Some of My Favorite Things

No, not rain drops on roses or whiskers on kittens - although those things are great too!

But I'm talking about some of my favorite baby items. Some of these are things that I bought for myself, some where things that I registered for and some where thoughtful gifts from friends/family that have become things that I couldn't live without. I know that this list will change and evolve over time as he gets older and moves into different stages, but I thought that I'd share what I have been loving the most during this first month.

Here you go!

Microwavable bottle sterilizer bags - I saw these on OMGMom's blog found here. (I'm not even going to tell you to follow her, because I can't believe that there are people out there that don't know about her! She cracks me up daily!) I took her suggestion to heart and bought some of these myself, and she was right. How convenient - they're small, taking up no space in my limited-counter-space-kitchen, fold up well for travel (although I haven't really gone anywhere) and they're cheap. I got mine at Target (the Munchkin brand, but there are other brands) for like $5 - that included 6 of the bags that can be re-used 20 times. There's even a chart on the back of the bag for you to mark the uses on so that your sleep-deprived brain doesn't actually have to try and remember when you've used it 20 times. Great for bottles and breatfeeding pump parts/accessories.

Bottle Draining Tray - this is something that was gifted to me that I did NOT register for. Had I known about such a thing, though, it totally would have been on my registry! It's been a lifesaver for me, and I can't imagine washing bottles without it. Not to mention that it's SO cute because it looks like a little patch of wheat grass! My friend (find her blog here) gifted this to me, and warned me that she normally doesn't buy gifts that aren't registered for, but that she saw this and couldn't resist. I mean, isn't it the cutest? You simply wash your bottles, then put them on the grass mat to air dry. Once they're dry, I use the sterilizer bags to sterilize and then the bottles go back on the grass mat to finish drying. Every so often, I drain the water out, and it's easy-peasy. Yes, I know that you can dry bottles in your normal dish drainer, but I like having a seperate place just for the bottles. I mean, who knows when the last time I cleaned my dish drainer was? Plus, being a more compact size, this is easier to clean. I just love it and would recommend it to any new mom!

Medela Nipple Shields - I've already written about these wonderful devices here. I won't say more, you can read about their wonderfulness over on that post.

Hospital blankets - these beauties, I stole. Yep, I'm admitting that I have a problem. Although technically, Brent stole them. But it was at my suggestion. They're the perfect weight in thickness (not too cool or too hot) and unlike other receiving blankets that you buy, they're a perfect square. Which makes them the BEST blankets EVER for swaddling. Even better than those pre-preapred snuggly things. Seriously, trust me on this one. You pay for the stuff either way, so you might as well take home two or three. Or five or six like we did! We literally use one every single day. The Boppy Pillow - this has been my new BFF. He literally spent the entire first week of his life in this pillow. Yeah, it wasn't until last week (that's three weeks old) that I finally saw the big SLEEP with a big, red "X" marked across it in reference to letting babies sleep in the Boppy pillow. I hope that I'm not castrated for doing this, but I honestly didn't see the warning. But in my defense, he can't roll over, when he's placed on his back the worst that can happen is that he can get all scrunched down in the middle - but we watch him really close for that and readjust him when needed. I promise! Either way, now that I know about the sleep warning - I still let him sleep in there during the day - he just loves it so much!

Swing - this is the swing that we have by Graco. You don't have to use the same swing that we do, but I can recommend it. It was super easy to assemble and the batteries don't run out quite as fast as I was worried that they would. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to buy me some rechargable D batteries as soon as I remember to get them the next time I go to the store! Anyway, we just assembled his swing last week and so far it seems to be a hit. The swing has 6 adjustable swing levels, as well as both music and nature sounds and the cradle part also has two vibrating speeds. Love that! Most of the time when we put him into the swing, he goes right to sleep. It's not 100% reliable as a means to stop the crying, but for the most part he loves it! Thanks Mom!

So that's it for now. Like I said earlier, I'm sure that as he grows and his needs change, my list of Favorite Things will also change, but for the first month, I don't think that I could have made it without these things! I hope this helps you out!