Baby and Mommy's Favorites

Baby Liam is almost 6 months now and I've had the chance to use a few things that have really worked for us up to this point. I included links to each item I could find online for more info.

Ecobee3 Wi-Fi Thermostat with Remote Sensor - so I know this isn't exactly a baby item, but it is something we've installed for him to be able to better control the temperature in our house. It's a smart thermostat and connects to your phone through an app and you can control the temp. when you aren't home. It has a sensor that you can place in another room as well. You can also program it with certain temperatures for night and day or when your away. One of our biggest concerns was making sure that baby is comfortable and this has really made it so much easier.

This Bouncer - I threw away the box and don't know what it's called exactly. I was able to find something similar on Amazon. It was a gift, but I saw some at Burlington Coat Factory a few weeks back. Baby loves it! You can put batteries in it and I guess it's supposed to bounce or vibrate on its own, I don't know I never purchased batteries, I just bounce him myself. If he's crying or anything I just put him in here and he calms down. Sometimes it even makes him drowsy so I can pick him up and put him to bed. I have to admit I didn't expect much from it, it doesn't look like much, but let me tell you it is essential to our daily routine.



Sleepsack - we've tried a few different sleepsacks by different brands, but the HALO one is my favorite. I just find myself always reaching for it or missing it when it's in the hamper waiting to get washed. I just put it on baby at night over his pjs and I feel better knowing he's not cold.
          

Zipper Onesies - I love these, I originally got mine from Target and they're the Gerber brand. I use these as his pjs. The fabric feels soft and light and when I need to change him at night, the zipper makes it so much easier and faster.
                    

Formula Dispenser - How cute is this?!? I just think it's so cute and practical. It does what I need it to do and I smile whenever I look it.

Boppy Lounger - This lounger has become an essential item for us, especially when we're feeding baby from a bottle. We just lay him on there and feed him or let him sit with us. He seems to really like it and even falls alseep on it sometimes so we can just pick him up and put him in his crib. It just makes it easier for us and him.

Get ready....fast!

School and baby have been keeping me really busy. It's rare that I have time for anything else! So I was inspired to write about getting ready quickly when you have a little one to tend to. The following are some of the products I like to use that are affordable and do the job right! So on a typical day when I don't go to school, I like to wake up and take a quick shower and use the Nivea in shower body lotion, that way I can get out and get dressed. If you need something quick any time of the day, the St Ives spray lotions are pretty awesome too. Just spray, rub it n a little and go. They have all kinds of scents too. On my face I like to use a light exfoliator regularly.  The one I have in the picture is by St Ives. I love this one in particular because I like things with oatmeal in them and because its a gentle scrub. You can even use it as a mask if you have that kind of time. This is a very cream formula which I prefer, but Yes to Grapefruit also has a daily scrub that is gentle and is more like a gel instead. Then after that I like to use a moisturizer with SPF and I found that the Aveeno one does a good job of not only moisturizing but it absorbs quickly.When I'm around the house and just want to even out my skin a little I always go for the Physician's Formula CC cream. It it just as thick as a foundation, goes on easily and stays put. Then I'm good to go for the rest of the day.

Sleep Essentials for Baby

Everyone always tells you when you're pregnant that once the baby comes you have to say good-bye to your sleep. I knew it was going to be hard, but I was not really ready for all the lack of sleep. The first 2 weeks it got to a point where I was ready to go to the store and buy every single swing and rocker and whatever else I needed to put him in to sleep. But I don't think it would have mattered because most babies just need that time to adjust and eat and no swing is going to change that. It gradually got better and now at almost 5 months he sleeps from about 10 to about 5 or 6 in the morning. He still occasionally wakes up some nights hungry and as soon as he eats he falls back asleep. This works because both my husband and I wake up around 6. It took some trial and error, but up to this point we've figured out what he needs to sleep.

1.  Swaddle - I wasn't a fan of swaddling him so tight that he couldn't move. I know some people swear by it, but it wasn't something I wanted to do. I found these swaddles where his feet are free and you also have the option of leaving his arms in or out. And it also acts as a blanket. I did put his arms in at first because he would flinch while sleeping and hit himself and wake himself up. After a while I did notice that he liked to sleep with his arms up so I started leaving them out and that's how he sleeps now.
2.  Pacifier - I was totally against pacifiers, I felt like I didn't want to deal with having to wean him off it later on. But I noticed that he liked to suck on his bottle and not actually eat. So I decided to try giving him a pacifier and it was a good fit for him. It helps him self sooth and fall asleep and after he falls asleep he spits it out. He doesn't always want it just sometimes and I'm ok with it now as long as he's happy. I did try a few pacifiers and some he actually didn't like. 
3. Pack and Play - this is where he sleeps at night. It took a little adjusting and training, but now he seems to have gotten used to it. We have the pack and play next to our bed,
4. Swing - We chose this particular swing (Graco DuetSoothe Swing + Rocker) because it's also a bouncer so if he falls asleep and we need to go to another room we just pick it up and go because the bouncer comes off easily. He naps in here during the day.

