So I'm so excited that I have so many wonderful friends that are PREGNANT!! Woohoo, friends for Mills! Lots of you guys have been asking me what to register for, what we love/could not do without, etc - so I decided to do a little post of recommendations and throw my two cents in (of course some of you are pregnant with #2 and are experts by now)! :) I know that when we were trying to decide on everything, I read through every single review on Kelly's Korner (on her baby gear link-up) and tons of other blogs, too, so for what it's worth, here are my opinions and experiences!
First off, PREGNANCY! I was very fortunate not to have morning sickness or anything like that, so I can't really give tips there (sorry, Katie!!!), but I do have some wardrobe advice.
1. BELLA BAND!!! (The ones I had were Be Bands from Target!)
I literally lived in these things every.single.day. I'm a designer jeans girl, and I always thought one thing I would definitely splurge on when pregnant was designer maternity jeans (I heard Paige Denim makes tres fab ones). However, with this magnificent belly band invention, I never needed maternity jeans because I could wear my usual ones - AWESOME! I wore my everyday jeans right up until I had Mills, and they were great for right after having him, too. I also bought one in black, to wear with work pants...so I never had to buy a maternity suit or anything like that either - double awesome. :)
At 31 weeks...
And see, it works like a charm!
2. Also from the makers of Be Maternity (again, Target), the seamless ruched tank, which I wore once I got farther along...because nothing is worse than a belly hanging out of a shirt (pregnant or not), and you can wear almost any shirt over this great tank. And, it is super duper comfy - bonus!
{images via target}
3. As for clothes, I recommend Old Navy and Liz Lange for Target (big surprise!). I just bought Old Navy clothes in mediums instead of smalls, and since they run a little big, they were perfect. I got a few staple dresses for work from Liz Lange's line, and just mixed them up with accessories. I got a few of their cute tops, too. I think my sister-in-law, Jennifer, and I had all of the same work dresses from Target...every time we saw a cute one on one another we'd run out to get it asap, haha! With so many loose and empire-waisted styles now and in the past couple of years, I could wear most of my regular tops/dresses almost all the way through my pregnancy as well. And it helps if you have a best friend that was just pregnant herself and wants to loan you her maternity clothes! :)
I'm ashamed to admit that one of my stapes was "cargo pants," but these were one of the Old Navy buys I was talking about, and I wore them from beginning to end, and I could wear them even now. I would put them on almost every day when I got in from work!
At 38.5 weeks (HUGE)...
4. Okay this last one is just random, but on the nutrition/health side of things, I would totally recommend the Prenate DHA vitamins. I sampled a myriad of prenatal vitamins from my OB's office, and I thought these were the best. Jennifer wasn't able to take prenatal vitamins at first b/c they made her sick, but then she tried these and they didn't cause any problems at all. She actually noticed that they smelled like CAKE, and she's absolutely right! :)
{image from WebMD}
Also, when you're pregnant your protein requirement is about 75 grams/day (especially in the second and third trimester) - wowsers! I know this is a totally random suggestion, but I found these Naked Juice drinks that have 30 grams of protein and are DELISH!!! I would have one in the morning to boost my protein intake since the foods I craved were not those that were so high in protein (ick..grilled chicken used to make me squeamish).
Yum, so good! I just had one the other day (via Publix), and the mango flavor is also great!
Okay, now onto FUN baby stuff! These are the top 10 items we couldn't LIVE without (for the most part), in Mills' first 5 months of life:
1. Fisher-Price My Little Lamb papasan cradle swing - aka LIFESAVER!!! Mills was sleeping 10-13 hours at night at 6 weeks old in this thing - and we were okay with that. In that time of sleep deprivation you'll do whatever it takes, and he slept like a charm in this - I would have paid $500 for it (but don't tell Fisher Price that).
2. Swaddle blankets - We just stopped swaddling Mills this past month, and swaddle blankets were the key to his sleep as a newborn, no doubt about it! When he was teeny-tiny, the Swaddle Designs brand worked best. As he started growing, the Aden + Anais swaddle blankets were hands down the best. I also like how they're lightweight and breathable is this toasty Charleston climate!
4. Infant removable car seat - I'm so glad we went with a car seat that we can take in and out of the car in 2.2 seconds. I can't tell you how many times Mills has been into restaurants and sat in his car seat throughout the entire meal (or slept through, in the first few months). As evidenced here, at our first dinner out on the town...Mills was 12 days old!
