Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Dreft Baby Detergent Review & Giveaway!


All of our children have had sensitive skin as babies, and Merasia still has very sensitive and dry skin even now at four years old. That's why it's so important that we choose our laundry detergents very carefully, and that's even more important with a new baby around, because you just never know what they are going to be allergic to or have a slight reaction to with soaps and other products. 

A little about Dreft from their media kit:

"Dreft is the baby laundry detergent most recommended by pediatricians and the brand that parents have trusted for over 75 years to leave their little one’s clothes and linens soft and comfortable.  As gentle as water on baby’s skin and specially formulated for the unique needs of baby items, parents have relied on Dreft to not only help prepare their little one’s essentials before their arrival, but also to keep those items clean and safe once they’re brought home from the hospital.  Complete with a scent that's truly beloved by parents (that's also gentle for baby), Dreft leaves little one’s clothing as clean and as soft as can be, bringing cuddle time to a whole new level of warm and fuzzy."

I had heard of Dreft laundry detergent before in the past but had never tried it out. I heard rave reviews, but just never got around to trying it myself for one reason or another. 

So, when I received an email asking me to participate in a new blogger trial program for a new Dreft promotion, I jumped at that chance!

I was sent 15 packets of Dreft laundry detergent to use for my review.


Each packet is good for 1 use. The first thing that struck me about this detergent was the scent. It smells SO GOOD! I remember smelling Dreft 4 years ago while in the grocery store and I wasn't impressed, so I don't know if it was just a bad bottle, or if they have worked on the scent over the years and made it better. Regardless, I. LOVE. IT!!

It also lathered up really well with even just one packet in the washer. That's rare with a lot of other detergents!




I chose to use a few packets of Dreft, just because I like tons of bubbles, and this particular load of laundry had some harder stains in it. One of the items in this load was a onesie that Kendall had her first poop blow out on last week. This was before treating the stain with Dreft and washing it:


I poured a little Dreft on this stain, let it sit for a couple minutes while I loaded the rest of the clothes into the washer, then I scrubbed the stain with the Dreft a little bit, and threw the onesie in with the rest of the laundry to let the Dreft and washing machine work their magic!

I was very happy and satisfied when the laundry was done and I saw that the stain was pretty much gone from the onesie!!


I thought this stain would never come out, since it never did when I washed it with our regular laundry detergent soon after it happened! This was one of my favorite onesies for Kendall, so I am beyond glad the Dreft worked and removed the stain! 

I was so very, very happy with how well Dreft worked, and just the overall performance, period, of this laundry detergent. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family, and would definitely purchase it myself for regular use in the future!

Be sure to "Like" Dreft's Facebook page and check out their Royal Baby Name Bracket and Heir to the High Chair activities they currently have going on on Facebook right now!

Purchase it: You can purchase Dreft at your local grocery or department store!

WIN IT: 3 lucky readers of Mama 2 Multiples are going to WIN a packet of Dreft laundry detergent (good for 1 use per packet) just like I received for review! To enter, simply follow the instructions below and fill out the giveaway form! Good luck to all!

**DISCLAIMER** I received the above product(s) from Dreft free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received. However, all opinions are strictly my own.







Daddy Scrubs Review & Giveaway!


I stumbled across Daddy Scrubs from another blog about a month or two before Kendall was born, and thought they were so cute! I thought it was such a creative and clever idea to have something like this for expectant fathers to wear during his stay in the hospital and during the birth of his child. I have heard of some companies offering special "push gowns" or special labor and birthing gowns for birthing moms to wear, but never anything too special for the dads involved, until I found Daddy Scrubs!

From their website:

"DaddyScrubs® is the offspring of Robert Nickell, who fathered his first four children more than 20 years ago. DaddyScrubs® was conceived when Robert, who remarried in 2007, discovered he was about to be a father all over again in the fall of 2009! Not wanting to endure the pains of wearing uncomfortable street clothes while comforting his laboring wife, Robert hatched the idea of creating doctor-like scrubs for himself. It seemed a natural thing for him to do — since Robert is a pharmacist by profession. To eliminate the confusion between “who’s the doctor” and “who’s the daddy,” Robert fashioned the concept of “I’m The Daddy®” medical scrubs. DaddyScrubs is dedicated to providing dads in every stage of fatherhood a way to proudly proclaim, "I'm the Daddy!" DaddyScrubs is committed to excellence and strives to deliver quality products at great prices while ensuring the highest level of customer service and satisfaction."


For this review, Frank chose the simple Navy design of his daddy scrubs:


I was a little nervous we wouldn't be able to get Frank's scrubs, because he needed a different size pants than he did for his shirt, but the customer service from Kennady at Daddy Scrubs was amazing! She said the difference in sizes wouldn't be an issue at all, and even sent Frank's scrubs out with express shipping because at the time, Kendall could have made her appearance literally any second, and of course we wanted to be able to get them in time for Frank to wear when I was in labor and giving birth.

