Having a newborn is one of those moments in your life that you would like to remember forever, that is why you need to get the services of Aida Llanos a professional photographer that will capture this for you.
Two months ago I was ultra pregnant, wondering about who was growing inside of me and what life would look like once she graced us with her presence. I had this unrealistic expectation of life with Madeleine. Recently, I made a batch of cookies with a recipe that instructed you to mix the dough and then fold in the chocolate chips. That’s what I thought life with a newborn would be like – our life is the mixed dough and Madeleine is the folded in chocolate chips. Less work, fewer parts, just… fold it in.
Boy, was I wrong.
Turns out a baby needs to get full-on mixed in. 😀
It’s been quite an adjustment, having a tiny human in our little apartment. There are a few things I’ve found myself using EVERY SINGLE DAY – some are specifically baby-related, others are postpartum related and others are just existing as human-related.
ONE // Kate Spade Coffee Carafe
Our coffee pot turns off two hours after it’s started. Which means that the window for drinking hot coffee is really short, and I need coffee all day long. We’ve had this carafe for a year or so, but now it’s really been a lifesaver. I can pour little cups of hot coffee for myself all. day. long. Praise hands emoji goes here.
TWO // Munchkin Sterilizer
We don’t have a dishwasher and we’ve had to start using bottles sooner than we thought. We do a thorough wash of all the bottle parts every time they’ve been used, but we also sanitize them after every single use. Because we can and it makes us feel a lot better.
THREE // Barefoot Dreams cardigan
HEAR ME OUT. On Reddit, I was reading a thread about the Nordstrom anniversary sale earlier this summer. Someone commented that they were bummed to miss out because they were pregnant. TONS of people replied that they SWORE BY the Barefoot Dreams cardigan for late-night feedings. I opened a Nordstrom card to get the $60 note incentive and bought the normally $120 cardigan on sale for $78, which meant it was $18 with my Nordys Note. I also found another one on clearance for $35 at Nordstrom Rack.
I LOVE that this waterfall cardigan is big and flowy because, at night, I can sit in the rocking chair and cozy up with Madeleine after she’s done eating.
FOUR // Sound Machine
We sleep with a sound machine every night, and our bassinet came with one that gets attached on hers. We only use the sound machine at night with her, but it helps US get a night of better sleep. A portable sound machine came with us to the hospital and ran nonstop from the minute the room cleared after she was born, so I swear by it. You can also click here for more baby sleep tips.
FIVE // Bodum Frother
You know what I do darn near every single day to make my “when did I last shower,” stretchy pants, probably not leaving the house today self feel a little fancier? I froth my creamer. Every. day. It’s something small that makes a huge difference in my day. (I posted more about our frother on this post about making fancy coffee at home).
SIX // Baby Carrier
We have THREE different baby carriers (an Infantino one that we registered and then a Lille baby and Moby wrap sent to us by my friend Loreen). Once we got the baby carriers figured out, I started using them on the daily. She’ll sleep for 2 hours snuggled close to my chest while I do dishes, make the bed, bake cookies, list things on Poshmark. She gets to rest her head on my skin and I get to feel the warmth of her breath on my body. I read that the fourth trimester is the time when the baby AND the mom get used to not sharing a body – so being able to carry her throughout the day really helps with that transition.
ps the Lille Baby is my favorite of the 3
SEVEN // Moses Basket
Technically, there are TWO moses baskets! My friend Drucilla found one and sent it to us, but I couldn’t find any sort of lining for it. According to the internet I could buy a Snuggle Me Organic, but let’s face it I’m way too cheap for that. Someone was selling a smaller moses basket (that had the lining), so we picked that up. They actually gave it to us for free, which was amazing. We have the smaller basket tucked in the bigger one, and Madeleine LOVES to lay in it and look at the string lights. She will occasionally fall asleep in it, but I never really count on it.
ALSO:
After the hospital-grade pads were long gone, I had these regular overnight pads that have been life savers. They’re really long, but when I use them I don’t worry about any leaking or anything.
-and-
Honestly, I don’t know what we’d do without the Baby Tracker app. After a trip to the NICU where we were constantly monitoring how much she ate and had a pretty strict feeding schedule, it’s been so important for me to know how long its been since a feed and how much she got. Justen and I both have the app on our phones. You can track how long your baby nursed, when they had a bottle, their diaper output, sleep, and pumping activity.
We consistently use it for her feeding schedule, and occasionally I’ll track the other things because then Justen can open the app and see what’s going on at home while he’s at work.