411 on the Amby bed

So, the unfortunate truth is that I don't love the Amby bed. Don't get me wrong, it is a really nice product, and I think it works for a lot of people, but I haven't really noticed a difference from any other bed that I have used... I think it's because I swaddle my babies, and the bed basically creates the same effect, and their arms are not free, so the bed doesn't move when they move... because they don't move.  I know you all think that I'm obsessed with swaddling, which I am, but I swear that's why!!  Plus, I don't have a colicky baby, but I don't think your baby has to be colicky to reap the intended benefits of this bed. I think the bed is definitely better than a bassinet though, as it is very soft and comfy, and has an incline. I'm sad to say, however, that I've reverted back to our $25 bouncer, as it has calming vibrations that help to rock Sayer to sleep, as I don't have the time/energy/desire, to rock him to sleep a million times a day (and night)!! The Amby bed does not have any such mechanism, so in order to place my baby in the bed, he needs to be sound asleep, which I am not really a fan of. If I had a bassinet, I know I still wouldn't be using it either. So, since I'm not really using the Amby so much, I think I am going to sell it. Which is fine, because that means that I will have a little extra money to put towards my dream stroller, which has changed from this:

to this... the Phil & Ted Vibe

...which is an upgraded version of the first picture.  Pretty sweet, huh?!  Normally I would never dream of buying such a pricey stroller, but since we will be moving to NYC, and selling our car, the stroller will be our main mode of transportation (for our kids anyway) so we are able to rationalize it! Hooray!! That has been the biggest thing that moms say about living in NYC with kids, get an awesome stroller... with a rain cover!

So anyway, back to the Amby bed... I am glad that I bought it though, as I would have always wondered about it and wanted it. Now I have tried it, and now I know that it is not something I need, so I won't have to obsess over it anymore! So, there you go, Morgan's review of the Amby bed.  Woo-hoo!

Bragging rights...

So I just have to brag a little bit about my amazingly talented hubby! As I have mentioned before, Nate wrote a book about contest fiddling that is being published by Melbay. Well, he sent the book to Strings Magazine (which happens to be the leading magazine for string musicians nationwide) to see if they would review it. Well, I'm sure they get hundreds of requests to do reviews for people's books, and seeing as how they only do three an issue (1 issue per month), that's a lot of books that aren't getting chosen to be reviewed/ recommended. Well, to the point now... Nate got his Strings Magazine today, and opened it up to find HIS book in there, being positively reviewed and recommended!! He was soooo excited, as he should be. I am so proud of him! He has had such success with the sales of his book, and hopefully this will only help boost it up even more. He has even sold 2 books in Japan, and is VERY excited about that as well!  Unfortunately, they don't put all the articles online, so you can't read it anywhere but in the actual magazine.  You will just have to use your imagination to picture how awesome it is!  So anyway, I just wanted to share Nate's exciting news. If you happen to be in the market for a book about contest fiddling, or know someone who is, here is the link to his website: Championship Contest Fiddling.