My Favorite Youtube Families to watch

Let's be honest with ourselves. Most of us enjoy some reality TV every now and again. The unfortunate thing is that a majority of reality shows are no more real than the boobs, face and ass of reality whore Heidi Montag. Who is that you ask? Good she's not relevant anymore. 

Anyways, I discovered some actually really interesting content on Youtube quite a few years back. Vlogs. A video blog. For the older folks, it is somebody that carries a camera around with them and records their lives then uploads it to Youtube. The best reality TV and with no commercials. 

I used to watch about 5-6 different vloggers but now that I had Inga I tend to gravitate more towards family related vlogs. 

Here are some of my favorite Youtube families that do a daily vlog. 

1. SacconeJolys

This is probably one of my current favorite families to watch. They are a young married couple from Cork, Ireland and they do daily vlogs. There is Anna, Jonathan, their daughter Emilia, and their 6 maltese dogs. Yes I said 6. I started watching them when Anna was still pregnant with Emilia and they became quite a bit more popular when they vlogged her birth. Now Emilia is 16 months old and they are pregnant again at around 30 weeks. I find them entertaining to watch because they are genuinely sweet and goofy folks and it is also interesting to see the norms of raising a child in a different country. The downside to the couple is the comments. Talk about buzz killingtons. Apparently this couple is very polarizing to some and they are even a huge topic on a terrible website called Guru Gossiper. This website is mainly a bunch of younger to middle-aged women that basically bash people they don't like and call it gossip. Seems like "cyber-bullying" to me. If I didn't like somebody or thought they were disgusting humans on this planet, do you think I am going to waste my time watching their vlog? Apparently these lovely ladies do. If you want to watch them, I suggest to not even look in the comments because it can be pretty depressing. Don't try to stick up for the couple either and just enjoy them for what they are. 

2. ItsJudysLife

This is another young couple that are based on the Seattle, Washington area. Judy's family is from the Philippines and Benji's family is partially from Japan. I really enjoy watching them because they are just so cute together and they try to live a fairly crunchy lifestyle. They have really taken to heart the idea of a daily vlog and they will not edit their lives to make it seem perfect. They have their trials and tribulations like we all do and they are not afraid to hide it. Judy has a VERY successful beauty channel called ItsJudyTime and she just started vlogging as a side project. They have a daughter Julianna about the same age as Emilia and she is just a peanut. Judy is also currently pregnant with twin girls and they are due around the same time as Anna from the SacconeJolys. One thing I enjoy with this vlog is the integration of their families. Judy has such a HUGE family and they are always hanging out and spending time together. Benji is a foodie and is always talking about food. Sometimes a bit more than I care for and that says a lot since I love talking about food too. Benji is a bit polarizing as well and people tend to love him or hate him. I catch myself occasionally skipping his parts and moving forward. It's not that I don't like him, he just has a confidence about him I find grating at times..(flexing on the camera....or being the organic Nazi he is). 

If you want to see a fun family and see the family practically double in a short while, I would give them a chance. 

Here is an honorable mentions of a vlog that I will randomly watch:

Shaytards

I used to watch this family every single day. They are a huge Mormon family from Idaho and they are probably the most carefree personalities ever. They have 5 children now and they are both so in love with each other it is crazy. The unfortunate thing as a viewer is that Shay , the father, became such a huge success that they moved to LA (like so many other Youtubers do) and now the dynamic has changed a bit. They used to do things with their family and now they have so many Youtube channels it's kind of ridiculous. They have like 4 channels with just them but the mom, Colette, is on her own channel and on a Mommysview channel. It kind of takes away the authenticity of what people started watching them for. If you are looking for a fun occasional vlog I would check them out. Shay is just crazy and I wish I could be as care free about life as they are.

Vlogs are meant to just be entertaining and fun. Some people take way too much stock in somebody else's life that might live across the world. Do you get emotionally involved with the Kardashians when you watch KUWTK? Oh shutup, you know you watch it. 

What are some of the different vlogs that you like to watch? Comment below so I can add some new ones to my list. 

Are you Crunchy or Just Plain Crazy?

Being "crunchy" can be a good thing. You have made the decision to live a more natural lifestyle for yourself and your child. You try to keep as many chemicals away from your child that are not necessary and try to keep things more simple. It can also be completely and absolutely ridiculous. Have you ever heard of "Elimination Communication?" Oh you haven't?? Look it up. 

This post is just about Crunchy Products. I might do separate posts regarding a crunchy lifestyle with your child, but she is still a bit young. 

As I have stated in previous posts, we are fairly crunchy. I suppose you could say we are Crunch Lite. Diet Crunch. Crunch Zero. We made the decision to be crunchy because I have lots of skin sensitivities and allergies and she could possibly be the same. There was no, "Well I think this will make us better parents than you."

The main difference between a Crunchy parent and a Crazy Crunchy parent is whether or not you are willing to be realistic. A Crunchy Parent knows when convenience beats out being able to tell people that you are completely crunchy. 

There is an episode of South Park called Smug Alert where Kyle's dad buys a Prius and therefor thinks he is better than everybody else He had such a smugness about himself that he would bend over and smell his own farts. This is what Crazy Crunchy parents remind me of. They feel so pious and righteous that they chose this route and you didn't so that makes them better than you. They are what my dad and I like to call "Virtue Sluts." 

