Top 5 Things in my Diaper Bag I can’t Live Without

   

https://www.target.com/p/fisher-price-morgan-quilted-diaper-backpack/-/A-53541132?preselect=52731038#lnk=sametab

Hey guys,

When I was pregnant, I wasn't sure if I wanted a diaper bag that I would have to carry or if I wanted a backpack type diaper bag. I decided on a backpack diaper bag because I would be going to appointments by myself and thought that would be the best idea as I would have to carry a car seat, my purse and a diaper bag. I actually ended up just putting what I needed for that appointment for myself in the diaper bag which made it a lot easier.  I ended up deciding on the Fisher - Price Morgan Quilted Diaper Backpack which my friend bought from Target. I chose the black one since it would go with anything plus nobody knows the future so if one day I have a girl, I can use the same diaper bag. 

When my son was just born until I want to say a month or two ago, these were the things that were helpful to have in his diaper bag. Since he's a year now, these things has definitely changed so I'll be doing a what in my diaper bag with toddler soon. The things that I had in my diaper bag may vary from someone who breastfeeding, has more than one child and etc. 

1. Diapers and Wipes: I would think whether age your baby is you would have diapers and wipes in your diaper bag. I tested out a few different brands; Luvs, Kirkland, Pampers, Parent Choice and Huggies. The brand of diapers that I found out worked the best for my son was Luvs and also Huggies wipes, but really any brand of wipes. I usually have 5 diapers(just in case and just to have some in the diaper bag so I'm not packing it every time.

2. Pacifiers: I usually had at least 1 or 2 pacifiers because my son used to hate being in the car especially when the car wasn't moving but when he had a pacifier, he was content. Also, I had pacifiers for after shots at doctor appointments because what baby loves shots.

 

3. Bottles: This is an obvious thing because babies have to eat no matter where you are, and having a bottle handy,for example, after shots is helpful to calm them down.

4. Burp Cloth-  After you feed your baby their bottle, you have to burp them and sometimes they might burp up some milk so you got to be prepared.

5. Extra clothes: This is an important one! You never know what will happen while you're out Your baby might spit up, get too warm/cold, have a diaper leakage or even more "fun" (joking) a blow out. 

What item(s) can you not live without in your diaper bag? Leave a comment below.

<3 Amanda 

Mom Tag

Hey guys,

 Wow, I have not posted a blog post in a long time and honestly, I missed blogging! Being a mom makes me busy, but I am not complaining one bit. I love being a mom to my baby boy...or should I say toddler as he's already a year old!! I still cannot believe it! 

I decided as a way to get back into blogging I would do a mom tag. I found this one at https://www.tagquestions.net/mom-tag-questions/. I have only been a mom for a year so I'll try to answer them the best I can :) 

1.     How old were you when you had your first child? I was 28.

2.     What was the hardest thing about being pregnant for 9 months? Going to doctor appointments and ultrasounds alone.

3.     Can you think of any good things you enjoyed during those 9 months? There were a ton of good things. Feeling him kick and move all around was one of the greatest things! 

4.     In your opinion, were all the things you heard about childbirth accurate or way off.  In my opinion way off. When I was in labor, I didn't hear no screaming or anything like that. I was induced but I wasn't screaming in pain, I kept on breathing through the contractions and then fell asleep after I got the epidural. 

5.     Would you have handled childbirth differently if you could re-do it? No, I think my childbirth went well.

6.     What would be your advice for someone who is about to have a baby? Don't let the TV shows and movies get you scared as they exaggerate childbirth a lot. Just breathe and listen to your body. 

7.     What has been the hardest thing about being a mom? Trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself. I basically have my son every day all day by myself. I take it day by day. If I don't get something done, I move it to the list in my head for the next day.

8.     What has been the most rewarding thing about being a mom? Definitely all of the cuddles, all the "ma-ma's", the smiles, and the laughs.

9.     What was the most surprising thing you discovered about being a mom? I thought I would have to create a schedule for my son; feed him at this time, put him down for nap at this time and so on. I have learned that he will let me know when he wants milk, when he wants to take a nap and when he wants to go to bed. 

10. What is the best memory you have involving your child? Truly every single day!

11. What was the most exciting milestone? There has been so many. Him saying "Mama", rolling over, crawling, holding his own bottle, cruising the furniture, and now holding my hands while walking.

12. What is the worst thing your child has ever done? He has not really done any bad things yet as he is only 1.

13. What habit did you wish your child didn’t have? Again, he is only 1 so I have not really seen any habits. 

14. What habit of theirs makes you most proud? Read answer to #13

15. Do you share any similarities with your child (both Physical and Personality)? I have been told he looks like me :)

16. Where would you like your child to be in 10 years? Being a good friend to everyone and doing good and having fun in school.

17. What is something that having a child has taught you? He has taught me a lot. I do not have to try to be the best mom ever because I know he will still think I am the best mom.

18. Did you imagine that you’d be a mom at the age that you became a mom? I honestly did not think I would ever get the chance to be a mom. God knew I needed my son and He knew my son needed me! 

19. Describe your child in a single sentence? Amazing 

20. How have you changed as a person since becoming a mom? Most definitely 

 

I am going to try to post at least one blog post each week, so bear with me!

 

<3 Amanda 

 

Easter Basket Ideas For Babies (Newborn-1 year)

(http://clipart-library.com/easter-basket-clipart.html)

Hey guys,

I'm really excited for Easter this year and that's because it's my son's first Easter. I'm excited to put together his first Easter basket,which I will show in another blog post. Since babies are so little and can't have much candy-wise, I thought it would be fun to give you all some ideas that you could put in your baby's Easter Basket.


