You know how you have certain images that pop into your mind when someone says a word or phrase?  Let’s say that I said to you “Surf Shop”.  In your head, you immediately picture your own idea of what a surf shop looks like.  Or maybe remember one that you’ve been to in the past.

Well, the other day Joe said to me “Check out the National Geographic going on in our front yard.”  Now, first of all, that’s an odd thing to say.  And even more odd, is the image that came to my mind: A TOPLESS WOMAN IN A GRASS SKIRT!  I was literally thinking to myself “Oh my goodness, there’s a topless woman in a grass skirt in our front yard?”

“Why?”, you ask  yourself.  As you shake your head at me.  And say “tsk, tsk.”

Well, I’ll tell you why.  When I was a kid, the first National Geographic magazine I remember seeing had pictures of topless tribal women in grass skirts.  Still to this day, THAT is what I associate with “National Geographic”.

Alas, when I went to look out our front window, there were no topless women.  Whew.

Or perhaps you are saying “Darn!”  Because a picture of THAT would be much more interesting than these two pictures.  But THIS is what Joe meant when he said “Check out the National Geographic going on in our front yard.”

Two creatures in our front window: A wasp was building a nest.  And a snail had set up camp.

Joe says the darndest things.  I keep threatening to tweet the funny ones.  All of them.

I found the solution!  The solution to getting more sleep with a newborn in the house.

I hear people all the time say their newborn (or sometimes older) keeps them up all night.  There are several solutions for that (more on this later), but one of them is keeping your little one swaddled.  But not just swaddled, swaddled well.  How do you do that?

With Max we just used a regular blanket.  We were lucky that a pediatrician, who is known for his swaddling skills, showed us how while we were still in the hospital with Max.  However, it’s very difficult to get it tight enough or stay in place.

With Sarah, I started out using the same blanket, but when she woke up at 2:00am to eat, she would always need to be RE-swaddled.  And the problem with having to re-swaddle?  Once you open up the blanket, she’s wide awake.  Not good.  Did I mention it’s 2:00am?

I wanted to find something that would swaddle her up nice and snug and STAY swaddled even after she wriggled around, I picked her up, fed her and put her back down to sleep.

And I found it.  It’s called a Woombie and it’s genius!  It zips up nice and snug and doesn’t come undone.

Now if Sarah wakes up to eat at 2:00am, there’s no re-swaddling to do and we can both just go right back to sleep.  Genius.