baby stuff we love

This is not a must have list, it is not even a list of necessary items, these are just things that we have found to be really handy.  It's hard to buy stuff for your first baby because you have no idea what you will actually use (other than the obvious things like clothes, diapers, car seat, stroller etc.) and there's just way too much out there.  Every family will love different things and will have different needs, this is our list, and it just so happens that it came out to being 10 items.  Our top 10:

Aden and Anais Muslin Blankets

We have used these blankets more than any others, they are so versatile.  They were great for swaddling in the early days, burp cloths, to cover up while breast feeding, wiping up messes and much more.  They are huge and a really good weight.  We got a lot of other receiving blankets that we didn't use at all because these have just been so handy.  We have 5 of them so there is always at least one clean one around when we need it. 

Bum Genius 4.0 Cloth Diapers

I can't tell you how dubious I was about going the cloth diaper route, I couldn't imagine it would be easy or convenient, but actually it is amazing and I'm so glad we went for it.  We have 15 of the Bum Genius 4.0 one size diapers and we LOVE them, all three of us.  A lot of research went into this decision and it's all too much to put in this post but we definitely made the right choice with these dipes.  We still use disposables, especially when out for the day or when travelling, or when we are just lazy, we didn't want to be too crazy about it.  Maya has been wearing them since she was 6 weeks and they should fit her until she is potty trained  (around 2 years hopefully!), they should work for any subsequent babies, they wash so well and look as good as new after 7 months of use, they are so easy to clean and care for and so far she has not had a single blowout with them.  Wow right?  They have saved us a lot of money too, especially because we were given all of them as gifts, thank you very much!  They are not for everyone, but they are great for us.

Bouncy Seat

We didn't get one of these until Maya was about 2 months old, so we lived without it for a while, but it has been really nice to have mainly so she can sit in the kitchen while we cook, in the bathroom while we shower (if necessary), in the laundry room while we fold clothes, outside while we hang out clothes and so on.  The one we have is just a basic bouncer with a rocking function and a music function which we never use because she doesn't seem to notice it.  It has been more useful than the bumbo we have because she can be strapped in and she couldn't sit up in the bumbo until she was around 4 months.  I imagined that she would fall asleep in this but she never has, it's just a good alternative to laying on the floor all day for those months before she could sit and it's nice to be able to strap her in when we need to now that she can roll across the room!

Swaddle Me Blankets

Of all the baby stuff we got I have to say these are among the top most wonderful things ever.  Maya was one of those babies who loved to be swaddled and wouldn't sleep unless she was--in fact we didn't stop swaddling her until 4 months.  These are great because they have velcro so baby is nice and secure and can't wiggle out in the middle of the night to wake herself up (which means you can rest easier and the terror of night time is reduced substantially).  I just think they're great, great great great.

 Breastfeeding Camisoles

Another excellent invention.  I don't actually know what I would do without these.  I have three in different colors and wear them all of the time.  These are great for me because I knew I wanted to breastfeed as long as possible, I still wanted to have a life and go do stuff without having to hide away while feeding Maya, and I didn't want to have to buy a lot of nursing tops.  In fact I own zero nursing tops.  This way I can wear almost all of my normal tops, even the ones that don't open in front, over the camis--I can get the ladies out if I need to lift my top up without my behemoth belly flapping out for all to see.  It never crossed my mind until after Maya was born that I would need clothes I could nurse in, these completely solve the problem.  I'll say it again, I don't know what I would do without these.

Gro Anywhere Blackout Blind

Say hello to my new best friend.  Due to our latitude here in England we are blessed with long long days for half the year, this is not something I would ever complain about.  It gets light at 4 am and dark after 10 pm.  Wonderful for outdoor bbq's, getting the most out of your day and encourages early waking so you can be productive.  Unfortunately it also encourages babies to wake early.  We have a really good set of black out curtains in Maya's room, they were excellent during the winter when it's dark from 4 pm to 8 am.  But they just don't cut it in the summer.  The Gro Anywhere black out blind is a lifesaver.  After weeks of waking up at 4 and growing more and more distressed I finally bought the Gro Blind.  Why did I wait so long you ask? Because I made a vow to not buy any unnecessary baby equipment.  This was totally worth breaking the vow for, and in fact now I would say that it has become a necessary item.  It is big, like 1.5 yards x 2 yards and adjustable so fits a wide range of windows, you can take it anwhere since it just attaches by suction cups and it has been so handy on some of our trips or overnight stays at the granparents', and the best part is that it makes the room PITCH BLACK.  I take that back, the best part is that Maya now sleeps until 7 which is the time that she and I have agreed that she should wake up, although she does sometimes go back on her word about this, naughty little thing.

