Because sometimes they sit still long enough for me to take their picture

Sometime in the distant future, I'll blog about learning progress this year. But for now, I'm pleased to share that our Little Professor has taken to reading books to Superman and Pearly Girl. Without being asked. And they actually sit and listen to him. I snuck into Pearly Girl's room at the beginning of quiet time and found them this way. I love Pearly Girl's expressions. The boys were totally absorbed in the book. (And oui, oui--that's a French dictionary that Pearly Girl loves to cart around. She's our cultured one.) Here's to many more sibling read-alongs in the future.   

Broken Bones and Celestial Skydiving

What the last few months of our lives have contained.

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

² 

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

    and cleanse me from my sin!

Throughout Lenten services this year, a dear friend and I sang Kenneth Kosche's lovely setting of Psalm 51. The words have rattled about in my brain and in my heart; they have settled in my bones and in my stomach and even in my womb. Miracle of miracles, God's Word worked the way He says it will. It does what it says.

 

For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

    and blameless in your judgment.

⁵ 

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

    and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶ 

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

During one of the last pre-Lenten weeks, I suspected that we were pregnant. Ecstatic and apprehensive, I took the test, mostly because Papa told me I should (I think my unknowing, near-constant speculation might have motivated, however slightly, his insistence er, encouragement). Filling the dishwasher as I waited on the results, my hope for a child suddenly vanished, literally struck with worry--worry about costs, worry about the baby's health, worry about our family's adjustment, worry about my varicose veins in pregnancy. Yes, even that. And I felt terribly guilty. I was, too. Here my sinful heart had already rejected even the possibility of a good gift because it turned selfishly, twistedly inward. In my terrible blindness, I could not even accept a gift without suspicion or grudging.

And then the test was positive. As I fought my conflicted feelings, Papa's face lit up and the boys squealed with excitement, especially our eldest, the Little Professor. When we told him the pregnancy test was positive, we asked him if he knew what that meant. "Yes," he said without hesitation. "It means Mommy can go skydiving."

After we laughed in surprise and perplexity, he explained that Mrs. Duggar had been pregnant, and she had gone skydiving, so naturally one was connected to the other. Actually, in that old episode of 19 Kids and Counting he'd just happened to watch a few days before, she hadn't gone skydiving because she suspected she might be pregnant. But no matter. Little Professor was more right than he knew.

 

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

A week or so later, on Sunday, February 10, during a snowy storm day, Papa and the snow blower belt tussled, and the belt won. Papa had to have emergency surgery on two broken, mangled fingers of his left hand that night, which went well. The anesthesia won that round, too. But thankfully, we expect him to make a full (if somewhat ugly and scarred for a time) recovery.

I teased Papa after surgery that he'd have a great topic for an Ash Wednesday sermon: that we all return to dust, sometimes one little piece at a time. He smiled (what a nice guy to take my pathetic humor at such a time).  But then said, "No, I think it'll be about pride."

And, of course, he was right. We all fear our physical death, our bodily decomposition as every hour and year passes. But we also fear our spiritual death--that we mean nothing, that we will disappear into a dark, endless, terrible void when our earthly lives are over. Dust is bad in all forms, from mangled fingers to decomposed flesh to meaningless lives. Snow can appear so clean--that day, I had marveled at its cleansing power on a dead, wintry landscape. But snow only magnified spilt blood. It highlighted brokenness. Papa needed far more than snow to cover his injury. And so we need far more than a surface covering to heal our spiritual death.

As we stumbled, narcotics-laden, pain-filled, nausea-and-fatigue burdened, in the first weeks of Lent, the Psalmist's words kept coming back to me. "Let the bones that You have broken rejoice." Who would? Well, we did. We were so thankful for the excellent medical care Papa received, for the surgeon's knowledge and skill, for all the friends and relatives who supported and cared for us. In our weakness we were reminded of our complete helplessness. Christ sent people to care for us physically and emotionally. He blessed the prayers of those who prayed for us. Yet only One could bear our spiritual helplessness. It was a difficult experience for me to see my husband suffer. I know he will not live on this earth forever, and neither will I. Neither will our children. We cannot prevent their suffering or ours. But even so, joy and gladness exist. We hear it and anticipate it. And this is a mystery.

