Drooly Bibs Tip

It seems like I've been shifting my focus to watching my baby girl and coming up with different ways to make live easier. Here's a good use of those Asian hanging laundry drying holder (was that a good description?).

Our baby girl was drooling so much and going through TONS of bibs each day, so this is how we dried them.  Mike's mom came up with this idea. Isn't it genius?  We could then dry out her cloth bibs so they did not get all stinky and have that "wet dog" smell before we had time to wash them.

Other Baby Shower Gift Ideas

Here's the continuation of the list of our favorite baby items.  I did not realize how many items we have received and/or purchased for our little baby.

Ergo Carrier I have to agree with the reviews. The Ergo Baby Carrier is probably one of the best carriers out there. Mike and I also have a Snugli (very little support), and a Baby Bjorn Active, but the Ergo does the least amount of damage to your back and it feels like the baby is not going to fall out.

Ice Cube Tray These silicon trays are wonderful.  I prepare baby food for our little girl and enjoy using this silicon ice cube tray because the cubes of food pop right out.

Crib Sheet Protector
We have the Summer Infant Crib Sheet. Other brands might be just as good. I like it because instead of lifting the whole mattress to change the bed sheet each time our baby's diaper might leak, all we have to do is unsnap the crib sheet protector and wash that.

Disposable Bed Pads This is something that Mike thought of. We had some extra bed protector sheets from when we were house training Butters. (We did not buy the puppy pads for Butters, we bought the pads used for humans). We bought these pads in bulk at Sam's Club and pack them in our diaper bag.  Just think how dirty the changing tables in public restrooms are. Instead of placing a fabric diaper pad on the table, we  place one of these pads on the table and dispose of it.

Baby's First Toothbrush Our baby started gnawing on this toothbrush. She actually sought it out to chew on when she was teething. Then one of the dogs decided to chew it and Mike found pieces of the chewed toothbrush in the doggies poop. 

Graco Snug Rider. Love love love this stroller frame. (Well, we had the older model) and a Graco infant carrier.  You just snap the carrier into the stroller frame, and voila, you are good to go. No bulky stroller to lift out of your car trunk and assemble.

Bumkins Waterproof Bibs These bibs are great when you start feeding solids to your baby. It does not seem to stain and the pocket on the bottom catches extra spillage.  

Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets I really like these swaddle blankets.  They are a bit pricey at ~$35 for a pack of four, but sometimes they can go down to $25 on Amazon.  There seems to be a lot of hype about these blankets, but I like how soft and large these blankets are.  I did not like them initially because they were too large for our tiny baby, but by the time she was about 10 lbs, we started using these swaddles more.  

Oh and if you are an Amazon Mom member, there's a 20% Appreciation Event going on from May 8-31. So some select items will be on sale.

Baby Shower Gift Ideas Part I

Mike and I have enjoyed all the presents we received from people for our baby girl. I finally have gotten around to posting about our favorite baby items.  So if you are going to a Baby Shower and need gift ideas or if you are an expectant parent creating your Baby Registry, here's some ideas.  

This mini pack was recommended by the nurse who was teaching classes at the hospital.  You never know what your newborn will be allergic to, so why buy a Costco/Sam's Club size of shampoo/lotion? Buy the travel size first and then test it out on your baby before you commit to a year's supply.

Nose Frida  This is a wonderful item (well, the baby does not agree with this statement), but Mike and I love this contraption. It's basically a tube used to suck boogers out of our baby's nostrils.  She cries and cries when we use it on her, but afterwards is super happy that she can breathe through her nose.  

Sophie the Giraffe. This is a great teether.  Is a $25 teether really worth it? Mike and I think so and so do many other parents.  Our baby girl was really into gnawing away at this giraffe when she was teething...she'd go for the giraffe's legs, ears, nose...but stopped reaching for it a couple of months ago. I think it's because her teeth stopped bothering her.  

