Tips for Bringing Home Baby

I came across this post by Alexandra (aka Shortcake on Weddingbee), that I wanted to share and ask if anyone has any other great suggestions.

(I parsed it out a little, but give 100% credit to her)

• prepare everything, in advance.  Sure, you can run out and grab things as you need them, but those first couple of weeks can be mighty hard.  Give yourself a break and plan ahead!
• Wash, dry, and put sheets on your crib or bassinet.
• Set up your changing table or area with supplies.  Make sure you have at least one large box of newborn diapers, and a couple boxes of size one diapers.  If you are cloth diapering, make sure you have prepped (washed 4-5 times) your absorbent pieces (flats, prefolds, inserts, etc) in advance.  Even if you are using cloth, it's a good idea to have some disposables on hand for meconium poops, which can be difficult to wash out.
• Stock your fridge and freezer with easy-to-prepare meals.  Make sure you have essentials (milk, butter, eggs, cereal, pet food) on hand before you're due.  Freezer cooking is a great way to fill up and stock up!
• Arrange for someone to come and help you everyday, or stay with you, if possible.  Don't be afraid to ask for help!
• Sleep when the baby does.  I didn't do this - the temptation was too great to stay up and get things done. BUT, everyone will be happier and healthier with more sleep.  Sleep - just do it.
• Install the baby's car seat and have it inspected.
• If you have a dog, let the dog meet the baby outside of your home. 
• Be flexible - let go of any pre-conceived notions you may have about mothering. Be willing to learn from those who have been there. At the same time, trust your instincts - motherhood is scarily instinctual, and you'll know your baby best!
• Write down every pee, poo, and feeding (and side if you're breastfeeding) for the first two months.  This will help you see patterns, as well as if your baby is getting enough to eat.  This information is invaluable if you need medical assistance or breastfeeding advice!

Did you receive any other advice that you think is share worthy or anything that you found was important when you came home?

Maternity/Pregnancy Must-Haves

So far, I've had a super easy pregnancy.  I had a few go-to items, websites and clothing stores, etc that I thought I'd share.  Feel free to chime in if you have any other suggestions!

Amazon Mom.  Any moms or dad's or caregivers out there can sign up for it.  The great part, free 2-day shipping for the first 3 months and then you can extend it for up to a year based on your purchases. 

Maternity Wardrobe  My maternity wardrobe came from 4 stores, Gap, Old Navy, Motherhood Maternity and a few things from Target.  Luckily a lot of what I have was gifted to my by my awesome mom and dad for Christmas and randomly because they're awesome.  A few essentials throughout:  maternity tanks from Gap, jeans from Gap and Old Navy.  Some great tees from motherhood and Gap.  I would say that I lucked out, I don't have to dress up for work really, so jeans and whatever shirt I find is ok.

Vitamins and Heartburn/Indigestion  I hate having to swallow big pills, I just can't do it.  So I found these great vitamins at Target and I've taken them throughout.  I wouldn't say that they're the best tasting but it's better than the alternative.  I only had a small encounter with nausea but there has definitely been heartburn and indigestion along the way.  I'm pretty sure for more than half of my pregnancy I've taken at least 2 of these Tums per day.  Thank goodness for chewables and the orange cream isn't half bad!

Books/Magazines/Online Sites/iPhone Apps  So far I haven't really been all that into reading the books.  I have WTEWE of course and use it as a reference when I have any questions, etc.  I usually go to babycenter for most of my information/weekly updates.  I do have 2 books that I plan to start reading (umm, like should have started yesterday) about breastfeeding and sleep, etc.  I'll let you know if I'd recommend them, obviously after he arrives.

BabyCenter has an iPhone App, but I also have an App called 'BabyBump.  It allows you to keep track of your weekly pictures, read weekly updates, there's a kick-counter, a place to journal your 'stats', naming section and soon to be useful a section for tracking contractions.

 Excuse my 33week picture which I dislike

 As a Christmas gift, hubs got a book from his cousin and her husband that I think he has found rather helpful. Pregnancy Suck for Men, What to do when your Miracle makes you Miserable. I've skimmed some of it and not only is it funny but some of it is definitely true.  You might want to buy this for your future baby daddy or any future dads that you know!

Food  I'm pretty much hungry all the time right now, but there are some particulars that I can't get enough of.
SoBE Lifewater Yumberry Pomegranate, Freezie Pops/Popsicles, Ice Cream/Frozen Custard and small ice cubes!

Any other pregnant momma's out there have different must-haves that they'd recommend?

Thoughts for Thursday

I'm struggling to get a post completely written.  They're all floating around in my head but no luck putting together something cohesive.  Some thoughts for this Thursday.

