Whether it is the first, second or third (maybe fourth?!) addition to your family, a pregnant woman is never lacking in things she must do to prepare for that little bundle of joy.  There’s all the doctor’s appointments, eating right, drinking enough water, registering, buying endless # of baby clothes and gear, remembering to order the nursery furniture far enough in advance so it arrives before the baby, and I’m fairly certain the list goes on and on and well, on.

It’s funny when looking back on experiences I see things through a totally different set of lenses than I did while actually living it.  For example, that crib I paid to have expedited, because I couldn’t decided until 8 weeks out what I wanted.  I admit I was a rookie and 1st time mom-to-be.  Well, baby girl didn’t sleep in said crib until she was 10 weeks old.  Didn’t REALLY need that ahead of time hehehe.  Hindsight is 20/20, right?

5 Things I Should Have Done Before Baby Arrived | Life's Tidbits

5 things I wish I had done before baby arrived:

  1. Freezer Meals – This was something I read on almost every blog.  Make LOTS of freezer meals.  I did manage to get some stuff into the freezer, which was a total lifesaver … however there just wasn’t enough meals to sustain us for very long.  We were fortunate that friends and family brought/cooked us meals, but if we choose to have a second kid I will learn from our experience with Jellybean and pack the freezer with ready-to-go meals!!
  2. Hired a Newborn Photographer – This was an EPIC fail on my part.  I started fairly early on researching newborn photographers.  I reached out to a handful of them and then never pulled the trigger.  Recovering from the labor & delivery coupled with the exhaustion of a newborn scheduling photos was low on my to do list and I just never got around to it.  Once I was out of the haze of becoming a mother it was past that ‘sleepy newborn’ stage which is ideal for newborn photos.  If I had hired someone ahead of time I know I would have followed through.  Not doing professional newborn photos is a big regret of mine, but I have so many pictures of Jellybean when she was a newborn I have no choice by to give myself a pass on this one. :)
  3. Postpartum Wardrobe – I wrote a whole post about postpartum essentials for mama.  I bought so many things, but didn’t make any real preparations for my postpartum a priority.  Nursing bras, tank tops, loose clothing and ‘in-between’ items could have been purchased prior to Jellybean’s arrival and would have made me a whole lot more comfortable.  I am SO lucky to have family who ran back and forth from the store to get me everything I needed.
  4. Take More Maternity Photos –  I’m will admit I didn’t find pregnant Nicole to be the most attractive version of myself.  At about 5-6 months I felt like the belly was cute, but once month 7 rolled around I just felt huge.  And to be totally honest, people had no problem telling me how BIG I was, which made me a bit more self conscious.  I took a few photos of the belly for the blog, but I shy-ed away from being in photos and taking them of myself.  I wish I had a few more picture (especially of the hubby and me), because … heck … I was growing a little human inside me!!!
  5. Date Nights – The hubby and I should have done a few more dinners out, maybe caught an extra movie or two and definitely taken an extra vacation before the baby arrived.  After my daughter was a newborn I found it hard to be away from her, even if it was just a few hours (if I’m being honest it’s still hard and she’s 18 months old!!!).  Also, finding someone I trusted to watch her was extremely difficult.

So there are my lessons learned on things I wish I had done prior to baby’s arrival!!  I hope they help you as you are preparing for baby!

What did I miss?

 

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… well ladies and gentlemen it’s a real thing. I know. I know. Say it aint so! But, well, it just is.  I’m talking about the phenomena of somehow having amnesia about pregnancy after child birth.

pregnancy amnesia |  Life's Tidbits

If you are pregnant for the first time or maybe even the second or third (you go girl!) you are quite possibly thinking I am cray cray (yup cray cray I said it, what what!).  How could one EVER forget what pregnancy is like?

**I think lack of sleep and a lot of caffeine is giving me a little extra spunk today LOL.**

Calling – crazy party of one … slash thousands of other women all around the world who have come down with the same post pregnancy amnesia!

I read about this ‘amnesia’ thing-a-ma-bobby during my pregnancy and thought there is simply NO WAY. No way one could forget how this feels. I mean …

  • I am hot and “glowing”, like ALL the time
  • my fingers and feet are incredibly swollen
  • that belly of mine is HUGE. No I take that back belly is gi-freaking-normus and …
  • what about all the inappropriate things people say to pregnant ladies … thank you to the woman at work who asked me if I was ‘sure I wasn’t having twins’.
  • do I still have feet, because I. CANNOT. SEE. THEM!!!

