2 Months Old

Annabelle turned 2 months old on Saturday.  She is getting so big but to most she is the size of a newborn.  I am guessing now she is about eight and a half pounds and she is in some 0-3 months outfits.  She is smiling a lot more now and she is watching us and following us with her eyes.  She is no longer waking up at 2:30am for a feeding and she is sleeping from about 10:30pm to 6:30am every night and she is very much a morning person (big smiles in the morning).  During the day she likes to cat nap in her swing or bouncy seat and doesn't seem to want to take a nap in her crib.

We love her so much and she is a great baby!

Nursery Tour (VIDEO)

I hope you enjoy the tour of Annabelle's nursery.



Reference Links for Items Mentioned in the Video:

• Quilt Kit Seller on Etsy
• Quilt Shelf Seller on Etsy
• Letters Seller on Etsy
• Birth Information Sheet Seller on Etsy
• Water Color Painting Seller on Etsy
• Butterfly Jewelry my Mom Makes Selling on Etsy 
• Decal Tree on Pottery Barn Kids

OOPS:  I just noticed in the video I said I posted a picture of the video on ETSY I meant to say on PINTREST, oops.


Tip:  If you plan to order a glider rocker do it sooner than later.  We ordered ours from Buy Buy Baby and it took 8 weeks to come in.  Buy Buy Baby was great and it came in when they said it would but it takes time to make the rocker.  We cut it really close because the rocker came in just a couple weeks before she was born.

I Just Had to Share!

One of my blog buddies inspired me over a year ago to blog about my experiences of trying to get pregnant after my second miscarriage.  Her and I met in a support group site and though she had many miscarriages she still remained positive and up beat through all the ups and downs.   After traveling a bumpy and stormy road tonight she shared the good news that her rainbow is shining bright and a new adventure is beginning for her I couldn't be happier for her than I am right now.

She has been such an amazing support to me and she has such an amazing personality that I had to share with you all her story.

Maria's Blog Post

Maria you and Steve are a strong couple and strong individual and I am so happy that you have found your silver lining. :-)

Our Wedding April 11, 2011 (PICTURES)

We have some new software and I am enjoying learning it and in the mean time making some movies.  

Jerry and I got married one year ago on a beach alone in Jamaica and it was absolutely beautiful and simple.  At the time I used a special wedding blog to keep my family up to date on the happenings of our wedding planning.  We didn't end up getting a video of our day but we did get many pictures so I put them together in a video.  Etta James "At Last" is our song but do to copyright reasons I couldn't add that song to the video (wish I could have been it came out so well with that song on it).

Enjoy!

Baby Gear Review #2 - Pack-N-Play (VIDEO)

I had previously told you how I was not happy with the Graco Pack-N-Play that we had purchased.  I have since purchased a Safety 1st Pack-N-Play and I wanted to share my review with you.  Graco is taking back the Pack-N-Play and sending us a full refund as we feel the changing table is a safety problem.

Enjoy!

Go Green Friday - Cloth Diapers Update

With Earth Day right around the corner I thought it appropriate to give you and update on my cloth diaper adventure.  I recently read that over 24 billion disposable diapers enter landfills each year and that number seems to be increasing every year.  Another little fact I found is a disposable diapers take 250 to 500 years to break down, think about it that means since they started manufacturing disposable diapers everyone of them that has been used is sitting in a landfill today.  Yes it is convenient to be able to just throw away the poop and pee mess but is it really worth it when you think of what it is doing to our environment?  Just some food for thought.

Confession 
I will be the first to admit that yes I did and still do at times use disposable diapers on my daughter.  Being a first time Mom it took us time to adjust to life with a new baby and adding washing diapers on top of that for the first few weeks just wasn't going to happen.

I had done my research and bought a supply of cloth diapers yet I was finding it so hard to switch and give up the convenience of a disposable diaper.

Type of Cloth Diaper 
In talking to other Mom who are experienced with cloth diapers while I was still pregnant I learned about all the different types of cloth diapers and I also learned that putting a newborn in a one size fits all diaper just won't work even though the manufacture says you can.

Kissaluvs

Because she is still so little at almost 7 weeks now we are using our small size cloth diapers.  We use kissaluvs with a thirsties cover over them.   The size 0 kissaluvs diaper says it can be used from 5 - 15 pounds and the x-small thirsties can be used for 6 - 12 pounds.

