My Baby Must Haves

We are quickly approaching the four month mark :( I know people say time flies but seriously, they are not kidding! I often find myself wondering what I did before I had a baby. I took my free time and me time for granted. I realized this yesterday while running errands with my baby. Complete and utter torture, I swear. She hates her car seat so much, I have dreamed of the day when we go back to no child restraints. I mean I would use my Baby K'Tan to strap her to me if that counts? She screamed for about an hour, then after we got home, she was happy as a lark. I am so jealous of the people that can drive around to get their child to sleep. Tummy sleeper problem number 5,000.I unlike most first time moms, did not buy much before she was born. I had no idea what I was getting into and the stuff I did buy, I quickly regretted. A bassinet? Waste. Clothes that have buttons not snaps to fasten. Those people clearly do NOT have children. So I have come up with a list of some of my favorite things this far. I understand every child is different and everyone of these things may not have worked for you, but they would make a great baby gift for someone else to try! >
1.) Diapers I started out with Pampers because that is what the hospital uses. They were great until she learned how to blow out of her diaper and ruin outfits daily. Then I had a package of Luvs I got as a gift, too scratchy to me. I have not tried the off brands like Costco because I don't want 500 diapers if I hate them. The verdict in this house is HUGGIES! The cadillac of diapes for us. That little cinch above her booty is ideal, no more blowouts. 2.) Lotion Aquaphilic. Thick, boring, non-scented lotion, non-staining, and non-irritating. I love it for all of those reasons. Pay about $11.00 and find it behind your pharmacy counter, it will last forever. You do NOT need a prescription, it's just so awesome they hide it! I found mine at Target.

3.) Shampoo Mustela Foam Shampoo. Craddle cap? Dry, flaky scalp? This is the best! Again, it is a little pricey compared to Johnson's but at $12.00 per bottle, 1 pump per bath is all you need. A friend told me about this and I have never used anything but this. You can find this miracle stuff at Target, Buy Buy Baby, online, and other retailers.

4.) Wet/Dry Bags I refuse to carry a diaper bag. I just have an extra large cute purse and throw this amazing bag in it with everything I could need. I carry things like diapers, wipes, lotion (sample size), baby wash (sample size), comb, extra change of clothes, teething ring, paci just in case she changes her mind :), nursing pads, a bib, mini trash bags, and room to spare! The best thing is if she has a blow out, dump the goodies out in your purse and use the bag to keep the wet clothes until you get home, wash it out and re-stock! Buy Buy Baby has these in many colors and sizes.

5.) Baby Monitor Since my baby now sleeps in her crib...yes you heard me right! Success and one more thing to check off my bad mom list. I love love my Motorola Digital Monitor 3.5 video MBP 36 baby monitor. I can't imagine how you could improve this thing. First off, you can adjust the camera when they move, talk to them through the monitor, play pre-recorded music, adjust volumes or silence when you are tired of hearing them cry (it has sound-activated lights so you know they are crying, relax), night vision, temperature of the room, set an alarm to wake you up ( why would you ever do that?), and works up to 590 feet. For a mere $239.00 it was the best gift. Just buy this at Buy Buy Baby and use a 20% off coupon! Duh.

Hello Mom :)

6.) Swing 4MOMS brand Mama Roo is really exactly what it says, for moms. This spaceship of a machine takes up little space and does everything but vibrate, not sure why it couldn't? I never read instructions so in the beginning I never used this because my baby likes to sit up and see things. Thanks Google for reminding me I already have a swing that would work. It lays back and sits up with the ease of 1 flap. With many different motion options, nature sounds built in, and a cord to hook up your phone/ipod. Hello Pandora baby station! I promise everything I buy is not that expensive, but this sells for around $230.00. Listen, this is the only swing/bouncer thing we own!

