Every new mommy has 2 lists:
The list of things she thought she needed AND the list of things she actually ended up using. And it's every new mommy's responsibility to pass that info along to the next new mommy.
If you're a new mommy, too, then for sure you're busy with your brand new bundle of baby love, so let's skip right to the list of stuff you're actually going to need, k?
Onesies. Lots & lots of onesies. Babies live in these and they grow out of them very quickly.
A Nipple Brush. You've got to clean your bottles but the nipples must be cleaned especially well. Dr. Brown's bottles come with a small wire cleaner especially for nipples.
A Microwave Sterilizer. You've got to sterilize everything before you use it so a sterilizer like the one Avent makes is a great find. You can sterilize bottles, nipples, paci's, etc., right in the microwave. 5 minutes and you're done.
Burp Cloths & Bibs. Babies are messy. 'Nuff said.
Receiving Blankets. At least 2 large ones so you can swaddle your baby. Swaddling saved us many a sleepless night. Lil man has been sleeping through the night since he was 4 weeks old and it's because we only swaddled him at nght. It helped set him up in his bedtime routine. Swaddling = sleepy time.
Enfamil Travel Packs. If you're formula-feeding, these are a life-saver. They come in packs of 20 and are good for 4 oz. bottles.
Diapers.
A Rectal Thermometer. You WILL have a fever scare and you WILL need to have an accurate temperature reading. Rectal thermometers give the most accurate reading.
Baby Tylenol (Acetaminophen). Great for the fever that ensues after baby's first shots.
A Humidifier. Lil man has had a couple of colds and the humidifier is a huge help.
A Baby Swing. The swing was an integral part of our bedtime routine in the beginning. He no longer needs it to go to sleep but it's great for when I have laundry to fold or dinner to make, too.
Carseat/Stroller Combo. Graco makes a great pair. The car seat locks right into the stroller so you can take the baby anywhere right from the start. I don't know about you, but car seats with babies in them are heavy. Because he's still so little, I usually leave the car seat locked into the stroller. All I have to do is strap him in and I'm out the door. And when I have errands to run, I just take the car seat out, put it in the car and fold the stroller up. I don't have to figure out how I'm going to carry the carseat & baby, my purse and whatever shopping bags I've accumulated either. I pop open the stroller, snap lil man's seat in, and throw the bags in the stroller's storage bin. Easy As Pie.
That's the bulk of my list. Baby nail files, saline drops and the bulb aspirators that the hospital give you also deserve an honorable mention.
What did I miss?
Share your must-haves in the comments section.
Thx!
MAK
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
It's That Time Again.
WELCOME ICLW'ers!!
I'm so glad you decided to stop by and check out my blog.
In a nutshell, I'm a thirty-something wife and mommy. I struggled with infertility and fibroids for several years before conceiving my beautiful baby boy,and documented the latter part of that journey in my blog, Ova-EZ. Now that I'm a baby mama, I'm writing about all things mommy here in the 'hood.
Please feel free to go back and read through the posts on my old blog. I'm doing the mommy thing now but I never want to forget the road that brought me to this point, or the lessons I learned along the way. Hopefully something I've written may help someone else feel a little less alone.
And now, since we just met, here are some things you may not know about me:
1. I'm a HUGE Twilight fan. But who isn't?
2. I'm an author. No, the book hasn't been published but I wrote it. So, yes. I AM AN AUTHOR.
3. I'm a huge believer in "Name It & Claim It." (Hence, #2 on this list.)
4. I'm ambidextrous. Not only can I write with both hands, but I can also write backwards.
5. Sometimes I dance when I eat.
6. I studied Latin for 6 years. Yes, LATIN.
7. I have an eidetic (photographic) memory for faces and words, and I can spell like nobody's business.
8. Haiku is one of my favorite forms of poetry.
9. I was dropped on my head as a baby and given my last rites. (Hence #4, 5 & 7? Maybe. It's anybody's guess.)
10. I have 8 brothers & sisters.
That's all I got. That's it. Nothing else.
Now go on. Get out of here. Go check out the other amazing ICLW blogs and make sure to comment!!
xoxo
MAK
I'm so glad you decided to stop by and check out my blog.
In a nutshell, I'm a thirty-something wife and mommy. I struggled with infertility and fibroids for several years before conceiving my beautiful baby boy,and documented the latter part of that journey in my blog, Ova-EZ. Now that I'm a baby mama, I'm writing about all things mommy here in the 'hood.
Please feel free to go back and read through the posts on my old blog. I'm doing the mommy thing now but I never want to forget the road that brought me to this point, or the lessons I learned along the way. Hopefully something I've written may help someone else feel a little less alone.
