B.B.B.... Best Baby Bets!

So, as I mentioned when pregnant... this will never be a mommy blog.  I try to keep it true to its roots!  But, since it is about what I am loving, thinking about, obsessed with... some mom stuff might be sprinkled in here and there.  My girl Avery is soon to be 6 months old!  Can you believe it?  I cannot!!!

Well, since I have been a mom for 6 months (almost)... I am long overdue to share my best baby bets!  You know... those items I  cannot live without!  Here are my top 5 (to date).  

1.  Booginhead Pacifier Clips! (left)  These are a MUST HAVE in my book.  The first few weeks before we had these all I ever heard was "where in her pacifier".  Then when she got a bit older and would spit it out... it would fall on our dirty floor and be covered in dog hair.  Gross.  Now, you should not let your child sleep with these, but I have one clipped to her outfit (daily), one clipped to her carseat, and one clipped to my diaper bag.

2.  Miracle Blanket! (right)  So if you are having a baby or have a baby... you know all about the swaddle!  It is supposed to be the tighter the better.  I don't know if it was because we were scared or just a little "slow to learn" but we had some challenges with the swaddle and the thing that saved us was the miracle blanket.  It is easy to wrap and stays super tight.  We tried other options too, but this was our favorite.

3.  Winkel!  Yep, wierd name for a baby toy.  Avery LOVES the Winkel.  It is colorful and light enough for her to hold.  The "straw" like pieces are easy to grip and feel good on her teething gums.  I always pack this in my diaper bag...  it has served me well many times when she starts to get fussy in public.  This will immediately entertain her!

4.  Cloud B Twilight Ladybug!  It projects stars on the ceiling and you can adjust the colors.   Babies LOVE lights.  When Avery would get really fussy we could just turn this on and she would be mesmerized by the lights!   This thing was our miracle saver for the first two months.

5.  Stability Ball!    This is not an actual baby item, but is a must have if you have a baby.  Again, during those early months when there is a a lot of crying.  This thing is a lifesaver!  My niece came over once and was jumping on the ball.  I told my sister if she broke it- they were taking the baby home with them or going to store immediately to replace it.  All you have to do is hold your baby and bounce.... the crying stops.  The husband and I would have to take turns as our back would KILL.  But, it works magic.  Really ... it does.  I don't have a rocker, but have one of these babies!  

Other must haves: a good sling (newborns love this- mimics the womb.  I have the K'tan and Petunia Picklebottom), vibrating chair, portable sleeper (aka Pack and Play), and a white noise machine.   People swear by a swing- Avery hated it.  I was glad I borrowed rather than bought one!

Okay.... that is all for now.  I could talk endlessly about what we have, don't have, need, and don't need! Until next time....xoxo

R is for Review... CSN product review!

So, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, the generous folks at CSN offered me up another opportunity to have a giveaway or do a product review.  After several giveaways, I decided to be selfish this time and do a product review.  It was hard to decide what to get from their zillions of products, but I went with a baby product.  With a 5 week old, this was likely an obvious choice!

I went with the Baby K'Tan Sling.  I have been incredibly lucky to date, Avery has been a very easy baby (currently knocking on wood). She sleeps for 4-5 hour stints, can usually be comforted pretty easily.  The only hard part is that she has a need to be held... all the time!  I can hold her till she falls asleep and very gently place her in the bassinet and boom... she wakes!  She will cry if in her swing or bassinet but as soon as I pick her up she is fine.  If I put her back down, boom... crying!  They say you should not let babies under 3 months cry it out, so this means I am doing a lot of cuddling  and holding with Avery.  In order to get anything done, I determined that a sling is a must.

Let me tell you this baby K'Tan is a life saver.  I can pop Avery in there and she is content... very content (see photo).  She will sleep in there for hours allowing me to tidy up, blog, and give my arms a rest.  There are a lot of sling options out there, so why did I choose the K'Tan?  
1.  The  K'Tan seemed fairly simple to use compared to some others.
2.  Can be used for newborns or older babies and offers a variety ways/styles to carry baby.  I have been mostly utilizing the "Cradle" hold.  Mastering the different options does take some practice, but the website is super helpful (as is the instruction manual).      
3.  It is also ergonomically designed so it is kind to your back.  
4.  It is made of a super soft cotton and comes in a variety of colors (includes a little matching hat and wrap/pouch.  I went with black... of course.     

