This HP Magic Giveaway is absolutely incredible, please check it out for yourselves here. Another fabulous blogger, merlot mom (love the name), is also participating so please check out her site. I'd really love the opportunity to help the airmen that Geoff works with. They deserve the chance to reconnect with loved ones, especially over the holiday season, and to know how much they are appreciated. To be honest, I'd love to keep one new computer for myself and present the others to such great people. I'd be so excited to see the looks on their faces when receiving such a great gift!

Ok, I'm a horrible mother. I was sitting on the couch with Devon in front of me, when I saw her lose her balance and fall head first into the drawers of the coffee table. If you look at the christmas picture on my blog you can see the bruise on her cheek. I felt awful, and still do, even though there's not really much I could have done differently (though obviously I've not fully baby-proofed the house). I immediately picked her up and she cried for a bit, but she seems to be none the worse for wear. However, my feeling that I can just put her down to crawl/play on the ground and everything will be fine has gone.

On another note, we tried a new food the other day... prunes. She seemed to enjoy them enough, but the next day's diaper was a nightmare! Of course SO was at work so he didn't even have to see it, much less smell and deal with it. I'm now on a no prunes campaign unless she's having digestive issues. SO thinks it's just hilarious though.

So HP has been extremely generous this season and is offering over $300,000 in prizes to be awarded via several blog sites. One such blog is Techie Diva, who I must admit I did not know about before, but there's some great reading there. Click the highlighted links to view both HP and Techie Diva's sites to view them for yourself. I'd love to win one of these fabulous sets of computers, but not just for me. My SO works at an Air Force Base and the holidays are a rough time for many of them. In addition, to the possibility of deployment, they remain separated from loved ones. They also don't have the luxury of shelling out big bucks on a computer to ensure they stay connected to the ones they love most and help keep them grounded. In the spirit of the holiday season, I'd love to surprise one or two of them with their very own setup to renew their sense of family and show our appreciation.

Among my list of things to do more regularly is posting on my blog. I really am going to try, but the past couple of days have been bloggy carnival and I want to make sure I get my comments in. Buying Devon's sippy cup bottle adapter things and other nifty things have also been on my imaginary to do list. I've made some progress, they're on my Amazon wish list. Anyways, one of the blogs is offering $25 to Amazon. Perfect, eh?

You can go here to see for yourself, and enter as well:
http://www.kateedydconfetti.com/2008/10/yay-its-giveaway.html

As for tomorrow, we're going to get our pumpkins (yes I really do procrastinate on everything) and mapping out a course to start jogging in the neighborhood.

Baby Einstein

When my friends were having their babies, I learned all about the rave over Baby Einstein. Devon has her Baby Einstein activity mat, but unfortunately that's all I've been able to get her so far. I really want to get her some DVD's (especially the one about first signs), but that's just not in the budget yet and I don't believe the library here has them.

So wouldn't you know, I'm perusing some favorite websites and come across a giveaway at www.aordinarylife.com for 2 Baby Einstein DVD's. I immediately signed up!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

So after our visit to the doctor, I win! Devon's not quite ready for cereal yet, maybe next month and we're going to get her a Bumbo style seat, though she doesn't need it quite yet. Doc said the seat is fine; there was apparently a recall on them at one time just because it was missing a label reminding people to not leave it on high surfaces, unsupervised (ala, McDonald's coffee being HOT), hehe. So now the research on high chairs begins...

In addition, we have a trip coming up in October where we'll be staying in a hotel for the weekend. I had originally thought that we should buy a pack and play to take with us so she can sleep in it, but now I'm debating whether or not that would be too cumbersome, along with all the other gear, for us to take on a plane trip. I'd just like her to have her own place to sleep without having to use a hotel crib (though I guess that's an option) and we may have one night at a friend's house where we'd need something.

It's my daughter's 4 month birthday today, yay! She does so much smiling now, it's really great to see. Geoff's wanting to start her on rice cereal right away, but I've heard waiting until closer to 6 months is better so we've been going back and forth on that. Also, I want one of those Bumbo or Bebepod chairs, but he doesn't think we need one. Devon has a doctor's appointment this week so we agreed to ask him what he thinks about it.

On another note, we went out to eat last night and she was so good, we actually got to finish our meal somewhat leisurely (albeit slightly faster than normal because we kept thinking she'd start getting fussy at any moment). Several of the staff stopped by our table to tell us how cute she was which made us feel really happy and proud. We think our next adventurous step might be a movie, but I can't stand the thought of paying that much money only to have to walk out of it if she gets fussy. I guess that's why you'd call it an adventure and nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Anyways, I've been wanting to get back into shape (and by back into shape, I'm hoping the shape I was in back in high school, though I know that's just a dream). There are a couple of stroller exercise groups around, but they're really further from my house than I wanted to go. Of course, since I don't have the will power to push myself to exercise regularly it may be worth it. I don't know, I'm still debating. I also looked up a couple of mommy groups around here, but it seems most don't start joining those groups until baby is 6 months and the playdates are really centered around toddlers. I was thinking maybe the groups do a stroller walk or something, but again I'm faced with the age dilemma and my own fickleness. It doesn't help that I have this fear of people not being warm and friendly, not liking me, my clothes, my body, etc... Oh well, I'll revisit this later like maybe when Devon's closer to 6 months.