Newborn Must-Haves

When we found out we were pregnant with Kate I immediately began researching baby products and planning her nursery. I knew there were stores upon stores dedicated to selling parents the "best" gear for babies, and I also realized there was a lot of stuff that was absolutely unnecessary as well. I was bound and determined to figure it all out.

Now, two years later, I feel like somewhat of an old pro when it comes to baby gear. I know what works well for my family and I did enough research to at least have suggestions for other people who've asked for advice. I thought I'd put down some of the products that we love here:

My Breast Friend - The Boppy is great for nursing a baby, but I think the My Breast Friend is even better. It has back support, clips around your waist so it stays up and offers a more level surface for the baby to rest on. It even has a little pouch on the side to store things like nipple cream and extra nipple shields. I had this and the Boppy and felt both had their own perks, but I preferred the My Breast Friend. 
My Breast Friend

Dr. Brown's Bottles - Although I started out exclusively breastfeeding Kate, I eventually needed to pump to supplement her and then we went to formula all together after 3 months. We tried several bottles (I'm glad I didn't register for more than a few) and landed on Dr. Brown's in the end. There are 4 separate parts to the bottle, making it a pain to wash, but we felt Kate did the best on them. She never struggled with reflux and the flow was just right for her. 
Dr. Brown's Bottles

HALO SleepSack Swaddle - Kate loved being swaddled when she was a newborn. Since she was an autumn/winter baby we loved the warn fleece HALO swaddles. Some people prefer swaddles without Velcro (since they can make a lot of noise during a middle of the night diaper change), but out of the three or four brands we tried, HALO was my favorite!
HALO SleepSack Swaddles

Boppy Changing Pad Liners - I LOVED these so much and originally didn't even think I would need them. I thought these things were going to go the way of "extra perks that weren't really necessary" but, by the 4th or 5th time Kate peed outside of her diaper onto one, in the FIRST week we were home, I was hooked. They saved me from having to strip the entire changing pad cover off and wash it anytime there is an accident. 
Boppy Waterproof Changing Pad Liners

Jacques the Peacock - This little peacock is great for newborns. It has different textures and colors and fabrics (crinkle!) that make it great for new little eyes and hands to explore. Plus, the back of the peacock is predominately black and white with bold shapes which is perfect for newborn sight development. I also loved the car seat clip on top so he could travel with us when we were on the go.
Jacques the Peacock

Adan + Anais Muslin Swaddling Blankets - We loved this swaddlers, even though we never swaddled Kate in one. We used it as a car seat cover, as a place to lay her on the ground to play when we were traveling, as a blanket to keep her warm while napping, a nursing cover, an impromptu burp cloth, and now she loves to put them over her head and walk around the house like goof ball! Plus, they are super soft and pretty darling.
Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddling Blankets

Boon Lawn Drying Rack - With all the breast pump parts and bottles we were washing early on, we got a ton of use from our drying rack. The great thing about it is that it works with anything you might want to put on here and isn't tailored to a certain type of bottle. The tree and flower accessory make it east to dry the tiny breast pump membranes and pacis that have to be rinsed  We use it to dry sippy cups and wine glasses now :) 
Boon Lawn Countertop Drying Rack
Tree Accessory |   Flower Accessory 

City Mini GT Stroller - Strollers were the one thing that Adam really got into as far as research goes. We did a lot of back and forth regarding what we needed as a family and considered: size/weight, ease of collapsing and storing the stroller in the truck of our car, the ability to use it with an infant car seat, and durable tires. The City Mini GT fit all those requirements for us and has the most kick-ass sunshade I've ever seen on a stroller!  
 City Mini GT Stroller

Here's Looking at You 2014!

I realized today that it's been just over 100 days our since our loss. It's not that I want to sweep the pain of the miscarriage under the rug per say, but it's time to move onward and upward. I've moved on.

The storm has passed and we've steered our boat to calmer waters. Through it all I've seen how tough I can be, how strong my resolve is and learned some extremely important life lessons. Mainly - how to be happy in a life where you really have zero control over what happens next; how to be happy in a life that doesn't shape up the way you envisioned it; how to be happy (like truly to your gut happy) after absolutely terrible things happen to you. I know people have discovered these things before I have, but there is no way I could know this kind of happiness unless I had gone through the miscarriage. It's very liberating, knowing that you can survive and even thrive regardless of bad circumstances. 

I'm really quiet excited for what 2014 has in store for me. I don't really do serious resolutions. I like to get a jump on things I want to change rather than wait around for an arbitrary date on the calendar to roll around. However, there are a few things I want to accomplish this year.

1) I want to be become as passionate about saving money as I am about spending it.

I really love to shop and it really doesn't matter what I'm shopping for. I get the a kick out of picking out milk, lipstick, clothes, anything...I'm an equal opportunity purchaser. However, I love the feeling of tucking away money for our future even more. I've never been irresponsible with money, but this year I want to be an A+ saver. I think I'm going to try to do a couple of "no spend" months where we only purchase the absolute necessities and make due without any extras.

2) I want to continue to incorporate enriching and engaging activities with Kate. 

When Kate was born I did so much reading and research regarding early infant milestone, nursing, sleeping, everything really...but, once she hit 1 year I really stopped exploring ways to better my parenting skills. Now, don't get me wrong, my kid is breathing with little to no psychological or physical damage, so I'm pretty much nailing this parenting business, but I'm always interested to read about ways we could be better, or honestly, ways to make our lives easier :) So far, I've been very interested in the Montessori teaching method since Adam's family has used it in the past.

3) Be more organized

Oh man, doesn't everyone say this one every year? Probably because so many of us realize the huge benefits to putting a little effort to keeping our lives organized. We are on the run constantly - like only home 2 of the last 9(!!) weekends. Plus, we are out of our house close to 12 hours a day. It doesn't leave a ton of time to get myself together everyday (it's also my secret to having a very clean house - just never be there). I've started to realize that being unorganized adds way more stress than if I just put up a little effort in the times I'm actually home. This just means actually laying out Kate's clothes every night, staying on top of the laundry and committing to meal planning every Sunday (don't tell me to use a slow cooker unless you know a food that can survive 12+ hours of heat and won't turn to mush). I'm very confindent that I can pull this one of since I've had glimmers of being very organized here and there.

4) ENJOY LIFE!

This is the most fun and most important goal  of them all, don't you think? It all goes by so fast. I just want to soak up every moment and stayed focused on being present and happy.