is test your child in the following areas: receptive language (what your child understands), expressive language (what your child can say), body language and gestures, and oral motor status (how the anatomy of the mouth works for speech as well as for eating and drinking). After the testing, the speech pathologist will better know what may be hindering your child and will be able to come up with an individual plan for your child to overcome his delays.

In the meantime, there are some things parents can do to help their children develop in the areas of speech and language:

1. Talk with your children. It doesn't matter if your 8 month old really understands what you are saying, but it's in this time that they are soaking up the sounds of your particular language, which will be part of the framework for later use. If you feel odd carrying on a one-sided conversation, simply explain your routines as you do them.
2. Sing silly songs, especially ones with repetitive sounds and noises. Encourage them to try and imitate you.
3. Start reading to your child by the time he is 6 months old. Start out with books with textures and vivid pictures with simple wording. Read and try to engage them - "Do you see the brown cow?" As your child gets older, start reading more predictable books that your child can memorize. Eventually your child will try and pretend to read the book back to you. It's okay that your child is memorizing and not really reading. Memorizing is one of the first steps to reading.
4. Play the name game as soon as your child begins saying their first word(s). Point at items and name them, encouraging your child to do the same.

Lastly, if your child does have a speech delay, don't panic. In most situations, with the right treatment from a speech pathologist, children are back on track within 1-2 years.

Lollipop Cookies

*Photo and recipe by Terri

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• assorted colors of paste food coloring
• 24 lollipop sticks

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. Divide dough into fourths. Tint each with a different food color. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Working with half of each color, shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and for each cookie place 1 pink, 1 green, 1 blue and 1 orange ball together to make 1 large ball. Shape into a 12 inch long roll (like a snake), starting at one end, coil roll to make a 2 3/4 inch round cookie. Place cookies 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Carefully insert lollipop sticks into bottoms of cookies.
4. Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

PS - Don't forget to join our giveaway for your chance to win $100!

Speech Delays - Ages 2 1/2 - 4

....Continued

30-36 Months

• at 30 months, can't be understood by anyone in her family
• at 36 months, uses no simple sentences, doesn't ask questions, and can't be understood by strangers

3-4 Years

• at 3, can't speak in short phrases
• at 3, is unable to understand short instructions
• at 3, has no interest in interacting with other children
• at 3, has extreme difficulty separating from a parent
• at 3½, consistently fails to add final consonant to words (for example, saying "ca" instead of "cat")
• at 4 years, still stutters frequently
• at 4, isn't almost fully understandable

PS - Don't forget the $100 Giveaway!

Be sure to change your bookmarks!

We'll be here for exactly one more week, but come check us out at our new digs! We're all settled in now, and can't wait for you to see us! Every post that is featured here, will be featured at the new place too. And, if you are still only keeping up with us at this site, chances are you are missing some of the new extra posts at the new place!

And, don't forget: We have a $100 Giveaway going on. You can sign up HERE. If you already signed up for the giveaway at this site, you are considered signed up at the other site, regardless of what the comments may show. So, no worries! Winner will be announced at the new digs!

Make Your Own: Tutu

*Photo from Chasing Cheerios

Chasing cheerios has a great little tutorial for no-sew tutus - Make one for your little princess!

And, don't forget the great $100 Giveaway we have going on!

Cancer In A Bottle?

I've posted a lot about toxins in the things we put IN and ON our bodies, and so it came to no surprise to me when Rutgers University found a link between moisturizers and skin cancer. I mean, what exactly DO you expect when you apply lotions filled with parabens (Read: Cancer Causing Agents) on your skin everyday? I mean, really?

So many people are surprised by studies like these - they thought our government had a handle on it, that our government would protect them. I'm incredibly sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the FDA only limits certain chemicals. When it comes to cosmetics and bodycare, there isn't much by way of standards and regulations for what they can put into their products.

