Newborn Must-Have's Part 2!

After completing my first post on our must-have's, I realized I forgot a lot of other essentials! 

One of the things I was most hesitant about with Charlotte was putting her in her crib in the nursery. By the time she was 4 weeks, Hubs demanded that we put her in her room for my own sanity. 

I'm a huge sleeper, and Charlotte isn't a sound sleeper by any means. Most nights she ends up 180 degrees from where she started. She talks in her sleep, groans, and grunts. 

The biggest lifesaver in gaining sleep while being able to spy on her is our Angel Care Monitor. My only complaint is that because she's a mover and groover in her sleep is that we've had our fair share of false alarms with the sensor pad. 

We used the motion sensor feature for the first few weeks, but then had to turn it off because it'd wake us up in a panic. I will say that the video is so crystal clear that I can often see her breathing on our monitor, which is super comforting when the sensor pad is off. 

Here is a glimpse of Charlotte on our monitor (she loves staring at the green light on the monitor):

Another huge must-have for us is a stroller fan. Yup, they make them and it is one of the best things I purchased. Charlotte hates being hot, so I invested in this so I would be able to go out for walks without her sweating. Now, the fan acts as a toy/distraction while she's being buckled into her car seat.

I mentioned our booster seat in my last post, but I love that ours is suitable for infants. Hubs and I always ate dinner at the dining room table, and that changed when Charlotte arrived. I really wanted to get back to our tradition, and Charlotte is able to sit with us while we eat. We used to put her in her bouncer on the floor, but she couldn't see us or anything but the toys dangling in front of her. Now, she gets a higher view of our dining room and new views she's never seen before! Plus, she loves to push on the table with her feet. It does seem a little cheap since it's plastic, but we registered for it as a portable high chair so it won't get too much use. 

We all know how Charlotte hates to be wet (waiting on THIS to end!), and most diaper companies don't have overnight diapers in her size, but what seems to help a little bit at night are Pamper's Baby Dry diapers. My only beef is that they don't have the wet/dry strip on them, so you have to do the old "stick your finger in" to see if they're wet, and that's just plain gross.

Our Boppy pillow has been a lifesaver for me, especially with nursing. I've even gone as far as bringing it with me to family members homes so I can use it while I'm visiting to nurse! Charlotte is a petite little thing, so I know that she'll grow out of me using it soon, but while she's little, it's perfect for nursing. It rests perfectly on the arms of my glider, and elevates her to the perfect level to nurse. 

Now that she's getting better at holding her head up, we can use it for propping and tummy time. The only thing I didn't think of before I had her was to have more than one cover. My first cover was always covered in breast milk, especially during the engorged phase, so being able to switch out covers would've been key, had I thought of it. I ended up purchasing a second cover a few weeks after she was born and it's been so nice to have! 

I hope this has helped anyone looking for necessities! 

Mimosa & Bloody Mary Bar!

Who doesn't love a Sunday full of church, family and both a Mimosa AND Bloody Mary bar??? 

When planning Charlotte's Baptism party, we knew immediately that alcohol was a must. I always think that bars of options are wonderful and can appeal to a lot of different people and tastes. 

For our Bloody Mary Bar, we used Zing Zang mix (which is by far the best, most amazing mixer out there!) and Sky Vodka. We pre-made 4 bottles of this, and put the mix into pitchers for easy serving. 

Now for the fun part...the skewers! These skewers were adorable and perfect to adorn your cup of Bloody Mary! 

Our skewers contained the following ingredients:

Cherry Tomatoes

Spinach

Buffalo Mozzarella

Pepperoni

Prosciutto

Green Olives

Baby Pickles

Additional adornments included:

Pepperoncini's

Shrimp

Celery (duh!)

and....

BACON SWIRL STICKS!

Yep, you read that right! I found this awesome idea on Pinterest and made these. They were so easy to make and super popular, hence why my picture of them only has 2 remaining...

All you have to do is twirl the bacon and place on a cookie rack on top of a baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. 

Now, for our Mimosa Bar, we chose 3 different juices with corresponding fruits. 

Pomegranate Juice- Pomegranate Seeds

Orange, Peach & Mango Juice- Peaches

Orange Juice- Strawberries

We used glass champagne glasses, which did limit the amount of alcohol in each, but they were super pretty and classy, much like our special little girl ;)

Cheers & ENJOY!

2 Months Old!

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Charlotte! Time is flying and Hubs and I are enjoying every minute of this munchkin. We never thought she'd bring us this much joy and happiness and a love that grows stronger every day. 

Here are some recent pictures off Miss Charlotte!

Fourth of July! Dress

 Got her thumb! Onesie

Still looks like her newborn self when she sleeps... 

We feel so blessed to have such a good baby! She loves to smile, especially when she gets up in the middle of the night. It makes it just a little bit easier to be awake :) 

She recently started cooing/talking, and makes the cutest face when doing so! Her upper lip curls and she seems to be using all her energy to talk to us. 

