Merry Christmas 2014

I hope you're having a truly joyful Christmas day (even if you don't celebrate). Mine will be filled with new pajamas that I got last night and I'll wear past noon, peanut butter kiss cookies and almost all of my favorite people in the world. The few favorites that I won't see today, I will see before the ball drops on 2015. 

Here is my go-to peanut butter kiss cookie recipe - SO DELICIOUS. 

Try not to eat the whole batch yourself because it would be highly unhealthy and a tad selfish...though also, probably, worth it.

As if there aren't enough reasons to be happy today, I wanted to share one of the best happy-inducing websites ever. It's called Sunny Skyz and it's all about good news and inspirational stories. You might not have time to check it out today (with all those cookies and surprises and family members milling about). But do check it out. You won't be sorry.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I'm not talking about Christmas, although Christmas is a wonderful time of the year.  I am talking about the best time of year to have a baby.

Before we get into a serious discussion on this topic, we have to acknowledge that you can't actually control your baby's birthday.  Even with a scheduled C-section, you're still limited to a window of time, meaning that your OB won't let you have a C-section on July 4th if your due date isn't until October 15th.  Aside from your lack of control over the delivery, there's also your lack of control as to when you ovulate and when fertilization occurs.  Basically, we're about to have a pointless conversation.

Now that that's out of the way, let's dive in.  If you were able to choose your baby's birthday, you may want to consider some of the following:

• Fall Babies are Wicked Smart - Respected studies out of the UK show that babies born in September, October and November are the highest achievers, both academically and socially.  Read more here.
• Summers Off - Teachers and students often want/need to have a summer baby and preferably an early June baby.
• Time to Lose the Baby Weight - Babies born in the fall or winter give you a good chunk of time to lose the baby weight before it's bathing suit season.
• Maternity Clothes Wardrobe - If you're at your most pregnant during winter months in a cold part of the world, your maternity clothes investment can be significant.  You need coats and sweaters and pants.  And if your feet widen you need a couple pairs of shoes or boots.  If you're at your most pregnant in the summer, all you'll need are some cheap cotton dresses and flip flops.
• Holy Hot Flash - While summer maternity clothes are the cheapest and easiest, there are some obvious disadvantages to being extremely pregnant in extreme heat.  Public transportation and non-air conditioned spaces are hell.
• Winter Holidays With a Newborn - Having a baby in the fall means his/her first holiday celebration is right around the corner.  This may mean traveling with your newborn.  This may mean hosting a bunch of family and friends while caring for your newborn.  This may mean exposing your newborn to all sorts of winter germ thanks to the masses of family and friends that you visit or host.  
• Your Other Child(ren)'s Birthday - Having back to back birthday parties takes skill, money and patience.  Spreading out the fun tends to be more manageable.

What other seasonal factors affected you and your newborn?  What was the best time of year to be pregnant, to deliver and for your baby to be born?

Holiday Gift Countdown...over

Back in November I had this genius idea of posting 25 holiday gift ideas for the special baby in your life.  In my excitement of showing you these gifts, I forgot that you have to purchase and wrap the gift in advance.  And, that many of you (including myself) exchange gifts before December 25th.  I exchanged some gifts as early at December 10th this year.  Realizing this just the other day, I decided to bring my genius idea to a halt a bit early...today.

So, here is one last gift idea - not because I think you'll have time to purchase it in time for Christmas (if I'm being honest), but because it's the cutest thing and my bestie WW laughs every time she looks at the photo below.  It's a bearded hat and it's fantastic.  The Esty crafter who makes it (By Laura) also has adult sizes.  Get crazy.

Bearded Hat By Laura ($39)

Holiday Gift Countdown - Days 15 and 16

Today's (and tomorrows) choice holiday gifts are a cell phone teether and a remote control teether.  These eco-friendly toys are handcrafted by 3 Princesses Engraving, a Canadian based Etsy shop.  Both can be personalized and both retail for $12.  It's never too soon to introduce your child to technology, I suppose.

Holiday Gift Countdown - Days 10-14....

Okay, it's probably no secret that I've been a little delinquent on the holiday gift countdown...and posts in general.  Tis the season for some after work drinking, chocolate chip cookie making and holiday movie watching.  I've fully indulged in all three and fully slacked on the post front.  Tis also the season of forgiveness?

