do wrong to none.

It is absolutely true that you don’t really need much for a baby aside from diapers, clothing, and a car seat but here are a few products that have been so great.. and it’s actually changed quite a bit since the first month list.

Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover. This is my mommy must have for on the go breastfeeding.  I’m honestly one of those people that would feed my baby anywhere and not care but I like to be considerate of weirdos that find it offensive. 

Fisherprice Animal Krackers Jumperoo.  Peyton still enjoys her play mat quite a bit but she really wants to be upright these days.  She’s really getting a lot of use out of this.  When we first started using it she had to have a couple big books under her feet to make it jump but now her little feet reach the floor and she LOVES making it bounce.  It’s funny to not only watch her but to listen to her little squeals of delight when she’s in it and playing with all the toys.  (These are expensive so I’d recommend borrowing or buying used. We had taken some duplicate baby shower items back and bought this.) 

Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker.  This has taken the place of the rock n play sleeper.  It’s light enough to pick up and carry around the house. She didn’t like this at all the first month but we tried again a little after 2 months and she loves it. I put her in this when I cook, shower, or am cleaning or doing laundry.

Sophie.  No words to describe how much we love Sophie, she is awesome.  Well worth every penny you spend on her (but hopefully you get her as a gift, like we did).  Hands down one of the best toys!

Ring Links. Such a simple toy. She likes to grab the rings, move them from one hand to another, and (of course) put them in her mouth.  They are easy to throw in the diaper bag or put on the carseat.

Carseat toys. I just pull the handle up and make sure the toys are in her view and she is set to go.

Mirror.  It’s so adorable to watch her look in the mirror.  She smiles and coos at that cute baby.. little does she know, it’s herself.

Trumpette socks. A must. This is definitely not something I would have spent my money on before knowing how great they are.  My sister bought her over a dozen pairs of these.. not only are they adorable with lots of cute designs but they fit perfect and stay on!! She kicks so much so these are perfect.

Video Monitor.  I’d definitely register for a video monitor, it’s wonderful.  It is so much more calming to look at your baby and see exactly what they are doing rather than just listening.  Also, she likes to wake up but then go right back to sleep so it’s nice to peak in on her for awhile before going in there to get her. We have two cameras, one in her nursery and one in our room when she takes naps.

Canon Rebel T4i.  It is soo worth it!  Wyatt and I both knew we wanted to buy a nice camera before having a baby to capture everything and save on hiring a photographer. No one thought it was a good idea for us to spend so much on a camera, until they saw what amazing pictures it took. Now everyone is asking Wyatt to take pictures and my sister and both of my sister-in-laws went and bought the same camera. 

A few helpful tips/advice:

I pack my diaper bag for every situation that could come up but I never carry it anymore.  I throw a couple diapers, wipes, and Sophie in my purse and leave the diaper bag in the car, in case it’s needed.

Again, stock up on diapers while you’re pregnant!  Read about what I did on my other post.  We still haven’t had to buy any diapers or wipes and won’t for a LONG time.

Don’t be in denial about your babies age or size in clothes.  Peyton had a lot of outfits that I thought looked huge and were a bigger size than what she was wearing at the time but I tried them on her and they were a perfect fit.. some were close to being too small.

Stuff we no longer use from the first month:

Fisher Price Rock n’ Play Sleeper.  I’m actually sad she no longer likes this but we still got lots of use out of it.  She just likes to be more upright now and prefers to take naps in bed.

Swaddle Blankets

Stuff we still love from the first month:

Boppy. 

Skip Hop Studio Diaper Bag. 

Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump. 

Munchkin Disposable Changing Pad Cover.  

Play Mat. 

Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30. 

Little Noses Saline Nose Spray. 

Flatfold Cloth Diapers as Burp Cloths.

Pampers Swaddlers and Luvs.  Pampers Sensitive Wipes. 

Onesies. Lots of them. 

Day 6 - lunchtime. I pumped today and went to yard sales while Peyton hung out with dad.

Needed this.

Fisher Price Rock n’ Play Sleeper.  It’s basically a portable bassinet with an incline. It’s folds in half so it’s easy to move from one room to the other while I get stuff done around the house. 

