So things haven't gone exactly as planned...

I know my last post I announced I was pregnant, that was quite a while ago! My pregnancy went rather well, or so I thought. I ended up delivering Owen William Duggan on the 17th of December, at 8:54pm. That's almost 40 days early. He arrived at 2lbs 12oz, and screaming thank god. Right now he is staying in the NICU until he is big enough to come home.

It all started on the 14th. We rushed around in the morning, I had both a dentist appointment and my bi-monthly OB appointment to go to. The dentist was 15 minutes late, and I sat outside freezing waiting for her. The appointment ran over, and I was busy trying to track down my mother in-law so that I could drop Austine and Ethan off to buy presents at the mall. Well, she wouldn't answer her phone - so we all had to go to my OB appointment. Everything is proceeding as normal besides the fact that I was 15 minutes late. They weighed me and took my blood pressure, nothing unusual. Until the doctor came in asking about headaches and swelling (plus a 5 lb weight gain!). The nurse didn't mention to me that my blood pressure was 160/90! My OB told me I needed to go to the hospital for observation, queue freaking out. I had SO MUCH stuff to do. Now, it really seems like I was stressing over really inconsequential stuff, but then I was so sure my blood pressure was high because of my very stressful morning. So we go to the hospital, Ethan in tow because I was so sure that they will release me after they take a few more pressures. Not the case, my blood pressure is seriously high 160-170/90-100 in most cases. They do a 24 hour urine collection, draw my blood, and put me on Labetalol. Austine goes home with Ethan at 9pm, I get to stay overnight by myself. I also get to see my blood pressure jump to 180/110 and see my nurse freak out and put an IV in to lower it - that was fun.

Just an aside - trying to sleep on the L&D floor is next to impossible. I had to ask for some Benadryl to even get a few hours of shut eye. Anyhow, the doctor comes in at 11am the next morning and lets me know that I can go home - on complete bedrest. Obviously this is not ideal with Christmas coming up, but at this point I am just thrilled to be going home - off monitors and blood pressure cuffs. So Austine takes me home, and I try to relax. My in-laws come over on Sunday and try to get things ready for the baby *if* anything were to happen. Just take my advice - do not wait on this shit! Haha, we are/were so unprepared because after all, we technically still had a month and a few weeks to go! They get a lot done, I'm feeling good about the bedrest until that night. I noticed my heart seems to be beating really hard and my breathing is a little labored and shortened. I call the on call OB and she tells me to come in. OH FUN, here we go again.

Well, the heartbeat and shortness of breath was anxiety, induced by my blood pressure meds. But, my urine proteins were super high so they decide to do another 24 hour collection/observation. My bloodwork came back fine, thank goodness. Austine's mom comes to the hospital and collects Ethan, they stay overnight at our house until we know more. Austine stayed overnight with me this time, which made it so much more tolerable. I was still hooked up to monitors everywhere, the most annoying part being that Owen would NOT stay in one place. It eventually got to the point where we would try and find the baby's heartbeat instead of calling a nurse to do it (even to the point of applying more gel) - the alarm was the most annoying sound on earth!

So the morning rolls around and my proteins are not looking good. Neither is my face (swollen) or legs (much more swollen). I was getting pitting edema (where my skin wouldn't bounce back after being pressed in). It was beginning to be evident that I couldn't stay pregnant much longer. My blood pressure was still high, but not super dangerously so. The doctor came in at 7am and basically said he felt that we needed to deliver that day, and we agreed. I originally wanted to just do a c-section. I really honestly just wanted the whole thing to be over. My OB disagreed and thought I should try for a induction because it would be much easier on me and the baby - so I agreed to that.

They induced with cytotec, I was pretty happy to not be hooked up to pitocin. It did induce contractions, but unfortunately my blood pressure was rising with each contraction. My body couldn't handle the stress. I decided to get an epidural in hopes that my blood pressure would lower along with the pain. The anesthesiologist failed the first time to get it in, but succeeded the second time on a vertebrae lower. It was heaven, but it didn't work to lower my blood pressure. I was consistently reading 180/100. They had no choice but to give me Magnesium Sulfate (which works to lower blood pressure, but ALSO slows down contractions). They gave me the "loading" dose, which was super high concentration and made me puke like 4 times. I started seeing double and felt like I was in a time warp. The doctor came in and broke my water, but there was meuconium in it. He felt that since the baby was stressed, we should do a c-section. I think it was almost 6 or 7pm by then. I totally agreed because the Magnesium was wiping me out - I had no energy, even if I had dilated I don't think I could have pushed at all.