Play Mat

Maya loves her play mat, she has loved it since she was just days old when she used to enjoy laying there looking at all of the colors and listening to the music it comes with, and she loves it now when she can yank the toys off, assault the whale and get her legs tangled in the crossbars as she thrashes about.  She just really enjoys it, worth every penny.

 Skip Hop Lunchie Bag

Okay, obviously there are cheaper more boring lunch box options out there, but why would you want one of those?  This one is just darn cute, and a really good size.  I can fit all of Maya's little lunch accessories into it when we are out for the day.  An insulated lunch box is handy to have, whether it's darn cute or not, and I do love Skip Hop stuff.  

 Sleep Sacks

Ever since we stopped swaddling Maya she has slept in one of these.  They're snuggly and come in different weights for warmer or cooler weather, and they ensure that Maya stays covered up all night since she can't wiggle out from these like she does a blanket.  

Travel Bowls

I have found these really handy since Maya has started eating solids.  They make it painless to take her food out and about since they are compact and you have everything you need right there.  I especially like that the spoon stays reasonably sterile as opposed to rolling around in the bottom of her lunch box. 

And now for a quick run down of things we didn't use so much:

-Boppy Pillow: This surprised me because they are so popular, but after about 6 weeks it seemed too bulky so I just use a regular pillow and chang the pillow case. 

-Receiving blankets: I said this previously but we just didn't use our super cute highly desireable receiving blankets very much.  Not for any particular reason other than the other types of blankets I listed above just suited our needs a bit better

-Short sleeve onesies: This is partly because of the terrible climate here, but Maya has worn long sleeve onesies almost every day and the short sleeved ones have been sadly neglected.  Also we received about 1 million of them and then bought some more becuase there are so many cute ones.  Maybe if we have another baby in a wamer place they will get used.

-Baby bathrobe:  We got two incredibly cute, tiny bathrobes for Maya. I have used them exactly twice... for photo shoots.  She just doesn't hang around in a bathrobe, for one thing it's dangerous to go long without a diaper on, and if I'm going to put a diaper on I may as well just clothe her.  It's never been convenient to go from clothes to bathrobe to bath to towel to bathrobe to clothes, that's too much changing.  By the time I'm givng Maya a bath (evening=getting close to the time I can finally sit down and drink a glass of wine) I'm not in the mood to faff around changing her a million times, it makes the whole process a lot less enjoyable for both of us.  Which is sad because she has two incredibly cute bathrobes. 

-Breast pump and bottles:  Maya, my sweet strong-willed little girl, has never drank from a bottle except for once when she probably was just distracted.  She just didn't like any substitutes (she also never wanted a pacifier which was more than fine with us!), only the real thing would do.  So I'm proud to say that I have personally fed her every single time except for twice recently because she has finally learned to drink from a sippy cup.  Go me, and my poor poor ladies.  Anyway, the bottles have just gathered dust as has the breast pump, but it was a hand me down so I don't feel too bad about it. I think if I have another baby I might try a little harder to make the bottle thing happen, but honestly, I haven't ever needed to bottle feed her, and I love to nurse and want to enjoy it as much as I can before she is done. 

And that's it.  Phew!

actual food i've actually tried from Pinterest

I love and hate Pinterest.  At the moment I am loving it.  Since I'm a housewife at the moment I have tried to step up my game and try some new recipes.  Does anyone else get stuck in a recipe rut and make the same things for weeks on end without thinking about it?  One of the frustrating things about Pinnie is that it's a great resource for ideas but they're useless if you don't try any of them  So I have started making a couple of recipes a week that I've pinned, mainly to prove to Sam that I'm not wasting hours on Pinterest but actually accomplishing something.  Here are the ones from the past two weeks.....

