2/27/17

Everything You'll Ever Need for a Newborn

Baby stuff!

There are hundreds of baby guides all over the interwebs. Top 10 Baby Items, Minimalist Baby List, 16 Things New Moms Can't Live Without, the lists go on and on.

When I was first pregnant with Lydia I researched like mad and curated a decent list of must have baby items. Now that I've done the newborn thing once and I'm getting ready to do it again, I've made a few tweaks (taken out things I didn't use that much, added things I wish I would've had from the get-go, etc).

So here it is - my Everything You'll Ever Need for a Newborn list! It seems pretty massive, but it includes everything from baby hangers to crib sheets to nipple pads, so... ya it's long. This has been my go-to checklist every day for both of my pregnancies, though this time I already have most of the basics and I'm just filling in the gaps - i.e. boy clothes ;).

Everything You'll Ever Need for Baby

Clothe

- Onesies
- Leggings
- Pajamas
- Nightgowns 
- Cute Outfits. It's always so funny to me, people say, "Babies just live in onesies and leggings so no need to buy cute clothes!" Babies live in whatever you put them in! So if you want to dress them in adorable little dresses or rompers every day, do it! I loved getting Lydia dressed up, that's part of what made it all so fun. Also, yes they have blow outs and Lydia had more spit up than any baby I know, but that's what bibs and good laundry detergent are for ;). A few brands I love are Target's Cat and Jack line, Old Navy, H&M, Carter's, GAP when they run sales, or Peek and Zara if you're feeling spendy.
- Socks/Booties
- Hats
- Scratch Mittens. Brands matter here! We got some super cheapo ones that wouldn't stay on longer than two seconds. We stepped it up (still just Target, but the nicer brand) and noticed a huge difference.
- Baby Hangers
- Outerwear. This time around I'm due in March! Brrr...
- Bows. For the little ladies of course :)

Travel

- Stroller. I absolutely LOVE my Uppababy Vista. It converts to a double, everything is so user friendly and intuitive, the carseat snaps in and out, but best of all there is a MASSIVE storage basket. Like unparalleled in the stroller universe. For a slightly less expensive version, City Select is awesome, and for the ritzy moms out there, Bugaboo is top of the line.
- Carseat. Uppababy Mesa
- Carseat Cover. I got a striped jersey nursing cover from Covered Goods but actually ended up using it only as a carseat cover! I loved it. Highly recommend (there are also tons of cheaper versions on Amazon) so you're not constantly throwing blankets over the carseat.
- Baby Carrier/Wrap. I used my Solly Baby every single day with Lydia. Doing dishes, vacuuming, especially grocery shopping. But I'm planning on also using an Ergobaby with #2 just because the Solly did take a few minutes to wrap on every time, and I don't know if I'll have that much patience with two kids.
- Diaper Bag. Huge fan of both my original Marc Jacobs nylon diaper bag (see it  here) and my Fawn Design. I can admittedly fit a lot more in the Marc Jacobs and the pockets are bigger/better, but I love the backpack option of the Fawn (and of course the look).

Sleep/Nursery

- Crib
- Crib Mattress
- Mattress Pad
- Crib Sheets (at least 2)
- Auto Rock n Play. From the first night home from the hospital till she was about 2 months old, Lydia slept in the Rock n Play! I highly recommend it. It does just what the name implies - it can rock back and forth and play music if you want, all on a timer (so we would set it to rock for 30 minutes and then turn off once she was asleep). It's slightly elevated at the head, which was great for Lydia's reflux, and it was small enough to fit right next to our bed.
- White Noise Machine. We still use one to this day and we've never had to worry about doorbells, talking too loud, etc.
- Baby Monitor. There are SO many trains of thought on this. Michael and I didn't want to commit to a $200 monitor but also liked the idea of being able to see what Lydia was doing in the middle of the night without totally waking her up and walking in her room. So we took the easy option and downloaded a $3 app onto both our phones and an old iPhone! Yes, the quality definitely isn't as good as the fancy Motorola video cam, but for the price of a Swig drink I think it's totally worth it if you're indecisive like us! We used it a lot when we first switched Lydia from our room to her crib, around 2 or 3 months old. It was so nice to just turn on the video when we heard her cry so we didn't have to go in the room to check on her. We haven't since she was about 8 months old, but I need to whip it out again for Baby Boy!
- Rocking Chair
- Swaddle Blankets. Aden & Anais forever and always amen. Bonus points if you get the silky soft bamboo ones.
- Baby Swaddler. We swore by the Miracle Blanket! There's no velcro, just lots of wrapping to make sure baby is snug as a bug and can't get out.

