Tag Archives: Bebe

Anddddd we’re back…

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We’re now home, settled again in South Korea still with semi tired bodies, slight colds, but very full hearts! Our homecation stateside with family brought such wonderful days, so much grace, so many memories and stories, so. much. food., and a lot of laughter. Reminiscing back on days like those cause us to stop and send our prayers of thanks up above.

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Backpackbees

Every Day

I watch her all day and I have the same thoughts over and over… PLEASE God let me always remember this moment, this little grin, this teeny face, this sweet snuggle, this precious giggle, this monster coo… I know I have to savor each of these moments endlessly, we’ve already hit the 6 months mark and she’s growing so very quickly into a little lady, these photos only prove my point more so.

Backpackbees

Newest Supper Club Member

Perhaps the youngest as well….

While she isn’t eating foie gras just yet, she has been mashing her way through all sorts of veggies and fruits these past few weeks like a champ! Next stop…sushi and kimchi!

(Kidding… Kidding…we’ve got at least a few more weeks before that 😉

Backpackbees

French Press Friday: Sneaky

What if someone told me when I was 16 years old that in my life I would raise a blue-eyed baby girl and live abroad with my husband over 5 years away from everything we’ve ever known?

Never have I felt like I should stay rooted to a single place for the rest of my life. I love the world! I have far more than one favorite place to name and be.

I sit here swirling my coffee and ponder if our bumblebee will ever be attached to just one place, lay down roots, or will she identify herself just as her momma does… A “world citizen”? I suppose only time will tell.

My response to all of that….I’d say, LIFE, you surely are a sneaky little fox!

Backpackbees

French Press Friday: Always

Random thoughts over french press this morning…

Random thoughts over french press this morning…

It’s remarkable how fast children grow so quickly into independence.

I find myself gazing into her eyes and feeling strangely that this little being has such an adult look in her eyes. It’s just at this moment she can’t verbally express her thoughts to us with our language yet, but certainly does in her own babble and coos. And then in moments of her fighting sleep, or having tummy troubles, or needing a diaper change, then I am jolted right back to seeing my baby, my baby bumblebee. That is when I see the childlike vulnerable, need and dependency in her eyes.

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” – Robert Munsch

Backpackbees

Frenchpress Friday: Same Person

Random thoughts over french press this morning…

You know what? I’m still the very same person, just with a bigger heart.
A heart I never even imagined could continue to swell in size for such a little being.
It’s crazy, as a parent I now am starting to understand and can reflect on some of my parents actions towards me and done for me more clearly.

Will Olivia only come to have the same realizations for our actions as her parents only after she decides to have children of her own?

I suppose only time will tell.

Backpackbees

French press Friday: Savoring the now

Random thoughts over french press today…

I realize that there may come a day she prefers the company of friends to her parents…
The day she thinks and feels her first love is the ONLY person needed on this planet…
When she tells us we just don’t get her and will never ever understand…
and the day when she makes the big decision to move out on her own.

Thankfully today is not that day.
No, today in this very moment she is sleeping ever so peacefully in one of her favorite places in the world, my arms.
Thankfully today IS that day she’s letting me savor this very special moment.

^(savoring time over momma)

Backpackbees

Product Review: MamaRoo

I’m completely convinced GOD invented this machine.

No, I’m dead serious! This thing is made from unicorn tears and possesses PURE MAGIC! What on earth am I babbling on about? The mamaRoo by 4Moms!

Yey! This calls for a product review!

Originally I purchased a little bouncer seat that vibrated on Amazon by Fisher- Price (Bumblebee only has used once now). It all started when my sweet cousin in-law threw me a virtual baby shower due to our geographical separation…. We were all discussing what purchases we made for the baby when my other cousin in-law (thank you Meghan) a registered nurse working in labor and delivery stated we HAD to pick up the mamaRoo by 4Moms….she too said this thing possessed magical powers, the babies absolutely loved them and the nursery was tricked out with them. This of course sparked my husband’s interest and I saw him immediately in the background researching online.

