my must have baby items.

we’re 7 weeks in and a couple of people have asked me “what are the things that you thought you would need, but didn’t?” and “what are the things that you’re so glad you had?”

first, things i thought i needed, but didn’t – so far i can’t really think of anything.  it’s crazy how much STUFF a little person needs (and i use the term “need” loosely).

second, here is my list of MUST HAVES so far:

swing – ethan hated it for the first few weeks, but now it’s his FAVORITE and i’m pretty sure the batteries are going to need to be replaced soon.  he loves napping in the swing and when there are nights when he just won’t sleep, i bring him downstairs to the swing and just sleep on the couch next to him (don’t judge – you’ll do whatever you can at 3:00 in the morning).  we even took it with us to a cocktail party and put him in the guest room with the video monitor on him – worked like a charm.  this one is nice because it has 2 heights and folds up easily.

breast pump – i’m all for breast feeding your baby, but it is A LOT of work.  as in every 2-3 hours (if you’re lucky) around the clock even when you’re tired, not feeling good, in pain, in the middle of running errands, can’t get a break – A LOT of work.  i love the opportunity to feed my baby during this short time of his life, but (in my opinion), it is SO NICE to get a break every once in awhile and let daddy or nana (or anyone that wants to for that matter) feed the baby a bottle.  it takes me about 45 minutes to feed ethan and it takes me about 10-15 minutes to pump, so when time is of the essence, it is a life saver!

bottle warmer – get a good one!  we had a bad one and it overheated the bottle so you had to sit and wait for it to cool off (no fun with a hungry/screaming baby) and was super complex with how much water you put in it.  so spend the extra $$ and get a good one.  i recommend this one:

boppy – this has been so wonderful to have!  i splurged and had a custom cover made for it and it is super soft.

iBaby Feed app – keeps track of how long the baby feeds, how often, which side and even runs summaries – it’s so handy!

video monitor – SO NICE to be able to SEE your baby.  ethan makes ridiculous dinosaur-like noises and instead of running in to check on him, i can just quickly check the monitor and see that he’s sound asleep : )

swaddle blankets – ethan LOVED to be swaddled when he was first born and now it’s a necessity to get him to sleep soundly.  aden + anais have THE BEST blankets – they are SO SOFT, big enough to get a good tight swaddle and lightweight which is nice during the warmer months.

burp cloths – i can’t believe how many i go through each day.  i often just do laundry JUST to wash burp cloths.  i think we have 12 in rotation and i’m debating on getting more.

third, things that make life SO much easier:

pack ‘n play – this wouldn’t have been something i thought i’d use, but since someone gave it to us, we put it to use.  we used it as a bassinet when he was sleeping in our room (there’s a bassinet attachment) and it will be handy when we travel.

BOB stroller – we splurged on this stroller and i’m SO glad we did.  we use it as our every day stroller as well as a walking/jogging stroller (even though i have yet to jog with it).  it’s definitely a luxury, but (in my opinion) worth every penny.  AND when you’re done with it, they sell for nearly full-price on craigslist.

wubbanub pacifier - the pacifiers from the hospital are so nice, but ethan hasn’t figured out how to keep it in his mouth.  the wubbanub is nice because it stays in his mouth easier and when he is sitting in his swing or carseat, i can tuck the elephant in his blanket to keep it from falling out of his mouth.  plus, it’s cute : )  they come in an assortment of animals.

COFFEE!!  you gotta have it!  i recommend Peet’s : )

i would also recommend having baby medicine (i have used gas relief drops and saline nasal spray so far) and diaper rash cream and/or vaseline on hand before you need it.  i also had to run out and get a humidifier – i should have put it on my registry.  i’m sure more experienced mommies would have others to add to this list.

if you’re a mommy, what were the things you couldn’t do without?  inquiring minds (and upcoming mommies) need to know : )

the real truth about being a new mommy.

becoming a mommy has been more than what i ever expected.  i knew there would be diapers and bottles and a lack of sleep, but i’ll admit, i wasn’t ready for the good and difficult things about the day-to-day.  after 6 weeks, here’s my honest re-cap:

1.  becoming a mommy has made me appreciate my mommy (and dad) 1,000,000 times more than i did before.  we have been so lucky to have my family come visit twice in the first month.  i will cherish the early mornings when my mom took ethan while i went back to bed for a few more hours,  stocked the freezer full of meals, the endless errands they ran for us, the household chores and projects that were checked off my to-do list in one weekend, waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee by my dad, all the help my mom and sister gave to transform the nursery to make it more boyish… and the list goes on.  i cried when i dropped them off at the airport.  i wish we lived closer.

