This weekend the weather was incredible so Mom & Dad took me out for a walk and my first trip to the playground.  I was so excited when I got there that I couldn’t stop looking at all the fun things to play on.  Of course I am too little for most things but there are swings that are just right for a peanut like me.  First, I sat on Dad’s lap and then Mom’s.  Since I was having such a great time feeling the wind as we swayed back and forth, Mom & Dad decided to put me in the ‘baby swing’ and let me ride by myself.  I had a blast!  I was even giggling.  After fifteen minutes though, all the swinging was making me very sleepy and on the walk home I was fast asleep in my stroller.  The weather was truly spectacular and I can’t wait for another great day so I can go back to the swings and have fun.  And I can’t wait til I am older so I can enjoy the slides and the jungle gym.  Now that looks like a great time!

I just came home from a few days in the city with Mom & Dad and it was fabulous.   This was the second week in a row that I spent some time strolling the streets of Manhattan with Mom while Dad was working hard.  Mom has done a great job of making her former ‘bachelorette pad’ feel like my home away from home.  I have a Gymini, a bouncy seat, a bunch of toys to play with and books to read so I can entertain myself.  Every day Mom takes me out for walks and we cruise up and down the avenues window shopping and gazing at all the pretty things on display.  I love the fresh air and watching the people and the cars go by.  I even like looking at the puppies.

It is really great that steps from our apartment are so many fabulous places and the park is just a five minute walk.  While the fresh air knocks me out about 15 minutes into a walk, I haven’t been the best sleeper at night.  I am just too excited for all the fun things we can do that who wants to sleep in.  Poor Mom (and Dad) but I’m cute and loveable so they take it all in stride ;)   I am looking forward to seeing more of the city and spending time at the Central Park Zoo.  I think it will be cool to see the sea lions being fed and all the other animals.  We will skip the reptiles of course since Mommy doesn’t like them.  Who knows, maybe I won’t like them either.  All I know is I am wide-eyed as we explore the big city and I can’t wait to go back again.  It’s so much fun!

Bringing home a new baby is scary enough and all new parents are overwhelmed with the thought of caring for every need for their newborn.  Everyone tries to be as prepared as possible by reading books, taking parenting or birthing classes or talking to other “experienced” moms but you can never really be prepared for the reality of bringing your little one home.

When I was pregnant with David we followed Jewish tradition and did not bring any baby items into the house until he actually arrived.  Of course we registered for what we thought were all the baby necessities but little did we realize at the time that there were so many ‘little’ things that we needed day one.  This resulted in us running out to the baby store and the drugstore to get all those essentials the moment we arrived home from the hospital.  Having just given birth and not in the best physical shape, getting around was challenging enough and running errands was much harder than I ever expected.  So, as I learned from my experience, you must have the necessities for your baby’s arrival BEFORE he or she arrives.  Even if your religious beliefs prevent you from having these items in your house, I recommend having a family member, friend or neighbor hold on to them and bring them to your house while you are in the hospital.

Several of my friends have since had babies or are expecting babies and I have put together what I call “Baby Necessity Baskets” and “Mommy Necessity Baskets” for all those things that you need that you will most likely never get as gifts.  For all you ‘Mom’s to Be” I thought I would share the contents of my baskets.  Hopefully this will help to make bringing home baby just a bit easier.

Baby Necessity Basket Items:

1. Diapers – newborn or size 1
2. Wipes
3. A&D Ointment (I prefer this over Desitin which is too creamy and sticky)
4. Rubbing Alcohol and Cotton Balls to care for the umbilical cord
5. Bacitracin and gauze to care for a newly circumcised penis if you have a boy
6. Bibs
7. Birp Cloths
8. Receiving Blankets
9. Undershirts/Blanket Sleepers/Onesies/Stretchies/Gowns
10. Dreft or All Free and Clear for Laundry / Oxy Clean Baby
11. Aspirator and Little Noses Saline Drops
12. Baby Tylenol/Motrin
13. Mylcon and/or Gripe Water – I like ColicEase…works great!
14. Rectal Thermometer
15. Pacifier – have more than one
16. Underpads for your changing table – these are found in the ‘incontinence” aisle of the drugstore.  Regular size are perfect for the changer.  They are disposable and great for catching any pee/poop that may leak from the diaper (or your little one) during changing
17. Diaper pail and bags
18. Diaper Bag – your first doctor visit will most likely be your first venture out of the house just days after bringing the baby home
19. Bottle Drying Rack and/or Sterilizer
20. Bottles/Bottle Warmer/Bottle Brush

There is nothing glamour about your body and its needs after giving birth.  You will need to care for yourself in ways you never thought possible.  The most simplest act will now seem like climbing Mount Everest would be easier.  To help ease your recovery, have the following on hand – trust me, you will need these items – especially the hemorrhoid items even though you will deny needing them before the baby comes.

