Rule Number 1 - My Baby Must Have List

(For all my non-pregnant, non-parent readers I promise I will have a no kids allowed post coming up soon! But for today one last all about baby post....)

For all my pregnant friends I have decided to compile a list of the top 10 things/tips I could not have made it without.... or that just helped make things easier, to say the least.

I still make no claims to be a "baby expert" but I am a little wiser then I was this time last year and I really wish that with all the useless things people tell you that someone would have told me just how invaluable the items on this list would be. (I will try to include links when possible.)

So without further ado. 

1. Bassinet

If you listen to nothing else I say listen to this. Invest in a bassinet! Do not let baby sleep with you and your spouse. I REPEAT do not let baby sleep with you and your spouse. 

Once baby becomes accustomed to sleeping with you they will want to sleep with you from now on. Which may be sweet when they are little but not so much when they are 5 and you and the hubs haven't had a night in bed alone in 5 years. I say this because I have two sets of friends who have made the mistake and warned me. 

Now I know bassinets aren't cheap but I'll give some tips on that shortly. I was lucky enough to have a good friend who had one she wanted out of her house that I was able to purchase pretty cheap. Maddie slept in this next to mine and Marine's bed till she was almost 6 months. It was nice cause she was right there next to the bed and we could keep an eye on her yet we still had our own space. 

2.  Sound Machine and Heating Pad (work hand in hand)

The first few weeks in my house there was very little sleep going on at night. When it got to the point that Marine and I were like Zombies I started asking friends for any tips or advice on how to help Maddie sleep. 

My mom said when I was a baby she would place a heating pad under the sheet in my bassinet with a blanket then over it and turn it on low for about 10 minutes before she would put me in it. Babies like warmth, they are used to being warm next mom or dad. The heating pad will warm the bassinet up so that you aren't laying baby down in a cold bed. 

This tip seemed to help. **Safety note - never put baby in there while heating pad is on. Always turn off pad and remove it before placing baby in bassinet.**

A friend suggested something that played "the heartbeat noise." The what? I had no clue what she was talking about at first! But then she explained and it made sense. For 9 months baby has been used to your warmth and hearing your heart beat. Hearing your heart beat makes baby relax and know she is safe. Luckily my Fairy Godmother had given us the Homedics Sound Spa as a shower gift... and guess what it played the heartbeat noise. 

Combine this little jewel and the heating pad and you my friend have just found yourself a few hours of peaceful sleep. 

Maddie is now almost a year old and we still use this machine daily. Not only does it play other music but it also has a projector. And my favorite part is that it has a timer! So during those growth spurts when Maddie would wake up for a nighttime feeding I could put her back in bed, turn it on, hit the timer and go back to bed myself knowing that in 30 minutes I would no longer hear the music coming from the monitor.

3. Diaper Champ

When registering at Babies R Us the helpful associate told me a piece of advice that would save Marine and I quite a bit of money over time. The associate advised to go with the Diaper Champ over the highly popular Diaper Gene. Why? Because with the Diaper Gene you have to buy special bag refil kits which range between $15 and $20. But with the Diaper Champ there are no refills to buy. Just use normal trash bags. 

Needless to say this is one thing you will use multiple times a day and it does help reduce the smell. And it's nice to not have to buy any special refills for it!

4. Join a Whole Sale Club (BJ's, Sam's, Costco, ect.)

Bite the bullet and pay the cost to join a whole sale membership. I personally use BJ's and they have saved us quite a bit when it comes to diapers. Cause let me tell you diapering a small baby can cost a fortune. BJ's is great though cause you buy in bulk and they also accept coupons. Plus they send out a coupon book each month that normally has coupons in it for diapers. This month for example there is a coupon for $5 off Pampers. Maddie is in size 4 diapers now which I think the last I bought was $41.99 for a box of 160... so $5 off is a big help! I also buy Similac Formula from BJ's and it is much cheaper then any of my local stores such as Walmart, CVS, or Ingles. 

Another great thing to buy here is the special baby washing detergent you are supposed to use. I paid about $30 last year for a large jug of it. I wash approximatly 1 large load a week of Maddie's clothes - sometimes more - and this one jug has lasted a year and is still going. (Side Note I still wash my and Marine's clothes in our nomal detergent and just use this for Maddie's things).

