Registry versus Reality: Part 1

Now that Boo is almost seven months old and I have an entire (unusable as a guest) bedroom overflowing with things he either outgrew in a flash, never wore, never used, never liked, extra stuff we bought, etc. it has become clear that we don't actually know what we need until we need it.  This thought came to mind while browsing a friend's baby registry.

When we made ours, we didn't know what we were doing either.  Plus, isn't part of the fun making the baby registry?  Here's your scanner!  Go on a shopping spree paid for by others!  And, don't forget your goodie bag on the way out!

This is what we actually use:

• Muslin crib sheets by Aden & Anais.  So soft.  So light.
• Muslin swaddles by Aden & Anais.  Ditto.  Lots of uses.  We have a lot, but I'd say we actually just us four, tops.
• Two waterproof crib mattress covers.  You need two.
• Bulb aspirator that comes apart for cleaning.  It's called the BoogieBulb.  We cannot live with out this contraption.  The one from the hospital gets SO disgusting on the inside and you cannot clean it.  (Nose Frida doesn't work when you have respiratory issues, even if it has hundreds of 5 star ratings on Amazon.)
• Ikea changing pad covers.  $4.99 each.  We have probably 20 of these.  There are easily 10 in a drawer beneath the changing pad.  When #1 or #2 strike, it comes right off, into the wet bin, then a new one is available in 2 seconds flat.  There's one in each diaper bag.  Those silly little padded place mats just don't work when baby is more than 2 weeks old.  Plus, those Koala Care changing tables in restrooms are gross and this cover is so large that it blankets the whole thing.  THEN you can place your padded place mat atop it for baby.  Also great for the car when you change baby in the trunk of the SUV or minivan because the restroom is just. not. happening.  Seriously, these things are the best.
• Ikea washcloths.  $3.99 for ten.  These are just normal cotton wash cloths; nothing fancy.  We bought four packs because I was convinced that babies are messy.  Then, we didn't use any of them.  Now, we use ALL of them.  There is always something that needs to be cleaned up.  They work as pee-pee tee-pees.  They wipe up drool, spit-up, pee, food on baby, yourself and/or surfaces.  We use them to wipe inside the cranial band.  Boo likes to chew on a clean one while waiting to be changed.
• A&D, Baby Aquaphor, Desitin diaper rash cream, wipes and diapers like there's no tomorrow.
• A simple tub with sling.  The sling here is supported and not a hammock like almost all the other ones.
• Sea sponge, soft wash cloths and Burt's Bees baby wash.
• Joovy Boob bottles.  You're not going to see these anywhere except for Buy Buy Baby, but these are the best bottles since they have the longest nipple.  They are expensive, but after using Gerber, Avent and Tommee Tippee, we like these best.  This is good for moms who want to breast and bottle feed.  It's also good for tongue tied babies (whose tie has been clipped) because it encourages proper sucking which can reshape their palate.  According to Boo's pediatric dentist, the tie prevents proper sucking, so the palate tends to be vaulted in babies with tongue tie.  This can lead to issues with breastfeeding, and sinus issues since the sinus cavity is smaller due to the palate position.
• Onesies, soft shorts and soft pants.  While it's cute to dress up baby like they're about to have a Nautica or J.Crew photo shoot, it is difficult to get them in and out of the nicer clothes, plus, the material tends to be scratchy.  We were originally sold on the sleepers.  Easy, right?  Built in socks, one piece, zipper?  But threading a squirmy baby into pant legs you can't scrunch up while containing huge diaper butt became a lot less fun as baby got more mobile.
• Basic drying rack, Boon drying rack and doo-dads.  Why?  Because it's nice to have something sorta organize all those gazillion small bottle parts; plus it's fun to look at.
• Babyganics Bottle Wash and OXO bottle brush
• Dreft baby laundry detergent
• Formula
• Magic Bullet to make baby food puree.  Put into ice cube trays for freezing individual portions.  You really don't need anything fancy.
• Baby monitor, kinda.  Ours is a hand-me-down.  Some folks have fancy wi-fi setups and apps on their phones and what have you.  The truth is, we don't really use it.  It's nice to check in on baby, so when I need to do that, I will power it on for a minute.  Or, get up and pop into the nursery.  When that thing is on in the bedroom, nobody sleeps.  The display is bright.  It picks up every squeak like it is supposed to, but you don't necessarily need to know about every squeak!  My baby monitor right now are my ears.  When Boo is screaming bloody murder it means something is wrong and that amounts to a diaper situation or hunger.
• Carseat and stroller combo.  The kind where the infant carrier pops into the stroller that can be used as the baby gets older; not that cheap cart that doesn't turn.  We got a good deal on ours, so we didn't do any research.  Works for us!
• Feeding char, something along the lines of this.  Proper high char takes up a lot of space.  Haven't needed to go there yet, so this works for now.
• Large fleece blankets to put on the floor.  We had ones already on hand from Ikea and Walmart.  All the cutesy stroller blankets just aren't big enough.
• BIBS.  These are the best ones so far because they are waterproof but have terry on BOTH sides.  Boo likes to gum his bibs, and all the other waterproof ones I found are terry on top and plastic on the bottom.  Meh.  We have 20 of these.  Don't cheap out on bibs.  Cheap bibs get soggy in two seconds and the velcro is scratchy and often not adequately covered while fastened on baby.
• This moose toy was sent to us as a gift.  When I opened the box, I was like, ooOOookay.  As it turns out, it has crazy ratings on Amazon and is Boo's favorite toy.  Go figure!
• Sophie, the giraffe teether.  He LOVES this one too, but you cannot leave baby unattended.  He manages to get a leg in the way back of his throat and has gagged himself many times.  Sophie is very bendy, so it's easy to get into this situation with a larger, stronger baby.  Lots of places to hold onto.
• Baby gym.  I bought this one from Amazon based on reviews, but Boo doesn't care at all about the lights and music.  He will entertain himself.  The funny part is, he LOVES the mirror most.  We took it off of the gym and he plays with it on the side.