I think he was almost more excited than I was when he came home from work one afternoon and saw that his scrubs had arrived! He tried them on immediately!



He kept raving about how comfortable the scrubs were and how he had found his new pajama pants! :) I was happy that he was so happy with the scrubs! After he tried them on, we put them in our hospital bag to wait for the BIG DAY!

They sat in our bag the day we went to the hospital, because labor was slow to really kick in and start. That evening, when the REAL labor kicked in and began, I was still skeptical that it was really happening...but I knew it must be the real deal when I saw Frank get up from his bed, get his scrubs out of the hospital bag, and go into the bathroom to put them on. Things were SO crazy when I was in labor and went super fast, that it was hard to get too many photos until afterwards, but our doula snapped a few of us with Kendall right after she was born, and you can see Frank is wearing the scrubs. :)




Frank got SO many compliments from the hospital staff on his scrubs! All of the doctors and nurses kept commenting on what a great idea they were, asking where we got them from, and just telling us how much they liked them. They were definitely a BIG HIT!

Daddy Scrubs don't only offer hospital-type scrubs though. They also offer regular t shirts that have the trademark "I'm The Daddy!" slogan on the back, hoodies, hats, and other new dad gifts, so scrubs aren't the only option.

We were so very happy with our experience with Daddy Scrubs and would highly, highly recommend them to everyone we know! The customer service was wonderful and you can tell that the company strives to fully satisfy their customers, both new and returning ones. The product itself is cute, stylish, creative, and can be worn over and over, not just on that special delivery day. 

Daddy Scrubs are a must have for every daddy in your life!

Purchase it: You can purchase the scrubs reviewed here and many other products at the Daddy Scrubs website! Be sure to enter the code BLOG13 at checkout for a 10% discount!

WIN IT: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN their very own pair of Daddy Scrubs! To enter, simply follow the instructions below and fill out the giveaway form! Good luck to all!








Saturday, June 22, 2013

Happy 2 Weeks, Kendall Ivory!

It's hard to believe this little one is 2 weeks old already....



It feels like just yesterday we were in the hospital with her! She had her 2 week doctor's appointment yesterday, and is back to birth weight and has grown half an inch in length. She started going through what we believe to be her 2 week growth spurt yesterday though, so I'm interested to see how much she has gained in a couple of days when she gets weighed again! 



Kendall is adjusting very well to our crazy, loud, loving family. She is a very easy going baby. She looks like her big sister and older brother Mason, but has Connor's personality for the most part because she is pretty relaxed as long as her needs are met when she wants them met, which isn't hard to do.

She gets a combination of breast milk and formula, because that's just what works easiest for us and our family, and she gets the best of both worlds, really. I enjoy our nursing moments together, but also enjoy that daddy can help more and give her feedings as well, so I have some time for the older kids or just to sit and relax for a few minutes which is rare these days. ;)



The older kids are still very much in love with their little sister! They are always asking where she is, what's she doing, and wanting to hug her, kiss her, talk to her, and hold her. 




At night, Kendall sleeps with hubs and me. I never thought I would be a co sleeping parent. We hardly ever did it with the twins. On the rare times that we did, it was in the very early weeks and months and it was the rare nights that they had a hard time getting back to sleep after a feeding or something. With Mason, he slept with us for 4 months because I was nursing and bottle feeding him, but it was easiest to nurse him at night and I would nurse him laying down in bed, so I could catch some sleep while he nursed. With Kendall, she gets bottles at night but I just want her close to me for some reason. I love snuggling with her and having her with me every second, and I want to soak that up as much as I can this time around, since it's the last time.



Kendall's umbilical stump fell off at a week old, so she had her first real bath since her birth, and she seemed to enjoy it!



She gets a bath every night now, followed by her bottle and then she usually passes out right after that. 




She slept through the night for the first time last Monday! It was just a random thing because it hasn't happened again since then, but it was still amazing! She fell asleep around 9:30 and never woke up until 5 or 5:30 the next morning, and I usually get up for the day at that time anyway, so it was so nice!




We have yet to make it to the beach for her first time, but it's been difficult with the rainy days we have been having here! Soon, though! I can't wait to get her in her teeny bathing suit and dip her little toes in the water!



I still can't believe how blessed we are to have such a beautiful, amazing family. Kendall is an amazing addition to our family and we are beyond thankful to God for blessing us with the children He has, and giving us such an amazing opportunity to parent these amazing, beautiful children of ours.






Friday, June 14, 2013

Welcome Kendall Ivory Ryan!

Kendall Ivory Ryan has finally arrived!!



I am SO excited to share this news with all of you amazing followers! 

