My 12 Must Have Baby Items

1. Fisher Price My Little Snuggabunny Swing 

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This has been my favorite item of Zoey's. It provides a safe, snuggly place to put her when I need to grab lunch or get something done. It will also put her to sleep about 9 out of 10 times.

The swing plugs in or runs on batteries which is fabulous because baby toys eat through batteries like you wouldn't believe!

2. Diaper Pail 

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I like the Munchkin Diaper Pail but they're all pretty much the same. The refills are expensive but we can have a stinky diaper in the house for a week and not smell it. Worth every penny.

3. Chicco Stroller Caddy 

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I didn't want to buy this but it's easily one of my favorite items. It's more secure than the car seat attachment on the city mini and it's lighter for those early postpartum days. It's a necessary evil.

4. Multi-Use Waterproof Pads 

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We haven't once changed Zoey on her actual changing pad upstairs. These awesome pads go anywhere and have saved our carpet and sheets MANY times from pee and poop mishaps.

5. Diaper Caddy

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This holds our waterproof pads, wipes, diapers and more. It keeps everything together and follows us around the house so we don't have to make the trip upstairs for her many diaper changes.

6. Activity Gym

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My sister was sweet enough to mail me the one her boys used because they're expensive! This gives Zoey something to stare at besides the ceiling and I feel like she really started enjoying it pretty early on.

7. Bouncer 

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This is how I'm able to shower when I'm on my own and another safe place to put Zoey when I need to do something around the house. It's more mobile than the swing so I can have her with me in whatever room I'm in.

8. NoseFrida 

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I swore up and down that this was the grossest thing ever and I would never ever buy one. Let me tell you, it's amazing. Still gross but it works every time and I'd do anything to help my baby breathe. Plus the snot never makes it past the entrance to the blue tube anyway. Get one.

9. My BrestFriend

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This is better than the Boppy for nursing. It provides a flat surface and buckles on for proper support while breastfeeding. I do still want the Boppy for general lounging though - the My Brestfriend isn't really made for anything other than breastfeeding.

10. Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets 

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These are great for swaddling, keeping a summer baby warm indoors, covering the car seat, or as a nursing cover. They're expensive but there is no substitution. They're so soft and beautiful. I love them.

11. Motorola Video Monitor

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This is completely necessary for me. Zoey is a very vocal baby so it's nice to see if she's distressed or just making noise without running up and down the stairs to her room. This one is secure since it's a closed system with it's own monitor. You can pan, tilt, zoom, talk through it, play lullabies and view the temp of the room.

12. Skip Hop Diaper Bag

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I love this diaper bag! It's lightweight, has lots of storage pockets and it clips to the stroller for added convenience. Plus it's pretty but not TOO pretty so Chris doesn't mine carrying it.

What are your must have baby items? 

Zoey's Birth

39 weeks

I had my weekly appointment that Wednesday - I was feeling great, no contractions and it was confirmed that there was no progress. My OB kind of chuckled at the fact that I was closed and high and said next week we'd talk about our induction date (likely June 3rd). I left work on Friday looking forward to one last relaxing 3-day weekend with Chris before baby. 

However, I woke up around 4 am and noticed a few "things" were happening. It was incredibly unnerving considering almost exactly a year ago, I woke up early to the start of a miscarriage. Needless to say, I didn't sleep after that. 

That morning as we were getting ready to have brunch with friends, I started feeling some unpleasant contractions but after eating they disappeared. We enjoyed brunch, ran some last minute baby errands and saw the much anticipated X-Men - Days of Futures Past. 

Chris had been anxiously awaiting this movie, unsure if we'd get to see it since it was released so close to Zoey's due date. I was having contractions off and on during the movie but managed to enjoy it thoroughly. We grabbed some groceries afterward and headed home. 

As soon as we laid down for bed Saturday night, my contractions came back. I walked around, did some stretches and bounced on the yoga ball but they didn't go away and seemed fairly regular. I decided to start timing them with the app on my phone. I was sure they'd timed out at the correct 5-1-1 so we made the call to head to the hospital around 3 AM.

3 hours later...we were sent home. My contractions stopped and I was only 1/2 cm.

Chris spent the next two days walking around the neighborhood with me, timing contractions as I laid in the tub, and distracting me with episodes of Warehouse 13 and Merlin on Netflix. That man deserves sainthood for being so amazing to me. 

Chris took these horrible photos of me in labor to show me later. This was Sunday.

This was Monday.

