Baby Dickey

CHD Awareness Week: baby gown giveaway

I talked a bit about CHD Awareness Week and what CHD is in my post from yesterday. Today I’m going to talk a bit more about what YOU can do to help out. In exchange for you giving me your attention for just a few minutes while you read this post, I’m giving away a pink baby gown I made (in honor of Cora, who died from CHD).

The fabric looks white, but it really is light pink…. with little pink flowers. Size is 0-6 months and it’s a long-sleeve gown made from a light flannel material with elastic closing at the bottom. You can get more details about the gowns I make (from any fabric – like the one above – or from your old, memorable adult t-shirts) here: Custom Onesie Shop.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? (and get entries for the giveaway… under each item will be directions in italics on how to get credit… leave a separate comment for each thing you do!) There are LOTS of ways to help and enter the giveaway!

1) Request that the elected officials in your state proclaim Feb 7-14 “CHD Awareness Week.” See how HERE. A number of states have already make this proclamation (look here to see if your state is listed).
*For the giveaway, tell me you sent a letter to your state officials (honor system!) or tell me if your state has already proclaimed it.*

2) Put the CHD Awareness Week banner on your website.
*Let me know where I can find your banner.*

3) Put one of Cora’s banners or buttons on your website.
*For the giveaway, let me know where I can find it.*

4) Make pink bows and pass them out to your family and friends, leave some at the pediatrician’s office or your child’s school. Make sure to tell them about CHD and why it’s important.
*Leave a comment telling me truthfully that you’ve made some pink bows to pass out*

5) Visit The Congenital Heart Information Network and read about CHD.
*For the giveaway, leave a comment telling me something you learned.*

6) Follow Kristine on twitter–she is saving lives by raising awareness about CHD.
*Leave a comment letting me know you follow her.*

7) Become a fan of Cora’s Story on facebook. Cora died of CHD when she was just 5 days old.
*Leave a comment letting me know you’re a fan.*

8 ) Have you or someone you know been affected by CHD? Share your story!
*Share your story here in a comment, or leave a link to it.*

9) Contact your local newspaper or tv station and ask them to run a story on CHD Awareness Week.
*Tell me (again, on the honor system!) in a comment that you’ve done this. If they end up publishing it, come back and let us know!! We’d love to see it!*

10) Order a pin ($5) or brochures to hand out (free!) here.
*Leave a comment letting me know which you’re getting.*

11) Order a Hope Heart necklace for $30.
*This one is worth 3 entries, so leave 3 separate comments if you buy a necklace.*

12) Request a baby onesie from me for $20 and all proceeds (minus my cost of fabric only) will go to CHD.
*Follow purchasing directions on the order page and then leave 3 separate comments below to get extra entries.*

13) Become a fan of CHD Awareness Week on facebook.
*Leave a comment with your facebook name telling me you joined.*

14) Join the 1 in 100 Event on facebook (event is to spend Feb. 13th doing something to help raise awareness of CHD).
*Leave a comment with your facebook name telling me you joined.*

15) Blog about CHD and CHD Awareness Week.
*Leave 3 separate comments with a link to your post.*

16) Tweet about CHD Awareness Week with a random fact about CHD.
*Leave a link to your tweet. Can be done once a day.*

FYI… I have done most of the above… I ordered brochures and stickers to pass out, I contacted my local newspaper, I wrote a letter to my gov (but IL has already proclaimed CHD Awareness Week), I’m blogging and tweeting about it and spreading the word!! We can all save lives!!

Scentsy Review & Discount

I had never heard of Scentsy before my friend became a consultant. I went to one of her “parties” and fell in love! I’ve always been a huge fan of candles and have them all over the house. But with a new lil one–who will be crawling around before we know it!–candles can be dangerous. Scentsy is the answer!

Scentsy is a one of a kind wickless candle product. Decorative warmers melt Scentsy wax using light bulbs instead of a wick & flame, making Scentsy fire marshall approved! (Especially safe for kids & pets!) Plus, the melted wax doesn’t get too hot so it won’t burn if a mischievous child gets into it (trust me, I’ve tried it)!

Warmers come in all different sizes (Plug-ins, Mid-Size, and Full) and they also make Car Fresheners, Travel Tins, & Room Sprays. Scentsy has over 80 fragrances that come in 2 difference size packages (Bar & Brick) and is continuously developing new ones!

I have the Weave Plug-In warmer in green and it’s in our bathroom:

They have SO many cute warmers, it was really hard to pick. And I definitely plan on adding to my collection. Every month Scentsy has a new warmer and scent “of the month” that are offered at 10% off. For February, it’s a “Paws” warmer for animal lovers and the scent is a delicious sounding Vanilla Suede.

Get a discount for the month of February only!! Scentsy is discontinuing certain warmers and scents and adding new ones… so everything in the current catalog is 10% OFF! There are also ways you can save by buying multi-packs.

These makes awesome gifts for every occasion and every person–they even have “manly” scents and warmers! So check them all out at: Scentsy!

Do you have Scentsy? What’s your favorite warmer or scent?? I’m looking for new ones!

Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week

February 7-14th is Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Week. Why is it so important to me? CHD affected a great twitter friend of mine–we were pregnant together and she lost her healthy baby at 5 days of age due to undetected CHD, just a few weeks before Ryan was born. It really hit home for me.