Then I heard our credit card scream…. He made the purchase on Amazon here just like that.. hook, line and sinker. Eek! The price had me a bit concerned, because I’m pretty conservative. After the babyshower we discussed everything that made him make the purchase, watched the 4mom website product video, read a few customer reviews and then I understood why.

When the mamaRoo was delivered, Mr. B was giddy and immediately pulled it out of the box and put it together. The assembly was a breeze right out of the box!

Our first thoughts were wow… This thing is pretty cool. As I read through the manual on the features, Mr. B already had his iPhone plugged into the MP3 attachment and was playing his techno music as he selected the various soothing movements to go with the music beat. He was sold and wanted to write to 4moms and ask if they could fabricate one in adult size for his office. I Yi Yi… Lol! I on the other hand thought all we need is this baby to actually see if she likes it, but I did have to admit it was rather cool.

A few weeks later when our bumblebee arrived I was finally able to put the mamaRoo to the test…..We are now going on a little over two months with almost daily usage, we call it bumblebees “roo time”. I feel like we really have a good grasp on this product and can confidently give you our newbie parent review of pros and cons. (In no particular order)

The Pros:

  • EASY to use when you are zombified parents
  • Buttons are very intuitive are have a nice lite display
  • Blowouts and spit-up, let’s face it, it just happens….Thankfully the mamaRoo is easy to clean! Just unzip and pop the seat cover into the washing machine
  • It features 5 swing movements – The car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rock-a-bye, and the wave. (Bumblebee loves the rock-a-bye setting) 5 different speeds to choose from
  • Multiple seating positions that range from sitting upright to laying down; very easy for parents to adjust during any meltdowns
  • It has Bluetooth connectivity – control it from your smartphone 4moms app…. Yep we’re lazy. Kidding… It’s great when you forget to switch off and you are trapped on the couch, or different room
  • Entire machine is lightweight at only 19lbs. Even I can easily pick up and move it from our kitchen to living room as needed
  • Overall size of the machine is small and helps maintain our baby clutter in our space – 33″L x 19.5″W x 25.5″H
  • It has built-in soothing sounds outside of the MP3 aux option – rain, fan, ocean and heart
  • A dangling attached mobile that features plush balls -one side is vibrantly colored with different patterns and the other side is black and white, again with different patterns love that feature as bumblebees vision and focus are changing and growing
  • Dual voltage – for us an ABSOLUTE must! (Hip-hip hooray no transformer needed!)
  • Option to order the newborn insert – you could literally bring your little one home from hospital and place directly into the chair if you had to
  • Five different color seat color options -if your into that sort of thing- black classic, silver plush, multi-plush, designer plush, and grey classic (we snagged grey classic thinking it would look cleaner; it has lived up to our expectations too)
  • Weight limit is 25lbs; or if baby attempts an escape -with that limit your baby will get a great amount of usage and before hitting that limit we assume she will be down crawling and exploring
  • Incredibly safe! So much so that if the blanket falls down while in motion and is caught in the chairs movement the obstruction error will display and all machine movement will seise
  • Comes with a 1 year warranty (WHEW)
  • If needed, there is the option to purchase replacement parts, such as seat cover, MP3 cord, mobile with plush balls, and outlet adapter
  • It is very quiet when turned on and in use….listen for yourself
  • It gives us a bit of hands free time when we need it

    The Cons:

    • The price factor…. I guess you can look on the bright side, you do get what you pay for (GOLD). A side note, around Mother’s Day 4moms website had 20% off…something to keep in mind
    • On top of price, you DO have to purchase the newborn insert separately if you want to use upfront
    • It doesn’t operate on batteries
    • Some friends also purchased the mamaRoo and their little one HATE it….this no guarantee. We have to remember we all have our own preferences and babies are no exception to this rule
    • We’d like to see bluetooth technology, or USB capability that allows you to stream your music without plugging MP3 or smartphone in, or even load MP3 playlist like a small 8GB flash drive
      The speakers could use an upgrade, they are not the best quality for the overall price paid
    • The wall plugin adapter could be longer for the option to keep away from walls and furniture if needed

