{Heidi of Crooked Shmooked}

Heidi Jo here from the sadly neglected Crooked Shmooked, filling in while Ali spends all her days staring at her perfect gal. Congratulations to you and the Mr. on the arrival of sweet little Hannah! I am so glad she arrived safe and sound and med-free. Good job, mama!




While Hannah is teeny tiny and demanding 24/7 care right now, once she gets older and you have the energy and free time to craft, you can make her all sorts of love-filled things. Part of the fun of having a little one is having so much crafty inspiration out there. I especially adore handmade softies. Even if they turn out wonky, your little won't care and will love them just the same. (Just check out that crazy alien/peanut/blob beast of a softie I made for my gal based on this tutorial. His name is NumNum and he is the most loved of all her stuffed friends.) I rounded up a variety of free softie DIYs for you and all your readers to check out. If you don't have a little guy or gal of your own, handmade softies are great shower or birthday gifts too. People are ridiculously impressed when they find out you made the softie yourself. And you know that feels good. Save these tutorials for a rainy day and share the finished result with Ali if you wish. I know she'd love to see. And if you make a wonky, what-is-that? beast, share the love with me so NumNum can have some company. Happy sewing!

Top Left: Plush cloud mobile - Top Right: Fabric beach balls

Middle Row Left: Cuddly chewbacca - Middle Row Right: Cashmere softie Easter bunnies

Bottom Row Left: Cupcake softie - Bottom Row Right: Sunshine plushie 

{Labor is not a Spectator's Sport, or How that Baby Came Whether we were Ready or Not.}

Howdy, Ballpoint+Pen Readers,

       I am Hubs, known outside the crafty-blog-o-sphere as Nicolai, Ali's husband.
My lovely wife asked me to write a guest post for Ballpoint+Pen with
my impressions of "Labor Day".

       Let me just tell you, for an expecting Papa expectations are about as
good as packing peanuts are nutritional when it comes to the
Child-Birthing process.

       First, let's talk Labor Education. I like many supportive
daddies-to-be attended the mostly free pregnancy classes with my
lovely wife. Depending on your disposition, these classes are either a
great help by defining terms and procedures or a fire hose of
information that will drowned a expectant daddy leaving him with a
half glazed look accompanied with nods of agreement to whatever the
expectant mama wants.

       I thought that the classes were helpful personally. If for no other
reason to have some form of reference for later. When you are in the
delivery room and someone says, "Pitocin" you at least can rest
assured that word has to with some kind of drug. You are now in the
right category for the conversation's context. You aren't as lost as
you could be. Also, forceps…. kind of scary to think about, worse to look at.

        In all seriousness, its good to have a general understanding of whats
going to on to at least be informed on what birth-plan you will be
following. During Labor is no time to make decisions. Decide as much
before hand, down to what snacks to bring into the delivery room and
what drugs you are willing and not willing to allow them pump into
your temporarily plump mate.

       Second, do what works for the both of you. We learned all kind of
bizarre techniques on pain management and whatnot. Visualization
therapy was the fun one. We closed our eyes and were supposed to think
of a happy place for our minds to go. By the end of this exercise we
were having our astronaut butler vacuum for land-mines in the living
room because sweeping is inefficient. 

My imagination went a little too far, but we laughed a lot, and
that is what were thought would be our outlet: laughter. I would make
her laugh and we we could get through any contraction. That didn't
really happen.

       Third, reality is not stranger than fiction, it's just way more
intense. I knew Labor would be painful for my Ali Lou, but I don't
think I was really prepared for how difficult it would be to see her
in pain. It was emotionally tiring to be that on edge for so long. She
was an amazing trooper and labored at home for about 12 hours before
we even called the hospital. I think the main thing that kept her
laboring at home for so long was sheer embarrassment. She didn't want
to be sent home for coming too soon. By 8:30am we went to Hospital and
she was already 4cm dilated. This is really what encouraged her to
really try and go completely natural. We made it this far, let's just
go all the way. In the end, it's taking each contraction at a time.
Work through that one, don't think about the next one. I kept telling
her that each contraction was the last one and everyone thought she
would punch me in the face, but she didn't.

