Favorite Baby Stuff

So, I'm writing this for the benefit of our friends I know are pregnant (as well as a few I've got suspicions about). And I want to start out by saying that I realize I've been a mom for only six weeks. But I still have my favorite things thus far, and they are:

1-) BOB Revolution stroller. 

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, this was my big splurge item. I have every motivation and intention of not keeping this pregnancy weight around any longer than is absolutely necessary, so I wanted a jogging stroller so I could exercise at the same time that I'm out getting my fresh air with Will. The benefits of this stroller are numerous. First, it's extremely lightweight. I can handle the weight no problem (although it is bulky, so it's not quite a breeze getting it in and out of the car trunk), and this is even better when walking up hills. It's so lightweight I can steer it with one hand which is awesome. Second, the front wheel can be in swivel or locked mode, making this a very versatile stroller. Not only does it provide stability while jogging, but the maneuverability is amazing. I'm totally set for the mall and the Farmer's market. Crowds and tight spots are generally not a problem. Third, Will likes it. At this point, he generally falls asleep, meaning he doesn't cry and scream the whole time he's in it. I interpret that as approval from him. The brakes are a great feature and are just one bar you kick down (as opposed to mall strollers which have separate brakes for each of the back wheels). Each of the wheels is easy to remove, so if you're storing it in a space like a car trunk, you maximize your free space. Also, with a little bit of practice, the entire stroller can go from a completely folded-up position to completely folded-out with just one gesture with just one hand, meaning you can hold your baby and open the stroller, quickly, at the same time. I could go on and on. Every time I see a woman with a mall stroller, it just looks so bulky and cumbersome and I know I made the right decision for me. The only complaint I read from numerous user reviews is that the basket is too small to hold much. I suppose I ought to admit this is probably true if you're the sort of person who likes to have all your 'stuff' with you all the time. I hate hauling around 'stuff' so this isn't a problem for me. I was a couple of years into college before I gave in and started carrying a purse with me everywhere. Love this stroller. And the BOB web site is doing a give away right now, so check out www.bobgear.com

2-)Baby Bjorn. This particular brand was recommended to me by a friend. I suppose this is another splurge item, as it's not the least expensive carrier out there. The big selling point to me was how many people recommended this brand above others, noting that it's easy to use because of how it distributes the weight on your back. So far, I have to agree: My back has never hurt, and Will generally seems happy to be in it. Super helpful for going to church so I have my hands free to do other things, but I can keep him close to my body. I got the "Air" version because the fabric is a little more breathable and I figured I'd probably be using it more in the summer anyway for things like farmer's market (can you tell I'm excited for that to start up?).

3-)Reusable diapers. My sister-in-law Laura made me my very best burp cloth, but the next best thing for burp cloths are reusable, cloth diapers. They're the most absorbent, and they cover a much larger area than the burp cloths manufactured to be burp cloths. I have a huge stack of these in my nursery, and they're generally strewn around the apartment at various hot spots, because Will is a very spitty-uppy baby.

4-)Digital camera. OK, so it's not exclusively baby gear, but a digital camera is a great thing to have. If you don't have a good one already, invest in one. Makes picture-sharing such a breeze.

5-) Diaper Genie. This clever device has made doodie diaper smells a thing of the past. A special garbage can that seals off dirty diapers for disposal. Wonderful. Genius. Highly recommended. Only costs $30, and after that, bag refills. Definitely worth it. So. Many. Diapers. I've heard that the "off" brand diaper genies aren't nearly as effective. 

6-) Clothes from Old Navy. Hit them in the middle of a sale and you've struck gold. Cute and super cheap. 

7-) Some sort of baby holder, whether it be a bouncer or a swing. I really recommend one of these items because I love being able to put Will down while I'm doing something like getting ready for the day, and I can bring him to wherever I am and talk to him and sing to him. That way, we can still hang out even when I'm not holding him.

8-) Lansinoh brand Lanolin. Just trust me. You're going to want this if you're nursing. Cracking nipples? Enough said. The Lansinoh brand's lanolin is fragrance-free and sterilized so you don't have to wash it off again before nursing.

Well, I think that's it so far... if I think of other things, there will be a part 2.

Sleep Snatcher of Salt Lake City Arrested

Parental Authorities caught and captured William "Studs" Tingey this morning on charges of excessive spit up, relieving himself on his changing table without a diaper, keeping his mother awake all night, and unnecessary crying. 

"I don't understand," said his mother, "He's always been such a good boy. I guess sometimes people surprise you." Tingey's mother was going to press charges until Tingey did this:

He is now in parental custody, safely locked up where he can't get out:

Hair style

So I love my hairdresser, Mame. I recommend her to anyone I hear is looking for someone new to do their hair. She always has great suggestions for what to do with my hair, which is perfect for me, because I'm clueless where this sort of thing is concerned. I don't know how many times I've sat down in her chair and said, "I want a change, but I'm not sure what I want." Then she pulls out this massive binder full of hairstyles, flips a few pages and says, "I've been thinking about something like this for you." And it's always just right (except the time she wanted to give me a cut like Monica's from Friends--too many layers; I'm not that talented with hair). And she always takes into account what's going on in my life. I went in for a trim a couple weeks before I had Will. She walked up to me and said, "You're going to be a mom. You need a pony tail," then cut my hair accordingly. But she also pulled out a photo of Nicole Richie and said, "This is where I'd like to get you eventually." I think this cut is super cute! And it would have a super cute pony tail, because it would be all short and froofy. So here's the cut. I'm going to do it as soon as my bangs are long enough. What do you think?

Also, recently I read this really fun book called A Train to Potevka. It's about a Mormon who was a spy in Russia during the collapse of the Soviet Union. He's on a mission to kidnap a member of the Russian mafia when the mission goes sour and his team basically leaves him for dead in Siberia. True story and lots of fun. 

