Some of Baby's Favorite Things... So Far

So Baby Claire hasn't even been here a week, but she already has her favorite things. Some of these were items I very much wanted before she was born... and some happen to be happy accidents as to how well she's taken to them, but trust me--these are life savers!

Moby Wrap
I felt like such a hippy, but I adamantly wanted this wrap as a carrier for myself (Matt felt like it was a little wussy for a guy to wear). I wanted to wear my baby as much as possible. Hands free option was the way for me! My mom always tells the story of how she tried a carrier with me one time and I screamed holy terror and she never used it again. Luckily, Claire wasn't against this from the start--in fact she loved it! We mostly use the cradle hold for snuggling and the newborn hold for our walks, but it holds her nice and secure and I can crochet with her in there and walk all over with her (and she hasn't taken to the stroller nearly as well... and the stroller is such a hassle, this has been a blessing!) We even hit downtown today briefly and (maybe a little too much info but...) I had to go to the bathroom, so I just took her in with me in the wrap and did just fine! She slept the entire walk, but we were very comfortable and happy.
Baby Einstein Crib Soother
I didn't know that I wanted this thing, but at the last minute we thought it was cool and added it to the registry. We had a mobile already (which I figured was the same thing really) and we were going to get the Sleep Sheep (coming up!), but Claire's grandma got this for her anyway. The first time we put it on in the crib Claire got this super goofy expression on her face and just stared--I imagine she would look much the same if you could hypnotize her. We've been using this now for a little Mommy Daddy time--like dinner, or rest, or showers (funny how our Mommy Daddy time has been reduced to these "luxuries"). With the monitor on, we know we have at least 20 glorious minutes of baby-free time (and with the handy dandy remote, if we can catch it in time, we can start it over and extend our time even longer).
Halo Swaddle SleepSack
Another thing some family "frowned" at and wondered if it'd work or not. Claire was actually delivered to me in one of these after her first trip to the nursery. I felt better knowing it was hospital approved! My grandfather (who also bought me the Moby wrap) got this because he'd read up on how important swaddling was. We actually got a second one (in the picture) from Boone Hospital that says "I'm a Boone Baby". We used this early on for breast feeding because Claire really likes to ball up her hands and cover her face (funny, this is why we couldn't get any ultrasound pics at our 35 week check up, too). It was a life saver! We also use it for sleep and to comfort. We are glad we have two, because we've been using the heck out of them. We can actually swaddle with blankets, too, but the swaddle sack keeps her feet in but not wrapped so tight. In the blanket, she often stretches and kicks her legs until they're free (funny... we did a lot of stretching and kicking and toe pointing in the womb, too... it's cute to see her doing things out of the womb that I recognize from when she was on "the inside").

Sleep Sheep
This thing I just thought was too cute. I found it at Barnes and Noble in Columbia and loved it. I've always liked white noise machines or soothing sounds machines (although haven't ever had one of my own). I liked the idea that it was something we could take it places as well as use it around the house. Well, initially we didn't know where to use it, since Baby Einstein was working so well in her crib. We are rooming in for the first month or so, so we put Sleep Sheep in the room with us (and we are ALL enjoying him). But then my good friend Carissa (my personal breast-feeding Nazi, who is going to get some kind of reward in heaven for talking me off a couple of cliffs so far) told us to try this during our feeding time to get relaxed. So now Sleep Sheep travels with Claire and I every night for our feedings. He clips right on the rocking chair, too, so it's nice just hang him up and let him go. I am a little freaked out by the "whale" sound setting, but the rest are nice. We're really liking either "ocean" or "rain" settings. He also has a "heartbeat" setting, but I'm not so keen on it, but she seems to enjoy it (wonder why).
I'm sure we'll find more things that we love and highly recommend. But right now, these have been our LIFESAVERS.
I'm currently working on "perfecting" the "Womanly Art" of breast feeding. I'm going to post on that soon--I've learned so much this last week--craziness! There is so much to learn as a new parent. I'm really proud of Matt and I for taking in everything and tackling every obstacle with grace and composure so far. We are very much in love with our new edition. I can see why people have more than one baby! But right now--we're going to enjoy the heck out of ours!
Claire Approved!