So they prepped me for a C-Section, I remember feeling so nervous. By the time I got in the OR, I was so sick on the magnesium everything turned into a blur. I remember them telling me it was ok to sleep, since I was so obviously fighting staying awake. I was really scared to sleep though because I was worried I would never wake up. I have no idea what my BP was at at this point but I've been told it was still pretty high. So they started the operation and Austine was there holding my hand thank God. After a ton of pushing and tugging (which I later learned causes more pain than the incision itself), I hear Owen. Thank goodness I got the steroid shots as soon as we knew something was wrong. He came out screaming, but was only 2lb 12oz! I didn't even get to hear his other stats, I was so out of it. A normal 34 week old baby should have been somewhere around 4 lbs, so Owen was being growth restricted while in-utero. They showed him to me, I had to crane my neck to see him, but he looked red and very alive so I was relieved. Austine left at this point to follow Owen to the NICU, and they started sewing me back up. After it was all done, they wheeled me out to recovery. The shakes were the worst, I kept trying to go to sleep so they would stop. There were other mom's in recovery too that I could hear, and they all had their babies. It seemed so unfair.

So after I spent an hour in recovery they wheeled me to L&D, so they could keep a close eye on me. Apparently it was L&D or the ICU, so I was glad to be somewhere where I could have visitors at least. They hooked me up to ANOTHER bag of Magnesium. Gosh how I hate the stuff. Austine spent the night but I was so out of it - I felt like I was in a time warp. He left in the morning to go check up on Ethan. While he was gone it felt like everything was going fast and super slow at the same time. My OB came in and said I wasn't to get out of bed, and to only eat clear liquid. Of course, I had a nurse that tried to get me to stand up (haha, I damn near puked on her), and I didn't eat at all because the cafeteria had no clue I was there or something. I think I got to eat dinner...I can't quite remember. FINALLY, at 8pm I was taken off the magnesium and moved to a postpartum room. I felt instantly better, but holy cow did my stomach hurt. I didn't get out of bed for another day!

It was finally Wednesday before I got to see Owen, Austine had to help me to a wheel chair and I managed to stand to wash my hands for the required 3 minutes. He was soooo tiny and small, the pictures Austine had shown me didn't really convey his stature at all! But, he was breathing on his own, eating well (he had an IV in but he was nippling), and doing great. What a relief to have him out in an environment where he could thrive instead of being starved for nutrients. There must have been something wrong with the placenta - problems like that are both related to pre-eclampsia AND intrauterine growth restriction.

I went home Thursday, and we are still waiting on the little dude to come home. He is almost 3 lbs now, and needs to be a little more than 4 to come home. He is also off his IV and feeding wonderfully. It's such a nice thing to be able to hold him (even if I feel like he will break) to feed him. I'm feeling a lot better now, I'm able to get around and even drive to see Owen at the hospital. It is nice in a sense to have some time to recover, but of course I would rather have him home with us than extra time to ourselves. He will hopefully be coming home in a few more weeks! The only thing I'm not looking forward to is paying our deductible twice - ugh! I almost wish I had gotten pregnant a month later to avoid the financial complications. But, compared to losing Owen, or having a seizure or dying - it is worth the money. I'm trying not to worry about it too much.

So that's it, my extra crazy and super long birth story!

I've been working on a special update:

So yes, it's been a while since I've written. I have some great news to share that will be making my blog a little more interesting!

Yup! I'm pregnant! I'm totally excited, and due on January 27th. I'm 12 weeks right now, so barely into the 2nd trimester. I've had horrible morning sickness, way worse than I had with Ethan. I know it's silly of me but I'm hoping it means it's a girl!

I was originally going to get a "Big Brother" shirt for Ethan to announce on Facebook and my blog, but Babies R Us is pretty far away, with traffic. I didn't have enough time and I was super tired. My husband decided to Photoshop the words (which I stole from this blog) onto a shirt we already had, and he did an awesome job! Everyone loves it. I have to say his expression is totally priceless!

Anyhow...I'm looking forward to the updates to come. Especially the one where I get to share my new squish with all of you! Thanks for reading :-P

iPhone Pic Dump

Books I really want to read Ethan

So, I grew up with books. I am the biggest book nerd on the planet (may be an hyperbole). My mom was an awesome mother who took us everywhere and read to us (my brother and I) every night. It really was something to look forward to. Ethan is such a hyper little guy, it is hard to get him to sit down and listen, but I try every night anyways- as part of our bedtime routine. He especially loves the books with animals, and loves it even more if you go through and make the noise each animal makes.

