8 Weeks

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Holy Cow! I can’t believe that Rowan is eight weeks. haha well she is almost nine now but, wow! Time really does go by so fast. We are off to her 2 month check up this morning. I am a little scared because she will be getting her first shots today. Poor baby. I don’t want to get into the whole immunization thing because, wow being a parent can be so political and what is right for your family doesn’t mean its right for ours. I will say I think immunizations are important, but we have chosen to go with a delayed schedule for some of them.
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Rowan has really grown in the last week. In size and in personality. She really is turning into the most precious little baby. Her fussiness is subsiding and we are actually having some really nice evenings all together when Kev comes home. She LOVES to look around. She gets all upset when she can’t see what’s going on. We went to the mall the other night and she just stared wide eyed at everything for like 2 hours. It was so cute. She is liking her swing more and more. She even will fall asleep in there and take a nap. I really just love this little baby so much! Seeing her grown more and more everyday just makes my heart so big. She is so smiley and is starting to talk to us a little with her cute coo’s.
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Aren’t her little shoes so cute? I love them so much!! They are from the most adorable etsy shop called Gracious May. They were nice enough to send Rowan these cute little Mary Janes. I think I need to order some more though! They have so many cute styles to chose from.

I have been asked a few times to list out what I thought were my baby “must haves” for the first 2 months. There is no denying that there is A LOT of baby crap out there. It’s easy to fall victim to thinking you need it all, but as I was thinking of what I couldn’t live without, not a whole lot came to mind. Really, the baby needs your love and attention. They aren’t really entertained by a whole lot when they are that small. They just want to be held. Here are a few things that have helped us though and I am glad that we have had them…
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1. Our Stroller!!!
I can not say enough about the Uppa Baby. I freakin’ love this thing. Not only is it a great stroller, but the bassinet is perfect. Rowan has slept in this every night since about week 1. We roll it right next to our bed and it’s easy access to her when she needs to be nursed. It’s a great way to bring her bed when you go to Grammy’s as well because its her stroller too. You are not bring hundreds of things. Just 1. It’s small and cozy and fits her just perfect. It creates this little safe bubble for her and I like to think that is why she sleeps so good. She is starting to seem big in there though and we will be transitioning her to the Pram for sleeping in a little bit I think.

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2. A good Blanket and a good Swaddle Blanket
We love our Lola Miren Blanket. It goes with us everywhere. It’s soft, cozy and warm. I like to think she knows that its her blanket and feels comforted by it. I would say the one thing that we could not live without are these swaddle blankets. Rowan has always been super strong or maybe just extra fidgety and has always busted out of regular blanket swaddles. The velcro kind keep her tight and wrapped up all night, which keep her sleeping soundly. This baby needs to be swaddled at night or she doesn’t sleep.

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3. Ocean Wonder Sea Horse
We got this seahorse (or “bubbles” as its nicknamed in our house) as a gift at our shower and it has become a night time favorite. It has such soothing music mixed with ocean bubble sounds. I feel like I even need to listen to it to fall asleep now a days. hehe. Kev was putting Rowan to sleep last night and aftering being gone for quite a while I went to go check on them. Kev was fast a sleep as well with Rowan and Bubbles on his chest. It was very cute.

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4. Boppy and a baby holder
The boppy is an arm life saver. I think its a no brainer for new moms, but it really is so helpful. I call it my pillow tutu. If that baby is going to be nursing you can guarantee that, that pillow is around my waist. Also something that will hold the baby safely is a must. That could be a swing, a vibrating chair, a bouncer whatever you got, its good. The baby may not like it yet (Rowan is just starting to enjoy hers now) but sometimes a momma just needs to take a shower, or go pee or do something. I would bring our Baby Bjorn Chair in the bathroom with me and would take a quick shower with her sitting in it. Totally helpful.

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5. Lotions, Soaps and Nipple Care
I really have loved the Aveeno and Burt Bee’s baby care lines. We use the Aveeno baby shampoo and wash for bath times and the few times she has gotten a little red on her bottom we have used the Burt Bees Diaper Ointment. It smells amazing and the tiniest dab works wonders overnight. Also we keep this BabyGanics Hand Sanitzer right by her change table. Its quick and easy and no alcohol in it. I also have a little one for the diaper bag.

