11 New Parent Must Haves

I remember when I was pregnant and spent countless hours at night searching the web for information about new baby necessities to help myself feel prepared for what was to come. The beauty about technology these days is the unlimited amount of information available, but unfortunately that's also the down fall. During pregnancy and my first few weeks of motherhood I cannot even begin to count how many times I googled something to make sure I was doing it right and then seconded guess myself because of what I read online. Here's a couple real, honest tips before we dive into my favs:

• No matter how much you read or how much stuff you have, you're not going to be prepared for the change you're about to experience. I know that sounds scary but that is the beauty of it all. Becoming a Mom is everything I expected and so much more. I love it and embrace the crazy, stressful and exhausting moments but I also thought I was prepared. Nothing can prepare you for the emotions your heart will feel and it's truly the most wonderful thing in the world. 

• Despite whatever you've read, even this list, all you need for that baby is formula if you choose not to breastfeed, some bottles, a whole lot of love and some diapers and wipes. You do NOT need a fancy schmancy $400 baby swing, or a wipe warmer, or a baby spa. BUT if you want those things than get them! My favorite part about motherhood is that we all get to do it how WE want and that's the best way. Do what's right for your family but don't be overwhelmed by everything you'll see at your local baby store, you really don't need a lot to properly care for your little one.

Ok now lets get back to business... Here's a few of my favorite gadgets, gizmos and other tid bits that helped me survive my first 8 months of motherhood!

1. Swing. Grace LOVED our swing and I was lucky enough to have a friend who had one sitting in her garage and is letting us use it. Swings can be pretty expensive and not every baby likes them so if possible wait until baby is here and see if you have a friend or family member who has one collecting dust in their garage.
2. Boppy. Seriously, don't become a Mother without having one of these, or some sort of other nursing pillow. Even if you're not going to nurse, they making bottle feeding easier, holding the baby in the middle of the night when you're exhausted easier, and they're perfect for propping baby up or for tummy time!
   
3. Sound machine. I feel like this is the only thing I didn't know to get, despite all of my pre-baby reading. The first night we had Grace up stairs in her bassinet next to us she had a really tough time falling asleep. We both quickly realized it was due to the lack of noise. Babies spend 9 months inside Momma's tummy where there is a ton of noise and then they come out where it's again very noisy but then we expect them to sleep in complete silence! Here's the one we have and we still use it nightly!
4. Feeding App. Much like the boppy pillow, download some sort of  app (here's what I used) before you head to the hospital. As much as you think you'll remember which side you nursed on last or even what time they last nursed or had a bottle, you won't. Trust me. Those first few weeks are a blur and sometimes I wasn't even sure if I remembered my name.
5. Video monitor. We love that we can always see our little one as she sleeps peacefully and I feel like it really helped me with the transition from sleeping next to our bed to sleeping in her crib in the next room. Here's the one we picked after talking to a few baby store employees and reading reviews. It's affordable and probably my two favorite features are the ability to zoom and being able to talk to through the monitor. I can just hear myself saying "Grace it's time for a nap" as she gets older and refuses! ;)
6. Blooming Bath. Am I the only new parent who thinks the bath is totally terrifying? Seriously I think jumping out of a plane would be less scary than those first few baths. The bath petal definitely helped alleviate those fears and Grace LOVED it!
   
7. Burp rags. LOTS and LOTS of burp rags. You can purchase them, but if you know someone with a sewing machine they're super easy to make. And, if your infant is anything like my daughter, they'll come in handy for more than one reason!
8. Butt paste. I'll let you guess why that's important. We loved this kind and still use it. It helped fight off some diaper rash while Grace was a few weeks old and has kept it at bay ever since!
9. Pacifier. We were told at the hospital that we shouldn't give our daughter a pacifier until she's at least 4 weeks old or it may affect her latch. Well about 9 days into motherhood I caved. She needed something for comfort and we had no issue with her latch. Here's our favorite kind, but I suggest having a couple on hand because you never know which one your baby will like. 
10. Bumbo seat. We love this seat, and it's so great for when your little one gets tired of laying on their tummy or back and wants to feel more independent. It also allows you to get a little more done. We were lucky enough to buy ours from a friend so we saved a lot of money. You can really do that with most of these things, for example we borrowed our swing from my friend Megan, saving us at least $150! Note in this picture Grace was on the counter on her seat which I'm sure is frowned upon but we were standing right there the ENTIRE time. As with anything, you shouldn't leave your baby unattended! ;)
    