Being crunchy doesn't have to take a lot of time or money. It can be simple changes that can really make a difference. Instead of using the cheapest of something, read the ingredients and go with the better quality. Even though Johnson & Johnson is the go to brand for babies, there are many other options out there with more quality ingredients that don't break the bank. 

Johnson and Johnson Bedtime calming lotion:

Water, Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-6, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Sodium Citrate, Stearyl Alcohol, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Lotion:

Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe) leaf juice extract, Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Aspalathus linearis (organic rooibos) extract, Calendula officinalis (organic calendula)flower extract, Olivoyl hydrolyzed oat protein, Cetearyl alcohol, Glyceryl oleate, Glyceryl stearate, Kosher vegetable glycerin, Vanilla planifolia (organic vanilla) fruit extract, Butyrospermum parkii (organic shea) butter, Citrus sinensis (organic sweet orange), Xanthan gum

Wouldn't you rather put the item on your baby where you can pronounce all of the ingredients? 

We use diapers that are made with fewer chemicals, perfumes, and dyes. We use Earth's Best and Bambo diapers. Bambo was named the greenest disposable and is completely hypoallergenic. These diapers are a little bit more money than regular Huggies or Pampers, but if there is one crunchy item you could spend money on, it would be diapers. 

We wanted to use cloth diapers, but only if I was going to be a stay at home mom. We barely remember to do our own laundry so I don't see washing diapers every 2 days realistic for us. I also couldn't find a daycare around here that allowed cloth diapers

either. Think about it, those diapers are on your babies bottom 24/7 so don't you want to keep as many chemicals away from soaking into your babies skin. Disposable diapers were invented only back in 1948, so what the heck did our grandparents use? Cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are for convenience and are not required to be able to raise a baby. At least that is the way I think about it. Cloth diapers weren't for us, but that didn't mean we weren't going to try and get the next best thing. 

Another item that we wanted to be as crunchy as possible on was our wipes. You are wiping these all over their bodies so we wanted to get something fairly chemical free. We use DermaH20 Water Wipes. They are made in Ireland and they are 99.9% water. Now a very crunchy parent might use cloth wipes with either bottled water or a solution of essential oils. We had planned to use cloth wipes for when she switches to solids and her poo is more firm, but the water wipes are just so great we don't really feel the need. We use the cloth wipes we bought for when we give her a bath. Etsy is a great place to find cloth wipes, if this is a route you want to take. 

A big ticket crunchy item would be diaper cream. Desitin is like a crazy crunchy parent's nightmare. They might run away screaming if you come towards them with it. The reason they respond like this is the Zinc Oxide. The Zinc Oxide is what repels the moisture from your babies bottom therefore keeping diaper rash either at bay or resolving it. Apparently there have been studies stating that some chemicals can soak into the babies skin. It also is very hard to wash off so Crunchy parents that use cloth diapers can't use Zinc Oxide as it makes the diapers non-absorbent. 

We didn't really care about the Zinc oxide so much as just the chemicals in general. We use the Grovia Magic Stick. I mention this in my Newborn Essentials Post and I have to say that everybody that has used it mentions how ingenious it is as a product. Use it every diaper change and she is 4 months old and never had diaper rash. 

Laundry detergent is another area where you can crunchify your life. If you are concerned about allergies or if your baby has sensitive skin this would be an area to focus on. We use a biodegradable and hypoallergenic laundry soap and it actually works really well. We use Charlies Soap for all of her laundry loads. Rockin' Green is also another great laundry detergent specifically made for cloth diapers, but can be used for baby clothes in general. It is a bit more expensive and this is the detergent that a Crazy crunchy parent would say in a smug tone," Oh...you don't use Rockin' Green? That's unfortunate." 

There are also some items that you really can't go partially crunchy on. They are pretty much all or nothing. 

Breastmilk - I might do an entirely separate post on breastmilk, but this is definitely an item that is crunchtastic. I am proud pumper and I will pump until I can pump no more! Formula is not the same and those that say it is are naive. This is probably one of the few items that we are Crazy Crunchy about and don't mind saying it. 

Bottles - All bottles are legally supposed to be BPA free now so unless you want to be crazy crunchy and use like glass or steel bottles, you should be good to go. 

Clothes - Ooooh this is Organic cotton..that means it's better right? Psch I don't know but I do know an organic cotton onesie on Amazon is like $30. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Vaccines - It is entirely your prerogative on whether or not to give your child vaccines and this is quite a controversial crunchy topic. I don't have a dog in this horse race so I don't have much to say about it. All I know is that Jenny McCarthy waged a whole vaccine war using her "autistic" son who she just came out and said was never autistic...

Leave a comment on some of the items that you use that make you crunchy!

Alternatives to Baby Girl Clothing

Tulle and pink and sparkle oh my!
Anybody that knows me knows that you are not likely to see me in anything sparkly, pink, or generally very girly. I tend to gravitate towards a more neutral boring style of clothing.

