totallyjeneric

This week in the life of James: he turned 2 months (yay!), weighed in at 14 lbs at his doctor’s visit, developed a bad rash in the folds of his neck, continued smiling a lot, is drooling mini-rivers, and began consolidating his poop into a couple big diapers per day (the best scenario being when he saves them til daddy gets home from work!).  Wow, I can’t believe he’s already 2 months old!  Sometimes I ask him to stop growing up so fast (click for music).

Onto pictures…

The above didn’t quite turn out how I envisioned, partially because I’m wearing different outfits and partially because I forgot to take the “after” picture til James was 2 months old and much bigger than his birth size.  Oh well!  Guess I’ll try again with the next baby, Lord-willing. Baby eyelashes. James is generally a happy baby, but of course we get our share of tears and fussiness!  ”Mom, stop taking pictures and pick me up!!” He did not want to take a family photo that day!…but he calmed down a few minutes later, once we started playing with him. CAPTAIN ADORABLE!!!Passed out on Daddy’s shoulder.  Just had a bath so the hair is everywhere. So cute!We very rarely take photos of just the two of us now!

Also, here’s a list of a few items that have been invaluable in our first couple months of parenting.  Maybe this will help someone, someday.

• Aden + anais swaddle blankets – love these. They are big, thin, breathable, and cute. We swaddle James every night so he sleeps better.  Can buy at Amazon, Nordstrom, or baby stores.
• My Brest Friend nursing pillow – I use this multiple times daily. Provides more support than boppy nursing pillows.
• Side-snap short-sleeve shirts – found these at Macy’s and bought on my mom’s recommendation. Mom knows best! They are so much easier to put on & take off a newborn than regular onesies which go over the head. I don’t know why side snap shirts are not more common, they’re so practical!  I bought the 3-month size.
• First Year Calendar – highly recommend!  I’m not good at journaling daily (plus there’s no time), so this is perfect… a calendar w/ stickers and just enough space to jot down the day’s milestones. My mom kept a similar calendar for me and my brother, now I’m keeping one for James.
• Baby mittens – because babies come out of the womb with nails… which in our case were a bit long and rough!  I kept mittens on James to prevent him from scratching himself until I worked up the courage to cut his nails.
• Bravado nursing bras – if planning to breastfeed. I had no idea where to start, so went with a friend’s recommendation to try the Bravado line and am happy with them. I bought them off bare necessities and saved even more by googling a coupon code.
• Johnson’s nursing pads – again, if planning to breastfeed. These are disposable pads, which I found to be more absorbent and convenient than reusable ones.
• Carseat & stroller – we got a Graco snugride and a stroller frame. It’s probably the simplest and most light-weight option of all carseat/stroller combo out there.
• Baby carrier – we have a Baby Bjorn carrier, but I wish someone had told me that an Ergo carrier might be better for my back. I haven’t used this too much yet, but I do feel like the Baby Bjorn puts all of the baby’s weight on my upper back rather than distributing some around the waist/on the lower back.
• Other things to buy – what I consider “first month essentials” (as opposed to the BabiesRUs list with hundreds of items):  DIAPERS, WIPES, a trash can WITH A LID, a few receiving blankets, baby nail clipper, a crib or bassinet, changing table and changing pad, baby bathtub, a couple bath towels & washcloths, a diaper bag for going out, soap/hand sanitizer. Oh, and just a few outfits (unless you have hand-me-downs) because babies outgrow clothes REALLY FAST, like no joke!
• Nice-to-haves: a swing, playmat, boppy pillow (I use this for propping the baby up, more than for nursing), a few toys & books, nursing clothes, nursing cover.

OK that was fun.  Time to sleep!