Tips and The List

I created a baby registry a while ago but I find myself regularly researching different product lines, looking up reviews, and re-evaluating what I would like and need to have for our little one over the next couple years.
I'm lucky to have had a good amount of childcare experience in my life so far and I find myself constantly thinking back to my days as a nanny and remembering what baby products were my favorites. So here's the list of items that might not get mentioned as much but are definitely things I used a lot and are high on my priority list (some necessities and some non-essential but favorite items):

for the Diaper Station:
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste
Burt's Bees Baby Bee Almond Oil
Baskets (any that are the right size) for holding diapers, wipes, and toiletries
Extra changing pad covers
Ear thermometer (while rectal might be more accurate, it's definitely
easier to get a thermometer in the ear for a few seconds
than anywhere else and the temp. reading will be accurate
enough to know if baby is spiking a fever or not.)
Musical and mirrored toys
Diaper Pail System and a stash of plastic grocery bags (do yourself and anyone else in your house that has a nose, a favor and get in the habit of wrapping stinky diapers in grocery bags and taking to the outside trash. Even with a pail system, you will eventually have odor problems otherwise.)

for the Bath:
Plastic cup or stacking toys (great for washing hair and also for play time)
Johnson's Baby Lavender products
Cute but mostly soft and absorbent hooded baby towel
Spout bumper/cover (some of us may have a memory of doing this ourselves when we were a little bit older, but once baby starts moving around in the tub, a head bump on the spout happens all too often.)
a Rubber Ducky (of course, but find one with a water temp check on the bottom for double duty.)

for the Car:
baby's favorite music (never seizes to amaze me the power of music, and on a car ride where baby won't stop crying, music can be all the difference. I particularly like Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan for this)
an extra stash (diapers, wipes, lotion, dry snacks, water, onesie and stretch pants)
Car-seat mirror (not only entertains baby but makes it easier to see what's going on back there while you are driving)
Seat protector (goes under the car seat and catches most of Cheerios that maneuver their way into so many crevices)

for Anywhere:
Hand Sanitizer
On the go wipe packs
Susan Brown's Baby Sunscreen (even if it's another brand, make sure you use it, and it's paraben free. For instant protection from the sun rays look for products with Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient)
Book-Light (makes it much easier to calm baby at sleep time when the lights are turned down. using a booklight is a great alternative and a lot easier to dim when a little falls asleep during reading time)


for Style:
Baby Legs leg warmers
Hats (for sun or cold, a definite necessity)
Robeeze (easy to slip on and great during various age stages)
Crocs (these shoes really should have been created with kids in mind. Great traction for little ones, easy on and off, and easy to clean)

for Feeding:
Recycled Gerber plastic containers (don't toss them, wash them on the top rack of your dishwasher and re-use them to store snacks on the go and small portions of leftovers for reheating later)
Spill mats (you don't have to buy something that's marketed as a spill mat. Just pick up some fabric remnants and throw one down under the highchair during meal time. Afterwards, shake it out and throw it in the laundry when it's dirty)
Munchkin Snack Catchers
a Boppy (They haven't been voted best item for years now for no reason. This pillow is great for nursing. It's also great for tummy time and as back support for little ones while sitting)

for Mobility:
Quinny Zapp Stroller (this is a full size lightweight but sturdy and stylish stroller that folds down small enough to fit in an overhead bin on an airplane. In fact, it folds down smaller than any other stroller of it's kind in the world and it only weighs 13 lbs. Another great feature is it adjusts to hold their car seat for when your little one is still a little less mobile.)
Simple and adjustable sling or carrier (don't go for a carrier that comes with an instructional video. keep it simple and get a traditional pocket sling or front carrier that's adjustable to fit you best)

who says there aren't cute clothes for boys?

It seems the common thought about boys vs girls is that little girls get all the cute clothes! Well, look what I found:



Fat Tie (www.shop-fat-tie.com): This stylie organic line of T-shirts turn little boys into savvy little moguls (well, atleast, they have the style of a savvy mogul). These shirts are great to wear for everday or pair it with a jacket for those fancier times.



