Wordless Wednesday

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Mama Must Haves: Part One

I thought I would do a series of posts titled "Mama Must Haves" that include baby-related things that (Trey and) I love.

I decided to start off my "Mama Must Haves" with things related to nursing since as my dear friend, LG and I say "Everything revolves around nursing" and when you have a little baby and you are BF - it's so true!


I had such a hard time finding nursing bras that I liked. I bought some awful ones from Motherhood Maternity and I might as well just throw them in the trash. Luckily one of my friends who already has 3 kids told me about these awesome bras by Bravado. I LOVE THEM!! LOVE LOVE LOVE! Seriously, so comfortable, great shape, they wash well and are perfect for nursing. I know the price may seem high but trust me on this, you get what you pay for!


I also love the long nursing camis from Target. I have 6 of them and I wear them every night to sleep in and also around the house when we're just hanging out.


After a ton of research I picked the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Shoulder Bag. Being a stay at home mom I never realized that I too, would rely on having a pump. It's so great to be able to make bottles for DH to give to Trey. I was able to sleep almost 10 hours last night thanks to a sweet hubby and pumped milk! It's also sometimes more convenient to give Trey a bottle when we are out and about rather than trying to find a place to nurse.


When I do BF while we are on the go or when I have company over I love my Hooter Hiders nursing cover. I love the way it looks, it's the perfect amount of material and it has a plastic piece in the top so that it's easy for me to look down and see Trey while he eats. But I will say after reading other blogs and seeing the cute nursing shawl (like this L'ovedbaby 4-in-1 Nursing Shawl) and poncho type covers out there I may have to pick up one of those too!


And last but certainly not least I adore these Medela Quick Clean Micro Steam bags. These bags are AWESOME!! They are under $5 for 5 of them and each bag lasts 20 uses. Basically you just toss bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, etc into the bag, add some water and pop them in the microwave and tada! everything is clean and sanitized - no boiling water!!

I'm sure I will have a more nursing must haves on another post - who knew you needed SO many things to do something so "natural"!?

As usual, please let me know if you have any questions at all! And let me know if you have anything that you'd like to see or hear about on my "Mama Must Haves"!!

Loving Right Now (And all are non-baby related!)

My thoughts, actions, wants and needs all revolve around this little guy...


So writing this post was actually harder than I had imagined. I haven't taken the time to do much of anything for myself since Trey was born, and some days it's still awesome if I take a shower. I'm slowly starting to get back in the swing of things, I got an eyebrow wax last Wednesday and I felt like a new person! I can only imagine how I will feel once I get my hair done!

Here are a few things I picked up last week that I am just crazy about!


I found these K-Cups at Bed Bath and Beyond and while they are a milder coffee, I think they are delish!


While I was over at Bed Bath and Beyond, I ran into Ulta and found this fab new OPI color called Cuckoo for this Color. I am all about some greens and blues for fall!


And I ordered my first eBook for my iPad this week - "Mimi Shopaholic: A Novel" by Sophie Kinsella. I'm a huge Shopaholic fan and have been anxiously awaiting the release of this book. Since it's hard to read with a newborn around I decided to order the online version and I'm loving it, I can read while I nurse or when we're out and about. I never thought I'd be able to make the switch to digital books but they really are convenient!

What are you loving right now?

CSN Review

I was recently contacted for a great opportunity to do a review for CSN Stores. They currently have over 200 online stores full of merchandise such as baby items, cookware, cheap bedroom furniture and more!

I'll be reviewing one of these awesome items from CSN for you all soon!


I'm pretty much obsessed with my BOB stroller - it was one of the best baby purchases to date so naturally I'm loving this BOB weathershield! My neighbor has it and loves to keep it in her car in case it rains.


I'm a huge fan of swaddling and Trey loves it, I really think it helps him sleep so much better. I have tried so many different brands out there but this "Go Mama Go Snug & Tug Swaddle Blanket" caught my eye, love the colors.


And since Trey always wants to be held, I'm about to dive head first into the land of babywearing. I have heard lots of good things about the Moby Wrap and am thinking that we may need to try it out!

Have any of you used these products? Any certain wraps or slings that worked best for you and your baby?

