Baby Stuff

A while back, I told you guys about a purchase that I wish I would have made and I wanted to share a few purchases that I think that we will be glad we did make. I may come to learn otherwise... but here are few things that I'm pretty excited about.

When SJ was a baby, I remember her spending hours in a thing that we called a "Johnny Jump Up." We hung it from our door frame in our kitchen and she would jump for what seemed like hours, although it probably wasn't that long. Well, this time around... apparently those are dangerous and they are really hard to find. SO, I opted for the Fisher Price Horse Jumparoo. I like the western feel to it and I hope that he enjoys it as much as SJ enjoyed the Johnny Jump Up:

I really had a hard time deciding on a carseat for some reason. I did tons of research, price comparisons, and safety checks... and this is the one that I decided on. It's made by Combi and it is the Shuttle 33 model. I went with this one for several reasons, but mainly for the Anti-Rebound Bar and the Side Impact Protection.

I also remember when SJ was a baby, we had to move the carseat base about a billion times from one car to the other. So, this time -- we just bought two bases! That solves that problem:

Also, to go along with the carseat, we purchased this stroller. When I got it, I didn't know much about it, other than it matched what he had already bought... but after we purchased it, I learned alot about it and I'm pretty excited. It only weighs 7 pounds, has a great tri-fold design (that's right, it folds three times and becomes really compact), plus it comes with a strap for easy management:

It's been a while since I had a baby around here, and there are alot of new things out there... I came across this and decided that we had to have it. I am not sure how necessary it will be since we also have a baby saucer... but, it just looked so cool that I couldn't resist. This is an "Around We Go Activity Station" made by Bright Starts. I didn't like walkers when SJ was a baby b/c I was always afraid that she was going to run into things and knock them over onto herself... but this concept is great! It's an activity station with an attached walker. It is designed to allow mobility, but only around the station. Once walking is mastered, the "around we go" part comes off and it then becomes a standard activity table. Pretty neat, huh?:

Last time I was in the hospital, I remember HATING having to wear the hospital gowns. They itch. They aren't modest (you have to untie them from around your neck and compleetly expose yourself just to nurse your baby).... and well, honestly they are just plain ugly. SO, this time... I am thinking ahead. I ordered a couple of these fancy schmancy nursing gowns to take with me. The pleat in the front opens up to allow easy nursing access without having to show the whole world your business (b/c nobody wants to see that!) and the knit fabric will be great for comfort. It took me a while to find them b/c I didn't really want to spend a whole lot of money on them... but, believe it or not - I found these little babies here and that price is about 75% cheaper than I have seen them anywhere else:

The infant carseat didn't last us very long with Sarah Jane. I can remember having a hard time deciding on a step 2 carseat for her and having to carry around her infant carrier until it put huge red marks on my arm... So, this time, I decided that we won't be doing that. As soon as I feel like Raleigh is getting too big for the carrier style carseat, we have this one ready for him to move right into. It was a very sweet gift from the very sweet people that George works for. Again, I did alot of research on the next step up carseat and couldn't find one with features that I liked better than this one. It's rated #1 across the board and it's called the Britax Marathon (ours in in cow-moo-flauge, but there are lots of prints and styles available). You can read one of many reviews on this carseat here.

I do plan on nursing Raleigh for a while... but I will also be doing alot of pumping. Sarah Jane has her little heart set on giving him bottles. Who am I to disappoint? :) When I started looking at bottles, I was so overwhelmed. There are SO many to choose from... silicone, latex, vent systems, nipple shapes, sizes... it was alot to take in, but I decided on these. They're called Dr. Brown's Natural Flow and you can read all about how they work HERE, but to give you the short version... they eliminate air bubbles to help with digestion, which for SJ would have been great!

George and I bunted heads a few times on diaper bag decisions.. but this is the one that we went with. I didn't want anything too girly, but I also didn't want anything too boyish (since I am not a boy and I will be the one carrying it most of the time). This bag is the OZZ style and is made by Kalencom. This is a non-glossy (but still wipeable) pattern called Star Burst and I love it! It came with a changing pad, a diaper case and a bottle carrier. It's not too big and bulky, but it's big enough to carry the things that I need:

AND last but not least and I am really excited about THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE!

Her name is Heather and she is going to be a huge lifesaver to me on the day of Raleigh's arrival! She's a photographer friend of mine that does a really good job and I can't wait to see what she puts together. I'm so relieved to know that I won't have to worry about people taking pictures and getting the right shot. Since I will be in recovery, I'll miss out on the bath/the family seeing him, etc.. I'm so thankful that she will be there to make it possible for me to see it all!