Diaper bag essentials for our 6 month old

Every parenting adventure has taught my husband and I what works and what doesn't. Especially when it comes to leaving the house. Luckily our little man is a wonderful traveler making it possible for us to go out to eat when he was 2 weeks old and travel to Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Vegas, Disneyland, Ohio, and Utah.

At one point, I did have a tiny bag of emergency diapers & wipes in each car as well as an emergency kit in the diaper bag that included band aids, stain remover, ponytail holder. Over time, we figured out exactly what we needed to bring on our adventures.

1) My go to diaper bag is the Thirty One Organizing Utility Tote. http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/Catalog/Product/27/ It has 5 exterior pockets and 2 mesh pockets. I did use the diaper bag/backpack we were gifted when I flew alone with baby but I find I can pack more and keep things better organized with the Thirty One bag.

2) Infantino Diaper Tote. http://www.infantino.com/product.cfm?product_id=1315 This was my very first diaper bag and I still carry it in the larger bag. It has an attached changing pad and holds disposable diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, Boudreaux's Buttpaste; I also clipped the roll of scented disposable trash bags to it (great for soiled clothes too). I can just grab it for diaper changes without lugging around the rest of the bag (absolutely genius for tiny airplane bathrooms).

3) Bottle(s) and bottled water (stashed in exterior pockets). Formula dispenser, extra onesie, wet bag. http://www.gdiapers.com/shop/gwetbag

4) Aden + Anais swaddle blanket. We use it for everything and don't have to bring a separate burp cloth anymore.

5) Extra bib, pacifier wipes, tiny bag with essentials for emergency baths in the sink (luckily this hasn't happened.. yet): baby shampoo/body wash, washcloth, baby lotion.

6) Toys. Right now they include:
- his early Christmas present http://www.amazon.com/Jellycat-Cordy-Roy-Elephant-Medium/dp/B001PNWLR6
- crinkly toy. Here's something similar: http://www.etsy.com/listing/115814339/made-to-order-christmas-owl-crinkle-toy?ref=exp_listing
- musical toy http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000YDDF6O

7) He is consistently eating 2 meals of solids now but still on bottle feeds when outside the house. When this changes, I plan to include: place mat http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000TVWIPU , Bumkin bib, bowl/food container, and spoon.

What are some of your diaper bag essentials?

Just a few thoughts

*A little background information. My name is Yaneris. I have been blogging for almost 3 years, since the birth of my daughter Adrianna. My husband is military and we are currently stationed in Massachusetts. I actually know Elizabeth and her husband from our previous duty station, we all (the group of ladies we were friends with) stagger got engaged and married shortly after one another. We had our daughter on July 2010 and began to try again for a second child at the end of 2011. We suffered three devastating, basically unexplained, miscarriages in the span of 9 months. Recently, in October actually, we found out we were expecting again and for an even better twist, we found out we naturally conceived TWINS! I am about 11 weeks along and due sometime in June, official due date July 3rd, I will likely not go to 40 weeks. Thanks for inviting me to share my mothering experience on this blog, I have a wealth of knowledge I can share though I am by no means an expert. I learn as I go, which really is the best way isn't it? I am a SAHM and LOVE IT! Nice to meet you all!*

Here is my baby (not so baby) girl!

Blog post from my personal blog, diapersandadream 
So far, this pregnancy has been fairly similar to my pregnancy with Adrianna. I do feel more appreciative this time around, however. I think it has to do with being naive with my first pregnancy. I felt like nothing would happen to me, all would be ok and it was fairly uneventful. I find myself being more nervous this time around...rightfully so. I am constantly thinking about what can go wrong and look forward to being reassured with ultrasounds and multiple OB visits.

With my longest pregnancy which ended in miscarriage, I wrote a 10 week update post. I have been hesitant about blogging since I am just shy of 11 weeks, I guess I just don't want to jinx myself. I want to be happy. I want to be worry free and just enjoy this pregnancy. This will likely be my last pregnancy. I may change my mind according to what the sex of the babies are, but I feel 80% positive this will be it...no matter what. I feel like I have been blessed this time around and I don't want to test fate anymore. When pregnant with Adrianna, Joe and I (ok maybe just me) dreamed about a big family with 4 or 5 children. I can't go through a loss again, I just can't. I feel like I want to sit back and enjoy every pregnancy craving, nauseas moment, kick, sleepless night that this pregnancy will bring. Besides feeling anxiety for the actual pregnancy, I want to share some of the anxieties I am currently feeling about having multiples.