When he gets older, I have a whole list of big books I want to read him. Some were read to me as a child, some weren't but are my favorites.

• The Hobbit (was read to me as a child)
• The Laura Ingalls Wilder series (read to me as a child)
• Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (a favorite)
• Harry Potter (a favorite)
• The Myst Series (was read to me as a child, we played the games as a family)
• The Chronicles of Narnia (a favorite)
• A Wrinkle in Time, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and A Wind in the Door
• Westerly by Susan Cooper
• The Boggart by Susan Cooper
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (vermicious knids!)
• The BFG
• Matilda (I read this book to DEATH as a kid)
• Lemony Snickets

These are all books I personally have read at least 20 times or more, and I cannot wait to share them with Ethan! 

Wow! and New Years Resolutions.

Ok, I suck. I admit it. I really haven't been writing at all, and I have been feeling tons of guilt about it. Not because I feel like I have a reader base I'm disappointing (obviously, look at my followers haha), but because I feel like I've been cheating myself. I like having my little blog that I can look back on and go, wow! it was really like that! So, since it's the beginning of the year I am reinstating my resolution to write at least once a week. I think I actually did a really good job last year, I definitely wrote more than I did the year before- so I consider it a success.

Looking back on that post, there were a few things I didn't do well with. Mostly weight, but I think everyone struggles with that! It is so easy to be motivated and really driven in the beginning, isn't it? Then it really just begins to be a bore. I'm lazy, I'll admit it. I would rather spend an hour on the couch than 15 minutes running. It needs to be done though, so I am constantly having an internal struggle with myself. I can do nothing but try again this year. I try not to put so much faith in myself when I manage to fail at this all the time! I do not want to be the "fat mom" at the playgroup, but it seems to be happening anyways. I will try, that is my new years resolution.

I wasn't exactly on track with prayers, or remembering to pray. That's another thing I KNOW I need to do, but it is really easy to get caught up in life and forget about it. I've downloaded a few things on the iPhone that have helped me remember at least, so I think I am actually seeing an improvement in that.

I have a few business goals too, since I've started my direct sale business with Scentsy. Mainly, I want to recruit three people this year! It is a small number compared to some of the other people who are big with Scentsy, but I am a small time gal. I have to really think about how Scentsy has blessed Austine and me; the extra money has really been a lifesaver and it is awesome to be able to stay home with Ethan. So, I have to keep thinking I am sharing a blessing with others, and not a burden.

That's it! I will be posting about this again in another year! I'm glad I've made some improvements, and it is nice to see that. It is nice to be in a state where you seek constant improvement...and I feel good that I have made some. Yay!

What does a cute hat look like?

He wouldn't keep it on (hence the bad photo) but it is seriously the cutest hat I have ever put on his head. I got it from my friend Allie, who crochet'd it herself! We had a really fun time hanging out with her and her son will yesterday:



Yes that is Twilight on in the background, total baby material!


Ethan hasn't quite learned to share yet, he kept picking up this toy and walking away with it, so Will couldn't have it.

Allie has so many cute hats for sale on her Etsy shop, you should all check it out! I certainly have a soft spot for moms who have their own businesses, I like knowing that my money is going towards a family who needs it, and not a huge company.

Life as a 1 year old

If you are one year old (and Ethan)-

All things with four legs and a tail is a "doggeee", you should follow it around and woof at it, even if it's a cat.

Music is for dancing- make sure to shake your butt and wave your hands around a lot.

Anything that is out of your reach must be amazing, and YOU NEED IT NOW.

Anything that is soft and on the floor is subject to a head dive.

Climbing on chairs is awesome, getting down? Not so much.

If it's a string, belt, earphones, wires, anything bendable and long- it goes around your neck.

Anything that is in the general shape of a rectangle is a phone.

Keyboards are for smashing.

Ash from the fireplace is delicious.

Rugs are for dragging around, and flipping over...right in front of a doorway.

Coffee mugs are fun to carry around- the fuller the better.

The word NO just means you should try again in a few minutes.

Eyes are there to be poked. The same goes for nose, mouth, ears, and belly button.

Naps are for babies.

If you shake the baby gate enough, it just *might* open.

Day old food found in the couch is fair game.

End of the world constitutes- having to wait for food, someone leaving the room, getting left behind the baby gate, falling off the couch....

Highchairs are meant for standing in, not eating.