6. Oh Yeah and a baby carrier and sling. We take these everywhere with us and are totally helpful when your little one wont let you put her down. I have done many chores around the house with her in a sling. We have a Baby Bjorn, a Moby wrap and a Maya sling.

Those are our picks. What are yours?

p.s. We have been using our cloth diapers now for about 2 weeks and I will be writing a whole post about them on Monday!

p.p.s someone mentioned in a comment White Noise and I couldn’t agree more!! I should have added Vacuum! haha it sounds funny but whenever Rowan has been really upset and we can’t calm her, we turn on the vacuum and instantly she stops crying. It has worked 100% of the time. It makes us laugh because it’s so instant that she stops. We also sleep with a loud fan on for white noise at night.

  1. Love the outfit! What a mod little chica. She needs a big pair of sunglasses to complete the look! I do not have kids but I have a friend who says burp clothes are also an essential.

  2. First of all, Rowan is so strikingly beautiful. I can’t decide if it’s the shape of her eyes or those little lips but she’s so friggin’ gorgeous!
    Second, I had to go with my sister to bring my little nephew to get his shots at his 2 mth mark and it’s definitely not easy. My sister was a mess, she couldn’t hold him down! So basically I had to step in and hold his little chubby legs for the dr to do her thing.

    ps: hope you weren’t offended by the 30×30 thing. I think I just don’t get it and should’ve left it at that!

  3. Outfits like that make me wish I had a little girl! Finding cute clothes for boys is so hard. Rowan looks ADORABLE, and not “cutesy” at all.

    A great list for baby beginnings, with a lot of flexibility. For us, I’d also add the “Baby Soothe” iPhone app. It’s a customizable white noise machine that was my saving grace in the car (Sam went through a period when he HATED his carseat).

    We have the blue seahorse–whose name is also Bubbles! Great minds think alike, eh? (Seriously, what else are you going to name it? Those bubble noises are so loud!)

  4. this list is so helpful! thanks for sharing. i’m not expecting yet, but have been trying to research this stuff as much as possible. you rock!

  5. Rowan is sooooooo adorable!! I just love her little outfit! I don’t have any babies yet, but I need to bookmark this page for when I do! Super helpful 🙂

  6. Oh she is just beautiful! I have 2 little girls (4 and 5) and my youngest was a burritto baby also! She had to be all swaddled before she could sleep and if she ever wriggled an arm out she woke up instantly! I wish I had known about those little velcroe blankies!

  7. Man she is ADORABLE! Who’s eyes does she have? I just love her big eyes! I like your list, I think it’s right on. It’s so true that they try to get new moms to buy all this stuff they dont need. I would agree with all of your choices. I even like your bubbles. With Anthony we used a cd and it started to become so high maintenence having to have a cd player or something with us whenever he slept at someone elses house. That bubbles is portable – great option. I want to see a picture of you in that moby wrap. I just ordered one yesterday on Amazon and I cant wait to get it in the mail. And do you have any advise for photographing babies? Maybe kev could do a guest blog post about that! I know he’s busy, I just need all the help I can get. Miss you..

  8. she is such a cutie! looking fashionable just like her mommy! I have the 2nd you on the seahourse (we call it the secret weapon over here) It even puts us to sleep! Our little one is 18 months and still loves that thing so you have many months of good use coming out of it!

    I never knew about those little velcro swaddles blankets!! The bad thing is our little bean didn’t like to be contained at all!

  9. Jen, you are the sweetest for putting together this list. Your email was so super helpful to me and Josh, too. Just know that this is a huge help for this little momma to be!

    Rowan looks so much like Kev in the third picture! What a super duper cutie you have. 🙂

  10. Aww she is so cute! Its really fun and interesting watching them grow. I need to try getting a swaddle blanket. My little girl always seems to get out her regular blankets lol.

  11. This is my favorite baby style file! Simply adorable.

  12. She’s so big and beautiful!

  13. I am 25 years old and I still turn on my hairdryer when I need to be “soothed”. Love that white noise!

    And what a lovely little face on that baby. 🙂

  14. I’ve been reading and loving your blog for a while (first comment). Rowan is adorable! I had my son, L, a few weeks before you had her, and we have the same stroller!

