But, as soon as Big Sis, PP, comes home, I get to spend time with both of my girls, which has been so much fun. I absolutely love seeing my little princesses interact and entertain each other. When Pinkie Pie cries, PP, jumps in & tells her not to cry and pats her on the back (she has become a mini mommy). PP sometimes does a better job at soothing Pinkie Pie than I do! And, she has become a great helper–running & getting a bottle off of the counter, grabbing a pacifier, and finding a bib. PP is all grown up!

The other thing I loved about having more time at home is planning fun activities for PP. I fell in love with Hobby Lobby and got some great seasonal projects for PP, like painting wooden signs & making snowglobes. We even started a new hobby–jewelry making! PP loves to make bracelets and necklaces for her friends and family & I get to make a new necklace for my outfits–win, win.

I get different experiences with my girls: I love my snuggle time with Pinkie Pie and my arts & crafts time with PP. Now that I am back at work at Graco & don’t have as much time anymore during the week, I look forward to my QT with my little ladies on the weekends & the more moments we will have together.

Here’s some of the fun you can expect over the next two months:

- Stories from Melissa’s maternity leave
- Guest posts from bloggers you know and love 
- Giveaways for you, and ways to give to others
- Help with how to make the holidays enjoyable and memorable
- Photos, memories and ideas to get you in the spirit of the season
- And much more!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you plan to celebrate and what else you’d like to see here on the Graco blog. Let us know!

Donna Donnelly

Kelly Voelker - Be Safe This Halloween - Because I Said So
This post made me laugh because it brought me back to my days as a kid Trick-or-Treating when we lived in Syracuse, NY. It was always freezing on Halloween, so it never failed that we ended up wearing a snowsuit under our costumes. It also gives a cool recommendation on a product that can help keep your kids safe on Halloween night.

Amy Trice - What if kids filled out comment cards? - Simple Father
I love Scott’s idea of asking for feedback. Sounds like Princess P thinks he’s doing a great job. I haven’t asked Slick for his feedback on my parenting skills yet. I have a feeling his opinion would be that I do not give him enough candy or let him watch enough cartoons. But, I’m pretty sure I’ve been exceeding the minimum hugs requirement.

Heidi Parker - Shopping as Therapy - Mommy in Pink
I love this post, because what gal wouldn’t jump at the chance to do a little shopping for herself when handed a wad of cash? I look forward to days like these with my little one, I just hope he or she loves to shop (and considers it therapy) as much as I do!

Karen Hartzell - Between - Casual Friday Everyday
For my nod this month I chose Nell, from Casual Friday Everyday. This post spoke to me. I feel the same way lately. I know when I visit Nell’s site, I will always find a moving post or an amazing photo to get lost in for a while.

Which one do you love?

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.

Gena is set to host a new television series, which is currently in development. Also in the works, this gorgeous mom is working on a book which delves into her own experience of postpartum depression. After experiencing postpartum depression with all three of her children, Gena’s book aims to help other mothers going through the same thing. Now, Gena’s loving her time as a mom, and we’re so glad she was able to take some time to share her thoughts on mommyhood with us:

What is your favorite part about being a mom?

I love the responsibility of being a mom. Teaching them and watching them grow. It’s scary and fun all in one! Being a mom has been amazing and as I go I’m more and more aware of what’s really important. Like they say, don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s true. I think we all tend to worry about things that truly don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Also, my patience is much better with age! I hold the record of watching the Wiggles 25 consecutive times… Yes!

What was your latest wondrous moment with your child?

Having a really positive adult conversation with my 12 1/2 year old son. It was beyond wondrous and so rewarding.

What is your favorite children’s book?

Jack and the Beanstalk — I wanted those magic beans! When I got older it was Judy Bloom’s — Super Fudge!

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

To be patient and enjoy, because it goes by really fast… Now, I sound like my mom!

What is your favorite Graco product?

The SnugRide. I used them with my two younger ones. I love Graco high chairs too! Everything is so functional and stylish!