11. COFFEE. LOTS and LOTS of coffee. If you are breastfeeding or want to breastfeed there are lots who say this is a no-no. And I know there are a million articles online of why you shouldn't drink coffee, but remember what I said above. Do what's right for YOU. I was really good about not drinking it while pregnant but let me tell you a little secret. When you haven't slept in 2 weeks, your baby is crying, you haven't showered, and you're wearing clothes that got spit up on (yesterday but don't tell anyone), you will need and want coffee. Talk to your husband or significant other and tell him one of his jobs during those first few weeks is to make sure you're properly caffeinated. Now there is a disclaimer here, and that's because caffeine affects every Mom and baby differently so watch for signs that it makes your baby gassy, or perhaps keeps them up at night because NO one wants that! I'm lucky and my little one doesn't seem to care if we have coffee in the morning or not!

I am sure as Grace gets older I will have even more essentials! I'll also be posting soon about the feeding essentials we've loved since starting Grace on solids.

What did I forget? What would you add to the list for Moms to be?

Grace's Birth Story

Well I was hoping I'd get this published long before now, but what can I say... Life is crazy with a newborn, but crazy in the most beautiful way. It's hard to believe our amazing Grace is already 2 months old. Time is going by WAY too fast. While she peacefully naps in her swing (the greatest invention known to man a.k.a all parents) I thought I'd finally share her birth story. I'll try to keep this as short as possible and spare all of the tiny details...

Thursday August 6th (3 days before my due date) was a day like any other. I worked, then that evening I went with my Mom and sister-in-law to visit my Aunt Teresa's house. We were visiting while my Mom and Aunt were coloring their hair I started getting cramps that would come and go randomly. During one my Mom looked at me and asked what was wrong, then said "oh sis you're having contractions, I bet things are starting. You may want to start timing them". I told my Mom they are no where near regular so I wouldn't need to time them just yet. Well, after about 25 minutes I already noticed them getting closer and closer together so decided to download a handy app on my iPhone (thank goodness for technology) and started tracking.

About 7:30pm I texted Scottie who was at home to let him know I thought things might actually be starting but that I wasn't going to get my hopes up. Contractions at this point were about 7-10 minutes apart, lasting 30-45 seconds which wasn't even close to the 5-1-1 rule we learned about in our birthing class (5 minutes apart, 1 minute long, for 1 hour).

Another hour goes by and by this point the contractions are starting to get more and more intense and closer together. NOTE for any soon to be Momma's out there, I remember being in your shoes and wondering how I'd know if I was having contractions. Trust me, YOU KNOW and when the most painful part of the contraction starts lasting longer than the beginning and end you definitely start to realize things are really happening.

At this point contractions were about 45-90 seconds long and about 6-8 minutes apart so I decided it was time to go home but because of their intensity my Mom drove me home just to be safe. I won't ever forget that car ride... Mom was so giddy with excitement, but also anxious and nervous and I could tell she couldn't get me home fast enough. I remember holding her hand at one point and she telling me "this is it Messy (Mom's nickname for me), I promise this is it".

Once I got home we texted the doctor to let him know we thought things were starting. He told us to go in once they become more intense and to "make sure baby is moving well". I decided to do what I've read on every blog and mom-to-be article and shower, finalize our hospital bags, eat something and just lay down for a bit to see how things progress. After finishing all of that it was about 10:15pm and I kept replaying the doctor's text message- "make sure baby is moving well", and thinking to myself "I've never done this, what does 'well' mean?"