 

Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

    and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹ 

Cast me not away from your presence,

    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.

Through Lent, our circumstances kept reminding us of our true state. I could not force away the debilitating fog of early pregnancy, its physical or spiritual manifestations. My condition was light compared to many others--including Papa's!--but often I could only think of my own burdens. At one point, I naively thought, "Okay. If Jesus could fast in the desert for forty days and endure direct temptation from the devil, then I can handle another day of this." But I couldn't. I realized, again and again, my complete and utter helplessness and my utter worthlessness in the sight of God.

Thank God in His Son, Christ Jesus, Who suffered physical pain and spiritual torture for our sakes, and Who knows exactly what our sufferings are like. While we can feel chagrined or silly or downright dumb for mistakes or choices we make, feel guilty and damned for rejecting good gifts and even hating them, our fatal flaws that no doctor or midwife can ever fix plague us still more. Despair and guilt bury us, for we know we are ill with an illness that ends in the grave. But we do not suffer without any hope. For we can rest in the knowledge that Christ heals all things--from fingers to selfishness to pride to sinners--through His suffering, death, and resurrection.

Why do people skydive? For exhilaration, for excitement, I suppose. But people who do it implicitly communicate trust--trust that they will be safe, that the parachute or diver to which they're affixed will keep them from harm. And Christ, in rising from the dead, has affixed us not to a descending fate but to an ascending one. We will all suffer in this life and die, unless He first comes again. But we trust that He will uphold us, that He will not cast us away. He who has made Himself our Brother and His Father our Father names us in baptism and cleanses us. He has already won all things--for Papa (and even unto his fingers), for me, for every one of our children, even the littlest. And even as we live in uncertain, unknown worldly days, in his scarred, resurrected hands we leap, and we rest. Happy Easter.

Our Pigtailed Whistler

So our sweet little C just keeps on growing and learning new things. A few weeks ago, she started whistling. I think she literally woke herself up with a little pucker and a little air through her lips, and since then she's just been whistlin' Dixie constantly. She whistles when she's happy; she whistles when she's excited; she whistles when we whistle to her; she whistles when she wants attention at the dinner table; she whistles as Papa holds her in his arms in Sunday morning Bible class and charms everyone there. (This has happened twice already. I think I know why she's suddenly gotten separation anxiety when I leave to go teach Sunday School; she wants an audience. Unless Gary H. is there to bribe her with animal crackers. But I digress.). She's already cute as a button; now she's cuter than a root-toot-tootlin' whippersnapper sparrow on a sunny summer morning! And no, I'm not exactly sure what that means, except to say that C's whistling is adorable and only adds to her charm.

Well, I thought the cuteness had maxed out. That's until just the other day, when the boys convinced me that C's hair was long enough to put into pigtails. It doesn't look like much, but it looks so girly! And while I find the word "pigtail" slightly repulsive, the actual bunches of baby hair are cheek-pinch-worthy-cute. Now we've got a pigtailed whistler!

AND she smiles at the camera!

Pucker up and sing along!

No Stress Chess

P loves puzzles. Loves them. He's done one-hundred-piece ones by himself since he was three, and lately he's wanted to tackle a one-hundred-fifty-piece irregular puzzle (with a little help). Awhile back someone made the comment to me that kids who like puzzles tend to like chess. Well, Papa and I don't know how to play, so I wondered how we could gift him a chess board and not be able to explain the rules.

Enter No Stress Chess. I found the game on Amazon, with all the requisite instructions and all-important reviews. We gambled on it and gave it to P for Christmas. And we found that this really is a no stress chess game!

Hmmmm...

Basically, the first level of the game involves drawing cards that explain what the pieces are and where they can move. The chess game largely becomes, in effect, a game of luck--you move a specific piece based on the card you draw for each move. And over time, you learn what each piece can do. Bishops can move diagonally as far as you want to take them. Kings can move one space in any direction. Knights can jump two any direction and one space down (or up). I have actually learned this from playing with P this month.