Play

- High Contrast Simple Books. Especially anything crinkly.
- Baby Toys. Think soft, music, mirrors, crinkle, animals.
- Swing. Again, lots of differing opinions on this one. We initially registered for a Mama Roo, but then last minute took the money and got three separate swings/bouncers for the same price! We loved the SnuggaPuppy swing for the basement, the Auto Rock n Play for upstairs by our bed, and a little bouncer chair for upstairs that we could move anywhere - by the kitchen table during dinner, in the bathroom while I did my makeup, etc. If you have two levels I definitely recommend having at least one swing/bouncer/chair upstairs and one down. You will not want to haul something back and forth.
- Play Mat
- Bumbo, eventually.

Clean

- Diapers
- Wipes. I really like the Pampers Sensitive. I've tried many brands and always go back to these.
- Diaper Pail and Liners. I didn't buy a real diaper pail last time and I regretted it! The normal garbage can with a lid didn't keep the smells in, so I had to take every diaper outside. Such a hassle! So I just bought a Munchkin Step diaper pail and I love it! It's SO nice to be able to just throw the diaper right in the pail instead of holding a baby while shoving diapers in grocery bags and running it outside. Ha.
- Changing Table/Dresser
- Changing Pad
- Changing Pad Cover. I'm torn. We started with a cute fabric one, but after way too much stain-removing we switched to a plastic wipe up cover. But it was always so cold on Lydia's back! So I just bought a fabric once again, and we'll see how long that lasts with a newborn BOY who apparently will pee everywhere...
- Rash Cream. Bordeaux Butt Paste is awesome.
- Baby Wash/Lotion. We love Burt's Bees, and one bottle of wash and one bottle of lotion lasted us almost an entire year.
- Baby Bath Tub. The Puj Tub is awesome!! It fits right in your bathroom sink and you don't have to worry about bending over the tub to wash a wriggly newborn.
- Baby Hair Brush
- Wash Cloths
- Baby Towel. Though I'll admit we only used it for a few months before just realizing that babies are allowed to use normal human towels? ;) Haha.
- Baby Laundry Detergent
- Stain Remover. You will pretty much have a permanent pile of soaking baby clothes, so get a little plastic bin (or pro tip - steal the hospital's baby tub!) so you can always whip it out to soak and spray clothes. We still use the hideous yellow hospital tub almost daily for Lydia's stained clothes.
- Zip Locks. Keep a gallon sized zip lock in your diaper bag or car for dirty clothes when you're out and about! These really came in handy when she was little and had occasional blow outs, and I was recently reminded they'll come in handy again once we enter the potty training stage!

Health

- Baby Nail Clippers
- Baby Thermometer. Spend the extra $$ and get a good one. When it's 1am and your baby is sick you won't want to be running to Walmart because your thermometer keeps giving you vastly different numbers. (Been there.)
- Baby Sunscreen
- Baby Tylenol
- Snot Sucker. The Nosa Frida is pretty disgusting but the best.

Quiet

- Pacifiers
- Binky Clips. CRUCIAL. I don't know how parents survive without these those first few months. You would just be bending over a million times a day?! There are so many cute ones on etsy, just search leather braided pacifier clips.
- Wubbanub Binkies. These are the adorable hospital binkies with the animals on the end! They are great when your baby still accidentally spits out the pacifier all the time. The animals weighs it down and keeps the nipple close to their mouth so they can reach it!
- Teething Toys. Sofie the Giraffe is indeed worth the hype. Also those rings you can throw in the freezer are great.