What is CHD?
Considered the most common birth defect worldwide, it is the leading cause of birth defect related deaths. One in 100 babies are affected. There are different types of CHD and the defects of the heart or blood vessels occur before birth, while the fetus is developing in the uterus. These defects can occur in heart valves, in the walls between the atria and ventricles, or in heart muscle.

How is CHD detected?
It’s usually first detected when a heart murmur is heard. Then more tests will be run, such as a chest xray, MRI and EKG. For babies, there is a non-invasive, fast, easy and cheap option: a pulse oximetry test. It doesn’t detect all CHDs, but it’s a great start. Sadly, they’re usually not done routinely on newborns. SO ASK FOR IT! After Ryan was born, I asked for it and got it. The nurse had no idea why I would want to test for CHD or why a pulse ox test would help. How sad is that? We need to work much harder to raise awareness (and work to raise money to fund more research)!

More information
Check out The Congenital Heart Information Network–they have information on Awareness Week, a fact sheet, ways you can help, and a list of participating cities–find something in your area!

What can you do?
There are many ways to get involved, doing as much or as little as you’d like. Just reading this post and passing on the information to one person is a start! Have pregnant friends? Make sure they ask for the pulse ox test at the hospital. Remember, CHD affects 1 in 100!

Tomorrow I am hosting a giveaway on this blog for a pink baby gown in honor of my friend who lost her sweet baby girl to CHD. Please come back and check it out for more ways to get involved in your community!! They’ll give you extra entries to the giveaway!

Fandangling giveaway

What an awesome idea, I can’t believe I’ve never seen something like it before. Introducing… the Fandangling! It’s the “next generation mobile” for your lil one. Invented by a mother of 2, fandanglings are little plush animals that hang on the ends of your ceiling fan!

Why is this genius? First of all… NO BATTERIES! Second… no time limit! How many times have you had battery operated mobiles, music, moving objects, etc. that suddenly turn off and your child cries or wakes up?! AH!

I also love this product because it adds to the design of the nursery–it’s just too cute (even if the fan is off)! Plus, your lil one can see this “mobile” from anywhere in the room. I was recently sent the safari themed Fandangling, which fits with our nursery them perfectly!!

They also have other really cute ones: ocean animals, pink or purple butterflies, lady bugs and bees, and puppies. You can also mix and match sets to create your own custom Fandangling!

The animals attach easily to the ends of the fan blades by velcro. Just turn the fan on your low setting and you’re good to go! I was reading some other reviews on the Fandangling and it looks like it’s a HUGE hit even as kids get older.. 2 and 3 year olds! They’re currently working on releasing a line for kids. What else is fantastic about this company? They donate 10% of profits to charity!

You can buy your own Fandangling for just $19.95 (seriously, I think that’s a steal!) and get a DISCOUNT! Just enter the code FANDANGLING10 at checkout for 20% OFF!

Or WIN here! One lucky reader will win their choice of Fandangling kit!

Mandatory first entry: Leave a comment telling me which Fandangling kit is your favorite!

Extra Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

1 entry – follow me on twitter
1 entry - follow Fandangling on twitter
1 entry – tweet about this giveaway: “RT @babydickey Win a “next generation mobile” for your kids from @Fandangling! http://bit.ly/99TLMJ” (can tweet once a day)
2 entries (leave 2 separate comments) – follow publicly with google friend connect (left sidebar)
2 entries (leave 2 separate comments) – subscribe to this blog by RSS or email (top right of site)
1 entry – vote for us on Top Baby Blogs just by clicking this link (no other action needed)
1 entry - become a friend of Fandangling on facebook
3 entries (leave 3 separate comments) – put my blog button on your site
3 entries (leave 3 separate comments) - blog about this giveaway, leave a link to it
1 entry – enter any of my other current giveaways (one entry per giveaway)

**Giveaway ends February 13th 2010, at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to choose the winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my email before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!**

Sugar Sweet Baby Wrap review & discount

SugarSweetBaby specializes in bamboo wraps for safe and cozy babywearing! Each wrap is made of 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton making for a durable, soft, light wrap. What’s awesome about babywearing?

*You have your hands free to do other things!
*Making baby happy
*Helps milk production (warmth, skin to skin contact)
*It’s convenient (those car seats are heavy!!)
*A longer sleeping baby ( = happy mama!)
*Helps with gassy or colicky babies (sitting upright)
*Allows for discrete nursing
*Cute and stylish prints
*Lots of different ways to wear the wrap and carry the baby
*Easy to take along–in your diaper bag, etc.

One day I was on twitter complaining about how Ryan would NOT stop crying, there was nothing I could do. I had a pouch and a Baby Bjorn carrier, but Ryan didn’t seem to like them–kept right on screaming! So… I got this wrap from SugarSweetBaby (Morning Glory on Off White)… worth a try, right?! See for yourself…

YES, he was crying when I put him into the wrap. YES, he passed out asleep in no time. A MIRACLE! Seriously… a miracle. I can tell the difference between wearing him in this wrap and wearing him in the pouch of Bjorn… there’s a closeness. I’m sure he feels much more secure and near his mama! Anyway, I love it. I had some trouble getting it on the first time, but by just the second time I was much better. I still need some practice I think on getting it tighter and pretty looking, but it works!