Don't!

The reason for the lack of photos lately is that little miss is quite - what's the word - bratty *cough* I mean, uncooperative. She wants to play with what I'm "playing" with so if I have my phone or the camera pointing at her, I usually end up with a blurred image or just a still photo of the top of her fuzzy little head which I am pretty sure you wouldn't care to look at anyway. Thank you iPhone for having a camera lens on both ends of the phone because that seems to be the only way to get around this issue and it still actually is not the easiest task.





The countertop not being the safest place to be, I really thought if I were to occupy her with the iPad for 3 seconds, I would get a decent picture in.





When folks told me babies grow fast, I don't think I truly grasped that until she started to grow - fast. You know those moms who think they know it all because they so annoyingly repeat "you just wait until you have a kid"? See, when I was single, that used to make me roll my eyes because frankly, it sounded like being a mom made a woman superior or made those who didn't have kids know "less". The thing is, it's true. Not that if you don't have a kid, your knowledge of the world isn't clearer - it is just on a different level from someone who has a kid(s). I find myself thinking it, even if I know better than to say it out loud from time to time and even get annoyed when my child-less friends ask "well, why can't you ___". It isn't because I am better, it's because until you actually have your own little brats kids, even for those who are surrounded by nieces and nephews, it's so so so different when it's your own, and while it seems to be an obvious assumption, having one is so far different from what and how you "think" it will be different. Maybe that's not an accurate "one size fits all" description, but that seems to be the case amongst all the mommies I happen to know including myself. If I knew then - what I didn't know when filling up all those cutesy wonderful things on my registry - there are so many things I would have NOT asked for because while some I still do use, most of that stuff was very briefly used if at all, because like I said - I didn't get that fast meant fast.

I wouldn't have asked for wicker basket anything because yes, I got a good year's worth of it, but she now plucks off the wood chips of her hamper and diaper basket one by one and stuffs them in her mouth. Maybe your kid won't, but mine is weird and she does so I have to go out and buy another one now. =|

Playmat. If you have friends who have already had kids, borrow one because I don't even know where mine is. Once she figured out she didn't need to lay on her back anymore, she didn't care for it. We used it for all of month 4. Maybe up to month 5. It cost $60. I would have asked for an extra case of formula. Or some more diapers. Lots.

I would have added more sippy cups of many different varieties. It seems like it's so far away that you're baby will ever use them when you're still just pregnant, but that day will come and again, maybe your kid won't, but I went through over a dozen before finding the right one for mine. That. Was. NOT. Cheap. By the way, the one that she likes the most? Costs $11 a pop. Not kidding when I said it wasn't cheap. I've tried them all from $1-$3ish target brands to what she prefers which is the camel bak. In between the cost of the two she uses the Nuby ones also, but still prefers the camel bak over all else. BIG. Sigh. Bottles too, for when you wean boobies, and move to formula or if you're starting off on formula because babies are difficult and s/he just might not like the one you think is pretty. We went through tons of those too. I won't tell you which we stuck with because if it doesn't work for your kid, I don't need it coming back to me. =P

Baby Food. That's your call if you want to make it which is what I started doing only now because she became all princessy and big and needs all this energy and nutrition, but the first year, the food is not for any nutritional value really. Most pediatricians will agree that formula or breastfeeding should be their sole form of nutrition and they start babies on solids anywhere from 4-6 months so that they learn different textures. If you don't agree, that's okay. This is what I was told. I gave her cereal, Sprouts, and Gerber out of the jar. Sue me. Yes, everything homemade is best, but you know, ONE yam produces about 8 jars and I don't know about you, but I don't like eating the same food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 3 straight days, and to keep a variety, I would have needed a ton of mini jars and I just wasn't for it. Sure I can make mass quantities of it, but I just didn't think she was eating enough of it for it to be worth it. Maybe I'm lazy, but I'm making up for it now, okay?! Believe me, I am.

Don't buy bottle warmers, please. If you boil water in a pot and stick the bottle in it for 2 minutes, it warms it up faster than it would in a bottle warmer for 5 minutes, and really, when your new baby is hollering its lungs off from hunger, those 3 minutes can save you from a panic attack. Oh, also, depending on the warmer, the bottle can either be too hot or still cold and the level of water the directions tell you to put is wrong. I went through 3. They all ended up in the recycle bin. Then again, maybe in my sleep deprived state, I became stupid and didn't know how to use one properly. If so, well, knock yourself out. It's just one more thing cluttering your countertop.

Insulated bag. For me, it's a must. I know mommies who don't, but I need mine. I mentioned this before, but she's all princessy now and doesn't want jar food unless I mix it with big people food. So the jarred beef and spinach needs to be mixed in big people rice (she's so korean!) or she won't eat it. Corn? She wants the one on the cob so we buy fresh corn. Peas? She will sometimes do the Sprouts pouch with the Green Beans mixed in, but she wants pea peas. I made her for this week rice cooked with chicken, cauliflower, mushrooms and onions and mac and cheese with broccoli, mushrooms, little bits of ham for taste and color, peas, beans, carrots, and corn. Chewable, but not mushy so she has some crunch. Yes, she's a princess and likes her textures, but it has to be just so. All this needs insulation because it's not good cold. It also takes up a ton of space. Get a big one the first time around. I didn't and I have 3 in different sizes sitting on a shelf rotting. Better yet, take mine. They're free!

Joovy Playyard (biggest one out there currently I believe). We bought it out of pocket because I didn't think we would need it. I didn't know it was going to be my one way of showering. I stick her in there with a bucket of toys and I get my 10 minutes to get clean for the day.

Highchair. Get the best one and get the one you want because someone out there is willing to buy it for you. We ended up using a hand me down plastic seat booster looking thing and I hated it, but I didn't want to buy another one because it costs money. Guess what? We ended up having to buy one anyway.

Carseat. We got one from the registry that had a maximum weight capacity of 20 pounds. Simply because it was smaller and lighter. Get a 35lb-er. Or if you're not planning on using a snap n go type of frame, go with the best convertible seat out there because this will last you forever and you won't do what I did. End up with 3.

There are tons more I'm sure, but ya know, as obviously stated above, I'm not too brighty after having become a mommy. It's 2AM and I feel like not thinking now so if I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Bye Louise!

I learned two new things today. Blogpress has an edit option and fresh direct calls you if they're in your area and can deliver earlier by using an automated system. Press 1 if you want your order in the next 20 minutes or if you want it at your requested schedule time. So awesome!

EDIT: I didn't realize when my friend was complaining that I need to use paragraphs that there weren't even line breaks because it should have been a list form. Or so I thought... Whoops! But while I'm correcting that, I thought of one more thing - Baby carrier. Get one. Jellybean loved it as a newborn, hated it for a couple of months and then loved it again so don't be discouraged because when you need both arms and don't have the ability to grow a third arm, it's a savior. END EDIT.

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