Stuff we love, volume 1

I'm planning to do a product review or two (or more if companies want to send me free stuff to review), starting with the baby stuff we have and can't imagine living without.

At the moment, our favorite baby-amusement device is the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer. Oliver did not start out a fan, but he thinks it's pretty fab now. Even though the green light in the toybar didn't come on, he didn't mind a bit. (Kudos to Fisher-Price customer service for dispatching a replacement quickly and at no charge.) Now with a fully-functional toybar, it really is the bee's knees. Oliver is mesmerized by the spinning starfish.

The fact that he's at nose-level with the dogs is a feature or a bug, depending on whether you are a dog or a parent attempting to keep your child relatively free of dog-spit.

I especially like the bouncer when I'm on my own and in desperate need of a shower (and want to avoid the aformentioned dog spit problem). The bouncer is easily carried around the house, even into the bathroom. Please, no complaints about the use of a "baby bucket"! Sometimes it is necessary to combat mommy-stench.

Thanks go to Nikki and Jason for a great gift. They are experts on how to survive the early months of parenthood, after the crash course they got last year with twins!