life-savers

i need to note that we've been through A LOT of different accessories, as i like to call them. some were had-to-haves, and then a week or two later you were over them; other items we still use to this day. I'm sure items will be added to this list over time, but here are some of the must-haves in my opinion...

at one time or another, these items saved Momma's life:

balmex: so i know this is a weird one, but when you were about two/three weeks old you developed a bad diaper rash. i mean your bottom was raw! i cried the first couple times i changed you after it appeared. i felt so bad that you were experiencing pain at such a young age. like always, i researched the crap out of it and it was due to your body getting used to my milk/pooping all the time (breastfed babies poop more), plus something i might have ate -- needless to say, we tired every booty cream on the market and balmex worked the best! 

moby wrap: i was lucky enough to be handed-down two top-of-the-line carriers (ergo & bijorn) from a close family friend; however, after much research, and too many afternoons of you wanting to be carried around by me (and only me) while i needed to get chores done, i read that the moby wrap could be used to carry AND breastfeed, win, win!! it was about $40-$50 and i think i asked Dad if i could get it everyday for about two weeks. he finally caved...and while i didn't use this a lot (mostly because you switched your routine up and didn't care to be held all the time), you better believe the next baby will get his/her fair share of use out of it! i actually saw a lady in a store with her newborn wrapped snug in the moby and wished i had known about it sooner. it really is one of the best ways to carry a baby. 

ergo: right now [7-9 months, so far] this is what we have been using to carry you when necessary. it is comfortable and you seem to enjoy being in it too. this was one of the hand-me-downs i received, and it can be turned around where you kind of piggyback on my back. there is an updated version, ergo 360 i think, that i would probably want when we add a second baby ...just saying. anyways, i will put you in this (tummy to tummy) and it takes about 30 minutes and you are fast asleep. i think it mimics you being in my tummy. i would put you in this to lull you to sleep and then sloooowly slide you out, as to not wake you so i could get things done.

sophie the giraffe(s): i think these are must-haves on every baby registry, and they have definitely been favorites of yours at different times. both are teethers, you used the first one first. its easier to grasp and chew on; it wasn't until about 6 months that you found interest in the second [larger] sophie. i keep both of them in the diaper bag and pull them out when you are having a tantrum and you gnaw away on them.

wubbanub: aunt Mary gave you a wubbanub when you were a couple months old. i gave it to you and you had no interest in it so i put it away. when you were around 6 months old, i pulled it back out (you had learned to grasp objects by then) and you've been obsessed ever since! to be honest, i don't like the soothie paci on it - i read that it can give you buck teeth :/ but like i said, you are obsessed (Dada, we might need braces :) this is kind of mean, but i keep it in your crib (which you hate - the crib, that is; it is your own personal hell), along with Ovejito. i do this because they are your two favorite toys, and i want you to associate them with good...fun, awesome toys in an awful bed; hmmm, my crib might not be so bad after all. 

Stuffed animal from Target, we named him Ovejito (Spanish for little lamb): we were in Target one evening and i randomly grabbed this stuffed animal - it was literally the size of you at 7 months old - your eyes lit up and you reached for him and hugged him so hard. every time Dada and i showed you him you had the same reaction. it was love at first site! Dada didn't have the heart to take him away so he bought it for you. and that's when i knew you had Dad wrapped around your finger!! HA! you still have the same reaction when i pull Ovejito out of the crib (read story above). also, i named him Ovejito after the lamb on Sesame Street, Ovejita.

walker (without the toy bar :)): this single item literally SAVED MY LIFE! I'm not even joking! if i had to give up all the accessories this is the one i would cry over (and maybe the carriers). i didn't put the toy bar on it because i know you are way too advanced to be engaged by sometime so basic. you cruise the house with this, and it works perfectly because we don't have a big house, and its all hardwood floors, except for the rugs in your and my room, but that makes it so those rooms are off limits! and you can get some speed in this thing! i will put you in this in the morning, turn on some sesame street, baby gate the front steps, and pull the coffee table in front of the TV stand (because you like to play with the buttons on Dada's gaming systems and know how to eject the CDs -- i think its funny - Dad not so much). anyway, this is a life saver, and the one we currently use the most.