And as someone who is almost 7 months post postpartum those were just a few of my not so amazing memories of being pregnant (after putting some thought into it).

Up until a few weeks ago I would have been right there with you. Pregnancy amnesia is a lie, a myth, just plain silly. Period.

And then … I off handily said to my husband “I miss being pregnant.”

He just looked at me. Smiled that gentle smiled of his (maybe it’s his you are a crazy woman smile, but whatevs) and replied “Babe, are you sure?”.

My response “Yes.” And I said it with some serious confidence.  To make good on my comment I followed it up with “I mean I miss having her with me all day long and the little kicks/movements she made.  And then of course there was the excitement and anticipation of her arrival.  Oh and having the baby bump was so fun.”

FULL STOP!

What?! Baby bump was fun … yup I’ve gone completely loco or pregnancy amnesia just has to be a real thing.

I even read my ‘Eviction Notice‘ post and the reality of being SO DONE with being pregnant flooded back to me … any yet … I still miss being pregnant.  Just a little bit.

The ‘not so fun’ aspects of pregnancy seem to easily fade into the abyss while the fun and happy preggo memories stand center stage.  Hindsight is 50/50 and all that. I guess.

So does this mean I’m ready for baby #2? Nope. Does this mean I have baby delivery (aka cesarean) amnesia? That would be a double NOPE!

I am not one of those women who just loved being pregnant (I know there are ladies out there who do), but it seems I might have enjoyed it more than I thought I did at the time. =)

Have you ever had a bout of the {not so} mythical pregnancy amnesia? Please tell me you have!

signiture_nicole

 

 

 

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I found navigating the baby registry waters a bit difficult.  There are SO many products out there and everyone has a different take on what one should buy.  Since all babies are different it is nice to have options, but at the same time it’s so EASY to feel overwhelmed with choices.

My newborn necessity list was quite robust (you can find that here).  For purposes of these favorite/must have lists I guess I am qualifying newborn as 0-2 months old.  We still consistently use all items on the list with the exception of the wubbanub.  Jellybean decided at some point she was over pacifiers, which is both good and bad…I think!

As Jellybean grows so does my list of must have baby items.  Some stuff we didn’t know to put on the registry and I wish we had known how handy they would be!

So for months 3, 4 and 5 here are my favorites …

Favorite Baby Gear - Months 3, 4 and 5 | Life's Tidbits

Puj – I really love this tub.  It’s small/compact and easily fits into the bathroom sink, which means NO bending over to wash baby!  The no bending over was key while I was still recovering from the cesarean.  I must admit I still prefer it to the bigger tub because it’s easier.  My only complaint would be baby girl falls down during her baths since she can’t sit up on her own yet. I wish there was something to help keep her upright.

Skip Hop Moby Waterfall Bath Rinser – This item came in SUPER handy when I finally worked up the courage to bathe JB without a second set of hands.  I found it difficult to hold her in place, put a hand over her face and pour water over her head all at the same time.  The way this thing is shaped it helps ensure the water cascades down the baby’s back instead of letting the soapy water get in their eyes.

Snugli – There are many baby carriers out there and honestly I felt overwhelmed trying to choose one.  We registered for (and received) the ErgoBaby.  I do love our ErgoBaby … the snugli is just SO much easier to snap baby in and go.  The other positive is your don’t have to deal with an infant insert.  As soon as the baby is 7 lbs you are good to go.  And if like me, your baby is born over 7 lbs to start with you can just it day one!  Our snugli was gifted from a friend (thanks Jessica!) and is getting a  TON of good use especially when we walk the dog.

Playmat – First ‘toy’ Jellybean was really able to play with.  So far it has really grown with her and whether she was 6 weeks or 5 months it’s a hit.  The playmat is super colorful, plays music and the toys included each provide a different type of stimulus.

Honest Hand Sanitizer – Total impulse buy, but I love it! Smells good and we got the under 3oz size so it’s FAA friendly too.