5. Pampers Swaddlers or Huggies Snugglers

Before having Maddie I knew nothing about diapers. I was naive to think that all diapers are created equal. Thank god for nurses (in more ways then one) and especially thank goodness for maternity ward nurses who give you knowledge on how to care for that little bundle of joy. My lovely nurses introduced me to Pampers Swaddlers the ultimiate for the baby dummy. These diapers are wonderful for any first time parent in that they have a nice yellow line that turns blue when the diaper is wet. 

Worry about how to tell when baby has a wet diaper? Check that worry off the list! Invest in these diapers and will always let you know. These are also convenient when out about and you need to do a quick check to see if baby is wet. Good news they do offer these up to size 3 at BJ's.

6. Sophie The Giraffe

When the teething stage hits you will do anything to help baby! Is teething really that bad you ask? For me.... I consider it one of the rings of h-e-double hockey sticks. Everyone gave me suggestions. I tried it all; frozen teething rings, damp washcloths, teething toys, and even (as one friend suggested) frozen waffles. Nothing seemed to ease Maddie. So I went to my good 'ol pal Google. *Sigh* he never steers me wrong!

This is how I came to find Sophie. Sophie is the number one rated teething toy and though she ranges from $18.00 to $25.00 (cheapest is Amazon included link above), she is worth every penny!! When I added her to my shopping cart I couldn't believe I was about to spend this high amount on a teething toy. I mean seriously? But I couldn't take it any longer I was willing to try anything!!

Don't ask me what the secret is, cause I have no clue. But Sophie is a God a Send. Best $18.00 I may have ever spent!!

Side Note: I never told Marine how much Sophie cost or he may would have killed me considering he calls this a dog toy since it is plastic and squeaks. So if you don't want to spend the high price try a plastic squeaky toy at your own risk.

9. Vtech Piano

Vtech makes wonderful toys for children! Maddie particularly liked the VTech Sing & Discover Story Piano, just to give you an idea she started playing with this around month 4  I believe (if I recall correctly) and she is now almost 12 months and still plays with it.

Most played with toy I have bought thus far.

Thank you Vtech this is a must for a work at mom who needs a minute to check email from time to time!

10. Swing

Another teething savior! During those restless nights when baby can't sleep place her in this and it will lul her to sleep in no time! The Fisher Price Swing is wonderful!

11. Dr. Brown's Bottles

Remember when Giggles, Vixen, and I went to register for my baby shower and had no clue about bottles? Yeah turns out there is a difference!

I breastfeed but also supplemented with formula at times and when using a bottle Maddie would always spit up bad. Someone recommend I try Dr. Browns.

Viola problem spit up problem solved!

12. Baby BJorn

Baby Carriers are wonderful for taking little one out and about. And let's face it sometimes you just need use of both hands!! 

Example I still had horses to help feed. Originally I purchased a cheap basic carrier at Wal-Mart, being naive and not know there was a difference. Needless to say I put the carrier together and then could never put Maddie in it because it was so complicated for one, and for two it just did not look comfortable. To many pieces that would pinch those sweet, little, chunky, legs I so loved. 

Enter Baby Bjorn, this is the best carrier!!  Marine and I both enjoyed carrying Maddie around in this. It also worked great when we took her on her first mini-vacation!

13. Don't buy Retail

Ok let me take a moment to chancel my inner Duck Dynasty and Si, "Rule Number 1" Never Buy Retail!

Do you know how fast a baby will grow??!! Super fast!! All the stuff I listed above is not cheap my friends! If you look back through my list there are only 2 things I purchased new: Dr. Brown's Bottles, and Sophie. Minus the sound machine cause I received it as a gift. 

Everything else on this list I bought through area consignment sales or from friends who already had kids and wanted to clean some baby stuff out of storage. I went to a consignment sale last night in fact to purchase what will be Maddie's summer wardrobe. There is to many tips I can offer here in saving money so those will come in another post but just to give you an idea the $149 swing up above..... yeah I paid $15.00 for it. And that $50ish Baby Bjorn... I paid $8.00. Both items looked brand new and served their purposes for me 100%!

"You never go in the woods without a pistol okay that's rule number 1."

~ Si, Duck Dynasty ~

The Help.... I'm 19 Weeks, And My Husband Bought a Deli, Stuff You Won't Find On Pinterest

Warning you now this is going to be a long post. So buckle up.

Here's A Break Down:

1.  The Help
2. 19 Weeks
3. Deli
4. Pinterest

Part 1:

The Help. Have you seen it? All I can say is wow! Red, Previous Co-Worker, and I went to see it at the theater a few weeks ago.

