Monday, December 16, 2013

3 Month Must Haves

1. Motorola Video Baby Monitor. Once you begin having your little one sleep in their own room this becomes a must have. We are so grateful that we received this as a baby shower gift. We love the super clear video that this monitor features. It even works good in a dark room. It's reassuring and fun to watch!

2. Fisher-Price My Little SnugaBunny Cradle 'n Swing. We set the swing up when Akayla was first born. Surprisingly she almost always cried when we put her in it. I'm glad we didn't give up on it though because once she hit about 2 months old she absolutely loved it! She would nap in the swing and could literally sit in it, content as can be, for over an hour. Again this was another shower gift we were thankful to have received. It truly provided tons of entertainment and still does!

3. Smart Noggin' Rattle. I stumbled upon this rattle at my favorite toy store in San Diego. It's been ranked a top toy and I can see why. This rattle has it all...perfect size for an infant, fun colors, textures and shapes and...the best part...it has a mirror on one end and lights on the other. This was the first rattle Akayla held.

4. Burt's Bees Baby Bee Multipurpose Ointment. This has become my favorite Burt Bee's product. I use this as a daily ointment after diaper changes and on other dry skin spots. The ingredients are 100% natural and includes coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter. It also has a great, light scent. I totally recommend this product!

5. Infantino Baby Girl Animals - Twist & Fold Gym. This play mat has provided Akayla with hours of entertainment. We swap out the toys and move the mirror around and our sweet baby girl just can't get enough of it. She loves tummy time on this mat and began rolling over on it. Another plus is that it folds up and is super light weight...which makes it great for travel.

6. Night Light. Regardless of what kind you get, a nightlight is a must have when you have an infant.

7. Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer. We started using this when Akayla was a newborn and still use it to this day. As a newborn she would take naps in this and it now provides a safe, secure place for her to sit and watch as I get ready for work. It is battery operated but the batteries have lasted a surprisingly long time. She love the seat vibrations and mobile.

What were your baby must haves? Any special recommendations for the 4-6 month age range?

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Thursday, December 12, 2013

4 Months...

Here is our sweet little Akayla at 4 months old...

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Saturday, November 16, 2013

Akayla's First Halloween

We had such a fun time celebrating Halloween this year. I think I lost some of the thrill for Halloween when I was about 12 or 13 years old but I can honestly say that Akayla has given me a new found excitement to celebrate holidays. Even though we didn't take Akayla trick or treating, I did want to dress her up so she could help me give out candy.

We dressed up as...drum roll please...late 80's/early 90's workout/aerobic gals.

We had a great, and memorable, first Halloween with Akayla.

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Thursday, November 14, 2013

3 months...

I can't believe how fast the past month went...Akayla is already 3 and a half months old. Here is her three month picture and a few tidbits...


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Thursday, October 31, 2013

An Extra Day of Halloween Fun...

Well...I can't believe it...we get an extra day of Halloween. Yes, here in the Indianapolis 'burbs and surrounding areas, trick or treating will happen on November 1st! A late fall storm has caused a ton of rain and wind and, because of this, they are postponing trick or treating.

While driving to the store today I thought to myself...gosh if Akayla was of age to trick or treat I think I would somehow convince her to stay at home and help pass out candy. In return for forfeiting her night of treats, I would promise her all of the leftover candy that didn't get used (which...on a rainy night...I would have to assume not many kids would be out...so this could result in a boatload of candy!). Do you think she would go for it?? The thought of trick or treating in the rain would really be no fun, would it??

Little did I know at that time, they had already postponed trick or treating in most communities in our area because of the weather. I had no idea they would do such a thing. I definitely think it's best but what do the children think?? Can they stand to wait another day to get their candy fix?? Having grown up in Michigan I am no stranger to bad weather, in fact, I can even remember years when it snowed on Halloween. I honestly can't remember if trick or treating was ever postponed though.

Nevertheless we will enjoy our extra day of Halloween here...

Tomorrow we will be dressed in costume and ready to greet the neighborhood kids. Happy Halloween!

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Monday, October 28, 2013

Breastfeeding Must Haves...

Well...today Akayla is officially three months old! It's crazy how fast the time goes and to see how quickly she is growing. I hope to have her three month picture up this week. We are dealing with our first cold here today...and I use the word cold loosely. I'm not sure what's going on with this little one. When she woke up for her mid-night feeding she began choking and gagging on what seemed to be a post-nasal drip (I too felt the onset of a cold...yuck!) Nevertheless it was an interesting night and morning. As I was getting her dressed she began projectile vomiting. Scary!! I sit here now waiting for the doctor's office to call me back. Thankfully Akayla doesn't have a fever and is now peacefully napping. I decided to finish this post I started two weeks ago on breastfeeding to keep me occupied while I anxiously wait for the phone to ring (Doctor's office doesn't seem to have the urgency I do!).