If you cry long enough at naptime/bedtime- someone will come get you! This means you can play more- and by playing you really mean walking around in circles and whining.

That bark stuff at playgrounds? Delicious!

Dogs are awesome until they bark at you. Then they really suck.

Edible leaf?!

Everybody should have a kid...

When I say everybody, I mean some people. I really mean that having a kid changes you, and being a parent makes a huge difference in how you see the world. I really believe that if some people could experience life the way a parent sees it, they would improve their life for the better!

For example, my birthday was this last Saturday. I didn't care! I was trying to figure out what had changed so much in the last year, and the answer was quite obvious. Ethan has changed me, completely and for the better. I used to get sad, depressed, and angry on my birthday. I think the main reason for this is because we grow up with this sense of anticipation. When it's my birthday I am going to get this, when it's my birthday I'm going to get to do this...and so on and so on. How selfish it really was! I was being totally self-centered and throwing a fit every year because my birthday wasn't what I wanted it to be. Then I had Ethan, and everything changed.

It's really not about me anymore. It's about this tiny little toddling kid I love from the deepest part of me. It's about if he's happy, if he's healthy. I'm so glad that I have a child who is happy and healthy when many parents don't. So this really leads me to the title of my post, everyone should have a kid. They should have a child so that they can see the world through someone else's eyes, so that they can realize it's not "about me".

I know there are many parents out there who have a child, and still are self centered. I know having a child is not a solution to anything. I have a really hard time understanding how a parent could ignore, beat, or otherwise impair their kid like that. I can't even imagine what I would have to be feeling in order to hit Ethan. So here's just a thought for those children's parents. Look outward, not inward. See life through your child's eyes and enjoy it.

And now...for a lighter subject. Pickle in a puppy costume!

Of course he changed my life! Look at him!

How not to treat your nanny...

So, it's a well known fact that I have spent the majority of my life being a nanny. I really love being a caregiver, it's fun and interactive and my coworkers are kids; what's not to love about that? Things can get a little hairy, however- when the parents get involved. Most of my jobs have been with amazing families, with parents who really care about their kids and their nanny. However, I have not had that pleasure with all the families I have worked with. I wanted to list some things that you shouldn't ever do to your nanny, to help those who employ nannies and the nannies that work for them.

1: Yell at your nanny in front of your kids-  Yes, this has happened and yes it was totally embarrassing.  Yelling at your nanny in front of your kids really works the opposite you think it will. Your kids see that you don't respect your nanny very much, so why should they? Expect your kids to have a harder time listening to your caregiver while you are away after you do this.

What parents should do instead: Ask to speak to your nanny in a private place, away from your children, it's that simple.

2: Expect your nanny to perform tasks outside of her contract- Nannies listen up: if you don't have a contract, get one. I really learned this the hard way. I didn't have a contract and ended up doing WAY more than I was told I would be doing at the beginning of the job. Yes, you may need your dry-cleaning picked up, your floors scrubbed, your bathrooms cleaned. But asking your nanny to do that really just steals time from your kids. Nannies are for children, maids are for chores, and personal assistants are for your errands.

What parents should do instead: Only ask your nanny to do chores that are related to your children, like laundry or cleaning up after their dinner.


3: Not pay your nanny when you choose to take days/weeks off-  This is a big one. Most nannies rely are their income from their position to make a living- Paying their bills, car loans, rent ect with the paycheck you give them. Deciding not to pay your nanny when you go on vacation or take the day off really impacts her financially. Think of it this way- If they had the choice they would probably be working, but they don't have that option.



What parents should do instead: Offer your nanny a weeks worth of vacation time, along with paid vacation when you decide to take time off. Benefits wouldn't hurt either (but are in no way expected in my profession).


4: Expect your nanny to stay late or work extra hours with no pay- Most nannies work salary in order to insure a steady income. However, this doesn't mean you should take advantage of this! Any hours outside of the agreed weekly hours should be paid. Now this doesn't mean being 5 minutes late will cost you! 5 hours is another story...



What parents should do instead: If you are going to be late, phone ahead and let her know. Don't expect her to stay for hours on end while you wrap up at work. Be careful with this one, if you do this too many times you may end up losing her!


5: Interfere with your nanny's discipline when you're home- Nothing would irk me more than disciplining a child (i.e. taking their phone away), and then having the parent come home and reverse that discipline. By doing this, you are showing your child that your nanny isn't worth listening to.



What parents should do instead: The best way to deal with this as a parent is to make sure you and your nanny see eye-to-eye in regards to disciplining and rules. If you feel she is making a bad judgment call, let her know privately. If this continues to happen, you probably should be looking for a new nanny.

