Baby Must Have’s

It must just be the “season of life” that I’m currently in, but holy cow, so many of my friends are either: expecting, trying to conceive or currently have a baby in their life!

As a new mama, I was very overwhelmed by all of the products and options available! It’s crazy the amount of “things” that you will need when your little bundle of joy enters the world. Recently, I have had multiple friends reach out to me regarding products I liked and disliked, so i figured why not create a little blog for you all! So here ya go!
-The first thing I did when building my baby registry (I built mine on Babylist!) was go to family and friends and get lists of MUST HAVE and NOT NECESSARY items.
-Second I did research for specific items that met criteria and all the”safety guidelines” important to me: Green Guard Certified and ECO-Friendly. Oh i was also trying to be a ‘minimalist!’

Daily Necessities

• Babybjorn Bouncer-Fitz LOVES this thing! Whether I’m trying to take a quick shower (just put her in it outside the shower stall,) fold laundry, or cook dinner, this is such a great thing to have around! Of note, it doesn’t bounce on it’s own!
• 4 Moms MamaRoo Swing– Fitz likes this (for short periods of time) and I’ll usually put her in it if she is sleeping, or almost asleep and I need both hands free! Our original one broke almost immediately (not sure why…) but the company has great customer service and sent us a new one right away!
• Boppy– The greatest nursing invention ever! I use it everyday and can’t imagine nursing without it. We also use this pillow to sit Fitz up in and sometimes to lean on during tummy time!
• Diaper Bag– Love the amount of storage this bag has, and its very simple looking too!
• UppaBaby Messa Carseat– Both Kwin and I love this carseat because it’s super light, easy to instal in the car, and has the Green Guard Certification I was looking for!
• UppaBaby Vista Stroller– UppaBaby has multiple different stroller types and we went with the Vista style because of the ability to add more seats to it! We are hoping to have our kids close in age and being able to add seats to our stroller would be great…instead of having multiple strollers!
• Boba Wrap– LITERALLY A LIFESAVER, especially when Fitz doesn’t want to nap unless she is being held! I love this wrap, probably the most of our wraps we own because it just seems the most stable when I’m holding her.
• Ergobaby Aura Wrap– I love this wrap too. It has a little bit thinner material and folds up into a small carrier bag. I keep this one in my diaper bag, that way I have some type of wrap with me at all times.
• Ergobaby Omni 360 Carrier– You’ve probably seen a bunch of pictures and video’s of Kwin and I hiking with Fitz, and this carrier has made it all possible. I HIGHLY recommend getting this if you plan to be out and about with baby! Oh and make sure that you also get the ‘Infant Insert.’ It allows smaller babies to enjoy the carrier (for 8-12lbs.)
• Halo Sleepsack Swaddle– I didn’t think I would like this, just another “thing” to have…but let me tell ya, I love it! It’s so easy to wrap her up while she is sleeping or if we’re trying to get her to sleep. Babies loved being swaddled and it is definitely easier than trying to swaddle a blanket.
• Haakaa Manual Breast Pump– Ever heard the expression “Don’t cry over spilt milk,” well when you are a breastfeeding mama, this is so incredibly true! The haakaa is attached to your non-breastfeeding boob and collects your letdown! You’d be surprised how much milk you leak. I’ve only used my breast pump twice since giving birth, but already have a bunch of milk stocked up in our freezer, just from catching my let down!
• Blooming Bath– This simple thing makes bath time so much easier! Especially with Fitz being so small still, we are able to bathe her in the sink and not have to worry about her flopping around or getting hurt in the slippery sink.
• Baby Bum Bath Essentials– A lot of baby shampoo’s and lotions are filled with chemicals that I wouldn’t want to put on my own body, let alone my daughters. This brand however, has great ratings by the EWG; PLUS it smells really good too!
• Earth Mama Diaper Balm– It’s inevitably, baby’s get red butts occasionally. I really like this balm though because of the clean ingredients and the eucalyptus smell!
• Peanut Diaper Changing Pad– This simple changing pad is the bomb. What I like most about it is the fact that it’s rubber and doesn’t have a pad cover on it (you can buy one if you want.) In my opinion just having it the rubber material makes it so much easier to keep clean and 1 less thing to have to wash!
• Guava Family Bassinet– This was a minimalist purchase for me! It’s a 2-in-1 Bassinet and Pack-N-Play all in one. Just make sure to get the Bassinet conversion kit when you purchase it. I love this because it’s very easy to travel with (fold down into a backpack) which allows Fitz to sleep in her bassinet whether we’re at home or on the road.
• Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Camera– After much research, I felt that having a ‘non wi-fi’ based monitor was the best idea. So far we really like this one; You can move the lense with the monitor, can hear clearly and has a good picture too.
• Hatch Rest Baby Sound Machine– There is so much research that babies sleep better with white noise going on. And this sound machine is perfect! It not only acts as a sound machine, but also a nightlight too! There are so many sound to chose from and it’s all controlled by your phone app.
• FridaBaby NoseFrida– This little gadget makes keeping the babies nose clear of boogers so easy! It looks intimidating at first, the idea that you’re “sucking the boogers out” but honestly it’s so nice and easy! Fitz doesn’t budge at all when we’re doing it.
• SnuggleMe Organic Pillow– Fitz also loved being in this pillow for the longest time! It’s nice because it helps to make the baby feel nice and wrapped up, while also being supportive and not able to move around too much. The only downfall to this pillow is that she has almost outgrown the length of it…so if you have a tall baby you might be more interested in the Dock-A-Tot Pillow!
• Milk Snob– This works as a car seat cover and cover for me while breastfeeding out in public! I would definitely recommend getting a couple of these.

