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Thursday, December 13, 2012

My Mommy Must-Haves

I decided that this post would be about the "must-haves" that I would highly recommend to other new or expecting mommies! Had it not been for my mommy friends, I would have never known all the stuff to register for. I hope some of you will find this list helpful.

1. Nap Nanny - now I know this item has recently been recalled but we have thoroughly loved ours & I don't know what we would have done without it. Hatcher has been napping/sleeping in his since he came home from the hospital. We're going to start weening him out of it at night though in preparation for moving him to his crib next week. It's great for babies who either don't like to lay flat or have acid reflux issues. Hatch didn't love laying flat to begin with so the Nap Nanny was very helpful & he spits up a lot so having him sleep elevated gives this mommy peace of mind!


2. Wubba Nub Pacifiers - I had no idea what these were until I was reading a celebrity baby blog on People.com. The mom swore by them so I looked them up & found a kid's shop in Macon that sold them. It's basically a First Years Soothie pacie (similar to the ones in the hospital) connected to a little stuffed animal. They're great because they weigh the pacie down a little so they aren't constantly falling out of the baby's mouth. Hatcher has three of them & loves them. He even holds onto them now! He has the puppy, the monkey (thanks Hunter & Haley Davis) & the giraffe (thanks Mom)! They cost $14.95 & are 100% worth every dime. 


3. Swaddle Me Blankets - Now I didn't start using these until Hatch was 4 weeks old because when I first tried it with him I thought he hated it. Later, I realized part of the reason he was waking up all the time was because his little arms & hands were startling him causing him not to get a restful sleep. So enter the Swaddle Me blankets & we started sleeping 4-6 hour stretches & now we're up to 7-9 hour stretches. These come in small-med & med-large sizes & can be bought just about anywhere. I've even seen them at TJ Maxx. I do however recommend washing these in cold water & on a very low heat or even air drying because they do tend to shrink. 



4. Aden & Anais Muslin Blankets - One word for these blankets...AMAZING!! They feel so good & are light weight & airy. I have about 10 of them & use them daily. They're great for swaddling as the baby gets bigger, as a breast feeding cover and even for just simply keeping the baby cozy! We just starting using these this week for nap time as a swaddle blanket & Hatch really seems to like them.


5. White Noise - A must have for sleeping babies! Hatcher has the Sleep Sheep which I've pictured below. Now, I love this cute sheep but it is set on a timer for 25 minutes or 45 minutes & I like white noise through the night. It really helps Hatcher sleep better. He likes the sound of rushing water. I use the sleep sheep but I also downloaded a white noise app on my iPhone that I use too. It will play all night & has lots of different sound options to choose from. I also took a recommendation from a friend & use a box fan in his room during nap time to block out daily noise like Dooley barking or the doorbell ringing! 


6. Cool Mist Humidifier - My doctor recommended this at Hatch's 2 month check-up because he was congested. Johny & I both have allergy issues so Hatch could certainly have them too. So we bought a Crane humidifier at Babies R Us & it does seem to help Hatch breath better during the night & provides some additional white noise as well. I love the Crane ones because they come in all different animal shapes & are just too cute! :)


7. Mama Roo - Now this is a newbie for us! A friend is letting me borrow hers because her baby has grown out of it & Hatcher isn't a huge fan of his swing which limits our options of places for him to lay while he's awake & having play time. This contraption is FABULOUS!! It's almost $300 but worth every single penny. I will likely buy one before we have our next little one! It's shaped like an egg & sits on a moving base. It has 5 different motions like kangaroo, car ride & tree swing. It also plays different types of music/sounds. Hatch loves it!! 


8. Gripe Water & Gas Relief Drops - These have been a life saver for us. Hatcher had colic for about 4 weeks & without these two items I'm not sure what we would have done. Up until about 3 weeks ago, he was getting gas drops before every feeding. Now he only gets them if we notice he seems gassy or is fussy after a feeding. The gripe water is all natural & is a combination of ginger & fennel. You can mix it in with a bottle or give it to the baby straight from the syringe which is what we do because Hatch doesn't mind the flavor & takes medicine well. If your baby has hiccups, give him a little squirt of Gripe Water & poof they're gone!! I'm not someone who likes to take medicine often & certainly am careful what I give to my sweet boy so having something that's all natural is wonderful! 

Well, these are just some of my faves that I wanted to share! It's time to do some laundry & house cleaning while HT naps!! A mommy's work is never done...











Sunday, December 9, 2012

Happy 2 Months & Thanksgiving

Our big boy turned 2 months old on November 24th! It's so hard to believe how much he's grown in just one short month. He's really filling out & getting chunky! He weighed 11 lbs at his check-up and was 23 inches long! Such a growing boy! At two months, Hatch is becoming much more alert & stays awake for longer stretches of time. He talks all the time & smiles a lot! He loves to lay flat on his changing table & be naked...he just cackles! He still loves the owl mobile in his pack n play, laying in his nap nanny & looking at the Christmas tree. He loves to be sung too; his favorites right now are the Itsy Bitsy Spider & Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! He also slept his first 9 hour stretch. He's such a happy baby & we're loving every minute with him!