We went with the Graco Snugride 32, and we have been so happy with it. I especially loved the gender-neutral paisley pattern. We didn't go with the whole Graco travel system, which brings me to #5...
5. The BOB stroller - I am OBSESSED. I love everything about this stroller, truly. Instead of buying the travel system, we bought the BOB infant car seat adapter, so we can just pop the car seat right in and go - walking, shopping, wherever! It moves so smoothly, and I just love it. Almost all of the cheaper strollers have "fake" tires (as Nicholas called it, he was repulsed when we went to register and discovered this), but seriously, they have plastic wheels/tires. It folds up in one quick movement and it's great! Unfortunately I really haven't tested out it's jogging capabilities...which it's known for...so I'll have to get back to you on that!
Mills' first walk, I think at about a week old, in his cool BOB stroller:
Just this week we've started using the stroller without the car seat - he's such a big boy!!!
6. The Graco Pack n Play (in Birkshire also) - We have been really happy with this item, and used it as a bassinet in our room until Mills moved into his own room around 3 months. We take it on trips (it packs up very neatly), but since coming back from the beach we've left it packed until we need it again. I'm sure that we'll be using it again soon as a "play pin" but we really like the versatility of it from bassinet to play yard, and the design, too. Although I thought we would, we never really used the top diaper changing station. Even early on, we would just walk across the hall into Mills' room to change him at night. It was just easier with his room being close by.
7. The Boppy - it's widely known that they're good for just about everything, from breastfeeding to tummy time. We agree! I'll also add the Bumbo seat in here as number 7.5 (hey, they sound similar!). Mills started sitting in the bumbo around 8 weeks for short periods of time, and now we use it to feed him rice cereal and he hangs out in it when I'm cooking, too. We're fans of both of these!
(Oh, and should I also add the Baby Bjorn to numero siete?? We love it, too - for walks when Mills was tiny, for getting things done around the house, and for Nicholas' video gaming/babysitting propositions)
8. Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Mat - Mills has LOVED this thing! He's just now starting to get to the age where he gets a little bored on it after a while, but he would lay there for hours playing if we would let him from 2 months on!
9. Medela Pump In Style Advanced - do I really need to explain this one, haha... It works wonderfully (I don't know what else to compare it to, but it works!), gives you freedom, and is a necessity (obviously) if you plan on going back to work and continuing to breastfeed! You shouldn't have to pay more than $215 for one because there are plenty of discounted sites online (just ask me if you need a link).
(sorry, you're not getting an action shot of this one being used, haha!)
Mills has done really well with the Medela bottles as well, which makes it easy!
10. Summer Infant Slim & Secure Handheld Video Monitor - Of course we didn't start using this until Mills was about 3 months old, but we LOVE it! When we put him down at night we can watch until he falls asleep, and it makes life so much easier throughout the night! I can see him any time I want! :) It's about the size of my Blackberry, too (with a little bigger screen), so easy to carry around the house - we use it for naps, too. WONDERFUL!
OH yikes, and how could I leave out our Cloud B giraffe?!? We used this (and the on-the-go lamb, too) when we first came home from the hospital, but now this guy is a bedtime staple!!! Mills just LOVES him! Some sort of noise maker is a definite must. (We also leave the bathroom fan on which connects to his room - we're fan sleepers, ourselves, so it's a necessity for our family) :)
Of course, I'm sure I'm leaving something else out, but there ya have it!
(I also excluded things like cribs, bathtubs, hooded towels...because those are "givens.") Please feel free to add anything that may be helpful to all the sweet mommas-to-be!
Mills' new exersaucer is quickly moving up on the list, and I'm sure there will be many new toys and other items that will come along as we move into new phases and stages! Time just flies! I'm not wishing it would go any faster, but I don't want it to completely stop either, because each new day holds something more fun than the last with our little guy.
Right now, I just want to sit back and soak up each and every moment, enjoying exactly where we are. :)
"It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis."
-- Margaret Bonnano
(I also excluded things like cribs, bathtubs, hooded towels...because those are "givens.") Please feel free to add anything that may be helpful to all the sweet mommas-to-be!
Mills' new exersaucer is quickly moving up on the list, and I'm sure there will be many new toys and other items that will come along as we move into new phases and stages! Time just flies! I'm not wishing it would go any faster, but I don't want it to completely stop either, because each new day holds something more fun than the last with our little guy.
Right now, I just want to sit back and soak up each and every moment, enjoying exactly where we are. :)
"It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis."
-- Margaret Bonnano