WubbaNub. We received this pacifier as a gift and I first thought, "Wow, do we really need a pacifier with a mini Beanie Baby type stuffed animal on it?" YES.  It was  great when our baby was younger and the weight of the stuffed animal helped to keep the pacifier in her mouth.

Then she got a little older (4+ months) and figured out she could pull the pacifier out of her mouth by tugging on the animal.  But then she outgrew that stage and started feeling around her crib for the stuffed animal and then maneuvered the pacifier to her mouth.

We now have two of these things.  I purchased another one at ~$13 and I still think it was a good investment. Especially when I view our baby in the baby monitor and she sits up, cries, finds her pacifier and soothes herself to sleep.  I think she also likes to hold the stuffed animal portion and "pet" it.    

Tommee Tippee Milk Bibs Love love love these. Even Butters loves it (see the picture of our chewed up bib).  Our baby would get milk stuck in her neck fat folds and we would smell this stink fermented milk smell.  gross, yeah? But  with this wonderful bibs, the bib would be sopped up before hitting our baby's neck. 

I'll add a couple more posts about items that Mike, baby, and I like.  These are our honest opinions and have not been paid or given free samples for these reviews.  

Ginger Cookies and Cake and Mother's Milk Tea

I've been having difficulty breast feeding and have resorted to primarily pumping.  My milk supply did not come in until five days after I gave birth, and by then we were formula feeding using bottles.  Then I was lucky if I could muster out 5 ml of milk during each pumping.  It was disheartening at times and I would do an online search to determine what the "normal" amount of milk you should produce was equivalent to the amount your baby eats. That means that I should be making at least 24 oz a day! The breast feeding classes and advocates rarely mention the difficulties involved in producing a substantial milk supply.  The instructor of the breast feeding class that I attended had an attitude of "if you cannot breastfeed or choose not to, you are a horrible person." 

My lactation counselor suggested foods that would help increase my milk supply.  The list included items like ginger, alfalfa sprouts, oats, and mother's milk tea.  So, I decided to make some gingersnaps with extra ginger. 

I also had borrowed David Lebovitz's "Ready for Dessert" book from the library and made his ginger cake. 

Ginger Cake-This was a pretty good cake. It had a strong ginger flavor and it's the first time I've baked something with fresh ginger versus dried ground ginger.  

 Then I I bought  and started drinking some "Mother's Milk tea" which contains fennel, fenugreek, and some other herbs.  After searching online, I think the Yogi brand is the cheapest tea and you can purchase it on Amazon for abut $17 for six boxes.  This is way cheaper than the $5-6 I spent on this Organic Mother's Milk tea from the local grocery store. 

So, after all my attempts, I am currently up to 9 ounces (~266ml) of milk a day.  It's still not enough for all the baby's feeding, but you cannot say that I did not try. 

Parenthood

The posts will come sporadically until I get into the grove of this whole "motherhood" thing.  :) I had these grand plans and long list of items on a "Things to Do" list, but I have succumbed to the fact that I am not efficient as I used to be.  Co-workers smiled knowingly as I told them I had plans to study for an exam during and complete tasks during my Maternity leave and offered the advice of just enjoying my daughter and taking it one day at a time. 
I deem the day a success if I can accomplish one task on my list; whether it be wash a batch of laundry or prepare a simple dinner.  I considered it a big win last week when I managed to address and send out our announcement cards!

 Here's a picture of our neglected little pup.  Mike had to go back to work and left me at home with our newborn less than a week after she was born. After the first day of watching the baby and the dog I told Mike that the dog had to go.  He's a bit needy and wants just as much attention as the baby.  Things have gotten better since then-and the dog is still part of the family. 

This image sums up our life.  As tired as Mike and I both are, we are enjoying our little girl (when she's not crying) and trying to be the best parents we can.  We haven't figured out her cries yet, but know that she likes her back tickled (like her mommy) and makes goofy faces (like her daddy).