Clothing

• Zutano Fleece Booties– Living in Michigan, we can have some pretty chilly weather. These booties are fricken amazing and so cute too! I wish they had these in adult sizes.
• Cotton Sleeping Gowns– LOVE LOVE LOVE these! It makes for midnight diaper changes to be so easy.
• Magnetic Onesies– Wow, I was gifted these by a friend and they are pretty awesome! No more messing with buttons or zippers.
• Two-Way Zipper Onesies– These are super nice too! Instead of unzipping the clothes all the way from their head and making them super chilled, just unzip from the foot up.
• Full Throttle Infant Life Jacket– If you are planning to take your baby on a boat this is a must have! Fitz doesn’t seem to be bothered by it at all, plus it’s pretty cute too. It’s good for up to 30lbs.

Feeding

• Medela Pump– Insurance covered my breast pump and this is what I got. I’m happy with it so far (only use it twice) but gets the job done.
• Elvie Pump– I personally don’t have these, but wish I would have gotten them! They’re cordless, so you don’t have to be tied down to a wall when you are pumping.
• Medela Storage Pump Bags– Easy to store your milk in to freeze for future use.
• Philips Advent Glass Bottles– Fitz isn’t too fond of taking a bottle yet (we’re working on it!) But I prefer glass over plastic for health reasons. These bottles aren’t heavy or too bulky. Something to keep in mind new mama’s is that there are different nipple “Flow-Rates.” Make sure to look this up!
• Breast Pump Bag Backpack– This is going to be super useful for when I’m back at work or traveling and need to bring my pump. It’s got a couple pockets for holding all the gear and an insulated bottom part to make sure the pumped milk is kept nice and cold.
• Boon Lawn Countertop Dryer– Love this for making sure the bottles and pumping pieces are clean&dry and kept away from Kwin and I’d stuff.
• Bottle Cleaning Brush– Always gotta have one of these on hand!