Trey's Birth Story

Ever since Trey was born I've had a hard time sitting down and just blogging. There have been so many things from his birth and beyond that I have wanted to share but for some reason I haven't been able to do it, I felt overwhelmed and like I couldn't write about anything else until I recapped everything that has been going on. So I've decided to just do these posts here and there while moving forward with lots of baby & non-baby related posts that I have had brewing in my iPhone!

Here's a peek into my world of the magical day Trey was born.

Tuesday, August 3:
I'm a few days overdue, so we meet with my OB to discuss an induction and after some tests she decides that we need to do a c-section instead.

I'm heartbroken.

I spent my entire pregnancy taking classes so that I could have him naturally, without any drugs at all.

Scared and nervous we spend the evening talking, looking over all of the pictures we took while I was pregnant and having some family over. My sister in law and her amazing boyfriend bring us hot krispy kreme donuts at 11:30 pm (Perfect timing - I couldn't eat after midnight) and let me tell you, those were the best donuts I have ever had in my life!

Lots of tears are shed, both good and bad. I curl up next to DH and sleep peacefully for the first time in months. And while we were scared and nervous we were also just so excited to know were were going to finally meet our son!!

Wednesday, August 4:
We arrive at the hospital and I'm slightly on edge but at this point DH and I are starting to relax some, we're just so ready to have the c-section over and to be snuggling with our baby. The prep time seems to take forever, and then they have to put my procedure on hold because one of my OB's patients was in active labor and it was time for her to push.


What feels like a million years later it's finally time to go to the OR.

They won't let DH in the room with me while they do the epidural and as the doors swing open and closed I can see him pacing the hall. The epidural takes wonderfully (why didn't I want one of these?) and everyone in the OR is amazing, we were all laughing and smiling like old friends by the time DH is able to come in.

He later tells me how shocked he was by my demeanor and how impressed he was that I was so happy and positive when he came in. I'm pretty sure I great with a "HI BABY!! I'm ready!!"

From the time of the epidural to the time Trey was born felt like nothing!! It was so quick, and honestly an amazing experience. It wasn't what I planned on but you know what they say about best laid plans!

Hearing him cry was the best sound ever. EVER!

We were excited to find that he was very healthy at 9 lb 7 oz and 21 inches!


DH went with him to the nursery and was actually able to cut the umbilical cord there. Something we thought he was going to miss out on completely. I had some issues and was stuck in the OR for a while. But once I was able to leave DH, Trey and I were all reunited in our hospital room.


At this point our family (ALL OF THEM) had been waiting around in the lounge for hours. The nurses recommended only having a few people in at a time. But it was getting late so DH and I decided to just let them all in at once. It may not have been the best idea at the time because I was so overwhelmed but looking back it was almost like a great little birthday party!!

{My Sister-in-law}

Everyone was oohing and ahhing over Trey and talking amongst one another. DH was greeting everyone and talking to them about the birth. I must have been a little out of it (Oh, right THIS is why I wanted a drug free labor..) and I was kind of in my own little world just staring at this beautiful little baby. At one point I just bust out with "I just LOOOOVE him" and my cousin is the only one who caught it amongst the commotion and about died. She instantly squealed and said it was the sweetest thing she has ever heard in her life.

{My cousin & Mom in the background}

After everyone had a chance to hold Trey we slowly had them make their way out and the nurse came in to check on us. During this time, I had 3 of my closest girlfriends and one of DH's close friends come in all at once. It was a total surprise but wonderful that they were all able to visit at once.

I started to get stressed because at this point, I hadn't been able to try and nurse Trey yet and I knew that BF was something I really wanted to do. Luckily once everyone was gone and I was left alone with our new little family Trey took to nursing like a little superstar! I was so happy (and emotional) and I cried some wonderful tears of joy. (And yes, there will be some BF posts to come, who knew how much stuff you needed to nurse comfortably!?!)

We ended up staying in the hospital for 3 days total and we had the best experience. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. When it was finally time for me to eat again I mentioned to the nurse how much I would love a cheeseburger and a Sprite. And POOF about 45 minutes later guess what was at my door? Amazing!

Saturday, August 7:
We were definitely ready to go home by now. The last night in the hospital was pretty rough. Trey ended up with some jaundice and was dropping well below his 9lb 7oz birth weight too quickly. We were up late talking with the nurses and praying that we would be able to take Trey home the next day.

