Moms favorite things

I was inspired by Megan who wrote a blog asking moms for product/baby stuff advice. I thought I would put together our favorite things or really things we can't live without in our house.

When we were pregnant we went off of research, other moms suggestions, what looked cool when we picked our items. Through trying things, hating them, loving them, trying new things we have really found what works for us. Trying every brand of diaper and wipe until we got it just right and so on. So here is our list of faves!

*Pampers diapers. Love! Started with Swaddlers in preemie size for my little munchkin and will soon be in size 3 Cruisers. These have proven to keep all the yucky stuff in the best and go on and stay on the easiest!

*Huggies Natural Care Wipes. These are the best smelling and help with B's diaper rash prone booty the best. I swear by these....love them! Luckily they also make these in the small 30 count travel ones for the diaper bag!

*Triple Paste. B gets rashy if we don't keep him dry and lubed up with cream. This works the best. I used Desitin until I got a tube of this from the nurse when B was in the ICU and had a horrible rash from the antibiotic, this stuff works great.

*Adan and Anais swaddle blankets. These are pricey but so worth it. B is way grown out of swaddling but these blankets are huge and great for laying on and keeping kiddo cool in summer or whenever. I wish I had these when B was actually being swaddled. I just got the bamboo ones and I like them the best, so soft. The car seat makes him hot and sweaty, put these under him and he's cool.

*Hanna Andersson Sleepers. I will not use any other sleeper. I am obsessed with these. Also pricey but we get them at Costco ($11 instead of $25). I stock up in all sizes. Normal sleepers have buttons and footies which B grows out of so fast being so tall. These are foot-less and zip. Perfect. He wears socks if his feet are cold. Organic cotton, so good in any weather.

*Born Free Bottles. I picked these because my SIL used them and they are great. There bottles transition to sippies later on too. We use plastic, they come in glass also. B has loved them since his NICU days.

*Aveeno soap, shampoo, and lotion. We started with Johnson's Naturals and switched when B started getting eczema. Aveeno works great, clears it right up and I like the smell.

*Clothes is a mix of everything. Carters makes the best plain onesies. Old Navy crew socks. Old Navy jeans. Old navy for cashual cute things. Nordstrom thrown in there, of course! GAP sweatshirts. Robeez shoes. My fave is Old Navy for cute, inexpensive, durable clothes.

*Formula is Similac. That's what had to start on because B was on a preemie formula, only made by Similac. We transitioned to a regular infant one and B's stomach did fine. Next will be the Similac Grow and Go after 1 year.

*Sophie the Girafe. Best toy ever. Worth the designer price tag. B loves it!!

*Ambajam Blankets and Blankies. We found this little blankie in a boutique when I was first pregnant and it was B's first blanket in the NICU, small and perfect size. Since then we have gotten another small blankie and a large blanket. Pricey but the best blankets!! We use the small ones at night to keep him warm, so he doesn't have the suffocation risk of the huge bulky blankets. These are a must have!!

This teal blankie actually means the most to me. It was his first blankie that followed him through all his hospital stays and I want to make sure I always keep it for him. When I looked for a picture to post of it I had over 100 to choose from, the blankie is a staple for us, it's everywhere!

Since we are transitioning to food now I'm sure we'll have a whole new slue of things to add later on. So far we have Gerber organic food that will be mixed in with homemade food, I bought the best healthy eating baby cookbook, more to come. I have Born Free and Tommee Tippee sippy cups when B is ready, which is soon.

Any other sippys/ feeding tools you liked? Moms do have the best advice ;-)

Memorial Day Fun

Unlike the beginning of the weekend today we were blessed with beautiful weather! Sunny, breezy, 90*, perfect!

D and I got to have some baby-free time and went to see Bridesmaids. It was good but slower than I expected. Then we headed to my P's house where B was already enjoying the weather. He loves the fresh air, took a few naps today. Ribeyes, corn on the cob, artichokes, strawberry shortcake, yum!! Had a wonderful Memorial Day!

9 months old!

Little man is 9 months old today!! He had a check up at his pediatrician this morning and got gold stars all the way. Per usual shots were no problem, no cries! Tough little guy!