Mama Goodies

• Hands Free Pumping Bra– The first time I pumped I didn’t wear this, and it was so frustrating! Having to hold the bottles while pumpkins really tied me down. This bra holds the bottles in place, making it so your hands are at least free.
• Earth Mama Nipple Butter– Oh man those first couple weeks were pretty rough for my nipples. Not use to something sucking on them 24/7 made them quite sore. That has sense resolved, but I still apply the nipple butter to keep them from drying out and cracking!
• Nursing Bra– A staple in my wardrobe. I honestly don’t wear any other bras….so convenient and easy to feed with these on.
• Nursing Tank Top– I love these as much as the bra. Personally I sleep in them most nights, and also will wear them under things!
• Disposable Nursing Pads– originally I thought I was going to go the ECO-friendly route and get the reusable pads, but friends…that’s just another thing to have to launder. And let me tell ya, Ain’t Nobody Got Time for more laundry🤷🏽‍♀️.

Toys or Play Things

So Fitz hasn’t quite gotten to playing with things much… but these items are pretty popular to have and I can’t wait until she starts enjoying them!

• Jolly Jumper– I can already tell that she is going to spend a lot of time using this! She loves to be standing (held up obviously) and moving around….we may be in trouble!
• Joovy Walker– One thing I liked about this vs. other walkers was that it doesn’t have over toys/distractions on it. This allows her to pick what she wants to play with and get creative.
• Wooden Play Gym– She has just recently started showing interest in this toy and loves it already! I love that it’s small&compact (taking up little space) and isn’t made from a bunch of plastic!

Here is the direct link to my Babylist registry! I didn’t mention everything in this blog because either I haven’t used it yet personally (so don’t feel confident speaking on it,) or just forgot to mention it!
Mamahood is the absolute best, so feel free to reach out to me with any questions(:

What Has Filled My Bookshelf This Year!

One of my 2018 goals was to read more! I was shooting for reading 12 books, or at least 1 a month. Coming from someone who use to HATE reading I felt this was defining going to be a challenge. To my surprise, I BEAT THIS NUMBER…. 

THIRTEEN BOOKS!

That’s right, thirteen! Ahh, I am so happy and proud of myself. Growing up I always felt like my spare time should be spent playing, or doing something active-which left no time for reading. Then high school and college came around, and textbook readings+ assigned books made for absolutely not time to read for pleasure.

January 2018, Challenge accepted…

So what exactly do I like to read? Well, I like REAL books, and ones that I can relate too. Books like Harry Potter, and Twilight are tough for me- I have a hard time staying engaged. I prefer: non-fiction, science-y books that challenge me, self help books that I can apply to real life, and occasionally fictional books…but they still have to seem real! 

Non-Fiction Books

Body Love by: Kelly Leveque 

This book is exactly what the title says! It’s a personal account from Kelly Leveque, a Holistic Nutritionist and Holistic Life Coach, based out of Los Angelos, CA. She talks about the social norms associated with being “perfect,” the different ‘Fad diets’ that society is convinced will changes their lives, and most importantly how to LOVE yourself! This book was a great, and an inspirational read! A little bonus is she includes a bunch of recipes that would fit in her “Fab Five” lifestyle diet. 

The Wellness Project by: Pheobe Lapine 

Pheobe Lapine, this book was great! Similar to the one above, this was a personal account for her “Journey to Wellness.” It was very relatable on so many levels: diet challenges, social media, post graduation life changes, and so much more. In this book, Pheobe recreates what her “Year to Wellness” journey was like; all the hardships and learning experiences she experienced. 

The Immune System Recovery Plan by: Susan Blum, MD., M.P.H

AHH, I really loved this book! Being a Nurse, I tend to lean toward really science-y books. I love learning about ways to not only improve my life, but also the life of those around me. This day-in-age, a lot of people are suffering from auto-immune diseases like: Celiacs, Lymes Disease, Fibromyalgia, etc. This book discussed lifestyle modifications, diet changes and holistic remedies to help cure or manage the diseases! 