We ended up having to supplement with formula until my milk came in, and while it was such a hard and emotional decision at the time (because I was scared that it would have a negative effect on BF - luckily it didn't), I look back now and realize it's just what we had to do. As for the jaundice, it ended up being ok. After meeting with the pediatrician the Monday after we left the hospital we were instructed to put him in front of the window for a few days and it cleared up pretty quickly.

After a morning class in the nursery of how to take care of your baby, a shower and saying our goodbyes it was time to go home!


We gathered up our belongings then Trey and I were wheeled outside. It was such a warm and beautiful day. I remember being in awe of life and nature and just being so thankful to be going home as a little family! The drive home was short but great, I sat in the back with Trey, who slept the whole time! And DH drove very slowly and carefully, he had the worlds most precious cargo in the back!


We arrived to this sweet stork, a gift from his family! I of course cried when I saw it, I had always seen them before driving down the road and would always think to myself, oh a new baby how wonderful! Well this time, we were the ones with the wonderful new baby and our lives changed forever!!

Wordless Wednesday

Trey, 6 Weeks Old

(Adorable hat and diaper cover thanks to Andrea @ My Chihuahua Bites!)

Review: Fisher Price EZ Bundle™ 4-in-1 Baby System

I was recently asked to review the Fisher Price EZ Bundle 4-in-1 Baby System and I jumped at the chance to try it out!

The four essentials that are included in the bundle are:

Infant Swing
• 6-speeds for variety
• 3-point restraint
• Comfy stain-resistant seat pad
• Approx. 0-6 Months, Maximum weight: 25 lbs.
• Use Swing from birth until child becomes active and attempts to climb out of the product.

High Chair
• 5-point restraint
• Comfy stain-resistant seat pad
• Approx. 6-24 Months, Maximum weight: 50 lbs.
• Use High Chair only with a child who has enough upper body control to sit up unassisted.

Newborn Seat
• Great for feeding or napping!
• 3-point restraint
• Comfy stain-resistant seat pad
• Approx. 0-6 Months, Maximum weight: 25 lbs.
• Use Infant seat from birth until child is able to sit up unassisted.

Toddler seat
• Holds toddlers up to 50 lbs.!
• Comfy stain-resistant seat pad
• Approx. 18 Months & up, Maximum weight: 50 lbs.
• Use Toddler seat only with a child capable of getting into and out of the product unassisted.

My Experience:

Since Trey is only a month old I put together the infant seat and the swing. And while the hubby has put together every single baby item in this house I decided to give this one a whirl myself. I was a little overwhelmed at first because everything comes in this big box but once I laid the pieces out and noticed that every item is put together with the same size screws I found it to be a breeze! It didn't take me long at all and I was on my way to testing it out with my baby.


We tried out the infant seat first and to our surprise he really enjoyed it. He's been suffering from some reflux and I think that the shape of this seat is awesome, it seems to put him in a very comfortable position. The seat is also very lightweight and I think will be great to use in other parts of my home such as the kitchen while I'm making dinner.


And since you simply "snap" the seat into the swing - the transition was seamless. So seamless in fact, he fell almost immediately asleep!! The swing takes a second to get going since it runs of batteries and while some may find that a downfall (having to keep purchasing batteries) I see it as a great benefit because you can take it anywhere!

Here are some Pro's and Con's that I have found with this system:

Pro's:

• Great price, $150 for all of these items is a steal!
• Wonderful shape of the seat
• The pad is washable and all of the other components seem to wipe down easily
• The swing runs on batteries (which means it is easily portable and we have decided will be great to take outside on the deck for early-fall suppers!)

Con's

• I'm personally not a huge fan of the look of these items, I think they could have made them look a little more modern
  
• The swing lacks any sort of vibration or music, these are often a must when a baby is fussy

All in all, I would definitely consider this a great item to purchase or register for. I also think that this would also be a fantastic set to keep at the home of a grandparent or caregiver.

Where to buy your own? You can purchase this set directly through the Fisher Price site here or the Babies R Us site here, it retails for $150.00.


I was provided this product for an honest review, I received no financial compensation.

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

It's cardigan weather y'all!!

(I promise) to have some real posts up soon. We've been dealing with some awful baby reflux and have started some new meds. I hope and pray so badly that they start working, my sweet little guy gets some relief and then hopefully the Beach Bum household can get back to normal.