I think this offers the same thing "swaddling" does.  It is cozy and warm and reminds babies of being back in their mommies tummies.  Some reasearch indicates that babies who are carried around in slings for several hours a day sleep longer through the night.  (Believe this or not- there is research on everything! :)  I imagine some babies are not into slings, but my baby could live in there! :)  Now, slings do come with a warning.  You need to be sure to position the baby correctly making sure mouth is not covered as to prevent suffocation.   Make sure you fully read the instruction pamphlet that comes with it!

If you are are new mom or know someone who is about to be a new mom- a sling is a must have!  At least I think so!    Thanks to CSN for my baby K'Tan!  Do you want one?  You can buy one  right now at CSN stores.  Until next time...xoxo

A is for Avery! She is here!

Where have I been you are wondering?  I was having a baby!  You all knew it was a girl, but I am happy to say she is finally here! :)   Avery West Desmarais was born on Thursday, December 9th at 6:39 am.  She measured in at 7 pounds and 5 ounces and 19 inches! The Mr. and I are totally smitten with her.  The dog is still deciding!.

I am taking this week off from blogging for obvious reasons, but will re-appear next week.  I will have more photos to share of Avery soon.  But, meet our baby girl....we think she is the cutest thing ever.

Until next time....xoxo

D... is for D Day!

So, today is D Day, but no baby... yet!  Thought I would share one more of my favorite nursery/kids room ideas.  What is it you ask?  Shadow Boxes with meaningful and pretty items on display.  There are endless options.  I have had this idea in mind as I have shopped for her "coming home" outfit- which for sure will go into a shadow box!  I have the perfect simple cute outfit... bows and hat and all.

Check out these shadow box ideas if you have no idea what I am talking about!  (I had these saved on my computer, but if I am not mistaken these photos are from Martha Stewart.  She is brilliant after all.)  

I love this idea.  You can keep or make shadow boxes now and hang them now or later! :)  Until next time...xoxo

B + B = Baby Bag

So, you know I love accessories... well... and clothes and shoes and, well you get the idea.  One of my most important baby needs is a baby bag!  You gotta carry around a lot of stuff and you still need to look chic.  I did not want anything too "baby-ish", so I picked out the cutest Kate Spade baby bag (thanks mom) that looks like a classic purse/tote!  It was on sale at Kate Spade, so was not outrageously priced.

How cute is this?   I love the green interior and changing pad!   Well, I love everything about it.

I realized that the husband needed a bag of his own, I don't think Kate Spade is totally his thing.  So, we picked him out a "Dude Bag" at Babies R' Us.   It is very manly and comes in some cool color choices.  He is pretty happy with it; it screams "cool dad".  Now, he will just need to learn what goes in it!  It has its own changing pad, room for diapers, wipes, bottles and more.

So, we both now have the perfect accessories!   We each have a bag of our own, now we will just wait for the baby that goes with it.

Until next time...xoxo

N...is for Nursery Closet!

So, very soon... I will be ready to unveil the nursery.  We made some MAJOR progress this weekend.  As a teaser today, I thought I would share our nursery closet.   We live in an older house which translates to poor closet space!  We are super lucky that our master bedroom has a large walk in closet, but the other bedrooms have small closets.

The nursery closet got a real update as it was not so user friendly before.  I forgot to take a before photo, but did photograph the other guest room closet so you can get an idea of what it looked like. (Gotta work on that one next.)  It had one bar and a lot of crap crammed in.

What did we do?  We added a second bar and second shelf to the baby's closet.  These additions are huge as it adds more space for hanging!  I also bought matching baskets for the shelves for all the little items (pj's, onesies, bibs, hats, etc).   I got all the baskets at the Christmas tree shop for cheap.  I bought two large bins for closet floor (that are pretty and coordinate with baskets) that I am going to use as hampers (easily carried downstairs).

I think this closet went from being a sad little dark closet to a happy place with plenty of storage (at least for now).

BEFORE

AFTER

Progress right?  I still want to get something for the door ... have a few ideas up my sleeve.  I will update you when it is totally finished.   Gotta work with what you have!  I am very pleased and I think our little gal will be too!  (And yes, I have bought her some clothes... don't judge me.)

Until next time.....xoxo