And now, since we just met, here are some things you may not know about me:
1. I'm a HUGE Twilight fan. But who isn't?
2. I'm an author. No, the book hasn't been published but I wrote it. So, yes. I AM AN AUTHOR.
3. I'm a huge believer in "Name It & Claim It." (Hence, #2 on this list.)
4. I'm ambidextrous. Not only can I write with both hands, but I can also write backwards.
5. Sometimes I dance when I eat.
6. I studied Latin for 6 years. Yes, LATIN.
7. I have an eidetic (photographic) memory for faces and words, and I can spell like nobody's business.
8. Haiku is one of my favorite forms of poetry.
9. I was dropped on my head as a baby and given my last rites. (Hence #4, 5 & 7? Maybe. It's anybody's guess.)
10. I have 8 brothers & sisters.
That's all I got. That's it. Nothing else.
Now go on. Get out of here. Go check out the other amazing ICLW blogs and make sure to comment!!
xoxo
MAK
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Love
In the last 3 months AK has learned to fold his hands, hold his head up, and bat at his toys. He's grabbing things and talking, and even sleeping through the night. And last night during play time he laughed out loud.
(swoon)
He loves to chat with me about his day. He gets just as excited about a poopie diaper as I do, and his favorite thing of all is getting wrapped up in a towel after his bath.
All babies are cute. But I had no idea I would be so utterly captivated by the toothless grin that greets me each day when I push back the hood of the bassinet and say, "Good morning."
He gets so happy when I say "I Love You". He pulls my hand to his chest and raises his head so I'll pick him up. And when I have him in my arms and hug him, he hugs me right back.
He has singlehandedly swept me off my feet.
I. Am. In.
LOVE.
(swoon)
He loves to chat with me about his day. He gets just as excited about a poopie diaper as I do, and his favorite thing of all is getting wrapped up in a towel after his bath.
All babies are cute. But I had no idea I would be so utterly captivated by the toothless grin that greets me each day when I push back the hood of the bassinet and say, "Good morning."
He gets so happy when I say "I Love You". He pulls my hand to his chest and raises his head so I'll pick him up. And when I have him in my arms and hug him, he hugs me right back.
He has singlehandedly swept me off my feet.
I. Am. In.
LOVE.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Are you there, Lord, it's me, MAK...
I know You are.
I came upon a photo I used to surprise hubby with the news I was with child. It was a random photo of a baby I thought was cute. I pulled it off the internet. Just a cute little photo of a child captured as he slumbered.
I created a screensaver for the computer so he'd see it as soon as he sat down at his desk. Nothing extravagant, just a simple "Congrats, you're going to be a daddy!" and the picture.
I surprised him. It was sweet. He loved it.
Unfortunately, not too long afterward, I lost the baby. After so much time and effort, I'd lost our child, and hope, at the same time.
Then, a few short months later, I found out I was pregnant again. No surprise for daddy this time, just a quick fearful tap on his shoulder as I showed him the positive pregnancy test. Fearful because I didn't know what to expect. It was so soon. Would this time be different? We accepted the news and waited, hopeful.
Nine months later we welcomed our little miracle into the world and thanked You for the beautiful blessing you bestowed upon us.
I knew You had answered my prayer for a child. We wanted a baby and You gave us one.
I didn't understand then that You had given me the baby I prayed for.
Just yesterday I was going through all of the photos we've taken of the little guy. I want to use some for a book I'm writing for him. It's a children's book about how he was born, and I needed pictures from my pregnancy too. That picture I used for my husband's surprise was in with some of my pregnancy shots, right next to a photo of my new baby boy.
That's when I knew You answered my prayer.
Not a prayer.
My prayer.
"Baby Boy & Hubby"
"Internet Baby"
Amen.
I came upon a photo I used to surprise hubby with the news I was with child. It was a random photo of a baby I thought was cute. I pulled it off the internet. Just a cute little photo of a child captured as he slumbered.
I created a screensaver for the computer so he'd see it as soon as he sat down at his desk. Nothing extravagant, just a simple "Congrats, you're going to be a daddy!" and the picture.
I surprised him. It was sweet. He loved it.
Unfortunately, not too long afterward, I lost the baby. After so much time and effort, I'd lost our child, and hope, at the same time.
Then, a few short months later, I found out I was pregnant again. No surprise for daddy this time, just a quick fearful tap on his shoulder as I showed him the positive pregnancy test. Fearful because I didn't know what to expect. It was so soon. Would this time be different? We accepted the news and waited, hopeful.
Nine months later we welcomed our little miracle into the world and thanked You for the beautiful blessing you bestowed upon us.
I knew You had answered my prayer for a child. We wanted a baby and You gave us one.
I didn't understand then that You had given me the baby I prayed for.
Just yesterday I was going through all of the photos we've taken of the little guy. I want to use some for a book I'm writing for him. It's a children's book about how he was born, and I needed pictures from my pregnancy too. That picture I used for my husband's surprise was in with some of my pregnancy shots, right next to a photo of my new baby boy.
That's when I knew You answered my prayer.
Not a prayer.
My prayer.
"Baby Boy & Hubby"
"Internet Baby"
Amen.
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