Top 10 Baby Essentials

I know a few up and coming new Mommas and thought this might be useful. I am by no means an expert but these are things that I've tried over the past 16 months and it has worked for us. Hope it gives you some ideas on where to start looking :o) Happy researching!

1) Baby Carrier: Moby wrap, Ergo - helpful website for baby wearing TheBabyWearer.com
I attended a Babywearing Fair before Brea was born and was taken aback by all the variety of carriers out there. In the end, our decision was to get a wrap style for me and a more structured one for Craig. I've been through a variety including: the Bjorn and the mei tai, but these two are my favourite for comfort and ease of use. All in all, it was so helpful to have a carrier and it really worked well for Brea, especially being a baby who loved being in motion to sleep :o)

2) Bouncy chair/Baby swing
As I mentioned, I have a baby who loved being in motion - no doubt from all the water aerobics I did while pregnant. This is not really a necessity but I loved being able to but her into a seat that she loved and was safe in while I got things done. The swing helped me get much needed rest as well as she would often fall asleep in it.

3) Sleep sacks: Halo SleepSack Swaddle, Sleep Huggers
My baby loves sleep sacks. When she was little, the tighter you wrapped her, the better she slept. The Halo Swaddle sack was great since the swaddle part could be removed and baby would stay warm. Now that we are into winter, the Sleep Hugger sleep sacks are the highest rated TOG (3.0) that I have found, very well made and suits our climate well. I am happy knowing my baby is safe and warm.

4) Detergent: Country Save
As everyone knows, baby's skin is sensitive and some detergents can be quite harsh. I found Country Save to be great for Brea's clothes but especially good for cloth diapers. It does not create residue in the diapers that can ruin their efficiency.

5) Knowledge: Books - The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby From Birth to Age Two by William Sears, M.D., Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D.
I read and read and read for a long time while waiting for my baby to arrive. I felt, the more I knew, the better prepared I would be. These two books were the ones I found to be most helpful in those early stages and even now when Brea is over 16 months. I still consult Dr. Sears' book whenever I have some questions.

6) Breastfeeding gear: Bravado bras, Medela pump, Bamboobino breast pads
I had a very painful beginning to breasfeeding but thanks to these products, it made it much easier. I had an unfortunate incident one morning when I neglected to moisten my disposable breast pad and nearly ripped my nipple off (I know, I'm being quite graphic here, but it might help you!). My loving husband, quickly tore out of the house to purchase a pump, which until that time I had put off buying because I wasn't sure I needed it. In the end, I found the reusable and luxuriously soft bamboo pads to be the saviour to my sore boobs, Medela's Harmony pump to be the best value for what I needed - an occasional pumping when too full or for storage, and Bravado's bras and tanks to be the most comfortable and versatile clothing piece.

7) Washclothes: Bamboobino, IKEA
You can never have enough washclothes - you'll be burped up on, puked on, peed on...
Bathtime was a hit and miss with Brea when she was little but when I discovered soft bamboo washclothes, it was like night and day. She didn't mind when I washed her face and body at all.

8) Mobility: Car seat - Graco Snugride, Britax Boulevard; Strollers - Bob Revolution, Maclaren Quest Sport
I did a lot of research when it came to travel safety. These ended up being my ultimate choices. This is a very personal choice since it relies so much on your lifestyle. Our BOB served as our primary stroller until Brea was no longer in her infant carseat, then, I found that having an umbrella stroller stowed in the car to be much more practical, especially when you need to dash into the mall or grocery store.

9) Diapering: Cloth diapers - Bummis; Salves - Dimpleskins Naturals
This combination of cloth diapers and salves has been gold for my daughter, she's never suffered from diaper rash.

10) Music: Bobs and Lolo
In the car when toys and gadgets can be tossed aside and flung under seats, music has served as our best source of entertainment. I love listening to these ladies! Their songs are upbeat and carry positive messages. Brea loves bopping her head along to the beat!