Scott and I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and headed to the hospital. Here I am that night, excited, anxious, terrified and a million other emotions.

I still can't believe I had 7lb 12 oz baby in my belly!

We walked out of house and I remember telling Scott that the next time we come home, we may have our baby and life will never be the same. On the way to the hospital we talked about what was coming, how excited we were and how crazy it was that everything was finally happening. It felt like it took forever to get here, but then suddenly we were in labor! Scott was calm the entire time and the whole drive, he helped me stay relaxed which was just what I needed.

About 11:00pm we arrived at the hospital and were checked into the Labor & Delivery triage by about 11:30pm. When the nurse checked me I was at 3cm and 85% effaced. The hospital doesn't check families in until they're in "active labor" which is usually 5cm dilated or more, so the nurse asked us to go walk around for an hour and see how much things progress.

We walked, and walked and walked some more which if you haven't been through labor before let me tell you that it looks much different than what you see in the movies (duh). Walking doesn't make the contractions feel better like those movie makers portray it. In fact you walk at probably the slowest pace you ever have and every few feet you double over and breath like you've been practicing (trust me, you really should practice).

Here's where your partner comes in. My hubby was seriously the best labor partner I could've asked for. He constantly reminded me to breath (which paid off in the end), rubbed my back and shoulders (unless during certain contractions it didn't feel good at which point I promptly told him and he stopped), got me ice chips, and reminded me that I CAN do this, in moments when I didn't think it would be possible.

After an hour of walking I was only at a 4 but 90% effaced. Talk about being disappointed. At this point contractions were really really intense, lasted what felt like forever and were happening every 2-3 minutes or even closer together. The nurse told us we'd have to walk for 20-30 more minutes and see if we could get my body to progress a little bit more. I remember looking over at Scott once she left the room and nearly crying because I was terrified to have to go back home. The pain of labor is intense and I told him if this wasn't "active labor" I was terrified for what was.

Well that 20-30 minutes turned into another hour, but it did the trick and I was finally a 5! The nurse called our doc and started the process to get us "admitted" to Labor & Delivery. About 2:00am we were being moved I told our nurse I wanted an epidural as soon as they could give it to me. I was ready for relief and some sleep.

After many struggles with an IV, a long wait for someone from IV therapy to come give it a try and finally have success,  I got an epidural around 5am. At this point I was 7cm so I still had a ways to go but I was progressing very well. The secret here ladies is to BREATH. Go to yoga, learn how to take deep, cleansing breaths. Pay attention to those silly breathing exercises they do in your birthing class. IT WORKS! I focused all of the energy I had during each contraction on breathing through and trying not to clench or tense up. Your body needs you to relax and let things "happen" so to speak. The more you tense up and clench the less progress you'll make, ultimately extending labor.

At this point my Mom and Dad had arrived and were great company. No one loves you like your Mom does and while your husband will be your best support, he doesn't understand the pain you're going through so it's nice to have someone there who does. For the next 3 hours we got some rest, but we mostly talked about how excited we were to FINALLY meet Grace!

Our doctor came in at 8am to check my progress and break my water. I was still at a 7 but once he broke my water things really moved along and by 10am I was ready to start pushing! Something else to keep in mind is that once you make it through labor, you may get a little scared about actually pushing your baby out. I started to get worried about the whole process because I know it can be stressful for baby and there can be complications once you start the final birth process. We were lucky to have the BEST nurse we could've ever imagined and she helped alleviate my fears and reminded me that I'd be meeting my baby girl in no time.