Kicky Pants (www.kickypants.com): This brand has great clothes for both boys and girls but I particularly like their stripes and animal prints for boys. Maybe it seems this line has a better understanding of boys because the husband and wife owners have two sons of their own.





Zutano (shop.zutano.com): I may have mentioned this company before. I love their fabric choices, and I am big fan of their Baby Cozie and Baby Terry lines. It's also one of the few lines that manages to use bright colors without making me think of a crayola commercial. Their newborn products (Itzy Bitzy) are as adorable as the name and have great patterns!

Sckoon (www.sckoon.com): This organic line offers lots of different products that I'm adoring. I particularly like their Japanesk line (green) for little newborn boys. I'm also a fan of their Ha-Ha line with bright colors and characters that somewhat resemble the Ugly Dolls (another childrens products that's on my list of faves). Sticking with my retro chic style, their Organic Pear line is fantastic!

who knew

There are certain things about being a pregnant lady that I guess you just don't understand until you are one....

like, no one really tells you that your boobs (actually, most of your torso) will start to resemble a road map as your blood vessels plump up to carry that extra blood supply. Or, that you will sleep so much that you think you are having a relapse of mononucleosis during the first trimeseter.
I've also noticed that people like to blame everything you say or do or feel or think on the fact that you're pregnant and the only real part about it that can be blamed on the pregnancy hormones is the amount of annoyance you feel about them blaming everything on the pregnancy.

I definitely had no idea just how much lotion you go through or how much stretch mark tummy butter it actually takes to cover your tummy. or how little things like taking a shower can make you feel short of breath. ... or oh, how 'bout when your normal little bit of short peach fuzz on your stomach starts to resemble more of a tall jungle.

what else? bigger fight with acne than when you were 15, restless leg syndrome on steroids, so much saliva that brushing your teeth makes your gag (and occasionally lose your breakfast)...

I'm a little more of a third of the way done so we'll have to see what else I discover as the weeks go by.

there's really a baby growing in there huh?...

I forgot to mention earlier that I had my 4 month doc appointment today. It was great to hear the heartbeat yet again and be reassured that all is going well.


I find myself often wondering if there really is a baby still growing in there. I know that sounds a little crazy- the weeks go by and my belly continues to poke out there but other than a few minor symptoms, mostly exhaustion, I haven't had many daily reminders that I'm pregnant.

I'm sure that will all turn around as I get farther along and start to feel some movement and I think the big point will be our ultrasound which we will finally get at our next appointment on January 11th. (Yah!)

so the big question still is: boy or girl? I had a friend do an old wives tale trick with a needle and pencil that said it's going to be a boy... my first instinct was that it's a girl.... but I find myself now thinking there's a little boy in there at times and even find myself saying "he" and "him" ... BUT, at the past two appointments, when I hear the heartbeat I have the image of a little girl again.... we'll hopefully know for sure in 4 weeks!

Have I always been this ditsy?

so there are actual studies about how pregnancy affects the brain and causes memory lapse. (Although most of these studies seem to be unclear as to the actual cause and any real proof other than the stories from various pregnant women doesn't seem to exist...)

Today, I am a believer.... Because,I actually forgot where my own doctor's office was. It took me an extra 15 minutes, multiple turnarounds, and eventually pulling out the GPS before I figured out where exactly I was and where I was supposed to be was under an overpass and 3 streets over. Then on the way home, I missed the first turn, decided to take another route, then missed the second turn, and ended up on the Northwest side of town instead of the Northeast side.

(side note: I have actually been called a "homing pigeon" before because of my ability to somehow find my way to where I am going regardless of how well I know the town, or which roads I take.)

Thank You God (or Thomas Hancock)...

...for elastic!