Here are some of our most recent safety tips:

- The chest clip (on the harness straps) should be placed on the child’s chest at child’s armpit level

- For used car seats, make sure you know the car seat’s history, know it hasn’t been recalled & have all instruction manuals

- For your child’s safety it is important that your car seat base be installed at the proper angle-this is especially important for newborns

- Not sure if your child is ready for a booster seat? The booster seat 5 Step Test is available at www.carseat.org

- All 50 states require the use of car seats or child restraint devices for infants & young children

- Replace your car seat if it has been in a crash

- If in a crash, your vehicle or home owners insurance may cover the cost of a new car seat

If you have Graco-specific car seat questions, just let us know - we’re here to help!

- Three, yes, THREE live performances of Thriller - a dance-off to be exact - by teams at Graco and Goody (check out a video from one of the Graco teams below!)

- Some incredible pumpkins created during a carving competition in our Exton, PA office

- Plenty of fun for the whole family - complete with kids in costumes and trick-or-treating

- Village people, must-see spots in Atlanta (life-sized panda and all), the Wild Wild West, A Roller Derby, Zombies around every corner and several versions of the Wizard of Oz!

- A scary hair parlor from our friends at Goody

- Elaborate costumes and haunted houses on nearly every floor

- A full, larger than life breakfast of ham, eggs and more from the Calphalon team

- Newell Rubbermaid’s CEO, Mark Ketchum, showing his fangs!

We hope you enjoy the photos and video as much as we did (You can find more on our Flickr and YouTube pages)!! We all had a great time and wish you all a very safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What are you/your kids dressing up as for Halloween!?

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This post was inspired by our friend Stephanie  when she commented on an earlier Heart to Heart post asking what the pros and cons were of having 3 children and what my experience has been with “Middle Child Syndrome”. 

Like many young women, I imagined my future brood long before I knew anything at all about real motherhood. I was certain that I wanted either 2 or 4 children after growing up as the eldest of 3.  The typical scenario of Sibling Rivalry played out constantly when I was a kid.  It was ALWAYS! 2 against 1 with my brothers and I…. and I was usually the “1”.  It seemed to me that the offending duo without exception included my middle brother.

I was a psych major and studied human development as an undergrad , so I’ve been exposed to theories of birth order personality traits and middle child syndrome.  Like the rest of us, I’ve also seen anecdotal examples and heard many a testimonial.  So back in BC (before children), I thought I knew a lot about the pros and cons of having 3 and I was of the opinion that the cons more than out-weighed the pros.

Many of the discussions cite some of the cons of being the middle child to be:
- Feelings of not having a special place in the family, so less connected
- Determination to become an opposite of the older sibling in some way
- Prone to negative attention-seeking
- Over-concern with what is fair – generating negotiating behaviors
- Hard-shelled emotionally
- Failure to launch, indecisive 

So how many children should  I have?
In my utopist view of the future I envisioned a home full of blissful sibling harmony. I vowed to have 2 or 4, but never 3. (I also thought I’d just go ahead and have boy/girl twins and get it all done with one pregnancy).

Once Bunny came into our lives, we reveled in every moment of parenthood. So much so, that by the time she was 18 months old, we couldn’t wait to begin to expand our family. We were so excited at the concept of doing all that again! I loved parenthood so much that if I could have afforded it, we’d have kept going to a dozen or more.  Sweetpea came along when Bunny was 2-1/4.

“1 is like none, 2 is like 10”.

What an awakening! We were living the saying. It was so difficult to keep being this perfect parent to Bunny and to simultaneously be the perfect parent to Sweetpea. It was in the midst of all this exhausting parental performance anxiety that #3 came along.  Boo Bear was born when Sweetpea was 16 months old. Having 3 kids under the age of 4 was all hubby needed  for his part of the decision that we would be out of the baby-making business, so even though Sweetpea was not a baby very long, she became the middle child.