Feed
I cannot tell you how many dressing rooms and parking lots I've nursed in.

- Bottles. We used Tommee Tippee for a while but then switched to the $0.98 skinny Walmart ones since she could hold them herself!
- Nursing Pillow. The boppy worked great for us, and doubles as portable crib during the day for your tiny newborn.
- Nipple Guard. In case nursing doesn't come super easy, this little plastic thing is a life saver!!
- Breast Pump. Get a free one from your insurance. I loved the Medela double pump machine one.
- Pumping Bra. So it looks absolutely ridiculous but it is amazing. You can pump hands free!
- Milk Storage Containers
- Burp Cloths
- Nursing Cover. I initially had the cute fitted jersey one from Covered Goods, but actually found that the very un-cute apron ones worked way better for us. I could see Lydia through the top hoop and she didn't feel so smothered.
- Bottle Brush and Drying Rack
- Formula. I nursed and pumped for 5 months but then lost my milk and we had to use Similac Sensitive because of Lydia's crazy reflux.
- Bibs. Babies drool and spit all the time. So it was a constant struggle between do I want to cover this adorable outfit with a hideous bib or do I let her adorable outfit get covered in spit. Hmm. Still don't know the right answer on this one.

Mama

- Nipple Cream. Ohhhh you will need it.
- Nursing Bras. Still haven't found a favorite, though I've heard good things about splurging and getting a nice Soma or Cake nursing bra!
- Nursing Pads. And not a bad idea to have these on hand a few weeks before your due date. Just in case your body is like mine and decides to start leaking while you're STILL PREGNANT. Talk about awkward.
- Baby App. I downloaded a baby feeding/sleeping app that was pretty much my bible for the first few weeks. When you're first getting the hang of nursing and baby's schedule, you think you'll remember how long they ate for, which side they ate on, how long they slept, etc. But you totally won't. You're exhausted. It was SOOO HELPFUL to find an intuitive app that tracked all of that. After a few weeks I didn't need it anymore, but at the beginning I loved it.
- Stool Softener and All Those Fancy Down-There Necessities. Recovery is brutal. But the hospital will give you lots of stuff to take home - take it all and ask for extra! Things like witch hazel, squirt bottles and huge pads all become your BFFs. People like to hate on the stretchy mesh granny panties the hospital gives you, but I say why ruin your own underwear? Embrace the mesh. I also HIGHLY recommend this Earth Mama Bottom Spray (here) - it helped a ton.
- Robe/Lounge Clothes. Pinterest says to bring cute pjs to the hospital, but honestly I just stayed in hospital gowns till I left. I mean everyone knows you're in the hospital and just had a baby, you're not fooling anyone with that glamorous silky robe. That being said, I did like having some cute, functional nursing dresses/pjs that were visitor-appropriate for once I was home. You're in the awkward body phase for a few weeks (aka your painfully engorged chest is bigger than your head and your flappy tummy is super hot). So it's nice having comfy but photo-worthy clothes since life will be a blur of nursing/napping/getting spit up on/greeting visitors.
- Baby Book. Purchasing a beautiful and thorough baby book before Lydia was born was one of the best things I did! I scoured etsy and found an awesome binder-style baby book with sheets for pregnancy, labor & delivery, footprints, milestones, monthly pages, holidays, etc. It was nice to have it before hand so I could fill out all the pregnancy pages and then once she came it was pretty easy to keep up with writing at least once a month. I set aside time the first Sunday of every month to update her baby book and then would go to Costco or Walgreens and print out pictures from that month. The etsy store where I bought Lydia's book isn't around anymore, but I just bought this one for Baby Boy. Not quite as thorough as Lydia's but still good!