You might be wondering why you need to use two so let me tell you.  The kissaluvs will absorb the urine but because it doesn't have a water proof cover on the outside it would come through onto clothing.  The thirsties cover will keep the urine right were it needs to be (in the diaper).  This also means you don't need to change the cover each time you change out the kissaluvs liner as long as it isn't very wet of have poop on it I have been reusing them.

thirsties diaper cover

In my research I heard that you don't want to use cloth diapers when they still have their umbilical cord because it will rub.  Kissaluvs solved this problem by adding a snap to make the diaper lower in the center while the baby still has their cord.  Because my daughter was only 5 lbs 10 oz when we brought her home she was so skinny around her tummy and her legs that the cloth diapers looked huge for her.  This resulted in us having even more of a reason to use the disposables. We didn't start using the cloth until she was almost 7 lbs.

Even though she has grown the diapers still make her bottom look so big and some times we have a hard time getting the onsie to snap over the diaper.  We do own 2 pairs of g diapers and we tried them out once and found they are less bulky however, I find putting on the kissaluvs is more like using a disposable in the feel because you don't have to mess with putting in an insert into the diaper.  I also was worried about the g diaper leaking as it seemed as though the cloth liner was not fitting in the diaper that well, we didn't have any leaks but we only used this ones and it was a small pee diaper.

Once she gets to big for these we will be using Bumgenius 4.0  (we have some snap and some velcro) pocket diaper and Bumgenius Flip diaper.  I purchased one Fuzzibuns to see what they looked like in person but I didn't care for the elastic leg adjustment because it was a pain to stuff the extra elastic back in the diaper so, I didn't purchase any more.

Cleaning
I purchased a wet bag for putting the diapers in when they are dirty and this seems to keep the smell down.  I must add we have not had a poop diaper in them yet as it seems she waits for a disposable before she gives us her daily blow out (yes we are still easing into cloth diapers).

To wash the diapers you simply put the thirsties velcro tab on the washing tab on the inside to keep it from sticking to the other diapers and put the kissaluvs and thirsties covers in the washing machine along with the wet bag.  We do have a bumgenius sprayer for cleaning poop off the diaper before washing.  We use armenhammer sent free laundry detergent and we add oxy clean.  Be sure to also wash the wet bag I put it inside out.  I wash ours in hot water and then when they are done I put them in for another rinse and drain to get any extra detergent residue off.

To dry I put the kissaluvs and the bag in the dryer and I lay the thirsties covers out on a rack.  During warmer days I hear you can lay them all out on a rack outside and the sun will work to help bleach the diapers.

Review So Far (My Two Cents)

Pros:  

• We will never have to make a late night run out for diapers.
• Now that I see how many disposable diapers we were using we will save money for sure using cloth diapers.
• Cloth diapers can be used for additional children we plan to have.
• The smell in the house isn't as bad because we wash them daily and we won't have a trash can full of dirty diapers sitting around for days stinking up her room and our living room.
• The ones we are using are easy to put on and have lots of room for adjustments.
• They don't leak (the only time they leaked was when the cover was not covering all of the kissaluvs)

Cons:

• Not as convenient as disposables.
• Right now on a newborn they are a little on the bulky side.
• It takes a little more effort to see if they are wet because you have to feel them.
• It adds to the daily laundry.
• The poop diapers need to be rinsed off first before washing them.
• When you are away from home you need to put a dirty cloth diaper in a small travel wet bag and take it home, you can't just toss it. 

Cloth diapers have changed so much over the years and they now are as easy to put on as a disposable and they are much cuter now then in the past. 

Things To Think About

Before planning to use cloth diapers you might want to decide if you will be returning to work after the baby and if not will your child care provider change cloth diapers.  From what my friends have told me this is usually a BIG NO.  If your child care provider won't change cloth diapers and you still want to use them I would suggest using them when you are at home on the evenings and weekends.  You won't need to buy as many (I started with 16 small) unless you plan to use them all day while you are on leave from work.  I think if you bought as many as someone using cloth diapers full time you wouldn't see the savings because cloth diapers are not cheap but in the long run they pay off for those using them full time.  

Coming soon:  A Vlog to show you the cloth diapers we are using in a video. 

Joining the Stay at Home Mom's Club

I hope you are all doing well and thank you for the comments on my previous posts.

The big news of the day is as of Tuesday I am now a full time mommy and wife.  I have traded my cube for a much more comfortable work environment (my home).  My commute is much shorter now and I definitely will save on gas, ha ha ha!  My new boss can be a little whiney at times and she wants me to be at her beck and call all the time but it is all worth it when she gives me a big smile.  Of course I am kidding Annabelle is a wonderful baby and I feel so lucky to be able to stay home and raise her.

