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Monday, May 20, 2013

We are ready!

I've had a really fun time getting items together for our fifth and final baby.  Obviously, with the fifth, we have many of the items that a baby needs, a pack n play, a double stroller, a car seat, a bumbo seat, etc, etc.  Still, many things have been worn out from so much use, and, frankly, it's nice to get some new things just for this baby.  All told, I've probably spent about $300 out of pocket (some of the artwork I received at Christmas and my mom-in-law gave me some money towards the crib).  I'm excited to share my treasures with my blog readers and most importantly with my sweet babe.

I'm a huge proponent for swaddling.  I don't see how parents get a good nights sleep without it.  I use to swaddle with just a blanket, but was introduced to these wonderful sleep sacks with Maggie (thank Carrie).  I don't think any other brand is as good.  HALO sleep sacks let the baby move it's feet, and focus the swaddling on the arms.  The key to a good swaddle is to get the arms to stay at the baby's side.  The feet could be bare for all I care.  These things allow me to get the arms nice and tight. 
Maggie was born just before winter and had a thick, micro fleece one which wouldn't do for our baby's late spring arrival.  However, I dreaded the idea of spending $20 for a brand new one (if you can't find them used, they are still worth it).  I also wanted to find gender neutral designs since we don't know the sex of the baby.  I went to Once Upon A Child three times in the last several months and found one each time.  I paid $3.50 for each.  Score.  Instead of $60, I spent $10.50.    
I gave away literally all of our receiving blankets when I found these beauties (Aden & Anais swaddle blankets) right before Maggie was born.  I can swaddle with them.  I can use them as a nursing cover up.  I can cover the carseat with them.  They are light weight and beautiful AND expensive AND seemingly impossible to find secondhand.  I splurged and bought a second pack for this baby because Maggie still uses some of hers to wrap her baby dolls.  
When I was pregnant with Julian, my boss at American Funds made me some lovely spit cloths that I've used for the last three babies.  A few have survived that long trek.  Several years ago, my mom gave me some extra fabric that I FINALLY decided to use and make some more lovely spit cloths. D'arcy and I did these together.  Please forgive our funky corners.  These things are absolutely necessary not only for spit, but to hold up against the breast that you are not starting with so you don't soak your shirt those first few weeks.  Too much information?
Here is my stack of gender neutral onesies picked up mostly at Once Upon a Child for $1 or $1.50 each.  The "Thing 5" shirt was sweetly given to us by our friend Joy.  I have several friends who have had three or four boys and then finally a little girl.  Those little girls had moms dying to put bows in their hair, tights on their legs, and pink and frills everywhere else.  I've had two girls, and while if this baby is a girl she will wear plenty of pink and bows in her lifetime, I'm excited to put this baby in grey, yellow, blue, red, green, and white.  I'm thinking most hot summer days he or she will have a diaper, a onesie, and a blanket on.
If the baby does happen to be a girl, I've made her a bow.  I'm not sure if this is considered a bow in the south, but it suits this little hipster Hoosier.
Left:  After having a devout thumb sucker (which was super adorable), I decided I would push pacifiers.  They aren't perfect inventions, I know, but we decided their benefits outweighed the drawbacks.  In my opinion, you have to teach a kid to use them so we patiently push them for months and then we take them away without guilt the week of their first birthday.  A friend bought us a very sweet pacifier clip for Maggie from Etsy (that I sadly cannot find after we moved into our house), and I decided this baby needed some cute ones too ($5/each).
Right: I go to a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group every other Thursday.  They hand out gifts when you have a new baby.  Our last meeting was last Thursday.  My baby isn't here yet.  I figured I wouldn't get a gift this year, and my baby would be sort of lost in the shuffle when we started again in August.  Those girls are super thoughtful, though.  They had a gift waiting for me at the last meeting.  It made me cry to be remembered.  Oh, but they know what we are having so I can't open this package until baby is born!
Baby Penuly's first outfit is all ready whenever it decides to stop swimming in it's own urine and opts for a much cooler whale onesie.
 
Baby's little collage purchased from Sadly Harmless
I only buy brand name diapers for newborns.  There is this smell of breast fed baby poop in a pampers diaper that brings back so many wonderful memories for me.  So I splurged.  I'll be using Target diapers once this baby hits nine pounds (at the two week mark :)).
Left: Going with the sea theme (think Ulysses and Penelope from the Odyssey.  Ulysses is travelling by sea.), I decided to make a little sock stuffed animal.  My super artsy, clever, and sweet friend Beth introduced me to them.  I used Stephen's sock to make this Socktopus.  
Right: I searched for months...MONTHS...on craigslist for a mid century modern chest to put the baby's clothes in.  I wanted something smallish, cheapish, but also retro and already redone.  I found a few things that were already sold by the time I emailed the seller.  I finally settled for this little rolling medicine cabinet that was $45.  The color worked well, and baby's little things will fit nicely here until he moves into one of the other bedrooms before winter.
Read more about the deal I got on this crib here.
Left: Our bathroom is now fully stocked for a home birth; towels, washcloths, a flashlight, herbs, hydrogen peroxide, bed pads, newborn hat and blanket, a medical kit with cord clamp and such, gloves.  FYI, the midwife cleans up before they leave so I'm not left with a crazy medical mess.  They will leave the placenta if I ask them to.  Anyone in need of a good placenta for their garden?
Right: The little co-sleeper that is hiding behind our door, but will soon (please, soon) be scooted up against our bed so I can easily nurse baby at night.  Baby will sleep beside me for the first four months.  

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