I have a 2 1/2 year old who needs me. She loves me and loves to be the center of my world. I only have to arms and there is only one of me. I feel like she will feel replaced, big time. It is a constant fear of mine. Like she will resent her siblings. I fear that she will feel left out. That if the babies are both boys she will not be able to connect with them and have a relationship with them because they will be boys. I have two brothers and although we played as kids, we didn't get close until we got older. I am afraid that if I have to girls, they will bond with each other and be each other's best friend leaving Adrianna out from that unique bond. If I have one of each, I feel like it will be the best scenario for Adrianna....but I am, again, not being picky. I will take two healthy babies, no matter the sex. I am just slightly worried. I fear that my need to make sure the twins get enough time with me will cause chaos in my head. I want to be sure each gets equal skin to skin, alone time, together time with me and with each other...it is a lot to juggle. I fear expenses. We didn't pay for formula with Adrianna because she had a milk protein allergy so was on prescribed formula which insurance covered in full. Joe and I talked about me nursing our next child as much as possible to get the experience we didn't get with Adrianna and also to cut costs (lets be honest). How can I nurse two babies? Is that even possible? Will I even produce enough milk? I am going to be a human cow. I am never going to sleep again. This is my biggest anxiety. I fear that I wont be able to handle 3 kids. As in going to the grocery store, shopping, leaving the house in general. Did I mention we are moving shortly after the twins are born. I have anxiety about that too. I don't know how long or if they will be born early (38 weeks is our current goal, my OB is optimistic) and have to be in the NICU for a while. Will this delay our move? I fear that Adrianna's birthday will take a back seat because of the birth of the twins...her birthday is July 9th, I am due July 3rd but will likely birth in June sometime (I hope).

These are all of my current concerns among others related to my actual pregnancy....will I carry to 38 weeks? Will the babies be healthy? Will I actually have twins or is something going to happen to one of them? (morbid thought, I know but it is a very real fear). Will I be on bedrest. Sometimes I want to fast forward, but maybe not knowing is better. I would rather try and be happy and enjoy my time now than look into the future and see that one of my fears will actually come true. Make sense? Yea I know, doesn't make sense to me either sometimes.

All I know is that after the amazing birth of my first born, 3 miscarriages and finding out I am pregnant with twins, I am choosing not to question anything much right now....when I try and figure out how this actually happened I get chills. It gives me goosebumps. It is crazy how life works out. This is one of 3 significant times in my life where I have turned to God and He has granted me the answer to my prayers.

The Four Gift Rule: Want, Need, Wear & Read (Gift Ideas)

I've been seeing this all over Pinterest lately. I really love the sentiment, although I can't really promise that I'll be sticking to just four gifts for the little one. I do think that it makes a nice way to think about gift giving and organizing things.

Gift suggestions for a baby's first or second Christmas has been a hot topic with my mom friends. I want to do something to satisfy my need to have our first holiday as a family and family members love giving gifts to baby... but I also know that he has no idea what is going on. In general  I try to limit the amount of "crap" that comes into this house. That being said here are 10 gift ideas (based on nothing but my own thoughts.)

1. Citrus Lane - We have been getting one of these monthly packages since little peach came into this world and it is one of my favorite little splurges. These monthly packages are tailored to your child age and are delivered to your door. (Pictured above is the August "Back to School" box from the Citrus Lane webpage.) They have introduced us to so many wonderful products. This is now my go to baby shower gift.

2. HABA Toys - We were lucky enough to get a few of the baby toys at a shower and they have been some of  our favorite. Haba is a German company and the toys are on the expensive end, but my (wiser and more experienced  mom friends ensure me that they last forever. The Magica Rattle has been one of Little Peach's favorites, but I have my eyes on some blocks that can grow with my little one. Haba also makes a few pull toys that Little Peach really enjoyed at  the children's museum.

3. Jellycat Books - My mom purchased "If I Were a Cow" for Little Peach and he is obsessed. I mean he carries it around by the tail and giggles when we read it at night. There is a whole collection of these books. Given his current obsession with dogs "If I Were a Puppy" will be making an appearance in his stocking.

4. Little People Nativity - How can you not find these short little people adorable. I know this breaks my plastic toy rule, but I can't resist. Nativities are my Christmas Decoration of Choice.. so of course we needed a child friendly one. (As a note, Haba also makes one that is wooden and gorgeous, but seems pricey for a baby.)  If the Nativity is not your thing you can't go wrong with any of the Little People set.

