I was totally going to do a one month post, but a bit of my own personal woes side tracked me.
As a new mom, I only took 6 weeks off from work, well technically 5 and a half... and less off from Lively Happenings. I happily got busy with Lively Happenings, getting orders filled and coming up with some fun new items just two weeks postpartum, and then week 3 came along. My boss called to tell me 3 coworkers are being let go and I'm taking on two of their job roles (still over here contracted, no benefits etc.). Week 3 - 4 was a big ol' B word. And I tried to muster up the happiness to write about my 1 month favorites for Braelyn, and updates about her...but I just couldn't. Instead, I chose to have my moody week and then take the next 2 weeks to just make my days about Braelyn before she had to start daycare and I had to go back to work.
Well, I'm back at work, and things are just as usual here. Nothing too exciting about an IT job, but I am so thankful it's flexible-ish! My return to work hasn't been too bad. A decent bit of training, but other than that not too overwhelmingly busy. Yay!
But enough "Woe is me" and work nonsense, lets get onto some happier things and let me tell you about some of the best things I've found helpful being a new mommy! I realized all my favorites had something to do with helping me assist Braelyn in sleeping better!
SWADDLES
First, the swaddle!!! This thing saved our sanity! Neal and I were first using Swaddle Designs blankets. They are incredibly cute and soft, this one is my favorite. We just had one to begin with and loved them so much, we got her a 4 pack at Target. However, after Braelyn was about 2 weeks old, she was strong enough to unbundle herself! There went a gift card we could have used on something else! Oops! Lesson learned!
Next, we had to move onto the Halo Swaddle Sleepsacks or the Summer Infant SwaddleMe sleepsacks. These have been in use for the last 7 weeks and I am absolutely obsessed! If Braelyn is in one of these, we can get her to sleep for so much longer at night. We've resorted to using them only as 'emergency' during the day if we can't get her to stop fussing and take a nap. I reserve them for night in hopes she learns to associate the snuggly feel of being swaddled to time for bed, and not just another nap.
BABY CARRYING
The Boba Wrap! I am obsessed with baby carrying. During Braelyn's first month, she would fall asleep so well while in her Boba Wrap. I loved taking her on walks around the neighborhood or through the parks when I was on maternity leave! I still love baby carrying, but it's kinda a hassle to tie a wrap around myself and she's getting a little bigger so it's not as comfortable as when she was little. Next baby carrier I'm looking to get is a Tula. I'm really obsessed after trying one on in a store here. It's getting chillier outside, so I haven't been walking her as much, but I am going to try to get better about just putting her in a carrier around the house after work/she's picked up from daycare so we can keep bonding. Lately, she's taken to wanting to breastfeed for at least 5 minutes before falling asleep ANY time she's chest to chest with me...so if I walk the neighborhood with her, I have to adjust the Boba wrap so she can feed while we walk and just pray the neighbors don't realize what I'm doing and freak out! Hehe!
SLEEP TIME
Snuggamonkey Rock N Play Sleeper. Baby girl is seeming to almost be too big for this, and I'm slightly freaking out. She currently sleeps at night in her Rock N Play, and our next move would be to her crib. I'm sure I'm putting too much pressure on myself, but yikes, the move to the crib scares me! The Snuggamonkey is great because it sits Braelyn up slightly. This is helpful since she's a little bit of a spitter-up-er! When she was small, I even rolled a blanket up on one side of her to keep her slightly tiled to one side and would change the side at each night feeding.
Also,if I am cooking something hot and don't want to carry Braelyn to keep her distance, I put her in this as well and rock it on the tiles in the kitchen floor. About 1/2 of the time the movement puts her to sleep :)
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| Sh looks a little wild, but she's loving her Snuggamonkey! |
HEALTH
Nosefrida. We only had to start using this around week 6 when Braelyn started to get a snotty nose. This thing may look gross, but holy cow, it's amazing! When your little one is breathing and all you can hear are snot boogers, use this...it will change your life.
To help clear her nose more, we use a cool mist humidifier from Target at night time. It's working wonderfully!
Besides these items, a few things I use daily are her cloth diapers and planet wise wet/dry bags to contain these. But that would be a whole different post in itself!
FAMILY!!!
Lastly, I could not have survived these past two months without my amazing husband. Seriously, I feel so blessed to have someone so generous and helpful and loving in my life!
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| Family :) |
What are your favorite things for your little one? Do you have any suggestions for me as Braelyn continues to grow?!
