I went to a baby shower for a good friend yesterday. SO much fun to be back in the pregnancy world. I loved seeing all the little outfits and baby items! It made me start thinking about my own shower and what has ended up being my must have items. Now, these are just what have worked for me but I remember researching so many mama-blogs while pregnant trying to figure out what I should get.

1. Boppy

Now some people love the “My breast friend” nursing pillow but I LOVE my boppy. Since we spend a good amount of time nursing, this pillow has saved my arms. It is also great during dinner time because he can nurse while I hold a plate of food over him and try to eat myself. I will let you know a little secret about Patrick and I…. we eat dinner on the couch. No matter how fancy the meal is, in the past 4 years of marriage, we have only eaten at our table MAYBE 5 times. When Mr. B is finally old enough to sit in a high chair, we will FINALLY end our couch eating days and start having family dinner at the table.

2. Burp rags

Or even just extra thin light blankets in general. I don’t know about your kid, but mine is so thoughtful and caring that he loves to share what he eats. I laugh so hard whenever he spits up on Patrick’s outer shirt so he will take it off, then B will spit up on his inner shirt and some days he ends up spitting up again on Patrick’s bare chest. It’s not abundant all the time but unless I want to change my clothes over and over again, burp rags are essential to our everyday routine.

Burp rag under him!

3. Pack and Play 

We have a 2 story home so having the pack n play downstairs as a changing table is amazing. I highly recommend some type of downstairs changing station if you have a 2 story home because ain’t nobody got time for lugging a kid upstairs every time they pee.

4. Dropcam 

We use a security camera as our baby monitor. Why a security camera? Well, it allows up to see inside the home via wifi. It is nice to know that Patrick or I can still log in from anywhere and see what’s going on. I would say that our Dropcam has been essential because Bennett has gone in his crib in his room from day one. It is so nice to still be able to see him while I’m laying in my own bed. It has amazing night vision so we can zoom in and see him breathing, even at night! The only downfall of having a security camera as a monitor is that it runs from your phone. SO, we bought a $30 audio monitor from target so that we don’t have to keep our phones running all the time. The audio monitor alerts us to when he makes any noise so that we can then look on our phones.  True story, our first couple of nights home, we had the monitor at the highest sensitivity and the highest volume….. after 3 nights of  barely sleeping because Mr. B is the noisiest baby ever, we now keep the monitor on the lowest sensitivity and lowest volume. I love our setup.

5. Moby Wrap

Mr. B hates his carseat. He is getting better about not screaming bloody murder while in it but we try to spend minimal time with him in it.With that being said, I wear him pretty much anytime we go out. He is SUCH a happy and content baby when I wear him that it allows me to run errands more productively, walk away from my cart without leaving him behind, use both of my hands, strangers don’t attempt to touch him and it is nice for mama/son snuggles. I highly recommend baby wearing. Whenever he outgrows the Moby we will be moving on to woven wraps (they don’t stretch so heavy babies/toddlers don’t sag in the wrap) and I eventually will purchase an Ergo carrier. I forsee baby wearing in my future for as long as he will let me. He won’t always want me to carry him so I am soaking it in and enjoying it while I can.

6. Washer and Dryer, cleaning supplies.

Want to know a secret? I am woman enough to “woman up” and admit that I have an issue with “dirty” stuff. Even before I was pregnant! For example… you don’t sit (or even think about sleeping) on my side of the bed in clothes that have been outside of the house. Shoes come off whenever you come in our home. Think about all the nasty stuff that is on the bottom of your shoes. People spit, vomit, spit loogies, etc on the road/sidewalks and you walk through it. Nasty. Never touch a gas handle. Who cleans them??? It’s like shaking hands with a million unsanitary strangers…. but back to needing a washer and dryer. When I became pregnant and started nesting, it all intensified. Now that B is here…. dang. I wash and dry AT LEAST 1 load a day… especially with him spitting up on everything. Playmats, sheets, blankets, clothes, towels…. WASH EVERYTHING. If we run errands and his blankets are handled a lot or I set them down somewhere… you got it. They get washed. Now, mama’s with more than 1 kid might be laughing. You might say, “Oh that will change” “Just wait until you have 2 kids running around!” Well, until I get there. Let me happy with my OCD fight against dirt and germs. WASH EVERYTHING!