5. CitiBlocks  - These little flat blocks are also popular at children's museums. They were also very popular with the two boys of the mom I learned it all from, so of course they make my list. CitiBlocks are the complete opposite of the Haba blocks I love, everyone one is exactly the same and they don't come in a variety of colors. They are great though because little hands can grasp them and you can build almost anything with them. Check out the Gallery for examples.

6.  That's not my... Books - Much like the Jellycat Books these come in a variety of options. We received "That's Not My Plane."  As with other touch books, our little one loves the interaction he gets when we read it to him. It also makes a nice travel companion since it is both a toy and a book. It is a bed time favorite in our house.

7. Hardware Board or Melissa and Doug Latch Puzzle - My husband made the most amazing Hardware Board for Little Peach. Its in our Playroom (which you can see more about here). This is such a simple project - buy a piece of wood, buy some things at the hardware store and attach to board. As early as 6 months, Little Peach would play with this on the floor. Now that he is standing, we have attached it to the wall and he loves it... its usually where I find him when he crawls away. The Melissa and Dough Latch Puzzle is also great - we ran into it at the Erie Children's Museum. It is way too complicated for Little Peach to open any of the latches, but he enjoyed trying.

8. B Fun Keys - These pretend keys took my Stroller Strides group by storm! (And for a good reason.) I have a few sets of "keys" for my little one to play with, but just recently he has realized that these are not real keys. That is where the B Fun Keys really surpass all the other key toys - they look real, without you having to worry about your  keys.

9. Kid-O Boats, Planes & Trucks - Again, I was lucky enough to get one of these as a gift early on. Turns out ... they are amazing. They are cute and Little Peach can grab and manipulate them. I know they are a toy that will last because my husband is also quite taken by them! I can't resist the little floating ducks!

10. I'm reserving number 10 for a big ticket item. There are just so many things out there that your kid may love - hopefully you have a friend who has one so you can try it out first. So this spot is for the the jump-a-roo, exersaucer, walking toy, water table, wagon or kid chair that will take up way too much floor space, but you will love. (We inherited  both a jump-a-roo and an exersaucer and it is like watching a baby go to the amusement park.)

This is also the place I should mention that a very dear "auntie" sent Little Peach a sled - that we have every intention on pulling him around on during the next snow. If that snow should come on Sunday, we will be opening that package early!

Ma Chauffeur in 5 – Believing in a smooth ride

Even though I’ve only been a mom for four months now, I learned within hours of my son's birth that finding just five minutes for myself each day would be a challenge.  My blog entries will be your excuse to finding your five minutes even if it means you read it aloud to your little one while he’s watching you on the toilet.

This past weekend my husband, my four-month old son, B, and I were going to bring our 1949 Packard “Hugo” home.  My husband was going to drive Hugo while B and I followed him in our SUV. 

You don’t know this about B yet, but he doesn’t travel well AT ALL in the car.  He always wants someone in the backseat with him, and “Miss Bee,” one of his favorite toys, although this formula doesn’t always guarantee a smooth ride.

Since the ride home was 40 minutes, we were planning to pick up my Dad to ride in the backseat with B.  Just minutes before we were to pick up my Dad, something came over my husband and I. B was so sound asleep, we decided that I would try to make the ride back home with B alone in the back seat.  Do you see where this memorable adventure is headed?

I was feeling pretty confident in our decision, that is until we hit a bump as we pulled into the driveway to pick up Hugo.  You guessed it.  B woke up! You can only imagine the look on my face.  I was praying he would fall back asleep.  Once I saw his poopy face, I knew we were in for a long ride home, longer than 40 minutes.

It was less than 5 minutes after B woke up that I called my husband to pull over.  B needed a diaper change and feeding.  After a change and feeding, B was wide awake.  My husband suggested he sit in the backseat with B and we drive around the neighborhood until he fell asleep. I thought it was a brilliant idea! We just didn’t discuss how long we would drive around for. 

We had only been driving for a few minutes and I was ready to call my Dad. My husband suggested we drive for 15 minutes. I knew sooner or later we would need to do this so I kept driving and praying.

Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity, especially driving up and down the same three streets.  My husband acted like he was asleep while B watched him.  When I had given up 12 minutes ago, now B was asleep.  My husband quietly jumped out of the SUV to get back into Hugo. I still had my doubts that B would wake up and cry.  Forty minutes later we pulled into our driveway, B still soundly sleeping.  Mission accomplished!

Looking back on this experience, I learned life lessons that aren’t taught, but rather come with personal experience.

#1) Don’t worry...until whatever you’re worrying about actually happens.  I anticipated the ride home with B would be full of tears and screams.  Little did I know, it was one of the most peaceful rides.