Mommy Necessity Basket:

1. Maxi Pads
2. Motrin
3. Colace or PeriColace
4. Tucks Pads and/or Witch Hazel Pads
5. Preparation H Maximum Cream and/or suppositories
6. Sitz Bath

Also, keep old sheets, towels and underwear on hand that way you don’t ruin any of your ‘good stuff’.  The first week is the hardest, the second week gets better and in a month you will feel more like yourself again although completely and utterly sleep deprived.

Hopes this helps all first time Mom’s to Be’.  If you have other ‘must have items’ to add to the list, please share in the comments section.   Good luck!

After five months of being a stay at home mom, it was time to spread my wings a bit and get out and about more.  The nice weather is upon us and David is at the age where I feel we can be on the go a bit more than we were in the first couple of months in his little life.  So, today it was time to start making some new friends in Westchester.  We started out at a playgroup in our complex with one of our friends from music class.  It was really nice to spend some time with another stay at home mom and her little one.  While the babies can’t really interact since they are so small it was refreshing for me to spend some time chatting with another adult.  It is so great to be able to learn from other mothers especially those whose babies are just a little bit older than mine.

After playgroup we took a ride to Scarsdale Village for our first Westchester Mom’s Meetup.  I joined this group through the Meetup.com website about a month ago but up until a few days ago there was no activity.  It seemed that a lot of people were joining but no ‘meetups’ were being organized.  Thanks to one bold mother amongst the 250+ members who sent out a mass email asking a question, the entire group is now talking and actively planning events.  Granted we are all at different stages with our little ones but very quickly a group of us with babies six months or younger have grouped together.  After some quick coordinating over the last two days a number of us met up at Scarsdale Village for lunch and ‘mom talk’ in the park.  We are all from the lower Westchester area and everyone was willing to travel just a bit to meet which was really nice.  I think everyone enjoyed getting out a bit and while we were all tied to feeding schedules and naps, it worked out well.  Hopefully we can all meet up again soon.  Who knows, maybe today was the start of some life long friendships for us and our little ones.

I have been terrible about keeping up with my blogging and I apologize.  At five months, I’ve got quite the hectic life with walks outside, visits with my grandparents, sleepovers, visits to NYC and attending music class.  I just don’t know where the time goes.  I took a lot of heat this evening at my very first seder for neglecting my readers so I will try to do a much better job in the future.

March was a busy month for me.  Mom and Dad took some time off from baby duty thanks to grandma and grandpa and they went skiing in Vermont to celebrate Daddy’s birthday.  While they were on the slopes and shopping in the outlets, I was taking walks and being spoiled rotten.  The weather has finally started to get nice some days so I’ve really enjoyed being out of the house.   There is so much to see!   My two favorite experiences this month have been my new music class, “Rock n’ Roll with Andy” at our clubhouse and my recent trip to New York City.  Mom and Dad have an apartment on the Upper East Side and I had my first touch of city life this weekend and my first walk through Central Park.  It was amazing!  I loved every minute of it.  Too bad I wasn’t the best sleeper but I was just so excited to be in the city that who had time for naps.

Aside from all the fun I’ve been having, I’ve really been growing too.  I am eating my rice cereal twice a day now and am going to start having in three times a day soon.  I am also trying so hard to roll over but I haven’t quite figured out what to do with my arm so I end up on my side and roll back.  Oh well.  I can’t wait til I can sit up on my own.  I keep trying to pull myself up but I’m not quite there yet.  Maybe when I’m six months old I will be able to do this.

Stay tuned for more updates.  I promise I’ll be a better blogger now that I’m getting bigger :)