our hunch was right

We're having another...

What an awesome privilege to raise boys in a world that needs a few more good men! And... I'll still be able to sign our family letters "love Adriel & the boys" which I've grown quite fond of. Bonus.

We're so excited to think about the bond of brothers and how much fun they will have together. No doubt they will keep me busy (and in the kitchen!), but I am genuinely glad to be welcoming another little dude into the family and let his tiny heart invade mine own. Levi has made me fall in love with little boys in a way that I never thought possible. And of course Ryan is thrilled to have another member of the soccer team. Or basketball team. Or football team. Whatever. (Joke, people! They can join the ballet for all we care.)

Now it's onto the challenge of thinking of boy names, which we find much harder than girls names!

Baby is 19 weeks along and we look forward to my doctors appointment next week to hear all of the results of the scan. Can't believe this pregnancy is nearly half finished already! Yikes. It is flying by.

We love our baby boy Booker and thank God for his precious life.

Dear friends, that's all from me today. Just wanted to share our wonderful news! Do you have any advice for being a mom to boys?? And in celebration of one year of the Memos (and boys all around!) make sure to check out my pregnancy and baby-related giveaways below.

love, adriel & the boys xx

Yay! YOU get presents in honor of 

MY birthday! How fun is that??

Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion. 

Win it for yourself or to give as a gift to an expecting friend.

Just leave a comment here. Giveaway closes May 15, 2011.

Enter to win a Peekabooby nursing cover!

Leave a comment here. Giveaway ends May 20, 2011.

Are you an expecting mama? Link up with the 

Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011 here.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

blogger ate my giveaways and comments

Due to the Blogger fiasco this week that I'm sure most of you are aware of, I've lost my original post for the Peekabooby nursing cover giveaway as well as all of your entries. I'm so sorry! 

I also lost all of the comments on my our hunch was right post (announcing that we're having a baby boy). That one just makes me plain old sad - boo! 

Disappearing posts and comments is not exactly the way I wanted to celebrate my first blogaversary. (More boo!)

i'm giving YOU pressies for MY birthday! yay!

I've also not been able to receive your entries for The Pregnancy Companion giveaway as the commenting system has been disrupted. (Even more boo!)

The good news is that--despite the missing comments--it seems that everything else is up and running again. Yay!

Dear friends, please take a moment to re-enter these giveaways. I've extended both giveaways to make up for your trouble. And again, I apologize for your inconvenience. Who else got thrown for a loop by Blogger this week??

thanks friends,

Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion. 

Win it for yourself or to give as a gift to an expecting friend.

Giveaway extended to May 20, 2011.

Enter to win a Peekabooby nursing cover!

Giveaway extended to May 25, 2011.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011

do not reproduce without written permission

peekabooby! (a GIVEAWAY)

Why is it that a word like "booby" can stop a grown person in their tracks? And why is it that men and boys seem to like that word so much?

Several weeks back my husband and I were laying in bed on a Saturday morning and Levi (our 15-month-old) was bouncing around, climbing on top of us, and generally just being cute. We were practicing naming body parts (like eye, ear, and nose) when he pointed to my husband's chest.

"Booby!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Not so fast Ryan," I chimed right back. (I could just imagine our little son walking around pointing to people's chests and exclaiming "booby!"

"Can you please use another word?" I asked him. Ever since then Ryan has been calling them his "chest buttons" (inspired by the belly button). Classic. I'm not sure "chest button" is any better of a term, but whatever. Hopefully I can at least prevent my son from learning the word "booby" for a few more years.

Seriously. Men and boobies. Unbelievable.

But... speaking of boobies, I do want to introduce you to Peekabooby! breastfeeding covers:

I was given one of these by a good friend of mine when I was expecting and it turned out to be one of my staple baby items. I now buy them as baby shower gifts for nearly every expecting mom I know.

Here's a few things I like about them:

They are great for nursing in public. The neck strap helps to secure the cover in place. The gape at the neck allows you to "peek in" at your "boobies" to make sure everything is happening correctly and leaves you hands free to help your baby attach or position just right. You can fold it up into a very small square, which takes up minimal amount of space in your diaper bag or purse. You can throw it over the stroller to block out sunlight when baby is sleeping or you're on a walk. You can wear it around your neck when babe's snoozing on your chest in a baby carrier to block out sunlight and other stimuli. The come in very pretty fabrics.

And, they are hand-made by a small business owner in Colorado. (I love supporting women's small business!)

this is the one i have... "samurai" because i love all things asian.

In honor of the Memos birthday, we will be giving away two of these nursing covers. (Valued at $39.00 each.)

The first will be chosen randomly and the second will be chosen by Katie Pollock (owner of Peekabooby!) and I according to what we deem as the most creative, convincing, memorable, or funny comment.

There are several ways you can enter. Choose one or all of the following:

1. Minimum entry: Visit Peekabooby! and choose your favorite design, then tell us which one you'd choose in a comment here. It's that easy. No mandatory follow required. :)

Additional entries:

1. Follow the Memos through GFC or RSS or email subscription. (See links on the sidebar.)
2. “Like” the Memos on our new facebook fan page.
3. “Like” Peekabooby! on facebook. 
4. Blog about this give-away. (Make sure to leave me the link in a comment so I can visit.)
5. Tweet about this give-away, including @mommyhoodmemos and @peekabooby twitter handles and the link to this post up to once per day. (Make sure to leave a comment here telling me that you've tweeted to count as your entry.)