7.) Blankets/Swaddlers As pictured above, our Aden & Anais swaddle blankets go everywhere with us! We do not use them for swaddling but they are great for that, great for wearing as a scarf for covering up while breastfeeding, and just a great around the house blankie. They are made from bamboo and are so light and breatheable but also very warm! Amazing! 8.) Baby Carrier My go-to carrier is my Baby K'Tan. Quick, easy, and not much fuss. Best for around the house and fits easily into my purse. The Baby K'Tan is in my size and therefore does not fit my husband, that is one downfall. So our other carrier is the Ergo Baby Performance carrier. I used this for the first time 2 days ago for our first walk outside, perfection. Comfortable and easy to sneak a feeding in under wraps :). I can't wait to try all of the versitle postions this carrier has to offer. That purple thing is my baby :)

I hope some find this useful as I would buy these over and over again if I ever had more children, which will NEVER happen, so I will share with you all. Let me know if I am missing some of your favorite products. I would love to hear your feedback.

Go ahead and Judge Me

Im pretty sure no one has ever spoken the words "go ahead and judge me," but the problem is, everyone does whether you ask for it or not. One thing I can't understand is why us mothers feel the need to judge each others parenting skills and choices. I seriously find myself hiding some things I choose to do with my daughter for the fear of glares and comments I may receive. I don't need or want anyone telling me I am doing a bad job and how I'm going to ruin my child. I think I am doing pretty darn good for never having done this before. We are both healthy and alive, that's success in my book. Come on people, we need to be lifting each other up during this ride called parenthood, not tearing each other down. It is the biggest learning experience ever and mistakes are going to be made. Guess what our parents and grandparents would've said? "I did that with you and you lived didn't you?" Haha, if I had a dime for everytime I heard that phrase, I could retire! I am going to put all of my awesome (sense my sarcasm) parenting skills out there for all of you judgers to pick at and all of you scared new moms out there to relate to and know it's going to be okay. I believe you know your child best and to each's own. br />

I am now willing to acknowledge that I may be the reason why my diva baby does not take a bottle. Okay, it is my fault. Thank you for all of your imput and suggestions on my post, Breast & Bottle. I gave each one a fair shot, only to realize the problem is her self absorbed mother. I am probably not doing her any favors but I since have recognized that anytime my baby would want to nurse, it wasn't always because she was hungry. She would be sleepy and want comfort, I would whip it out and when she was actually hungry, I would whip it out again. Pretty much anytime she would ask, she received. That's what you're supposed to do right? Well, I really did stick to the bottle training and after a few tears, she would take it. When she took the bottle she would only eat 2-3 times that day and be satisfied. Hmmm that's weird, she eats 24 times a day normally. Kidding, but that's what it feels like. So after a week of this I realized that the nursing every time she whined was more for me, no wonder she doesn't take anything else. It's MY fault. Oh and I haven't tried the bottle for about 4 days, go ahead and judge :).

Confession number two. My child sleeps on her tummy and has since she was a newborn. Oh I can hear all of your gasps right now. No one talks about this taboo out of fear of being judged. Everything now screams BACK TO SLEEP. I of all people should know this. Yes, I have told a few white lies about her doing this, why though? It's how she sleeps best. I put her on her back and she startles and screams. Yes, I have tried the swaddle blankets and sleep sacks, she is a ninja and busts out, or screams until she is out. Congratulations to all of you rule following parents out there. When you find a REAL book on how to raise a baby, let me know. Want to hear what makes this tummy sleeping thing worse? She loves to burry her head in a blanket. Not even kidding. I wait for her to settle down and then remove it from her face. That is one good thing I do. She basically is making the rules at this point. Parent of the year award goes to me!