       Last little tidbit, when it comes time to push, let the professionals
do their job. My wife was amazing. She was the one that informed the
midwives it was time to push. Once they realized she was not kidding,
a whole army of battle ready nurses and midwives entered the room,
taking their battle positions. I felt a little under prepared in my
shorts and t-shirt. I just kind of got out their way. For all you
daddies to be who think you want to watch the baby head out of there,
you don't. You very really don't want want any of that. Your wife
needs you to hold her hand encourage her, not to make ghastly faces at
her when she is trying to work that baby out. This was the only time i
cried through the process. Seeing my lovely wife in such pain was not
easy, but seeing that little one be lifted up was an amazing reward.
Our little one's cord was too short, so it was more of a, "here you
go, she can lay on your stomach for a couple minutes."  Oh, and side
note, the Placenta is every nightmare rolled up and covered in blood.
Don't look at it, you will either turn to stone or puke. Both are bad.

       And here's your most amazing part men, cutting the cord. Only after
your blessing and snippy actions do we actually get to move on with
our lives. It's really our only important job through the whole thing.
Theoretically, you hold all the power. Men, we are blessed. We have
the easiest job getting that pregnancy started and the easiest job
finishing it up.

       To wrap up this really long-winded post, I thank the Lord for a
complication free labor and delivery and for the wonderful gift my
little Hannah Lou is. I Love my little family.

{my mom...the grandma!}

{my Mom with her Grandma in 1971

Hey everyone, meet my Mom! 

What it means to be a grandmother….

Growing up my grandmother was the most influential person in my young life.  She always had time for me. She took me to church, the park, her doctor’s appointments and her hair appointments with her. She taught me to bake cookies, make ice cream and grow things. She sewed clothes for every doll I ever owned and even made my Betty Bride doll her own bra (how cool is that for a grandma to do)!

 Each summer, even when my grandfather couldn’t get time off from his job as a firefighter, she loaded my brother and I into the car and hauled us up into the Sierra mountains to their little cabin all by herself.  It wasn’t fancy, we didn’t take any expensive toys and the TV didn’t always work, but oh what fun we had up there. As we prepared meals during the day we kept the scraps in a metal bowl for the deer.  In the evening, we pulled up our patio chairs to watch the sun set and the deer come out to see what we’d saved for them to eat that day. The next morning we headed to the pond with Wonder Bread torn in little bits to feed the fish. Life was simple but good!

But as awesome as all those wonderful times were, I think my favorite memory is of my grandmother, after saying our prayers…(Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep…..) and tucking us in, sitting on the edge of her own bed and reading her Bible.  Night after night she was there when I went to bed and there when I got up late at night to tip toe down the hall to the bathroom, her Bible and her Daily Bread devotional in hand. I have that old Bible, underlined and well worn.

And now, 60 years later, I will pray for my own precious granddaughter. I will take her to the mountains and to the lake to feed the fish. I will make doll clothes and crochet little hats for her. We will plant flowers and play in the creek and I will love her and cherish every moment I have with her. And, I will thank my daughter every day for giving me the incredible gift of being a grandmother!

Gemma of Sweet Life

Chicken Pot Pies (yes multiple pies!)

Well hello there everyone! I’m Gemma from Sweet Life where I share all my favorite recipes and the occasional picture of my baby (you know, because I think he’s pretty fabulously cute). I’m so excited to be posting on Ali’s blog while she’s enjoying all those new baby cuddles (sigh).

So Ali, I hope you are enjoying the heck out of it, even though it’s hard and downright exhausting. And eating, DON’T FORGET TO EAT!

Which brings me to the subject of this post. When I had Lucas, I was really bad about taking care of myself those first few months. Showers were few and far between (shaving my legs, forget about it, thank God it was winter) and despite my excitement to jump back into the kitchen without getting nauseous, it didn’t happen for a while. I spent a lot of time eating microwaveable cheeseburgers and burritos my mother-in-law brought me from Costco. For the record, I owe her my life since I would have otherwise starved.

If I had been smart about it, I would have stocked my freezer with meals in advance. Having something you can simply pop in the oven is a godsend when you have a wee one in the house (and most likely in your arms just about every second of every day). These pot pies are fabulous, you can cook them straight from the freezer, they don’t require you to chop and peel an obscene amount of vegetables or even cook your own chicken, and the recipe is well worth the effort considering the number of meals you get out of it.

And did I mention they’re just about the most delicious thing in the universe? Because, they are. 