For each of the above entries, you MUST leave a separate comment. 

Giveaway extended to May 25, 2011. I will announce the winner the following week.

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. My own Peekabooby! nursing cover came as a gift from a friend. All opinions expressed are genuine and my own. 

Dear friends, I seriously love my Peekabooby! nursing cover. I know you will too.

good luck,


Important update 5/14: Due to the disruption of Blogger this past week, my original Peekabooby nursing cover giveaway post and your comments/entries have disappeared. To-date they have not reappeared. I'm so sorry for your inconvenience. Please enter again below.

Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion. 
Win it for yourself or to give as a gift to an expecting friend.
(Giveaway closes May 20, 2011.)

Yay! YOU get presents in honor of MY birthday!

Are you an expecting mama? Link up with

the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

every woman needs a pregnancy companion

[GIVEAWAY CLOSED and comments are now disabled for this post.]

On Monday it will be my one-year blogaversary of the Memos. I’m so grateful for what’s unfolded over the course of one short year… but more about that on Monday.

For today I’ve got some very exciting news...

In celebration of my blogaversary and Mothers Day this weekend, I am offering an exciting give-away!

Although I plan to do a more comprehensive review next month, I wanted to let you know about this fabulous book on Mothers Day weekend while your mind is already on all things mom-related: The Pregnancy Companion.

The Pregnancy Companion is a faith-based pregnancy book co-written by Jessica Wolstenholm and Dr. Heather Rupe (OB/GYN) where they seamlessly bring medicine and faith together to help women navigate not only the physical aspects of pregnancy, but also the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of life as an expecting mom.

Think of it as a trusted girlfriend’s advice and your doctor’s recommendations all rolled up into one fabulous package.

I first met Jessica when she began following the Memos and was thrilled to eventually learn of her book release. When her publishers offered me a copy to review and the opportunity to do a give-away for my readers, I immediately said yes. I don’t do many reviews and giveaways on the Memos, but this one fit too well to decline.

Originally I planned on reading through the entire book before agreeing to do a give-away. I wanted to make sure it was something I would be able to personally recommend. But now—half-way through—I’m already recommending it to all the pregnant women I know and trying not to race through it too fast so that I can soak it all in. I thought that was a good enough reason to get a jump-start and recommend it to you now.

The Pregnancy Companion is perfect for expecting first-time moms, moms of subsequent pregnancies, and even women who are trying to conceive (including a section for pre-conception). It also includes Jessica's experience with multiple miscarriages and loss, as well as her difficulty conceiving. There is something in this book for every woman who is—or longs to be—pregnant. 


Win it for yourself or to give as a baby shower gift. (Warning: doing so might make you walk away with the “Best Gift Giver of the Shower” title.)

There are several ways you can enter. Choose one or all of the following:

1. Minimum entry: Leave a comment! It's that easy. No mandatory follow required. :)

Additional entries:

1. Follow the Memos through GFC or RSS or email subscription. (See links on the sidebar.)
2. “Like” the Memos on our new facebook fan page.
3. Follow the Pregnancy Companion blog (Please do! You won’t be disappointed with Jessica and Dr. Rupe’s fabulous articles.)
4. “Like” the Pregnancy Companion on facebook. 
5. Blog about this give-away. (Make sure to leave me the link in a comment so I can visit.)
6. Tweet about this give-away, including my twitter handle (@mommyhoodmemos) and the Pregnancy Companion’s handle (@pregnancypal) up to once per day. (Make sure to leave a comment here telling me that you've tweeted to count as your entry.)

For each of the above entries, you MUST leave a separate comment. I will choose the winner randomly from within the comments, so if you only leave one comment saying you’ve done four of the above, it will only count as one entry. Otherwise, I will get lost in the numbers - blech!

Giveaway closes on May 20, 2011. I will announce the winner the following week.

Please note: I was given a book for this review and give-away but all opinions expressed are genuine and my own. I will be posting another, more comprehensive review next month and giving away two more copies of the book. So if you don’t win the first time around, you will have another chance soon!

Dear friends, I wish every one of you could get your hands on a copy of this excellent book – both an insightful and practical resource as well as an encouragement and inspiration. Good luck!

loving my pregnancy companion,

P.S. Thank you for your amazing response to Bloggers for Birth Kits. In six days we're up to 632 kits donated, 35 blog posts spreading the word, over 200 links shared on facebook (I lost count!), and tons of tweets (#B4BirthKits). I'm blown away by your response. I even woke up to an email this morning from a friend saying he had purchased www.BloggersForBirthKits.com for me and forwarded it to my post. Talk about legit! Again, THANK YOU for donating, for promoting such an important cause, and for helping to save the lives of mums and bubs in Papua New Guinea. If you haven't yet, it’s not too late to get involved. The details are here.