Jerry is lucky to have a job that allows him to work from home most of the time and that means he won't miss on the little things she does either.  We feel so blessed for how our lives have turned out and we know it is just going to get better from here.

I am going to miss seeing my coworkers every day but I have made some good friends that I am sure I will still see.  I 'm hoping to find some friends who also now share the same job as me being a stay at home Mom that way Annabelle and I can go on play dates and have some new friends to talk to.

I am ready for this new chapter in my life and I know everything will be ok and life will continue to get better and better!

Baby Product Review #1 (VIDEO)

Annabelle is keeping me very busy during the day and I don't want to feel like I am neglecting all of you so I am going to give this Vlogging (Video Blogging) a shot, it's easier to talk and show you products then type some times.  I also wanted to show you some of the products I had talked about.

I so hate listening to myself talk and looking at my chins... LOL... For those who will be a first time mom soon I hope you find this helpful.

Things No One Tells You About Having a Baby (or at least if they did I didn't listen)

I wanted to write this before I totally forget!

Nothing Goes as Planned w/ Birth
You go to these Birth classes and read the books and you hear "Make a birth plan". I had an idea that things wouldn't go as planned but I did write a birth plan. Like the title says nothing goes as planned. My birth plan was for an all nature birth and I got the total opposite being induced and needing to take the pain meds. I would say do the birth plan knowing that you will do what is right for you and the baby at the time things are happening. Also, talk to your partner about what you want because at the time of the birth you might not want to do much talking. Also, talk about what you want after the birth we did this and Jerry knew we didn't want her bathed until she tried to breast feed and he was able to stop them from bathing her when they went off to the nursery.

My birth plan never came out of my bag. We did what was needed at the time.

Epidurals Can Cause Spinal Fluid Leak
I admit I think they talked about this for all of 2 mins during our birth class but as I mentioned above I was going all nature and in my mind there was no question about it so I didn't listen much. If you get an epidural and you get a headache right away or have one after lay flat, if the headache goes away while laying flat tell a nurse right away. A blood patch might be needed to fix it. I wish I had known this it would of kept me from suffering for days with a headache that was HORRIBLE (epidural headache).

No Modesty During Birth
Are you modest? Well you better leave that all at the door during birth. You might as well lay around naked. I had every monitor possible put up inside me before she was born and because I did give in and and get an epi as you can imagine going to the bathroom during labor was out of the question so let's just say a nurse had to manually drain my blatter. Nevermind the fact that once that babies head gets really low and if you have an epi you have no control over your bodily functions, some woman poop during birth (I didn't thank god) but you also have no control over gas either so avoid gasy food if you are going to be induced.

Swelling Gets Worse After the Birth
The Dr. told me in the hospital that the swelling in my feet and legs would get worse up to 2-3 weeks after birth. Mine was extreme because I had pre-e after she was born and my BP was out of control. The swelling was very uncomfortable and down right painful as my skin was pulled so tight on my feet it hurt and I could hardly move my toes. Three weeks after the birth one day I notice it was just gone.

They Don't Let You Rest in the Hospital
In our hospital you get an RN assigned to you and another person who takes your BP and temp. Then you have your Dr., the babies Dr., lactation consultant, lab people to take blood, and food delivery people when you call them. With all these people it seems like someone is in your room every hour or two. This was the worst at the morning shift change at 7am when the people going off shift come check on you then the new people coming in to say hi and poke at you some more. If you plan to sleep at all send the baby to the nursery after the evening shift change has calmed down and shut of all lights and the TV. One time I shut off all the lights and I think when they came in to check on me they left me alone. I did not sleep for a long time, like a week after I had her (big mistake). I would only nap for an hour between feedings. If I could do it over again I would of had them give her one bottle at night so I could get a solid 4hrs of sleep each night before going home.

Our family isn't in the area so I can only imagine adding guests on top of all the hospital people. My suggestion would be to tell family you will call them and tell them when would be best to come by to visit

You Might Feel Like You Lost Something
When I left the hospital I felt like I lost something. Even though my baby was with me I felt like I lost her because she wasn't in my belly and I was very emotional. I also missed the hospital and felt like I lost my best friend. Even though as mentioned above being in the hospital I couldn't rest they still brought some comfort being at my beck and call and never worrying about having to cook. Driving home for the first time I cried and wanted to go back to the hospital. Enjoy the time in the hospital as this is the only time this will happen with this baby.