For the girl who has to go the bathroom five times in an hour this was a glued to your seat cross your legs type of movie. I went in being a little clueless not really sure what the movie was about but that I kept hearing it was good.

Well it wasn't just good it was GREAT. Seriously. Go see it. You won't be disappointed. And if you have the book, I need to borrow it. It has been added to the "must read" list. 

Part 2:

You know how you always hear those people with kids who count things oddly?

"How old is he," looking at baby.

"Oh he's 18 months."

******

Speaking with pregnant woman.... "How far along are you?"

"32 weeks"

I was the one who always wants to go, "come on people!" Your kid is a year and half old. And your 8 months pregnant!

Perhaps that is why I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around pregnancy in terms of weeks. Or perhaps it's my desire to be different. I understand that the little baby within is developing week by week and it's an exciting adventure that still shocks me at times...... 

Laying in bed with Marine watching TV:

Me, "We're going to be parents."

Yes, it still astounds me every day that we are in fact going to be parents. I still can't believe we are old enough to have kids. 

Anyway.... even though I am now 19 weeks along when someone asks I choose to rebel and answer "Almost 5 months". 

I wish I had more time to write about all the wonderful things like hormones (crazy woman typing here), body changes (I have boobs!), and randomness (wait I've always been random).

We find out Boy or Girl on October 20th. That is if we decide to find out at all. We are tossing the idea around. Part of me is so curious I want to know now! I mean pink or blue?!

Flowers, and polka dots....

Oh blue puppy dogs and cowboys.... 

Yes part of me really wants to know. 

But the other part wants to hear the doctor say, "IT'S A......." and be completely surprised. 

I never thought I would think like that. But now that the time is here Marine and I have seriously talked about being surprised. Will we be able to control ourselves and not find out? Probably not... but it's a thought.

We did do the old wives tale of the wedding ring on a string. Ever heard of it? You tie your wedding band to a piece of thread and have someone hold the end of the string with the ring completely still. If the ring swings back and forth it's a boy. If it swings in a circle it's a girl.  

Marine was already convinced we were having a boy. We tried the ring tale and it predicted a boy. 

We both would be happy with either but Marine swears that at the last ultrasound he saw "something" and he just knows it's a boy. Never-mind the doctor said it was to early to tell, Marine was convinced. 

The ring just backed up his already "I know" attitude. 

I lay on the floor watching the string. Marine's arm and hand were completely still when the ring started to slowly sway back and forth. I was for sure he had a part in so I made him do it two more times. Each time his grin got bigger and his "I told you so's" becoming more insistent. 

"Ok lets see how accurate it is." I said taking the ring. " Give me your wrist." 

I was told if you do the trick over someone's wrist who isn't pregnant it will predict what there future kid will be. 

"What are you doing?" Marine asks.

"Seeing if you will have a boy or girl!" I laugh.

"What?! I'm not pregnant!" He laughs.
"We are testing accuracy." I tell him steading the ring and sitting still. 

The ring doesn't move. For a minute it just hangs suspended frozen in the air until I give up. 

"See I told you it's a boy!!" Marine says triumphantly.

 Part 3:

Also in the past few weeks Marine has opened a deli. SURPRISE!!!

It happened kind of suddenly.... one day Marine, his step-dad, and step brother were talking about opening a deli and the next thing I know it was opening day!

Seriously it all sorta happened in less than a month.

Marine's Step-Dad's family owned a restaurant for years before selling out. So I know Step-Dad knows what goes into making a restaurant successful. But Marine? Marine is a hard worker and no one will ever say he's not. But he is also a go getter when he sees an opportunity to make money. 

I'm a worrier. 

I see us putting some of our savings in a deli, all the while thinking of the other things the money could go for. 

Marine see's the possible profit. I see the possible loss.

I see all the time spent there. Marine see's the future and the possible monetary gains. 

In the end I agree with him and realize that if something happens and it doesn't work out we will get the money we invested in it back from the sale of the equipment. It it goes great then hey that may be a little extra money each month!

I had told Marine that the Deli would be his thing and I would help out every once in awhile but that I was not the "restaurant type person". 

Real supportive wife, I know. I blame it partially on the hormones and partly because I like being able to decide spur of the moment what I want to do. Owning a restaurant is a 24/7 job. There is always something to be done. I'll admit I wasn't sure that Marine totally grasped that. 

Let me just state for the record.... any wife who thinks when her husband opens a business she can stay out it.... is well..... just as naive as me!! 