Let's jump back into the holiday gift countdown with a brief look back at the gifts so far:

1. Handprint canvas kit by Red Envelope
2. Money pots by Uncommon Goods
3. Finger puppets by Restoration Hardware
4. Personalized pillow by Comfy Heaven
5. Red bow knit hat by Nita Mae's Garden
6. and 7. Origami crane mobile by Spare Bedroom Studio
8. Wool slippers from Garnett Hill
9. Chan Pie Gnon (friends of Sophie the Giraffe)

Today, for gifts 10 through 14, here are five amazing ornaments to celebrate a/your/some baby's first Christmas.

by Aphrodite's Canvas ($22)

by This Fine Day
($14 without custom engraving, $19 with)

by Rustic Blend ($6)

by Susabella ($28)

by Your Keepsake Co. ($20)

Holiday Gift Countdown - Day 9

Christmas is 16 days away and Hanukkah is a mere 11 days away.  Where has the year gone?  There's still plenty of some time to order gifts online and even more time to shop in store.  So get on it.  Here's another idea for the baby (or babies) in your life: Chan Pie Gnon.  You've met Sophie...now meet her friends, chan pie gnon (in blue, pink and yellow).  They're made of the same natural rubber as Sophie, but shaped like mushrooms.  They retail for as little as $12.89 on Amazon.com.  

(COME BACK AT 12 NOON FOR TODAY'S EDITION OF STUFF PEOPLE GOOGLE!)

Holiday Gift Countdown - Day 5

It's a girly gift day with this adorable crocheted "red sparkle bow holiday hat" (actual product name) by Nita Mae's Garden ($24.95).  There is a one to two week turn around time between your order and receiving your gift, so no time to waste if you want to make this a Christmas gift.

Holiday Gift Countdown - Day 4

This personalized pillow is not the first personalized pillow I've featured on Next Stop Baby (other feature here).  I think they're nice gifts because they will be appreciated and cherished long beyond the nursery years.  If it's a holiday gift for an unborn baby and there is no chosen name, Comfy Heaven (maker of this pillow) will personalize the pillow with any word you'd like - Loved, Baby, Happy, etc.

by Comfy Heaven ($24.99)

Holiday Gift Countdown - Day 3

Puppets hold a dear place in my heart.  Seriously.  I have a good friend who is a puppetry guru, she's incredibly talented, and being her roommate for a number of years left me with lasting memories of...puppets.  Plus, A Muppet Family Christmas is one of my favorite holiday movies.  I always thought the Swedish Chef was highly underrated, so seeing him shine in this movie was a real treat.

These six tiny finger puppets ($18) are sold by Restoration Hardware and would be a fantastic stocking stuffer for the toddler in your life (intended for ages 3+).

Holiday Gift Countdown - Day 2

Another day of December, another gift idea.  These are money pots from Uncommon Goods.  They would be a great gift for an expecting couple or a baby that has already arrived.  Each money pot is handmade in Italy.  Once a coin goes in it can't come out.   When the entire pot is filled it is then broken open and the money is used for the growing child.  Each pot comes with a "fortune coin" that is already inside.  The fortune coin is a memento to keep after the pot is broken and no longer in use.  

Check back at noon for this week's edition of Stuff People Google

Holiday Gift Countdown - Day 1

Everyday (or nearly everyday) from today through Christmas Eve I will post holiday gift ideas for the babies in your life.  A gift per day.  The gift post will go live at the regular time (8 AM) and on some days a second, more substantive post will go live at 12 PM.  Double the Next Stop Baby, double the fun.

The internet in general and Etsy as it's own magical website make gift shopping a pleasure.  There are so many lovely choices.   Yet, with all the lovely choices it can feel overwhelming.  So, hopefully my gift ideas will help the process.  Please share your great gift ideas in comments or email me (nextstopbabyblog@gmail.com) and just maybe I'll include your suggestion!

The first holiday gift suggestion is this handprint canvas kit by Red Envelope ($39.95).  It's intended use is for one baby.  The four similar hand prints with all the varying colors make for a very Andy Warhol feel.  I think it could also be perfect for a family of four (mom, dad and siblings), a family with four children, or to save over the course of four years and make a new print each year...a work of art in progress.