    Here’s my log post about 10 items that have made being a new mom easier:

    http://ourcherrybaby.blogspot.com/2010/10/10-things-im-loving-right-now.html

  15. if she really loves white noise. you can down load it from itunes and the play it off an ipod on some small speakers near by. that way you wont have to pull out the vacuum every time.

  16. 1. I love your weekly photos of Rowan against the shag carpet backdrop. It’s super simple and clean and is worlds better than a typical photo backdrop. I want to do something similar when I have a baby.
    2. I’m not pregnant, nor do I have any babies yet but my husband and I will begin trying probably within the next year and I love the insider info on products and everything else you’ve shared. Keep it coming!

  17. So cute! GL with the shots – we had ours last week and I couldn’t handle it I was bawling. Our baby girl Julia is three days older than Rowan and I second a lot of your faves – love the velcro swaddle blankets and our white noise machine and so does she. We also use our Aden and Anais blankets constantly while on walks (we live in NYC and walk all the time and the blankets keep sun out/germs away (hopefully))! We love the Fisher Price Rock ‘n’ Play, that’s where Julia sleeps and it’s really perfect, small, portable and on an incline which I think she likes – this might be my #1 must have. She also loves her Fisher Price playmat with all the sounds and the mirror – she sounds so happy and excited when we put her on it. I love your pics!

  18. This is my favorite Rowan outfit so far. Love ,love, love, LOVE it!! I know with my nephew, in the car opening the window stopped the crying in an instant. They should call this suff liquid gold noise. She is precious as ever. I totally respect your decision to do what is right for your family when it coms to imunizations and not get all cosumed in a debate about it with the rest of the worldl. you are rocking the mommy job
    jen, so good on ya. Im going mto be up in western Mass Thanksgiving and would love to get the chance to catch up with you and have coffree and h ear any thoughts you might have on opening an etsy store of vintage clothin? Have a lovely weekend !

  19. Ah, that reminds me to get my flu shot. Thanks! Even though the shot’s not fun, I like that it’ll cut down the spread of the flu so these cute babies whose immune systems are still growing don’t have to get exposed. 🙂

  20. Awww she’s getting so big!! What a sweetie. I love those shoes. (:

  21. I would love if you could list the brands of clothing that Rowan is wearing!
    P.S. She is just too flippin cute!

  22. hey jen,

    we also have the bubbly sea horse, a gift from my sister for my little one who is now 13 months old. recently, he has been waking up peacefully and cheerfully in the morning and will play with the seahorse for awhile before hollering for me. it is nice to wake up to the sounds of him contentedly playing with it to the tune of “joyful joyful” with sweet bubbles in the back ground.

    also, have you seen the beco baby carrier? i really love mine, as it distributes the baby’s weight on my hips, not so much on my back (which is great b/c my core in general is pretty weak). i have the “lauren”…http://www.amazon.com/Beco-Butterfly-II-Baby-Carrier/dp/B003LLDR00

    its nice to read your blog, i wish we would have known each other while i still lived in your neck of the woods & went to TN.

    tara

  23. She is so precious.

    I’ve been cloth diapering baby e. since he was about 6 weeks old, and it has been a great experience and a wise move financially and ecologically. My mom actually sewed diapers for me, which helped with the initial cost output. Plus, it means that baby e. has some awesome dinosaur flannel diapers! Hope your experience has been positive thus far as well.

  24. Hi,
    My friend turned me on to your blog recently because I am expecting a little girl next February. I just had my shower yesterday and got a boppy pillow (I love the print on the slip cover!), a baby bjorn and the halo swaddler. Everyone following you keeps raving about this bubble sea horse, I’m gonna have to go find me one! :o) Thanks for the suggestions. Can’t wait to hear more of your tips!
    -lara

  25. She’s getting so big! And more and more adorable!

    Justine
    justbettertogether@gmail dot com
    Just Better Together

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Hi, I'm Jen!

Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!

Jen Loves Kev
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