(Via here)

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

What a darn good idea, if you have a crock pot.  Ours broke.  But I followed this recipe and just cooked it at a low heat in the oven for about 3 hours and it was delish.  We will most definitely eat this again.  I don't often cook with nuts so it felt slightly exotic to make something with cashews.  And it fit right into my current recipe criteria which are ease, speed and tastiness.

(Via here)

Baked Brie Dip

Holy moly, this was good.  Sam and I both were moaning in ecstacy as we devoured it.  I used half a camembert which was more than enough for a starter for the two of us and also that way I can make it twice:)  The only thing I did differently with this was one was to blend the garlic, tomatoes and herbs before layering it with the cheese to make it smoother.  Another recipe that was easy, fast and GOOD.

(Via here)

Peanut Butter Mug Cake

I was desperate for something tasty, and desperate for this to work.  I don't know if I did something wrong or if our microwave is just bad but it was a disaster, it did not rise or become cake like.  I am intruiged by the idea of a mug cake and would love to find a recipe that works.

(Via here)

Baked Quinoa Broccoli Casserole

  I was a little late hopping onto the quinoa train so I am still testing it out in different forms.  Baked is best in my opinion.  This was pretty good and got the thumbs up from Sam which is always nice.  I used cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of broccoli because that's what I had and it was pretty good.  Fast, easy, tasty.  Yes.

(Via here)

Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wraps

These were really good, a nice combo of flavors and textures.  They met my expectations, we both liked them and I'll probably make them again. 

we went to the beach

There are some decent beaches within two miles of our house, but the best ones are a little further south.  This week we went to Putsborough in North Devon for the day.  Sam has 6 weeks off for summer holidays and the weather has been amazing, sunny and in the 70's, so we have been making the most of it.  It was Maya's first time to put her little toes in the Atlantic--the ocean that separarates her two homes.  She got to play in and eat some sand, and Sam and I got to bask in the lovely sun and get a little tan!  It was a beautiful relaxing day for all three of us. 

It always amazes me, a very non-dog person, that people bring their dogs to the beach, allow them to get in the water, roll in the sand, get on the blanket and slobber all over them, but this time I realized that a baby does the exact same thing.  The key is to have a beer or ice cream available, then you care a little less about the sand in your crevices.  I was putting a diaper on Maya today and when I openend it up a bunch of sand came out of it.  That's because while Sam was dragging all of our stuff across the beach loaded onto the stroller, which seemed like a good idea at the time, it collapsed and everything fell on the ground so the diaper bag was full of the horrid grainy stuff, but while he got a little annoyed I opened my Corona and Ole'! it was no problemo.  I look forward to going back next week!

treasure

I recently put together a treasure basket for Maya.  Treasure baskets are a way for babies and toddlers to enjoy heuristic play--exploring every day objects that are made up of different textures, shapes and sizes.  Basically stuff from around the house that will be more interesting than plastic toys.  They have a few of these baskets at the childrens' center we go to and Maya is always fascinated by things like sponges, wire egg cups and wooden spoons so I decided it was time to make one for her to play with at home.  It took me about 5 mintues to grab a bunch of different things and clean them before putting them into a spare basket that is low enough for Maya to reach into.  I now am always noticing things that she would be interested in, things I didn't really consider beforehand. 

The first thing she usually does is to empty the basket completely so that all the objects are spread around her, then she examines (and of course chews on) each one. 

 She will spend so much time playing with the items in her treasure basket.  This morning she spent 30 minutes exploring happily while I sat nearby watching.  She does not spend that much time playing with any of her other toys, so it's incredible to me that these every day bits and bobs really capture her attention.  She is absolutely fascinated by this stuff!

 Today she was fixated on the silicone muffin cup.  She played with it for about 10 minutes, just turning it around in her hands, dropping it and picking it up and making sure it was sufficiently covered in slobber!

 Ideally the basket should be filled with lots of items to stimulate baby's senses, and not many plastic things.  I have included a few plastic items that are a bit different from her other toys, and of course a spoon because she is always eager to hold her spoon when we are feeding her. It amazes me that she can already do that, and that she always puts it in her mouth the right way! 

