Nursery Design

I'm not going to lie, I'm tempted to have 10 kids just so I can decorate that many nurseries. This obsession is WAY before Pinterest (and that just sent me spiraling out of control). I think I can have my cake and eat it, too. I am - at this very second - putting it out into the universe that I want to get more nursery design projects.

I started planning the SECOND I found out I was pregnant. At the time, I lived in LA and my (then boyfriend) lived in Seattle so I knew I would be moving my things into his place. I measured our guest bedroom to see if my Tiffany blue tufted sofa could fit in there. Well. I learned later: yes, it can. But not much else could comfortably fit in there as well. Maybe in the next place... So, I was working with the aqua colored sofa and a fabulous yellow dresser that was vintage Bassett.

Tip 1: If you can, start with what you already have that might work.
Tip 2: Measure out how large a crib is in the nursery - you might be surprised how much space it takes up!

So, I had to make some mental notes:

If it's a girl: yellow (dresser)/ tiffany blue (sofa)/ ivory/ gold
If it's a boy: yellow/ tiffany blue/ ivory/ navy

To replace the sofa that was WAY too large, the craigslist gods smiled upon me one day and I found this chair for $65 INCLUDING DELIVERY!

OK! It's a girl! No secret, that's what I wanted. I basically hit the ground running when I found out! I found this awesome wallpaper mural online for $130.

Tip 3: DO NOT WALLPAPER YOURSELF

Uh. I'm rather crafty and was sure I could do it. I quickly learned my lesson and called a professional.

After looking at what I had acquired so far, I came up with my theme! This sounds kind of crazy but it made sense to me:

"Put a bird on it" 60's Asian style

A lot more has happened since these photos were taken. But now it's almost impossible to find an opportunity where the room is "camera ready".

Tip 4: Don't put shelves where things could fall on their heads (fortunately learned this one without injury)
Tip 5: Avoid putting the crib in front of a window
Tip 6: Drapes might not be the best idea. These are in an area that she can't reach them and (so far) they're safe
Tip 7: Changing tables are kind of a waste of space. Use a dresser with a changing pad secured to the back and make sure it is about waist height to avoid back pain.
Tip 8: Try and hang a mobile above the changing pad, it gets pretty difficult to keep them still at a certain point.
Tip 9: You really don't have to baby proof for the first few months but if possible, avoid exposed outlets.

The Going Home Outfit

I think my mother gave me good advice, however it was (unfortunately) not applicable. Buy a few preemie outfits because when they're born, they're USUALLY too small to fit in newborn sizes and then they lose even more weight and they're just swimming in their outfits. Being 8.1 lbs, I certainly did not need those but it's always good to be prepared! Am I the only one that packed 5 outfits for the baby to "go home" in? I was forced with a major dilemma: to wear the "going home" dress or the "Easter" dress? Since they kept us 48 hours, we rolled into Easter Sunday and it was a tough call. I went with the "going home" dress after all.

While we're on the subject, I highly recommend practicing the car seat with a doll before you have the real thing. She was NOT patient with our lack of knowledge. I thought FOR SURE I had it down and then I think the pressure of having my child in there made it a little overwhelming. I ended up having like 3 people check it before leaving the hospital..

Happy HalloWEEK!

WELL.... I'm not going to lie, I've had some crazy Halloweens. My joke has always been that November 1st really is by far the worst/best(?) walk of shame. Just a quick summary of my Halloween prior to getting pregnant, I was Snooki on a boat party. I woke up missing my phone and beyond hungover.

Last year, I was 5 months pregnant and my joke was, I'd go as a "sexy bumblebee" but I just didn't have the guts to actually do it. THIS YEAR, I was very excited for Halloween. I started planning a year ago (is that insane?). After shopping online, I realized I needed to meet the baby before deciding what she'd be. After meeting the baby, I realized she was a spitting image of a Cabbage Patch Kid! And CONVENIENTLY, they have these super awesome baby wigs available! Well, as it got closer, I realized it was a bit creepy just because Bowie is SO close already. We want cute, not creepy. It started with a sweet pea costume I bought last year right after Halloween. I figured it could be worn year-round, right??? I took it with us to NY and had way too much fun with this thing.

Oh, and my mother bought a cat costume. I put it on her at random times throughout October. I had SO MANY people stop me carrying this baby with a long tail around in the grocery store!

