So my best friend/ soul sister/ cousin/ whatever you want to call her (I really love her) is having a baby!!!!  I can’t sign my ticket out of the state of Georgia quick enough to go be with her.  She is very excited and so am I.  She is going to be a great mommy.  I’ve always kind of played the big sister role to her.  So, I love to help her and guide her any way I can.  I have a vivid memory of her telling me about a boy that was picking on her on the playground when we were in elementary school.  I marched myself over to that little boy (I can’t stand the name Brandon to this day) and let him know that if he did it again, he would have to deal with me.  Very funny.  Anyway, in an effort to help her, I made a wish list of baby stuff I could not have lived without.  I’m going to post it here.  If you have any other ideas, please add to my list.  Oh…she’s probably, most likely having a girl.

1. Pack n’ Play:  I seriously thought these were a waste and I didn’t even register for one.  Thank you, Jesus, a smarter mommy bought me one anyway.  It has the attachment to make it a basinet/changing table.  Our babies lived in it for the 1st few weeks.  Later you can use it for the baby to play while you do housework.  And they can sleep in it on vacations!  You also need the "play yard" sheets for it….makes it cozy!

2.Convertible car seat: You can only use that carrier one for a year.  Again, I didn’t register for the bigger one.  So, I was counting down the days until I could go out and buy it.  There are different #s that tell you when you can start/ stop using it.  #1 means it is a reversible seat, so they can be in it immediately (although it looks really scary!) I think mine is a 2,3.  The box explains it.  If you have a girl you can get it in rockin patterns.  The only boyish ones are black, blue, or camo. Thank you, manufacturers…very creative!

3.Travel System: The car seat and stroller in one.  I’ll be honest…I hated it with my 1st. It seemed so big.  Now with two, it seems super easy and much smaller than the double stroller.  Ask around to people who have a similar lifestyle.

4.Floor toys:  We can’t have enough!  Babies get so bored so fast.  Right now we have the Gymini thing that looks like a mat with toys hanging over it, a bouncy seat with toys, and something that’s not on the market anymore (we call it the boat–it’s basically a music/light show that they activate when they kick at it,) and an exersaucer.

5. Swing-we love the baby papasan. And, after months of living in shame, I found out it’s ok to let the baby nap in it if needed.

6. bowls w/ lids and sippy cups: i LOVE the 1st years take and toss. you don’t have to worry about the stopper things on the cups and everything is soooo cheap. they sell a great bag that comes with spoons, forks, cups, bowls. the spoons and forks are great when the baby starts feeding themselves. the rubber ones are best when you start feeding baby.

7.bibs: i like carters the best. i like the ones that are terry cloth on both sides and lined on the inside. all the other bibs just allow the milk to seep through.

8.burp cloths: i like any that resemble a cloth diaper. they work best!

9.blankets: gotta love blankets! the only blankets i don’t like are the flannel receiving blankets. they annoy me. they’re just not big enough to do anything (except roll up and protect baby’s head from bobbling in the car seat.) someone gave me a thermal blanket for max…it’s my fave! it’s big and stretchy so it’s great for swaddling. Max LOVES to snuggle in it b/c it’s so light-weight. oh and you need about a million blankets! i like using the huge fleece or sweater blankets for floor play. (that almost sounds perverted!)

10. A great digital camera, camera card, and video recorder!

That’s all I got for now. I need to post this so she can read it.  Add suggestions! (even if i don’t know you!)