So there's the humongous list! Props to you if you're still reading! ;) I know when I was a first time mom I spent many hours researching and comparing lists like these, so I thought I'd add my two cents to the mix to help any stressed out mamas!

I'm excited to do some additional baby posts on things like packing a hospital bag, pumping, and sleep training! I hate to label it as "advice" because every baby and mom is so different, but I'll share what worked for us.

What baby items do you swear by? Anything I should be adding to my list for Baby #2?

2/23/17

Bumpdate: Week 38

9 MORE DAYS PEOPLE. And the countdown is on! I'm starting to label everything in my calendar "the last". Last Grocery Trip - next Saturday morning. Last Load of Laundry - next Friday. Last Trip to the Zoo - whenever it's sunny next week. Last Full Night's Sleep - next Friday night!!! 

I'm even tempted to lay out 9 maternity outfits and then bring back in all my old clothes. My closet is currently overrun by huge tee shirts and leggings and lots of black and things I'm just generally sick of. 

So here we are! The Very Last Bumpdate of this pregnancy! We cannot wait to meet you little one :).

How far along: 38 weeks! I seriously can't believe I only have one more full week. This pregnancy flew. I attribute that partly to being pregnant over the holidays so there were always fun events to look forward to, and partly to chasing Lydia around all day so I couldn't just research and plan and hyper-analyze like I did with her!

Fruit size: Spaghetti squash. 

Weight gain: 28 pounds.

Maternity clothes: I am SO ready to be out of stretchy pants land! I've purchased a cute striped pajama set and I've held off on wearing my Dwell & Slumber dresses, so I have at least a couple things I know will fit and I can look forward to after birth! Those in between weeks can be rough mentally because your body is so out of whack and blubbery. With Lydia I actually lost the baby weight pretty quickly though, I don't know if it's because of nursing or just because she was a small baby or what. But I don't foresee that happening with this one ;). My belly is a lot bigger and with two kids I have no idea how I'll find time to exercise. So... we'll see! Ha.

Sleep: As good as it can be at 9 months pregnant? I've been trying to go to bed earlier to let my body sleep as much as possible before I'm a zombie for the next 6 weeks. 

Symptoms: Lots! Oh man, where to start. Well for one thing I always think my water's breaking, so that's fun. I must just be constantly peeing a little? And there's all sorts of wonderful discharge going on, which I've been told is normal, but I'm still always second guessing. Lots of contractions, some painful, some not, nothing regular though. Lots of uncomfortableness in general! Way more than I remember with Lydia. Back pain, pinched nerves, heartburn, running to the bathroom to pee every 10 minutes - all the good stuff!

Food cravings: Nothing special! I'm alwaysalwaysalways thirsty though (like even more than normal) so I sip away at ice cold water. 

Food aversions: No, thank goodness.

Gender: Baby Boy is still nameless! We really like Cannon, Clark, Henrik, Crew, Noah, Beau, Jack, Graham - basically we're all over the map.

Bump: Michael finally saw my belly move for the first time last night! He's of course been feeling kicks for months, but yesterday we were just laying down reading and all of a sudden he freaked out - "Holy cow - was that your BELLY MOVING?" Haha yes babe, it moves all the time. And then he was so stoked to talk to Baby Boy and tell him how excited we are to meet him. Cute moment :).

Thoughts: Home stretch!!! Some days I'm like, let's do this!, and others I think I still need 2 more months to mentally prepare (and sleep). I don't think I'm totally "ready" but I don't know if you ever really are. What's worrying me most isn't the thought of having a newborn, it's Lydia. I'm so nervous to be outnumbered! Right now if Lydia freaks out in the store I can literally just pick her up and leave. How the heck do I pick her up if I'm carrying a carseat?! How will I ever get out of the house? How will Lydia handle a sibling? How will I shower without her trying to feed the baby veggie straws or pick him up? How will I love him as much as I love Lydia? How will I sleep?? SLEEP IS STRESSING ME. Lydia has been doing great in her toddler bed for nights and naps the past two months, though she's never taken long naps (just an hour or so). But the past week she has refused to nap! She'll just play/cry/bang on the door for an hour! Which means I can't nap :(. So I have no clue what's going to happen. Hopefully she snaps out of this quickly?! Or else my caffeine intake is going to greatly increase the next few months. 