Well, P quickly caught on, and now he loves chess. Loves it. He asks us at least three times a day, "Can you play chess with me?" He enjoys playing so much that S started sitting on our laps and learning, too, because that's P's game of choice any given day, and that's the way S could be involved. Yesterday, S started identifying the pieces before I could touch them: "Here's the Queen." Today, I caught P playing by himself. He was only playing the black pieces, but still.

We--especially Papa--have really enjoyed bonding with P over this game. P's learning good sportsmanship, strategy, and the thrills of learning something unfamiliar. And it's really relaxing to play: slow, thoughtful, methodical. (Papa and I like to do it as a break, so P usually doesn't have to beg too hard.) And educational! What's not to love? So kiss your stress goodbye--play some chess!

Hmmmm...

"How about this one, Daddy?"

"I think I'll move here."

Daddy explaining chess board consequences.

P: "Mom! Why don't you play?" Papa: I think I can checkmate...

Late Summer Moments

Yesterday, I took a few pictures of some sweet summer moments. After the last few weeks of convalescence--somehow I got strep, but luckily, Papa and the kids didn't--the quiet normalcy of watching our sons and our daughter was a gift. P pulled out a great two-fer, completing his first self-portrait and writing his name by himself with no prompting. Then he "framed" it on the refrigerator with letter magnets. I had to capture his dual masterpiece for posterity.

As I snapped that picture, C babbled on the floor next to me. She's sitting up by herself now, balancing very well, and a few times a day she even pulls herself up--to look into the bathtub at her brothers, to try to grab books off of a shelf. I've been telling people that even though she's a baby, she's not a baby anymore. Today, as Papa and I rocked on the front porch with C, watching the boys pedal on tricycles on the walk, C reached for me as Papa held her. She looked directly into my face and said, "Ma-ma." We were both moved. Especially when, with a little prompting, she looked at her father and said, "Pa-pa."

I couldn't pick just one. I mean, could you?

After such great pictures of C on the floor, I just had to run outside and capture the boys in action. Our back deck is finally gone--it was old, with a crimped design, and we've wanted a patio for years. Anyway, as I walked out of the back, this is what I saw.

Then I found the boys in the tomato patch, wearing their swimming trunks. Because where else do boys go in their swimming trunks than in the tomato patch?

P and S told me they were pretending the tomato patch was a forest. So there you go.

Papa's been canning consistently these last few weeks--salsa, medium and super-hot, and tomatoes in their own juice--and yet the tomatoes keep coming. August, particularly late August, is tomatoes, I think. Especially Papa's tomatoes.

The boys finally made it over to their swimming pool. Most of their toys spend more time in their pool than they do. Lately they've enjoyed playing in the dirt where the deck was after they get wet. Ah, the joys of children playing!

Happy end of summer, dear ones. May you enjoy a few lovely moments in these waning warm days.

New Teeth

See 'em?! Aren't they cute?! And C of course, too. :)

For my first blog post in months (yes, that's with an "s"--yikes), I contemplated an array of topics.

Basement flooding and floor redo? No way. Too depressing and practical. Plus, it all got taken care of pretty quickly, thanks to Papa and insurance and Pipestone Interiors, so the entire post would have been just about as long as these sentences.

Graduations of friends and church members?  Better, but not quite right.

A 30th birthday college friend reunion at our house? Super duper with a cherry on top! But that's a post to come, so not quite yet.

S and P's birthdays (two and four, respectively)? Awesome, but now other events have crowded in. Those will come, too.


A log of the travel Papa has done without us and I have done without him and we have done together, including our most recent trip to see Papa's parents and grandpa and to throw my sister's bridal shower? Well, that's not all that interesting as a list. Maybe when I go through some of the pictures...

The head-injury-prone S, the feverish P, and the newly toothie C, all post-vacation. And they're still smiling!