If You're Breastfeedig Your Baby Will Loss Weight at First
For most woman it takes some time for for your milk to come in and it is normal for a baby to loss up to 7% of their birth weight. Beyond 7% they start to worry and might ask you to supliment. This is what I was told in the hospital.

The First 3-6 Weeks Are Hard
Especially if you are breastfeeding things are hard because you are the only one who can feed the baby unless you are able to pump enough. Plus if your baby is not getting enough food like mine they SCREAM and you just don't know what is wrong because you think they are getting enough and you start trying to figure out what it is (colic, reflux...the list goes on).

Have Gripe Water on Hand
Babies get gas and patting their back or bouncing them or doing all these things you have read about doesn't always work to get it out. Before you have the baby get a thing of Gripe water and have it on hand. It is an all natural sweet liquid that helps releave gas. We got ours at Whole Foods and found when all else fails we try this out and usually it gets things moving.

Baby Girls Have a Period
My husband got freaked out when he changed her diaper and noticed she was bleeding. I went right to google and found that baby girls get a period after birth because they are coming off all the hormones in the mom's body. For us this was started about 5 days after she was born and it lasted about 3 days. By no means was it heavy bleeding at all.

Babies Are Not Really Expressive Right Off the Bat
At first it was hard because babies don't react to faces you make. They don't smile right away usually and with my baby when she was awake she looked like she was in pain and I would cry...... thinking she was sad or in pain. Really she wasn't but in my emotional head I was being a bad mom and she was sad. Like I mentioned before hormones are crazy after birth.


You Will Find Yourself Choicing Between Sleeping, Eating, or Showering
I never thought having a baby meant I would have to choice between the basics like eating, sleeping or showering. But after she was born and when she would nap I had to pick what one was more important at the time. For me I also added cleaning on there (if you have family around tell them the best gift is if they would come cook or clean for you or hold the baby so you can sleep, eat or shower).


That's all I can think of for now. I hope this helps all those first time moms out there who will be having a little bundle of joy in the near future. Along with all the above you will fall in love with your little one and you won't be able to imagine your life without them!

Happy Friday Everyone

Message to a couple of my readers

Maria - Thank you so much for your comments and I hope everything is going well with you and I hope your apt. went as planned this week :-)

Brenda - Sure I will post more on the cloth diapers we are using. Right now we are still doing half and half trying to get her and us used to them. They are a little on the bulkie side and it makes it hard to button her onsie so for comfort sake I try to get a disposable on her when she is going to nap. So far I have not cleaned a poop cloth diaper yet, so not looking forward to that.

Update on Annabelle

6 Weeks Old

She is doing great and growing bigger every day! She is now fitting well into her newborn clothing and has even got a bit to long for some of them although she had plenty of room around the tummy.

I feel so lucky because she is a great sleeper at night. From the time she was 3 weeks old we started putting her in her room and crib to sleep and she loves it. I give her a bottle and rock with her with either music going or white noise and usually she falls asleep right away, sometime she gets gas and is fussy but that is maybe once a week. Then she will either get me up at 3am or 4am the timing of this depends on how much she eats before falling asleep and if she has a messy diaper.

Speaking of poop, lol... Since being on formula she seems to only poop once or twice a day and boy are they massive poop diapers. The Dr. said formula babies usually go less often. I wish we could of breast feed because it would of been better for both of us but it just wasn't in the card for us, maybe the next one my Milk will come in better.

We have found that she really enjoys palying on her play mat in the morning after her breakfast bottle. She is getting more exprssive and smiling more. This morning I swear she was dancing to the musice.

During the day she likes to take cat naps vs long naps and usually thi happens in her swing. But if we take her out to dinner or shopping she passes out in the car and sleeps right through while we eat and shop. For now she is so easy to go out with we just make sure to feed her before we go and she will sleep for hours while we are out.

Update on Me

On April 11th Jerry and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary and he spoiled me. We went out for a wonderful dinner last Friday while my family was here to watch Annabelle and on our Anniversary he gave me an iPad 3 that I have been saying I wanted along with a case with a keyboard for it. I love it so much because I can face time with my family who lives far away and I feel more connected with them. It's great to be able to see my nieces and talk to them because they like being on face time but they are not big on talking on the phone. I spend time with my oldest niece on it and I felt like I was right there with her because she showed me her dance and showed me her crafts she did.

6 Week Postpartum Dr. Visit

Yesterday I had my postpartum 6 week visit and all went well. My Dr. did a pap smear because I was do for one and she told me everything is good. My BP is back to normal 118/75 which is great.