It's up to YOU to read your own labels to know what's safe, and what's not. Ignore the label's claims about organic or organic ingredients (I'll talk more about this later), because just because an item SAYS it has organic items, it doesn't make it so (another faulty FDA law...or non-law).

Exercise your right to read the labels, and carefully. For more information about chemicals you should be watching out for, read below. And, for more information, go to Skin Deep- where you can search for your particular product to see how it rates for safety.

The Dirty Dozen Chemicals in Cosmetics

by Catherine Zandonella, M.P.H

1. Antibacterials
Overuse of antibacterials can prevent them from effectively fighting disease-causing germs like E. coli and Salmonella enterica. Triclosan, widely used in soaps, toothpastes and deodorants, has been detected in breast milk, and one recent study found that it interferes with testosterone activity in cells. Numerous studies have found that washing with regular soap and warm water is just as effective at killing germs.

2. Coal Tar
Coal tar is a known human carcinogen used as an active ingredient in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams. Coal-tar-based dyes such as FD&C Blue 1, used in toothpastes, and FD&C Green 3, used in mouthwash, have been found to be carcinogenic in animal studies when injected under skin.

3. Diethanolamine (DEA)
DEA is a possible hormone disruptor, has shown limited evidence of carcinogenicity and depletes the body of choline needed for fetal brain development. DEA can also show up as a contaminant in products containing related chemicals, such as cocamide DEA.

4. 1,4-Dioxane
1,4-Dioxane is a known animal carcinogen and a possible human carcinogen that can appear as a contaminant in products containing sodium laureth sulfate and ingredients that include the terms “PEG,” “-xynol,” “ceteareth,” “oleth” and most other ethoxylated “eth” ingredients. The FDA monitors products for the contaminant but has not yet recommended an exposure limit. Manufacturers can remove dioxane through a process called vacuum stripping, but a small amount usually remains. A 2007 survey by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that most children’s bath products contain 10 parts per million or less, but an earlier 2001 survey by the FDA found levels in excess of 85 parts per million.

5. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde has a long list of adverse health effects, including immune-system toxicity, respiratory irritation and cancer in humans. Yet it still turns up in baby bath soap, nail polish, eyelash adhesive and hair dyes as a contaminant or break-down product of diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea and quaternium compounds.

6. Fragrance
The catchall term “fragrance” may mask phthalates, which act as endocrine disruptors and may cause obesity and reproductive and developmental harm. Avoid phthalates by selecting essential-oil fragrances instead.

7. Lead and Mercury
Neurotoxic lead may appear in products as a naturally occurring contaminant of hydrated silica, one of the ingredients in toothpaste, and lead acetate is found in some brands of men’s hair dye. Brain-damaging mercury, found in the preservative thimerosol, is used in some mascaras.

8. Nanoparticles
Tiny nanoparticles, which may penetrate the skin and damage brain cells, are appearing in an increasing number of cosmetics and sunscreens. Most problematic are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, used in sunscreens to make them transparent. When possible, look for sunscreens containing particles of these ingredients larger than 100 nanometers. You’ll most likely need to call companies to confirm sizes, but a few manufacturers have started advertising their lack of nanoparticle-sized ingredients on labels. For a more complete discussion, see Screen Test: Reading the Micro-Fine Print.

9. Parabens
(methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-) Parabens, which have weak estrogenic effects, are common preservatives that appear in a wide array of toiletries. A study found that butyl paraben damaged sperm formation in the testes of mice, and a relative, sodium methylparaben, is banned in cosmetics by the E.U. Parabens break down in the body into p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which has estrogenic activity in human breast-cancer cell cultures.

10. Petroleum Distillates
Possible human carcinogens, petroleum distillates are prohibited or restricted for use in cosmetics in the E.U. but are found in several U.S. brands of mascara, foot-odor powder and other products. Look out for the terms “petroleum” or “liquid paraffin.”

11. P-Phenylenediamine
Commonly found in hair dyes, this chemical can damage the nervous system, cause lung irritation and cause severe allergic reactions. It’s also listed as 1,4-Benzenediamine; p-Phenyldiamine and 4-Phenylenediamine.