Christmas Day 2009

It was a very exciting day for Brea. Since we normally don't go into the living room in the morning, we were able to hide the tree and presents for a little while while Daddy caught a snooze after a rough night with Brea. However, when Craig and I went into the kitchen to get some breakfast stuff ready we heard a little voice exclaim: "Oooo!" from the living room and that was it. NOTHING was going to keep her from the tree. Here's a video of our little girl rearing to go. I was getting the camera ready then Craig put her her down and she was off like a shot!

Christmas morning

Here Brea is investigating a box of goodies from Uncle Kent, Auntie Signe, and her cousins - but then some funny noises started coming out from the box and she wasn't so sure...

Noise in the box

Finally, in the evening, Brea's Po-Po and Uncles Ambrose and Eugene came for dinner... they brought more gifts, of course, and here's Brea enjoying some air popping ball fun - apologies for the dark lighting:

Air popping fun

It was such a busy day for our little girl and she was spoiled as spoiled could be. She handled herself so well though and we are so proud of her.

Bouncy zebra fun

Brea's 'ruck

Some fun acrobatics with Daddy

More presents for me?

I love it when my uncles play with me!

Pretty pose with Po-Po

Brea likes to help with everyone's presents!

She even has to instruct on how to open her presents.

Who's hiding behind the box?! Gotta climb up for a better look!

Finally getting tuckered out

A visit with Great-Nana

Here are some pictures from our visit with Brea's Great-Nana on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Wishing you a joyous holidays and most wonderful New Year!

But I just want to walk!

I was hoping to get a video for Nana and Grumpa so that they could see how Brea's vocabulary was growing. She's not quite cooperative as you can see. She is very intent on walking in circles which is what most of the video is about but she does say a new word and don't miss her "beautiful eyes" in the last 5 seconds.

Tickling the ivory

Brea's been enjoying the piano, they do say practice makes perfect :o)

Wordless Wednesday - The Getaway!

We've been loving our "new to us" Mitsubishi Delica. Brea's been loving the room to move and the fun crystal lite roof. The other day, while I was unloading after some Christmas shopping, she decided she wanted to make a getaway...

Mommy wasn't watching her keys, here's my chance!

Made it up!

Now which one will make the "vroom vroom" go?

Oh, well, at least I can play with the horn.

A mouthful of words

Brea's been building her vocabulary. She's been trying new words everyday. Her pronunciation is not always clear but she can definitely get her meaning across - she's very emphatic with her pointing finger :o) Here's a list of her words so far...

woof woof (for doggie)
fish
shoes
more
mom (but this can mean me or Craig)
Choo choo
truck
cracker
juice
chair
high chair
vroom vroom (for car)
moo (when asked what sound a cow makes)
roar (when asked what sound a lion makes)
ambulance siren sound (when asked what sound a truck makes)

Clean those pearly whites!

Sometime during this evening, when Brea was laughing at one thing or another, I noticed a white flash in a part of her mouth that I hadn't seen before. She's been really drooley lately, more than her normal teething and we thought it was odd for just the next two bottom teeth coming out. Turns out, we were right, her molars are coming through! Our little princess is now up to 10 teeth! No wonder she's been gnawing at things like a fiend, the other day she took a chomp of my sweatshirt. Good thing we've been practicing our oral hygiene. Here are a few shots of Brea brushing her teeth. We don't usually dress her up for it but this was also the day she got her new winter Stonz hat so she had to wear it for everything!

Choo Choo Choo!

We made it to the mall for pictures with Santa! Brea wasn't too keen on the idea of sitting with the Man in Red but we did make a go of it. There was no crying, just a little frown until Mommy and Daddy got into the picture too. I guess she wanted the family portrait. It's pretty cute, you can see her gripping Daddy's thumb. I haven't managed to scan it yet but I'll put it up as soon as I can.

Dressed up for pictures but running away from Mommy's camera

After the picture, we had a train ride, actually two, one with me and one with Daddy, she liked that much better than the picture portion of the outing :o)

Oh no! Choo choo!

