I’ve taken a long time to write this post, not just to capture the long list of incredible women (and man) I met 2 weeks ago at the BlogHer conference in San Francisco, but because I couldn’t quite figure out how to put into words what the experience meant to me. Well in the 2 weeks it’s taken me to write this wrap up, I didn’t really find the words, but here is what I can tell you – I had an AMAZING time. I think part of it was because I had zero expectations – not low expectations, just wasn’t sure quite what to expect, really. I knew I would get to see some of the bloggy friends I had made over the last 6 months, so for that I was excited, but I didn’t expect BlogHer to have quite the emotional impact it had. I haven’t read a ton of recaps from others about BlogHer because nobody quite has the same experience and I didn’t want their take, either positive or negative, to impact what I got out of the weekend. But I’ll still go ahead and write my take on it…

So – my biggest takeaway (I advise any man reading this to stop now) – I am proud to be a woman. Maybe a bit much for some but I can tell you when that thought crossed my mind. I was sitting in the Community Keynote, listening to story after story about what life is like for women. These incredible women, turned bloggers/writers, had captured, in their own voice, so many different aspects of life as a woman. And as I listened through laughter and tears, (I cry during Hallmark commercials!) I turned around to see my good “mate” Paull sitting there taking it all in. I thought to myself (and then later to him), “what was that experience like for a man?” I told him he would have had to read 5 years worth of Cosmo magazine to get what he got out of 1 hour at BlogHer! These women, their stories, and the organization of BlogHer, had brought them all together – and let the rest of us connect with them and with each other.

Whew – I guess those were some of the words I wanted to voice about my experience. Again, maybe a little dramatic for some, but you weren’t there, in my seat, in my mind, 2 weeks ago in San Fancisco – I was and this is just how I felt about it. On to my shout-outs…

Without these folks, I wouldn’t have had the amazing time that I did….
Mommyneedsacocktail - Who, when I was wandering around aimlessly, would grab my arm and say, “Have you met…?” She made my whole BlogHer experience that much better
FoodMomaic- Who we met up with at the bar restaurant after the Macy’s party- loved her keynote “speech”
MummyChronicles- Who, at almost 7 months pregnant, I still saw at all the nightly functions- what a trooper!
Lijit- Who everytime I saw her had a big smile on her face. She was like a ray of sunshine!
DonMillsDiva - Who I called Dawn but her name was really Kelly cause’ it was loud at that People’s Party!
ToThink - Who saved me a great seat to watch Heather and Stephanie’s closing keynote but I “Sat-her-up” (as opposed to Stood-her-up since I ending up sitting somewhere else)
Lifewithmy3boybarians – Who sat with us at our table and talked to us about the cool things she’s doing with March of Dimes
NotesfromtheTrenches, SquareSpace, Wannabehippie - Who I hung out with at the exclusive, MOO card invitation only and ate orange food
Hormonecoloreddays - Who told me to follow her on Twitter- just look for “MoldyMom!” (Who is way more cute than “Moldy!”)
Itsmylife – Who showed up everywhere I was and then won the HP Laptop!
AdventuresinBabyWearing Who, after 10 “where are you??” tweets, I bumped into, and finally met in person, outside the elevator
MumstheWord – Who I finally met in person in the swag room between the peanut butter and the boogie wipes
ToddlerPlanet – Who I cornered and forced to sit down at a dining room table in the furniture section at Macy’s and listen to my story- and she did graciously!
XialonMama – Who I kept seeing surrounded by tons of people – a real social butterfly, that one!
Parentopia - Who just ended her cross-county road trip and didn’t look any worse for the wear)
BusyMom - Who waited in line with me to say hi to Charlene Li after a panel
MammaLoves- Who gave me one of my most significant memories of BlogHer (and it wasn’t the crutch-waving from the front-row!)
A Mommy Story - Who, since she was a veteran at BlogHer (3rd year), we secretly tailed to see where she would go.
Friday Playdate – Who touched my boob jacket in the elevator because she just loved it! (and she writes fashion so I was thrilled!)
NBC- Who was awesome to talk to at RubySkye and later at Macy’s
Paull & Cate  - Who we got to hang out with all conference long and were nice enough to always save me a seat for the opening and closing remarks
Queen of Spain - Who I finally got to meet and thank in person
City Mama - Who I kept seeing from afar and finally got to say hello
Techmama - Who quickly dropped by BlogHer- enough for an “OMG Hi!”, Hug and Go!
SiliconValleyMomsblog- Who I was so happy to see so many of the folks I have met over time
Everydaygoddess - Who was kind enough to grab me in the Newbie Mixer because it was clear I didn’t know a soul in that room!
3 giraffes - Who I met during the opening meet and greet.
PunditMom - Who I said quickly said hello to over a shot and K-Y (which was much more innocent than it sounds)
MarketingRoadMaps - Who I found myself bra shopping with in Macy’s!
OntheUpside- Who I met at the People’s Party and let me crash her little party
MommyNeedsCoffee Who signed my copy of Sleep is for the Weak “You are awesome!” I hope she didn’t write that in everyone’s copy!
Mom101 - Who is as funny and sweet in person and she is on her blog.
SurrenderDorothy - Who I did CPR with (not on) and she handed out her first bound copies of Sleep is for the Weak!
LaidoffDad - Who I was so excited to tell that my husband was a Laid off Dad turned blogger too! (he didn’t seem as excited about that as I was)
MetropolitanMama-Who I was so excited to see in person since we had worked so much together.
HerBadMother- Who had her beautiful new baby at the conference and made some great remarks at a couple of the panels I was in
Petroville - Who was a recent nod winner for Graco and her hair was as pretty in person as it is in pictures!
BlogHer (Elisa, Lisa, and Jory) – Who all greeted me with open arms even when they had a line of people waiting to hug them.