12. Hydroquinone
Found in skin lighteners and facial moisturizers, hydroquinone is neurotoxic and allergenic, and there’s limited evidence that it may cause cancer in lab animals. It may also appear as an impurity not listed on ingredients labels.

Source: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/122/dirtydozen/3

The facts are compelling:

• A study by one of our founding members revealed that one third of cosmetic products on the market contain chemicals that are linked to cancer.
• Of the more than 10,000 chemical ingredients in personal care products, 89 percent have not undergone safety testing.
• On average, American women use 12 personal care products a day, and men average six products daily. That means an adult is likely to be exposed DAILY to 126 unique chemical ingredients in personal care products alone.
• We know that the skin is not a solid barrier – it’s a penetrable organ that can easily absorb chemicals, especially with repeat exposure. Derman absorbtion is commonly used to transmit chemicals to the bloodstream, notably with nicotine and birth control patches.
• Toxic chemicals find their way into our bodies, our breast milk and our children. And diseases linked to synthetic chemicals – including breast cancer, testicular cancer and reproductive problems – are on the rise.

Source: http://www.safecosmetics.org/action/endorsementform.cfm

We're Moving!!

We're so excited to let you know that we're moving! We'll give everyone a little time to re-adjust to our new digs, but please start updating your bookmarks and feed readers for our new place: www.firstimpressionsbaby.com/blog

We'll make it official after our latest giveaway is up on this website.

We'll update you a little later on about all the cool new things to come! Come check us out!!

Hugs,
Ashley

Speech Delays - Ages 0-2

Many of us wonder if our children are saying enough words. And, before we know it keeping up with the Joneses of this world begins to make us doubt our own parenting and our own children. We begin to compare how our child is speaking compared to Sally or little Jack, and try to rack our brains to think of any other children we may know in our child's age range.

And, before you know it, you've convince yourself that your child is behind.

Or, maybe you don't. Maybe you think your child is doing just grand, and then one day the pediatrician blows you mind with the news that your child is behind.

The following are some warning signs for language development delay (borrowed from BabyCenter):

Birth to 12 Months

• by 4 months, doesn't imitate the sounds her parents make
• by 6 months, isn't laughing or squealing
• by 8 or 9 months, isn't using sounds to get your attention
• by 9 months, hasn't begun babbling
• at 10 months, doesn't respond to her name
• by 9 or 10 months, isn't letting you know when she's happy or upset

12 to 15 Months

• at 12 months, doesn't use gestures such as waving or shaking her head
• by 12 months, isn't using at least a couple of consonants (p, b, etc.)
• by 12 months, isn't somehow communicating to you when she needs help with something
• at 15 months, doesn't understand and respond to words like "no" and "bye-bye"
• by 15 months, isn't using at least six different gestures (waving, pointing, etc.)
• by 15 months, can't say at least one to three words

18 to 24 Months

• at 18 months, isn't saying at least six to ten words
• by 18 to 20 months, isn't pointing out things of interest, such as a bird or airplane overhead
• by 20 months, isn't making at least six consonant sounds
• at 21 months, doesn't respond to simple directions
• by 21 months, doesn't pretend with her dolls or herself (brushing her hair, feeding her doll, etc.)
• at 24 months, can't join two words together
• at 24 months, doesn't know the function of common household objects — toothbrush, telephone, fork, etc.
• by 24 months, doesn't imitate actions or words of others
• at 2 years, doesn't point to body parts when asked

PS - Don't forget the $100 Giveaway we have going on!!

Rugged Idea - A Blanket With No Boundaries

We have found yet another "Parenting Essential" for you - the Rugged Idea Blankets. These awesome blankets are made from Rip-Stop Nylon and Fleece - making them durable, cozy (yet lightweight), and water/wind proof! They come in 3 sizes: small (changing pad), medium (perfect for your stroller) or large (great for a double stroller).