I guess the truth is that I'm still figuring out what this blog is for. I mean, it's for us--for family and friends, for people near and far who want to keep up with our goings-on. But it's certainly not a play-by-play of what happens here every day. I can't, and frankly don't, want it to be that way. It's too much work and too guilt-inducing (as in I can always be thinking, "Oh, I should have blogged about that! And because I didn't, I've failed as a mother."). I think that way enough as it is about a thousand other things that happen (or don't) every day.

So this is more of a "I'll-blog-when-I-can" blog, a "when-I-think-of-something-worthwhile-to-say" blog, and most important, a "when-my-time-doing-it-isn't-outrageously-cutting-into-my-real-life" blog. And cutting here segues nice and beautifully into the "actual" blog topic here: new teeth. (And really, what can compete with a cute baby?)

I can't fully empathize with teething children, despite having gone through it myself. Frankly, the whole process looks, feels, and often sounds like a big mess. During our first leg of our official summer travels last week, as we sweated under one-hundred-plus temperatures with three kids just-barely-four and under through four states, C's first two teeth decided to make their appearance. This is an embarrassing Mom admission, but I didn't even notice that the first had broken through until a saleslady at a store pointed it out to my mother-in-law. Um, thanks, Eddie Bauer lady! You're obviously more plugged into details than I am.

After we marveled over that little white wonder, then the temperature spiked across mid-America and the floodgates of C's salivary glands went into overdrive. I've seen a lot of saliva in my time, but I personally think C broke records. She even put on a really impressive projectile show at a nicer-than-average eatery in Edwardsville, which is a first for any Olson kid. Luckily the recipient of most of her theatrics was me and the floor, both of which are washable (thank goodness!). And C felt a lot better after channeling her inner sicky-diva. Toughie that she is, she made it through the rest of the trip, and so did we, and now we'll all recover--extra teeth and all--in the next weeks before Mil and Chris's big wedding coming up at the end of the month. Too really overkill the metaphor here, every new transition requires a little bit of pain, right? Just hopefully not so much slobber.

Teething wears out a girl.

Poo-Poo Genius

S, in one of his many active moments.

Though I simultaneously grit my teeth and dry heave at saying this, potty training does have its upsides. (Have fun with that one, you Punsters. You know who you are.) Such as:

S and I had a little bathroom potty time last week after he failed to do the dirty where we'd really like him to. He's been in training pants and rubber pants consistently for the last few weeks, basically after Papa and I both realized 1) he was consistently dry for parts of days anyway, basically when we remembered to take him to the bathroom, and 2) we were tired of buying changing buying and changing diapers for a practically potty-trained toddler. Anyway, since we've done this before, we're not so hard-core about it (i.e. "If he's potty-trained, it means he'll tell us when he has to go and never, ever, ever have another accident. EVER!" This is like saying about a beginning reader: "If he's reading, then he'll read independently and never, ever, ever need any other help with letters or words. EVER!" But I digress.). So S does his dirty and we have little conversations, which turn out to be classic little moments. Like:

Me: So who's the boss in our family?

S: I'm the boss... (trailing off, then looking me in the eye) Mommy boss.

Me, pleasantly surprised: You're right! And who's the main boss in our family?

S: Boss, boss, boss... (thinking hard) Boston town.

Me, not getting it: Right, Boston town. But who's the main boss, S?

S: BOSS-ton town.

Me, finally getting it: BOSS-ton town. Boston town! (quickly thinking of all the metaphorical applications I've missed over never hearing this linguistic connection, then returning to the toddler) Like in the song--"Trot, trot, to Boston town, to get a stick of candy"!

S, grinning: Yeah.