Ethan's First Birthday: Puppy Invites

So I've been putting off making these for a while. A great friend of mine loaned me a Cricut Expressions machine, and let me tell you - it is so awesome! I feel like I can do anything with this machine (yes, anything). Fortunately instead of tackling world hunger, I decided to make Ethan's birthday party invites.

The Cricut makes it really easy to be creative (I don't feel like I have a creative bone in my body). It really just cuts it out and all you have to do it paste the layers on top of each other. Super easy. You can really do this card for any type of animal theme; I used the Create-a-Critter cartridge for the puppy and doghouses.

Blurry picture of the Cricut at work.

The finished product after all the layering and pasting is done.

To make the card bases I used 8.5 by 11 cardstock, and cut it straight down the middle with my Fiskars Paper Trimmer. I really love this trimmer because it has a handy wire down the middle, so you can see exactly where you are going to cut.

I folded the paper in half with a boning edge. Makes the edges nice and crisp!

For the sky I cut blue paper that was 4.25 inches by 5.25 inches. The grass was 4.25 by 3 inches, to allow for room for the border punch. The punch I used was Fiskars too, but I'm sure you could use any decorative edge and it will still look great!

Bottom sky layer with the punched "grass" pasted on top.

The final product!

Finally, I used pop dots to paste the puppy and the doghouse on the grass. All I need next is to print out a "Party" font, and the insert that will show the details for his birthday! It was a lot of work but I had a ton of fun!

Ethan decided he wanted to help. It was not very helpful.

Pickles vs. Puppies

Mr. Pickle Pot Pie will be turning one in a little over a month! I can't believe it at all, how could that tiny little baby turn into this walking, talking, terrorizing, little boy!  He just started walking this past Sunday, I didn't know whether to laugh, smile, or cry. He's almost a pro now, and has been walking the entire length of our living room with much gusto.


We are in the process of planning his 1st birthday party. While we originally didn't want to have one for him (do you remember your 1st birthday party), we figured you only get to be one once, so what the heck.  I went ahead and made a list last weekend, and boy I got put in my place. In the end, we had 80 people on it! How did that happen? Then I remember that Austine's close family is about 25 all by itself, not including the Great Grandmas, and Great Great Grandmas! You really have to love the Catholic family dynamic here haha.


So now, instead of having a party at our house, or Austine's parent's, we are going to be having it at a local park just so there will be more than standing room. This leads us to the title of this post: Pickles vs. Puppies. We originally wanted to have a "pickle" theme for his birthday, as that is his main nickname and we think it would be cute. However, there is so much more puppy themed stuff for a 1st birthday out there. It might make my life a little easier to do this, but Austine is determined that he wants to make everything for the party. Invitations, banner, everything. This is the man who at times, cannot make it through and entire movie after dinner without falling asleep. I somehow doubt he is going to have the energy to make all this stuff...

Here are some cute puppy party pictures, maybe this will sway him:

 Beautiful cake pops from Bakerella!

This cake is so cute, props go to Life on the Terrace, I don't know if we'd ever do a cake to this degree but it's is so adorable!

Invites from A Bushel and a Peck of FUN. I think Austine can do this really easily. It's a pretty cute idea.

If you want to see more, check out my Pinterest board for Ethan's first birthday!

Ethan Antics

So my kid is a jokester. No really, he thinks everything is hilarious, makes the funniest/weirdest faces all the time. I was fortunate enough to catch this on camera, so I am adding it here for your viewing pleasure. You're welcome in advance. For the LOLS that is.

This is what happens to broken routers in our house…

Summer Pool Fun!

Yesterday Ethan and I made the trek to Mount Angelus to hang our with our favorite kid-friend Rosemary (and her awesome mom Heather). Ethan and Rosemary are about the same temperament, and let's just say Heather and I definitely see eye to eye on parenting techniques haha. Ethan loved their cute dog, but I unfortunately didn't get any good pictures of them together. However, Ethan and Rosemary had a great time doing things like: banging on the front door, play with tambourines, chasing the dog, banging on the front door, swimming, crawling out of swimming pool and banging on the back door. Can you see a recurring theme here?

 That awesome pool I got for 12 bucks at Target, it was quite a deal!

Playdate

Ethan and I had a great time today hanging out with some other moms. It was really nice to see him interact with other kids, for the most part they got along great! I can't wait to do it again.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

6 month update

Yes, it's true! Ethan is 6 months old! How this is possible is completely unknown to me, it seems he grows overnight. It feels like just yesterday that he was so tiny, and now he's becoming such a little man.