#2) Listen and try.  While I wasn’t thinking clearly and wanted the easy way out (to call my Dad), my husband had a plan and it worked!

#3) Get a back seat mirror if you don’t already have one.  I can’t tell you how many times I looked at the mirror during that ride home. I bought that mirror for $20 and I would have paid $100 for it.  I breathed easier seeing B’s face whenever I wanted to, not to mention keep the roads safer.

#4) Never underestimate the power of prayer.  Prayer was probably not necessary in this situation, BUT it gave me hope.

#5) Don’t give up.  I’m disappointed that I didn’t believe in myself and B at first. Here’s to believing this holiday season. 

Christmas time!

The Christmas season is a little different with a one-year old still living with his foster family across the ocean.  This year has already (hopefully) had a list of “lasts.”  The last time we set up the tree with the ornament s somewhat evenly spaced, probably the last time without some fresh home-made glittery, popsicle-stick kind of ornaments, the last time we can set out certain decorations within arm’s reach, the last time for toyless Christmases, the last time we don’t have to worry about finding a babysitter for a Christmas party and probably the last time for a while that we will sleep in on Christmas day. 

Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I are enjoying this season, but with a heavier heart than usual; we are missing a vital person in our celebrations.   We are sending our little guy a Christmas box in care of his foster family. I’ll include a blanket, some clothes and maybe a toy.  Each set of grandparents is sending us a gift for his room. This year, he doesn’t know who we are—let alone probably get the concept of gifts but we want to be able to tell him that his whole family planned for him for a long time.  The band Third Day has a song that strikes a chord with us…they sing about missing a child who was still in China for Christmas “It is Christmastime again but you’re not home, your family is here but you are somewhere else alone”…it is a bittersweet song. That song brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it, yet I know there will be a day he will be home with us.

What has been fun this year is I have purchased several snowmen families—each family has a dad, mom and a kiddo.  We have been purchasing ornaments and decorations that have a family focus vs. a couple focus.  This year, when we take our traditional picture in front of the Christmas tree we will be holding a picture of our little guy. 

I would love to hear how you’ve celebrated Christmas with a kiddo not yet home. 

Salt Dough Ornaments

I love to involve baby Peach in my crafts whenever possible. Salt dough ornaments seemed like the perfect pick.

It's a simple enough recipe -  1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flower,  1/2 cup water and a 250 degree oven. After combining the ingredients in a mixer and kneading it by hand to a good consistency, roll it out. Grab some cookie cutters, press your fingers, keys, whatever into it and bake. Tada. Cute little keepsake ornaments. I finished mine off with some marker decorations and midge podge spray.

I let little H eat a bit of the dough - the salty taste was not very pleasing so he cut that out and actually had fun mushing it around in his hands. A bib is certainly necessary for this activity.

If you have older children there are lots of fun ways to decorate these ornaments with glitter etc. Here is another blog post with lots of good decoration ideas.  This was quite enough chaos for us!

We had a great time. Much like when I had Baby Peach paint his pumpkin, he had no idea what was going on. He was all smiles though during the activity. Daddy Peach whisked Baby Peach upstairs for a bath as soon as we were done, giving me time to scrape the dough out of his high chair.

Any suggestions for other holiday crafts I could 'do' with my little one?

To see some other holiday crafts that did not involve Baby Peach you can check out my craft blog here.

It did NOT taste good! 

So I can eat this? 

First Holidays: Gift Giving & Managing Expectations

When I found out I was pregnant, Christmas was one of the things I was most excited about. I had all these plans for Christmas as a new little family. I now realize that Baby Peach has not a clue what is going on. However, if we are having fun, Baby Peach is having fun.

With this in mind, I've lowered my expectations for Baby peach, but plowed ahead with holiday plans. Here is what is on our Holiday agenda.

Meeting Santa at our town's "Small Town Christmas" - tears and all together fear completely expected.

Cutting Our Tree From The National Forest - the Best Man from our wedding lives just north of us. (Interestingly. His wife and I share a name and profession!) They did this last year with their daughter so they are going to show us the ropes

House & Tree Decorating - I assume Baby Peach will enjoy pulling ornaments off the low hanging branches

Presents Galore - I can't help it! I'm sure H will enjoy the boxes more than the gifts, but I'm still excited about giving H a few things. I've even hidden his wrapped gifts, fully aware he could play with them everyday and have no idea.

That leads me to this question - What Holiday activities are you planning to do with your little one? What will they be getting this year?