But all in all we are just so grateful for this healthy little baby. We check in Saturday, March 4th at 8pm. Lydia's birth was crazy but all turned out awesome (see here), so I'm excited to see how this one compares! Wish us luck!! :)

Dress: Forever21 (old) 
Cardigan: Madewell (old) 
Shoes: J.Crew
Lydia's Dress: Nordstrom
Lydia's Tights: Target
Lydia's Boots: H&M
Lydia's Bow: c/o LoveA&H - find them  here.

2/22/17

What the Heck I've Been Wearing These Days

I'm at the point where getting dressed is this huge (get it) battle every morning. Outfits either make me look massive or massive-er, and even some of my maternity jeans don't work anymore. The bands don't cover the entire bump and by 11am I'm scrunching them down to my hips to relieve the pressure. So glamorous ya??

So more as a way to look back and remember what I looked like/wore as a pregnant millenial I've diligently taken a selfie every time I remembered the past two-ish weeks.

The band on these pants is actually stretchy enough to not suffocate me. And you can't really tell but they are grey velvet jeans. Impractical? Definitely. My mom spoiled me with a couple nice pairs of AG maternity jeans and these were one of them. 

More typically, you'll find me in H&M maternity leggings and anything that semi-covers my tush. Though I'm ditching all codes of privacy these days, so no guarantees that my shirts are truly long enough.

Ya this shirt probably isn't up to length-code standards. Oops. 

Ew. These 4-year-old Robin Hood boots need to die. But the only leggings that were clean hit me mid calf, so it necessitated terribly high shoes. 

My polygamist outfit! I've actually been living in this Free People cardigan. It is SO comfy and the perfect toffee color. Totally works with leggings, skirts, dresses, you name it.

Here she is again! Bless you, cozy cardigan. This skirt made me look extra basketball-y and welcomed lots of pitying looks at church. But hey, I was comfy and actually felt pretty good about my tan legs (I've been slathering on tanning lotion religiously the last week). So I'll take my wins where I can ;).

On a side note, I'm getting my hair done next week - ahem the day before this baby is due so he better keep cooking! - and can't decide if I should stay with this darker blonde or go a little brighter! I'm feelin a little blah lately, no surprise there, I guess an extra 30 pounds will do that to you ;). But I'm thinking my hair needs a little spark? We'll see what I end up doing. 10 DAYS!!!!!

Valentine Photo Dump

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! 

The boys of course had school (and Michael actually had his practice board exam), so Libby threw the cutest party complete with heart shaped food and a Valentine exchange! 

Why frost the cookie if you can just eat the frosting? #SOmychild 

Libby and Owen! His little laugh kills me! 

Look at all these Valentine cuties. 

Jane was wowing everyone with her bubble blowing expertise ;).

After her nap Lydia woke up to the best present of all - Daddy! He came home early to spend a few afternoon hours with us! And even though all I bought for Lydia was a cheap-o golf set, she ended up receiving lots of fun surprises from thoughtful grandparents and great grandparents - thanks fam for making this girl feel so special! Especially because we can't really afford to ;). Haha. One day!

Our little lefty kicker! Although she eats and draws right handed, she ONLY kicks balls with her left foot. And I thought she looked pretty legit in this action shot!

Also don't mind my huge self just taking over the planet. 9 months preggo and FEELIN IT. Also at this point I hate putting on shoes. Or pants. Or clothes in general. Don't come over after 8pm or I'll probably be naked. 