I slept on the couch Sunday night for about 10 minutes at a time. Contractions were non-stop but never consistently spaced. Monday night, we decided Chris had to go to work so after putting in a call to the hospital for sleep advice, Chris loaded me up with Benadryl so I could sleep and left me on the couch with old episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Around midnight, I realized my contractions were 4 minutes apart and I was so tired and in so much pain that I woke Chris up. After showing him the app, Chris insisted we head to the hospital. Although, in my sleep addled state, I was sure that we'd be sent home again.

This time the drive was painful and the contractions did not stop. The nurse's even reacted more seriously when we arrived. They led us straight to an L&D room and had me change into a gown. The nurse checked and told me "you're going to be so happy, you're a 3! I'll go call your doctor but I think you're going to stay and have a baby today." 

Another hour went by and a nurse came in to hook me up to the IV for fluids; that was our clue that we got to stay and have our baby on her due date!! Chris alerted the family and I progressed to a 4 during that hour. I had been loosely planning to go natural but after the weekend of no sleep, pain and the nurse telling me it gets "one million times worse", I ordered the epidural. 

Best decision I ever made. By 3:30 AM I was a 6, pain free and getting the most beautiful 2 hours of sleep ever. The epidural wasn't painful at all. I had full control of my legs and never had trouble walking afterward either.

After the epidural

When I woke up at 5 am, I had progressed to an 8 and the nurse broke my water. After teaching me how to push (only downside to the epi), the nurse and Chris were coaching me through pushing by 6 am. My contractions never regulated and despite upping the Pitocin, I'd push and have to wait 5-10 minutes for another contraction to push again. In between contractions we chatted about 19 Kids and Counting with the nurse and my OB. The whole delivery was an AMAZING experience, very relaxed and quiet the whole time and the epidural really allowed me to fully enjoy the experience.

The first thing I learned about my daughter was that she had hair and it was brunette. The nurse pulled the little alfalfa tuft (she still has it) out for Chris to see. I'm still kind of jealous about his vantage point of the whole deal. I never thought I'd want a mirror but maybe next time...or maybe it's better that I just imagine what's going on.

Finally, at 7:50 AM, she came out into the world and proceeded to poop all over my OB. I heard her cry and my world stopped for a moment. Then I had to make sure she was a girl...I'd been so worried about that for months! I had a few stitches which I didn't feel because my daughter was looking up at me as she lay on my chest. Best moment of my life.

I couldn't have asked for a better experience and as soon as I saw my girl's face, those 48 hours of painful early labor melted away. I'd do it all over again immediately. 

My Hospital Bag

I'll preface this post by saying, every hospital is different and usually provides a suggested list of items you need. I'd stick with that list - I nearly went insane reading all the lengthy lists on Pinterest. Does anyone actually think they NEED all that stuff?

We packed 2 bags, one for all three of us and one for the camera, chargers and devices. 

I also brought the My Brestfriend but left it in the car. The hospital pillows worked fine for breastfeeding. We did bring our own pillows. You just want that little familiar slice of home with you.

L&D Bag:

iPad (we didn't even use this but maybe if my labor had been longer)
iChargers (my battery was constantly drained from texts and photos)
Camera
Nurse Gifts (You want to do these - our nurses LOVED them, especially our L&D nurses who I'm pretty sure jumped up and down when I told them we had chocolate. Plus we adored our nurses and wanted to thank them on the spot.)

Overnight Bag:

Chris:
gym shorts
an extra t-shirt
undies 
a pull over (He was really glad to have the pull over - those rooms are chilly!)

Me:
undies (I ended up just using the mesh ones the hospital provided)
a nightgown
a robe
maternity yoga pants
a nursing bra
a nursing tank
a comfortable maternity dress for going home 
toiletries for both of us (for that first delicious shower)
lip balm (your lips will get dry!)

Zoey:
special going home onesie
a back-up onesie (in case she turned out to be a boy!)
socks
a blanket 
the car seat

The hospital provided everything else we needed.

We also brought an extra bag for the hospital "swag" - paperwork, booklets, postpartum stuff, extra diapers, wipes, etc. You'll come home with a lot more than you brought.

This is truly all you need and the less you have to unpack when you're exhausted and you've got a newborn at home, the better! 

Happy Packing!

Pregnancy Journal - 40 Weeks

My bump turned into a tiny human!

Pregnancy Journal - 40 Weeks

How Far Along? 40 Weeks - This post is very belated BUT Zoey made her arrival very promptly at 7:50 AM on her DUE DATE! I'm a completionist so I will go ahead and make my final bumpdate since I did make it to 40 weeks - just barely.

Size of Baby: She was a perfect 6 lbs 14 oz and 19.5 inches long.

Gender: a BEAUTIFUL girl :) After I heard her first cries, I did ask for confirmation that she was a girl! 

