Top baby items

I thought I would bring over a few posts from my old blog since this one is now out in the open! :) I made a couple of lists from my/Stewart's fav items so far!

My top 10 list...

I thought Id give you a list of my 10 favorite baby items/items I would buy again (and use often) in no particular order:


1) Aden & Anais Burpy Bib. So far I have only used it as a burp cloth but it absorbs so much and as an added bonus its cute! Target carried them for a while but they just clearanced them out.

2) Born Free Bottles. Yes they are expensive but I have not had 1 of them leak yet. They do have a few parts to wash but it is worth it! And yes they are BPA free. (updated to add the sippys spill everywhere! UGH! I loved the bottles so I bought a bunch of the sippys and they spill so much. They were great when I was feeding him but when he feeds himself they spill all over. They do not claim to be spill proof and I didn't realize that! Should have read more reviews!)

3) Trumpette Socks. Once again may seem over priced for socks but they are by far the only socks that will stay on his feet and not ever come off. I bought 1 set and they still fit him and he's been wearing them since day 1.

4) Munchkin Sprout Drying Rack. I love this drying rack because it takes up little space and holds let of bottles, and other misc items.

5) DwellStudio for Target Space Crib Set. I LOVE his bedding. Its super soft and very good quality. The DwellStudio bedding is normally very expensive but because they have a line at target it is much more affordable without losing quality.

6) Rockabye Baby - Lullaby Renditions of Coldplay CD. Love this CD! Has our favorite songs with no words in a soothing lullaby sound.

7) Bright Starts Baby's Playplace. This gym is awesome! It keeps Sadie out for the most part and he LOVES playing in it. The walls are nice but when he is older they will fold down.

8) Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail. Can't say enough good about this! We have not had any smell coming out of it yet. It dispenses baking soda after each diaper goes in. We have to buy special bags but we haven't even gone through 2 boxes ($5.99 per box) yet and we have been using it for over 3 months.

9) RaZbaby Raz-Berry Silicone Teether - Blue. Stewart already loves chewing on this. Its a little bigger than a pacifier but he still manages to chew on it just fine.

Last but not least....
10) Sassy Soft Grip Scissors. I am not yet brave enough to use real clippers but I absolutely love these! (still using these instead of nail clippers)

There are of course other things I love but they are not as practical or used as much as these things!

 

My Top 10 List Round 2!

1) Tommee Tippee First Cup - Lil Sippee - Blue. I have tried a few sippy (sippee as they call it) cups and have not found one that Stewart can actually get anything through and the ones that he can spill everywhere. Well this cup is amazing! Doesn't spill and easy for him to drink out of. I would say the only thing about it is the 4+ months seems crazy. It is a a very fast flow when he drinks out of it so I would have not used it then. Its very easy for him to hold onto as well. Love it and this weekend its buy 1 get 1 50% off at Babiesrus (they are the only ones that carry it here in the US that I have found). 2 cups at this price is $7.50 which is so great considering the Bornfree ones that we were using are $11 each!

2) Rocker Babies Wear Jeans. LOVE this book and Stewart sits long enough to let me read this to him.

3) Aden + Anais soft swaddling blankets. I just LOVE this blankets. They are light weight and Stewart loves to snuggle with them. They have adorable patterns and recently found a collection of the just for Little 77 (its a kids/baby store by American Eagle). They are on sale right now on their website and sometimes have additional % off and free shipping so I stocked up for upcoming showers I have and for Stewart.

4) Boon Snack Ball Snack Container. So far I have just used this when out and about and haven't given it to Stewart to take his own snacks out of but I like it so far. Its just the right size for on the go.

5) Baby Mum Mum's. A friend of my with twins recommended these to me. They are amazing little snacks for little ones just figuring out how to feed themselves. Anther friend calls them baby crack. lol Everytime Stewart sees the package now he shakes and gets SUPER excited!

6) Aden + Anais Sleeping Bag. We went through a few rough nights recently and couldn't figure out what was wrong. We tried sleep sacks when Stewart was younger but he hated them. Im not sure if it was because he was too hot or what. Well a friend mentioned maybe he was cold. DUH! Its winter and he just has Pj's and no blanket. Of course he is cold. Ugh. So we tried this and he has been right back to his usual self. I think these because they are light weight and long enough that he still has room to grow. Thankfully I found them at target last summer on clearance and bought 2 of them. They are online only now.

7) Baby Paper. This is the most random thing but Stewart loves it. It seems like something that would be really easy to make. It makes a crinkle noise when he plays with it or chews on it (let's face it everything goes in his mouth right now). My mother in law gave us this and its been a hit. (http://www.creativekidstuff.com/polka-dot-paper.html)

8) Fisher-Price Interactive Baby Grand Piano. I bought this piano several years ago and am so glad I did. Stewart loves banging on the keys and the legs of the piano come off so it can sit on the floor with him and will grow with him once he stands and can interact with it.

9) Munchkin Snappy Bottle Tote. This bag is really nice to throw food, bottles, pacifiers, etc on the go. It keeps everything in 1 spot so I can just grab it out of the diaper bag and go. I found mine at walmart but have seen it other places. And it has Owls! Kinda have a slight obsession with all baby things with Owls or Robots!!

10) Zutano Cozie Booties. These have been the best little booties. Stewart has been able to wear them from day 1 and they stay on his feet. We have finally moved up to the next size (12 month).

Common questions lately??