1. Summer items- Things for the beach or possibly for an upcoming vacation
2. Books -Could either be books to add to baby's library or bath books
3. Toys
4. New bottles/sippy cups
5. New outfits
6. Some Puffs
7. Teethers
8. Snacks- Like goldfish,crackers, cheerios, rice cakes,apple sauce, etc.
9. New pacifiers
10. A new blanket
11. Bows
12. Shoes/ Sandals
13. Utensils- Forks/spoons
14. Plates/Bowls
15. Bibs
16. Diapers/wipes/formula- Babies won't care about getting the necessaries for Easter, they'll probably like the boxes more
17. Candy- Yes, babies can't eat candy yet like chocolate but that's one of the joys of having children. Until they can, you (as the parent) can eat the candy they get for holidays

What are you going to be putting in your baby's/child's Easter Basket?

<3 Amanda

Baby Toys Favorites (Almost 8 Months)

Hey guys,

I'm loving being a mom to my little boy who will be 8 months in such a short time. One thing that I love doing with him is playing with him with his toys. These are some of his favorite toys.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Puppy

$14.99 (at Target)

https://www.target.com/p/fisher-price-laugh-and-learn-smart-stages-puppy/-/A-52137613

I got this for him for Christmas. He really likes the music and that it makes noise. I was surprised how much it actually does. It has 3 different levels.  His ear, both hands and one foot has a ton of different music/sayings. The other foot lets you change the levels. 

Nuby Ice Gel Baby Teether Keys

$3.89 (at Target)

https://www.target.com/p/nuby-ice-gel-baby-teether-keys/-/A-13361102

Since he has been teething, but currently has no teeth yet, he loves chewing on these keys. I think they are soft enough that it feels good on his gums. I haven't put them in the freezer tho.

Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Nursery Rhyme Keys

$10.26 (at Wal-Mart)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Brilliant-Basics-Nursery-Rhyme-Keys/14904090

Just like the puppy above, my son loves this toy because it makes noise. On the different keys, there are different things that he can play with. He loves it when I press the button and the music plays.

Toy Box Clip Clop Horse Activity Rattle Baby Stuffed Animal Playgro

$4.98 (at Wal-Mart)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Toy-Box-Clip-Clop-Horse-Activity-Rattle-Baby-Stuffed-Animal-Playgro-0101145107/139525545

My son wasn't a huge fan of rattles but this one he definitely took to. I think it's because he can easily hold it, and that each "leg" has a different kind of texture. One has a mirror with tiny balls inside that makes noise (which he loves looking at himself), one makes noise when you crinkle it, one is just soft to hold, and the last one has little bumps on the bottom plus the tiny balls inside. On the handle of the rattle, there are also small blocks attached that he can move up and down. 

Lamaze Octopus Activity Toy

(Link for a pupule one: 

https://www.amazon.com/Lamaze-Octotunes-Purple-Octopus/dp/B01B5M8530/ref=sr_1_25?keywords=crib+toy&qid=1583175877&refinements=p_89%3ALamaze&sr=8-25 )

This toy has different textures/toys that my son enjoys. You can squeeze the octopus's head and make noise, there's a mirror on one leg, a teething toy and more. I think it's supposed to go on a crib, stroller or a car seat but he just plays with it as it is.

Teething Keys

I don't know which brand these teething keys are as they don't say any brand on them. My son got these from a cousin as part of hand-me downs. He loves chewing on them!

<3 Amanda 

I am....... (Exciting Announcement)

Hey guys,

I know that I haven't posted in awhile and I do apologize for that, but I do have an exciting announcement to share with you. The announcement is......

It was a complete surprise to me because I will be completely honest with you all, I took Plan B 3 hours after so I wasn't expecting the positive Hpts. I just thought that the Plan B was just delaying my period. Although I took Plan B, I'm not regretting anything. Since Plan B wasn't effective for me for one reason or another, I feel like he or she is supposed to be here and I'm supposed to be their mom. I have already had my first ultrasound like you see in the announcement and I have an appointment coming up so I'm going to try doing pregnancy updates to keep you all updated on how things are going.  Today, I'm 12 weeks and 1 day, and my due date is July 7th, 2019 (2 sevens, which is my favorite number). 

I know that this journey will be tough at times, but it will be more than 100% worth it. Every baby is a blessing!!

<3 Amanda 

News Story on "Baby in hot car death identified"

I seen this news story on Facebook a few days ago and I have been thinking about it. I wanted to give my opinion of what happened.  This news story is such a sad tragedy that occurred in Mississippi. A mom went to pick up her daughter from daycare after work but the workers at the daycare told her that she never dropped her daughter off at daycare that morning.  She then went back to her car and found her daughter in her car seat in the back seat. A sheriff called what happened a "tragic accident". In the article it read "Investigators believe that the toddler remained in the mother's vehicle throughout the day as temperatures reached the mid 80's.".

My opinion is how can you not know your child was still in the car? She needed to look in her rear view mirror to drive which means that she would have seen her daughter in her car seat.  I'm not yet a parent but I just don't see how a parent could leave their child in the car for almost the whole day and not realizing it. I'm not saying that she left her daughter in the car on purpose because it could have been a "tragic accident" but if it they find out that it was just an accident, she should have jail and possibly a fine. What are your thoughts about this news story?

http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/31950775/sheriff-2-year-old-found-dead-after-accidentally-being-left-in-mothers-car?clienttype=generic&utm_content=bufferf64a0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer


<3 Amanda