Even after this long list, I know I still missed a few folks.  Sorry if I did but know I enjoyed meeting each and every one of you! (and yes, no photos- I was way too busy gabbing!!)

This is blogger, Lindsay Lebresco’s daughter “B” with her Granddad. It looks as though “B” is concerned and wondering:

Where is Granddad’s helmet?

Every Wednesday we’ll be sharing a photo showing off a little bit of wonder in the lives of our extended Graco family of customers, employees and friends.

“Strangers raising my child” - this phrase (that I recently heard) really irks me. I hear people say this when trying to decide whether to stay home or return to work outside to the home and send their children to daycare. I have to say - this statement really hurts my feelings since to me, it implies that I love my child less than someone that decides to stay home with their kids. Frankly, financially, I did not have the option to stay home. I feel passionate about this topic since I have had the opportunity to experience three different options of childcare: family members, nanny, and finally, daycare.

Right after PP was born and I returned to work, she actually stayed with family members, which was nice (since I don’t think I was ready to hand over my baby to anyone but family at that point). Unfortunately, this did not work out, so we hired a nanny. Our nanny was great and there were a lot of conveniences that having a nanny allowed, but she wanted more hours, which we could not afford. Therefore, we decided to explore the daycare option. We checked out a few places and ended up selecting a Kindercare facility close to my office.

I have to admit, it was very hard for both PP & myself the first couple of weeks. PP entered daycare at the peak of separation anxiety (10 months old), so she really did struggle at first. However, she got through it & is now thriving at “school.” She still has a tough time at drop off but by the time I pick her up, she doesn’t want to leave!

I certainly don’t consider her caregivers “strangers” though. The teachers really bond with each child & make the effort to get to know each family as well. PP loves when Ms. Ali holds her in the morning at drop off & loves spending time with Ms. Jenn throughout the day. I feel that PP is really benefiting from the structure that daycare provides (which I might not be as diligent with at home) as well as the education & socialization she gets. PP also comes home with fun art projects, handmade holiday cards, new songs & dances that she learned and she has lots of little friends (and boyfriends!) at school.

So as you can see, I did not immediately jump into daycare and I had a chance to experience different options and only then, did we head down the daycare avenue. But, I have to say, that my husband and I are extremely happy with our decision to send PP to daycare & would never dream of taking her out now. I know that every family is different, but this was the best decision for my family & we wouldn’t change a thing!

A month with Rocky and we’ve come a long way… There is A LOT to learn when taking on a new responsibility like a puppy.  I have learned a ton (mostly from my mistakes) and after a few weeks of getting used to this whole dog-Mom thing, I think we are in good shape. Here are the top 5 lessons I’ve learned. (which, funny enough, are quite similar to some new-mom lessons my friends have learned recently!)

Lesson #1 -  Take him out as soon as he has to go! Rocky was trying to notify me that he needed to go outside while I was painting my toes. I continued to finish my pedicure, telling Rocky “Wait two minutes until I’m finished, Rock.” You can probably figure out how that turned out. Rocky didn’t wait two minutes and I ended up messing up my pedicure while running around in a frenzy trying to clean up after Rocky’s accident. Lesson learned - take him out as soon as he gives me the heads up that he’s gotta go!