We had his 6 month appointment today. That was...challenging. I arrived on time, but ended up being seen 2 hours later! As you can imagine, it wasn't a very pleasant 2 hours, as Ethan ended up being very very tired, wanting to nap, was hungry but wouldn't eat. It seemed that as soon as he fell asleep in my arms, the nurse came in to take his weight and height. This happened of course after I was put in the room, and made to wait 40 minutes, with Ethan in his diaper per their instructions. I was very frustrated in the end, and I'm just a tired mess today as a result.

But onto the good news: Ethan is 15.8 lbs, and 27 inches tall! He's such a little string bean. He handled his shots very well, and quit crying only a few minutes after they gave them to him. In the waiting room it was so cute to him excited to talk and make faces at another baby. They were both jumping up and down and staring at each other, while grinning and cooing! I promise you, it was the most adorable ting I've seen yet.

Swaddling: The Nightmare

Ethan has always been swaddled, and he has always really enjoyed it. However, there are times where I convince myself that he doesn't want or need it, and I will go through a phase of trying to wean him of it. I normally give up within 6 hours, because I just feel so exasperated!

The only real reason we swaddle Ethan is because he cannot seem to keep his hands away from the binky without it. If there was a way to keep him from yanking it out every bloody second, I'm sure he could sleep without it. I tried today for probably the 5th or 6th time to get him to sleep without it. I managed to get him to fall asleep, but as soon as he hit the mattress he was wiggling everywhere. I decided to ferber him a bit and let him cry. He cried for an hour before needing to be fed. There wasn't even a lull in the crying, it was just straight crying while I came in every 5 minutes to put his bink back in his mouth, trying to sooth him to sleep.

Trying to swaddle him one arm out doesn't work either because he will just remove the binky on his first chance. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like the tight feeling, but there is no other way of controlling his "Doc Oc" arms (as Austine's Uncle likes to say). The only real reason I have to unswaddle him is because he has rolled over in it a couple of times, but he always has woken up and cried out when that happened.

Is there any chance I'm wrong about trying to break him of it? Will his arms eventually calm down and allow for (peaceful) binky-included sleep? I can't help and just feel frustrated and desperate every time I attempt this unsuccessfully. HELP.

Wordless Wednesday: Ethan's First Foods!

5 must have items for a first time mom

 

Moby Wrap

Seriously was a lifesaver for me. Ethan was colicky from about a month and a half to three months, and this was the only thing that would calm him down! Sure, it's hard to get on, but once you get used to it you can do it with your eyes closed! I really didn't wear it much outside of my own home, but it's definitely the most comfortable carrier to wear.

Zippered Sleepers

 I hate hate hated the elastic band gowns when Ethan was a newborn, he hated them too! Instead of the sleepers with snaps, opt for the sleepers with zippers. One zip, and your baby is as naked as a jay bird! Really great for those 3 am, can barely open your eyes you are so tired, moments.

My Brest Friend

I remember going to Babies R Us to buy a shower gift for a friend, and laughing at the name of this contraption. Little did I know, 2 years later I would be shouting it's name from the mountain tops. I originally used a Boppy when Ethan was first born, and it made things a lot easier. However, as time wore on I noticed he was rolling a lot on it. My Brest Friend is totally flat, has a little lumbar support, and a pocket. I especially recommend it for well endowed women like me because we all know it's difficult to breastfeed when you have large ::ahem::

JJ Cole System 180 Diaper Bag

Alright, this is the best diaper bag EVER! I love it! I think I have used everything that is comes with every time we go out with Ethan. It's really roomy, my stuff will fit into it along with Ethan's. There are pockets galore, and if you know me, you know I love pockets! Even the pacifier holder is handy, it's nice to put it somewhere and know where it is going to be all the time. Not to mention it comes with stroller straps so you can hang it off the back, it is so nice to walk without a big bag. I can't recommend this bag enough!

SwaddleMe

Definitely couldn't live without this, even 6 months later. Ethan cannot go to sleep without it (which we are working on remedying). However, it's excellent for newborns even because it is so easy to use. I loved that I could change him while he was swaddled, and the velcro makes the swaddle more secure than a receiving blanket ever could. The only problem I have run across is that the cotton material will stretch, so the tabs won't line up and make it easy for him to break out of. I think I may have this problem because Ethan is a really skinny baby.

So that's it! My 5 must haves for a new mom.