I finally gave in and bought a few pairs of maternity jeans (not those full belly ones but the ones with the elastic band at the top) and I could not be happier. Even though after a few days, I still find myself out of habit checking to make sure my zipper isn't down. Then I remember maternity pants don't have a zipper (very convenient for the ever forgetful mommies to be out there!)... I also wonder what the long term affects of this will be when I am back in my pre-preggers clothes. Will I get out of the habit of pulling up my zipper after using the bathroom and end up walking around exposed all the time? (someone please tell me if I do...)

I'm finding anything in my wardrobe that does not have some stretch to it, is not going to be worn for a long long time. Even though I can still fit most of my clothes, the comfort factor has become uber important.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

So looking at baby gear is so much fun that I have actually considered starting my own line. Jason is convinced it's where all the money is and I must agree. :)

Even though I highly doubt I will follow through on any dream to design my own baby gear any time soon, I am having a great time looking at all the things out there for our little one. I have come across a few different companies that I really am liking and wanted to share those with you. While these companies have their own website I actually discovered most of them when browsing Amazon.com.

Bella Tunno (bellatunno.com)- not only does this company offer great whimsical styles in a variety of products, but part of the proceeds support a drug and alcohol abuse program in memory of Matt Tunno, late brother of the founder of Bella Tunno.
After looking into the Bella Tunno websiteI've discovered they not only have fun looking bibs and burpies, they have great pacifier clips, art smocks and head bands. They offer a unique "Designer Diners" line (wipe-clean place mat on one side and a reusable chalk mat on the other). They've also designed the fashionable and functional "Diaper Ditty" (a clutch that holds wipes and 2-3 diapers, great for the car or easily added to a purse to create an instant diaper bag).

Aden and Anais (adenandanais.com)- founded by a women looking for the muslin swaddling blankets she was familiar with growing up in Australia. The muslin material is durable and breathable and great for swaddling babies in warmer months. The lighter material still keeps baby warm but eases the worry of overheating. The designs from this company are classic and, of course, stylish. They also offer a warmer line of organic cotton swaddling blankets for colder months as well as great sleep sacks, bibs, towels and washcloths, and blankets.

Their website also offers some background and story on swaddling babies and even a section on how-to: http://adenandanais.com/learn/howtoswaddle.aspx

CloudB (cloudb.com)- offering a variety of products aimed at helping baby sleep better. I first came across their twilight turtle light. This plush turtles' shell doubles as a night light and cast constellations on the walls. I always have had a thing about turtles (probably because my grandmother seemed to also like them and I have memories of her giving me turtle gifts as a child). After looking for other products from this company I was glad to find they also have sound soothers that mimic sounds like a mother's heartbeat (some studies show this soothes baby and allows better sleep). Like most of these companies they also offer some of the normal items like blankets and sleep sacks but most of their items are specifically geared at sleep. Their IParenting Media Award winning sleep sack, the "LullaBag", is now offered in an eco-friendly version, "Bamboo LullaBag." While I'm not a fan of the bulk of the original version, the new Bamboo version looks less bulk and also I like the newer version's neckline and closure better.

More faves to come soon...

2nd Doc visit

We had our second visit to the doctor today that was quite a bit more eventful than the first. We finally got to hear the heartbeat! It was such a relief to hear and even though I have known there's a baby growing in there, hearing the heartbeat made it much more real! We also were finally were able to run my labs and the H1N1 vaccine was in. So after hearing that little "whoosh whoosh whoosh" and getting injected, we headed over to the lab where I handed over enough blood for 7 viles and of course after two hours without a bathroom break, I had no problem with the urine sample.