1. The weather is so weird, we went from tornadoes to 70s/80s and now mid-80's, Thunderstorms and the possibility of more tornadoes.  Thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Alabama that was hit by the most recent storms.
2. I started too many sewing projects.  I was almost done the baby's quilt and decided to make some other blankets/burp cloths (that I was hoping to giveaway a set on the blog too) and now there is fabric and everything everywhere.  I need to learn to finish a project before I start a new one.  Hopefully I'll finish the baby's quilt tonight and then move on to the rest of the projects.  Oh and I have like 5 other projects that I want to start.
3. My t-shirts are no longer fitting over this ole baby bump.  It's starting to get annoying and unfortunately hubby's shirts are the same size as mine, so no luck there.  With a little more than 6 weeks to go, that's kinda scary.
4. I'm struggling with gift giving ideas. 
   
   • Our 2nd anniversary is a little more than 2 weeks away and I don't know what to get hubs.  Last year we went on a trip but I don't really think that's feasible this year with the baby due a few weeks after.  Any suggestions (they say 2nd year is cotton)?  
   • I also don't know what to get our mom's for mother's day this year either.  Last year we got them Vera Bradley hanging organizer's.  I don't know this year.  Any suggestions?  It's creeping up quickly.
5. I really want to see the proofs from our pictures that we took last week.  She said 2 weeks, but I'm hoping maybe she's done early.  
6. I'm getting a blog redesign (and it's not done by me or a premade from somewhere - though I do like the one I've got going on now from How Joyful Design Studios)!  Yeah!  I'm really excited about this.
7. We're halfway through our Childbirth and Childcare classes and we toured the facility this week.  I couldn't be happier with where we will be and I feel super lucky that I didn't have to do lots of looking at facilities and this is where my Dr.'s delivered. 
8. I'm hungry, like all the time.  Like right now, I just finished my lunch and I would say I'm still kind of hungry.  This is really kind of annoying.
9. I've been worried that all/most of my posts are maternity/baby related, but at this point, I think that's going to be the norm, so I hope you'll still stick around.
10. I've got a little over 4 weeks left at work and I am so looking forward to that.  I am starting to train my back-up now.  As of today I'm really hoping that baby holds out until at least his due date so I can maximize my leave!  (I'm sure I might change my mind in a few weeks, ha ha)

How's your Thursday going?  Anyone got any big plans for the weekend?

33 Week Update!

Whoo terrible picture this week!

How far along? 33 weeks

How big is baby?  4 pounds/17 inches!  About the weight of a pineapple.

Weight gain? 31lbs

Symptoms? Exhaustion.  I cannot keep my eyes open!  Still some rib pain. Indigestion and heart burn this week.  Finger swelling.  My fingers are looking a little chubby and I cannot wear my rings depending on the time of day and what I've been doing.

Sleep?  Ok this week.  Still under my ribs on my left side, so I'm pretty limited to my right side and that's about it. 

Food cravings? Love ice (so weird) and popsicles/freeze-pops

Movement? All over.  He is definitely rolling around in there a ton.

Gender?  It's a boy! 

Clothes?  Maternity Pants and maternity tops and some regular cardigans. 

What I am looking forward to? I've finished quilting his play quilt and I'm hoping to finish the binding today.  I bought some fabric to make some other blankets and burp-clothes as gifts for others who are having babies, so I'm hoping to get those done too.

What am I missing? We went to a wedding reception with an open bar on Saturday and boy did I miss wine!  It was torture to watch him pour all of those glasses, mmmmm wine.  :-)

Milestones? He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Other? We took our pictures last week.  She said that it would be about 2 weeks, so still 1 more week to go before we get to see them.  Today at our childbirth and childcare class we get to tour the women's center, which I am definitely looking forward to (though not the video they're going to show).

My protector, Miss Maya!

NC Baby Shower!

This weekend was baby shower #2 for baby chapman in NC.  Everyone was incredibly generous and he certainly has a room full of stuff! (Picture heavy post ahead)

The lovely hostess put together a great spread of food and games and everyone had fun.

We played guess the baby food and everyone who wanted to participate tasted each one and wrote down their answer.  KC participated and got 2 out of 5.  I didn't want to try them but smelled them and got 4 out of 5.  There were some great faces made during this, lots of fun!

Along with trying the baby food, everyone decorated onsies!  There were some really creative ideas out there.  Hopefully we can put him in each of them and take a picture.  There is a good range of sizes too!

We were spoiled as everyone got some great gifts, which KC modeled for us!

 Plus a smattering of outfits in all different sizes about his auntie!

 

My cousin Kelsey made the trip up to visit from SC and my mom and grandmother came down for a long weekend as well, so we got some pictures of everyone.

 

Sarah (aka Auntie), Me and Kelsey

  Sarah, Me and Mom

Sarah, Me, Grandma and Kelsey

Sarah, Me and Mom

Candra (The Lovely Hostess) and Me

Plus a few pictures of KC and I.