7. The Paci. 

Ohhhh the pacifier. We didn’t want to introduce the paci…. but it happened…. on the first day of life. Mr. B came out of the womb and one of the first things he did was suck on his hands. We are pretty sure he even did it in the womb. SO, when he came out and his hands were no longer close to his face constantly, he just wanted to suck on anything that was. Instead of comfort nursing 24/7, we introduced the paci. He doesn’t sleep with it at night (thankfully) but it IS helpful during the day when he just wants to suck on something but isn’t hungry or on car rides when he begins to scream. He has started to find his thumbs, so I’m wondering if now that he can control his arms/hands more if that will replace the paci. The crazy part is, is that he prefers the NUK paci’s instead of the popular green soothie’s. So, don’t stock up on a whole bunch of paci’s before they come because they might not like them

8. A Bathrobe

I bought a super soft jersey bathrobe for after I delivered at the hospital. I have never been a bathrobe person until Mr. B came. The first month of B’s life, I LIVED In the bathrobe that I bought. It was so easy to nurse in, super comfy and great to throw on for the middle of the night feedings. Then the cold weather came and I went and purchased the biggest (SIZE XL! haha) fluffiest, snuggy type bathrobe. It can be rough getting out of a warm bed to go feed at 3 am but the bathrobe helps a ton!! I highly recommend buying one!

9. Feed baby App

I downloaded this app in the hospital and have used it ever since. It tracks how long he feeds, how many diapers he has had, what kind they are and everything else you can possibly think of and then makes charts, graphs etc. It reminds you which side you started feeding on last, which for me was absolutely essential. It also has alarms to remind you to change their diapers, when they last pooped, when they need to feed again. I absolutely love the app. The best part, it’s free!

10. Lactation Consultant

Bennett was 4 days old when I met with a lactation consultant. Breastfeeding is hard work. It’s a huge learning curve for both mama and baby and I was so tired in the beginning that I wouldn’t correct his latch in the middle of the night. Needless to say, this created problems and I decided to meet with a lactation consultant at my peditricians office. Best decision I ever made. I probably wouldn’t still be breastfeeding if I would have not met with her. She taught me a lot about the types of milk our breasts produce, how the baby should be latching on, how to empty the breast etc. Ladies, if you are struggling with breastfeeding, MEET WITH A LACTATION CONSULTANT. It was the turning point for B and I’s nursing relationship.

11. My #1 essential thing….

Bathtime with daddy

Patrick is an amazing Dad. Hands down. He’s fantastic. I love watching him and Bennett bond. He’s always willing to help out with him, help me out, grab me stuff while I’m nursing, do the daddy and Bennett bedtime routine and watch him when I need to run out. I remember when we were dating and talking about marriage, asking myself this question. “Will he be a good dad to my children?” I knew back then that he would be…. but now that I see him in action, he’s not just good. He’s great. Bennett and I are blessed.

Those have been my essentials in the past 7 weeks… at least that is all I can think of right now. What were some of your essentials? 

Some other things that I have learned in the past 7 weeks:

– Pampers sucked for us. Can I say sucked? Sure. They leaked every single time I put him in one. Surprisingly Target’s up and up brand worked the best for us. Don’t be afraid to try cheaper brands.

– Baby clippers haven’t worked for us yet. We still have to use an emery (spelling?) board. His nails grow SO fast.

–  We found that the baby wash cloths weren’t as soft as our own, so we use a regular one on him. PLUS, baby wash clothes are super small so you have to put them in a lingerie bag to wash them which can be cumbersome.

