my favorite things

well, for baby anyway. All of them are new to me...as in I didn't have them when Emma was born. What a shame! Let's start with my favorite....the itz been timer. I wrote down all of this stuff with Emma, and let me tell you it was a struggle to say the least. With Emma, I had a notepad and pen next to my nursing chair. Next to the pen, I had my heartrate monitor, so I could see the time. While nursing, I would attempt to use some sort of glare in the den (it is dark at night people) to read the time on the heart rate monitor. Then I would grab my pen and the pad, and attempt to record it on the paper. If I was nursing on the right side, it was particularly difficult...to write with my left hand. I was also constantly subtracting the current time for the time that I started nursing to see how long she had been nursing. All of you right brained people are probably laughing, but I did keep up with all of this, and I have the notebook to prove it :)

Well, all of this is over now. I just hit a button, and it keeps track of how long itz been since the last~feeding, diaper change, sleep, etc. When I came home from the hospital, I used the sleep button to keep track of how long I was sleeping, and I used the * button, which is the extra button, to keep track of how long it had been since I had last taken my pain meds or advil. It also has a slider at the bottom to keep track of which side you nursed on last, and you can also set an alarm...to wake you in x hours. I think it was made for me. Oh, and the screen lights up too, so no looking for a glare to see the screen. And one more thing...it has a nightlight too. I will stop there. And, I promise I am not receiving profits from the sale of these! You can find it here.

My video monitor. I didn't have one with Emma. I didn't find it necessary with a one story house, but with a two story, it is a God send. You can find it here.

My nightlight...it is an oxo candela night light, and I love it! You pull the white section away from the blue circle, and take it with you. I set it next to my nursing table every night. It gives off a great glow. Then during the day, I just put it back onto the blue circle to charge back up. You can find it here.

My nursing pillow is a luna lullaby pillow. I still have my boppy. It stays downstairs. I use this one upstairs. I still like my original boppy, but love this one too. I don't nurse without one of them. This one is bigger and fluffier than the boppy, so Carson lays a bit higher which is nice. It also covers the wooden arms on this chair, which lessens my fear of bumping his head. You can see the nightlight I talked about above in the photo below.

The Miracle Blanket. Trust me on this one. It works miracles. I have three. We swaddle him in this every time he sleeps...naps or night. This sounds kind of crude, but it is like a straight jacket for a baby, and Carson seems to love it. It keeps him all wrapped up, just like the womb :)

And, the moby. This was a gift from a family member, and I wish I would have had it with Emma. I have a Baby Bjorn, and it wears on your back...terribly. This one does not. They advertise that it is "ergonomic." I carry Carson in a different way than the photo. He is typically vertical, with his legs dangling below. This one is "womb-like" too, and is great at freeing up your hands when you are chasing a three year old. There are multiple ways to wear your baby, and it's fabulous at calming a fussy newborn.

All of the above would make wonderful gifts for a new or repeat mommy. I use them all daily :)

Here's a sneak peek at what's to come....

We are picking strawberries tomorrow with a group of friends, and Emma is oh so excited! I have plans to make strawberry jam with our pickings, so check back soon. I have visions of a strawberry jam post, a two month old Carson post, and a post with some of the photos from our family photo shoot when Carson was one week old, and a clean house, a pre-baby body, a hubby with a lessened load at work, one silent night, a three year old that listens, and a completed to do list.

Be back soon...promise!