My emotions are getting back to normal and I am feeling much better. Since I wasn't able to breast feed I am not getting the weight loss benefit any more but now that I am at the 6 week mark I can start to get back to being more active.

Now that we are past the first few weeks and things are getting a little more under control we have discussed #2. I want a bit of time to recover and loss some weight and enjoy some time with Annabelle. Because I will be 34 this year we don't want to wait to long so we will probably try again later next year. Next time around it won't be just Jerry and I and I will have to keep up with a toddler. We will also need to have someone come watch Annabelle while we are in the hospital. Lots to think of but we have time!

Back to the Weight Battle

This was me June 2010 feeling good

I have always struggled with my weight and in 2008 I had joined Weight Watchers for the 10 thousands time in my life (well not really but you know what I mean).  I managed to lose about 35 pounds in a year and I was happy with that as long as I was going down.  Then I hired a personal trainer and I drop another 16 pounds in the second year and gained a lot of muscle.  I was then thinner than I had been in a very long time, I weighed less than I did in high school and I felt great!  Of course I donated all my "fat clothing" as I was never going back there.

Well WELCOME to back there.

After my first 2 miscarriages and not being on my depression medication really got the best of me and I put back on 30 pounds before I even got pregnant with Annabelle.  I then put on another 44 pounds during my pregnancy.  I managed to drop about 20 pounds within the first 3 weeks after I had her (mostly baby and water weight).

Now I am coming up on 6 weeks postpartum and I am now back on Wellbutrin and my mood is getting better.  Thursday i go see my Dr. to get the "OK" that everything healed up well and I can get back to working out.  Jerry and joined Weight Watchers Online for the 10,001 time (LOL).

We now face a new challenge and it's called having a Baby.  We can't go work out together in the gym because she is to young to leave in the gym daycare and I find most of my day is spend managing feedings around cleaning the house and some how I manage to get in a shower (at some point during the day).  We have gone for a couple walks with her and that was an eye opener that I got really out of shape during this pregnancy.

GOAL 1 - Drop 25 pounds
GOAL 2 - Get back to the weight I was in June 2010
GOAL 3 - Keep on trucking and drop what I can

This was us Easter weekend

Jerry and I took pre-weight loss pictures but no way am I posting those, no way!  Here is a picture of us at the park.  I was doing my best not to show my second chin and I have cropped the photo to remove a roll.

We had to change Annabelle at the park this one shows the rolls.. LOL.

Cloth Diapers

"Look at me in my cloth bottom and leg warmers"

 

 

While I was pregnant I had researched cloth diapers and we decided we would use cloth diapers.  Seeing as though Annabelle was born under 6 pounds and was not chubby at all using them when she first came home would of just looked silly.  Now that she is a little bigger I decided we should start using the small cloth diapers we have. 


Day 1 - I decided to use some cloth and some disposables.  She went through the cloth diapers fast as she was peeing like crazy.  She is a princes and hates to be in a wet diaper so she lets us know if she is wet.  I put them in the wash last night and we put them in the dryer this morning.  I have been down stairs with Annabelle most of the day and I have not had a change to check on them.  I will say only one had a small poop we got lucky and she did the big poops in the disposables.  Easing into this slowly.. LOL

Day 2 - That would be today.  I am doing the same thing using half and half.  It was so funny because her onsie hardly snapped over the diaper.. LOL.. She looked like she had a big bottom, to funny.  I showed Jerry how to put them on today.  I think once we get going we will like using cloth because we won't have to worry about running out of diapers late at night. 

BTW - Check out my update on the Graco Pack N Play.  They are sending us a pre-paid Fedex label to send it back and we will get a full refund!  It was very easy for me to get a resolution from Graco A++ Graco!

Baby Gear Reviews

Pack N Play - Graco Pack 'n Play Portable Playard with Newborn Napper Station - Laguna Bay

• Would I buy this again? - No
• Why? -  The changing station does not have proper support and my daughter rolls to the left when we place her on it.  There is to much give in the changing station platform and it makes difficult to change her diaper never mind uncomfortable for her.  I will also say that getting the newborn napper off after it is on is a pain with a capital "P" my daughter spit up on it and it took me 30 minutes to get the newborn napper off the Pack N Play to wash it.
• Is this item a must have for baby? - Yes if you have a two story home having a system like this is great to keep on the first floor for changing the baby and putting them down for a nap. 
• Notes:  I have emailed Graco today about the changing station issue and I am waiting to hear back from them.
• Response from Graco:   Yesterday I emailed Graco about the problem and received an email back the same day with a number to call in to correct the problem.  Today I called Graco and the rep on the phone was VERY nice and they informed me this model is designed this way to keep the baby from falling off the other side of the changing table  as a safety precaution.  The rep offered to send a pre-paid Fedex label to send back the Pack-N-Play for a full refund so we can get a new one.  I am very happy with this response and I didn't have to beg or fight with them to help me out.  Graco is A OK in my book and we will be looking at new Pack-N-Plays that will meet our needs.