Since I am a little behind on my posts this month...and since her second month must haves are about the same as the first month, I thought I would do a post on Breastfeeding Must Haves instead.

Breastfeeding Must Haves

1. My Breast Friend Breastfeeding Pillow. I honestly had never heard of this product until it was recommended to me by a few friends when I created my registry. It's similar to the Boppy Pillow, which I also have and use on a regular basis, but is much better for nursing because it is "wearable" and has a velcro strap so you can position the pillow at the perfect height.

2. Breast Milk Storage Bags. If you plan to breastfeed you must get a breast pump. More on that below (#6). These plastic storage bags seem to be the easiest and most convenient way to store milk. I have used the Lansinoh brand and the generic Target brand. They seem to work equally as well so I recommend whatever you can get cheapest. They work in both the refrigerator and freezer. Since I haven't used these bags to actually transport the milk (ie. to daycare), I can't comment on how well they hold up for that yet.

3. Nursing Bras. I was hesitant to buy nursing bras. I really didn't want to spend any more money on pregnancy related clothes. After a trip to Target though before I delivered, I decided to buy two nursing bras. One was this awesome (and super cute!) Gilligan & O'Malley nursing bra. I quickly found that I was going to want, and need, to wear nursing bras on a regular basis. They are so much easier to use then a regular bra when trying to nurse, especially in public. When I first got home from the hospital I wore robes around the house A LOT. It was comfy and, most importantly, made for easy access to breastfeed. But as soon as I wanted to start getting out of the house, and having guests over, I found I needed clothes and bras that would make breastfeeding easier. I went back to Target and bought two more of these bras in different colors because they were so comfortable and reasonably priced.

4. Nursing Cover. In the past I would always see nursing mother's using a blanket for privacy. I always thought that was weird. Thankfully I learned that they make these adorable nursing covers now. Definitely a must have.

5. Button Up Shirts. Similar to #3 above, I really didn't want to spend any more money on pregnancy related clothes but I quickly learned that the "right clothes" can make your nursing experience so much easier. I have bought a number of new non-maternity button up shirts. I figure I will get a lot of use out of them now but can continue to wear them even when I'm done breastfeeding. I also needed some flowy shirts after giving birth to disguise my stomach area. Thankfully there are some really cute button up shirts out there right now and many (denim and plaid) that are really in style.

6. Electric Breast Pump. This, along with everything on my list, are items I feel are must haves. Have woman gotten by without a lot of these items in the past? Yes, I'm sure they have. But I wanted to put together a list of things that can make breastfeeding easier. Things that I was happy to have. A breast pump is one of those things. Best part, most insurance companies cover the cost of the breast pump now. Call your insurance company before you finalize your gift registry (and before you deliver). If they will cover it then you don't need to register for it. My insurance company wouldn't issue it until I delivered and it required me to purchase it through a medical device store/supplier. I didn't get to choose the brand. I was given the Hygeria Q and so far it has been working well. I honestly haven't had to use it regularly yet but will once I get ready to go back to work.

7. Nursing pads. Where do I even start? This is another product that I had heard I would need but I had no idea how much I was actually going to need these and how important finding the right ones can be. Boy was I naive! I started with the Lansinoh disposable pads, which came as a recommendation from a fellow blogger, and I can honestly say I hated them. They were so uncomfortable and made me even more sore. Next I tried the Nuk brand pads that were re-usable. Those were hardly any better. They were so stiff and scratchy. Next I tried Organic Cotton re-usable/washable pads that my mother in law helped me find at Babies R Us. I loved them! They were super soft. I liked them so much I bought two more packs. My only problem with these is that, on a few occasions, they haven't held up and I have leaked through them. Talk about embarrassing! So, while I still use the Organic Cotton pads everyday, I started doing a little online research and read a lot of positive reviews about the Bamboobies brand pads. I decided to order a pair from Amazon. They have worked well and so far prove to be "leak proof" and soft. They, unfortunately, are expensive though so I probably won't be ordering too many more. I will continue to use the Bamboobies and Organic Cotton nursing pads. Another key I learned, and would pass along to other first time mom's, is to make sure you change the pads out regularly. Often times you won't even know you leaked but if you let the pad dry, after being wet, it gets stiff and can cause some serious discomfort. Sorry, probably TMI...but I wish someone had told me this before I had to learn the hard way.

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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

2 Months...

Here is Akayla's two month picture and fun tidbits.


**Her weight and height were from her appointment on September 20th. The picture was taken a few days late because of our move.

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