So the other one I felt compelled to buy was a pink octopus! My husband has a slight obsession with them and well... why not? He has a sushi place and so we took advantage of the photo op:

So, finally... I am so so thrilled my step mom crocheted a pumpkin hat... I think it was just to be festive. We had her wear it to the pumpkin patch and we just DIED laughing. It was so frickin cute, we just couldn't take it.

I have no idea how much time it must've taken but I asked her to crochet a matching body costume for her - I just wasn't done with that hat yet! So, the final Halloween costume:

I can sleep well at night knowing I took full advantage of dressing this kid before she has an opinion! Looking forward to next year...

Products I love & post birth notes

A girlfriend of mine was due 3 months after me. I feel like there are so many unknowns and personally, the pressure of buying EVERY product I needed before the baby came was my way of feeling like I had some sort of control of the situation I was embarking upon.... YEAH... One super awesome blog I found out about AFTER I went to all this effort is called "Lucie's List" I still kind of crack up that I read mom-blogs sometimes (WHO AM I?????) but the woman who writes this is hysterically funny and her research is extensive. I wish I had known about it before I went stroller shopping! Anyway, so my initial baby notes to Vanessa are below.... I hope they might be useful!
*Velcro swaddler: at 5am, it’s just a lot easier

*Crunchy Clean! It’s a hippie laundry detergent that I found, it works well and is like $0.11/ load

*Bioclean Bac Out - Another hippie product, stain removal is a daily task and I like this one.

*Dr. Bronner’s soap - that is all I use now! I’m just avoiding lotions and soaps that have chemicals

*Coconut oil - I guess lotion clogs their pores but their little hands and feet get dry. Come to think of it, the first couple weeks, she was getting dry patches everywhere. ALSO, the first week, I used this on her little tush, meconium is like tar and sticks to them so this works.

*Viva paper towels: I guess they aren’t supposed to have baby wipes in their first week or so (chemicals? I don’t know) and if you use these with warm water, they work well.

*Thermometer: Just a digital one to use under their armpit

*Baby Tylenol: Not that you’ll need it any time soon, but you don’t want to have to run out and get it when you DO need it.

*Little nail files and fingernail clippers with LED light: I filed her nails the first 10 weeks and just FINALLY got brave enough to use the clippers and it turns out, it has lights at the tip so it’s super easy to see!

*Air sanitizer/ Fan/ White Noise Maker: I am actually just using a little space heater on the fan setting. But the sound is really great for them. Also, Bowie gets hot in her swaddle sometimes and the fan is the perfect balance. The space heater feature is great for keeping on while giving baths because they get cold super easy.

*Smoke Detector and CO2 detector: A lot of people already have these. Well, moving into Andrew’s bachelor pad, I discovered he had removed his when the battery was low. So yeah, make sure you have one :)

*Baby Sleep Sack: I thought they looked like the most ridiculous things and refused to buy one. Well, I got some as gifts and I TOTALLY see why they’re so helpful. Changing a diaper at 6am and it’s a good way to keep them warm without using blankets in their bed.

*Lanolin: My poor nipples needed all kinds of help in the beginning! But this is safe for babies. I had these medicated pads and try washing your nipples off every time you want to feed the baby, that lasted like 1/2 day! *Lilly Padz: The whole milk thing is out of control in the first couple weeks. With these, I have yet to leak in public. Don’t make my mistake and get the starter kit, all you need are the pads.

*Brewer’s Yeast/ Ground Flax Seed/ Oats: My doctor gave me a recipe for these “milk makers” cookies. In theory, what better excuse to eat a cookie?!? But I read the ingredients and really, I’m sure I don’t need flour, sugar and butter when all I want to do is lose the baby weight. So my breakfast is usually greek yogurt + granola + a tablespoon of brewers yeast and flax seed + fresh berries and nuts on top.

*Mothers Milk tea: It certainly can’t hurt.

*Variety pack of pads: OK, I had huge ones and that became unnecessary after a few days. A variety is helpful is all I’m saying!

*Underwear: Yeah. I can’t remember the last time I wore pads, but I do know they don’t get along well with g-strings.

*Aiden and Anais Swaddle blankets: they’re just the best. You’ll see.

*Bassinet: It’s so great to have one. It’s a good transition from my bed to the crib and apparently prevents SIDS

*ONE nursing bra: Until your milk comes in, you won’t know what size you’re going to be. But it is good to have one to get started.