Chicken Pot Pies
adapted from Annie's Eats
makes 6-8 individual pies
For the Filling:
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly gournd black pepper
1 purchased rotisserie chicken
2 cups frozen peas and carrots

For the Sauce:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Crust:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
3 cups all-purpose flour
10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 large egg

Directions:
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and potato to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Mix in the garlic, and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender.  While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the frozen peas and carrots.  Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the chicken broth and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup.  Mix in the cream and hot sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Off the heat, add the chicken and the vegetable mixture to the pot and stir until well combined.  Spoon the mixture into 6-8 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).
Preheat the oven to 375°.  To make the crust, cut the butter into 16 pieces.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly.  Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper.  Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball (Note: if you don’t have a food processor, a pastry cutter will work just fine, you’ll just need to put some elbow grease into it).
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness.  Cut out dough rounds to be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of your pot pie dishes.  Lay the dough rounds on top of the individual dishes. Beat the egg with a whisk, and brush the tops of the dough rounds lightly with the beaten egg. (At this point, freeze whichever ones you don’t plan on eating right away. To heat from frozen bake at 400° for 50-60 minutes)
Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Morgan of Mama loves Papa

Hi everyone! I'm Morgan. I'm a wife and mom to four precious kids- three boys who are are 7, 5, and 3 and a baby girl who will be 2 in December. I blog at Mama Loves Papa where I share about my faith, my family, my love of thrifting, fashion (kids fashion, included!), and making life more beautiful. Thank you so much to Ali for having me here! I have been a reader of Ballpoint+Pen for quite some time now and I love it so much. I can't wait to see lots of pictures of sweet little Hannah. Congratulations, Ali! In honor of the birth of Hannah, I thought it would be fun to share a few things I love about being a mom to a girl. I absolutely love my boys, but after three boys having a daughter is still such a novelty.
I love... -Having a real, live baby doll. I love shopping for Finley and then putting together the perfect outfit, complete with tights, ruffle shoes, and a hair bow or a headband. -Seeing her natural femininity. My daughter loves to play outside in the dirt with her brothers, but she also loves to mother her baby dolls, carry around a purse, and wear dresses. She's sweet and neat and gentle (and a little bit sassy). -Sharing with her things that I loved as a little girl. When I was pregnant with my third son I bought the two older boys a Cabbage Patch doll. To put it lightly, they weren't fans. I'm hoping Finley is more excited about the things that I loved as a little girl than my boys are. -Making girl stuff. I learned to sew right before Finley was born, so that I could sew all kinds of pretty outfits and dresses. While my sewing skills aren't really where I'd love them to be someday I've made her a few simple dresses, lots of hair things, a doll, bunting for her room, and other fun girly, girl things. -Thinking of the future. I can't wait for our mother/daughter shopping trips, tea parties, and mani/pedis. Of course, I'm her mom first, but I always tell Finley that she's my very best girlfriend (and, she is!). Thanks again for having me here! I'd love to have you come visit me!

{Autumn of Playing House Full Time}

 

I am so excited that Ali and her sweet hubs are busy welcoming little Hannah into our big and budding world! Babies are the be all end of all of excitement, life changing and shaking it up! I can't wait to read about her adventures of being a new Mama and getting to know her little lady.

I am Autumn and I blog over at Playing House- Full Time. I have a little girl myself that is on the edge of two and a complete and total joy! We are having so much fun starting to really delve into toddlerhood and all the changes and growth that come along with it. Something new that we are into is cooking together. Some times it works well and other times it is a huge mess but it is nearly always a blast!

This is a fancy dessert I made for my book club awhile back and it is too easy not to share! And Nolie girl loved getting in on the whipped cream action towards the end. 

Mini Chocolate Mousse Pie with Fresh Blackberry Whipped Cream

Start with homemade pie dough

        1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
        1/4 teaspoon salt
        1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
        1/4 cup ice

    1.    In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
    2.    Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Then cut out small circles, I just used a large mug, in your rolled out dough. Push each small circle into a muffin tin and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Filling

One package chocolate pudding
Whole milk
One cup heavy whipping cream

While your mini pie crusts cool prepare (box) pudding but with half the amount of milk it calls for. Pop this in the fridge and pull out your whipping cream. Whip one cup of whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipping cream into pudding and let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then spoon it into your cooled pie crusts.

Topping
One cup heavy whipping cream
One pint fresh blackberries (could use any fresh berry!)

Whip your cream and when it begins to stiffen drop in berries one by one. It should turn your cream a light purple and begin to incorporate as the berries break down.
Dollop the whipped cream on top of the  mini pies and enjoy!