Surprisingly, as parents we found the 3rd one brought us the confidence to just get on with business of parenting and not worry so much about being all things to all of the kids. We began to parent them as a group. It was probably beneficial that they were all girls and close in age, but our life was now about 3 kids on 1 parent, since we worked opposite shifts to minimize the time our kids would be in daycare (daycare then, was not what it is today).

So there we were with 3 afterall.  Was it ever 2 against 1 – you bet it was. Was there attention-seeking behavior – more than enough to go around. Was Sweetpea the the most difficult to parent - sometimes.  Now you would have to ask her her opinion of the experience, but I truly don’t think that Sweetpea suffered from being in the middle.  Maybe it was because it happened to her while she was so young, she never really had to have any identity crisis about being replaced as “the baby”.

I’m happy to report that in the “grownup” version of Sweetpea I see:

- The middle is a special place in our family.  Her ability to be “less connected” has made her bold enough to strike out on new territories on her own.  She can turn off and on the connection at will.

- No real determination to become an opposite of the older sibling.  She followed her older sister to the same college, but was never really in her shadow. 

- Prone to negative attention-seeking - She does revert to instigating a bit when she “comes back home”.

- Over-concern with what is fair – generating negotiating behaviors - She can definitely keep up her end of an argument and is very good at standing her ground.

- Strong emotionally - she has weathered many emotional hardships, and can put emotions aside to stay committed to a plan.  She doesn’t get attached easily, but once she does she is committed.

- Failure to launch, indecisive??? - Sweatpea has known since she was a little girl that she wanted to have a job that would let her live in France.  She struck out on her own just 1 year out of college.  She is there now despite leaving a boyfriend and her family in the US.  She stays connected via phone and SKYPE with her friends and family on an ongoing basis.

After raising 3 daughters, my opinion is that there are so many factors involved in personality. I’m convinced that it is the interplay of genetics, birth order, gender mix, spacing between siblings, extended family influences, peer environment and general life experiences that create the uniqueness that we each become.  My 3 kids were very close in age and all the same gender.  We were very lucky and fate worked well for us.  I feel blessed that our family is complete.

How many kids are you planning for your family?

“JD” was born October 2nd, 2009, weighing in at 7 lbs, 8 oz and 21 inches long.

Please help us congratulate his parents and extended family, including his Aunt, our own Brandy McGinn, Finance Manager, B&PE.

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.

You see announcements at your office “help volunteer” or “get involved” – and you think “do I really want to give up a Saturday of sleeping in or eating delicious, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with pecans and real Maple syrup?” Yes, YES and YES!

Two weeks ago, Graco and Calphalon sponsored the Atlanta Parent Magazine’s Family Block Party at Mercer University Atlanta’s Campus. Why did we give up sleep and pancakes – to PARTY with a PURPOSE! As you can tell, I was in charge of recruiting volunteers

Well, we’re the new kids in town, recently relocated from Pennsylvania and we came to introduce ourselves to the community. The Block Party also benefited four non-profits: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Girls on the Run, Camp Twin Lakes and Project KARMA, Inc.

So at 7AM, on a Saturday, Graco and Calphalon volunteers set up shop under our tent – and wow, did it look great! We had car seats, strollers, highchairs, Pack ‘n Play® playards, thermometers and nasal aspirators galore! We had three car seat installation demos throughout the campus. And my, oh my, Calphalon had an omelet demo station, teaching us how to flip our eggs just like Julia (OK, so we didn’t completely forego a yummy breakfast).

Now, when I say, “Atlanta – you sure know how to host a party,” I mean it. The Block Party had over 50 family-friendly activities – storytelling, climbing walls, face painting, a football field filled with moon bounces, pony rides. The Atlanta Zoo even walked around with a massive tortoise and we were entertained by belly dancers and 5 year olds belting out classic R&B classics in the talent competition (glad I didn’t bring my lame-O nursery rhymes).

A big THANK YOU to all the Graco and Calphalon volunteers and Atlanta Parent Magazine – Thank you for having us - we had a great time! - Kelley M