Some MORE Things I Love

I've been a mom for 4 years now. I've seen a lot and learned a TON and tried many things along the way. I am nowhere near the Momma I want to be yet, but I'm on my way. With Izacc, everything had to be fresh and new and clean and, well, it gets exhausting and almost impossible when the second one comes around. Ian has become my second-hand baby when it comes to clothes and toys and blankets and whatnot. Poor kid hardly has anything new. I am, however, finding a new appreciation for Mommy gadgets and products. Things I never looked twice at with Izacc, but with Ian almost become a necessity. So here are a few things I love. (ORIGINAL LIST OF THINGS I LOVE CAN BE FOUND HERE)

Snappies

I have spoken of said Snappies before, have I not?  I loves me some Snappies. 

Allow me to explain.  When I had baby #2, I was given some samples of said Snappies.  When I first started to pump, I used them.  I thought they were cute but I had no idea just how simply awesome they would be.  And I fell in love.  No, seriously.  These little babies are amazing!  They are hard plastic and hold like 2 oz or 2.3 oz?  Anyway they’re the perfect size.  And they have this cute little lid that’s  attached so when you’re done pumping, just flip the lid and snap it shut.  Oh and did I mention the top is the same size as my pump?  Well, most pumps I would assume.  So no attachments and whatnot.  And the inside is kind of slick so the milk fat doesn’t stick to it.  They’re seriously awesome.

I was just going to buy a few of them because they were about a buck a piece. Pricey little devils! But then my overspending, overdoing, thoughtful husband intervened and demanded suggested I spend less by buying more.

Huh?

So you could get 12 for $12, 24 for $23.95, 100 for $36 or 200 for $80.

Do you see where I’m goin’ here?

Three to five days later, I have a box of 200 Snappies, twenty bags of ten.

I suppose that they do take up more room in the freezer than storage bags but I think that being able to pull it out of the freezer and thaw it and slap on a nipple is worth the extra space.  Way convenient.  However, they don’t really stand up to being dropped out of the freezer onto the slate floor…just an FYI. 

Once I used them all up, or some of them, or whatever, I put other things in them.  Like Q-Tips and shampoo and conditioner for traveling and baby food and other things.  They work really well.  They also make little squatty ones that are called Snackies.  I use them for church treat receptacles.  Moral of the story is that I love them.  And its a good thing, seeing as I have about 200!

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Nursing Tanks

What?  Seriously?!  I can nurse my baby without people having to see my jelly belly and other regions!?  Get out!  No for real, why didn’t I know about these beauties before?

I ordered two as soon as I heard there were such things in the universe.  And then I waited and waited and had a baby and still no nursing tanks arrived.  So I called the retailer and they said “oh no, let’s send you another set.” And they did.  And the packing slip said EBONY and IVORY.  And I chuckled a little.  And then the other order arrived.  CRAP!  So I called them and they let me just keep the first order!  What?  So 4 nursing tanks for the price of two!?  Awesome.  Well, I thought awesome until I put one on.  Then it was like HOLYCRAPWHEREHAVETHESETHINGSBEENALLMYLIFE?!?!

I seriously wore one everyday for a year.  They fit so nicely and the tank top was AMAZING!  It fit so well and snug and it even had a little spandex-ish stretchy goodness in the tummy area that help hide some of the flub.  I wore them under regular shirts and nursing was a breeze!  They were my wardrobe staple and I was a little sad when I stopped wearing them…they were awesome, comfortable and super amazing.

And now I see that they are on super sale!!  I think I’ll stock up for next time…must own a pink one…

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Tide Stain Release Packets

So, if you don’t know already I have a small love affair going on with Dreft Laundry Stain Remover.  I love how it takes out the nasties and leaves a fresh baby scent.  Ahh.

What I do not love is when Dreft is not string enough to tackle said nasties.  Boo.

Enter Tide Stain Release.

 

AHHHHHHHHH!  (Can you hear the chorus of little birdies?)

Uh yeah.  I.CAN.NOT.LIVE.WITHOUT.THIS.STUFF.

Seriously, it works miracles.  All I have to do is spray my favorite Dreft Stain Remover onto said nasties and throw in on or two of the little Tide packets and watch as I pull sparkling fresh clean clothes out of my washing machine.  I swear I even heard a little *ting* once, you know, like a little sparkle ting?  Anyway yes.  The team I have assembled has even been known to pull out stains from the onesies previously worn by baby #1, even the formula stains that were 3 plus years old…gone!  Vanished!  I swear I love this product!   Oh and it does amazing things with my whites too.  Like they look brand stinkin new again.  Whew!

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Bungee Baby Bouncer

This I received as a gift when #1 was born.  It made me laugh so hard to see this little tiny body jumping up and down, basically dancing and having a dang good time all by himself.  When Izacc was little, we were living with my parents and there just wasn’t room for an excersaucer or a big ol’ bouncer or a walker even.  I was so so glad to have it.