2.  i love sleep.  or should i make that LOVED sleep?  i have yet to get more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep and i noticed that i don’t get up in the middle of the night to pee, i don’t dream and i don’t set an alarm clock anymore – i just wake up in a panic when i hear my baby crying.  i’m wondering if the days of long, uninterrupted, amazing nights of sleep are a thing of the past.

3.  breast feeding is by far THE hardest thing i have ever done (even harder than labor).  i took a class and read books, but NOTHING can prepare you for the real thing especially since you have never done it before and your baby has never done it before and now you have to somehow figure it out with a screaming baby in your arms.  and being the only source of food for your little one is beyond stressful.  and no matter what anyone says, the first month is RIDICULOUSLY painful not to mention crazy time consuming with no breaks.  i will admit that in the first week we were home, i woke up and i was attempting to nurse my teddy bear.  i also have to say that whoever invented the breast pump is a saint!

4.  my hat goes off to all the single moms out there – i really don’t know how you do it and maintain your sanity.  i was SOOO blessed to have my hubby home for the first 4 weeks.  those weeks will forever be some of the most special memories for me.  they say that women have a natural motherly instinct, but i really think my hubby has a natural fatherly instinct.  ethan loves his daddy.  if he had a choice, he would fall asleep on his daddy’s chest every chance he could get.  he’s not timid when ethan cries – in fact, i think part of him secretly likes the challenge of getting him back to being happy.  i dread when he has to leave for work and count down the hours until he comes home.   i really have no idea what i would do without him.  and i love that this new role in our lives has made me fall more in love with my hubby.

5.  baby tears are the worst thing ever!  but baby smiles, giggles and coos will totally melt your heart!

6.  running errands solo with a baby is SO STRESSFUL!  between a (potentially, but most likely) screaming baby in the back seat (that you can’t reach), coordinating trips in between feeding times (but not too close to the next feeding for fear of hitting the dreaded RED ZONE) and the circus act of juggling a stroller/shopping cart/car seat/groceries is usually why i stay home on the couch in my pajamas all day.  oh!  not to mention that you somehow have to shower and get dressed (or somehow make yourself presentable) in between feedings and nap times just so that in between the next feeding and nap time you can run out for 30 minutes (now i know why moms just stay in their sweats even when running errands).  this is also why 99% of my christmas shopping will be done online : )

7.  speaking of feedings and nap times… your priorities really are defined by the things you do when baby is sleeping.  but it’s not like you have a set amount of time – it could be 5 minutes and it could be 2 hours.  do you… take a shower?  check facebook/twitter/blogs?  pay bills?  take a nap?  do a load of laundry (and remember to put it in the dryer before baby wakes up)?  make yourself breakfast/lunch/dinner (side note: i finally got around to eating lunch today at 4:00)?  unload the dishwasher?  write thank you notes?  do some online christmas shopping?  it really does become this constant reevaluating of what is a higher priority.

8.  there is this underground group of mommies that have been SO beyond wonderful just to bounce ideas off of or get recommendations.  OR to play words with friends during that 3:00 am feeding – SO WONDERFUL!!

9.  babies have the ability to be amazing multi-taskers.  as i change ONE diaper, he can pee, poop, spit up, sneeze and get the hiccups all at once and somehow he still remembers to breathe!  impressive!

10.  babies go through A LOT of diapers!  and diapers are expensive!  i’m pretty sure the daily count has got to be upwards of 15.  there are times when i can change 3 diapers in just 1 feeding (before, in between and after).  my amazing discovery is the “subscribe and save” service from amazon – up to 20% off of the regular prices (which is almost always cheaper than target) and they automatically deliver your order based on what you set it up for (as often as once a month).

i have found in between the sleepless nights, unproductive days, constant feedings and dirty diapers that it is all SO worth it.  i have been entrusted with this precious little guy who totally melts my heart and really is a blessing to our family.  it’s crazy how much he has grown and changed in just 6 short weeks!  i wouldn’t change it for a thing : )

still here…

so i realize it’s been almost 2 months since i posted last.  sorry for the absence… things have been… well… a little busy lately and the moments when i have 2 hands free to type a blog post are pretty much nonexistent : )  but i’d like to give a quick little update:

1)  baby BOY ethan matthew was born october 24th and is simply the most beautiful little thing ever!  especially when he is sleeping : )

2)  i am loving maternity leave.  mostly because it’s 2:00 pm and i am still in my pj’s : )  no, really, i am so blessed to be able to spend this time with my little guy.  he has already changed so much and i’m glad i can be home to enjoy these moments.

3)  thanksgiving was amazing!  my whole family flew down from oregon to spend the holiday with us and love on ethan – i cried when i dropped them off at the airport.