If sweatshirts and jeans constitute a "style." This isn't a bashing of all those adorable girls that are dressed very girly, but rather just giving my experience with dressing my daughter and some tips if you are the same way. 
I had made the decision early on in my pregnancy that I wanted to dress Inga as my little hipster baby and try to stay away from the Disney characters and overtly girly items. Being as tall as I am, I can't always dress in the styles that I would prefer to wear, simply because they don't fit. I wanted her to look like a little adult or have clothes that could span different outfits and styles. This came as a surprise to many and was answered with scoffs and eye rolls. "But she is a girl! She has to wear pink!" Who says.....?
Some would just choose to ignore me and would instead buy me something super girly and pink just because they thought it was cute. 
"Muhaha now she has to wear pink and sparkles!" 
*sigh* Don't get me wrong. If somebody is going to GIVE me clothing for free from their baby, I will more than likely have her wear it, but why would you buy something for me that is what I already said I don't really want her to wear? Would you buy a clothing item for a friend that you knew they didn't like, but YOU liked to see them in it? Not if you expect them to ever wear it....
I just find black ballet flats with cuffed jeans to be more adorable on a baby/toddler than pink ruffle butt leggings, a tulle skirt, and pink sparkle boots. To each their own. 

I don't see why a baby can't be stylish and cute but not look like a sparkle monster threw up on them. 
Here are some tips if you have the same idea as me regarding dressing your baby.


1. Don't ignore the boys section. For some super girly moms, this may be hard. There are some great neutral finds in the boys section that could look great on your daughter. I have gotten quite a few different  items that are technically boy clothes. Who says that blue, grey, and black are only for boys. I personally love seeing Inga in grey. That is kind of my go-to color for her. It looks great and you are able to give her a pop of another color with fun socks or head band. Here are some great boy finds I recently got. You could get a button shirt that is way too big for her and have her wear it as a shirt dress with some leggings. Just tie a ribbon or head band around the waist for a belt. ADORABLE!


2. Clearance! I have recently discovered the awesomeness of buying clearance for next year. I bought her an adorable pea-coat for $13 for next winter as well as some other sweaters that I just was not willing to pay more than $7 for. I am super cheap in general and will never buy clothing at full price. The nice thing about wanting to dress Inga differently is that most don't share my opinion so a lot of it ends up on clearance. Buying in clearance also ties into my next idea of buying for multiple outfits or repurposing. 

3. Buy for multiple outfits/Repurposing. The button shirt from the boys section is a great example of repurposing. Toddler sized shirts can be adorable dresses for younger babies. The key is to get pieces that can be used in multiple outfits. Most times, baby clothes come in a full outfit with pants and top. And usually they just go with each other. I don't think Disney character ruffle pants go with a plain yellow cardigan. It just leaves you limited. Try to buy simple items and you will see how you are able to use them in many different outfits. I bought solid color leggings and jeggings that she can wear with practically any top no matter the color or design. I bought lots of sweatshirts for her to wear instead of constantly living in footie pajamas because sweatshirts can be dressed up with a pair of jeggings and little fur boots. Footies can't. This is also a great way to save money and keep the wardrobe smaller since you are able to have pieces span multiple outfits. 

4. Pink can be cute and stylish. I know, I know, I said I don't like pink. Let me be a bit more specific. I don't like pink that is accompanied with flowers, hearts, glitter, butterflies galore. Using pink as the focal color can be really adorable, but when it is pink with glitter purple flowers, with a phrase about princesses and lace bottom leggings, it just takes away from how gorgeous your baby is. Everybody should be staring at your daughter's beautiful face, not her spastic outfit. Try a cute pink cardigan with a white onesie and black leggings or jeggings. Maybe a grey sweatshirt and jeans with pink socks. 

5. Headbands can make the outfit. Some of the outfits I have put together for Inga could make it difficult for some to know that she is a girl. Head bands can solve that issue but for crying out loud, she doesn't have to have a head band that makes it look like she has a weird growth on the side of her head. It goes back to what I said before. Everybody should be looking at your gorgeous daughter's face and not the sparkly flower the size of a basketball on her dome. Head wraps are absolutely adorable and beyond stylish. You can pick a cute pattern and have that be the accent in her outfit. She could wear a cute light pink polka dot head wrap with a simple solid colored sweater or cardigan and pants. Here are a couple Etsy sites that have head wraps and bows that I absolutely LOVE! 

Go to Little Winter Shop on Etsy to get head wraps just like the one on this little adorable nugget here! Oh gosh I can't stand it!

Go to AndySachs4 on Etsy for more head wraps. I bought some from here and they are really nice quality!




6. Holidays don't have to mean dresses. If you live in a cold weather state like me in Minnesota, you wonder why people would ever subject their baby to having to wear a dress in the cold. We tried doing a dress on Inga and that damn tutu was all up in her business constantly. I changed her into a cute grey sweater with white stars on it. Perfection. Why spend $20+ on a dress that she will only be able to wear once, and instead get her cute pieces that she can wear all winter? Saves you money and also gives her wardrobe some legs.

What are some of your tips and opinions on dressing little girls? Leave some comments. 

Yay Poop!

I will let you know now, there is going to be a lot of poop talk. If that makes you uncomfortable, just make sure to share the post and then move along *wink wink*

If you dread the idea of changing a diaper or having to deal with poop when your baby comes, just you wait. Some weird chemical process happens in your brain and once that baby comes, poop is like the most fascinating thing ever...seriously. Inga is almost 4 months old and every time she poops, my husband and I both yell, "Yay Poop!" and immediately both go change her. He changes her and I examine the diaper. Is that weird? We both have decided that it is partially because we want her to be happy after that hard work, but also it ultimately means she is healthy and eating. 

We have both had family and friends come up after holding her and say sarcastically, "I have some bad news, I think she pooped." That's not bad news. That's GREAT news!