Pushing (for me) wasn't as intense as I anticipated it being, but the pressure is definitely like nothing you can imagine. You can literally feel your baby making it's way down the birth canal and while it sounds bazaar, it is an incredible experience. Scott and my Mom encouraged me with every push to keep going and that I was getting even closer to seeing our girl. My sister-in-law was a leg holding, counting champ and counted backwards from 10 with every push. Apparently they don't really count anymore, but I am someone who can power through things if I know the end is near so it worked great for me.

I pushed for a total of 60 minutes (15 of which were mini pushes as we waited for the doctor to arrive) and that's all it took! At 12:29pm on August 7th, 2015 our lives changed forever.

The moment the doctor held Grace up and put her on my chest was one I will NEVER forget. Having a baby is truly love at first sight! I was so proud of myself and of Scott for creating this beautiful and perfect little baby who not only made pregnancy easy on me, but also made labor pretty easy (from other experiences I've heard).

The next couple of hours were a whirlwind. Grace spent an hour on me and then our Nurse took her over to weigh her, get her foot prints, give her a quick check up and then brought her back to me. Eventually we made our way to the post-partum floor where we spent the rest of our time at the hospital.

I'll never forget the moment Scottie held our baby girl for the first time. Seeing him with her made me fall more in love with him than I ever thought possible. Together we created new life and together we brought her into the world. I couldn't have done any part of this journey without him and I'm thankful we get to experience parenthood together.

Family is so important to Scottie and I so we were excited to introduce Grace to her new family. We had lots of visitors and got to watch as they all fell in love with our little one. Grace is blessed to be in a family like ours, who already loves her more than she'll ever know!

Grandma meeting her first Granddaughter

Between visitors and during the wee hours of the night, I couldn't help but just sit and stare at her. I couldn't believe that we actually created someone so beautiful and perfect. Pregnancy and childbirth is truly a miracle and something I am lucky to have gotten to experience. I'm so thankful Grace picked me to be her Mom!

When Grace was born her temperature was 100.4 and the following day she was still at 99.8 so the pediatrician had us stay an extra day in the hospital just to be sure everything was alright. She passed all of the tests, screenings and exams with flying colors and finally on Sunday August 9th (my actual due date) we were discharged and on our way home! We enjoyed our time in the hospital but we were MORE than ready to be home and start our lives together as a family of three. As you can see in the picture below, she wasn't as excited as we were. Once we got her in the car she fell fast asleep! :)

I'm excited to be back to my blog and to use this to help capture some of our moments as a family of three. Soon I'll be posting about my new-momma favorites!

39 Week Update

Somehow it's August, which means we can officially say that this month we're having a baby!!! I cannot believe how fast the last 38 weeks have flown by, but now I know what they mean when they say the last month drags on. I've been patient up until this week, but we're really eager to meet our baby girl! Earlier in our pregnancy our monthly check-ups seemed to come and go in no time, now it's like waiting for a year to go by just to get to our next weekly appointment.

There are so many emotions I'm feeling right now. I'm anxious, nervous, scared, happy, reminiscent, and mostly just over the moon excited for what's coming our way. We're officially going to have our own little family and I know this little girl will be the PERFECT addition. What scares me the most about this wild new adventure we're about to start is that I have no idea whats to come. I know that my heart will be filled with a new kind of love I've never felt before, I know that I'm going to fall more in love with my husband seeing him hold his baby girl, and I know we're going to be more exhausted and sleep deprived than any other time in our life. I couldn't be more thankful to experience parenthood with Scott, he is truly my best friend and I know he's going to be the best Daddy.

These last few weeks we've been doing a lot. Some related to baby and some just random projects that suddenly sounded like they HAD to get done. I'm telling you ladies (and gentleman too) that nesting is a real thing and it is NO JOKE. I literally will be sitting at home and suddenly have an urge to clean out the fridge, organize my spice cabinet, rewash bedding, or vacuum the entire house. If you know me, you probably know that I'm not one who enjoys cleaning so for me to have a desire to vacuum means that I'm proof nesting is real. The good news is, thanks to my nonstop nesting we have a pretty darn organized home, a finished nursery (post to come soon), cleaned cars, and who knows what will be next!