    So there you have it, our entire review of the mamaRoo. If you have the ability to pre-test out with your babe before taking the plunge, we recommend you do it. Another suggestion, add to your baby shower list -a group could go in on the purchase. Obviously we didn’t have those options, but certainly would offer a try the roo out to any of our friends located around us wherever we may be at the time.

    Friends, did you purchase/test the mamaroo with your little one, or perhaps gifted to another’s little one? What were your overall thoughts? We look forward to your comments!

    Backpackbees

    Click, Ship & treat yourself…or in this case the bébé !

  • French press Friday: Childhood daydreams

    Random thoughts over french press today…

    Do you remember the weekends during your childhood?

    Whether you spent those childhood days growing up with your grandparents, or your parents, do you remember the smells and the sights? Maybe those days involved special breakfasts made by your grandpa that consisted of toad in a hole, or tea parties in the backyard under a big old tree, maybe it was winter weekends filled with mugs of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and dipping your buttery toast in it while your snow-covered clothing drip dry over the radiators, or it was your dad singing a silly song every time he cooked spaghetti for dinner.

    Those days are now the keepsakes our adult brain keeps locked up in special places.

    We seem to dig them out when we need to enjoy the nostalgia when we’re feeling down, or just want to smile.

    I realize now as an adult truly just how important these little keepsakes are to me. I realize now evermore when I look into my daughters eyes.

    As a parent now, I’m striving to keep my/our weekends, or Sunday’s completely free for our family, making sure to not get so wrapped up in the everyday hustle, just so that our bumblebee builds up those keepsakes of childhood for her adult memory too.

    So tell me, what are your weekend rituals? Are you building, or have you yourself strived, to build those special keepsakes with your family?

    Backpackbees

    First Mother’s Day

    Yesterday marked my very first Mother’s Day. My coffee cup and heart were filled to the brim with such good stuff! The weather was straight out of Mr. Rogers neighborhood perfect! I’m talking clear blue sky, the sun shining, birds chirping happily, and the evening sunset was one of the most beautiful we’ve seen to date in Korea! See! Perfection!

    Olivia and Mr. B made my day so very special and absolutely memorable. Outside of the fact that I get to wake up every single morning to my best friend and my daughter, seriously is gift enough, but I also had a lovely prepared breakfast, freshly brewed coffee, the sweetest little message from “Olivia”, as well as two beautiful charms to add to my Pandora bracelet.

    Sipping on my coffee that morning, I couldn’t help but think about the past several years, the Mother’s Days that passed, that my heart waited, ached, and longed to be a mommy. To experience life being a parent with my husband. I didn’t realize that there was a bigger plan eventually in store for us, it just wasn’t our time. It was a hard pill to swallow and I just didn’t understand why. So this very morning, like all my mornings since becoming pregnant and having our bumblebee, meant so much more to me than anything in the world. As I said on our Instagram account, my husband and daughter are the greatest gifts on this side of eternity to me!

    We continued our afternoon with a stroll, snapped some fun photos and picked up potbingsu from a local cafe.

    It didn’t just stop there! The Mr. continued right on spoiling and making the day special by cooking the most deliciously moist grilled chicken, Israeli shiitake mushroom flavored couscous, spicy crushed tomatoes, and bread with homemade dipping oil….. I scarfed it down, I had to grab this photo off of the Mr.’s cellphone.

    These past few weeks, two months, this very morning, life as a whole has become so much more meaningful to me. There has been no greater miracle than this one to me. So many heartfelt thank yous to my husband and bumblebee for such a beautiful day.

    Backpackbees