Things I Could Not Live Without - Mommy Edition

Even in our short first few weeks (6 1/2 to be exact) there are certain things I have learned that I don't want to be without as a mom. Figured I would document them here.


First up - his Graco Plug-In Swing. Awesome because we don't waste money on batteries. This was not an instant hit, we had to work at it. But one morning when it was cool in the living room, I tucked a blanket around him and he went right to sleep. We tuck him in tight every time we put him in it (otherwise he's not happy) and he either goes right to sleep or sits very content watching the bears in the mobile. Didn't care for the tray so Craig removed it for now. We may add it back when he gets old enough to need it. But it seems pretty useless right now.



Pampers Swaddlers New Baby with Dry Max. I branched out and tred different (maybe less expensive) brands. We've tried Huggies and the Walmart Brand, but we end up getting peed on every time we try another brand. These diapers are amazing and I swear by them. Plus, they aren't big and bulky (they are surprisingly thin for how much they will hold). And I have to believe that Brantley likes this whether he can tell me this or not. Swaddle Me Blankets. My boss, Jenny, gave me these pretty much the week I told her I was pregnant. I got to work one morning and she handed them to me over the cubicle wall. She swore by them. And me being the naive soon to be mom that I was, thanked her for them but had completely forgotten about them by the time he got here. I pulled them out in his first week when we were having a fussy night, wrapped him tight, and he went right to sleep. I've noticed that I can try to put him down in his crib at night tons of times without swaddling him. But the minute I swaddle him in these blankets, he goes right to sleep. The best thing about them is that they have velcro on them to secure them. So I don't worry about it coming over his head in the middle of the night.
Island Dreams Mobile with Remote Control. My sister gave us this as a gift before Brantley was born. We use it every night. I turn it on when I am rocking him. It has four different settings - Mozart, Bach, Island, and Nature. We play Mozart most nights. The nature theme has crickets and this really throws Sadie. She spends a lot of time looking around the room for them. This, paired with his Swaddle blanket and a full belly, and he is out. The best part? If he is almost asleep but not quite and the mobile reaches the end of it's time limit - I just press the remote (right from the rocking chair) for it to start again.
Lastly, Babies R Us brand wipes. I keep the smaller packs in his diaper bag to use when we are out and about. I love these wipes! They are quilted and so soft. I think Brantley appreciates them, too. :)
That's all I have for now. I'm sure there will be more that I come across as I get this mommy thing down. And because I think I have the cutest kid ever and can't get enough of him, here is picture we took of him the other night. He is definitely the World's Cutest Alarm Clock!