If you have even an ounce of neurotic tendency like I do, you will probably be the same. When you are still in the hospital, the staff suggest keeping a log of pees and poops and eating until they can really get into a routine. We still log 4 months later and we love it. With those logs, you are always able to bring that to the doctor to show them and you are also able to keep a record of when they start changing their poop routine. When the poop routine changes, it is not really a happy day from both parties. We are anxiously waiting an explosion and Inga get's annoyed because she wants to poop. 

Your baby is going to go from having poop in almost every diaper to pooping a couple times a day and then down to once a day. Then you are going to have a day where you have to refer back to your log (see! they are awesome) and check if they even pooped today. Uh oh........not necessarily. Breastfed babies can go up to 3 days without pooping. Inga didn't poop for 5 days right when we brought her home. This is because they are getting so many nutrients from your colostrum and your initial milk, there really isn't much need to have a poop. Her body also has some serious adjusting to do. Your baby can't push their own poop out initially so they have to wait for it basically to come out. How frustrating is that?! Try going to sit on the pot, but you can't push at all. 

I can't really give any advice regarding formula fed poop since she was only on formula for about a week, but I do know that her poop was different during that week. It smells more and is darker in color. This could be because formula takes longer to digest than breastmilk. As a result, you could be feeding your baby more often if you are breastfeeding. 

One great difference between formula fed poop and breastfed poop....constipation. It would be extremely rare for a breastfed baby to get constipated. 

Breastfed poop is fascinating itself. Who knew a baby could poop out mustard yellow poop with seedy looking things in there. What are those seedy looking things? Are they baby seeds? Is that how you grow babies? Are there seeds in my milk? No idea, but at least it doesn't stink. Don't get me wrong. Breastfed poop has an aroma, but it doesn't smell bad at all and it still doesn't. 

If I could give you one bit of advice regarding babies pooping....bicycle kicks. They are the best thing since sliced bread. We do bicycle kicks and knee tucks whenever she is a bit poo fussy. I lay her on my lap and start to do bicycle kicks and then will randomly tuck her knees up into her chest. Those knee tucks will unleash farts from the depths of her bowels and make her feel so much better. Now we can do bicycle kicks/knee tucks if she is fussy and it instantly makes her happy and smiley. 

Pets & Babies can go together like Peas & Carrots

Most couples have dogs. Or pets in general. I read an article that said that most couples my age start with dogs as their "first born children". Elsa is definitely our first born. Yes, we had two cats first, but they don't count. Cats can be fairly self reliant so it is just not the same. 

This might not be so much about advice to introducing pets to babies, but rather what we didn't do and how it all played out. 

When I was pregnant, we had plenty of people that seemed concerned about how our dog Elsa or our cats would adjust to having a baby around. I usually just dismissed it as my hormones did not like advice at that time. "Don't tell me how to raise my family, " my hormones would rant. Looking back now with some sanity, I was a maniac in regards to that information. I will declare that I am an animal nut case. I love animals. I would rather spend time hanging out with animals than people so those comments really hit my hormones hard. 

We were told of how a cousin of a friend of a friend had a cat that smothered their baby to death. This usually comes from people that have never owned a cat. Most cats probably would think, "Hmmm a really loud smelly object is coming into the house. I don't want to go by that thing." The idea that a cat would come and lay by the baby to smother is an old wives tale that dates back to the Salem Witch Trials to say that the cat was trying to steal the babies soul. I am happy to say that Inga is soulful and happy when the cats come around. 

I decided to buy a book and read up on introducing your dog to a new baby. Elsa is a bulldog and has a tendency to forget how strong she is and the cats are huge and have a tendency to forget that they weigh 20 pounds. 

The book said to bring home a blanket after she was born and have the dog smell it. Didn't do it. When introducing the dog and the baby, the dog should be on a leash. Didn't do it. The dog should be kept out of the nursery to establish boundaries. Didn't do it. 

Anybody want to buy a book??

One thing we did was that when we bought our pack n' play for the bedroom, we set it up immediately to make sure the cats would become acquainted with it by the time Inga came. Our one cat, Boo, was somewhat interested and jumped in a couple times but after we put in the dreaded CAN O' PENNIES it was done. No more jumping in there. We also left the car seat sitting around the house and after a couple corrections from our other cat, Gus, he no longer tries to lay in there. Not that we thought that he would try to lay in there with her in it, but more so about the hair. 

So let's get to how they have reacted now that she is home. Let's just say that we were SHOCKED by how our little children responded.

Let's start with the middle child, Boo. He is a fairly normal cat. Sweet, snuggly and somewhat cautious. He just weighs about 20 pounds. His reaction to Inga was pure indifference and still is 4 months later. The first couple days that she was home, he just slept downstairs probably thinking that this screaming thing will leave in a couple days. Once he realized that she wasn't going anywhere he started sleeping upstairs again and could care less about her. He may get a sniff here and there but he really doesn't even care. 

Then there is Gus. He has boundary issues to put it lightly. He is the sweetest cat with a heart of gold, but like my Dad says....he is just dumb. He jumps and climbs on everything and tries to race you to whatever room you are going to. And he will trip you to get there first. We were not as concerned about him just because he has been around kids before and he didn't even care when they yanked on his tail. Just like Boo, he is totally indifferent towards her. Even more so than Boo. His demeanor has not changed at all. 

As long as your cat is not an asshole, I think you would be fine with them around. Most cats don't like hanging around loud noises and most will just avoid it based on what we have seen. 