4)  life is going by way too quickly with a newborn, but at the same time i feel like i’m a little bit in slow motion.  everything takes SO MUCH LONGER to accomplish.  i have to plan my day carefully or before i know it, it’s 8:00 pm and i haven’t taken a shower and i’m still in my pi’s from the night before : )

5)  christmastime is here!!  we got our tree, but the idea of shopping for presents is a little overwhelming.  i’ve done some shopping online, but i’m pretty sure everyone else is getting gift cards that i’ll pick up from safeway when i get a free 5 minutes : )

6)  we are going to disneyland in a month!  can’t wait to see it decorated for christmas!!  it will be interesting how a disneyland trip goes with a 2 month old : )  stay tuned…

mommy life is exhausting and exhilarating, frustrating and fun.  there are days when i swear i’ll never do this again and then days when i’m ready for #2 already.  it’s the most difficult thing i’ve ever done and yet the best thing ever!  well… ethan is waking up for a nap, so i must sign off.  hopefully i’ll post soon.

i’ll leave you with this from when my family was here for thanksgiving : )

39.5 weeks.

lately when people ask me when i’m due, my response is “sunday”.  as in like 4 days.  like THIS sunday.  granted i am very aware that the chances of me going past my due date is VERY LIKELY, but the fact that the finish line is so close is beyond exciting.  we are totally ready (as much as we can be i suppose) to welcoming a little person into our home.  her gear is all set up, i’ve washed all her clothes, stocked up on diapers and wipes and got the car seat installed.  my last day of work was last friday and it’s been so weird but so nice to have the last couple of days off to relax, clean, run errands and enjoy the extra hours with just my hubby.  but i will admit that my type A personality is having a really hard time with the not knowing “when”.  i am such a planner and a scheduler.  i don’t think i’m nervous or anxious about the labor – i mean yes, i know it’s going to be hard as in the hardest thing and most painful thing i’ll ever go through – but i’m anxious to see her and meet her and hold her – this little person who will be my daughter for the rest of my life!  ahhh!!  so exciting!!

 

 

expiration dates.

i have this weird thing with expiration dates.  i remember i did this SO much when we were in the process of buying a house.  like i would buy a gallon of milk or clip a coupon and notice the expiration date and think “i wonder if we’ll be in our new house before this expires”.  or i would buy a tube of toothpaste and think “i wonder if by the time this tube of toothpaste is empty, i’ll be able to throw it away in our new house”.  and then i did it with our hawaii trip.  ”will this be the last bottle of contact lens solution i’ll have to buy before we go to hawaii?”  ha!  and lately i’ve been doing that with having a baby.  like, “will this be the last tube of mascara i buy before the baby gets here?”  maybe it’s my way of looking forward to something or having my own countdown.

and then my mom sent me an email this weekend that said “My milk expires after Hadley’s birthday so I know we’re getting close!!”

i guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree…

are we the only weird ones out there or do other people do this too?  : )

happy fall.

fall is in the air and i LOVE IT!!  the hubs bought me my favorite candle for my birthday…

and i think i’ve already burned through half of it (and it’s not even october yet!!).  and then on sunday it sprinkled a little and it was marvelous : )  i love fall!  i love all the smells and the decorations and getting to wear scarves again.  i love watching the leaves turn beautiful colors and the crisp mornings (minus the rain… not so much a rain person).  i love baking in the fall – anything with pumpkin is amazing!  however, i heard there was a shortage of pumpkin due to some weather conditions on the east coast or something.  i better stock up!!  i have pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin chocolate cake and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to make – i’ll need at least a dozen cans!  and most of all… i love that our little bundle will be a fall baby and i’ll have a baby to cuddle in the cold months of winter.

i’ll be putting up my fall decorations this weekend and i can’t wait!!  : )

what do you love about fall?

prego thoughts.

things i will miss when i’m no longer pregnant…

eating whatever i want and not really feeling guilty for it (obviously within SOME moderation).  aka not having to count calories or beat myself up when i haven’t worked out 4-5 times in a week.

elastic waistbands (although, i still hate all maternity clothes).

small talk is so much easier because people inevitably talk about the baby, being pregnant, etc and that’s easy to talk about.

an excuse to wear flip-flops to work.

not having a period!

naps!  i sleep A LOT and i have a feeling that is going to change dramatically.

watching and feeling this little person do flips and somersaults inside me.

presents : )  even if i have to order something, i’m gonna miss all the packages that show up on my doorstep or in my mailbox.