Video Monitor – The transition from our room in the cradle to Jellybean’s own room in the crib was fairly easy.  Actually it was really easy for her and super difficult for me.  I missed rolling over at night and seeing her little chest rise and fall with each breath.  Though her ‘noises’ would sometimes keep me awake I was comforted by them at the same time!  The video monitor was the only thing that kept me from demanding my husband ‘let’ me move the baby back into our bedroom.  Though JB has been in her own room for over 2 months there are still nights I check the monitor in the middle of the night just to see her little face :)

Sleep Sacks – When Jellybean started rolling over it quickly became apparent the swaddling days were, sadly, over.  We have warm and light weight sleep sacks.  If I had realized how soon we would need them I would have put a few small sized sleep sacks on the baby registry.

White Noise (SimplyNoise) App – At first we were really into the Sheep, however it turns off after 45 minutes.  A friend turned us onto the SimplyNoise app.  The only problem with using the app is our iPad has turned into an EXTREMELY expensive sound machine hahahaha.  I’ve started researching sound machines, but have yet to pull the trigger and buy one (suggestions?!?).

Baby Bullet – We just started introducing solids and I’m having fun making the baby food!  The baby bullet makes the process simple and is very to clean.  I could certainly use my Cuisinart, however the bullet is easier.

So mamas what am I missing?  Any recommendations for month 6??

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Miss Blair Alexandra!  {aka Jellybean}

IntroducingBlair

Our beautiful baby girl {FINALLY} made her debut on December 31st at 4:03am.

I must admit, I have been more of an absentee blogger than I had planned on – for the past 3 weeks that is.  Being a new mom coupled with recovering from a c-section (which was completely unplanned and unexpected) it has taken me longer than expected to get back in front of the computer.  While I am not quite ready to tell Blair’s birth story, I am hoping to share my labor and c-section experience soon.

A few new mom tidbits:

  • I’ve officially been “christened” as a mom … I’ve been peed, pooped and spit-up on!
  • I feel like a walking zombie during night feeding though I’m slowly adjusting to getting up ~3 times a night to feed the little one … brings new meaning to the word exhausted.
  • I put a sweatshirt on the other day, realized it had spit-up on it and decided it was “clean enough” to wear given all the other sweatshirts were in the wash.
  • Getting to shower during the day is considered a significant win (seriously it’s the small things in life!).
  • The dog has decided the baby doesn’t exist and completely ignores her.  Sophi sits on my legs while I feed Blair and has smelled her a couple times, but that’s the closest the dog will get to the baby.  On the up side Sophi doesn’t bark when Blair cries (thank goodness!!).

Okay one more picture, because sharing only one just isn’t enough.  Oh yes, she is sucking her thumb on her birthday =)

Blair_thumb

Needless to say the husband and I are completely in love with the newest member of our little family!!!  More new mommy tidbits to come in the next few weeks.  Hopefully I am able to squeeze in some blogging between naps, diaper changes, feedings and just staring at my baby!

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below.  Don’t forget you can follow us on PinterestInstagramFacebook and Twitter.

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As 2014 kicks into high gear I thought it would be interesting to see what posts were most popular in 2013.  I was a bit surprised by the top 5, however maybe I shouldn’t be.  No two post were from the same category. which I was pretty happy about.  I think it helps “prove” sharing different types of tidbits is working out well for the blog!

mostpopularposts2013

Without further ado, here are the 5 most popular posts of 2013 …

Number 1 – {Recipe} Cracked Sugar Cookies

These cookies really are A-MAZING!

sugarcookie_baked

Number 2 – DIY Wedding Envelopes with Calligraphy

This post is read consistently each week.  It was a pretty easy DIY wedding project and saved us a good chunk of money as well!

envelopes_readytosend

Number 3 – French Dresser – Inspiration / Mood Board

The first purchase we made for the nursery was the dresser (and nightstand).  Everything else we selected was based on the shabby chic / french inspired dresser.

NurseryDresser_inspiration

Number 4 – One Year in a Flash – Birthday Party

The party was decked out with all sorts of details and DIY projects.  As co-owner of Baker’s Bliss Kia made all her own cupcakes for the party!

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Number 5 – {Pregnancy Tidbits} The 5th Month

I really enjoyed blogging about my pregnancy.  It’s fun to go back and read how each month went!  Some tidbit I remember so clearly and others I had kind of forgotten about.  I’m glad to have the pregnancy log to help me reminisce.

22WeeksPregnant

I’m looking forward to seeing what 2014 has in store for Life’s Tidbits.  I hope you will continue to follow along and share your tidbits!!

What was your favorite blog post in 2013?

Happy New Year!!

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below.  Don’t forget you can follow us on PinterestInstagramFacebook and Twitter.

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