Walking and bouncing on the yoga ball have been a couple of my favorite things. Walking has been a daily routine of ours since I started feeling like intense gym work outs just weren't going to happen anymore and I really think its what has helped me continue to feel good even at 39 weeks. I haven't had any long standing back pain, my feet and hands aren't swollen and my energy has been fairly steady given how far along I am. If you're pregnant, or planning to become pregnant in the future I can't urge you enough to stay active! Don't use this time to become a couch potato, you'll thank yourself later and I've heard it helps make birth and postpartum recovery easier.

Here are a few fun questions that I did in my 24 week update. I thought I'd repeat them now that we're at the end (or close).

Maternity clothes? Yep.. Pretty much convinced that at this point I'm going to have to re-learn how to button up and zip regular jeans. Or perhaps I'll just take up shop in yoga pants for awhile. ;)

Sleep: I was starting to think that pregnancy insomnia was a made up thing, but it's hit me. I feel tired about 10pm, then go up to go to bed and am suddenly wide awake until about midnight or 1am most mornings, then of course it's hard to get out of bed in the morning. I think my body is just trying to prepare me for the crazy sleep schedule I'm about to have!

Best moment this week: Going to Target to walk around since it's so darn hot out and scoring a BRAND NEW $140 Graco highchair for $33 after the mark downs and my cartwheel coupon. Can you say BARGAIN?

Miss anything? Seeing my feet, being able to go 2 hours without eating and sleeping through the night without having to get up 4 times to run to the bathroom!

Food cravings: Taco Bell, but I've stayed strong and have only given in one time. I've been trying really hard these last 9.5 months to eat healthy, but these last couple of weeks I've really been craving junk foods like Taco Bell, ice cream and crispy M&Ms.
 
Symptoms: I still consider myself lucky in this department. Pregnancy has been so much fun and I think that's partially because I haven't had a ton of symptoms that most women get. Lately I've been getting a lot of heartburn and this heat is really taking it's toll, but otherwise I'm feeling good. I am definitely starting to get tired a lot easier than I use to but staying active has seemed to help. We're up to two walks a day now just to hopefully move things a long and avoid going too far over due.
 
Have you started to show yet? No hiding this bump, in fact it's hard to remember what I looked like without it!
 
Wedding rings on or off? Still on! I haven't had any issues with swelling thanks to my love for water! ;)

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: Finally meeting our baby girl!

Stay tuned, nursery post to come soon!

Slusser Adventures: Our 2nd Anniversary in Seattle

In July we celebrated our anniversary. It's hard to believe we've already been married two years, time definitely flies when you're having fun!

A couple of days before our anniversary, Scott spilled the beans and shared that he'd planned and made reservations for us to have Dinner at Sky City, a restaurant located atop the Space Needle (500 feet in the sky). I was so excited because neither of us had ever been and I had heard really good things. The food was delicious and the views were beyond incredible. Sky City rotates 360 degrees while you're dining so you get to see the entire city of Seattle and the surrounding area. It's seriously the best place to see all the beauty that Seattle has to offer. I was amazed by the views and we were there on a perfect day.

If you haven't been, make sure you go for your next special occasion! Here's a few pictures from our day!

July

How on earth is it already July 1st?! I swear just yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and New Years and now it’s Summer! A really hot Summer at that!

Our month coming up is so full. We’ve got Fourth of July, two weddings, two baseball games, maternity pictures, our annual family camping trip, multiple birthday’s to celebrate, our second anniversary, softball, a work party for Scott, and final prep before baby Slusser comes!

But most of all, we have to do our best to soak up our last month of being a family of two (it feels so weird to say that)! This month I plan to enjoy the quiet moments and take full advantage of sleeping in and starting the day slow.