In Maya's Treasure Basket:

A couple of plastic measuring cups

Lavender sachet

Silicone muffin cup

Wooden rings

Koozie

Bath sponge

Snack cups

Woven napkin ring

Champagne cork

Tupperware lid

Pestle

Baby spoon





 

Other cool things to add would be pine cones or big sea shells, some shiny or sparkly fabric, velvet, leather, silk or fur, something metal like a tea strainer, bell or small whisk.  Lots of ideas!  I will probably encourage her to play with the items in her treasure basket only once a day, I don't want her to get bored of them, and I will continue to add and take away items as she gets older (I'm not sure how the cork would survive once she has teeth!).  I guess this will keep her occupied until she is able to empty the cabinets in the kitchen and play with the pots and pans!



in the garden this year

a little eye candy

I never get tired of looking at flowers, the more colorful the better in my opinion.  I only wish I knew how to grow them, or what they are called.  These roses smell so so good, but my favorite by far are the fox gloves, I imagine a little fox coming along and actually putting it's paw in the flowers to keep them warm.  Yes warm, because it is still chilly here.  We haven't even officially turned off our heating for the 'summer'.  

we're back. with a post about food.

Has it really been over 4 months since I wrote on the old blog?  That's terrible.  I will be honest though, I never intended this to be a baby blog, and since baby stuff is basically all I do right now I have refrained from writing.  It's also been a really nice break.  Blogging can be really frustrating and I get annoyed with how long it takes to process and upload pictures. But this is also a blog about our lives, and since Maya is a MASSIVE (and noisy) part of that now I will include the little tot but try not to overshare.  You're welcome.

So, she's 7 months old next week. When I look at her now, sitting up and rolling over, I can't believe she is the same baby who only a few months ago laid very still and only made slow motion little movements. She eats real food now too, as you can see.  

Thankfully the whole feeding thing has gone really smoothly, she has liked every single thing I've given her.  From butternut squash to spinach, peaches to raspberries.  We have done a combination of the regular old pureed food and a little bit of baby led weaning.  Baby led weaning is a really silly term for letting the baby feed herself--so we give her little sticks of things like soft apples, avacado and cucumber to gum (she doesn't have any teeth yet) and she loves to do it.  It's so fun to see her try different tastes and textures.  I dreaded the whole messy food business but it's been really enjoyable for all three of us, and since I made a ton of food and froze it in advance it's been really easy and convenient, even when we are out and about.  Now Sam gets to participate in feeding time (and I can have a little break!) and Maya gets to expand her palate.  

 We already have some rituals.  Mays sits happily in her chair while we get the food ready and heated, she gets really excited too because now she's learned what's happening.  She likes to rest her feet on the bar of her high chair, nice and comfy.  She does a poo EVERY SINGLE time, usually right after we start to feed her, which I think is astonishing because it literally happens every single time and it must be the most horrible and uncomfortable time to do that, strange right?  But there you go.  Is that oversharing?  Sorry.

Say hello to little broccoli brows.  Food gets into all of her little creases and crevices, especially her nose.  And she has to touch everything these days.  'forget about this sweet potato, give me that camera, it looks tasty.'

We do still do a few things that aren't baby related, however.  Sam and I have found time to go on a few nice dates, and our garden is also flourishing thanks to me actually being around to take care of it this summer. We have grown cucumbers for the first time and there are so many of them, I'm going to have to learn how to make pickles. 

28 photos later...

Besides growing a human being in my body, I also kept up with this little project, and after seeing them all together like this I'm really glad I did. This is documentation of the greatness of my girth from the first week I noticed I looked different to the actual moment before we left for the hospital to have Maya--from 10-37 weeks. Thank you to my ever patient husband and photographer who kindly ignored my requests to make me look skinny.

the one about poop

There are three things you can be certain of as a new parent--you will be knocked off your feet with a staggering love for your baby, you will not sleep as much as you want to and you will find that within a matter of days, if not hours, poop will become a contstant companion. The part of your new life that is not already consumed with feeding, rocking, playing with and taking an ungodly number of pictures of your baby will be spent dealing with what comes out of the baby.