Cheers!

{Amy of Delightful Distractions}

 

Each time that I found out that I was expecting a new little bambino, one of the items that would automatically get added to the "need to buy before baby comes" list was a baby book!

I don't know how other women are about selecting their baby books, but I was kinda  picky.  I remember going through Barnes and Nobles book shelf, pulling out every baby journal or record book desperately searching for the perfect one.  I usually walked away kinda bummed and frustrated.

After something like this occurred several times, while I was pregnant with my first, Alice, my mom offered an idea.  She had come across a vintage baby book at an antique store and offered it to me.  I was kinda skeptical at first... I didn't know if I wanted a "used" baby book.  But when I realized it was in perfect condition, no writing in it, and FULL OF GORGEOUS PICTURES from the 1950s, I was sold.

For my next little girl, Elsie, I found an Eloise Wilkin's baby book.  You know the illustrator of all those chubby legged, dimple-cheeked little babies and kids often in Golden Books?  Well, she's one of my favorite illustrators... so that was a done deal.  That and the fact that the cover was turquoise...perfect!

For my third baby girl, Sadie, I had bought two other baby books and returned them, before my mom came to the rescue once again with another vintage baby book.  It was very similar to Alice's and I loved it.

When it came to baby number 4, who was a boy, I knew exactly which baby book to get.  You see, I'd been searching the web and book stores for 6+ years now!  In my searches, I had come across a sweet little vintage inspired baby book that was precious!  ...it was filled with simple, adorable graphics and vintage styled fonts... but it was yellow, green, brown, and a bit of turquoise.  Just not girly enough for those three other dolls of mine :)  But it was perfect for my boy!!

So if you're a mama expecting a baby and you're kinda picky...  I've got three suggestions for you:
1. Hello Baby! A Keepsake Journal for Baby's First Year
2. The Eloise Wilkin Baby Journal by Golden Books
3. or GO VINTAGE!  ... either hit your local antique mall or go online to Ebay or Etsy.  You can find them pretty reasonably priced: $12-$20

Happy hunting and blessings to you!

Mandy of She Breathes Deeply

Hello Ballpoint + Pen readers!  My name is Mandy, and I run a blog called "She Breathes Deeply."  I was so honored to be asked to be here with you sweet readers today.  Ali is such an amazing blogger, a creative genius, and let's be honest... Ali is the cutest Mama around.  I am so excited for Ali, her husband, and their sweet little bundle of cuteness! 

Before I get started, allow me to tell you a little about myself.  I am a tattoo wearing, tea drinking, fashion loving, christian yoga practicing, wife to a wonderful man named Kyle, and mama to my favorite little girl, Lily. 

Lily is almost 7 months old now, so I am fairly new to this whole "mama-hood" thing.  But, at the same time, everything is still fresh in my mind on becoming a new mom.  While I am still forever navigating the ropes on parenting, below are some things I wish some one had filled me in on when I first had Lily.

1.)  Give yourself a break.

Having a baby is hands down one of the most MONUMENTAL experiences of your life.  Yes, your body needs to heal and rest afterwards... but you need to rest emotionally as well.  For goodness sakes, you just grew a human being for 9 months, and then in one big crescendo- you pushed that human being out of your body.  Yeah, it is a little emotional to say the least. 

The first few weeks (months, maybe?) after I had  Lily I felt like my emotions and hormones were all out of whack.  Goodness gracious, I cried over everything- including spilled milk (ESPECIALLY if the spilled milk was spilled breast milk).  So, all this to be said... expect yourself to take time to recuperate after such a feat as being pregnant and giving birth!  You have earned a good cry or two (or twenty-five.)

2.)  Allow others to help you.

If someone wants to bring dinner, let them!  Stay off your feet, cuddling that sweet baby of yours as much as possible.

3.)  Take pictures of everything.

I cannot say this enough... The itsy bitsy stage of baby-hood FLIES by.  Record it in every way you can, as much as possible.

4.)  Thou shall not compare.

It is so hard, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not compare yourself to other mother's around you (or in the blogging world).  If they appear like the "perfect" mother, they most likely are lying.  Okay... that is a little harsh... But I promise you- every mother around you is learning as they go.  You are the perfect mother to YOUR baby.  No one else could do your job.  Yeah, you will make mistakes- you can expect that.  But, remember- there is only ONE you for your little bundle of cuteness.