Lately we have been getting the same questions asked over and over again. It is one that I have a really hard time answering because I just don't really have an answer. Well I have a sort of answer. Are we ready for #2? It seems like that's how life goes. 1st comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. But that's where the song seems to end. And right now I am just fine with the song ending there. :) Will there be a #2? Hopefully! But right now I have no idea when? This whole journey to become parents has not been in our hands at all. Our plans started 5 years ago and have turned out better than we could have ever imagined! Had "our plans" worked out things would look a lot different right now and as much as I missed out on getting to meet our sweet little angels back in 2008, I LOVE this little man that is in our life and I am LOVING being his mommy.
Will we adopt again? Absolutely if that is what we are supposed to do! If it is what we are supposed to do then another miracle will happen and money will appear! :) Will we do domestic vs international? Who knows? Could I get pregnant? (and no I am not right now) Sure miracles happen everyday! Am I ok if it doesn't happen? Absolutely! 
So there you have it! That's where we are right now. Just loving life and our sweet little man. We will let you know when our family decides to expand.

Working Mom

Life as a working mom is more difficult than I could have ever imagined. There is not a day that goes by that I don't dream of being able to stay home. I feel like the older Stewart gets the stronger that desire grows! A few nights ago while reading my devotion the day was on Dream BIG Dreams! In it she said I would rather have a big dream and see half of it come to pass than to have a little dream and see all of it come to pass. So that is my prayer right now to dream BIG dreams! I would LOVE to be able to stay home full time but right now that just isn't financially ok. (Big Dream). I would be ok with cutting back and getting to live part of the Big dream and just work a few days a week.
Pray for us as we figure all of this out! Pray that there will be a way for at least part of the BIG dream to become reality! Pray that either there will be a way for my current job to be cut back or that something will open up elsewhere. I would love to stay put but will have to wait and see how everything works out.

Love a good deal!

Two things about me: I am a Major Planner (yes my nursery/most baby gear was bough before the baby even came and yes I have already started planning Stewart's 1st bday) and I am a bargain shopper! I LOVE to shop. There is no secret about that but when I became a mom it has never been clearer to me that we need to save money and my shopping habits have changed a ton. Now it pretty much revolves around what I can find for Stewart (clothes for the next season on sale, etc) or groceries. Here are a few of my latest finds:

• Amazon mom. This is amazing! It is free to sign up and gives you amazon prime for free as long as you spend $25 a month in the baby store. They give you 3 months free to start with. Well along with that they give an additional discount on subscribe and save. So I can get a box of $40 in diapers for $27 through amazon. Its shipped to my door 2 day air for free and I pay no tax. Since I will go through a box a month (at least) it also adds another month of free prime onto my amazon account.
• Google something before you buy! That has become my new moto when buying online. There are sites out there that list any current coupon codes to use. I just used one on Walgreens photo today. The code was Frosty50 and it expires 1/22. It took 50% off my total order and worked with in store pick up.
• CVS. Yes the local pharmacy. They have amazing deals sometimes on food and other misc items and with your CVS card you get money back each season. I was in there recently and had a $5 off $20 purchase and had a coupon for free 8x10 photo (coupon was up to 6.99 or 8.99 can't remember). Well I wandered the store and found what I was looking for and when it rang up the total was $11. I got body wash, tape, photos, pacifiers, and a couple of other misc items. The total was $32 b4 using the coupons and my CVS card. Its not a credit card just a rewards/discount card.
• diapers.com. Their prices are ok and if you get free shipping its great but 1 perk I didnt realize is that by registering with them occasionally they send me a coupon code for a free photo book at shutterfly. Love their books and free, well sorta free is great (just pay shipping).
• Target. Ok I love target. But I love it even more in Jan and I think its July. They have baby clearance and store wide clearance during these times and you can get some awesome deals! It is going on right now so if there is anything you may be needing now is the time. We bought 1 of Stewart's carseats last year b4 we even knew about him because it was 50%. These are just a few of the things. Im sure I am forgetting some but will let you know when I find others!

I also LOVE shopping for gifts and clothes at Tjmaxx (Burnsville or Eagan), Marshalls (Lakeville), etc. I know it drives some people crazy but really they are so much nicer here than there were in FL. They are usually pretty neat and organized and the clothes are in size order. I just LOVE to find stuff on sale at these places too. Most of my birthdays, baby gifts, and Christmas presents come from one of those 2 stores and usually by about March I have already started shopping for Christmas.

Well just thought I would share that with you all! :) Hope you find some good deals too!

About the blog

This is my 3rd blog and I feel like each one that I have written in the past needed to come to an end at some point. This is where this blog comes in.
My first blog was all about trying to get pregnant and all of our struggles that went into that. We went through fertility drugs (both pills and injects), 9 IUI's, and IVF consult and 4 long years of trying. During that time we had 2 miscarriages. The first one I was 11w2d along when I had to have a D&C after it ended. The 2nd was much shorter. It happened at 5w2d and the only reason we knew is because of the fertility treatments. They test you right away and who am I kidding when you are trying to conceive you test a million times on your own. It was a bittersweet blog that ended when we started the adoption process.
My 2nd blog was all about our adoption journey. It was a private blog because we posted many details about the process and many details for family and friends as we went to meet our son and life after we came home with him. I LOVE this blog but feel that I want to share our story with others and hopefully share what an amazing journey we are on now.
So this leads me to my 3rd blog. This will be all about our journey through parenthood, and just life in general. The blog is named after Stewart's little old rocker. It is a rocker that belonged to my grandfather when he was a little boy. My grandparents gave us this rocker while we were trying to get pregnant. To me it was a symbol of what is to come and a symbol of hope that someday this little rocker would get to rock again with my sweet baby in it. Now this little rocker has life again and the little life that it gets to hold in it is more than I could have ever dreamed of!