motherhood

A few of my favorite things—baby items

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So for 6 months and under after two kids some of my favorite baby items include:

Sit Me Up chair—LP (little prisspot) is NOSEY yet clingy. She likes playing in this chair while I pumped, cleaned, folded laundry, took a break.

Knock-off or actual Hakka pump—I still like occasionally and this saves the boobie juice and my shirts/bras.

See my previous pump regarding my Spectra.

My BoB stroller. I’m a BoB-levier now and I should’ve just bought one with my Little Bit as we went through 3-4 strollers any darn way. It is a little bit heavy but it maneuvers like a dream. The almost 6 year old still fits in it if she gets exhausted (like when we were at Disney) and I can still wear the baby. We did but the cup holder thing with the pump and repair kit and it was worth it. The adjustable handles make it worth it as hubby and I are a foot and 1/3 height difference. Just so many little upgrades that are awesome and easy to use. They are expensive and hold their value well for buying used. We bought new because we had Amazon registry for baby and had the coupon at the end.

I had a c-section so baby bath and changing table did (and still) do get used by me. LP is 5 months and I still use her baby seat for the tub. It’s a simple one I got used for $5 though.

I also utilize a playmat a lot and we again bought a used one that could be washed and bleached and was totally worth it.

Medela steam bags for my pump/bottle parts

LP is just now getting big enough but I used lot these for Little Bit as well and saved them. Buggy/highchair cover—as a healthcare provider I worry a lot less about dirt germs than people germs even though I’ve seen people say they were a waste we used ours a lot. A lobster claw highchair—so easy to travel with and use!!! We take our girls with us most places that we go—how else do they know how to behave when they go somewhere new? And because I didn’t want the servers mean-glancing at us I used this and just washed it off in the sink, dried it off briefly and rolled it up into the diaper bag.

This is my favorite nursing cover because I’ve needed a nipple shield with both girls and the pockets are perfect, it folds up well and holds it color in the wash and is relatively comfortable. It’s hot and humid so we only use it when we have to. Mine is a pink peacock color which I can’t find anymore (6 years old)!

I realize a lot of these links are from Amazon but we are Prime members and there is such a thing as Amazon Priming while pumping. I may have ordered many of these things or at least put them on a list at 2-4am while trying to stay awake feeding/pumping.

Things I feel like you should save your money on—

  • bottle warmers
  • sterilizers
  • fancy swings (old school works fine)
  • bassinet (they outgrown them soon, buy simple)
  • baby shoes (we do socks)
  • Baby wipe warmers
  • Bath thermometers (God gave you the best—your hand)
  • Baby pulse ox/heart rate monitors (owlet), they are inaccurate, give too many false alarms and the American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends AGAINST them and they have not proven to reduce risk of SIDS so save yo’ money.
  • Baby specific blenders/baby food makers unless you don’t have a blender, food processor or magic bullet/nutribullet already. Those work just fine!!

What have your favorite baby items been so far? What do you feel like was a waste of space/money?

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My Kid Says the Darndest Things 2015 Round 1

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Lil Bit offered another round of musings this week so far.

LB: Mommy, Daddy needs to get a shower, he is stinky from working at gym.
Me: He sure does, doesn’t he.
LB: Mommy, Daddy needs to wash his butt and his peanuts too.
Me: Umm, yes, did you say peanuts?
LB: Daddy has peanuts cause he is a boy. Me and you we are girls, we have ‘ginas.
Me (struggling to keep a straight face): Umm, yes baby yes, that’s exactly right…

Let her keep calling them peanuts, completely fine with me. Anyway, that’s what I get for being in the medical profession and trying to explain things in anatomical terms….
****
Tonight while washing dishes

LB:Mommy?
Me: Yes baby girl?
LB: I was borned in your tummy!
Me: That’s right baby you were born from my tummy.
LB: And, and you was borned in GiGi’s tummy!
Me: That’s right! I sure was.
LB: You were old when you were born mommy.
Me: Umm… (muttering) That’s what your Gigi and your Nana says anyway.
LB: When I was big like you and you were little like me I changed your diapers.
Me: ???Ummm, no I don’t think so baby girl.
LB (completely ignoring me and with certainty): Yup, I did.

Ok then.

New Macbook, new post

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So just thought I’d drop a new post, with my new (to me) Macbook. Woot!

See, my laptop broke awhile back and the desktop, well it’s just not friendly to writing a blog–or comfortable.

I am very excited if you can’t tell and now no longer have an excuse to avoid the blog. So hopefully I can deliver more than one post per month…lol.

So what have I been doing while I’m not on a cool laptop like this one? I’m enjoying mommyhood, working my behind off at work (it’s sick season) and celebrating my 7th wedding anniversary with the Moose. The month of February holds the duel challenge of Valentine’s Day in addition to our anniversary. So I decided to redo and clean our office, a.k.a. the 2nd circle of hell as I’ve referred to it since our “clutter” room became Lil Bit’s room and the office assumed some of said clutter. It now boasts new decor, a home for everything and everything in it’s place and a happy husband I believe. I think he was more surprised at some of the handman-type things I accomplished rather than the tidyness.