5.)  Be kind to your body.

I think all new mom's think this, and I am as guilty as any of them, but for some reason we all think once the baby has popped out- we will be right back in our skinny jeans. And... for a few of you that may be true, but the majority of us- it is going to take some time!  I am very health conscious, and exercise motivated- but seven months after having a baby, my body is still hanging on to those last 11 pounds of baby weight.  Having a very active little one, it is very complicated trying to find time to work out.  But, once again, I am learning to give myself a break and be PROUD of my body for making and delivering a baby. 

7.)  Realize your heart will never be the same.

This may be the biggest point I can make.  This may not happen the moment you pop that baby out, but be prepared for your heart to jump right out of your body, and never return.  When Lily was born, everything in my heart and life turned upside down.  I never realized I could love a little human as much as I love her.  Becoming her mama has been the best and hardest thing I have ever done.  Sometimes I think my heart will explode with joy when she grins at me... or when she falls asleep on my chest... or when she reaches for me to hold her.  My heart will never be the same.

Congratulations again to Ali!  Come by and say hello at www.shebreathesdeeply.com .

Alyssa of The Freckled Fawn

Hi, I'm Alyssa of The Freckled Fawn.  I couldn't be happier to entertain you guys for Ali as she welcomes her sweet baby girl into this world!  

I've been thinking a lot the last few days about what I would write about, what was pressing on my heart string enough to share with you guys.  Ali gave me the freedom to talk about whatever I wanted to...but in honor of the present events (welcome baby Hannah!) and because it is really what my life is all about, I wanted to talk about 

motherhood.

Our baby boy joined us in September of '09 and our world changed forever.

So many people tell you that you will never be the same, you nod and say that you understand but you don't, at least not fully.

I knew I loved my baby,

I just didn't know how much and how completely I would or could love that tiny little human.

I knew it would be hard and challenging,

I just didn't know how truly hard it would be, how many tears would be shed when the baby is screaming, your tired and don't know what to do anymore

I know it would change my life forever.

I didn't know how much of an overhaul that really was or how willing I would be to just let it happen.

I knew that a child was something my husband and I wanted,

but I didn't know how much it would change us, for the better, and actually bring us that much closer together.

Motherhood

I don't think anyone or anything can prepare you for its beauty 

or for its not so pretty times.

Its hard.

Its dirty work

It will make you cry.

It will break you down.

but...

God has blessed me, beyond comprehension, by allowing me to care for and raise one of his little miracles.  Its my job to dedicate myself to that, to my son, because that's the choice I made when my son was given to me.

Being a mom is a privilege and responsibility.

Its not to be taken lightly, its something you dive into with both feet and give everything you have...and then some. 

My baby is Gods gift to me and raising him well is my gift to God.

Motherhood is a beautiful, messy thing...

and, as a woman, it is the greatest thing I will ever do.

Sarah of Her Sea of Love

hello there! i'm sarah, mama to lottie grace and wife to the most handsome fellow i ever did know, kyle. i blog over here at her sea of love. many thanks to sweet ali for having us take part in keeping her little blog home up and running while she enjoys her first few weeks with her little one! such an incredibly joyous time!

   

there was so much i was expecting of motherhood that didn't happen, and much i didn't expect that did happen. i could write novels on this journey after only being six months into it. i decided i'd share some of what i feel was the most helpful advice i heard along the way, and other things we learned on our own!

one things many mama's don't realize in this stuff-obsessed world is that baby doesn't need much! we live in a 700 sq ft home and still have plenty of room for the little lady to roam and wander. we have never found the need for a changing table (the bed and waterproof pads will do) and we didn't even consider a dresser for her  (our closet and boxes under the bed work just as well!). as time moves on, these things and others will become a priority, but for now, buying only the necessities have been both kind on our wallets and the cleanliness of our home.

trust your mama instincts. after charlotte got here, many friends (and even people who didn't know us personally) were pushing their parenting skills on us, and we were even told some of what we were doing was wrong. i firmly believe that the best way to learn your parenting skills is by parenting on your own. of course, kind advice is always welcome! but the critical words do sting. if your way of parenting is unlike someone else's, it doesn't mean they or you are wrong! we all have our own ways of raising our little ones. we learn by succeeding and failing on our own. always do what in your heart feels right and what you believe it's best for you and your family.

