christmas photos in late january!

Try and contain your excitement.

Would you believe one of my new year's resolutions was to blog more? What a riot... Granted, I was sick for over a week in what I predict was a strain of the flu (either that or her evil step-sister once removed), which left me nearly comatose and perfecting a pretty solid Demi Moore impression. I don't recommend getting sick, though on the flip side, what else can make you appreciate your otherwise good health?!

Secondly, ever since the Newtown shootings, I've just been feeling rather meh on sharing light and happy topics that I otherwise adore. My heart has simply not been in it. But, inspired by newly formed groups like One Million Moms 4 Gun Control, a combo MLK and Inauguration Day and a blessing in disguise at work (will share more on that later), I feel inspired to write again and reinvigorate things at Baby Meets City. Onward and upward...

While I can pretty much guarantee no one is interested in family Christmas photos midway through January, I have to report that we had a wonderful holiday with my family in Georgia (and I'll include some photos, anyway, cause I can't resist). Honestly, the whole month was a lot of fun. At 3, Millie is starting to really "get" the whole Christmas thing. She had a ball picking out our tree with Husband, decorating cookies and learning about the Christmas story. Sure, we might have over-used the whole "Santa's watching, you better behave" line, but nobody's perfect, right?!

Picking out the perfect tree with Daddy

Neighborhood tree lighting

Christmas Eve at my parents'



Santa was here!



Loving on her new Cat in the Hat stuffed animals

Millie and her cousin Isadora
(dresses by Baby Nay)

And while we barely survived the car trip down south, I still feel like flying would have been worse (though tell that to my sore neck; I was constantly turning around and retrieving toys and bottles from the back seat floorboards). Millie was pretty easy to occupy with books, coloring and the Ipad, while Vivian was a bit more "challenging" to entertain. Little gal does not like to be strapped into a car seat, sufficed to say.

Speaking of car seats, I must give a shout out to the brand spankin' new Clek Foonf, which was lent to us for Millie to use on our road trip. This very solid, durable seat (reinforced with steel; I'm not kidding) was uncomplicated to put together (I had to attach the head rest and adjust the straps upon arrival). This is worth noting as I'm not exactly known for my engineering skills, let alone putting together a car seat. Installation via the LATCH system in our rental car was a breeze, and the best part was Millie was comfortable for the verrrrryyyy long ride. And check out the modern, almost futuristic design... I love it! Millie was crazy about the hot pink color, too (and check out their collaboration with Paul Frank)!

Teddy tries out the Clek

A few things worth noting about the Clek Foonf:

It's billed as "the mother of all car seats." I'll admit, I don't have a ton of experience in the car seat arena as we don't own a car, but I feel like after using the Clek, the term is appropriate. Built to keep your child rear-facing longer, {check out the benefits of this practice here}, the Clek is rated up to 45 lbs when rear-facing, and engineered to protect in a side-impact collision. The system is aptly known as REACT: Rapid Energy-Absorbing Crumple Technology.

The Clek is also fully recyclable, and the fabric used is Greenguard Select Certified, providing permanent protection against stains, moisture and odor-causing bacteria. And.. this seems like as good a time as any to admit something: Millie got car sick on the way down and threw up. I'm talking all over herself and the Foonf. Now, while I was concerned first and foremost for the well-being of my child, I also had "Oh crap, I have to return this thing!" running through my head, too. This is why I can fully and accurately report that the fabric used on the Clek is kind of amazing. With the help of paper towels and water (we stopped at a rest area and I had limited resources!) I was able to clean my child and the car seat easily, with no stains and no smells afterwards. Can I get a collective "WHEW"??

The only "con" I can really think of it that the seat is quite heavy, so once you have it positioned in your car, go ahead and leave it there. Which is kind of fitting, as I have no doubt the Clek car seat is here to stay.

Happy New Year, everyone... and yes, if you suspect that I was also late getting my Christmas cards out (turning them into New Years greetings), you would be correct.



Disclaimer: I was given a Clek Foonf car seat for review purposes, and I returned it after our trip.