Mommy MUST haves!

Ryan turned 5 months on March 1st and I cant believe that it has already been that long since he entered our family! There have been many wonderful moments, and many trying moments...and there are a few things that I wanted to tell you about that have saved me through this chaotic and memorable time.........I call them my Mommy MUST haves!

The first month with Ryan, I would not have survived without the swing. WE love the swing!!! All our naps were in the swing. Without this, there would have been no hot meals, no clean laundary, no naps for mommy and NO bathroom breaks. If Ryan wasnt in my arms...he was in the swing!

Next came the paci.....and not just ANY paci (cause we tried a few) the MAM paci! We had the Nuk, and he liked it at first...but once he gummed down on the MAM there was NO going back. I give credit to my somewhat peaceful nights to this little piece of rubber and plastic. Now, if only they would make a bottle nipple shaped like the MAM...I think we might be set.

Free entertainment....and I mean by this, the sisters! Not only is Ryan strong enough now that he can sustain his 8 year old sister carrying him around the living room, he is old enough now to enjoy it! She will pluck him out of his swing when he fusses, or out of his crib when he wakes from a nap, and the amazing thing here is...she wants to help me!!! Hailey, while not strong enough to pick up her 17 lb baby brother loves to play peek a boo with him, and tickle monster, and snuggles with him on the floor...her approach is much gentler then Gracie's, but just as much loved by the baby and her help is always appreciated by Mommy as well.

The infant car seat....not to be confused with the huge convertible one that comes later when the chunky little baby becomes too big for the one they came home from the hospital in. Im talking about the one that removes from its base and snaps into shopping carts, and strollers and carrys ackwardly on your hip all while your baby snoozes happily and undistrubed. This is also a GOD SEND..when your baby has reflux and cant tolerate laying flat without puking their stomache contents everywhere. Also handy, when their big sister shares their cold with them and they cant breathe through the nose unless they remain upright. Also handy when they start baby cereal and cant yet sit up on their own which renders the high chair useless (unless you count taking up space in your kitchen a use). True you could use the bouncy seat, but when the baby likes the food so much that they kick their legs in delight...it bounces the seat and that makes it hard to get the spoon in their little mouth without the danger of spoon being jammed into throat by the sudden jerking movement. Rubber coated utensil for their comfort or not...that would NOT feel good.

THE GRANDMA!!!!!!!!

Every mommy and new baby needs a grandma..although they can go by many names other than grandma...For example Mammy, Nanny, MawMaw, Memaw, Maema( We know one of those) Nana, Nah Nah and Nene (which would be OUR grandma). Nene is a savior! Ryan loves his Nene..and Mommy loves the Nene because she will not only happily hold with no time limits the grandbaby, but she also helps with the laundary and the dishes and WANTS TO! Plus, she truly understands how the Mommy feels, because she too has been there. So whatever they go by.....You gotta have one!!! If you dont have one, get one! No blood relation needed...there are several older women out there that love babies and are just waiting and wishing for a young mommy to grab hold of her cardigan sleeve, yank her to the closest rocker and plop the baby in their lap!

First picture is Ryan with his Nene...She lives in the same town as us, and we get to see her quite often. We are very lucky to have Nene around and we love her very much! The second picture is Ryan with his Great Grandma Mildred Patrick...Mommy loves GG so much, that she named him after her. Ryan Patrick. She unfortunately lives in Florida and due to her health is unable to travel up here to be with us, if she could though...she would be here in a heartbeat.

Back to our list...and naturally we lead into this next one as it pairs so well with the grandma...The rocking chair. This continues to be a great place to sit and feed the baby, and settle him down during a particular fussy moment. I couldnt find a picture of JUST the rocker, as it seems to always be occupied by someone with the baby...so I just picked one that happens to be one of my favorite pics (the corner of the rocker can be seen in the bottom right of the picture ;0P)

Last, and certianly not least.... our current favorite. This provides entertainment like the sissys do....except this one wasnt free. It was actually quite expensive...but the freedom it has brought, the skills it has helped develope, and the joy it brings to the baby, is well worth the $100 dollars in my humble opinion. The exersaucer....

The obvious must haves, like the diapers and the wipes, the ointment, the bottles (which he REFUSES) the breast pump.....the Daddy. Ive left off because like Ive said....they are obvious. So this is my list thus far..Hope you have enjoyed it.

If I were to create a WISH list for baby it would be..

A car seat that not only carrys the baby, but bears the blunt of their weight as well. 17 ISS heavy after awhile!

A Paci locator. You know those little buttons you can push on the base of your phone to find your cordless phone? I want one that locates the paci...or to be more exact..the 13 that are floating around my house SOMEHWERE.

A TRULY odorless diaper pail. The only odorless one I have seen yet is the one that hasnt been used.

An outfit that will fit the baby for more the 3 weeks. Shoes that does this would be nice as well.

While on the topic of feet...socks that actually stay on!

Last...but certianly NOT least.....

A book with all the answers that will grow with the child through the teen age years.