We celebrated Thanksgiving three times & ate way too much food! Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving week. 

Hatcher with Nanny & Granddaddy on Thanksgiving Day!

The Ricks Family

Aunt Lauren with Hatch on Thanksgiving night!

Uncle Ryan & Hatch! (sorry it's blurry)

Such a happy boy & a total flirt! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hatch & Daddy

Look at that smile!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving in LaGrange!

Mommy, Hatch & Maw Maw

Hatch at Thanksgiving in Wrightsville! :)

Hatcher is One Month Old & Halloween!

Hatcher turned one month old on October 24th! The first four weeks of his life just seemed to fly by. Honestly, I felt like I waited for his arrival FOREVER & now that he's here I really need time to slow down. I'm afraid if I blink I'll miss something. His little personality is the sweetest thing & I cannot imagine what we did with our time before he arrived. We could sit & hold him & play with him all day long. Such a sweet boy! :)

At one month, he loves to lay in his pack 'n play & talk to the owl mobile! He loves to just sit & listen to you talk to him & loves his nap nanny! 

Happy Halloween from the Ricks family!

Hatch's nanny & granddaddy came over to see him in his giraffe costume!

My little pumpkin! :)

Our sweet baby giraffe! 


Monday, November 19, 2012

The many faces of Hatcher!

Since Hatcher has arrived in our lives, the faces he makes have kept us highly entertained! This post is just to show the many faces that make us laugh!!

This picture was taken in the hospital; Johny calls it his game face! :)

This sweet boy wants to talk so badly! 

This is the "I'm making a poopy for you Mommy" face! 

This smile melts our hearts! :)

He's so silly!! 

He's so happy in the mornings which is so much fun!

You did what?!?!

hehehe!!

I'm pooping...don't look at me! :) haha!

The absolute sweetest smile in the world! :)

Hatch's First LaGrange Trip

When Hatcher was two weeks old, we took him to LaGrange (my hometown) to have his newborn pictures taken & to visit family!

The fabulous Tracy Thompson of Photography by Tracy T took the most beautiful newborn pictures for us! We will cherish them forever! We highly recommend Tracy to all of our family & friends. Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot.






After the session with Tracy, we stayed the weekend & visited with family. Hatcher had not met my Maw Maw or my cousins yet so they had the opportunity to spend some good quality time with him. We also had a cook out at my grandparents house & visited with my sister & parents. It was a wonderful trip & I look forward to Hatch spending lots more time there seeing where mommy grew up!

The car ride to LaGrange

Hatch visiting with Maw Maw!

Poppy & Hatch at our family cook-out!


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Life at Home - Week 1

We left the hospital on Thursday, September 27. Checking into the hospital was a piece of cake but checking out was like an act of congress! It took forever!!

Johny & I were so excited to bring Hatcher home & to introduce him to Dooley! Ok, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous too because Dooley has been the center of our world for 2 years & those who know him know he requires lots of attention. He was great practice for being parents! When we came in he was so excited to see us & ran around in circles. Didn't even pay attention to Hatcher. He & Johny went out in the back yard & ran around before bringing him inside to meet Hatcher. The meeting went great & he even gave Hatch a little kiss to seal the deal! We were so relieved.

For the first two weeks, my mom stayed with us & it was such a blessing! She was a huge help! She kept our house clean, clothes washed & food on the table. I highly recommend to any new parents having some help the first week or two. I was still not getting around really good & having an extra set of hands was helpful. Thank you mom for being there with us!

The first week was fun & definitely an adjustment as we figured things out. It's a process of trial & error  for sure. There were many sleepless nights & late night feedings but those are some of my most precious memories!

We had lots of visitors the first week as we introduced Hatch to family & friends! He is one loved little boy! Below are some pictures of him coming home & of him meeting his loved ones.

Mommy & Hatch ready to go home! 

My first trip in my car seat! I did great!!

In the car & ready to go home! :)

Annie came to visit us on Saturday! 


Watching my first UGA game with daddy!

Loving on Great Grandmother Ricks!

Hatch with Granddaddy!

Hatcher meeting GiGi & Paw Paw (my grandparents)

Hatch meeting PaPa Outlaw (J's grandfather)

Johny, Hatch, Papa Outlaw & cousins Josh & Jake

3 generations! :)

Cousin Jake & Hatcher

Great Aunt Tammie & Hatcher (J's aunt)

Cousin Josh & Hatcher

One of my favorite pictures from H's first week at home! :)