Fisher-Price Infant Swing - My Little Lamb 

• Would I buy this again? -Yes (but see below for suggestion)
• Why? -  This swing has been great to put my little one in when she needs a nap or if she is happy but I need to free up my arms.  I would suggest spending a little more money to get one that plugs in so you don't have to worry about batteries.  We have not changed the batteries since we started using it but I wish I had paid a little more for one we could plug in.
  
• Is this item a must have for baby? - Yes now that my daughter is a little bigger we use it all the time and she loves sitting in her swing because she can see what is going on and it helps when she is in need of a nap but just won't go down by laying down.
• Notes:  N/A this has worked just fine for us.

Munchkin Steamer Bottle Warmer

• Would I buy this again? -Yes (but see below for suggestion)
  
• Why? -  This is great for warming up bottles and sanitizing pacifiers.  My one issue is the one we have you need to measure out the water for each bottle depending on how much formula is in there.  I just checked on Target.com and it seems they have a new model that has a timer and a water reserve that seems like a great improvement. 
  
• Is this item a must have for baby? - Yes if you are feeding with a bottle I would suggest getting a system like this because it doesn't get the bottle to hot and it saves time.
  
• Notes:  N/A works as it should just would of liked to have one with a water reserve because measuring water in the middle of the night can be tricky.

Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine

• Would I buy this again? -Yes I love this!
• Why? -  We love the white noise it helps Annabelle fall asleep in her room and it keep the little sounds that happen in a home from waking her up.  It has lots of other sounds too and a place to hook up an mp3 player.  Love, love, love this product so much we almost got a second one for our room because once she moved over to her own room we missed having the white noise (instead we got a ion fan).
• Is this item a must have for baby? - Yes babies are used to having sounds around them from being in the womb and I found having the white noise going helps her sleep longer in her own crib.
• Notes:  N/A works as it should

 Graco Deluxe Travel System - Infant Car Seat and Stroller 

• Would I buy this again? -Yes
• Why? -  The stroller is very easy to close down with a one hand and I love being able to move the baby from the car to the stroller without waking her up by just attaching her car seat right to the stroller.  The stroller is very smooth and easy enough to push with one hand (I did this on day while holding a hand basket in a store). The car seat/carrier is a little heavy but I wouldn't if it keeps her safe I am ok with a little extra weight.
• Is this item a must have for baby? - Yes I would say having a system like this with an infant makes going out in public so easy as my daughter just falls asleep in the car and then sleeps either in a restaurant or  while shopping as we don't have to wake her up to get her out of the car.
• Notes:  N/A works as it should

 Skip Hop Diaper Bag

• Would I buy this again? -Yes
• Why? - The one I have has magnets that close the pockets making it very easy to get things out of the diaper bag.  Also the part I love is it has special clips to hook it onto the stroller making it really easy to bring the diaper bag with us and get things out of it while on the go.  This purchase was well worth the money. 
• Is this item a must have for baby? - Yes of course you will need a diaper bag but I would say don't go cheap here and by quality this product has lots of great pockets and the magnets and stroller hooks make for an A+ product.
• Notes:  I also have the Skip Hop changing station that I keep in the diaper bag and again this was a GREAT buy because it puts everything you need for changing the baby on the go right in one place without searching through the bag for everything. 

Stay tuned as I will be adding new reviews as I get time but for now these are some of the top ones that come to mind. 

1 Month Old

On Saturday our little peanut turned 1 month old!  Can you believe it?  Time does fly.  It just seems like yesterday I was wondering when she was going to make her grand entrance into the world.  We love our little peanut and we are now starting to get in the grove of things.

Clothing Size:  Newborn (some are still big but she is growing more now)

Sleeping:  She is sleeping in her crib at night and usually only gets up to eat once during the night and once at about 5am or 6:30am

New Developments:  She is smiling more these days and she seems to be seeing better and able to follow us with her eyes now

Eating:  She is eating mostly formula and she will eat any were from 1oz to 4oz depending on how much she slept I do still breast feed her for a little bit but really she isn't getting much from me