Somehow I became the marketer, web designer, and accountant for this new venture. I'm not complaining because I have actually enjoyed it. Not to mention I've worked with him there the past two weekends.

So far so good. And I have to admit I love the fresh baked bread, muffins and cookies!! All baked fresh daily! Chocolate Chocolate muffins are just plain sinful. 

We shall see what the future holds. So far this is week 2 of the Deli being open. May the future hold only good things!!!

Part 4:

Pinterest. Have you seen this site? I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS SITE! Much of my day at work is spent on the phone and on hold. This is a great site to browse while you wait. I have boards for Baby Ideas, Craft Ideas, Home Decor, Holidays, etc. 

A few examples: 

Photo Onto Canvas

Baby Decor Idea

Turn an old bath towel into a bath mat

Words For Thought

Recipes To Try

Holiday Ideas

The ideas are endless! 

Also I have gotten a few ideas for maternity pictures. I'm not one for showing bare skin. So I don't see myself as the naked, bare belly type in pictures. I mean I know there will be a bare belly picture, but I want some others that are more a little more my style. Here are a few ideas I found I really like: 

Check it out! Now I just have to find time to work on all the pinterest ideas I have pinned!

Junk to Treasure

Friday night after work Marine and I went to the pub for diner and a beer (YUM). Then in our typical date night fashion, as of lately, we took a trip to Lowe's. We needed another gallon of red paint along with a few other things....

And then our big Friday night consisted of me taking my online final. Another class down!! I am one class away from getting my Website Design Certification. But truth be told this last class I just did enough to scrape by since things have been so hectic. I'm going to wait till after the honeymoon and things have settled down before I take the last class. And I plan on going back over my notes from this previous class and really learning it once things settle down.

Saturday was so much fun!!! Marine, Marine mom & stepdad, my mom and I had a fantastic day! We went to several estate sales --- I had never been to an estate sale before.... they are very interesting! One man's junk is truly another man's treasure!!

Marine and I came home with a few treasures that I will be sure to post pictures of later. I know I should have already had them to put in this post, but lets face it I had to much fun this weekend to pause to take pictures! Sadly but true. The picture fanatic in me surely has been a slacker lately for some reason!

Ok I can't stand it, I have to share! So here are a few Blackberry Pics (love the phone but the camera sucks).

First up I thought I had hit the jackpot when at the first Estate Sale I see a table with 2 large mason jars. I am getting all the jars for the wedding from Marine Mom's canning stash. But all of her's are the medium size quart jars. I have been looking for a few large jars to use as centerpieces on the food tables. I have been looking on etsy and ebay for these and guess how much the cheapest ones I found were? $16 before shipping. Outrageous, right?! Of course you know I wasn't going to pay that...... but I was more than willing to snatch up two for $2 each.

And yes that is my treasure box in the background.

This beautiful dish cloth also caught my eye. Call it crazy. I know. But for some reason I just fell in love with it knowing that it would look perfect hanging up in my red kitchen above the sink next to the window. Just wait and see it will add a great decorative flare to the kitchen. Even if it doesn't it gives me something pretty to look at while I wash dishes........

Marine and I bought several other things that I will post pics of later. We left for a box full of stuff and spent less than $25.

At the last sale I found several things I wanted. They were priced a little higher though and I am all about bargain shopping. But I was able to bargain a little and was able to get this soon to be beautiful piece thrown in for free :)

I loved the design on this old door knob. I'm wanting to collect a bunch of random knobs and make a coat hanger something or similar to this:

Or I may paint it and put it on mine and Marine's bedroom door. 

For the first time in my life I may actually be in style! *Gasp* Hey, I know it shocked me to. I have very little fashion since..... I like to lie to myself and think I do but really I don't. Shirt and Jeans. That's my style. 

I love vintage decorations. And think about the word vintage for a minute. I love that word cause if you think about it it has so many meanings. I typically think vintage as in early 1900's to maybe the 50's.  Others may think of different time periods. 

My favorite score of the day though was this Graflex 22 camera.

It needs a little cleaning and polishing but I love it! I have several cute ideas for it..... but in the end I plan on putting it on my picture table. I think it will be a nice decorative piece. Plus a fun prop for a few photo ideas I have. 

Here is what the camera looks like opened up:

Taken From Google Images

Yep it was my favorite find of the day. I was grinning from ear to ear upon finding it piled under a bunch of junk. I think Marine could tell also because he says that I don't show excitement very much, especially over something that isn't a horse. 