 

things i will NOT miss…

heartburn, gas, peeing 15 times a day…

having to contort my body in order to shave my legs.

putting underwear, pants and skirts on like a frog (please tell me i’m not the only one that does this).  my legs don’t bend directly in front of me – they have to go out to the side thanks to my daily increasing belly size!

having to sleep with 5, yes FIVE pillows.

hot flashes and sweating uncontrollably.  (for those that know me, this is not something i’m used to.)

all the restrictions on food and drinks.

habits.

i totally love the reality shows where people overcome addictions and transform into these healthier, happier people.  shows like biggest loser or celebrity rehab with dr. drew.  i don’t know… there’s something about watching people go from being a total train wrek into people who have succeeded at fighting their biggest life issues.

so i know it’s not a severe addiction in need of intervention, but i’ve had a bad habit of biting my nails my whole life.  at first, i was a kid who had a bad habit and it was kind of gross, but it’s tolerable (sort of like watching a little kid pick their nose).  and then i got into junior high and high school and having little nail nubs wasn’t really doing anything for my “popularity points” (of which i was severely in the negative anyway…), but it was a habit and something i just did subconsciously.  so then after high school, i had a job so i could pay for fake (acrylic) nails.  they always looked pretty and even if i didn’t take a shower that day and wasn’t wearing any makeup, at least my nails looked nice which meant i had SOME sort of self-respect, right?  so pretty much ever since high school, i’ve sort of curbed my habit of biting by paying to have them done every 2 weeks.  matt doesn’t mind because they are awesome for back scratches!

so i’ve been pondering lately as i go in every 2 weeks for my appointments… is it really practical for a mommy to have fake nails with a newborn baby?  is that a necessary expense?  what if i scratch her face on accident?  besides… how am i going to manage getting away for 1-2 hours every 2 weeks to have my nails done with a needy baby on my hands?  so… i took them off (after 11+ years) and am considering keeping them off for an extended period of time.  which means i need to stop biting them.  but i’ve been biting them for 24+ years (i’m assuming this habit started around 4 or 5 years old?).  so how long does it take to break a 24 year habit? 

have you kicked a bad habit?  if so, how long did it take and what did you do to stay on track?

confession.

i LOVE excel spreadsheets. organized.  clean lines.  math equations.  all make my heart go pitter-pat. 

things i currently have (and update regularly) in spreadsheets:

budget / finances
grocery lists / menu planning
address list
baby list (with about 4 different worksheets attached)
maternity leave options
vacation time tracker

can we say “nerd alert” ?!  do you think there are special places for people like me?

p.s. did i mention that my husband recently updated our computers at home with the new lion software (which by the way, i’d like to add, changes the way the mouse scrolls and now it’s totally backwards!!) and in the process deleted off all the other software programs and then reinstalled them.  oh… except he couldn’t find the installation disk for microsoft office… which includes excel!!  and so i’ve been having to work on the apple version of “excel” at home and in the last week may or may not have broken down in tears out of frustration because HOW DO YOU ENTER A CELL WITHOUT ENTERING A WHOLE FREAKING LINE?!?!  and so i’ve asked that he PLEASE install excel onto our computers at home as my birthday present.  and this could possibly be the most pathetic thing on my birthday wish list.  sigh.

wish list dilemma.

my husband has a wish list that i swear is $10,000+ long that includes things like any apple product (duh!), shoes, camera products, drum stuff, jeans and most recently a pair of REAL ray-bans (can we say “hello 1980′s!”?).  me?  well… i don’t really have a list.  it always drove me crazy whenever it was my parents’ birthday or christmas and i would ask them what they wanted and they said “nothing” because they really didn’t want anything.  and now… i’m afraid i’m turning into them.  gasp!!  i mean, sure there are things that i would love if there was an endless supply of money, but that’ll never happen, so my list has to be realistic and there’s nothing “realistic” on my list.  so the husband asked what i wanted for my birthday and i’m having a REALLY hard time giving him any ideas : (  here’s what would be on my list if i had one…

• a vacation would be nice – like hawaii – but not practical with a baby due in 32 days… oh yeah!  and we don’t have a couple extra grand for that.
• some adorable shoes would be nice, but again, not practical with a baby due in 32 days (i can’t wear anything by flip flops).
• some designer jeans would be nice, but they wouldn’t fit.
• some fancy jewelry, but that’s not practical, nor inexpensive.
• a new purse, but let’s face it, i’ll be carrying a diaper bag as my purse for the next year (or three).

maybe i should just stick with some practical stuff like maternity underwear, cupcakes and a bubble bath.  yeah… i could TOTALLY go for that this year : )  oh and i kind of secretly want to go see lion king in 3D.  don’t judge me.

do you have a wish list?  what’s on it??  any ideas of what i should add??  : )