Lesson #2- Always make sure his collar is tight enough and he is not able to slip out (duh, right?). Rocky slipped out of his collar and ran away. After 4 hours of searching in the woods and 50 fliers around the neighborhood later, we found our pup. We made a new hole in the collar and adjusted it so this will never happen again. This was quite a scare. Poor Rocky has not been let off his leash while outside since. The photo below is from when Rocky returned home- after his bath he voluntarily went into his crate and fell right asleep. It makes me wonder what he was doing for 4 hours to make him so tired???

Lesson # 3 - Like babies, if puppies sleep all afternoon and into the evening, chances are they will not sleep through the night and cry until the wee hours of the morning. Enough said. That was a good dose of reality!

Lesson # 4- Bigger dogs are scary (to me and to Rocky). Avoid certain routes around the neighborhood if Patrick is not with us to prevent complete embarrassment (I’ll paint a picture for ya- first encounter with a large dog, the 2 dogs start barking, I run away like a scared little girl carrying a squeamish, heavy Rocky, tripping over the dragging leash-I didn’t realize the big dog was not going anywhere- electric fence!) Better safe than sorry, we don’t walk that way anymore.

Lesson # 5- A long evening walk is a must. This helps Mommy and Daddy Rocky walk off dinner. More importantly this is a great way to socialize Rocky. He meets tons of other dogs on our walks and it’s great for Patrick and I as the “new neighbors” to meet people as well!  

At this point Rocky is still getting used to his new routine and life. He seems very happy- his tail has finally ventured out from between his legs and now he wags it like crazy! Rocky loves to cuddle and play on the living room floor with his stuffed turtle. He’s not quite fetching anything yet, but we are getting there (I have a 30 minute fetching lesson after his 5:45 walk everyday during TMZ-I mentioned we have a routine, right? ).  Dad has been taking Rocky swimming in the pond a lot, which means that he has gotten many, many baths from Mom. Each day Rocky is getting more comfortable with us and he shows more and more personality as time goes by. It’s so much fun having him around! Oh and FYI- I have given the bandannas a little rest since these photos were taken (after much mockery). Now Rocky only gets “dressed up” on Sunday’s or special occasions.

Many of you know that I have an insaniac 2 year old boy who’s constantly on the go and who I think would not sleep if we didn’t make him go to bed (seriously, my hubby and I have considered just letting him go to see what time he would actually fall asleep).

Anyway, one thing my outdoorsy, active 2 year old has recently done is remind me of all the fun summer things I did as a kid.  It’s sad to admit, but I had forgotten about so many of these.

In a way I’m now able to relive my own childhood memories while making more for me and him (OK.  So he’s only 2 and won’t remember any of this when he’s older, but I like to think he will anyway).  It’s so fun to remember being a kid at summer and spending hour upon hour doing nothing and loving every minute of it.  Every day was filled with imagination and fun.  Ahhhhh.  It’s just too bad I wasn’t able fully appreciate it all when it was happening, but at least I can appreciate it all now.

With all of this, I now give you my list of “How to Tell It’s Summer” based on all my old (and new) memories.  Hopefully these bring back some fun memories for you too.

• Eating Popsicles on the front steps
• Laying on the grass and figuring out what all the clouds look like
• Running through the sprinkler
• Water guns
• Dirty feet (seriously black-bottom feet)
• Sand found everywhere. Yes-everywhere.
• Sitting in the driveway watching ants walk away with bits of the apple we left for them
• Playing wiffleball and hide & seek and tag and red rover and. . .
• Rolling down grassy hills or spinning in circles to see who can stay standing the longest (I was pretty darn good in my day!)
• Staying up way past bedtime since it was still light out
• Lightening bugs
• The warm smell of asphalt when it rains (I love that smell) — and jumping in the puddles, of course!
• Riding my bike all over the place
• The ice cream man! (mine was called Jolly Joe)

And since I’m sure I forgot a few, make sure to send me some of yours!

This is Joey, son of Josh Clapper from the Swing and Entertainer Team. If fish could talk, I wonder if the conversation would go something like this…

Joey - “Hey Mr. Fish, can I have my worm back?”

Mr. Fish - “Too late for that kid. Ooohhh, aaaahhh, not behind the gills, kid! That tickles!”

Catching your first fish- priceless!

Every Wednesday we’ll be sharing a photo showing off a little bit of wonder in the lives of our extended Graco family of customers, employees and friends.

Gus just completed his annual week in the mountains at summer Boy Scout Camp. I don’t know exactly how many Scout Troops were there this year, but there sure were a lot of uninformed Scouts on that mountain. I haven’t seen that much Khaki since the last clearance sale at the GAP. As usual, he had a great time at camp (mainly because no one nagged him to take a shower). He hiked, swam, started fires (mostly campfires), OD’d on slushies and candy bars from the snack bar and worked on merit badge requirements.