Now let's move on to our first born, Elsa. We had a plethora of opinions regarding Elsa and I am glad to say she put all of them to shame. Some people were concerned that she would snap and bite her face off because she is a bully breed. I don't think we could have asked for a better reaction out of her. Pure love and admiration. All she wants to do is lick her to death, which we don't allow. We let her lick her feet but not her hands and her face. She simply adores her and follows us to whatever room she is in. Have to go change her diaper? Make sure to be aware that Elsa has followed you in her room and is laying down right behind you. She has even made the decision herself that when Inga is in the bed hanging out with us, she will sleep on the floor. We did not train that. It is just a respect thing. Now, I am not sure if this is from her training as a puppy or what but ever since Elsa was a puppy she won't sleep on my side of the bed. Even when I would travel for work, she would not sleep there. As the alpha-female, she respects my space and she has already learned to respect Inga's space. 

In the end, we have the happiest family with lots of animals and they all get along. I think if you raise your dog properly to be low in the pack totem pole, they will have no reaction to another pack member. They know they have no authority so they just let it happen. As soon as Inga can use her hands like a normal person, we will have her feed Elsa by hand as well. This will help with bonding them together and let's Elsa learn that Inga will be a provider for her and not a play toy. 

With cats, we might have just been lucky or else we prepared them properly for when the baby came. Try to setup as much baby furniture as possible before the baby comes so you can allow the cats to become accustomed to it. You don't want to setup the crib the day the baby comes home because the cats will just want to climb all over it. If your cat is not a dick, they should be fine with the baby because the baby smells like you and the cats like you, right?

How did your pets respond to a new baby or comment on what you did to introduce your pets to your baby. 

So you want to be a Pinterest Parent?...Nailed it!

You know what I am talking about. Those Pinterest posts regarding babies and nurseries that are just so effin' cute, you can hardly help but wish you could be their child. 
Pinterest can be an amazing place for those pregnant days when you can't stop thinking about babies and you have made the decision that you are going to be the "quirky crafty mom". It can also set a standard that nearly no mother can feasibly meet. I can't even tell you how many hours were used up scrolling through to get the most perfect inspiration picture of how I wanted Inga's bedroom to look. 

Like I said, Pinterest can be a blessing and a curse. It is entirely up to you how dedicated you want to be to become that Pinterest parent you so desperately desired to be in the early months. I took the leap to become that Pinterest Parent initially by purchasing my first chevron fabric. I think that is when you can safely say you are addicted to Pinterest. Do you have chevron in every room? 
But now that she is actually here I shake my head at some of the ideas Pinterest puts in the head of first time mothers. 

Sometimes you get your "Nailed it" moments where you just can't understand why your Christmas picture just won't look like the one you pinned. But then you get moments of sheer gloriousness when you swear that the photos you framed above her crib could be in Better Homes and Gardens. It's that damn awesome. You need to be willing to take the good with the bad and remember that it is ultimately going to be a bedroom for a CHILD. So don't be spending a buttload of money on something that is purely visual or something that will break if you look at it funny. 

For example, one of my projects was to make a mobile for above her bed. I hated the ones from the store because I just couldn't find one that worked for my "vision". I kept seeing these adorable bird mobiles on Etsy and Pinterest and I thought that $350 was a bit steep for some branches and fabric birds. I figured I could make one of those myself with some FREE sticks from outside. Who knew branches were free. I bought some birds from Crafts Direct for $10 and stole some really high test fishing line from my tackle box. It was cake to put together but then I felt like an idiot for about an hour shifting the fishing line a millimeter at a time until it was level. Looking back now 3 months, it is an adorable mobile for her room and it looks great on Pinterest but I still went to Target and got a $10 musical mobile that she actually looks at instead. That and the dog barks every time that "epic" mobile even moves. 

I didn't really have many other projects for her so much as I had designing left to do. The area that I really wanted to get right was the changing table. I knew I wanted the IKEA Hemnes dresser because I am over 6 feet tall and it is the perfect height. It is also the dresser that pretty much every Pinterest changing table picture uses. I also knew I wanted to repurpose a wood crate from our wedding for her room and I thought that using it as a shelf would work great. I found some pins of others using the same crate in bathrooms for towels so I thought it would look pretty cool. And it did! It is great to have out so we don't have to open a drawer to get out a diaper. That crate was definitely a successful Pinterest Nailed it moment!

When the entire room was finished, I was rather pleased with myself. It definitely felt Pinterest worthy at that point. When you have a "vision" of how you want something to look, there is always going to be a time where it doesn't turn out that way. That happens to me a lot. I guess I have delusions of grandeur a bit. Inga's room actually turned out exactly how I wanted it to look. Since the pictures I am posting, I have made a few additions. I have added a cube bookshelf next to her chair for all the baby books I had when I was in school for teaching. 

The door is like a hundred years old and came from the first house from my family when they moved to Minnesota so it has some sentimental value. I also thought it added to the "Shabby Chic" Pinterest requirement. I have noticed that almost every Nursery Pinterest pin has some item that really contributes nothing to the room other than making it look extravagant. But I suppose that is design, right? When she gets older I will probably put some hooks on it for coats. But more than likely it will just become in the way and will have to leave. 
You can also see how pretty, yet pointless that mobile is. 

I bought the ottoman at Wal-mart for $15 and painted it purple with fabric paint. This was a half-ass Pinterest fail as the fabric is now sticky and shiny. But it would require us to sit in that chair in order for me to be annoyed enough with it. 