I know you are all dying for details, so I will get to that good stuff and then share the other details leading up to her grand arrival. 

She graced us with her presence on June 7, 2013, 2 days after her due date. She weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 21 inches long. She looks just like her big sister did as a baby, with a little mix of big brother Mason. She is such a sweet, calm baby!


Now, for the fun birth story details...

I woke up around 4 a.m. Thursday morning (June 6th), feeling very mild contractions that were 3-5 minutes apart. Leading up to this day, I had been having contractions like these but the difference was that they were coming closer and staying that way, not going away and were a little more stronger, but still mild. I woke Frank up and told him I thought it might be time, and texted friends and my sister to warn her, as she was watching our other kids for us whenever the baby was born. I called our doula and told her what was happening and she suggested waiting it out at home since it was still very early labor, but being group b strep positive, my midwife had told me to come in to the birthing center as soon as I thought I was in labor, in order to get the antibiotics I needed to treat that infection properly. We waited it out at home until the kids woke up and we got them off to daycare for the day, and then I called and talked to my midwife and they said it wouldn't hurt to come on in and at least get checked and see where things were going. The day before at my 40 week appointment I was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. We called our doula back and told her we were going up and she met us there soon after. They checked me when I got there and there had been no change in my cervix yet, but they monitored the contractions and the baby for a while and got the I.V. started for the antibiotics. After the first round of antibiotics were in my system, my midwife cleared us to leave for a couple of hours and go home or take a walk or do whatever to stall some time and some back to check on the baby and contractions. Frank and I went and got some lunch, stopped by the house for a few minutes, did a little light shopping, then went back to the hospital to check things out. They didn't check for more dilation at this point, but did check contractions and check on the baby again and all was still fine. We walked all over the inside and outside of the hospital for another hour or two, and then went back to our labor room and I took a nap while our doula hung out with me and hubs went home for a little while to grab some stuff for him to eat since it was nearing dinner time. After I napped for a bit, the contractions had peetered out and were so far apart that they were almost non-existant. We walked around a little bit more and I grabbed a salad from the hospital cafeteria for dinner, and then we waited for the midwife to come over and check me and make a plan for the rest of the night. Plus, it was nearing time for my second round of antibiotics. We got those started, and found out there was no cervical change when my midwife checked me. She said we could either go home and just see what the night and next few days brought, or we could stay at the hospital that night. We decided to stay because our children were at our house with my sister and I didn't want to mess with their schedule or get home and be with them only to have to turn around and leave again if things kicked into full gear. Needless to say we were both overly frustrated. Hubs left to go for a drive and ended up stopping by the house to see the kids, which was a great idea because it was nearing their bedtime and Merasia was having a hard time being without mommy at home, so seeing daddy was a big comfort for her and he was able to do their bedtime routine and get them tucked in nice and snug then came back to the hospital with me. While he was gone, I hopped in the shower and, I'm not going to lie...shed a few tears. I had just talked to the kids on the phone and Merasia was crying and telling me she missed me and wanted me to come home, and it just broke my heart to hear how sad she was. Add that to my frustration and exhaustion from the day we had just had, and it was just too much. I felt better after m little cry though, and the nurses got me settled into a different room for that night and Frank came back soon after I was moved. Frank went to sleep around 9ish, and I decided to try and shut my eyes and get some rest around 10 or 10:15. In the morning, the midwife would check me and see where things were at, and most likely, we would be going home unless something happened overnight. By this time, it was looking pretty bleak.

Little did we know this was just the calm before the storm!

