My baby must haves

Hey hey!

I’ve been meaning to type up this post for awhile now and since Sawyer is officially 2 months old, I think it’s high time I share what must haves got us through the first 8+ weeks of his life.

In no particular order:

The binky (aka pacifier, or nuk):

Some moms are adamantly against using a pacifier for fear of nipple confusion (if breastfeeding) or a reliance as they get older.  Or also fear of it impacting tooth growth.  We have those concerns, but believe it’s self-soothing abilities far outweigh the possible future unknowns.  Since the bean likes his binky (Nuk brand), my boob never (or rarely) gets used as his human pacifier.  I’m also able to be far more independent since the binky keeps him happy and quiet.

The Boppy:

Okay this actually may be my favorite baby item ever.  It’s sort of fabulous.  It’s primary use may be for breastfeeding, which I still use all.the.time.  But it is also the bean’s home-base.  He naps in it, hangs out in it, takes a bottle in it, chills in it, and sometimes even sleeps in it while it’s nestled in the bassinet at night.  I like to lay a blanket inside(or over it, as shown) so he doesn’t slither underneath the cushion.  The blanket also kept him more propped up when he was really little.

The Bjorn:

As far as baby carriers go, I’ve only tried the Bjorn, but any ol’ baby carrier will do as long as it’s comfy for you!  It’s just so wonderful to have both hands free!  This has been a life saver for me, especially for walking the dog.  I learned the hard way how difficult it is to push a stroller and walk my 45 lb dog.  Not fun my friends. 

The Babee Covee:

I randomly picked this up while at a Baby Pallooza fair I attended in my pregnancy.  It is literally like 7 different items in one: a blanket, an infant carrier cover, a grocery cart seat cover, a breastfeeding cover, and more.  As you can see I use it to cover the infant carrier.  I love being able to peek through the hole to check on the soybean while still keeping him completely shielded from the wind or bright sun.  Seriously love this cover.  I would highly highly recommend getting one.  Even the hubby came around to loving it

The bouncy chair:

We got the Fisher Price Comfy Time bouncy chair in Coco Sorbet for Sawyer.  While he doesn’t use it all that much, it is perfect for bringing him into the bathroom while I shower.  The combo of steam, rushing water, and calming vibrations keep the bean happy so I can take my daily shower in peace. 

Chicco KeyFit Caddy:

Yep we bought a $400 jogging stroller and use this <$100 stroller so much more!  It has a huge basket in the bottom great for carrying groceries, coats, diaper bags, purses, etc.  It’s super light and folds up in a cinch.  This has been a fabulous post-baby purchase.  We envision bringing this stroller with us to NYC in May.  And if it breaks before then (due to over use by me!) then it’s cheap enough to buy another.  Perfect!

There are a number of items that we got and don’t really use, but that would be another post.

But in other news, my Mom arrived last night– she is staying for 2 weeks.  Wahoooo!  I’m so stoked.  I have a ton of plans in store for us, including the zoo

If you’re a new parent, what item[s] worked for you?

WIAW: Baby Shower Edition

Have you entered my Popchips giveaway?  You have until tonight!

For this WIAW, I figured I’d highlight all the delicious food we had at my Baby Shower on Saturday.  Head over to Jenn at Peas and Crayons to join the party in the way you see fit!

Speaking of parties, who doesn’t love one that’s all about them?

Um, this girl.

I have to say, I had some trepidation about the shower, mainly because I always hear that people think they are boring and also because I don’t like to be the center of attention.  It’s one thing to be in the limelight for a moment at a dinner party or be the focus at the front of the room while giving a technical presentation.  It’s quite another when the whole party is about you, and opening up presents.  I’m glad I only had a Bachelorette party and not a Bridal Shower on top of that.  Too much attention!

That being said, the day went wonderfully and I do think everyone had a really nice time (yay!).  I also think alcohol helped   Mimosas anyone?

Because the shower started at 1p, we weren’t serving a formal lunch, but certainly plenty of snacks along with some more substantial foods like Butternut Squash Cranberry Quinoa.  We loosely followed this recipe and made adjustments here and there: Added 2 cups dried cranberries, roasted squash in olive oil and s&P (vs lemon), used green onions instead of shallots, and omitted the chives, and upped the thyme to taste.  So um yeah,  I guess a lot of changes.

This is a great Fall quinoa salad, but is more on the subtle blander side.  This was probably best for a big group, but if I were to make it again, I’d probably use yellow onions, some rosemary, and tons more ground peppa

My MIL also whipped up some Palmiers (using puff pastry).  She made two kinds: Ham, Gruyere, and Rosemary; and Pesto, Roasted red pepper.  I only had the veggie and thought they were fab. They were a big hit at the shower too.

Of course we had tons of cheese (WI Sharp cheddar, Havarti Dill, and, Gouda) and TJ’s crackers.  Served alongside veggies (peppers, carrots, and cucumbers) with TJ’s spicy hummus. 

What’s a shower without the treats!?!

Since I spent a good deal of money on the custom favors (through Etsy Lori’s Place – she was fab, btw).  We really wanted to keep the angel theme going and worked to develop this design in a tasty shortbread cookie:

Cupcakes also make such a great shower treat, but I didn’t want to spend too much money on anything fancy, so I brushed up (err, learned) my decorating skills and came up with these:

Maple cupcakes!  Yum, yum, and yum.  I followed the recipe to a “T” except for using extra large eggs to add more moisture (previous reviewers said there’s were dry); I doubled the recipe and tripled the icing recipe.  Well, though the icing was beyond delicious, I had to nix it at the end because it was way too runny to use with a frosting tip.  Fail.  Luckily I was prepared and had plain vanilla frosting on hand to which I added 1+ tsp of maple extract before using my decorating bag/tip.  They turned out great!

And being Fall and also pumpkin obsessed, I whipped together pumpkin spice cookies (1 box spice cake, 1 15oz can pumpkin, and 1+ cups chocolate chips; bake at 350 deg for 12 minutes), which also went over extremely well.

Of course there was present opening:

And games:

It was such a lovely time and I am so grateful for my friends and family that attended (I had a couple people from LA, FL, VA, and MA!!!) – such love

What foods do you like to see at parties (and yes, dessert items are considered food)?

Edible favors or usable favors?