My Lil Bit’s ever expanding vocabulary also continues to amaze me. Sitting at the dentist office with me a few weeks ago she became very quite then looks at me with big eyes and says, “I am nervous, I am a little nervous mommy.” The hygienist and this empress stifled laughs as we said, “Why are you nervous baby girl? There’s no need to be nervous.” She looks up and shrugs her shoulders, “I dunno, I am just nervous.” My now 3 year old with her perfect annunciated of multi-syllable words….Good grief the time has flown.

Unfortunately this brief post has also flown and I now have to skitter off to bed as I have a very early morning tomorrow and I think some of the bugs I’ve been exposed to at work are trying to catch me. Have a good night y’all!

=S

A New Year of New Mondays

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Today was our first “Mommy and Lil Bit day” of the new year.

You know how on very rare days you manage to stretch out the minutes and fit everything in that you intended to accomplish into those precious hours? Somehow I managed to do that today and if this is any indication of how the new year will go I am looking forward to living it up. I have about 12 hours or so one day a week to try to pack in as much mommy time as possible and it is a lot of pressure especially if Lil Bit is having a bad day.

I have found in this brief but enlightening journey as a mom of a now 3 year old, that I have set up my idea of being a good mom in such a way that I will never know a guilt-free moment. Now this guilty train of thought is not necessarily in a mindful way, but almost completely subconscious, likely based on my nursing/medical background, pinterest, mothering books and my OWN mother–all of these things adding pressure and driving my already overachieving brain to be the best sort of mom. So much so that I sometimes catch myself being a crappy mom in the process….

Not going to lie, I totally googled “working mom guilt” and after flipping through a few articles I found this. The article is from a few years ago but it feels all to fitting, however she herself seems unable to offer a solution to the problem.

Looking back at my beginnings as a mother, I set my alarm when my infant slept through the night so that I could make sure there was (barely) enough pumped breastmilk to get her through the next night I worked (12 hr night-shifts wreak havoc on your prolactin levels) and cried when I spilled a 2oz bottle the first week I went back to work after pumping–in the breakroom because we did not have a lactation room. I probably would have made more milk and been a better, kinder full-time working, graduate-school-attending mom if I had gotten a good night’s rest instead. I get so preoccupied with how things are supposed to be, trying to find decent prices/coupons on organic food or meal-prepping for the week so that we can eat “cleaner” that I miss an opportunity to play with my child or teach her something new. I KNOW in my heart that it is better to be one-on-one with her and to give her a kind, caring, mother rather than a completely organic and balanced diet and every Barbie for her bless-ed dream house but my head tells me these are things that matter.

After today, where I actually spent the majority of the day WITH my daughter and not just in the same household as her, I remember why I went down to a 4 day work week and I think that this may be why the whole household has been more balanced today. Today also gives me pause and makes me consider an underlying, additional New Years Resolution…to be a mom to the best of my REALISTIC abilities rather than those that I have superimposed on myself. Wish me luck!

Your Mama is not a Llama

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So you know that point in your child’s life when they become a monkey? Mine has apparently reached this milestone. Not only is Lil Bit climbing all of the furniture but also all over me.

Llama

I know I’ve mentioned mother’s guilt before and how busy my schedule is but I think it may be beginning to get a little worse. This blog is my retreat from real life and journal to record Lil Bit’s moments and growth. I absolutely love my sweet girl. Until she was born I didn’t know it was possible to feel so incredibly proud and love someone so much who was able to spontaneously fill my heart with love and at the same time aggravate me to the point of pulling my hair out.

The llama above was in a petting portion of an animal safari thing we went to that Lil Bit loved. The whole weekend was one of the best we have had yet. Despite her driving me crazy at times, getting to watch her grow up and learning new things and experiencing things for the first time is truly my privilege. Christmas was one of those things this year.  Last year she was pretty new to this world but this year she toddled into the living room and her face lit up and her mouth formed that perfect little surprised “o” as she saw all of the presents Santa had left for her.  “Brrrmmmmmm” was her reaction to her pink princess quad that Santa left her as she climbed on and after we showed her where the button was she was off running her other presents over. It was both precious and hilarious as the poor cat ran away for dear life. There are so many things I can’t wait to do with her as she continues to grow. I hope I can continue to try to look on the positive and humorous side of things as this year moves forward. I think this is my new year’s resolution, to try to find the funny side of things this year.  I think last year’s was pretty well met as my simple resolution was to be happy, and I can surely say that snuggled up in the bed with the hubby and little one sleeping soundly THROUGH THE NIGHT in her crib, I ended my year happy and grateful.

What is your new year’s resolution?