These are a few of my favorite things. . . .

After 2 1/2 months, I would say that these are a few of our favorite things . . . .

• Video Monitor (click here to read an entire post about this)
  
• Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing
  
• Fisher Price Rainforest Bouncy Seat
• Secure Incline Sleeper
  
• Summer Newborn-to-Toddler Bath Center and Shower
  
• Aveenobaby bath & body wash
• Hooded bath towels
  
• Sunshine Kids Car Easy View Mirror (I love being able to watch Micah through the mirror - and this simple inexpensive one works great!)
• Tiny Love Lights & Music Playmat
• Graco Pack 'N Play (with changing table)
• Balmex or Desitin - I'm hating the Butt Paste - it is yellow so it always looks like I forgot to clean off all the poop, and it smells like cinnamon - that is just so wrong.
• Sleepy Wrap (DH is liking the Ergo carrier . . . I don't get to use it much, though)
• Medela Pump-in-Style and SOFT breast shields
  
• First Years Breastflow Bottles (GREAT for breastfeeding moms - or for breastfeeding babies that are not taking to the bottle)
• Playtex Ventaire Wide Mouth (slow flow nipple - good for breastfeeding moms - wide mouth more similar to breast)
  
• Medicine dispenser pacifier
• Hooter Hider (now known as the Bebe Au Lait)
• Swaddle . . . either the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe or the Halo SleepSack Swaddle
• Pacifier clip (for attaching the pacifier to the baby's clothing)
  
• Sleep Sheep/Dexbaby sound machine
• Hands-free pumping bra
  
• Lullaby CDs (Rockabye lullabies - U2, Beatles, Einstein Baby Classics)
• Childrens CDs (Free to Be You and Me, Sesame Street Platinum, Really Rosie)
• Nursing bras (and sleeping nursing bras)
• Medela or Lansinoh breast pads
• Prefold Cloth diapers (we use these as burp clothes, for putting on top of the changing table cover and in the Pack 'N Play changing table to keep things from getting dirty)
• Pampers Swaddlers Diapers (if you have a skinny baby, these seems to fit better - it also has a notch for the cord cut out, and they come in sensitive AND in preemie size)
  
• Footed zip up outfits
• Side snap shirts or side snap onesies - these are SOOO much easier to put on/take off early on. Regular onesies must go over the head, but the side snaps do not.
  
• Long sleeve shirts with the built-in mittens (only good for the winter time)

Here is some video of Micah in my new sleepy wrap:

I'd like to thank the Academy . . . or at least Eve!

Who knew there was such a thing as blog awards? Okay, maybe you all did, but I apparently live in a hole. Thanks to Eve, who nominated me. I have to say, I've been thoroughly enjoying her blog, Infertility Rocks! - she writes about infertility with a sense of sarcasm and humor that just somehow makes me smile about all the hard times. She has a way of saying EXACTLY what I've thought and it makes me feel less alone. Yes, I have a son now, but that doesn't mean that I've put my IF experience behind me. I think you are never the same after you experience IF. We also plan to TTC#2, and I worry about going through all that pain again . . . and what will happen if we can't have a #2. Anyway, if you can't ACTUALLY have a great attitude about IF, then you might as well use sarcasm, intelligence, and humor to process the pain and make it bearable. She does a great job of helping us all find humor in an unfair situation.

Anyway, I have been charged with nominating 10 more blogs that are award-worthy. I'd give the award back to Eve since I'm loving her blog, but in the spirit of fairness, I'll just state that publicly since I probably shouldn't just pass it right back to her after she just won it!

So here are the rules:
Put the logo on your blog or post.
Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude.
Be sure to link to your nominees in your post
Let your nominees know they have received the award by leaving them a comment on their blog
And be sure to link this post to the person who nominated you for the award.

So, here are my awardees (really, I could have given this to ALL of the bloggers on my blog roll, but I was asked to pick only 10):

1. The Watson's Random-ness
   
2. Everything is a Miracle
   
3. Family Journeys
   
4. A little pregnant
   
5. Our IVF Journey
   
6. Our Family
   
7. Journey to Conceive
   
8. Confessions of a Professional Couch Potato
   
9. Open my Eyes to Wonders Anew
   
10. The Boling Bunch
    

Thanks everyone! Keep on blogging!

I've lost the weeks . . . .

It is funny - all throughout pregnancy, you have to be extremely cognizant of how many weeks along you are. Every Monday was our "flip" day, and DH and I would sit down and read the different tickers from baby gaga to hear how big Micah was growing and what developmental milestones he should be hitting. It was a little ritual for us, and we loved doing it. Once the contractions hit at 28 weeks, every week was another significant milestone - it meant Micah was a little safer if he was born early, and more likely to make it to full-term. I remember celebrating when we hit 36 weeks and felt we had left the "danger" zone for Micah.

Once Micah arrived, we continued counting in weeks. There was his actual age, and his adjusted gestational age (since Micah was a bit early, they often adjusted his age for hitting different developmental milestones). The weeks were important - for when he should return to his birth weight, for when breastfeeding (well, frankly eating in general) should be easier, etc. Then somewhere around 8 or 9 weeks, Micah hit the "2 month mark" and I haven't looked back. I can tell you that Micah is over 2 months old now, but I generally can no longer tell you how many weeks. It is a graduation of sorts - we no longer need to think in weeks - we can think in terms of months!

Oh, in case you were wondering . . . I did go count on my calendar, and Micah is now 11 1/2 weeks old.

Helpful Tip

I learned something new and useful this weekend, and felt like an idiot that I did not have a clue earlier. Some of the swaddles have some very useful features. For example, the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe has a slit on the rump. I never understood the purpose of this slit (it isn't particularly useful for checking diapers since they usually wear clothing under the swaddle). Well, my cousin informed me that the slit in the back is to allow for travel in the car seat while they sleep! The buckle for between the legs fits through the slit in the back, and you buckle them in and swaddle around the seatbelt arms! Another person informed me that the reason the SwaddleMe has a detachable bottom is so you can change the diaper without completely undressing/undswaddling your little one!

While we are on the topic of helpful hints, I wish someone had told me not to bother with the mobile that matches the bed set. It is cute, and it plays nice music - for about 3 minutes. It is largely a useless piece of equipment. I'm much more fond of the sound machine we are using. We also just purchased a 2nd mobile - one that can play for 10-20 minutes and has a functioning remote control for use outside of the room. Now THAT makes more sense to me! I can barely put Micah in the crib before his current mobile stops turning and playing. He loves looking at it, but I just can't stay on top of the demand.

I also just bought some lullaby CDs . . . did you know they have U2 and the Beatles as lullabies? I'll have to let you know how they are. Now, just add Billy Joel, and I don't see how Micah could possibly be UNHAPPY?

I love my video monitor

I have to say, I'm loving the video monitor. I have a Summer Infant Video Monitor - the kind with the color screen and night vision. The clarity is unbelievable, and it is so reassuring to be able to check in and watch my little guy while he is sleeping. Sometimes he is restless. Sometimes he slides down the incline sleeper. Sometimes his pacifier falls out. Sometimes he is just a noisy sleeper - he'll kick his legs, or cry out. The video monitor allows me to see EXACTLY what is going on, and judge whether or not I actually need to make a trip into his bedroom. It also allows me to eavesdrop on DH when he is rocking the baby to sleep.

My nephew also enjoyed watching him sleep this past weekend. I confess, sometimes I just turn the video on and watch him . . . he is so stinking cute! I love that I can hear him sucking on his paci through the monitor. I can't figure out how parents managed without all this new technology. I'd never let him out of my sight or sleep so long uninterrupted without some good visual confirmation.