baby registry, parenthood

What to registry for your baby – month 1-6

I remember when I was pregnant and was searching the internet for what I should register for to best prepare me for mommyhood. Cup of Jo has a pretty good post on what to registry for, but other than that, I wasn’t finding much. In all honesty, Cup of Jo’s is pretty extensive. I pretty much registered for one of everything she recommended. And occasionally I’d see something on Instagram I’d save to my registry. So, after being at this for a few months now, here are my honest-to-God, must-haves for the first 6 months with baby. Yes, you’ll want to have some other things like a breast pump, wash cloths, onesies, pacifiers, rattles, and a jungle gym {maybe a swing of some sort}, but these were our absolute saviors.  I don’t know how to add a number graphic to my little collage graphic just yet so I’ll try to go in order, from top, left to right. Here goes:

1. Mrs. Meyers Baby Blossom. Seriously the best smelling laundry soap ever for baby. I smell it and my brain goes crazy for baby. It’s what reminds me of Jace now, in clean clothes. When he smells sweaty and ripe from his day at daycare, I give him a quick wipe down and put on a clean onesie, fresh out of the dryer, and it’s amazing. It has never irritated his skin and is about the best thing you’ll put up to your nose. Babyland deliciousness.

2. Lanolin. Next to coconut oil, this was my nipples’ best friend when I was breastfeeding. Safe for baby, too.

3. The Honest Co. Healing Balm. I not only use this for skin rashes, but for anything of the sort. If his chubby neck rolls were starting to chafe, I put some on. If he was sunburnt {bad me}, I put some on. His skin never reacted and it did nothing but heal him — and fast! Good stuff.

4. Snap-N-Go Carseat Carrier. It really is as easy as it sounds. You snap your carseat in {of any brand} and go! Easy to fold up and the best thing to have when you don’t want to carry around your 17 lb baby in a carseat in CVS. I didn’t leave the house without it and still don’t.

5. The Happiest Baby on the Block. best. book. ever. This book prepared us like no other. Even in the first day of having Jace I used some of the techniques and saw it work instantly. Who knew shushing would work?! Jace loved it, among all the other little “S”s! Go for the DVD, too, while you’re at it.

6. Miracle Blanket. If you read The Happiest Baby on the Block, you’ll need a swaddle. Or in my case,  the Miracle Blanket. It looks complicated at first but once you get it after a couple tries, it’s the easiest thing in the whole wide world and so effective. Jace slept the soundest when he was swaddled in his Miracle Blanket. You need one. I’m telling you. If you can’t tell already, I’m using the word “easy”a lot — see a pattern? The easier the better.

7. Twelve Hours Sleeps by Twelve Weeks Old. All I gotta say is, it works. Trust me, Jace is 6 months and STILL sleeping all through the night. Brilliant and easy to read and follow. Make it work for your household and everything should fall into place {or at least it did for us, with some practice & routine}.

8. Zutano Fleece booties. It was hard for me to spend money on baby shoes. Especially when they’re growing so fast from newborn to full on baby. Jace even grew out of socks fast, so when I came across these booties, handed down from a friend, I was so happy. They go with everything, are easy to put on {and wash!} and they keep the baby toesies very warm. A must for your baby’s feetsies! They even come in cute stripes.

9. Digital baby monitor. Night-vison, temperature gauge and alerts, music, walkie-talkie, great sound, easy to charge and set-up. GREAT product and so important to have when you start putting baby in the crib to sleep at night or down for a nap during the day. You can empty the dishwasher, read a book on the patio, or take a shower, worry-free with this monitor! It’s awesome.

10. Dr. Brown’s bottles. They’re great. I used the Medela bottles while breastfeeding and pumping, but then moved to Dr. Brown’s shortly after. Something about their vent, easy-flow system that makes feeding so much easier and happier for baby. Less spit-up, great burps and faster feeding when ready. Super happy with these bottles.

11. Newborn to Toddler bath tub. A big favorite of Rob’s. Guess his family used this with his little brother & sister. And I’ll tell you, we tried a few different baby wash tubs, and this one definitely topped them all. Loved the newborn swing. Then it was easy to remove to plan for the baby stage of sort of sitting up, sort of leaning. Easy to use and clean, lots of room for baby to kick and splash, fits in the sink or in the tub. Get it. The price is right, too.

12. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. Great for swaddling, a light blanket to lay over a sweaty baby, wiping up drool, lying on the floor with toys, anything! Easy to wash and they really hold up. And the different designs are darling.

Hope this helps! I’ll be taking note of all my favorites moving into the next 6 months. Can’t wait!