So ultimately Pinterest can be used as a tool for good and evil. It is good for inspiration and something to help make the pregnancy go by a bit faster. It is also evil for all those times when you know you should be working and you keep saying to yourself, "When I get to the bottom of the page, I will get back to work."......but the bottom never comes. 

Comment on what are some of the Pinterest pins you tried and failed gloriously at and what are some that worked great for you.

The Torment that is...Cradle Cap

Maybe torment is a strong word, but cradle cap sucks. Inga had/has a very mild case of and thank god she has lots of hair to make it not so conspicuous.
My first bit of advice is that if you feel your child might have cradle cap would be to Google it. You will feel so much better about your child's few flakes when you see what some "parents" allow their child's head to accumulate to. My husband thought that Inga's was really bad and would tell other people how terrible it was until I showed him that which is the horror of Google Images. 
Cradle cap can be a confusing issue to deal with and I was given many different conflicting responses from people on how to fix it. First I was told that it is dry skin attaching itself to her oily scalp so you should wash her hair daily. But then, my doctor said that it is basically dandruff from dry skin and I should only wash her hair twice a week at most. Well what is it?! Is it oily skin or dry skin??? I still don't really know to this day. But I do know that the steps I took to get rid of it worked like a charm and it hasn't come back. 
One of the things that I did try that just wasn't cutting it was the crazy French Mustela Stelaker Cream. By French I mean that there are like 2 words on the bottle in English. This totally satisfied my yuppy bigger is better parenting style. I mean it's French....it has to be good right? For all I know it could have been my severe cheapness by not putting enough on her scalp since it is flipping expensive or just my patience with not sticking with it. It said to put it on her overnight and then give her a bath in the morning. Instead I put it on during the day and then gave her a bath at her normal time at night. Maybe french people give baths to babies in the morning, but I don't know many moms here that do. The stuff smells like chemicals and it made her hair pretty gross looking. Anyways, it may work for you but it just wasn't really up my alley. 

The steps that I took to get rid of it spanned over about a week and I stress that Inga's was really mild so it might take a few more "treatments" for your child. This Safety 1st Grooming Kit has the two different brushes that I used on her. 


- First I would take one of her little combs from the grooming kit and when she was sleeping I would lightly drag the comb along her scalp. I would separate her hair and drag it along the flakes to loosen them. This worked better than I even anticipated since it removed almost all of the flakes. I did this randomly over a few days and she would never wake up from me doing this. That is how lightly you push that little comb back and forth. 

- The next step that I did was to be done in the bath tub. You can use any kind of oil you want, but I just used some baby oil that was sitting in the bathroom already. You could use coconut or olive oil if you are feeling flashy. I took a very small amount of oil and put it on her scalp all over and I let it sit while I washed the rest of her body and face. Now if you are as blessed as me to have your child love the bath then this will be pretty darn easy. But if you have a child that wants to vomit and scream if they even see water, you might have a bit of an ordeal on your hands. 

- After I let the oil sit for a bit, I took the bristle brush from the grooming kit I mentioned and just moved it around her head in circular motions. No need to push at all...don't need to create anymore soft spots. Once I did that I washed her hair. This part got to be a bit obnoxious. Make sure you get all the oil out of their hair unlike me! I washed her hair like I normally would and when it started to dry I noticed it was still oily so I had to wash it again on the dining room table. This could be because the soap-free shampoo that I use is not strong enough or doesn't have enough of that oil fighting power that something that is all delicious and chemically might. 
So after I washed her hair again and let it dry, all the flakes were gone and those little buggers have not been back since!

What did you do to get rid of your childs cradle cap?

The Minimalist Approach to the Hospital Bag

Ok, I get. You want to be prepared for every possible situation at the hospital. You don't want to leave any situational stone unturned. But do you really need to bring your entire stereo system for relaxation and your entire bedding set for comfort?
I am a planner and so is my husband. He will pretty much bring a backpack full of "survival essentials" everywhere we go and I will admit that we totally over packed for the hospital. We brought water, computers, clothing options, books. I think I saw our cat in one of the bags at some point. 
I am going to go through some of the items that we couldn't have lived without and those that we really didn't need. 
First, let me give you a few tips in regards to the bags. 
- Leave them in the car at first. You will need to be admitted and will have to go to triage first for them to verify you are going into labor. These rooms are usually very small and don't allow for all your baggage. 
- Have your SO go get the bags after you have been admitted and they are transferring you to the labor room or if there is any down time in between. 
- You will be going home with a lot more stuff than you came in with so try to accommodate that in your existing bags. Guests will bring gifts and the hospital gives you anything that isn't linen to take home. So reach deep down for those hotel item stealing skills and take anything you can get. Trust me, they don't care. 