My wife and I go up to Scout Camp on Friday night for the big family Campfire. They serve the parents and families a barbecued chicken dinner and then everyone enjoys the big campfire with awards and skits and songs – it’s really a fun night. The drive up to Scout Camp is about an hour. My wife and I were getting ready to head up to camp when the phone rang. I picked up and heard, “Dad? It’s me.” Glad he identified himself, because I have no other children and this voice on the phone sounded like James Earl Jones mumbling into a pillow. Why do teenagers all mumble? That, I think, is an entire post of its own. Anyway, the strange thing was he left earlier in the week with a boy’s voice; higher pitched and youthful. What I heard at the end of the week was low…really low – no cracking, no warbling, no Peter Brady screeching – just low. “Who is this and what have you done with Gus!?!” I asked. “Ha-ha, just stop it dad, are you coming up for the campfire tonight?” I told him we’d be there in about an hour. And so we were.

When we finally got to the campsite and talked with Gus he told us about his “Speece” award (a fun award meant to recognize each Scout for something memorable that happened to them during the week).
Gus: I got the “Tick Magnet” award
Me: Chick Magnet award? How do you get that at BOY SCOUT CAMP? What merit badges were you working on again?
Gus: Not CHICK MAGNET…TICK MAGNET.
I wasn’t sure which award one made me more nervous.
“I got three tick bites this week,” he said, “one here, one here and one here.” With that, he lifted his shirt and showed us. Near his armpit he had a large red mark which appeared to be swollen. “Oh my goodness,” my wife gasped. “Don’t worry,” Gus said, “I went to sick bay and they said it was okay- it just broke a blood vessel or something.” I told him we’d better monitor it because of the chance of Lyme disease. He just rolled his eyes, which is teenager for “Dad’s an idiot.”

Once back home, that red spot turned into a welt. We called the doc who told us we need not worry unless he get’s the infamous bull’s eye rash and a fever. He didn’t, but after a week, he was complaining of headaches, a stiff neck and muscles, and was more lethargic than usual (too tired to shower? what a surprise). Then we noticed the welt had morphed into a large rash – not a bull’s eye – just a rash. My wife took him to the Doc’s the next day. Yep! It’s Lyme Disease, Mr. Tick Magnet. Next time, use your bug spray. He’s taking medication now and expected to be fine in about a month.

But it makes you wonder about ticks. They can’t be very smart, or they have a really bad sense of smell. Of all the real estate on the kid’s body, this one has to duck his head and chow down on Gus’ armpit. Everyone knows, you NEVER, EVER get that close to a 13 year old boy’s armpit – not without a gas mask and biohazard suit, anyway. To my knowledge, nothing’s ever gotten close to those armpits and lived to tell about it – especially not that tick.

To be honest, seeing how tired and weak Gus seems right now, I wish he had won a Chick Magnet award instead. But I guess it’s just a matter of time for that award, especially with that smooth new James Earl Jones voice.

I can now laugh about this story, but there was a moment when I couldn’t hold back the tears. Most people reading this will think it’s a bit strange – I can tell you I received my fair share of stares at the Rental Car Office. But to all of the mothers out there, I know you will be able to relate…

Here’s the story.
I was on my last business trip before I was “grounded” - no more flights before Baby #2 arrives. Upon returning my rental car and hopping on the shuttle bus to the Atlanta airport – I realized I left my purse in the rental car. I ran back – and within that 5 minute window of time, someone had stolen my purse.

To add to the drama and allow you to visualize this sight:
• I’m 5’2”, 8 months pregnant
• I wear a backpack for work that is loaded (people joke it is a nice balance with the baby bump)
• Pulling my suitcase
• Wearing Heals
• Standing out IN THE POURING RAIN!!
As the rental car managers begin the search – over 3 hours go by.
And somewhere between the gal checking me in and the guy cleaning the car – my purse is gone!

I begin running through the necessary steps:
Cancel the cards, call the bank, etc.
When I realize my social security card & license were in my purse – a small “controlled” panic rushes over me as I realize I will most likely be a victim of “personal identity theft.” I remain in control – “that’s ok, we’ll manage” I say to myself. I just need to be more cautious in the future.

At this point – I don’t have money to pay for anything, even the airline wanted to charge me $100 for changing my flight. No identification to board the plane – the airline requires a police report in this situation to allow my on board the plane. I’m managing!!

UNTIL…I REALIZE, BEAR’s FIRST LOCK OF HAIR WAS IN AN ENVELOPE IN MY PURSE!!! AAAAHHHH!! I begin to cry!
All kinds of people were stopping asking how they could help, once I started crying. The funny part is I couldn’t bring myself to tell them “why” I was crying. Our daughter has been practically bald, this first haircut comes after 2 years of growth. You can imagine the emotional attachment.