Maternity Clothes: I'm back in my pre-pregnancy clothes and the maternity clothes are packed away for a few years! I loved them but was not sad to pack them up.

Best Moment This Week: After a LONG Memorial Day weekend of PAINFUL contractions, sporadically spaced apart and a depressing false alarm...the best moment of the week was delivering my sweet baby girl on her due date! I'll blog all about my experience soon but it was wonderful.

Nursery: I finally blogged all about it {here}. She's summering downstairs though for now.

Movement: She had a small dance party about 30 minutes before heading to the hospital. I love watching her wiggle and stretch now!

Cravings: None but those post delivery pancakes were phenomenal!

Symptoms: No more pregnancy symptoms and very little pain from delivery. I was very lucky throughout my whole pregnancy, labor and delivery.

Sleep: I pretty much didn't sleep at all Memorial Day weekend due to the intense and weirdly spaced contractions. The 2 hours I got in the hospital after the epidural were blissful and although sleep is now different and hard to come by now...It's much better than that lonely weekend on the couch!

What I Miss: NOTHING! I have my agility back and my baby!

Looking Forward to: The days, months and years ahead with my AMAZING husband and daughter!

Pregnancy Journal - 39 Weeks

Pregnancy Journal - 39 Weeks

How Far Along? 39 Weeks - If you can't see it in the picture, Chris put quotes around the "1" in 1 week left. We're guessing she's pretty comfy and it'll be more than a week. :)

Size of Baby: Watermelon - 19-22 inches and 7 lbs

Gender: GIRL

Maternity Clothes: So tired of them. 

Best Moment This Week: Getting together with a few girlfriends for lunch and a much needed pedicure! My OB even noticed my fancy new toes this week.

My delicious shake from Twisted Root. Yes, that is a hunk of birthday cake in my shake and it was everything I hoped it would be.

We had a good 39 week appointment but guess what? No progress. Ha. Looks like we'll be enjoying our Memorial Day weekend before we get to meet our sweet girl. There will be lots of sleeping and movie watching :)

Our school accidentally received the elementary book fair instead of the middle school one, so I took advantage and got Zoey some buy one, get one free children's books! ....and we finally packed our bags. :)

Nursery: I finally blogged all about it {here}.

Movement: She's stretching and wiggling but you can really tell her quarters are quite cramped these days. They must not be that bad though, she's apparently quite comfy in there.

Cravings: Chocolate Milk, Strawberries, Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper, Strawberry Nutrigrain Bars

Symptoms: Lots of energy, some insomnia (especially from 4:30 - 6:00...when my alarm goes off), very sporadic, slightly uncomfortable contractions (they just started Tuesday afternoon)!! Lots of excitement but I'm also really nervous...not about labor but just being responsible for another human being in general. I can also go from feeling awesome one minute to thinking I can't possibly make it through the day the next minute. I may have committed myself to working one week too long but tomorrow is Friday so I'm going to make it.

Sleep: Sleeping well aside from the multiple potty trips and early morning insomnia.

What I Miss: My agility

Looking Forward to: Maternity leave (starts at 4:05 on Friday!), Memorial Day weekend w/ my love, our 40 week appointment and no more than 2 weeks from today but hopefully a little less!

Nursery Tour

A tour of Zoey's nursery...

Gorgeous wreath from Sarah and Shhh sign from her mom in law.

Changing Table/Dresser and the beautiful diaper cake made by my sis.

Our diaper caddy for the inevitable diaper changes all over the house. Includes diapers, diaper cream, waterproof multi-use pads and Costco wipes.

Inside the Dresser: wipes, more diapers (to be added), bibs, burp clothes and extra pacis

Clothes and Sleepwear *Update (pics) - I did get the Ikea organizers and everything looks much better in the drawers!*

Beautiful crochet blanket by Sarah and our incredibly comfy rocker.

Our diaper bag - not too feminine so Chris can feel good carrying it around but still trendy.

The most perfect lamp - Minnie and butterflies.

Lots of blankets

Diapers, wipes, more clothes and toy storage :)

More diapers and closet storage

Zoey's wall of friends, lovingly made by her daddy. He spray painted an Ikea frame, painted the glass with magnetic paint and put magnets on the back of these adorable mini clothes pins.

Currently all of her friends are sweet little boys!

Zoey hasn't just claimed an amazing room for herself...she's also managed to take over most of the house.

Zoey's temporary sleeping arrangement in our bedroom.

Her Fisher Price snugabunny swing and snugabear bouncer (complete with honey bees) in the living room.

Bottles, Pacis, Bibs and more...she gets her own cabinet in the kitchen!

Stroller and car seat in the office...

...and bath items in the guest bath!

We're ready and we can't wait to give Zoey the grand tour!