It’s  just a band that goes around their tummy/chest area that has Velcro and then a buckle closure.  You can make it as tight of loose as you need, you know, just in case your baby turns out to be a chunk like mine.   Then it’s got straps that go around the crotch area, which also adjust.  Basically, they’re in there so good and tight that there’s no way they’re falling out, or falling over or even falling through.  They’re not going anywhere!  So then you take your baby and there are two straps that you connect to a dowel that is attached to a rope and spring and then you clamp it on a door frame.

    

My kids have both loved it.  LOVE.  They would swing and bounce and dance and spin and spin and basically wind themselves up, then lift their feet up and spin the other way.  Seriously, so nice to be able to get stuff done and entertain them at the same time.  I could put kid in bouncer and I’d have a good half hour to fold laundry or do dishes before they got bored or tired or hungry, you know, as babies do.  I could even move them from door frame to door frame depending on where I was in the house.

There’s no springs for their fingers to get caught in.  There's basically no danger at all, well, unless you let your kids get so dizzy spinning themselves around that they smack into the door frame.  Yeah, my bad.

I think the only place to get the bouncer is online.  I’ve never seen them in stores.  But you can go here if you want to check it out.

They are basically awesome.  Want to know what’s NOT awesome?  When baby is having such a good time in bouncer and then you realize he’s been dancing in a puddle of diaper goo for 10 minutes.  Yeah, not awesome.  Moral of the story?  Make sure babe is in clean diaper to begin with because whatever is in diaper could get squished and shimmied right out. 

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Johnson and Johnson Bubble Bath

Hi.  Who loves the smell of a new, fresh, clean baby?  Or should I say who doesn't love that smell because seriously, it’s pretty hard to beat.  Well, they kicked it up a notch, those Johnson and Johnson folks.  Now when I wash my baby, not only does he smell like a dream, but he gets to play with bubbles!  AND I don’t have to rinse him off after to get the itchy rash-making bubbles off!  It’s simply awesome, this stuff.  I loves it and would bathe in it myself if I wanted to…and sometimes I do!  I was a Baby Magic momma for a LONG time, but this stuff has me converted!

And speaking of smelling good, have you ever tried their Cucumber Melon lotion?

 

Um, I basically want to eat it, it smells so good.  I don’t care that my boys smell like big sissy la las, I slather them in this stuff!  Mmm, it’s good.

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Carter’s Clothing

When I had IZ, people had given me some Carter’s stuff and I loved it!  LOVED the onesies, loved how cute everything was and that it all coordinated.  Loved how they fit, loved how they didn’t stretch and get all weird shaped after being washed.  Love everything about their stuff.  I only thought you could get Carter’s brand stuff at Fred Meyer, Sears, and Sam’s Club if you were lucky.  But then I found that Target had their own division, (Just One Year) and Wal-Mart had one too! (Child of Mine)  Its just a dang good thing I didn’t know there was an official Carter’s store in existence while we lived in Utah because I would have lived there. 

Have you seen their stuff?!  No really, have you?!  Here’s a little fashion show for ya.

 

ADORABLE!!  I am hooked borderline obsessed.  They’re so colorful and matchy and stripy and they use monkeys a lot!!  So that right there is sold for me!  I seriously cannot go in a Carter’s store without spending at least fifty bucks.  They’ve SO got my number!  I would wager that 95% of the clothes we bought for #2 are Carter’s.  I have a problem, it’s true. 

And I may or may not have a little jumpsuit like these in every size…with matching onesies…

                       

Oh and do you know what else?!  Their baby boy stuff is cute, but you should see the GIRLY stuff!  Oh man!  Can’t wait for the day I get to go get a crapload of PINK stuff!  Watch out, Carter’s!  It will be on!!  But it’s not just the baby stuff.  Guess what, folks.  They go up to a kids' size , like, 7!  So yeah, it’s basically the greatest line of clothing and Izacc sports it too..

 

If only Carter’s made Mommy sizes…

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Aveeno Diaper Rash Cream

My baby gets diaper rash as much as the next guy I suppose.  Not a lot, but a little.  I’ve used all the diaper rash creams out there.  All of ‘em.  There was one night I had had it.  The baby had diarrhea and big bad diaper rash from it and nothing was working.  He was crying and fussy and wouldn’t sleep.  So I packed us up in the car and drove to Wal-Mart.  Thank goodness for 24 hr stores!  I had heard about the Aveeno Cream and decided to give it a try. I put it on, baby went to sleep.  In the morning it was a miracle!  The rash was 90% gone!  It was fabulous!  (Imagine me saying that in a high-pitched voice because it means more that way!)  No really.  I call it miracle cream.  And like any good miracle cream, it is now REALLY hard to find.  Wal-Mart, well MINE anyway, no longer sells it.  I have found it at the Big K though, so hopefully it will be around for awhile and not be discontinued.  Otherwise you will not be able to find it at all because I will have stockpiled it in my basement.