There's plenty more.  So, registry-wise, the bedding and Aden stuff, carseat/stroller, Sophie and consumables (baby wash, detergent, ointments), and bibs were on the list.  But, what about lots of other things?  Wait for Registry versus Reality: Part 2!

Pool has a "P" in it

P as in peanut.

We're running out of weekends to sit by the pool.  How did this happen??  So, we make it a point to make a short trip to the pool each weekend, even if it is just for a half hour.  This time, I was excited because I bought a baby pool float from a friend.  It's the kind where the center has a mesh "seat" where the baby goes in the center, then a canopy for shade.

The water was cooler than last week.  Boo was not thrilled, but got used to it quickly.  Me on the other hand; well, I was a wuss and lowered myself in centimeter by centimeter.  After several laps pushing or pulling the float, we heard squeaks and peals of laughter and even splashing noises!  All good stuff.  I brought his rubber ducky to play with, but he was more interested in playing with the tabs that tether the canopy.

It is late in the day, so no need for shade.

***

I blinked and suddenly, it was August.  Boo is almost 7 months old.   I found a wiry gray hair while staring thisclose into the bathroom mirror while flossing and unfortunately, looked at the top of my head. 

What do you do then?
Poke around for more, of course!

Bad idea.  Enter existential crisis.

Oh my god, I'm old.  I look so tired.  I AM so tired.  What have I done with my life?  Have I squandered all that time?  What have I accomplished?  If I slouch a little, I kind of look like an orangutan.  Thank you, pregnancy.

Quick!  Slather on some of that Bath & Body Works make-all-your-problems-go-away aromatherapy goodness.  Ah, the soothing smell of eucalyptus.  Lavender.  Lavend-aahhhhh.

The best thing to do is to not think about it.

So instead, I thought about whether we'd do a thing for Boo's first birthday.  Thing can range from birthday party to birthday PARTY, like, at a restaurant or something.  Because in January, people really want to leave their houses.

Move somewhere warmer.

That's not going to happen.  Christmas.  Let's think about Christmas.  Should we go get a Santa photo at the mall or something?  Do I have one?  I don't even know.  Do I care at this age whether I have a first Santa photo?  Probably not.  Should we put up a tree?

Jesus Christ, WOMAN!  Stop thinking.

There are so many things I could distract myself with when it comes to taking care of Boo.  What's really hard is taking care of me.  I'm at the point now where I've got the basic hygiene thing down (it was really bad postpartum), I'm eating (usually), and I can work eight hour days.  This seemed impossible months ago.  There's some semblance of a routine, but I'm still looking for my own thing.  I'm trying this 30-day yoga program that I saw someone post about on Facebook.  Yoga with Adriene.  Maybe this will be my thing?

