I can't believe how much things have changed in the last two weeks. When Baby Beeton first smiled, things began to get lighter, easier, and then, lately, things have really settled down. We've gotten into a groove with feeding. I no longer feel constantly stressed about the upcoming meal. He's much, much more active, wildly moving his arms and legs and grinning widely at everything Mr. Beeton, Ella, and I do. Being more active means he's sleeping more regularly. Usually (knock wood), he'll go to sleep between 7-9 pm, sleep until 1-2 am, eat, and then go back down until about 7 am (we're so lucky, I know). He's also started to nap more regularly (thanks to K's sister K's recommendation - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child). Usually, a morning nap in the Snugabunny bouncer and an afternoon nap with Momma and Daddy or in his crib. I've never been one to crave a routine (I mean, just look at my profession), but with Baby Beeton, a routine has made all the difference in my sanity. I love it.
These are the things that I need to remind my future self of if and when my future self begins thinking about adding another one to our pack. Grins and naps... and all the items that have made my life a little bit easier these past few months. When we registered for our showers, we didn't know what the heck we were doing, but we made our best guesses. Some of our requests were hits; some misses. Here is a short list of my favorites...
1. Fisher Price Surround Sounds and Lights Monitor - Lots of people advised us that a video monitor was the only way to go, the only way that we would get peace of mind. But, we're frugal people, and we couldn't see spending that kind of money (or expecting someone else to spend that kind of money) on a baby monitor. This is the one that we ended up getting, and it's served us very well. We don't live in a mansion, so we probably could have done without a monitor. But having this on at night when Baby Beeton is upstairs makes me more relaxed.
2. Halo Sleepsack Swaddle - Mr. Beeton would disagree with me on this one. He thinks a good old fashioned blanket swaddle is best, but I had such trouble with that method that when a friend of mine from college gave us this velcro number as a gift I was over the moon. No more needing to wake up Mr. Beeton in the middle of the night and say, "Can you swaddle him?" (Baby Beeton, by the way, is addicted to swaddling. He can't get enough of it. I had to rush order a bigger one for him today since he seemed to grow out of his old one over night.)
3. The Rachel Bag by Timi and Leslie - I love, love, love this diaper bag precisely because it doesn't look like a diaper bag. But, it's got all these fabulous pockets and baby accessories that hide inside it. When I sling it over my shoulder, I hear Stacy London say, "What a cute mom-on-the-go!"
4. Anything that gets me out of the house (i.e. our stroller, our Ergo baby carrier, and/or our Baby Bjorn) - We have a variety of methods for getting out of the house, depending on Baby Beeton's mood. We scored our stroller, which is a Bugaboo Gecko, on Craigslist; a very tall woman (who lived in this amazing green building in Silver Spring) decided to sell it for half the price because she was frustrated that it didn't have an adjustable handle. We got the bassinet, the upright stroller, and the car seat converter from her for multiple means of travel. Our his and her baby carriers (Ergo for Mr. Beeton and Baby Bjorn for me) are for when we don't want to lug out the cumbersome stroller or when we want a guarantee that Baby Beeton will remain calm (he loves to be "babyworn" as much as he loves swaddling).
5. Anything Boppy - Originally, I had asked for the Boppy to help out with breastfeeding, but it doesn't really work for me in the way that I expected. Instead, I prop it behind me when I'm feeding Baby Beeton. But, it's best for morning playtime. Baby Beeton likes to sit in it and laugh and laugh and laugh. Oh, and the Boppy changing pad sets are a lifesaver. We use them in the bassinet, in the carriage, and on the changing table. Instead of constantly changing and washing sheets, we can just throw the pads in the wash when spit up occurs.
6. Breastfeeding has been a challenge for me. I must remind myself that this is not my fault for a host of reasons, including Baby Beeton losing more weight than he should have his first few days out, the crazy antibiotics I was prescribed that unleashed their havoc on my system, and my tendency to be susceptible to blocked milk ducts. There's a host of products that have made this unpleasant obligation a little more bearable (see here, here, here, here, and here... ooo! and all the herbal remedies recommended by the women working here). (By the way, things are now going swimmingly... head control makes all the difference.)
7. Angel Dear - How sweet is this little blankie? We call him Zboo, and we take him wherever we go. Thanks, Auntie M.
8. 3marthas.com burp cloths - My hairdresser at Georgetown Aveda gave Baby Beeton a "Welcome to the World" gift from Dawn Price Baby - a bib and burp cloth from 3marthas.com. I love, love, love these burp cloths. They are not only functional (essentially a cloth diaper) but also stylish (the cute little sewed on characters add flair).
9. Books, books, and more books - At all three of my showers, we got lots of books for our little prince. Right now, our favorite is Henry and Ribsy (thanks Honorary Aunt J).
10. Wee Gallery Art Cards - I admit. I was skeptical about this one. The description alone made me want to cringe: "Wee Gallery art cards are created from bold, whimsical, hand-painted originals that cater to a baby's visual strengths. The black and white images and their repeating patterns captivate little ones. Place them in the crib to transform it into a wee gallery or use them as flash cards for older children." How pretentious. But, they are pretty fabulous - especially the free ones that came from a formula company. We like them so much that we made a mobile out of them.
A friend of mind teased that any good shopaholic would be delighted to have an addition to her family. After all, a whole new world of shopping opens up. I have to agree, though with our little one comes even more limited resources. So, I'll bookmark this post to reference if the future brings more Baby Beetons. Stocking up on the essentials and eliminating the dross means more money to pour into our very own little Money Pit.
Keep sweeping, Martha