She found her thumb the night of the 4th of July. We knew we'd have a thumb sucker from the second night in the hospital. She has been able to put herself  to sleep with it which has been amazing!  

We pulled out her Mama's and Papa's chair, which she enjoys but only for short periods of time. She also likes sitting in her booster seat as seen here: 

She loves being able to see everything up high! 

Charlotte's sleep is still inconsistent and it's hard to know if she will sleep for awhile or wake to either eat or be changed. She still hates being wet, so we've been changing her in the middle of the night without feeding her hoping she goes right back to sleep. She has been able to go about 7-8 hours in between feedings, typically 8:30-4:30 with a diaper change in between. She will normally fall asleep within a half hour or 45 minute of eating, but sometimes it takes longer. 

Altogether I'm really pleased with her sleep and her pediatrician is as well! 

Charlotte got her first round of vaccinations at her 2 month check-up. Aside from the initial pain from the shots themselves, she didn't have any side effects. We gave her some baby Tylenol for pain, since she was really uncomfortable, especially when you held her. 

As for stats, Charlotte weighed in on Friday at 10 pounds, 1 ounce, falling in the 25th percentile. She was 22.75 inches long, which puts her in the 75th percentile. 

Charlotte's Baptism!

Yesterday we celebrated the baptism of our baby girl! It's hard to believe she's 8 weeks old today, and we're loving every minute of her.

She's developed so much of a personality and is such a little diva at heart, but more about that in her 2 month update! 

My sister, mom and I picked out her dress and shoes, and the headband and bracelet were gifts she received that both happened to match her outfit flawlessly. 

The headband was a gift my mom got for her baby shower. It's a headband that turns into a garter for her wedding! Such and amazing idea!

Here's a picture of her right after we got her dressed:

Another close up:

We were so excited and emotional during the ceremony, and she did great! I thought she would have been hungry during mass but she held out until we got home. Such a champ! 

Family shot:

Hubs is such a good and proud Daddy. I did good!

Me and my girl! 

We had the most fabulous assortment of food (of course!) and an amazing Bloody Mary and Mimosa Bar! They both deserve their own post so I'll do another post soon!

The Dreaded Tummy Time

Charlotte is such a good baby, and I rarely worry about her growth and development. She's a great eater, she sleeps well (at night), and she's very active and alert for her age.

The one thing I worry about is her developing a flat spot on the back of her head. She loves to play on her activity mat, in her crib, on the floor, and in her pack-n-play, but the girl absolutely hates tummy time! 

So I dedicate this post to all the other mama's whose babies hate spending time on their bellies, in the hopes that this helps them!

Sometimes, she just lays her head down and refuses to do anything at all.

At her one week appointment with the pediatrician, the doctor told us to start tummy time right away as most newborns don' t mind spending time on their tummies at first, but once they have time away from it, they start to hate it.  I think it's safe to say we missed the boat on her loving tummy time, but I've found some ways to improve her hate for it over the last 7 weeks. 

When we first started tummy time, Charlotte would flail her arms and kick her legs straight up in the air, like she was practicing yoga or acrobatics. Less than a minute after the start time, she would cry. Here is the evidence:

Next, I thought I'd try using her Boppy pillow to help her, but this hysterical attempt was also a failure because girlfriend would slide off within seconds. Unfortunately, I have no photo evidence of this, and I feel as if I tried to reenact it, I'd be a terrible mom! 

At her one month visit, I was mentioning how much she hates tummy time, and her pediatrician told us to try lying on the floor and putting her on our chest. This works with some babies because they can focus on mom or dad's face or voice instead of the fact that they're on their tummies. 

Charlotte doesn't mind this version of tummy time, but because of my chest (thanks, breastfeeding), I wonder if she's getting some assistance with pulling her head up. Here is a picture of Charlotte in motion:

So this little tummy time journey brings me to yesterday, when I put this adorable, yet annoying to button up dress on our peanut, and needed to button it. I placed Charlotte on her tummy on her changing table, and placed my phone at the end of the pad with a picture of JWoww's dog from Instagram on it. Charlotte held her head high and focused on that glowing still shot for minutes! She didn't even notice she was on the tummy, let along that I was standing right there. How cute is she?

And no, I didn't have her strapped in because like I said, this was a fluke. 

In my opinion, giving babies something to look at, whether it be a book, picture, toy, or blanket, can help them enjoy tummy time a little bit more. 

As a side note, Charlotte also enjoys being placed chest to chest and she tries to pull her head up while being held that way. I think that also helps prevent a flat spot, but I don't count that as part of her daily tummy time routine. 

I'm happy to say that although she hasn't loved tummy time, she hasn't showed any signs of a flat spot on her head, just a little hair loss but she LOVES to be held and swaddled, so I guess that's okay with me :)

Pool Day!

Friday afternoon, Charlotte and I joined my aunt, sister and mother-in-law at the country club pool that my aunt belongs to. 

Shades....check! 

I was super nervous about keeping this heat-sensitive babe outside in 85 degree weather for a couple hours but I was pleasantly surprised! 