Coming up in next post, I hope, will be a post for my mom-to-be friends spotlighting my favorite baby products so far. I know that going through the plethora of options in the baby world is overwhelming, especially when you're dropping a lot of money on things you aren't entirely sure are going to suit you and your baby. Baby gear is expensive! So to help make things easier, I'll just throw out my suggestions. I'll also give disclaimers on things I haven't been so crazy about. Have a good day!

Pictures and Videos ad Nauseam

I realize not the rest of the world is as enthralled as I am about my son (though, frankly, you should be). I also realize we have out-of-state grandparents who wish they could be here to see every baby miracle as it occurs. Therefore, lots of photos, videos, etc.

One of those moments where he looked especially handsome. His onesie has the Death Star and Darth Vader on it and says, "My Dad Rules the Galaxy." Go Baby GAP.

This week we finally got to take him out for his first ride in his stroller. It was a hit! He didn't fuss and fell asleep. We went to Temple Square. It was a gorgeous evening.

This is the mother of all strollers, a BOB Revolution stroller. I remember talking baby gear with my sister-in-law Erin and her telling me how some things she didn't care what brand they were; other things it really mattered a lot. For example, she decided her splurge items were the crib, car seat and Pampers diapers. This got me thinking, and I realized that for me, a really great jogging stroller was something I'd be willing to invest $$$ in. I didn't care so much if I had a flashy crib or car seat (as long as it was attractive and received satisfactory ratings from previous customers) or fancy baby clothes or whatever. But a good, durable jogging stroller was important because I really want to remain fit and also because jogging strollers are extremely lightweight and easy to transport. I did my research and after reading MANY reader reviews and trips to REI, concluded that the BOB Revolution fulfilled my jogging stroller desires. I'm very happy to report that it's ended up being just as great in practice as it was in theory. We've taken a walk with it every day except Sunday since this first trip to Temple Square.

Chris and Will in front of the Church Office Building. It was hard to get the temple in the background because of the glare.

Aren't my boys handsome?

The evening was a little cooler than we'd anticipated. We had Will bundled up, but his fingers were still cold so Chris was keeping them warm.

Precious!

The temple is very tall; Chris and Will are in this picture... somewhere.... :)

I look tired. I probably was!

This photo and a couple others are posted for my sister Katy's viewing pleasure. She especially enjoys these photos where he looks, well, funny.

More Sunday photos. He looked so incredibly handsome in this shirt. The jeans are too big for him and he hated them when I first put them on; he tried kicking them off. But. Let's be honest. Many of the things we all wear as babies and young children we wear because our mothers like them. Hence, Will wore these pants to church. :)

My sister Debbie has been wanting pics of Will with the Winnie-the-Pooh towel she gave him. He does pretty well during most of bathtime now that we've started using his whale tub. He loses patience gradually, and this is the state he's in by the time we're done. Many of these are also provided for Katy's viewing pleasure.

Isn't this the saddest face you've ever seen? Every time he cries like this I feel my heart break a little.

This and the following photos I took trying to capture a smile. He was VERY smiley this morning, the most smiley I've ever seen him. I didn't have any luck with the still camera, but these photos were the result.

And now, finally, the video of him laughing and smiling from this morning. It was the most smiley I've ever seen him and the camcorder happened to be right by me so I was really lucky to catch all this. Chris and I have noticed a correlation between his smiley nature and his spitting-up habits...

Post-spit-up smiles... give it a minute or so before he smiles.

Ok, that's it. I promise the next post I write will have to do with something else... maybe.

Will is one month old!

Everyone says that time goes by so quickly with kids, that they grow up so quickly, etc. The first few days after giving birth, I thought about this theory and thought people were crazy and was praying for time to go by more quickly; so I could finally get past this getting-up-3-times-in-the-middle-of-the-night phase. Then once I got the hang of nursing and now that Chris is getting up to put Will back to bed after I nurse him at night, I'm getting a lot more sleep and having a much better experience as a new mom. And now, yes, it does seem like time goes by super quickly. I can't believe Will is a month old! He's starting to grow (growing out of some of his clothes, even!) and much to my satisfaction, gaining weight. I'm loving that his legs get a little chubbier every day. And I'm also loving that he's hit the one-month mark his pediatrician put on him for staying out of public places and germs. So here's the photo gallery from the past several days...

This was Will's first full outfit. He wore it for an outing with me, Chris and Granny Janny. He is one studly dude!

Auntie Tiffany and Grandma Tingey came for a visit to meet little Will and go to the BYU Women's Conference. Here Will and cousin Henry are meeting each other for the first time!

Tiffany and Henry

Will and Grandma Tingey. This is the expression he gets whenever he's getting burped. For some reason, he hates being burped, and he gets this worried expression on his face.

Will's first Sunday at church. He's wearing a sweater vest from his Granny Janny. There's actually an entire suit to go along with the sweater vest, but the other parts are still too big. I apologize for the plethora of pictures to follow, but I just thought he looked so handsome this day that it just needed to be documented from every angle and expression. :)

This is my favorite picture this week. It's like he's saying, "Power to the people!"

Chris woke up one morning to find the squishy laying contently in his crib. He took this pic.

Just as I was writing this blog, little Will made a big doodie in his diaper. So I went to change him. Then he peed all over himself. Since we were going to bathe him tonight anyway, we decided to go ahead and do it now. He didn't cry at all until I went to go get the camera! 

Poor little guy! Of course, he was so upset that when we got him out of the tub and were putting lotion on him, he peed all over himself again. His tub is pretty cool. It's shaped like a whale! This was his second bath in it.