I felt a couple REALLY REALLY strong contractions in my sleep around 10:30 or 10:35. I tried to ignore them because I was so exhausted but by the third one I couldn't even stand laying in bed anymore and had to be up on my feet to work through the contraction and the pain. Frank woke up to ask how I was doing and I told him I was good until these really different, strong contractions set in. I noticed I was peeing a lot more as well, which happened to me in active labor with Mason as well. I asked Frank to apply pressure to my lower back with each contraction, because it hurt so bad and doing that helped the pain a lot when I was in labor with Mason. This time though, it didn't really seem to help much. But NOT having him do it didn't help either, I just didn't know WHAT would help, but I just needed him to do something. I was moaning and rocking through each contraction to try and help ease it and get me through it. I paged the nurse and told her I was contracting every couple of minutes and she came to check me. I was 3-4 cm. so she moved us back to the birthing center unit to our labor room. I kept asking her for a bag because I felt nauseous and I know it's the real deal when that happens because it happened with my other labors as well. Sure enough a short time later I used the bathroom and then got sick. After I got sick, the nurse checked me again and I was 5 cm. They hadn't called the midwife yet until they saw I was making changes so when they realized I was 5 cm., they ran to call her since she lives 40 minutes away. We had already called our doula and she was back on her way to the hospital. Soon after we found out I was 5 cm., I was standing by the bed rocking and moaning through another contraction and Frank was pushing on my lower back, when I felt a POP and then my water trickled out. I said "Oh god my water just broke!" Frank ran out into the hallway to yell to the nurse and she came in to wipe up the water and saw there was light meconium in the fluid so a water birth wasn't an option (water birth was our birth plan) but at that point, I didn't even really care. Right after my water broke I said I felt like I had to push. I got back in the bed so the nurse could check me and I was fully dilated and baby's head was moving more and more down. They told me I couldn't push until an OB got there because of the meconium but I told them I couldn't help it, I was pushing! They ended up calling another OB from the same midwife's office I was receiving care at, since she lives closer and may get there before the midwife. Our doula got there soon after and was whispering supports in my ear and telling me to do whatever my body needed to do as far as pushing so I would push a little with each contraction and breath through the rest of it to try and wait for the midwife or OB to get there and deliver. Soon after the OB that lived closer to the hospital arrived and I just let loose with pushing then since there was no reason to hold off then! At one point the OB put her hand over Kendall's head as it was about to crown, to try and hold her there for a minute so I didn't push her out too fast and tear badly. With the next contraction and next push, her head was out! My midwife walked in the room right after her head was out. :) I was sitting up in the bed and could see her head sticking out, and we waited for her to turn and then I pushed her the rest of the way out and literally watched her being born myself. It was BEYOND amazing! At 12:48 she was born and placed on my chest and I couldn't hold back my emotion any longer. The nurses took her to check her out with the pediatrician soon after and she was fine as far as breathing and everything else went. They gave her back to me to nurse her and she latched on right no problem and nursed for an hour or so. So, from the time REAL labor kicked in to the time she was born, labor was 2 hours and 20ish minutes. That's a new record for me since my other two labors were 4.5 hours! :) Of course it was another natural, drug free delivery, but it was definitely the most painful out of all of them! It was BEYOND intense but SO amazing and worth it! It was the first birth that Frank had to sit down afterwards and get a cold cloth on his head, because he felt like he was going to pass out just from running around so much and helping me, yelling to the nurses, calling our doula, and having pretty much no sleep since we had been up since 4 a.m. Thursday morning. He was such a champ though and I couldn't have done it without him!

The kids came up to see Kendall later Friday, and are absolutely in love with her! The twins just want to hug her, hold her, kiss her, and help with everything with her all of the time. Of course we have to set some limits because there is only so much they can help with, but I love that they want to help and that they are adjusting well, so far, to her being here. I was worried about Mason reacting to her because he has been the baby for 2 years and has definitely been more of a mommy's boy than the other children were, but he loves her beyond words! He doesn't bother her much at all when he sees her sleeping in the pack and play or in the swing. He rubs her head and then leaves her alone, or gives her a hug and kiss here or there, but isn't mean or anything towards her. I'm sure he will have his moments here or there, but for now,  he loves her and that's all that matters! 

Kendall looks a lot like her big sister and big brother Mason, she's a nice mix of the both of them. I love that my boys look like each other and now my girls do too. So funny how that worked out! She was only breastfed for a few days, and now gets a combination of breastfeeding and formula. It's just the option that works best for our family. She makes a beautiful addition to our family, and definitely completes us! We are SO in love with her and blessed more than we ever could have imagined possible! <3 <3

Here's some photos to close out with.... :)

















Loving Moments Nursing Collection by Leading Lady Giveaway WINNER!

Ashley Reynolds was the RANDOM winner generated by Giveaway Tools for the Loving Moments Nursing Collection by Leading Lady Giveaway! Ashley has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize or I will be forced to choose a different winner. 

THANK YOU to everyone who entered and to everyone for following my blog!






***Disclaimer*** Winners are chosen completely at RANDOM and done automatically through Giveaway Tools, once the contest is closed. I have NO CONTROL over choosing winners unless winners do not reply to my winning email to claim their prize in the time specified.

Pampers Sweet Sleep Time Giveaway WINNER!

Jamie Braun was the RANDOM winner generated by Giveaway Tools for the Pampers Sweet Sleep Time Prize Pack Giveaway! Jamie has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize or I will be forced to choose a different winner. 

THANK YOU to everyone who entered and to everyone for following my blog!




***Disclaimer*** Winners are chosen completely at RANDOM and done automatically through Giveaway Tools, once the contest is closed. I have NO CONTROL over choosing winners unless winners do not reply to my winning email to claim their prize in the time specified.


New Winner for Dial Kids Body and Hair Wash Giveaway

Unfortunately, I have been unable to reach Jamie B. (prettyinpinkwife@aol.com) through email, so if I am still unable to reach her by this evening (hopefully she sees this post and emails me!), I will be forced to choose a different winner.