Confession number three. Oh these are going to just keep getting better and your judgement radar is ringing off the charts by now. My sweet baby girl sleeps with me. Oh yeah, I told you it was getting good. This has nothing to do with her, this is so my fault. It started off with her boycotting her bassinet. Seriously, why do we buy those dumb things anyways? I would take her out of it, nurse her lying down in bed, and she would fall asleep. Then I would hook my shirt back up and doze off too with her next to me. That my friends is how it all began. I now know what people mean by you will do anything for a few more hours of sleep. I did get more sleep with not having to get up out of bed, but not really considering the fact I woke up every 5 minutes to check on her while she was next to me. Most every night at 9 pm we would nurse in bed, lying down, fall asleep and as soon as I hear her grunt, about 2 hours later, no she doesn't even get a cry out before my boob is back in her mouth. But who cares? Im just laying there, it's easy, and I love having her next to me. I love hearing her breathe, smelling her sweet baby skin, and most of all, I love how she lays on her side with her face in the crook of my arm. My fault again. I have since been working on this with her because I feel I am doing her no favors and I want to raise an independent sleeper. Two nights ago was the first time I put her to sleep in her crib. She solidified my insecurity by sleeping like a champ in her princess baby room. When she cried, I nursed her in her room and back into her crib she went, like a "normal" parent does. I was a mess. Tears and anxiety that she was away from me and I watched the monitor all night as if it were an everlasting movie, but we survived. I just love her so much, and I have no idea what I am doing, I'm just doing me. We are still successfully sleeping in our crib :) Go me!

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Confession number four. I fed my 3 month and 1 week old child rice cereal. Yep, this eating every 2 hours still thing has me wondering if she would take more. No, I did not put it in her bottle like all of you other bad moms out there (insert sarcasm), I fed her with a spoon. I did my research on what was the "best" cereal out there, like that would make it better that I am starting it a few weeks before you are supposed to. I mixed up some cereal with water, because I am not going to pump for two seconds just to see if she likes the cereal. Again, just pass the best parent trophy my way. She ate the cereal like she was a pro, shoving her bib in her mouth to lick off the excess. Whew! Notice how I didn't post that picture on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? That's because I didn't want to hear all of the crap coming from the mouths of all the parenting experts out there, but now, I quite frankly don't care. No one is talking about things like this and when they do, they end up feeling like the worse parent ever. Clearly after reading this you are feeling pretty great about your parenting choices this far and that's what I wanted to accomplish. I am not saying don't listen to your Pediatrician about your baby's well being and please don't put your child's safety at risk. That is not what I am talking about here.

I am an educated woman who has been around a lot of babies and I remember saying things like, "I will never do that," or "my kid is never sleeping with me," before I was a parent. Oh how things change and the tables turn. I am a sappy old woman who turns to mush at the site of my baby girl. I wouldn't trade being a parent for the world, but I would change the judgement that comes along with it. I hope you enjoy this confessional and can relate to it at some point, whether you are as "bad" as me or not :)

Breast & Bottle

Don't worry, this post is not going to compare the two ways of simply feeding your child. Quite frankly, I don't care how you feed your child, as long as they are fed and loved. I also have no judgement when it comes to people's preferences or beliefs about this topic. I do what I can with what I know from my own personal expierences and right now I am begging and asking for help :) The situation is this: I was pre-warned about this and thought I took all precautionary steps to prevent it but I have a stubborn, strong willed baby girl. Ya know, kinda like her Mom. Awesome. I introduced the bottle to her a few weeks after she was home from the hospital, she didn't mind it at all. Score. I never bought a bunch of bottles knowing that some babies prefer one nipple over another. She liked the Avent natural nipple best. So like most people, I went out and bought a few more of them. I quit pumping as often as I was (once a day) because I thought why do I need all of this milk in my freezer when I am mostly going to be with her? I also quit pumping as often because I despise pumping. Finding time, hooking it up, listening to my machine say "black car" as I am pumping ( I swear it does, just listen next time), and then cleaning everything when your all done. It is much easier to unhook your bra! God bless all of you dedicated souls out there pumping and bottling, or the breadtfeeders who go back to work, you all rock! I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago if my child didn't latch on. She would've been having a cocktail called formula :)