We own the Rugged Idea Medium sized Blanket and absolutely love it! It has ties, so that it can be tied to our stroller in a moments notice, and is lightweight and compact enough that we can carry it with us wherever we go! It has gone to the park with us, watched fireworks with us (we sat on it), and covered our legs when we got chilly.

Fall is approaching, and the possibilities are endless! Cover a stroller so your little one is blocked from the wind/rain and warmth is locked in. Or, use it when wearing your baby to help protect your little one from the elements. Use it to sit on in the park, to cover up infant carriers, or as a mat to play on in public places.

These blankets are great - no matter the season, no matter the activity - and are a new favorite for us!

Go HERE to get yours, now!

PS - Don't forget that great $100 Giveaway that we have going on! What would you spend your $100 on?

Ice Cream Cupcakes

*photo from Joy the Baker, as well.

What could be better during summer than ice cream and cupcakes, paired together in one fabulous ice cream cupcake?

Check out this fabulous recipe at Joy the Baker and enjoy!

And, don't forget our awesome $100 Giveaway!

Packing List

Check out this great packing list idea!

And, don't forget our awesome $100 Giveaway!

Back to Dads...

I know a lot of men tend to feel left out when it comes to the whole parenting thing. I mean, many magazines focus mostly on moms - actually, marketing in general tends to. And, then...there are the mommy groups and the such. And, pregnancy? It's all about the moms and babies, and dad often gets overlooked.

I came across this pretty great book called: The Modern Mom's Guide to Dads - Ten Secrets Your Husband Won't Tell You by Hogan Hilling and Jesse Jayne Rutherford. It talks about:

• What your husband's fears, hopes, desires, and frustrations are
• How to get him involved in the housework and childcare without manipulating him
• How to reduce conflict in your marriage
• And best of all, how to get some rest and time for yourself

It's a great book and my husband and I both recommend it - but, I wanted to hear some of YOUR advice too.

So, dads (and moms, too)...tell us what your biggest piece advice is concerning the fathers of our children. It can relate to anything...from what you're really thinking to housework to raising children...just tell us (in our comments)!

We can't wait to hear from you!

PS - Dad's if you have a certain gripe about society vs. fatherhood, be sure to let us know about it in the comments, too!

And, don't forget our awesome $100 Giveaway!

Giveaway: $100

Sleepy Wrap has agreed to award $100 to one of our readers! The rules are simple, click HERE for more info and how to enter.

Winner for the $50 Gift Certificate

Congratulations to Melanie, the winner of the $50 Gift Certificate for Good For The Kids, who said:

"I love this store! Fabulous!! My daughter got a play kitchen last year for Christmas but we didn't buy her any food at the time (too young to keep it out of her mouth). Now she's ready to have some play food so I'd pick:
-Melissa and Doug Cutting Fruit Crate Wood Play Food Melissa & Doug
-Melissa and Doug Sandwich Making Play Food Set Melissa & Doug
-Melissa and Doug Play Food Set Melissa & Doug

I know I'd go well over my $50!

Thanks!
Melanie"

Your Gift Certificate is on it's way, Melanie!

If you didn't win, now worries! Check out Good For The Kids and their great prices!

Contest!! Build your own Marble Ramp!

*photo from kidmade website

This is an AWESOME idea for kids and parents to participate in together. The idea? Build the longest marble ramp using only duct tape and cardboard. You ARE allowed, however, to use things such as walls, tables and chairs to prop it up.

Go here to check it out and read how to enter (it's really easy).

You have until the end of August to complete it! Be sure to comment here and let us know if you choose to participate! We'd love to feature ALL of our readers' photos of their ramps on our blog post!

And...just in case you haven't already signed up for our $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway for Good for the Kids, you can do so here :)

Contest! Prize Package worth OVER $2000.00

Moms, own your own business? Check out this great giveaway: http://moms-united.blogspot.com/2008/07/contest-prize-package-worth-over-200000.html

Check out our $50 gift certificate giveaway, too...