Boppy. You will use this all the time, so handy.

Skip Hop Studio Diaper Bag. Perfect size for everything, I also use it as my purse so I don’t have to carry 2 bags.

Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump. Inexpensive and awesome for a quick bottle, engorgement, travel, or even all the time.  I don’t even use my electric pump anymore, I love this one. Also, your insurance will usually reimburse the cost of a manual pump.

Munchkin Disposable Changing Pad Cover.  These are great to put over your changing pad so you don’t have to wash your cover so much, to put in the car for quick changes, to have in your diaper bag to use on the floor or in those store changing stations, to use in place of a mattress protector.. they’re all around useful!

Swaddle Blankets. We love the ones we got from the hospital.

Play Mat. Peyton already loves this activity mat with the flashing lights and the toys hanging down.. she really loves the little mirror right now.. perfect for tummy time.

Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30. I love this carseat and stroller so much.

Little Noses Saline Nose Spray. Buy generic. Helpful with a stuffy nose and when using the nose aspirator. Our pediatrician said it’s also a need, when they get sick, to make sure you’re suctioning all that mucus out.

Flatfold Cloth Diapers as Burp Cloths - great for spit up and all around baby messes and make great house cleaning rags, as well. 

My favorite diapers - Pampers Swaddlers and Luvs. They’re both great at preventing leaks, we had so many blowouts with Huggies. Pampers Sensitive Wipes. Very soft and durable. Tip: clip or print coupons, I would buy a pack of diapers and a pack of wipes a week, while I was pregnant, and never paid full price. I never paid more than .97 for wipes, We now have a huge supply of diapers and wipes.  It doesn’t matter the size or brand because you can always exchange for another brand/size once baby gets here, especially at stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

Onesies. Lots of them. A tip: borrow or buy used!! I bought Peyton TONS of newborn-9 month clothes, while I was pregnant, at yard sales or craigslist for less than $100 and they were all either brand new or worn maybe once. Plus all the stuff she received at our showers. Babies grow so fast and it’s so much more cost efficient to just buy a few brand new adorable outfits. Good tip for big ticket items also, such as swings, pack n play, etc.. the stuff we didn’t get at our shower, we’ve borrowed or bought used. We found a swing for $10 that just needed a wipe down with some lysol wipes and the cushions washed.

Other random must haves:

lanolin, bottles, drying rack, thermometer, nose aspirator, nail clippers, baby wash/shampoo, video monitor

Things I didn’t need/want:

clothes that go over baby’s head, baby shoes, receiving blankets, a baby bathtub, diaper pail - diapers are going to smell anyway, wipe warmer / bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer - dishwasher works fine

We’ve been terrible about having a nighttime routine or anything to getting Peyton to sleep or at all for that matter. In fact, we’ve done everything “the books” tell you not to do.. nursing, patting, and rocking her to sleep, letting her sleep in our bed at times. So tonight, we’ve decided, that since she’ll be 6 weeks soon, that we’ll actually try to start a daytime and nighttime routine or at least some sort of schedule. Daytime - waking up around the same time everyday, feeding every 2-3 hours but still somewhat on demand, put to sleep after at least an hour awake/play time.
Nighttime - bath (not every night), sleep clothes, nurse, diaper, soothe and bed. If she wakes up and not hungry, try to let her soothe herself for 2-3 minutes then if she’s still crying go calm her and then back to bed.
Here’s to hoping we can stick with it.. I’m sure there will be times we still break the rules.

Due to Arrive February 22, 2013.

I’m going to be a mom! Words couldn’t describe my joy. All I can say is that I am so grateful and excited about this little blessing and the opportunity to share this incredible journey with Wyatt. Life is truly amazing.

photo by Cassy Pack Photography

I haven’t posted anything in awhile, mainly because we still don’t have internet at our new house. But for some good news, we have decided to go ahead and officially start TTC. I am too excited. And it was Wyatt’s idea to start a little early which makes me even more excited. Every time I see anything baby related, my heart does a happy dance!

We’re not sharing this with too many (for the 2 people on here that know me in real life) but I needed to share with someone! I’m 3 days away from testing, I don’t feel like this is our month but we’ll see.