So for the items that we really could not have lived without. 
- Camera! Make sure to bring a good camera and not just your phone. We took way too many pictures and you don't want to be sitting there for a great shot and your phone says it ran out of room. Plus, it is easier to give somebody a camera to take a picture. "How do I zoom on this phone???!!!"
- Phone Charger - You will be in the hospital a couple days so don't forget this one.
- Cash/Credit card - You will get room service and be treated like a goddess and your husband will have to drag his ass down to the cafeteria and pay like the rest of the peasants if he wants anything to eat. Otherwise, you can be mislabeled as a fat cow and just order enough for both of you for the room service. It certainly didn't bother me. 
- A Pen and Paper - It sounds so stupid and the hospital will probably give it to you but this ended up being awesome. Instead of using it for all the "thank yous" those other packing lists tell you to use it for, my husband used it as a play-by-play. When we got admitted and put in our delivery room, he started recording times for when certain things happened. First contraction I had, first time I punched him in the face...you know stuff like that. It will end up being something pretty cool to have in their baby book later on. 
- Underwear - You really only need ONE pair of underwear and that is to go home. All those lists saying that you need a new pack to wear everyday....whatever. You are so tired and worn out, you don't care that you are wearing hospital undies. And those hospital undies are not half bad. 
- Clothes - You could technically wear the clothes that you wore to the hospital since when you leave you will pretty much still look 6 months pregnant but that is your prerogative. I just brought a pair of yoga pants, a nursing cami, and a flannel button up shirt. 
- An outfit for baby - You need to bring an outfit for baby to wear since the hospital doesn't let you take anything linen from them. So if they gave you a shirt, they will yank that shirt off baby so fast your head will spin. Depending on the time of the year I would just bring a onesie and a pair of socks. Yes mom, I said socks. 
- Headband or Hair binder - You might have gone to the hospital with your hair down and lovely and styled. You will want to put it up and you might not have one handy. 
- Carseat - Hospital holds baby hostage without it. Can't leave. 

Items that we really didn't need to bring
- Reading material - If the baby is not attached to your boob, you will either have guests or you will be sleeping. No time to read. 
- Extra clothes - You will be too sore or pooped out to put on anything other than the hospital gown and the robe they give you. But some people need to feel or look better so they change right after. I wore the gown and robe and felt fine. And it was easy access for their constant pestering crotch checks so if you do bring extra clothes, bring a dress. 
- Makeup - Really?? I brought some with the delusion that I would put some on if somebody came to visit. Did I care at that point? Ummm hell no. The only reason I could see bringing makeup and actually putting it on would be if you were having hospital pictures taken. Otherwise, it really is just silly and just making it harder on yourself to relax and recover. 
- Extra Pads - This is one of those items that the hospital willingly gives you and allows you to take home. Take advantage of them. They are nice, big and comfortable. Well as comfortable as a diaper can be I suppose. 
- Downtown Situation goodies - I brought items that helped with the healing downtown if I tore or for when I was sore. Didn't need them at all. Didn't even open them. Didn't even use them when I got home. The hospital should give you a pack of Witch Hazel wipes for soothing and they tell you to take baths a lot to soak. Still haven't used them, but not sure if that would make a good gift to a friend....Hey you! Here is some cream and spray for your crotch and butt....Hmmm. 
- Food - I suppose you can bring some snacks for your husband or you, but to be honest, food is the last thing on your mind. You will need to remind yourself that you need to eat after you just pushed a watermelon out of a lemon hole. Gotta recoup to prepare for the next 18 years. Otherwise, the cafeteria has snacks and so does that lovely room service I mentioned before. 
- Toilet Paper from Home - We didn't bring this but I read it in a lot of different packing lists. Who in their right mind is wiping their crotch after having a baby? The hospital gives you a lovely peri bottle that is used to squirt warm water instead. Use it. Even if it seems weird. Use it and then maybe use the toilet paper to dab. But for crying out loud, don't bring toilet paper from home. The nurses will think you are a crazy bag lady. 

Please leave comments of the items you could not have lived without when you gave birth or the items you never used. I would love hear them. 

The REAL Newborn Essentials

First things first. Every parent will feel that they need an item more than another parent. These are the items that we felt we needed and it's on you if you feel you need more. 
One of the first bits of advice I can give is to pace yourself. Only get what you need for the first few weeks. Trust, you will have PLENTY of time sitting around for 3 months buying stuff online. Or if you want to make your life difficult, you can venture out and buy stuff at a store. Either way, you will pick things up along the way that will help out but for the most part, a baby is pretty straight forward to take care of. 
EAT, SLEEP, POOP......That's it. 

