Best Toddler Purchases

It was difficult to narrow down, but here are my holy grail toddler items...

Native Jefferson Shoes - Evie's on her 6th pair👌
HM hoodies - we get a new one every 6 months, Evie loves hoods and pockets
Cat & Jack tees - the best cotton tees, we shop the boys and girls sections
Patagonia hat - this is the only way to keep her hair off her face (she hates ponies)
Moon and Back pajamas - thick, soft cotton that lasts forever
Thule stroller - we sold our UppaBaby stroller b/c we prefer this one so much more
Hiccapop travel bed - she sleeps great in this bed, we can use her regular sheets and it fits in the suitcase
LeapFrog phone - one of the few toys that she's played with for more than a month
Crayola Mess Free coloring - we're having a real Peppa moment and she loves to color with these markers
Playfoam - she's a crafty girl and this is great on flights

Window stickers - another flight essential - seriously, hours of entertainment!
Madeline book - Evie is constantly requesting this book, she obsessed with ambulances, hospitals, owies
Brown Bear book - she reads this book to us now!

Munchkin Trainer Cups - the only sippy cups we've ever use, started when she was 7 months old and still use today

Sound Machine - the only baby items we've used every single day for the past 2.5 years

Mother Load

I told myself I wasn't going to be that mom with baby crap all over the house. 

I remember thinking "who would ever need more than one stroller for one baby?" Well, I bought our second stroller at eight-weeks😳 It's difficult to know what you actually need and what will work for your baby. I ended up reading tons of reviews and crossing my fingers Evie would like the things I bought. Here are our hits and misses...

Hits:

1 | DockATot Deluxe is my #1 recommendation to any new mom. Sleep is everything and Evie sleeps so much better in her DockATot. She had a 2-night trial without the DockATot and it was horrendous! 

2 | Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs are necessary for any mom with a spitter. Evie spits up around the clock and we go through 5 burp clothes a day (on average). These burp clothes are thick and absorbent (and cute)!

3 | UppaBaby Mesa Carseat & Cruz Stroller system are so easy to use. Maneuvering a carseat and stroller is very awkward at first. It's a process to unfold the stroller, get the carseat from the car, and attach the carseat to the stroller. It feels like everyone is watching you. This system makes it much easier. Everything just clicks together. 

4 | Thule Urban Glide Jogging Stroller is such a smooth ride! Jogging with a baby really does require it's own stroller. I like the option to lock the front wheel, adjust the handlebar, and attach the carseat (with a separate adapter). Plus, it's durable. 

5 | UppaBaby Mesa Cabana seems like it wouldn't be necessary, but it is! Anytime Evie is in her stroller she has the cabana on. It protects her from sun, wind, rain, bugs, and strangers😊

6 | 4moms mamaRoo is a purchase I didn't want to make. I really wanted to avoid a swing. They take up so much space and they're such an eyesore. However, being hands-free is no longer something I take for granted. It's nice to put Evie down for awhile and have her occupied (she loves the mobile) or sleeping (she loves the motion and sounds). 

7 | Angelcare Baby Bath Support makes bath time a breeze. We bathe Evie every night as apart of her nighttime routine. We keep this seat in our utility sink in the laundry room so bath time is always ready to go and only takes a few minutes. 

8 | Dr Brown's Natural Flow Bottles are what we've use with Evie since week 1 and she's done great! It's annoying how many parts there are to clean, but Evie likes them and they don't leak!

Misses:

1 | Boppy Pillow was not necessary for me. I don't like using any support pillows while nursing. It was always in the way. I'm going to keep the pillow for now and see if Evie likes it for sitting or tummy time. 

2 | Moby Wrap was too much work. I felt claustrophobic when I wore this wrap and I was always a sweaty mess when I took it off. I borrowed it from my sister so I'm glad it wasn't a waste of money!

3 | Halo Sleep Sacks were a surprising miss for Evie. She loved to be swaddled, but she wiggled so much the sleep sack would end up near her mouth. We just stopped swaddling a couple weeks ago. She did much better with old school swaddle blankets.

Mother Load

Motherhood is the best, but this postpartum journey is a different story. It's uncharted territory for me, but it seems like once I overcome an obstacle there's a new one in its place. 

It took three weeks just to physically recover and be able to sit comfortably in a chair again. It took another three weeks for breastfeeding to be pain-free (we struggled with our latch on the left side). Now, I'm 10 weeks postpartum and still have to lose 11 lbs to return to pre-pregnancy weight😩 Unfortunately, I'm not one of those women who loses all the weight by breastfeeding. This is definitely more of a process than I expected.

It's difficult to focus on anything other than Evie. I'm preoccupied with baby thoughts - number of hours slept, amount of spit-up, last bowel movement, etc. However, I have realized the importance of taking care of myself. I'm trying to return to being a normal human. I'm very motivated to get back in shape. I'm exercising six days a week and eating a clean diet. I've started painting my nails again (which feels so good) and I actually finished a book for the first time in months😱

I'm definitely a work in progress, but this little babe really does make it all worth it...

Smiles for Daddy

Furrowed brow

Pensive 

Curious

Cheeky