I got our stats and charts:

18lbs
28.25"

Actual age (9 months)
height 50%
weight 10%
This is really awesome he is charting. Most preemies don't hit the charts of there actual age until 2 years old. He is going to be tall!

Adjusted age (6 months)
height 95%
weight 50%

Our little chunk monk had another awesome Dr's appointment. Preps for his birthday party have officially begun. And if you know me and how I like to plan I may have a lot of the ideas already nailed down. The ideas all started from a shirt I found on Etsy, which I will be ordering soon. The color scheme has taken off since then.

found here

Feeding is going well. Rice cereal was a huge fail. Have you ever tasted it? I don't blame B for hating it. Oatmeal is much better and so far Pears are a hit! New foods are on the forecast for B and more eating practice!

We learned last night B doesn't like big boy food time when he's tired. Right after we took him out of the chair he passed out!

B's Shunt

I get a lot of questions about B's shunt so I thought I answer some in a post.

B got his shunt on Feb 7 and it has helped him tremendously! He has a permanent VP shunt that was put in place by his neurosurgeon. He needed it to treat hydrocephalus, excess water on the brain. Without it the pressure on the brain can cause death.

This is what it looks like from inside: The tube is coiled up in his abdomen to allow it to grow and stretch with him as he gets older. His body processes out the excess fluid through his kidneys.

Looks intense buts really all quite simple with how it all works. Now that his hair is longer you can barley notice the shunt but it does stick out slightly as it's placed outside his skull under the skin. He has a small incision on his belly from where they pulled the tube down during surgery.

These two are right after surgery.

This is recent and you can barley notice it on the right side of his head

 His little scar on his tummy

You can't see the tube in his neck/belly but if you can feel it right under the skin. All the hardware doesn't bother him. He sleeps on it, although he does prefer to lay on the other side. Sometimes in the morning there will be a small fluid collection around the shunt just under the skin. This goes away almost immediately after he sits upright and is normal for the first few months after it's inserted to have a slight leak.

There is a risk of shunt infection or the need for replacement later on but hopefully it will never have to be touched. With both these the shunt will stop working causing increased pressure which we know the signs of  and can catch before it becomes a problem(vomiting, bulging soft spot, overly sleepy, overly fussy).

B will not be able to play contact sports. D was a swimmer up until after college so we will start him off with that and see if he likes it. He can follow in daddy's steps. Water is very good from a therapy stand point too. I don't like to look at what he can't do but more the possibilities of what he can do.

He may also not be allowed in typical day care as it's a liability of it getting hit but we have special needs care places in our area that we may use one day.

Before he got his shunt it was so scary to me. I did everything I could to avoid him getting it but now that I see how much it helps him and how simple it is I wish he would have gotten it sooner.

He still doesn't have complete head control as a result of surgery and laying in a hospital bed(crib) for so long but he is getting there. Therapy and us working with him helps him gain muscle strength. 

So the shunt has just become part of our life. It's normal and we never really notice it. We make sure he doesn't hit it or as he likes to do, throw toys at his face...LOL. We will just need to be a little more careful of it as he's growing up and that's OK with us.

Reflections of Motherhood

I saw this video and Facebook and I really liked it. They asked women what they would tell themselves before there first child was born. I loved the responses.



If I could go back to right before Brayden was born I would tell myself 'Be strong and never lose hope, he will be OK'.

What would you tell yourself if you could go back?

Snoring and PT

Today B was pooped after physical therapy. He falls asleep in the car and I will leave him in his seat until he wakes up. I couldn't believe the old man snoring coming from him today...hilarious!!

Then later on he passed out on me....oblivious to the world!! Looks comfy huh?? LOL. I love that he still snuggles with me.

I (finally) got some pics of B working with Kim, his physical therapist. He adores her!!! B has been working hard in his therapies and is doing very well. It has helped us so much.

Peace of Mind

B has been off his antibiotic since Feb 18, that's 13 weeks. I can officially say I have peace of mind that his meningitis is never coming back! Now when he spits up or spikes a fever I don't immediately run the worse case scenario through my head and prepare to run to the ER. I can just smile and know it's normal baby things and the joy of teething.

