Picture update

If you have been feeling deprived of pictures of Sadie lately, I am here to remedy that.

 Little girl loves to hold/rub your hand

 this is from father's day after we go home from church

 she is awake a lot more and likes to play

A few pic ideas from pinterest:

Nursery Organization

When we got started on Sadie's room, the organization was almost as important to me as the decor. I used pinterest and blogs to help me figure out what I needed and ways to best organize all of the "stuff" that you have for a baby.

Dresser:

 I used a small glass bowl for her pacis

 

Since everything in her drawers is so teeny, I bought 2 of the Skubb box sets from Ikea to help keep all the little pieces where they need to be. 

On the right side:

1st drawer: I have wipes & diaper cream, diapers, boogie wipes & lotion, medicine, and grooming items  

2nd: pj's organized by size

3rd: onesies by size

On the left side:

1st drawer: swaddles and swaddle blankets

2nd: burp cloths and bibs

3rd: socks, mittens, tights

 In her closet, I used closet dividers from etsy.  Little girl has a lot of clothes!

 

 I also used a lot of baskets & boxes to keep everything together.
Bags, pump & blankets in the pink basket

Diapers organized by size

 

Exra sheets, changing pad covers, bows/headbands, hats/bloomers and shoes

 Extra feeding stuff

things for later

Crates for toys and books although we might end up needing more crates.

In the bathroom, I have a basket of toys & soap and then a stack of towels and wash cloths.

Current Favorites

We received a lot of gifts prior to Sadie's birth.  I registered for most of the things based on recommendations from friends or from researching online.  3 weeks in, these are my favorites so far (keep in mind we haven't even been able to use a lot of the stuff yet).

Fisherprice Snugabunny swing and Snugabunny bouncy seat
 I'm sure just one would suffice, but I like having options.  If she is not happy with one, the other will usually work to calm/entertain her.  The swing can be set up to go in different directions, has a moving mobile and also makes different noises. The bouncy seat vibrates and also makes noises.

Graco Pack n Play
The one we have has a "newborn napper."  We've been able to keep this in our bedroom and have a snug place for her to sleep at night.  We're using the Prince Lionheart Diaper Depot to keep essentials organized in our room for her (diapers, cream, pacis, etc).  It fits on the pack n play. 

Summer Infant SwaddleMe
We use these each night to turn little girl into a burrito baby and to protect her from her flailing arms.   These make it so easy because there are flaps with velcro. (Not a picture of my little girl, just the image from BRU)

 

Aden and Anais Swaddle blankets
These are great light weight blankets.  We will swaddle her with them sometimes during the day or use it as a cover up blanket.

Cloud-B Sleep Sheep
We also got the Graco Sound machine, but just haven't had as much of an opportunity to use it.  The sleep sheep has velcro on the back to attach to the crib, but so far we've mainly used it during the day.  The sound that lulls her to sleep/keeps her asleep is the sound of the mother's heart.

Baby feeding log app
I was having trouble remembering when/how long she ate, how long she slept and when she was changed (possibly due to a sleep deprived brain...)  I actually bought an itz been timer, but never could find it to log her info in when I needed it.  I found this app and love it.  I can locate my phone most of the time.

For travel, I've been able to use both of our strollers and they serve their purpose well.  They both work with our carrier, the Chicco Keyfit.

We have the BOB Revolution stroller for the neighborhood, walking outside and eventually running (when she is old enough for that).  If you buy the BOB, go ahead and get the single handlebar console so you will have a place for your keys, etc.

I leave the snap and go stroller in my car and have used it to go in stores and doctors offices.  It is quite a bit smaller so its easier to maneuver in smaller spaces.

Other essential items I've found are burp cloths and shout stain remover

Learning

We're 3 weeks into parenthood and I am learning new things daily:
*Time is measured elapsed, not time of day (ex: Sadie slept for 60 minutes vs Sadie slept from 2pm to 3pm)
*My list of things to accomplish is narrowed down to keeping baby happy/figuring out how to make baby happy..which leaves me sometimes trying to figure out how I spent the entire day
*Being the mother of a newborn is tiring.  The hours you lose at night are hard to make up during the day.
*Little bitty babies have a lot of things come out of their bodies...I have already been pooed, peed and spit up on many times. (Yes even little girls will pee on you).
*Showers and make up are a privilege...although showers may actually be a necessity (see above observation) you have to find time for them...
*At least one load of laundry is a daily necessity 

All of these things though pale in comparison to the other things that I am learning, I never knew:
*how much you could love something that is so tiny
*how happy it makes you when they want to hold your hand or actually make eye contact with you
*how perfect, beautiful and cute they are..yes, even when they are crying or it is 2 am
*how much team work is essential with your spouse
*how unfathomable motherhood is not matter how many books you read or what you hear in the 9 months leading up to it..the moment you finally meet your little person, your life changes

*how fulfilled your life becomes with this one tiny life

40 weeks/1 week

I promise at some point these posts about Sadie will slow down, but she is absolutely my world right now, so you get to read about her : )
 Today was actually Sadie's due date, so I thought I'd put up her growth (in my belly of course) over the past 40 weeks.  She is one week old today!

Sadie's Birth Story in Pictures