(btw- Even thoug my sister was upset by this and requested that I demand we have one sooner, we won't have an ultrasound until 18-22 weeks. We just don't have any reason to have one soon and it's the norm for my doc's office so even though it would be super exciting to see our Bean now, we have to wait...)

rambling and random thoughts

Woke up this morning to fresh snow on the ground. I've been watching Reily (our 5 year old Golden Retriever mix) run around the back yard biting piles of snow and playing with the shrubs. (yes, he actually was biting a branch off the bush and then prancing/jumping away from it before going back in for more. Poor bush didn't know what was going on but Reily thought it was his play buddy).
I also woke up this morning with an uncontrollable urge to bake (whether that can be attributed to the pregnancy or just the weather, I'm not sure). So I took a stab at home made biscuits for the first time. They actually turned out pretty good. I also must just be getting an appetite back because I decided to also make turkey sausage patties, eggs, and a strawberry peanut butter protein shake. I haven't had much of an appetite this past week. I think it's just from constantly thinking about what I'm eating and how much I'm eating and trying to get enough of this and enough of that and I was just getting tired of opening the fridge and trying to decide what to make.

I've also not been sleeping very well (not horrible either)... but I find myself having a hard time turning my brain off and getting comfortable at night. As soon as I close my eyes I start having these detailed thoughts/ half dreams about the most random of things. Last night I only was asleep for an hour before waking up and having to use the bathroom. Then when I layed back down I couldn't get comfortable enough to fall back asleep and after about 20 minutes my stomach decided it was starving. So I found myself up at 1:00 in the morning staring into the cupboards and finally settling on tortilla chips.

Reily has been acting a bit more needy lately. He's been consistantly having bad dreams and a couple nights ago he was crying so bad that I woke him and both Jason and I immediately called him up on the bed to calm him down. We were both worried about him being upset and laying there made me think about days in our not so distant future when it will be our kid climbing into bed with us because they are scared.
Last night Reily was also having trouble sleeping apparently (no bad dreams this time though). Jason found him sneaking some Zzz's on the couch. He never sleeps on the furniture that we know of but Jason went downstairs to turn off a light, Reily was surprised and knew he was caught in the act and slowly slid off the couch onto the floor (as if he thought if didn't make any sudden movements then Jason wouldn't notice the crime). When I came down for my late night tortilla chip break, I found Reily stretched out on the kitchen floor in his "frog pose" (legs stretched back to the sides and behind him). All strange behavior for him I think. I knew he walked around the house once or twice a night but he's always asleep next to the bed when I wake up. Does he wander around everynight and have these little adventures that we don't know about?

Bump Watch 09

On more than one occasion today I caught Jason looking at my belly and finally I confronted him to which he replied "you look...." "pregnant or fat?" "you said it?" "nice." (We laughed). Apparently my tummy is a little more obvious all of a sudden today than before.

We also bought a Wii Fit video game today that after weighing me and doing a balance test told me that my center of balance is a little off and that according to my BMI I'm overweight. These results obviously are not fair nor are they taking into account that I'm pregnant! duh! :) I also caught Jasons staring again and then he told me "you really do look pregnant," to which I replied, "I really am"

the name game

We have a long time to finalize the right name for our little bean but we have been trying to come up with some options. A few friends of mine decided Gertrude would be a fantastic choice in the interim. I don't know how I feel about even pretending that we would name our child Gerty.

We have a few girl options that we seem to like but it's been rather difficult to find any boy names. After looking through some name lists and joking about Aziz or Zanebono, we decided we could just hope that it's a girl. We both seem to have that feeling... but our feeling only has a 48% chance of being correct so I'm all about having some options for both genders. I know it will come to us but anyone with suggestions? I'm opening that can of worms.

isn't it too early for cravings? I'm going with just overly hungry

Today was a busy hectic day and I'll openly admit that I didn't eat much this morning, or this afternoon for that matter, and by the time this evening started sneaking up on us I was on the verge of a full blown tantrum from the low blood-sugar levels. I also couldn't bring myself to eat anything in the house because I desperately wanted a beef hotdog with sweet relish and nothing else would do. (Why? I don't know. I maybe eat two hot dogs over an entire year usually.)
BUT even after standing in front of the fridge for five minutes I could not bring myself to eat the chicken breast I was already defrosting, or even the polish sausages that we already had. So unable to move past it, completely exhausted and on the verge of being sick from hunger I got in the car and went to the grocery store.
By the time I got home and put the groceries away, it was the best damn hot dog I have ever had in my entire life.