one thing that has been been a struggle of mine, is letting go of the mess. i usually try to clean up the burp cloths & onesies that we've gone through that day after my kyle & charlotte are asleep. sometimes i get carried away and get in 'cleaning mode', and start scrubbing and wiping out everything, finding myself crawling in bed hours later. let me tell you, cleaning it all doesn't feel half as good as jumping into bed with the ones you love most and letting it wait. it is so worth it.

lastly, bring on the baby talk. kyle and i were the couple who swore never to do the whole 'goo-goo ga-ga' ordeal. we are now the couple making the most absurd sounds and faces, about fifty times more ridiculous than 'goo-go ga-ga'. but charlotte's response is hysterical, and i can now proudly talk baby talk to her wherever we go. our cool-level may be a bit lower in strangers eyes, but we're pretty awesome in our little lady's eyes.

being a mom is such an incredible and rewarding journey. thank you to ali for letting me share here!

Marla of Today is Mine

my sweet hubs & i went to target to create a baby registry.  we entered our info and walked to the desk to get our 'gun'.  i handed sweet hubs the gun [every gal knows guys only willingly participate in registering because a gun is involved].  we headed to the baby corner and wandered up and down a couple aisles.  and i began to cry.  i was so totally overwhelmed [and there may have been a pregnancy hormone or two involved] ...and i was only in target. there are entire stores created just for babies.  we survived the registry and i thought i would share a few of our favorite things from the first few months of parenthood.

01. Hooter Hiders nursing cover & 02. BABYBJÖRN carrier.

01.  i'm all about nursing in public.  i am most comfortable using a cover and the hooter hider works well for me.  i love the little peek-a-boo at the top and the assortment of designs and colors to choose from.  

02.  our babybjorn carrier was fantastic for walks the first few months.  we used it on a trip to nyc and i'm pretty sure our sweet tot slept the entire time she was in it.  now that she's a little heavier, we find it more comfortable to wear her in a backpack carrier.  

03. Leachco Comfy Caddy

we don't have a lot of room for storage in our bathroom.  this bath pad was the perfect solution for us.  we squeeze the water out after a bath, leave it in the tub to dry and then hang it on a towel rack after it's dry.  it's also a great pillow for my back when i take a bath!

04. Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat

i did a lot of research on car seats and purchased the chicco keyfit 30.  it worked out so well for us.  the infant insert was perfect for us as our little ladycakes was just under 6 pounds when she came home and didn't grow very quickly for the first couple months.  the base makes it a snap to get her in and out of the car.

05. Crinkle Book

we didn't register for any toys.  ...read above paragraph about pregnant girl crying.  i didn't even know where to start.  however, this actually worked out really well for us as friends and family purchased toys that were favorites for their little ones.  this crinkle book turned out to be an absolute favorite for our little lady and was given to me by an experienced mama who knew what worked!  

06. aden + anais Muslin Wraps

these are expensive but super cute and practical.  they are very soft and hold up well to washing.  these were absolutely perfect for swaddling the first few weeks.  we also used them to cover her carseat when she was a newborn, lay them on the floor to play on or do diaper changes, use as a lightweight blanket, etc.  i LOVE these things.  you may also dangle your baby from a branch with these if you wish...

07. Graco Pack 'n Play

i had big plans to find a cute bassinet for our bedroom to keep our new little babe in.  i was still on the hunt for that perfect bassinet and little babe decided to enter the world a month early.  thankfully my husband's co-workers had given us the pack 'n play and it worked perfectly with the bassinet attachment. it's also very easy to pack up and we used it on a camping trip as seen above.  

08. Boppy Pillow

i wonder what mama's did before there was boppy?!  this is the perfect pillow for nursing.  it's also great for tummy time, learning to sit up, and saturday morning concerts with daddy.

09. Charlie Banana Diapers

we love our cloth diapers!  we are saving a ton of money, keeping hundreds of diapers out of the landfill, and our little lady has never gotten a diaper rash.  i wrote a bit more about our cloth diaper experience here.  [first picture above is bum genius artist series.]

10. Bumbleride Flyer

this stroller is compatible with our car seat, which was great when she was teeny tiny.  it's lightweight and the handle is reversible so we can choose if she is facing us or facing out.  it reclines all the way back, which comes in handy when she falls asleep on walks.  we actually found this stroller on craigslist and got a great deal.  hopefully this helps a new mama or two!

congratulations to ali & nicolai!