My aunt got there before us and snatched the shaded cabana (fans included) so the peanut could hang out in all her glory. 

Bathing Suit- Hat 

We set Charlotte up on a blanket in the grass that was shaded and placed her stroller fan and a few toys next to her. She stayed pretty content for a while, but then got tired. 

After lunch, I nursed her (cover in tow!) and she passed right out. I put her in her stroller and placed her fan right on her to keep her cool. 

Diapers are from The Honest Company

Altogether I'd say it was a success. I made sure to keep her cool, hence why the bathing suit came off. The cabana fans and her stroller fan helped to keep her really cool. I only know this because Charlotte would've screamed to let me know if she was hot! 

Seriously!? I know I'm partial but this picture kills me! Bow

P.S. Anyone who is expecting a baby girl or who already has one with thin hair, these bows are perfect for minimal hair! They're velcro, so they will hang on to whatever hair your baby has! I purchased the 1 inch since Charlotte is so little. I got a whole rainbow of colors to match just about everything in her closet! 

6 Week Update & Newborn Must Haves

 Time is flying by, as I knew it would, but part of me wants it to stand still. I'm loving watching our little girl grow, exploring knew things and seeing her personality come to life, but the whole "going back to work" thing is really making me sad. I have been trying to focus on the now, and not the future, but it's so hard when life at home with her seems so right.

Big girl!

Our plan for right now is for me to return at the end of July, but Hubs and I both agree that if it doesn't work out, we'll discuss me staying home.

Anyway, today I head to my OB for my 6 week check up. I'm afraid he's going to tell me I've been overdoing it, since I'm not the best at relaxing, but I'll be so excited if I'm released to start working out again!

I rejoined Weight Watchers a few weeks back and have about 8 pounds left to lose to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I would like to lose more than that, since I had gained some weight the 9 months prior to getting pregnant, after our wedding.

Tummy time! I'm surprised she's not ticked in this picture! 

It's been hard to follow the Points Plus program at times, especially with breastfeeding, but I've been using my daily and weekly points as a guide to eat healthily, but obviously eat if I'm hungry and don't have any points left.

Enough about me, now! I wanted to throw together a list of some of the "Must Haves" that I have really found to be helpful while trying to get the hang of motherhood. Some are items we got off our baby registry, and some are just things that seem to make life a little easier!

4moms Mamaroo- When Charlotte pushes herself and gets overtired, this is the only thing (besides Hubs and I) that can soothe her to sleep. We spent a couple nights on the living room couch while she slept in this! The motions and sounds are perfect for her, and she loves taking naps in it. I also love how big it is, so she'll be able to use it for awhile, attention span permitting :)

B Agile Travel System- I love our travel stroller system. Charlotte tends to fall asleep in the car, so being able to click her car seat into the stroller is awesome. Who wants to wake a sleeping baby anyway?! The car seat itself is a little heavy, especially for post partum moms, but I think most are for safety reasons. The stroller is so nice to push around, especially in our neighborhood where it's hilly and sidewalks aren't exactly smooth (or existent...). It also shades her perfectly so I don't have to worry about freckles or sun spots. 

Here she is on a walk a few weeks back:

Medela Pump In Style Advanced- This has been a life savor and as allowed me to not only start building a supply of breast milk in the freezer but also to pump bottles for Hubs to feed Charlotte at bedtime. I really wanted her to associate the both of us with feeding time, and she loves when Daddy gives her a bottle! Oh, and the fact that our insurance paid for the pump in it's entirety also makes me love it more! 

Medela Quick Steam Bags- So much easier to use these steam bags to sanitize bottles and breast pump parts than to boil a pot of water! Each bag gets 20 uses, and there are 5 in a box. 

4moms Cleanwater Tub- I love the thermometer feature on this tub. I can tell you already that had I not purchased this, I would be using way too hot of water for bath time. It's really hard to determine what's too hot for their sensitive skin. I ended up purchasing a foam bath insert since Charlotte is so tiny and slips on the blue lining. 

Summer Infant Swaddle Me- Charlotte hates to be warm, so these wraps are the perfect light weight fabric, and they are easy to use in the middle of the night after feedings and diaper changes. We actually need to pick up a few more since they've been in frequent use now that the weather has heated up and the AC has kicked on!

So dramatic!

Pottery Barn Kids Organic Swaddle Blankets- These blankets are the perfect blanket to tuck Charlotte in with, without making her hot and fussy. They no longer sell the pattern of the blankets we have, but the light, thin organic fabric is perfect for swaddling and nap time (whenever that is!).

Our blankets are chevron (shown above) and a white and pink floral pattern. 

The only other thing that I would suggest for new moms is to cook and freeze meals for when baby comes! I've been blessed with a wonderful family who have brought us meals the last 6 weeks, but I also cooked and stocked up on food so that Hubs and I could eat relatively healthy after Charlotte arrived. It's been so nice to remove dishes from the freezer and reheat them for our dinners. It's nice to still have that one consistent meal together at the dining living room table.