thoughts over cookies

Jason and I stayed out of the snow tonight and decided to make cookies at home. He may kill me for letting everyone know that we do cutesy things like that but I'll take my chances.(A funny side note about wanting to "kill me": Jason was a little late to work today and as he has never been later before, his coworkers were a bit concerned. They later told him they were worried that my hormones had gotten the best of me and I had actually killed him or something. funny.)

I found myself taking cookies off the pan tonight and completely zoning out in all kinds of thoughts. I wondered if it's the pregnancy hormones that makes me feel so much like a space-cadet these days or if it's just all the things on my mind?

The thoughts usually go something like this: "Nanny's cookies were crispier than these" which leads to family and friends which leads to baby names, and after saying a few to myself to try them out it somehow leads to thoughts of food which are then clouded with Halloween costume ideas which leads back to job and bills then more food which makes me ask myself if I'm getting enough fluids and sleep which then leads back to friends and family then Holidays which of course takes us right back to food. And somehow I had this entire string of thoughts in the amount of time it took me to take only 4 cookies off the pan.

The baby bump continues to make progress. It's still not protruding too much but there's definitely changes going on and it's impossible to suck in my stomach anymore. I'm actually looking forward to getting a little further along and growing past the point where strangers aren't sure if I'm pregnant or just carrying a few extra pounds. Maybe I'm paranoid but I swear the teenage boy bagging my groceries yesterday stared at my stomach and I just knew he had some "beer gut" thought run through his mind. I wanted to just lean over and matter of factly say, "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant."
When his eyes moved back up from my stomach to my face, I decided to just smile instead.

inspired by the decor

As I'm coming to terms with the fact I won't be able to decorate the nursery with all the goodies from Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn that I've been admiring, I'm finding some good alternatives at Target. Decided to go with a White crib that coordinates with the bookcase and daybed that we already have in the room.
Then we are keeping things pretty neutral with browns and sage greens with fun patterns (dots and spirals and beaded stripes). I personally can't stand things like Disney characters and the Winnie the Pooh items. (Actually, I can put up with a little bit of the classic Winnie but... it's questionable).
The plan is to add pinks, purples, yellows, and blues later once we know if our little bean is a boy or a girl.


I like classic toys and retro chic designs or as Jason would like to say, that "Artsie Fartsie" stuff. Funny that he chooses that term when I don't think I have ever told him that was the proposed name of my art company.

In fact, when we were looking at furniture yesterday and he used the term "Artsie Fartsie" it reminded me of my old goals to open an art studio for children. So, I decided to check out the market in Colorado Springs and may start doing private art lessons.

It amazes me how much this pregnancy has refocused my life and reminded me so much of who I am as an individual and the goals that I have. Some people would think that being pregnant makes you desperate for financial stability. Being able to provide for my child is definitely a priority, but being pregnant and thinking about providing a good environment of love and happiness for my baby has only reminded me how important happiness and self-fulfillment is.

the bump

I took a picture about 2 weeks ago to show that the whole 3 month before the bump rule is a crock. Well, not a total crock as I can still manage to hide it if I need to but baby bump definitely started making it's presence known after only 6 weeks.

It's True!

We found out on September 27th with a positive test result that I (we?) am (are?) definitely preggers! I confirmed it with 5 more home tests just to be sure and then one more at the doctors office for good measure. According to my dates, I'm due the first week in June!

With lots of questions from our family and friends I thought blogging might be a good way for everyone to keep up with us and my ever growing appetite. I hope this is a good place to be honest and funny at times. I hope that anyone who takes the time to read about the excitements of our life right now, will appreciate it and feels a little part of how lucky I feel we are.