– Speaking of a lingerie bag, buy one. Baby socks are tiny and the washer can eat them.

– Have multiple sheets, boppy covers so that if they spit up or their diapers leak, you can at least cover the mattress or boppy while the other is washing.

– If you have somewhere you have to be, don’t put on the clothes you want to wear on until the last minute…. there is a good chance you’ll get spit up on or some sort of stain will find its way on you. Same thing for baby.

– Take everything you can from the hospital. Especially the receiving blankets and wipes. The wipes they gave me after birth were far better than any brand I tried to buy once we got home. Patrick and I brought an entire empty bag just so we could bring home the extra items.

– Don’t buy a million swaddles before baby comes because you might end up with a kid like Mr. B who HATES being swaddled.

– Rectal thermometers are the only type of thermometer that is accurate on a kid under 1. We learned that after our first ped appointment. You can find a great one at target for around $15.

– Newborns can temporarily stop breathing for a few seconds. It’s completely normal. They will breath really fast, hold their breath for a second, breath really fast again, slow their breathing down, breath really fast… you get the picture. It’s all normal. Patrick and I were freaking out the first time we realized he was holding his breath.

– Motherhood maternity sleeping/nursing bra’s are wonderful.

– Sleep with a soft towel under your chest for the first couple of weeks while your milk adjusts. That way if your milk let’s down while you sleep, you won’t soak your sheets. Towels are a lot easier to change in the middle of the night.

– Don’t set your mind on any one thing. Babies have their own personality, things they like, don’t like etc. Go into mamahood with an open mind and take it all one day at a time. 🙂

Do you have any tips/tricks you want to share? 

Good morning smiles!

Running with mama!

Lunch with Tama (Grandma)!

Love my “B-nut” as daddy calls him. B-Nut is an airplane fluid line fitting.

Yesterday I had my 6 week appointment. Wow. Just 6 weeks ago, Bennett was still inside of me, kicking away, making me pee every 5 minutes due to using my bladder as a bed. Now that he’s out though, pregnancy seems like a completely different lifetime. 6 weeks seems like forever but in reality, it is a very small amount of time.

I had a very good feeling that everything would go well at my appointment so I went to the YMCA and reactivated my gym membership the day before.

1st step. Reactivate membership. 2nd step. Take a trip to Dick’s sporting goods for a new sports bra. Now ladies, we all know that a good sports bra can make or break a workout. I have always been a lover of Under Armour sports bra but dang… they are expensive. I went in knowing that I would be spending around $50 bucks for 1 bra. I don’t even spend that on jeans!

I found an amazing Under Armour sports bra that is designed in a way that I can still nurse Mr. B at the last minute if necessary. It zips in the front so I’m not stuck trying to get something off over my head etc.

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/armour-bra-protege-d-cup/pid1236592-001

^Check it out. I highly recommend it.

Step 3. Actually workout.

I asked Patrick if he would watch Mr. B while I worked out this morning and he agreed. At the last minute I changed my mind and convinced him to go on a run with me on the greenway. It was slightly chilly but since family time is a precious gem in my eyes, I like to do as much as possible together. We all got dressed, packed up and headed out for a small family adventure. I’ve never ran on the greenway before but let me tell you, it is BEAUTIFUL. It was full of runners, bikers, smiles and hello’s. I told Patrick not to laugh at me as this was the first time I was attempting to run in months. I knew I would be slow and probably pretty funny looking.

We started at a brisk walk and then I decided, ok it’s time. I picked up the pace to a slow jog. I’m pretty sure the turtles were going faster than me but at least I was moving. We would walk then jog and slowly but surely, I was able to run a little bit faster and for longer spurts as my body readjusted to the movements.

It felt amazing. I forgot how much I love the feeling I get from running. With the pavement under my shoes, my husband and Bennett beside me, it was absolutely perfect. Today was the first step for me getting back in shape and it felt great.

I ran a half marathon in 2010. It was hard, took time and dedication but the feeling I got when I crossed the finish line is hard to put into words.