We'll see.  More later; I'll see how it goes.

It's Criminal

So, I've got a new name to add to the list:  Zippy Boo Boo.

Yesterday, we went to BJ's since the configurable baby pens (jail) were on sale and bought two sets.  Now, they are joined together to make one huge oval with the back of the sofa along one long side and the tv stand on the outside of the other long side.

Basically, we are penned in with Boo.  That's okay though because we were always in that spot anyway.  Now, it means we can watch him less worry less while he is playing because it was kind of a death trap all around.  The list of child unfriendly features include the possibility of;

• getting pinned under the recliner
• getting a digit caught in the moving parts of the glider and ottoman
• getting tangled/strangled with any of the numerous cords in the rats nest of cabling behind the tv stand
• getting electrocuted by one of the many exposed power strips just laying around...
• a combination of the two for randomly plugged in things like the fancy swing he is way too big for
• some injury related to making contact with the brick base of the fireplace.  (Ah, fireplace.  What better way to make one side of a room completely unusable?)

There are probably at least ten more, but since we don't have child-proofed eyeballs, we just don't see the pitfalls yet.

Yet.

So yeah, Zippy Boo can motor.  It's not elegant, but when he wants something, he will get there.  He is all over the place.  I must say though that I am very pleased because he learned how to crawl organically.  He has gotten so much tummy time and prefers it now to the point where it's odd ever thinking he preferred his back.  He props up on all fours, and often goes into pike position.  He skipped the army crawl and is properly up on his hands and knees in table top.  Good job, kiddo!

Baby jail is going to be nice, at least for a short while.   Add that to the short list of safe spots for Boo.

Three BIG Things!

My mind is foggy quite often. The information is there, I'm just not as quick as I used to be.  Despite the downs as of late, there have been ups too- they are lost in the mind-fog, so I'll do my best.

We all went to the pool for the first time last weekend with our neighbor friends who have a 5 month old.  I went in first with Boo and he seemed confused for a minute but fine afterward.  Didn't try any swimming exercises and definitely didn't dunk him!  Water is fun!  The pool is fun!  Yayyyyy!!!!

Toward the end there were squeals of delight and splashing.  Splashy Boo Boo.  It's a quick trip to the pool with a baby so we are in the water for just a half hour.  We brought pizza for dinner last weekend, and our friends brought dinner this time.  This is going to sound SO old, but it was nice to eat at 6pm and get to bed EARLY.  Many nights we don't eat until 7:30 to as late as 9pm.  Sometimes it is cereal for dinner.  Sometimes we skip dinner.  Sometimes it is McD's for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So yes, the pool! And the other BIG thing was introducing solids.  I wanted to a couple weeks ago but the stomach bug prevented that.  We tried rice cereal.  It doesn't look like rice OR cereal.  So the first real food was sweet potato.   Fail.   Confused look.  Furrowed brow.  Crying.

Thinned it out more with formula.   Still, a no-go but this time,  he pressed his lips together like a duck bill,  turned his head away and batted at the spoon.

This kid catches on quick.

Next try: apples.  He seemed to be more receptive to that.  As in, didn't flip out.  Sent him with the homemade apple puree twice to day care this week and he ate all of it!  I'm going to stick with apple for a little big then try the evil sweet potatoes again.

So yes, the pool AND solids.  And, the other other BIG thing is this:  Crawly Boo Boo.  We've been watching him get up on all fours in a perfect tabletop position.  He shifts his weight back and forth testing his body.  At first, he'd get into this state then immediately topple over.  We were accustomed to him rolling all over haphazardly.  He got better at it and could roll where he wanted to.  Now, he can do that and a crawl-lunge.  I say that because he gets up on all fours, reaches forward (because there's usually something he is trying to get to) then flattens out.  He manages to cover ground this way and it is to the point where I don't feel comfortable leaving him unattended.

Not like I ever really did, at least not for long.  But now, I don't feel comfortable leaving him on the floor to go fix him a bottle of formula.  The kitchen is adjacent, but I cannot see into the living room.  We are going to get baby jail (a pen) this weekend and make use of the pack and play.

So, those are three big things!