Own The Day Own Your Life by: Aubrey Marcus 

Kwin read this book first, and couldn’t stop raving about how motivating and inspirational it was, so I figured I would give it a try too. I’M SO GLAD THAT I DID! This may have been one of my favorites this year! In this book, Aubrey Marcus discussed work, sleep, sex, diet and just about everything that we do in our daily lives, and how it can impact your life. He discussed the importance of balancing everything, and that everyone is different. It will make you laugh, mad and cry at times. I really recommend reading this one! 

The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*** by: Sarah Knight 

This was a spur of the moment purchase at the Airport in Australia during one of our layovers last year. It’s RAW, and has absolutely no filter! Sarah Knight tells you how it is, and the importance of “cleaning out your closet”and getting rid of the things that aren’t important in life. She stresses that our population is full of people-pleasing, materialistic people, who don’t know how to say NO. I enjoyed this book, as it kicked off my year in a great way! It helped me to realize that I DONT have to say yes to everything, and that I DONT need to put other peoples happiness before my own. 

The 5 Love Languages by: Gary Chapman 

Someone gave Kwin and I this book as a wedding gift. Before this, I’d never heard a thing about the “different” love languages. Well, I really liked this book! It has challenged my way of thinking about not only Kwin and I’s relationship, but the relationship that I have with all the other people in my life. Gary Chapman does a great job of explaining the 5 different types of “Love,” and how to interact with each of them. If you’re interested in knowing what your love language is, you can take a quick online test here! 

The Spark In The Machine by: Dr.Daniel Keown M.B., Ch.B., Lic. Ac

Throughout this year, I’ve been looking at the Holistic side of medicine and all the different platforms. One of high interest is the art of Acupuncture. This book is very science oriented, but does a great job of describing WHAT acupuncture is, and HOW practitioners go about their practice.  I learned a lot about the human body, especially how everything is connected in some way or another. 

Girl Wash Your Face by: Rachael Hollis 

Written by one of the POWERHOUSE women is todays society, Mrs. Rachael Hollis. This book is comical, and so relatable to everyday life on so many levels! Each chapter is titled with a “False Belief” that, us women, tend to tell ourselves, and how to change this feeling around. She really encourages the idea that WE’RE NOT PERFECT, and THATS OKAY! I honestly felt like every chapter I could relate to at some point in my life.  

Womancode by: Alisa Vitti 

Period Repair Manual by: Lara Briden, ND 

I read both Womancode and Period Repaid Manual as a way to learn more about the Women’s body- specifically periods, hormonal health, and repairing my body post birth control. After Kwin and I got married I decided to take myself off birth control, not to get pregnant immediately, but to get all the harsh “FAKE” chemicals out of my body. I’ve had some struggles with my hormones after stopping it, and have been really trying to heal my body as naturally as I can. These books were very eye-opening! They both stress the beauty of being a women, which is often surpassed with the negative connotations of being a women- cramps, mood swings, bloating, periods. If you are a women looking to get yourself off the pill, or looking to decrease your PMS, menopause or postpartum symptoms then I would highly suggest these two books! 

Fiction Books

A Spark Of Light by: Jodi Picoult 

Woah, Jodi really tackled such a controversial topic with this book! Abortion and the US government system. I really enjoyed this book, as it opened my eyes to a topic that I’m not very familiar with. It has encouraged me to do more research on my own, and to NOT judge anyone for their choices in life. The ending of this book…you just need to read it to really understand how twisted it leaves the reader.

Small Great Things by: Jodi Picoult 

A book about Nursing! Of course I loved it. Like the book above, Jodi Picoult brought about awareness to a controversial topic that we are faced with STILL! Racism and the US government system. Even though I am caucasian, I could defiantly relate to and understand the main character, in regards to the conflicting protocols in the medical field. Jodi Picoult has a way of drawing in her reader and making you feel like you were apart of the situation. 