Are you an expecting mama? Link up with the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011 here.

Hooray! This week we're...

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

who’s the cutest baby on the block? (give-away!)

This give-away is now closed.

Do you have the cutest baby on the block? Maybe your "babies" are now grown up... or your “babies” have their own babies. Or maybe you’ve not yet entered into babyville yet at all. Whatever the case may be, there’s surely a sweet little one in your life that would love a set of hand-made, adorably funky wooden blocks.

Well, you’re in luck!

Magens Bay Designs is offering one reader from The Mommyhood Memos a $36.00 gift certificate, which will get you either a large set of alphabet blocks or two smaller sets of blocks! This could be you, dear readers...

Let me give you ten reasons why I loooove these wooden blocks from Magens Bay Designs:

• They come in some of the cutest colors and patterns you can imagine – everything from super girly to all boy, from funky retro to ultra modern, from bright and cheerful, to subdued and earthy. (I’ll be honest, this is what caught my eye in the first place... and probably what I love most about them. Gotta love a good design! *grin*)

• They are a great educational tool, especially the sets that come with the alphabet and numbers on them. (Perfect for little developing brains!)

• They encourage creativity. (What little kid—and mommy or daddy or auntie or grandma—doesn’t love to get hands-on in designing and building towers and castles?!)

• They are individually hand-crafted and uniquely designed. (Can we say oh-so-artsy?)

• They are made by a local small business, meaning profit made from them goes right back to the family that crafted them. (Love supporting small family businesses and the local economy!)

• They have sanded edges and are covered several times over with non-toxic varnish. (No need to worry about what we’re exposing the kiddos to!)

• They are easily cleaned with a damp cloth. (Mmmmm, so essential!)

• They come with a free canvas bag to store them in. (Very practical!)

• They can be customized for free. (What?! Yeah, really... for free!)

• They come from Portland, Oregon. (Ok, so that part’s irrelevant... but since that’s my home state in America... it makes me like ‘em even more.)

Now I personally love wooden toys because of the “timeless” feel they have to them. (Love classic toys!) But I also love them because they are great to chomp on (for the younger set) and they offer an alternative to cluttering up the house with lots of tacky plastic.

These blocks would be great for any little one between the ages of a couple months old (supervised of course) right through to school age kids learning to spell words, practice counting, and do simple math. 

I’ve poured through Magens Bay Designs website many times trying to figure out my own favorite, and I’ve found it really hard since there’s so many I love. I think my fave is the Alphabet Wooden Blocks set of 30 Cars and Traffic Signs... but I also really like the Grass and Sunshine Plaid (perfect for both boys and girls - bonus), the Robot Madness, and the Girly Bliss. (And I could list at least five others that I really like... but thought I should stop at four!)

 

What are your favorites?

 

Oh, and the other good news is that Magens Bay Designs is offering a 20% discount to all my readers from now until the end of June! (Just mention that you found them through The Mommyhood Memos in your order.)

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1) If you’d like to win this gift certificate for blocks for your little one (or as a super-cool gift for another little one in your life), just visit Magens Bay Designs, choose the set you like best, and leave a comment here on this post. (Counts for one entry.)

Example comment: I would choose the “girly bliss” blocks!

If you’d like additional entries to win, there are several ways you can increase your chances of winning:

2) Follow The Mommyhood Memos on google connect, and leave a comment that you’ve done so. (Counts for one entry.)

Example comment: I follow The Mommyhood Memos!

3) Subscribe to The Mommyhood Memos by email, and leave a comment that you've done so. (Counts for one entry.)

Example comment: I subscribe to The Mommyhood Memos by email!

4) Vote for me on Top Baby Blogs by clicking the graphic link below and then leave a comment here that you did so. (You can vote once per day until the contest finishes. Leave a comment for each day you vote. Each vote-and-comment will be counted as one entry. This one’s based on the honor system guys, so no cheating please!)

Example comment after voting: I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs!

 5) Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the graphic link below and then leave a comment here that you did so. (You can vote once per day until the contest finishes. Leave a comment for each day you vote. Each vote-and-comment will be counted as one entry. This one’s also based on the honor system, so keep it above board!)

Example comment after voting: I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs!

 6) Blog about this give-away on your own blog (linking back to The Mommyhood Memos) and comment here with the link. (Counts as five entries.)

Example comment after blogging: I blogged about The Mommyhood Memos give-away on my blog: www. yourbloghere .com!

Contest details:

This give-away will close at 12:00 midnight on Wednesday June 16th, Pacific Standard Time, USA (5:00pm Thursday, June 17th Eastern Australian Standard Time). The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be announced here on the Mommyhood Memos shortly after. Once announced you will have 48 hours to contact me via email and claim your prize! (If you don’t claim within 48 hours, I will select another winner through random.org.)

And don't forget mommy-friends (and friends)... if you mention The Mommyhood Memos when placing your order at Magens Bay Designs you'll receive a 20% discount for a limited time!

Good luck!

P.S. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so that all your entries will be counted/considered in the random.org draw. AND... make sure to leave your name somewhere in your comment if you don't have a google account so that I know who the winner is if it lands on an "anonymous" comment! :D