We walked down the street to the what we lovingly refer to as the Dirty Store! This fantastic ghetto gas station up the road has (shockingly) the best frozen yogurt, and for like $1! So basically if you're ever at my house in the spring/summer I'll probably convince you to walk to the Dirty Store with me.

So after a fun morning partying and a great afternoon with Daddy, Lydia and I hung out at home while Michael studied. She crashed early (no surprise there - sugar high), and then I started grilling flank steak at 8pm in the pitch dark! Haha. I'd never made steak before but it sounded romantic, and it actually turned out pretty good! 

So this was our 8:45pm love dinner of flank steak with a yummy chimichurri sauce, asparagus and bread. And I am now a huge advocate of late night dinners because NO KIDS. It was so nice to just enjoy a meal in peace and talk to each other for a solid 30 minutes. This needs to happen more! 

Dress: Anthropologie (old) 
Coat: J.Crew
Shoes: New Balance
Lydia's shirt: Gap
Lydia's leggings: Targets
Lydia's bow: gifted from Grammy!

2/3/17

Current Wish List

This whole pregnancy thing has been great in some regards and not so great in others. For instance, my booty is a lot more, um, spacious. (Or as Michael said last night, "it just takes up more surface area now" ???!?! Didn't know whether to slap him or laugh at that one - LOL.) But on the plus side, the temptation to shop has been at like a zero for the past 9 months! Because it's no fun to try on clothes when nothing fits quite right and there's extra junk in all sorts of trunks and you just wanna be back in skinny jeans again. So! I have created an imaginary (because: poor) wish list for all the clothes I want postpartum. Hint hint Michael if you are reading this, any of these would make awesome push presents ;). 


1. Madewell split neck tee here. Their tops always fall just right. And I love the longer sleeve and deeper cut of this olive one, or the stripe version here.

2. Made by Mary initial charm necklace here. When Lydia was born Michael got me this necklace with an L on it and I literally haven't taken it off since. It's still in perfect condition! So I want to add Baby Boy's letter of course. (If someone knows what letter that should be please fill me in!! Boy names are hard.)

3. Anthro jumpsuit here. I love me a good one-and-done outfit, and this one is nursing friendly too!

4. Free People ruffle tee here. I'm of course praying for miracles, but chances are I will not have a six pack by April. So the flowy cut of this one seems perfect for those in between weeks (months...).

5. Madewell roadtripper jeans here. It's no secret that my sisters and I are all obsessed with Madewell jeans. They always look FANTASTIC. So I think this new stretchier, lighter, softer pair would be a postpartum dream come true.

6. Roolee denim jumpsuit here. Again, jumpsuits are such an easy way to look put together.

7. Roolee moto leggings here. The color of these is so different and cute! And if I haven't said it enough yet I'm clearly all about comfort.

8. Zella high waisted leggings here. I love my Zella leggings since they're thicker and more sucky-inny than regular cheap cotton ones. But they hit right at my hips and gave me some yummy muffin tops right after I had Lydia. I really want to try this high waisted version!! All the reviews look awesome and it'd be nice to have something suck in my tummy after this guy comes.

9. and 10. J.Crew taffeta skirt here matching top here. This is one of those totally impractical but totally awesome dream outfits. All the heart eyes for neon pink buffalo check.

11. Piper & Scoot drawstring skirt here. I love easy skirts! Especially in the summer heat. Tuck in a loose striped tee and bam! Done.

12. J.Crew pom pom flats here. HOW FUN. I'm a flats girl through and through. They make any outfit instantly look classier. Also in love with this incredible blue color here.

13. Target playful sandals here. As much as I love the look of strappy lace up sandals in summer, when it comes right to it I just want to throw on easy slides and go. Last year I lived in gold slides, the year before I lived in my birkenstocks, and these funky ones would still be a breeze to slip on (I know, lazy) and they'd make any outfit instantly cooler!


Here's to dreaming of warmer weather and having a baby in my arms, not my uterus! Or as Lydia thinks, my belly button. 


Blog design by Get Polished | Copyright 2016