After his first round of illness he was off antibiotic for 2 weeks and got sick again. After he healed from that and we left the NICU he was off antibiotic for 5 weeks and he got sick again. After this third round we held our breath until well after 5 weeks. Each week brought more relief that this time it was gone. And now at 13 weeks and assurance from our surgeon that the nasty e coli bacteria that he had since 1 week old and caused him to get meningitis 3 times and sepsis (blood infection) 2 times was gone for good! We can breath! Peace of mind is a wonderful thing in our house.


For so long we spent life just going through the motions and now we can live life and enjoy it. Being able to plan ahead and not worry if B would be in hospital or not. It's such a great feeling. I love telling people how well he is doing and getting there happy smiles in return. My miracle baby that everyone prayed for!!! Prayers were answered, he is healthy and you'd never know by how happy is he what he's been through.

Sugar Comma

I gave up sweets for 2 weeks after I inhaled a piece of (Portillos) chocolate cake and was in so much pain from being full. It was actually easy to for-go desserts and I felt great for 2 weeks. Tonight to reward myself I went to Oberweis and got the hubs and I a treat. One scoop of chocolate with extra marshmallow topping, yum!! Now my body hates me and I am officially in a sugar comma!!! Uhhh...maybe another 2 weeks off!!!

I feel like B after a large bottle....where he's so full he can't even stay awake to burp!!!

Rice Cereal

B got his first foods today!! I met with a speech therapist this morning and she gave us some tools to use to help B start eating solid foods. She had Greek yogurt for him to try which he hated, I don't blame him I don't like it either. She said he is still a ways away from eating quantity of foods but practice will make perfect!! We busted out the high chair from the box and made our first bowl of rice cereal. He did great and I think he actually likes it, we got some grossed out faces with smiles!

 

 

And a short video. Please excuse my baby voice....it just happens when you become a mom!

Tattoos and eyelashes

I  mentioned a few weeks back that I was thinking about getting another tattoo. Well I indeed did and I actually got two! I wanted to wait to take pictures of them until after they healed and didn't look all dry and scabby.

I knew I wanted to get something to do with Brayden. The whole time I was nursing I was thinking of what to do and finally I nailed down what I wanted.

B's initial

Japanese symbol meaning 'miracle'

I love them. They turned out great! They have so much meaning to me and I will always have a piece of B with me. I posted about my other 7 tattoos a while back, you can read about them here.

I ended up getting the eye lash extensions and I must say I LOVE them!!! Up keep is every 3-5 weeks depending on the persons eyelashes. I'll let you know how they do in the coming weeks. I feel so fun and girly. They took 1.5 to apply and I couldn't get them wet for 24 hours. I was dying to wash my face today but it went by quick. When I go for a touch up I want to get them a little thicker. They look very natural and very long but I want them a little more dramatic. See you in a few months mascara!!!

I heart daddy

Melts my heart....love my boys.

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Ok so a random topic...

I really (really really) want to try eye lash extensions for the summer. I found a salon that has a great deal on them. With all my wedding events coming up (I'm a bridesmaid in July) I thought they would be fun and how awesome to not wear mascara all summer. Yes....no mascara needed after you get them. Thoughts?

Twinkies!

I have regular play dates with my friend Amy. Her son Wyatt and B are 1 day apart, if you go by B's adjusted age. Amy made them matching tie shirts...they are so cute!! They are too young to pay much attention to each other but hopefully one day they will be besties!

We got another sweet pic when Bella decided she was jealous and wanted some lap time too.

First Mother's Day

Yesterday was awesome and the weather could not have been better. Finally 65* and sunny in Chicago!

We had brunch with my parents and then headed to the mall for some shopping. So much easier to shop while dad watches B ;-)

We spent some much needed time outside after a walk. Some vitamin D and relaxing the rest of the day. Perfect!!!

 

Brayden (aka D) got me a Willow Tree mom figurine. Love it!!

Hope everyone had a great mother's day!