So recently, my husband and I went to dinner and I decided to pump so we could just have it handy. Bonefish bar didn't seem like the atmosphere to get my let down on if you know what I mean. My wonderful child slept right through dinner and what else do happening couples do on a Friday night?? Walk the mall of course and join all of the other happening parents out there. Just about the time I want to shop, she wakes up. No biggie, we have the bottle, my hubby can feed her. Problem is, now she is refusing to take it and is acting like she has no idea what we are shoving in her mouth and proceeds to push her tounge out, spitting milk everywhere all while screaming bloody murder. We know how to get attention. By the way, I love how random people look at you like, "Ummm your child is crying." Well duh people, I can hear and I am trying to make it stop. So if you hear a baby crying, please just smile at the Mom or simply look away. I would give mu baby a pacifier but that is a whole other story, and to sum that up, I wanted her to have a paci, binky, dummy, or whatever you want to call it and she wants no part of that either. We left the mall for home where I unlatched my bra and once again all is well with 3 ounces wasted.

We have an event this weekend so we decided to really work on this bottle taking thing. I regressed and re-tried the other bottles she originally wouldn't take such as; Medela, Similac, Playtex, Tommee Tippee, and the original Avent nipple. She was not having any of them until the Tommee Tippee. She would scream, spit, cry, and now we are wasting this milk that I hate pumping out. So again, like most people I went out and bought 2 more Tommee Tipee bottles because she was taking those. When the time came to feed again, I whipped out her bottle she loves and BAM! Back to hating it and acting like she has never done this before. A lightbulb came on, let's try glucose water. Nope, wouldn't take it. Husband tried formula ( her first time tasting it), wouldn't take it. I did a Target run today, bought 2 new bottles, Gerber and Nuk. Success after a few screams but the Nuk has won the day. 1 ounce down and in the books but this momma is not going to go buy any more bottles or we will go broke.

So help a Mother out! I have no idea how to get her to take a bottle better or just simply taking a bottle would be nice. I feel as if I have expired all options except letting her starve. Not sure I can do that one. I need some advice/suggestions. Until then, we will keep trying the Nuk and if history repeats itself, I will just unlatch the bra and all is well, until the sitter comes.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I started making my own laundry soap about 2 years ago and haven't turned back yet! No, I don't have to make my own but why not when I have the time and it saves a little money? Wouldn't you rather spend your saved money on something more exciting than detergent? Well I would. It really is so simple and takes a max of 10 minutes, seriously. I use this in my HE ( high effenciency) washing machine, I do not hand wash :) and it works great!The down side is you don't get the hundreds of scents to choose from, it really doesnt have a "scent" per say, it just cleans your clothes. But why do you need to mix the smell of fresh spring detergent with your expensive perfumes anyways? I DO buy some smelly thing like Unstoppables and put them in with my towels and sheets, I like them to smell fresh! Also, I have not tried to wash my baby's clothes with this detergent. Not saying you can't, I will just wait a bit. You can find all of these ingredients needed at...Walmart. Sorry, but true. I have nothing against Walmart, just don't go on the weekends, around holidays or before a storm! Just head for the laundry aisle and you can gather up most of your list!

You will need: 1 glass container with a lid (doesnt have to be glass, mine just sits out on the counter.) 1 scoop that is 2 tablespoons ( find in the cooking area) 1 box of Borax 1 box Arm & Hammer washing soda 2 -1 lb boxes regular baking soda 2 bars Fels Naptha-grated into small bits 2- 1.3 lb containers of Oxi Clean ( can use a generic brand) 1 paper bag- I use a small shopping bag. Easy to stir and pour soap from Grater Spoon/knife or something to stir with

Directions: Pour all ingredients into paper bag, mixing/stirring well. Grate Fels Naptha with a large holed cheese grater ( medium size if you wish.) Add grated soap to mixture, mix together well. Pour into glass container and you are ready to use! I added the cute burlap bow for fun on my glass jar.

* I half this recipe because my glass jar can't hold the full recipe. For my family it lasts up to 5+ months! Use 1 scoop for normal soiled laundry and 2 scoops for soiled laundry.