It's a boy!

It's a boy! Welcome our new son, Byrne Claude Rathmann. 7 Lbs 12oz. Born November 18th. Mom and baby are both doing great!

Baby Toys

I know many of you think that some of my ideas are a bit nutty and it will probably only become more so now that we are having a kid. Everyone has their own parenting style and we hope that, although you may not agree with ours, you respect us enough to follow our wishes. We are only trying to do what we feel is best for our baby.

There has been recall after recall of toys from China being laced with lead and other hazardous materials. That being said, we feel very strongly that we do not want our child to have your normal plastic toys from China that may or may not have hazardous materials/chemicals in them. Or toys that use batteries only to be dumped in a landfill to seep into the groundwater.

There are a lot of options out there these days and I have included some links to some websites below. Wooden toys, bamboo, organic cotton, rubber and recycled plastic bottle toys are a great options.



http://www.greentoys.com/
http://www.ecotoytown.com/
http://www.nmctoys.com/
http://www.sprigtoys.com/
http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3252099

Rubberwood Toys

Rubber trees produce latex that is then used to make rubber. When the trees fully mature, they no longer produce latex and are burned. Some toys companies are now taking this abandoned rubberwood and making beautiful toys. Many of these trees are also grown without pesticides, making them organic as well as sustainable.

Bamboo Toys

Bamboo is a sustainable tall grass that grows abundantly and without need for much care or water. An entire forest can regenerate in just three short years. Easy to grow and easy to maintain, bamboo is also light, flexible and a wonderful material from which to craft green toys.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is cotton that is grown without the use of harmful pesticides. Organic cotton is also grown using plants that have not been genetically modified. The growth of conventional cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop and accounts for a large percentage of the world’s pesticide use. The use of organic cotton reduces the amount of these chemicals entering the watershed and also from irritating your child’s skin.

Recycled Toys

Manufacturers that make recycled toys use materials that have been previously utilized and then turn them into new playthings. Some companies, such as Green Toys, are using recycled plastic from used milk jugs and making colorful, safe, and fun preschool toys such as tea sets and beach buckets.

The Waiting Game

My due date is tomorrow but we don't necessarily expect the baby then. Could be tomorrow, could be a week. We will just have to wait and see.









We put up some really cool chalkboard decals in the baby's nursery. We have an elephant too that will be more space for the babe to draw on than the giraffe. The tree was really for me. I love these, they are so cool!

I am still working so that I can have more time after the baby is born. This week will definitely be the last week of work, if I make it that long. My mom is coming up the 24th so I plan on having a baby by then hopefully.

What the wives tales say

We are getting very antsy and anxious not only to meet our babe but to find out the sex. I am sure many of you are curious as well. Check out what the predictions say below.

Cravings - Sweet or Sour
I have definitely been craving sweet (I don't know that it changed with pregnancy, I always crave sweets!)

Wives tale says we will have a girl

Am I carrying the weight out front or in my hips and butt

Luckily I am carrying out front

Wives tale says we will have a boy

Fetal Heart Rate - Above or below 140

Our baby's is above 140

Wives tale says we will have a girl

Do i have acne
Nope

Wives tale says we will have a boy

Did i have morning sickness?
Yes, but it wasn't severe

Wives tale says we will have a girl or boy not so sure since it wasn't too too bad. If it was bad would have said it was a girl



Is Jeff gaining weight?
Yes

Wives tale says we will have a boy

Chinese birth chart
Based on age and conception month

Wives tale says we will have a girl

One more week?

Only a week left until the baby is due. Hopefully the baby isn't so cozy in there that it delays its arrival. We are both ready to meet our little one.

We have been busy wrapping up last minute things and enjoying our last days just as the two of us.