Things Loved in September

Having had a baby a month ago this past months "favorites" are clearly baby related. Hopefully I'll branch out in October.

1. New Baby Items

While we had most of the big ticket items already for Louise we opted to get a new playmat and bouncy chair which turned out to be excellent ideas.

I thought we would get rid of our extra bouncy chair but realized quickly how necessary it is to have one on each floor of the house to have somewhere to put Louise no matter where we are. (a quick aside - I always wondered why people with multiple children desired a one level house, NOW I GET IT! I must do those stairs upwards of 50 times a day. Good exercise, but exhausting!) We went with the Combi Pod Bouncer and love it for the main floor of the house. The brown blends in with our furniture and decorations which I love and it's two reclined positions are great for when Louise is alert and wants to be more upright to see things, versus lying relatively flat for naps. Plus we got it on mega sale at zulily.com.

We also got a new playmat which I (and Louise) love. Ainsley is constantly pulling the hanging toys off but I love the characters and colors. It's just "busy" enough.

2. Haystacks (and I don't mean the kind in the fields)

In an attempt to curb my ridiculous chocolate cravings (I thought it was a pregnancy thing, apparently not) and still manage to fit back into my regular clothes anytime soon I've revisited my love for these little fiber filled yummos. Mix 2 cups Fiber 1 cereal with 1/3. cup chocolate chips and 2/3 c. butterscotch chips melted together, place in heaping tablespoonfulls on a cookie sheet and let set in the fridge. SO good and apparently not so bad for you.
3. Beba Bean Swaddle Blanket

We never really swaddled Ainsley because a. she HATED it and b. she always found a way to macgyver her way out of it within 5 minutes (seriously, 3 days old she was out). We have two large flannel swaddling blankets but they seemed so stiff. I came across this one at a little boutique baby store in St Paul and had to get it (I also read a good review from a fellow mom blogger friend which pushed me in this direction...thanks Ashley!). It's SO soft and just stretchy enough to make the baby not feel completely confined. Louise snoozes in this every night and last night we got 6 straight hours out of her! I feel like sleeping through the night is just around the corner. Thank you Beba Bean.
4. More With Less Cookbook

I received this book from the first good friend I made in Oak Park for my birthday a few years ago. I've used it a bit, but now that I'm in the easy/quick dinner stage of life I appreciate it so much more. If you have a protein in the fridge and a moderately stocked pantry this cookbook has a million recipies for you. I love it.
5. good cheap COFFEE!!!

Now that I'm drinking at LEAST two cups a day to function like a normal human being (Louise still sleeps for 18-20 hours a day so I'm confident this is not affecting her) we need a more economical option. Actually we started buying this Costco brand coffee a few months ago and it's amazing. It's $12 for 3 pounds, that's $4 a pound people, and if you grind it right before you brew it, like us, it's comparable (even better than) most of the really expensive stuff (and Ian and I are fairly choosy about our coffee so that's saying something).
6. Kissaluvs cloth diapers and flannel wipes

We decided to invest in a round of newborn diapers for Louise and love the kissaluvs. I opted for the thirsties snap covers and once we (let's get real, I change 90% of Louise's diapers) got the hang of them they're great. For anyone out there weary of trying cloth I can't say enough good things about them. There are so many kinds out there and while we love ours from what I've heard it doesn't really matter the type or brand, once you get in a groove you'll be so happy with the money you're saving, convenience of NEVER running out of diapers and how soft they are for your precious little ones that you won't think twice. Oh! and we've reinstated the cloth wipes and they're a must as well.

I usually like to end with an even number, you know a 5 or a 10, but 6 will have to do this month. I'm hoping to motivate to get some new pictures up soon!