For a late lunch we ate at a wonderful restaurant called The Boathouse. It was wonderful! I had Voodoo Chicken that had a little kick to it. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I enjoyed spending the day with our parents. Our mom's have definitely hit it off and have a lot in common.... They especially like to remind us (when they are together) they are ready to be grandma's. And they aren't subtle. Other than that though they a quite the hoot.

Marine Step-Dad tells them they are like hens cackling because they laugh so much. That makes me happy though. It's great to see my mom smile. 

Saturday night Marine and I fought the urge to go home and crawl in bed but instead went out to meet up with  Marine's best friend Ford and his wife.

We met them to have a drink with them while they ate diner - we were still full from our late lunch. After diner they suggested we go for a drink. The night was still young so Marine and I agreed. 

One drink, turned into two, two turned into three..... and well you see where this is going. Ford wife and I drank way to much as we chatted and the guys visited. Our early night turned into walking in the door about 1 am. But it was a great way to end such a fun day.

I definitely owe Marine a night as D.D. though ;)

Sunday we worked awhile and then went on a trail ride with Mom. It was a beautiful day and we couldn't have asked for better weather. 

Overall I think Mom and Marine both had a wonderful Birthday weekend!

Oh I almost forgot!!! At a last stop on the way home Saturday Mom wanted to stop at this store to look at bathroom vanity's and Marine and I found a couch. Things are coming together slowly but surely! Couch picture coming soon. 

Phoebe, "You bought your sheets at a flea market? Come on, Ross, you gotta loosen the purse strings a little!"

~ Friends ~

Expressing My Creative Side

I have always loved photography.

I can't paint. I can't draw (no matter how hard I try). But I can take pictures.

Taking pictures allows me to express my creative side. 

Normally I prefer to take pictures of places:

Or things in nature....

Or my animals...

Or inadament objects....

I also take lots of pictures when my friends and I go some place or have a get together ---- on more than one occasion Blondie has threatened me with death by camera strap. And poor Marine didn't know what he was getting himself into when he gave me a tri-pod!!

But anyway.....

I got my first hi-tec camera the Christmas of 2001. I was college freshman, a journalism major with dreams of working for National Geographic. Hey we all dream big, right?

A few weeks ago I took engagement pictures for Blondie as a favor. 

This weekend I got suckered into doing pictures for Hollywood; of her, her little boy, and her boyfriend. Anyone that does photography for a living..... especially child photography has my utmost respect!!!

After 2 hours with a three year old I was at my wits end. Don't get me wrong I love the kid... but in case you forgot he is also the one that left me scarred for life by this moment.

The pictures turned out quite good though if I say so myself. Here are just a few (non-faces of course):

In other posts I've been asked:

• What kind of camera do you use?

I use a Canon Rebel --- which I LOVE!!! I started out with the film version in 2001 but several years ago I upgraded to the digital version. Mine is a little older and only 8 mega-pixel, but it still works great!

Of course I have a long wish list of things I would love to have for this camera such as several new lenses, a snap on flash, etc. But all thats expensive..... So I stick with the few lenses I have and just make them work!

• What do you use to edit your photos?

I drool for a new version of Photoshop (which I will have to break down and buy soon for school) but thats expensive and if you know nothing else about me, you do know I'm a girl on a budget. With that said I use several things (sometimes all of them on one photo just to get it the way I want).

I use an antiqued version of Photoshop Elements -- seriously like 1990's version..... ok maybe not that old but early 2000's at least.

A great web based service that offers simple edits is photoshop.com and best of all it's FREE! Just upload your photo and go. This takes some time to learn to use if your not familiar with Photoshop. 

A few tips I learned the hard way..... upload the picture to "Photoshop Express Organizer" first before doing anything. In order to save the picture to your computer as a jpeg file I had to email it to myself after editing. Not really much trouble but does take some extra time. On my computer this program ran slow.... which can be a pain at times but maybe it's just my computer.

Another web based service is picnik.com -- this one has some features you can use for free but in order to have full editing access you can pay by the month or by the year. I started out using the free service and then I liked it so much I decided to try premium for a month. After that first month I was hooked and went ahead and joined for a year.

It's easy to use and you can get as technical as you want. If you just want simple they have all kinds of set filters you can use to alter you picture. Or you can manually make adjustments to achieve the look you want. It's great! And it's so easy anyone can use it!

Hope this answers those questions for those that asked!

How do you express your creative side?

"You don't take a photograph, you make it."
~ Ansel Adams ~