August 5, 2014 by
Cheryl

Trying to lean in

This whole, work full time while your baby is in day care is not going over so well with me. I get it. Lots of moms do it. Either they need to or they want to. I read Sheryl Sandberg’s book. Sure, I too, want to keep my career and grow professionally and continue learning. To “lean in” with career so I have a stable future, a comfortable retirement {in Hawaii?}, and extra money to travel, see the world, blah blah. BUT. My outlook has changed, and I never thought it would. I can’t deal with someone else spending more time in the day with my son than I.  I can’t stand the idea of missing his first crawl or first clap. My mom friends warned me that it would be hard, but it’s so much harder than they said it would be. I’m not OK with only seeing him in the mornings/evenings during the week. I want more of him. I want it more than anything for myself. I want to stare at him all day and play with him, plan activities, teach him, help him learn. I don’t even care when he’s fussy. Bring it on Jace. I want to lean in as a mother, full time. Family means more to me than ever before and what our future holds together. Not just Rob and me. But our new family. And so there is where I’m at. In limbo with my feelings. How can a Mom get balance? Is this what my life will have to be like for the next 18 years? Juggling career and child? {yessss}. Am I going to miss some of this precious time, in which I can never get back {yesssss}. What the hell. Moms, how do you do it? My brain is being pulled in two different directions.

And it’s even worst when after my drive to work, I go in the back to get little boy out of his car seat and he’s waking up and about the cutest thing you’ll ever see. He’s sleepy and smiley and cuddly. Then I have to hand him off. It’s gut-wrenching. It’s nauseating. Makes me yearn for a part-time gig or for a day care of my own, ha. Makes me dream big about my blog, writing more, reading more and being a home maker. Makes me wish I lived in Iowa or some small, inexpensive town where I pay a third of what it costs to live in California. Damn you, California.  Why are you so expensive?! So, Moms, how do you do it?! Help.

August 4, 2014 by
Marriage, Santa Cruz

Date night at 515 Kitchen & Cocktails

This summer is seriously flying by, and so has our time with visitors. But with visitors also come the opportunity of a date night! Which we don’t get much of with it just being us out here. So, when Rob’s Mom and Stepdad came out {more on that later!}, they offered us a night to go out. Rob and I were so excited to have some time together. It’d been too long. We’ve had our eyes on this cute, vintage house in downtown Santa Cruz for a while, called 515 kitchen & cocktails.  It has a rooftop deck, with seating and lights – a dark romantic inside, a hipster crowd and a great happy hour. We had the best time. Rob and I love talking about life and work and friends and things we can’t wait to do, and what’s next, where to go. . and how much we love our son and California. He’s really my most favorite person to talk to that man. From there we hopped over to the bookshop {so I could pick up Divergent}, then to a great new sushi restaurant we heard about. Really, one of the best date nights we’ve had this year. Thank you, Teri & Paul. And for those Santa Cruzans out there, if you go to 515 Kitchen & Cocktails during their happy hour, order the Le Pamplemousse. It’s amazing and pictured below {with Rob’s old fashion}.

 

August 1, 2014 by
Jace, Video

7 {!!}

It’s Friday!!!! Fridays have a whole new meaning to me now.   It means I get 2 whole days with my Jace face! Ah yaya. Here is something to get you amped up for the weekend!
July 25, 2014 by
Jace

Jace at 5 months

Baby blue eyes is 5 months. Gol. Time is flying. He is just about sitting up on his own, prefers to sleep out of the swaddle now and on his side, loves his back rubbed. He is still a hot little guy, he sweats in the car seat, in the bed, in his stroller. Every where. The back of his mullet hair is always wet from sweat, ha. He still loves to observe everyone and gaze into eyes. He can almost hold his own bottle, is starting to eat baby food {sweet potatoes and bananas!} and wants everything in his mouth. Oh, and he’s definitely teething — if he’s not sweating he’s drooling. Hates the “binkie” and has officially found his thumb. Sleeping and napping is so wonderful with him. He’ll rest his head on your pillow, stare into your eyes, then slowly fall asleep. It melts my heart. To wake up and see his little face. He still is sleeping all through the night and can even fall asleep on his own to just a little music. We seriously have been so incredibly blessed to have such a happy-go-lucky boy. He isn’t afraid of anyone yet and will offer a smile to anyone who is goofy and friendly enough. He is such a bundle of love. Our bundle of love. And boy do we love him. Can’t even stand it.  Pretty sure he’s addicted to kisses and cuddles and wiggles. Or, maybe we are.

July 24, 2014 by