I asked for it.

Craig is at a basketball tournament this weekend and was out bright and early. I thought it would be nice for Brea and I to meet him at the nearby mall for lunch so that we would get to see him for a bit today.

Brea was so good for the ride to the mall and she really enjoyed strolling and watching people doing their shopping as well. After lunch, I thought I would pass by Santa so Brea could say hi. We're planning to get pictures done but I'm hoping I could find day where Daddy could join us.

As we neared the display, I heard the train sound. They have a train that goes around Santa's castle that you can ride on. Brea's just started making some new sounds the last few days and one of them was "choo choo". I pointed to the train as it rounded the corner and asked "Brea what sound does a train make?" "Choo choo!" she replied with a smile, pointing at the train. We watched it for a few minutes, when I thought, maybe she'd like a ride! Excitedly, I grabbed some change to donate and lined-up behind the other children. She LOVED it! The whole time around, she pointed at the snowmen and waved at the people in line for photos. It was adorable.

After the ride, we watched the train some more then headed to go home. Brea was fine until she saw the "vroom vroom" (our car). Then she realized that she was leaving the mall. Normally, this would be fine but today, there was a choo choo in there! As I tried to unbuckle her from stroller, she started squirming and kept pointing back to the mall and shouting "Choo choo! Choo choo!" while signing "more". There were even big fat tears... sigh... I think I'll let Daddy take her on the train next time.

Where did the time go?

This morning at breakfast, Brea asked for toast. I tempted her with some yogurt as we waited for the bread to get crispy... nothing extraordinary there. I buttered the bread, cut it into Brea-bite slices and walked to the high chair but Brea had other ideas. She climbed onto one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table and waited for me to put her plate down, then she calmly reached up and took a piece of toast and happily chomped sitting at the table like a "big" girl.

Where did my baby go?

Quotes

Fresh Mommy came and made a nice comment and while checking out her blog, I came across her "Sunday Citar" entries... how lovely to share inspirational words. So I thought I'd put in one of my favourites :o)

"In compassion and grace be like the sun
In concealing other's faults be like night
In anger and fury be like dead
In modesty and humility be like the earth
In tolerance be like the sea
Either appear as you are, or be as you appear."
-- Rumi

First haircut

Tonight Brea had her first haircut - well, her first non-Mama butchering her hair, haircut. She did very well. Daddy was a trouper to offer his lap so that I could take the pictures :o)

Meeting fab hairdresser Catherine!

Distracted by a book.

Snip, snip!

Catherine made the mistake of asking about her nose
- Brea had to show her finger prowess.

Catherine also asked about her bellybutton.

Taking a look at the finished cut.

All done! What a pretty girl!

Brea the Adorable!

Thought I'd share some Brea moments with you.

• She loves music. Tonight we watched some Kideos on the computer while Daddy was out at his practice, when we got to Sesame Street's Sing and I started singing along, Brea joined in too - she kinda "ahhhed" through the la, la's but it was so sweet.
• She is a great helper in all kinds of things: she loves to take the laundry from the washer to the dryer, she helps with emptying the cutlery tray in the dishwasher, and she LOVES to pull things out of drawers while I try to put things away - her current favourite is my sock/underwear drawer - there's nothing quite like finding bras trailing down the hallway.
• She is consistent with a few words: woof, fish, shoes, uh oh. I guess animals and fashion rank above Mama and Dada.
• She is a pro with buttons, all kinds! She figured out how to work the clock radio in our room and will turn on the music to dance daily. She's extra good with the remotes and will somehow get the TV to do things that Daddy had no idea it did.
• She continues to love books and reading and can sit for a long time flipping through pages and pages.
• She's recently discovered her nose and will stick her fingers up it very happily if you ever ask her "where's Brea's nose?"
• When we are going out, Brea will go to the closet and pull out our shoes to bring to us. Somehow, she feels that my runners go with everything.

She is such a joy and we love every moment with her. Brea, you are the most adorable, lovable, little girl :o) We love you so much!