Baby's Nursery

We were really excited to put together Liam's nursery. We purchased the furniture and decorations, with the exception of a few things, from Ikea and Target. Let me know if you need specifics of where I got something. 

What to take from the hospital

I know every hospital is different, but I'm pretty sure these products are pretty standard. I was completely clueless as to what sort of damage and pain I was going to experience after delivery! I prepared myself for the actual delivery, but I forgot about the recovery. The items below really helped me out with the recovery process. 

1. Peri bottle - this is a squirt bottle to help with cleaning your lady parts and to also relieve the burn when you pee. I know this is TMI, but it has to be said; it hurts...a lot when you pee because your pee is acidic so squirt water with this peri bottle as you are peeing to dilute it and lessen the pain.
2. Dermoplast spray - this is like a numbing spray to also help with the pain. I know I'm getting a little bit ahead, but this is what my nurse advised me to do: on the huge maxi pads put about 3 of the witch hazel pads so it covers the maxi pad from your front to your back then spray the dermoplast on the witch hazel pads. That is what I did and it really helped! 
3. Mesh Undies - I'm sure you've heard about these from every other blog out there, and just about everyone you know that's delivered a baby. They're great, they're stretchy and they will help a lot.
4. Witch Hazel pads - I used these the most, I took what the hospital gave me and then purchased more from the store as well. These things are amazing. You get a a cooling sensation that instantly helps with the pain.
5. Oversized pads - these are definitely a must. No matter how easy or difficult your delivery was, if you delivered vaginally there will be blood at least right after. If you're looking for a replica of what the hospital gives you, those are huge!, try the Always Discreet, Incontinence Pads. These come pretty close to what you were using in the hospital.

Packing Your Hospital Bag

When my due date started nearing the next thing on my list was to pack my hospital back. The first thing I did was go on google and search for lists of what I will need. What I got was an overwhelming plethora of things to pack, things not to pack, things I might need. Not to mention every blog contradicted the next. So I took in all of the information and tried my best to figure out the right essentials for me. I'm not a minimalist, but I don't over pack either. I just like to be prepared. So here's my list of things I packed and what I actually used. I hope this will help and not add to the confusion!

1. Things to keep by your bedside. 
I packed hand lotion, chapstick, deodorant, hair ties, concealer, a compact mirror and breath mints.
I only used the hair ties and deodorant.

2. Things to keep in the bathroom.
I packed shampoo and conditioner, body wash, face wash, face moisturizer, Listerine, tooth brush (one for me and one for hubby) and toothpaste.
I was able to shower there and I used all of those things.

3. Clothes for mom
I packed my own PJs, a robe, nursing bra, t-shirt and yoga pants to go home in and flip flops.
I didn't use the PJs or robe, I just stayed in the hospital gown. The nursing bra helped with breastfeeding because it kind of pushes your boobs up and makes it easier for baby. The t-shirt and yoga pants were maternity ones. I used my flip flops the whole time.

4. Things for baby.
I packed a nursing pillow, nursing pads, clothes for baby, swaddle and blanket.
The nursing pillow was really helpful while I was learning to nurse baby. I used the baby clothes when we were discharged to go home and the blanket as well. I didn't use the nursing pads because I simply just didn't have a lot of milk yet. I also didn't use the swaddle because the nurses there swaddled him in the hospital blankets.

5. Things for dad.
I asked him what he wanted me to pack and all he wanted were some sweats and a t-shirt, a pillow and a blanket.

I hope this will help some of you!

We're Pregnant and it's BOY!

My husband and I waited a really long time before telling everyone we were expecting. For lack of a better word and explanation..we didn't want to jinx anything. After telling our family and friends, a few weeks later we had a gender reveal party. I baked a cake that was blue and covered it with white frosting so that when I cut into it we'd reveal the gender. Everyone got to vote on what they thought it was and the majority of people thought it was a girl! They said my stomach didn't look pointy enough for it to be a boy. Pointy??? Honestly for a long time, I don't think I looked pregnant, I just looked like a had pudge. You know how after you eat you can stick your stomach out? That's how I looked.

Throughout my pregnancy everyone kept asking me how I felt, was I nervous, scared, stressed. I never knew how to answer because the truth was I felt fine. I wasn't nervous or scared. I felt the same as I've always felt except for my growing stomach, nothing else really changed. All I really cared about was that he was happy and healthy. Not knowing how he was doing in there gave me a little bit of anxiety, but as far as worried about being parent, or how life would change, I didn't really feel that.

Sure things were going to change, but that's what we wanted right? When deciding to have a child, it's expected isn't it?

This was our announcement photo