13.1 miles back in 2010

First run post pregnancy. 2 mile walk/run.

^The hubby would let me run and then catch up to me at a faster pace

Entering the greenway.

Heading home. I did it. 🙂

Today was just the start. Being in shape took on an entirely different meaning once Bennett came. I want to be in shape so I can enjoy being a mom. I want to run and play with him as he gets older and have the energy to keep up. I’m excited. The past year I grew a human which was amazing. Now I’m excited to get back in shape and see what else my body can do. Maybe a few 5k’s that work up to another half? Who knows. All I know is that you gotta start somewhere.

Motherhood. Ohhhh motherhood. So many things change when you become a mother. You get these crazy super powers where you know what to do in every situation you could possibly imagine.

JUST KIDDING. As your parents probably told you, there is no step by step rule book. No matter how prepared you are, or think you are, you are flying by the seat of your pants half the time. Why is he crying? Oh I don’t know. Hungry? Tired? Trying to poop? He wants the cup of coffee I’m drinking? Sure. Why not.

Last week, I had my mama instinct super powers kick in though. Bennett started to develop the typical baby acne on his face. No worries there…. until it started to morph into what looked like crazy intense acne. 2 days before halloween, Patrick and I started to take concern on what was going on with his skin. It just didn’t look right. We thought maybe it was cradle cap that spread to his face? We cleaned it and applied coconut oil to his face thinking it was probably just intense dry skin. The day before halloween I gave him a bath and it looked like his entire face was about to peel off. I knew something was wrong and I needed to get his doctors appointment moved up. I called at 4:55 and left a message. Thankfully they called back first thing in the morning and we were able to get seen before the weekend set in. With only 45 mins to get myself ready, him fed and make it to the doctors office, I showed up looking like a crazy first time mom freaking out about why his face looked so crazy.

Then Dr. Hughes thanked me for coming in and getting it checked out. She told me the scientific name for what was going on with his skin but this first time mom was right on point with the fact that his skin should NOT look the way it did. Mr. B had gotten a bacteria infection that would have continued to get more severe and spread to more of his body if I would have ignored it. It was a form of a staph infection that can occurs when a baby scratches their face/baby acne and bacteria gets in and under the skin. She said he could have picked it up the bacteria from literally anywhere but now we just have to focus on keeping everything as clean as possible. I was right, it was NOT just baby acne or cradle cap. I’m thankful my mama instincts kicked in and I got him into the doctors office early. I’m thankful for Dr. Hughes who always listens to my concerns and takes so much time to calm my worries. I’m thankful for the medicine they prescribed which has done wonders for his skin. So, unfortunately we have had to put Mr. B in a germ reduced bubble, aka I’ve gotta be the anti germ nazi. While his skin is healing, we have to be super careful with not letting more bacteria enter into the infected areas. Thankfully he woke up today with most of the skin healed and this mama is happy to have her baby back to “normal”.

Realistically this infection was such a small thing. Very easy to treat. I can’t imagine the mama’s who have to deal with much harder circumstances, illness’s, hardships. Hug your babies tight mama’s and be thankful that they are in good health. Not everyone is as fortunate. I pray Patrick and I never have to deal with any serious diseases in Bennett’s life or falling off a moving car like I did when I was 16. I can’t imagine what my mom went through receiving the phone call from my brother who rode in the ambulance with me. Ann’s unconscious, she fell off of the back of a moving car, we called 911 and are on our way to Wakemed. Later on I was told she beat the ambulance to the hospital! It’s those mama instincts! That’s an entirely different story for a different post though.

Anywhos. Always trust your mama instincts. 🙂 Happy Wednesday yall.

First sign that something wasn’t right.

After the bath where it looked like the skin was going to peel off.

After it dried…. it was extremely red.

After starting the medicine

More healing.

More healing… and HEY! First time in the bumbo. Lasted a few minutes before he wanted out. hah

Today- Almost all gone!!