When preparing for your poop princess/prince, you will need to evaluate how you want to raise your child. This will determine the amount of crap you end up getting.
- Are you going to be a bigger is better yuppy parent, that needs all the newest of everything?
- Are you going to be a crunchy parent, that only buys hippy stuff and shouts organic in every other sentence?
- Are you going to be the convenient parent, that just gets what everybody else gets?
These are just a few of the ways that your parenting style determines how you will raise your child. We are partially all three of them. We are mildly crunchy parents that try to keep as many chemicals off her tush as possible. We use biodegradable diapers and try to use natural products on her skin. But we also use disposable diapers for the convenience. And I am a bit of a yuppy with my $1200 stroller that I got on craigslist for $300. 
Ok since I am sure most of you just scrolled down without reading to what looked like a list to see if it solidifies what you were already getting, here it is.
Diapers 
First one is obviously going to be diapers. Now this is definitely one that will changed based on your parenting style. Some might choose to use cloth diapers and some disposable. When I was getting ready for Inga, I only bought a few packs of newborn diapers. Don't go crazy on newborn diapers because you have no idea how big your baby is. They might not even fit in them initially and then you would be stuck with lots of money in diapers hoping and praying that a friend gets pregnant soon so you have a great gift.  I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and my doctor basically told me I was going to have a giant heffer baby.......she was 8 pounds and fit in newborn diapers for a month. Diapers are an awesome thing to buy online so if you are noticing that they are still fitting buy some more packs online or join an autoship program. Amazon and Diapers.com have two good subscription services that give great deals. Saves time from loading up the car with the baby and then you get a nice present every once in a while from UPS. 
For reference we use the Earth's Best Chlorine Free Diapers and we love them! She has never leaked out the bottom of the diaper and they are nice and thin. We originally wanted to do cloth diapers, but only if I was going to stay at home with her. It is a great investment and they are awesome, they just didn't work out with our hard water and my work situation. 
Wipes 
Next would be wipes. These will be your best friend and you will go through more than you can ever really imagine. These are another item that varies based on  your parenting style. If you are crunchy at all, these would be the area you want to focus on. Try and get a wipe with the least amount of junk in them. 
We use the DermaH20 Water Wipes and we feel they are the best. They are 99.9% water and just a splash of fruit extract. They can be used on her face and her hands without fear of her sucking the chemicals off. She has never had a diaper rash using these. 
Butt Cream 
Some parents put a diaper cream on their baby with every change and some only do when they are noticing a problem. Either way, this will be a good thing to have handy either in case or to use daily. You could get something like Desitin or if you are crunchy and want a zinc free you could opt for something more chemical-free. 
We use the GroVia Magic Stick on her with every change. It uses different oils and beeswax. It creates a barrier just like a diaper cream would but it comes in a great stick for easy application and it smells really nice. Who wants to have to wipe their hands after every damn diaper change? That sounds like some seriously chapped dry hands. 
Bodysuits/Shirts 
We had both of these. You may only need a weeks worth of clothes at a time initially but if you are like me, you were probably given quite a bit of clothes. You will have time to do laundry because newborns sleep a hell of a lot more than you think. Inga spent almost all of her time in side snap t-shirts until her umbilical cord stump fell off. Wearing shirts keep it open to the air and it probably helps it dry up faster. The Gerber side snaps worked out, but the arms are really narrow and super long. So unless your baby has Angelina Jolie arms I would look elsewhere for side snap shirts. 
Items Depending on Situation
Formula - More than likely you will have gotten samples in the mail of powdered formula. If not you can ask the hospital if they have any. Just don't take those premixed bottles. I can't imagine the preservatives in that and it smells weird. Inga wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. Even if you plan to pump or breastfeed, you might have the same situation as me where your milk did not come in and your child just wants to eat constantly. I had a complete meltdown the first night we were home because she just constantly wanted to eat, but there was not enough milk coming out so we had to supplement formula for a few days. My formula suggestion would be to get the Baby's Only DHA/ARA Organic Formula. It is expensive, but it is the best of a bad situation if formula is required. 
Pump - Even if you plan to breastfeed exclusively, most insurance plans cover a really nice breast pump. They can help establish your milk supply or be used later if your dreams of being an all natural breastfeeding mother dwindle like mine. Also great to have when you go back to work. I exclusively pump and my suggestion would be to try the shields that come with the pump but get another size up just in case. It can feel like your nip is getting ripped off if they don't fit properly. 
Nipple cream - Skip right past this Dads....this has nothing to do with you.... 
Buy it! Don't think about it, just buy it! I bought the Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter and it was really nice and definitely helped with sore nipples. Trust me, no matter what the lovely lactation consultant tells you, your nipples will hurt. Inga had a great latch and it still felt like she was releasing the wrath of a thousand bee stings every time she ate. I tried the Lansinoh and it was so thick it was impossible to work with so I don't really suggest that one until later on. 
Bottles - Like the pump, I would buy some just to have in case you have to supplement some formula. We tried multiple kinds and the Dr.Browns just ended up working well for us. Not obnoxious to clean like everybody else says. 
Pacifier - These can be lifesavers. Don't be a hero and think that you are never going to give your child a pacifier because you don't want them to be 3 with one in their mouth. Give it to them. Get some sleep, regain your sanity and get over it. You will have time when they are older and you have your wits about you to get it away from them. We use the MAM Newborn Pacifier. It came with the Target Baby Registry Gift and she just took to these. 
Nail files - It is up to you if you want to buy the baby ones or just use the cheap emery boards. We used the baby ones for a while and recently made the switch. Inga has not worn mittens a day in her life and she has only scratched herself a handful of times. It heals super fast and it doesn't bother them. Just give them a manicure while they are taking a snooze. It is great for teaching them to sleep through anything. 
Washcloths/Bibs - We use cheap velcro bibs for every time she eats. She eats breastmilk from a bottle and unless you want to put Shout! on every single item of clothing you are washing, use bibs or washcloths. 
Body Wash/Shampoo - You can't give your baby a bath until the umbilical stump falls off, but you can give a good wipe down. We use Baby Mantra Body Wash & Shampoo and haven't had any issues. There is no soap in it so it doesn't suds up which makes it easy to work with. It is not a tear free soap but if you are looking for a tear free go the route of Aveeno rather than Johnson & Johnson if the crunchy side in you wants to come out. 
Lotion - You might already have this at home, but we find Cetaphil lotion works the best. Inga had some baby acne on her face and kept getting rashes. I used the Cetaphil moisturizing lotion and it completely went away and it's really mild. 
Swaddle blanket - More than likely, your hospital is going to give you one of these so I wouldn't even bother. But if you feel you need clothing options, you can get more. They usually give out the Halo SleepSack Swaddle and it certainly does the job. I wouldn't waste your time with the swaddle blankets other than to use them as what they are....blankets. 

Please leave comments on any items that you feel I left out or items that you think made your life easier in those first few weeks home with your squawking dinosaur.