favourite things ~ first month

getting prepared for baby number two was quite a bit easier than it was for baby number one.  namely because we've been there done that.  and let's face it, things get easier with experience.  having gone through the "first month" before, i knew that there were definitely a few things that made life just a little easier for both me and baby.

blanket in the nursery ~ this is a must for those late night nursing sessions.  i usually try to throw on a sweater but sometimes it's missed in my sleepy walk to the nursery.  i found a super soft throw blanket at bouclair and love it.

bouncy chair ~ this is super handy to have around, especially for those moments when you need to put baby down for a minute so you can actually go pee.  we have this version, given to us by friends and it's awesome.  liam loves playing with it too.  he turns the music on and off for averie, to "help baby sleep."

swing ~  having a swing on our main floor is an absolute must for us.  averie usually has her afternoon snooze in it and liam was exactly the same.  it is also one of the few things that helps to calm her down if she's being fussy (in combination with her soother).  both of my children love motion.  they instantly fall asleep in the car and it's the same in the swing.  love the fisher price ocean waters swing.

sling ~  this is how i wear my baby.  i tried a variety of slings and wraps when liam was a baby, but the hotsling was the best fit for me.  it grows with baby and within the first two weeks, averie was big enough to fit in it.  we took it for a test drive this week when we went grocery shopping ... just the two of us.  she slept through the entire trip.

nursing pads ~  i never needed these with liam, although i did buy them just in case.  with averie it's a whole different story.  my milk will often "let down" if i even think about feeding her.  so getting some good nursing pads was a definite must.  it's never okay to walk around town with two wet circles on your t-shirt.

lansinoh cream ~  this literally saved my nipples and my ability to breast feed with averie.  she did not latch very well at the beginning and i had two very sore and very cracked nipples.  even after we fixed our latch issue they were still very very excruciatingly painful for a few days.  not a fun experience.  however, using lansinoh helped to heal them quickly and provided some relief.  an absolute must for nursing mamas.  

sleep is also a very important part of the first month.  take it when you can.  it was something i didn't do very well when i was at home with liam, but this time 'round i'm all over the naps.