*Vibrating bouncy seat: I had a nanny friend suggest I register for one, the last thing I wanted was more STUFF. But it’s proven to be great entertainment and good for their tummies when they’re upset.

*Variety of bottles: You won’t need them right away but when the time comes, it’s great to have them standing by. You only need the smaller size and a “low flow” nipple. I didn’t want to buy a bunch of one kind and realize I didn’t like it so I just got a sampler selection.

*Simethicone Drops: My doctor said it’s normal for babies to have gas issues between 6-12 weeks and it was just DREADFUL watching my baby in pain and not being able to make it better! I tried the Gripe Water and it didn’t work but the Pedia Care drops worked within 10 minutes.

*Hats and socks: Their little feet get cold and finding socks that don’t come off can be tough. I hear Trumpette socks are good but by the time I got that memo, we were past that dilemma. And hats! Try finding hats small enough for their little heads in the first days, it’s hard! I had a hat knit to order in England from ebay but everything else was just too big. Or tacky.

*Diaper Genie: I’m not sure if you’re doing any disposables but this thing WORKS.

*Coffee cup holder: For your stroller. I’ve never needed coffee more and where the hell do I put it??? I think it should just come with the stroller.

*Night Light: Or two! In the middle of the night, I used my cell phone to light the way but it’s great to have one (or a few).

*Old sports bras: I got the double electric pump and there is a thing you can buy to hold them on but it’s like $40 and you’ll need to wash it a lot - it just didn’t make sense to me. But my girlfriend suggested cutting holes in a couple sports bras that are big enough to stick the pump flanges on and that works great... I ended up wearing those half the time with the lilly pads because I was pumping so much in the beginning.


***I've also created a registry! This site is so awesome to consolidate all registries onto one page: http://babyli.st/amandas-post-baby-notes

I hope this is helpful!

Baby tracking charts...

I've always thought the people that pay attention to all of this stuff are crazy! Just go with the flow, chill! But then again, I guess you could say I fall under the "super organized person" (aka anal retentive) category. The big issue for me was creating a sleep schedule of some kind. Our child was VERY GOOD (like, sleeping from 9pm-10am) and my fear was that I would mess it up somehow. So my goal was to track what was obviously going so well for her so I could go along with it. There are so many parenting styles out there but one message that seems to be pretty consistent is to have some sort of routine. Really, it's the first opportunity for the babies to start feeling safe. So, in my best attempt to keep the baby on her awesome sleep schedule, I created a chart! Our nanny is always writing everything down in journal form and when I've got a screaming baby, referencing the page of notes was taking too long. Also, it was really good for us to be on the same page about what's going on with her. Of course, once i got the whole thing down to a perfect system, we went to NY and the time change suddenly had her waking at 7am when we got home! No bueno. The whole "charting" thing can be useful over a week or two but really, doing it long-term is just exhausting! So, if you're a "charter", feel free to use my system... It worked quite well for me!

The art of swaddling

I'm trying to remember when I learned to swaddle, it must've been when I was REALLY little because I remember swaddling my cabbage patch kids. When my husband and I were in our birthing class, I think it was finally starting to hit him that we would have a baby. Like, soon. They had a segment on swaddling and he was either too tired or too cool to participate and I just said "you'd better pay attention to this!". Well, he didn't. Day one of Bowie being alive, he was literally googling how to swaddle in the hospital! I was so annoyed because I just wanted to show him how but he insisted on doing it himself. Looking back, it is a very fond memory...

All I can say is: swaddling was the best thing we could do for our baby. It seems so simple, almost insulting to the baby to wrap them up so tight! But Bowie was so content and sometimes that + shush-ing was the only thing that would stop her from crying. I must say, I'm *very* good at it (polishing nails on shoulder).

The fashion statement of the delivery room: Pretty Pushers!

I swear, I must have spent 60+ hours on my registry.. But NEVER would I think of adding a delivery dress to it! I remembered to bring my ipod dock, protein snacks for labor. One of my best friends bought one for me (and fortunately, I didn't deliver early so I got it right on time) and it was SUCH A GREAT GIFT! I hadn't realized how horrible the hospital gowns are. First of all, the prints. And second, the fact that is OPEN in the rear (awkward). This fabulous dress is open in all of the areas that the doctors need to have access for monitors. Every single nurse initially said 'no' until they saw it. And ALL of them went on raging about what a great invention this was!

The dress is disposable and comes with a hair tie (that matches, of course). Order your delivery dress here! http://www.prettypushers.com