In one of our pre-natal classes when the instructor told us that newborns could go through 10-12 diapers a day I thought that was a comical overexaggeration and I chuckled at her funny joke, if only to be polite. As it turns out, some newborns, mine for instance, can actually meet that number and exceed it on a surprisingly regular basis. Why? Why? In fact, she was born with the incredible talent to dirty a diaper while it was being changed, amazing. At first I thought, "What a clever little baby I have! How quick she is! How cute!" But after a few instances in the darkness of night, under the veil of exhaustion, when I didn't think it necessary to open my eyes while changing a diaper only to find upon getting back into bed that I had poop actually on my person and when I checked the baby she was also partially submerged in the substance--only then did the amazement fade. The dismaying part of finding poop on yourself in the middle of the night is not that EW poop is gross but that you have to waste precious minutes of sleep changing yourself and the babe. Changing diapers can be enjoyable too! I get to play with her little toes and tickle her tummy and since she started smiling diaper changes are so much more fun, I think she knows that it's a funny situation and usually smiles and giggles away the whole time.

A foolish new parent will leave the house for the first time without carefully mapping out their intended route and making note of where the diaper changing facilities are along the way. Foolish indeed. It is also foolish to assume that there are diaper changing facilities in all bathrooms in all stores in all public places. False! There are not. At least not in this country. (I intend to make notes of baby-changing-friendly places when we are in Texas in April and I'm hoping that Chick Fil A is one of them because I plan on spending a nice chunk of time there.) Nothing strikes fear in the soul of a new parent more than being out with a baby whose diaper has failed you and not being able to find a place to change her, especially in the winter when a park bench will not do. I once saw a mom with terror in her eyes lurch into the Starbucks I was sitting in, empty the contents of her diaper bag at a table and change her little baby there and then. I don't think I have the audacity to do that, but then again I haven't needed to yet. Maya has been changed in the car on a few occasions.

Speaking of changing rooms, enter one and you have entered a whole new world previously closed off to you because you had absolutely no reason whatsoever to go in one. On our first time out with Maya, Sam and I came to the point of no return where we had to change her diaper and so we sought out one of the two known baby changing facilities in the town where we live. Upon stepping into the chamber we were immediately assaulted by the strangest of statements, "OOoooOOOoooOOOHHHHh WHAT A BIIIIIIG POOOOOOOO!!!! Mommy's little boy is soooo gooooood WOWOWOWOWOWWWWW Looook at THAAAAT!!!!!" and I couldn't believe that this was part of our new life, that exclamations like that are completely normal. I have made some very close friends in changing rooms since, even if those friendships only last for as long as it takes to change a diaper. You always leave knowing how old the babies are who were in there, their names, their approximate weight and how well they sleep at night. Oh how we miss little Martin from the service station on the M4 between Bristol and Swindon who we met on the way to London! We will never see him again, yet I will always wonder if that top tooth ever came in! Sweet little Floella from the changing room in town who had just turned 4 months and had pooped all over her last change of clothes that her mom brought with her! What a cheeky little monkey she was!

Back to that first day in a changing room: Maya, the very child I kept safely within my body for 8.5 months and lovingly laboured with for over 24 hours, decided to launch a full assault on her sleep deprived and naiive parents when we were at our weakest. She had been saving up for just the right moment--already feeling nervous about doing this out for the first time I slowly took off her clothes and her diaper with anxiety rising up within me, which was when she began her attack by spraying poo on my hands which meant that I had to take my eyes off her for a few seconds to wipe them clean, meanwhile she took the opportunity to projectile poo over my clothes and onto the floor at which point Sam, who had previously been taking a power nap propped up against the wall, came to my rescue with more wipes, and while we were trying to clean that up she started peeing, drenching herself and both of us in the process. What a rat! I literally did not know what to do, I had never seen such a mess with a baby in the middle of it, I took a step back and hopped from one foot to the other and had a very slight freak out until Sam had gained control of the situation with almost a whole pack of wipes and all of the diapers we had ventured out with (like 18). Come to find out these occurances were not at all unusual and Maya sneak attacks often, but ever since that first time we have been prepared with great big towels and buckets of water and full hazmat suits (which can be seen in Exhibit A below). Always always always be prepared. Be over-prepared.

One last observation (I don't want to go overboard here and gross anyone out, although I'm sue I probably already have--sorry), but isn't it just amazing the sheer velocity at which a tiny doll sized human being can expell their lunch?? The distant targets they can hit? And at what angles! I have been changing Maya before and got her cleaned up ready to go and then noticed a puddle a few inches off to the side, at a 90 degree angle, perpendicular to her body. It must just be a baby skill, I know I can't do that!

Exhibit A