Eat, Pray, Love by: Elizabeth Gilbert 

A spur of the moment grab at the local library (hence why it isn’t in the picture!) Honestly the only reason I chose this book, was because I knew there was a movie about it, and I wanted to read it before watching the movie (: It was a funny fictional book, that was a nice break from all my science-y based books I had already finished. I enjoyed it and the lightness of the read! 

If you have any suggestions, of books for me to tackle in the 2019 year I would love to hear them! Thank you for reading! 

ps. I linked all of the books on Amazon, if you’re invested in reading any of them! 

New Year Resolutions…Nawh, how about Life Long Accomplishments

The start of every new year is always full of excitement and motivation to meet those new goals you’ve set for yourself. “It’s a new year, time for a new me.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard or seen someone post about that; whether it be this year or in previous years. I am not meaning to bash on those individuals, because sometimes the changes made do actually last and become a lifestyle, but lets be honest…how many people do you know that actually embrace their new years resolutions fully?

I am not perfect in anyway. The past couple years I found myself making the same resolutions over and over again: get fit, have a body like (insert name of sexy model), only eat healthy food-meaning you can’t go out and enjoy drinks with friends because that would be cheating. Phew, thats exhausting just reading those.  Yes, I workout almost every day and eat a  health/clean diet (I try to stick to 80/20); But I never felt like I was meeting the resolution that I set for myself. I always felt like in some way I was doing it wrong and would mentally punish myself for “not doing it right.” Whoever made the rules as to what was right vs. wrong? Shouldn’t New Years Resolutions be something to better yourself and improve on last years accomplishments?

While listening to a Tim Ferris podcast, I cannot remember the individual whom he was interviewing, they were talking about Resolutions and how ridiculous some people get about them. Tim, and said guest, agreed that resolutions are more meant to be lifestyle changes that you already have and want to continue doing, as well as things that you want to start incoporating in your everyday lives. This inspired  me to do some deep thinking about my “resolutions;”  I came to the conclusion that I don’t have anything in my life I want to change. If anything I have made tremendous changes this year that I want to continue doing, and even build on. 2016 was a year of growing up, becoming an adult, finding myself and happiness, gaining confidence, and physically/mentally and emotionally gaining freedom from a demon I had been fighting for quite some time. I feel like a new women! Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that someone people are in big need of change, and look to the new year as the time to initiate them. But really, we should be making such changes all the time throughout the year; constantly challenging ourselves to be the best person that we can be.

I want to make 2017 a year of continued growth for me. I do have some goals that I did not have for last year, but if I don’t achieve them this year I have the rest of my life to do so. I want every “resolution” that I set for myself to be a lifestyle change, something that I can continue doing forever and not have to just complete it this year. I find that it is easier to be more accountable when you write out goals; not only for you to see but others too! So here is a list of accomplishments that I want to continue doing and want to start incorporating as well!

Megans Goals: 

• Self love: Journaling and Self Affirmations every day.
• Starting my new blog.
• Becoming more fluent in Spanish again: practice every day, take a medical professions class at the local community college, speak with Kwin whenever possible and when watching movies have subtitles on.
• Expand my horizons with cooking: trying to find a new recipe each week and if it’s not perfect the first time try again!
• Get out of my comfort zone and make new friends. It’s super important now that I’ve officially moved up to Traverse City and have more times to do things
• Read more books!
• When I am becoming stressed don’t take out my energy on eating..process what is going on at the time and fully assess the situation.
• Spend more time with family and friends and show that I truly love and appreciate them.
• Be more affectionate with Kwin. You should never stop “dating” your significant other.
• Get more into photography to document our adventures and amazing life! Photos you can cherish and look back on forever.
• Be Happy, Healthy and Active every day because you’ve only got one life to live so make it the best yet!
• Pay it forward!

Please leave a comment below about some of your Life long changes that you plan on continuing or starting this year! I cannot want to see what everyone says. Lets make 2017 the best year yet ❤