So I ask “what is the first lock of hair worth”? To me, it’s priceless. To the rental car company that stole my purse?… they gave me 2 free rentals.

I am very happy to say that I am here at the AMAZING BlogHer Conference (and I hope this post doesn’t feel like I’m rubbing it in to you and you and you) but I have been excited about coming since I went to BlogHer Business in April and because of all the non-stop buzz on Twitter, You Tube and numberous blogs. Well the time has come…

Melissa and I arrived yesterday so we could set up camp, (maybe have an hour or two in Union Square!) get our business cards in our holsters, get our Flip Cam ready to film, our cameras charged up and our game faces on.  We. Are. Ready. To. Have. Fun. Work. (Chris-I can assure you this is work. I just happen to have a great job!)

Well this is the 4th year for the BlogHer Conference and one thing I heard time and time again last night was how much it’s changed since the conference’s first year.  One of the biggest changes has to be the sheer amount of attendees – which means, the number of people blogging has grown significantly.  It makes sense, really - who wouldn’t want to be a part of what’ s happenning in this space.  I’ve talked about how amazing the blogosphere is - it is made up of groups of amazing people that support, listen and love each other in a very unique (virtual) way. The incredible community that BlogHer has created is a shining example of that. These people are welcoming, friendly, bubbly, loud and most of all, clearly happy to be a part of this remarkable group. (the welcoming part is totally true- a quick thanks to Liz and Kellan for “saving” me when I was wondering around looking like a lost puppy dog last night!)

If last night was an indication of how fun informative the next 3 days are going to be then I am in for a tiresome but fabulous time  I look forward to meeting all of you! (and if you see me and I’m looking lonely, please say hi!)

I am elated that Marcia Cross agreed to blog for Graco! Marcia and husband Tom Mahoney, welcomed fraternal twins, Eden and Savannah, in February of 2007. The girls were in Graco Infant SafeSeats as infants and enjoyed napping in a Graco Twin Bassinet. Most recently Marcia has upgraded her girls to a Toddler SafeSeat Step 2. As a very successful actress, Marcia has received countless Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her work on Desperate Housewives. She has also won the Satellite Award in 2006 for Best Actress in a Series and was the proud winner of 2 Screen Actor Guild Awards in 2005 and 2006. MARCIA IS ON FIRE! I’m sure if they had “The Academy” nominate for best moms, Marcia would definitely be an candidate. Marcia seems to love her job as Mommy to Eden and Savannah and was kind enough to share some highlights from her motherhood experience and tell us a little bit about her girls. Now heeeeere’s Marcia!

What is your favorite part about being a mom?

There are so many things that I cherish about being a mom that I couldn’t say what I like best, but among the tops joys are looking in my daughters eyes, watching them discover new things and cuddling with them before bed. Each day bring new surprises! They are talking and laughing and boy are they smart. Yes, they are geniuses and are already outwitting me at every turn.

What was your latest wondrous moment with your child?

I am asked about what it is like to take care of twins and I always respond that I know nothing different. I think in twos. I do however wish from time to time that I could give them my undivided attention more often. There is always the other in my mind no matter what I am doing or whom I am doing it with. Of course the pleasure they get from each other is beyond the sweetest thing I have ever seen between two people and I know that bond will continue to grow day by day. I thank God they have each other. I could not imagine my life without my sisters.

What is your favorite children’s book?

We love to read all kinds of books and now we enjoy going to the library and getting new ones each week. I remember doing that with my mother and it is such a happy memory. I hope they will continue to love reading as much as they do now. I however haven’t been able to read a book since they were born! Later. For now I will be content to read their books, which I must say, is a joy.

Is there any advice that you can offer to new Moms?

I have no advice for new moms except perhaps what was told to me and proven true already. It goes so fast. Before you know it they are walking and talking and it seems in the moment they will be out the door. Cherish each moment. I guess my own personal advice would be to take care of you. My girls have a happy mom and I think that is a gift to them as well as to me. So I guess I have more advice to give then I thought!

What is your favorite Graco product?

My favorite Graco products are the Pack ‘n plays, (yes plural) which have already been to many places, my trailer, Vancouver, Mexico, and soon Maine. It is so great to have portable beds for my girls so they can always feel safe and comfortable. We also just installed their second Graco car seats, which they absolutely love! They are now facing front and can look out the window and at Mama! Best of all I can reach back and hold their hands at red lights. Oh and did I mention they come with cup holders!!!