Ha, I haven't blogged since May 2012. Wow. We have a baby now and moved back to the Charlotte area...I should include more details, but that's not why I came to blog... I've been a mom for almost a whole year now so I consider myself a baby expert...hahahahahaaaaaahaaah. K, not even close, but I have learned a lot. Several friends are also becoming moms for the first time and I want to share my must-have items... This will not be fancy and there won't be links, but this blog is just the best format to make the list.

Also these are (obvs) based on our own personal experience...

a book that makes noise when you turn a page. be prepared to be fully annoyed by whatever song it is, but I enjoy the annoyance really because Hudson will sit there and do this over and over and over while I wash dishes or whatever...

ok, here's a link because toy is too hard to describe otherwise http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNCA4K/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1# Hudson could play with this at around 3 months and he still loves it. one toy that keeps him happy for 9 months? yeah...that's a good one

an ipad kid's cover. not so he can play with it, but it's so great for Skype when he's on the move. makes it easy to carry and I don't hit all the buttons and screen on accident so I don't hang up on the grandparents!

porch swing. sometimes when he's fussy no matter what we do, just being outside makes him happy. our deck is splinter city, so I can't put him down yet so sitting in the swing is the best.

multiple favorite pacis. this has been a night saver. he sucks on one and twirls another. he MOVES in his sleep so sometimes he stirs and he has moved away from the paci, if there are a handful in there, he doesn't have to go far to find it and goes right back to sleep easily.

leads me to the next item...we know about the pacis because we watch him on the video monitor our first model, an actual video baby monitor, got dunked in some water (way to go, Mom), and replacing it was a $200+ cost we couldn't justify. so we went a month without it and I thought I was gonna lose my mind. So we got a basic home surveillance cam with smartphone app. it was half the price of a real baby monitor. you can't see the temp or talk to him, but I always thought that was a little creepy. I leave the ipad up on the nightstand to be able to see in the middle of the night.

jogging stroller. this is great for walks and for running, obvs, but it's also been so great at baseball games (Mike is coaching baseball now too). he can sit in that and there is a tray for dinner and pockets for all my stuff and I can roll him around when he gets bored. he's close to walking so he'll probably want out soon, but for now, it's perfect. also, baseball fields aren't usually near the parking lot, so it's nice to not carry him and all our stuff down a huge hill and back up afterwards

ergo. for the places that the jogging stroller can't go, or could but it's crowded, the ergo is a must. I've read a lot about the baby bjorn doing weird things to hip development and also that the other brands put major strain on your back. honestly, it's not the easiest thing to tote around, take on and off, but it is so worth it. the infant insert is annoying, I didn't really start to rely on it until he could hold his head up a little. it was so easy to get him plus stuff in and out of football games and he slept in it at football games. I love it for shopping...he can sit in the cart now, but I don't always get a cart. the hip position is his favorite now, he can see out that way and my arms don't go numb from carrying him. it was also great for air travel...

take and toss stuff. so cheap, so durable. the bowls with lids are the best for school lunch.

something to push. once he started cruising, he has spent at least half his play time pushing something around. doesn't matter what it is. he has a great little ride on car thingy and a gator toy made specifically to walk behind but he also pushed his music table and child sized chairs.

  the most important take away from this is the most important stuff is what makes mom and dad's life easier. Is that selfish? maybe. but he's so easy to please, there aren't many "must haves" for him...(other than you know food, diapers, and shelter)

ok, might as well continue.

 pampers swaddlers seemed to work best when he was littler...but he's a size 3 now and the Wal-Mart brand has been great (he even sleeps 11 hours a night). they are 20 bucks for 160 or something like that.

  we are lucky and he seems to have a tummy of steel and did pretty well on any formula we gave him. every time you go to the pediatrician, ask for a sample!! but we liked target and Walmart brand formula, but Costco was really frothy.

  now, I make most of his food and I have yet to use a "baby food recipe"...just grind it up (we use the food processor we already have) and throw in some pepper or cinnamon or garlic or basil/oregano. don't give up on a food after one try. I do enjoy having the infantino thing where you can fill your own pouch. after puree stage, just roast or steam, season, and dice. done. I buy pouches at the store sometimes for emergencies, but I have yet to buy a jar of food. I really like thinking about the money we've saved.

  hope that's helpful. if not for you, maybe it will be for me whenever we have another one, God willing. :)