While I can’t wait for the excitement and changes that August will undoubtedly bring, I am sitting here feeling reminiscent about the last 8 months. They’ve been a blur to say the least and I can't believe my due date is only 38 days away! Some days it feels like I’ve been pregnant forever, and others it feels like it has only just begun.

Here’s to a month of new memories before our little one joins the family! Happy July y’all!

Our Long Beach Babymoon

I have to start this post by saying I use to think a babymoon was a super silly idea, but after taking one I will admit they're wonderful and every expecting couple so make time for. For Scott and I, the idea of a babymoon became appealing when we hadn't had a weekend away, just the two of us in almost a year. And that it wouldn't ever just be the "two of us" again so why not use the excuse to get away!

We wanted to go someplace we hadn't been before but was close enough for just one night away from home. After much deliberation we landed on Long Beach! If you haven't been, you should plan a weekend there now.

Scott and I also hadn't spent much time in Astoria, so we decided we'd take the long way to Long Beach and make a pit stop for some lunch and sight seeing. Note to any other folks like myself who aren't big fans of bridges... The Astoria bridge is SUPER long, like miles long. It made me a bit nervous both times we crossed over, but it really is beautiful.

Once in Astoria we used our handy Urban Spoon app and ended up at Bridgewater Bistro for lunch and a great view. A BLT for me and a burger with cajun fries for Scott filled our tummies and fueled us for a walk along the water.

We visited the Goonies house, the elementary school featured on Kindergarten Cop, and stopped at the marina to visit some vocal (and smelly) sea lions.

After all of our exploring it was time to head towards Long Beach!

We stayed at a super eco-friendly, modern yet rustic place called Adrift and would highly recommend it. They have bikes available for free use, fun games, movies, fresh hot cocoa and coffee and cold beer, all right in the lobby. Plus, they're super doggy friendly so we'll be going back with Lucy in the new future! Here's a few pics of our room:

The view wasn't too bad either!

Adrift is walking distance from town (even if you're pregnant) and even closer to the boardwalk, discovery trail and beach front. They also have a restaurant in the hotel (Pickled Fish) with live music, great food, fun beer and a phenomenal weekend brunch. I still dream about this oatmeal...

The little town of Long Beach seriously has something fun for everyone. Every place seemed to be dog friendly, there's a big arcade, go-karts, horses, mopeds, miniature golf, and great shops. We enjoyed a chocolate cookie from a little bakery, then overindulged a bit more with a scoop of ice cream from Scoopers (who can say no to 64 + flavors?). I could've easily sampled 10 different types but I tried to practice a bit of self control. As you can see, my hubby gets pretty happy whenever he gets ice cream!

After lots of walking around town we headed back to the room to relax. After a nice nap, we started getting ready when I quickly realized I had forgot the string for my dress that makes it look more like a maternity dress and less like a moo-moo. I was super bummed and started thinking of what I could possibly use to gather the dress, when I looked down and noticed Scott's shoelaces were black (the color I needed). Off they came and around my dress they went. It worked great and no one even noticed!

The highlight of our trip was definitely our dinner at The Depot Restaurant in Seaview (thanks again for the recommendation Megan!), a super small and quaint restaurant with the sweetest owners who treated us like family.

We made reservations for the Chefs table and got watch the Chef and Sous Chef work their magic.

I ordered the Southern Comfort Pork served with yam mashers and jalapeno cream corn and Scott opted for the Rib-eye. We both savored every bite of our meals and couldn't believe how good it was. The Depot is seriously a hidden gem, if you leave town without having dinner there you're missing out.

Blue cheese drizzled with balsamic reduction = delicious.

Seriously I'm drooling just looking at those pics... Aren't you?!

The rest of the weekend was lots of beach walking, laying around in the hotel doing a lot of nothing and talking a lot about the next few months to come and how excited we are for Baby Girl Slusser to join our family. This weekend was just what we needed before a busy Summer and before becoming a family of three!

This more accurately sums us up.. Total goofs