And the really amazing and kind of scary thing about this? S has been making these kind of observations a lot lately. Like two weeks ago, when we went for an interview for an observational study he's a part of (I signed up for it for the free diapers--we got C's size this time--and the Target gift cards we get in "thanks" for showing off our brilliant kid. Plus, I get to spend time with S alone, which rarely happens at length). There, he did a few incredible things in front of Luke and Libby, like:

• Telling me "Mommy, I get down. Right NOW! Please." when he got bored with a video. Libby told me, "I've seen kids his age pitch fits, but I've never heard them ask to get down, let alone use manners."
• Upon pretending with a bear and a plate, cup, and spoon, and asked what he would do if the bear was thirsty, picking up the cup with a big smile and saying, "Give him some COFFEE!"
• Listening to directions very closely, like when he was already swinging his arm to knock down a stack of blocks he'd built and Luke said, "No." He immediately dropped his arm. No, he doesn't usually do that at home.
• Putting together a three-piece rattle together with no verbal directions an hour after he'd watched Luke do the same thing. And he did it three times with different pieces than Luke had used.
• When asked to identify pictures, saying, "Cookie" for a picture of a cookie, "Bear" for a bear, and "Cow" for a horse. Okay, he needs some work. 
• When asked which child in the picture had the most, pointing to a boy and saying, "He's got a lot of M & M's." (The stacks in front of the pictured kids were little, round, colored balls. Kind of like...)

I honestly was so moved--and, frankly, overwhelmed--by what S did and said at the interview, I had tears in my eyes. There's nothing quite so humbling as realizing there's no possible way your self-perceived brilliance could have turned out like this in your kid. Truly, only God can create minds like this.

Of course, that also means He creates... well, potty-training doesn't last forever. And I guess I'll take with it what comes.

After all, S will only be two at the end of April.

"Take my picture, too, Mommy." And here's my thumb. 

She Laughs

So our not-so-little C (she weighed in at 11 pounds, 12 ounces at her two-month visit a month ago) is fast taking on lots and lots of endearing habits. Like cooing and smiling and waving her fists in front of her face until she's cross-eyed. She's also started laughing, but it's hit-and-miss. The first two times she laughed was in her sleep--that just-drifted-off slumber where her limbs are all relaxed and angels dance in the lights sparkling behind her eyelids. Since then, she's half-giggled a few times, but mostly she goes from big smiles to concerned looks. (Although she literally wets herself as we sing "Sing a Song of Sixpence" fifteen times in our efforts to get her to expel a little chortle like she did the first time. So that should count for something... right?)

Until this afternoon. Miss L, a wonderful, awesome lady from church, stopped by so I could sign a check that Papa took to the bank this morning and mistakenly needed my John Hancock for. (Small town sidebar: where else would someone drive to your house so you could sign a check because they knew your husband was out of town with the car? Now that's service!) I picked up C, who immediately smiled at Miss L--anyone who knows her will understand the compulsion, as she's officially one of the Nicest People Ever--and then C's smile grew. And grew. And grew. Until she laughed. And laughed. And LAUGHED! Only God knows why she was so tickled, but for at least four uninterrupted minutes, C had one of the funniest moments of her life. And Miss L and I laughed and laughed and laughed, too, and shared a moment we won't soon forget. It was beautiful, and wonderful, and tear-inducing. Baby laughs are the best. Here's to hoping you get to enjoy some firsthand soon.

Baby Stuff Friday, or To My Fashion-and-Stuff-Forward Mommy-to-Be SIL

After several showers, before P's birth. Papa was pretty excited.

Dear Rachel, 

I told you a few weeks back that I’d get you a list of stuff that, after three go-rounds, I’d recommend to new moms like you. In true mom fashion, I ripped off a template of this list from WebMD, because as all moms know, why reinvent the diaper when someone else has already gone through thousands of versions for you? So the bones of this thing don’t belong to me; any and all idiotic comments do. Here you go. J (And please, all moms or people-who-know-moms or parents generally, add and/or take away from this list in the comments section. You all are a lot smarter than me.)

The Nursery

• Cradle, bassinet, or crib. I’ve had friends get the crib-to-toddler bed-to-full-size, and there’s plenty of them out there. I’ve had friends use a bassinet and then transition Baby to crib. I’ve had friends co-sleep until the kids are six. I do not recommend this. We’ve done the crib route, and it’s been great. I don’t like sharing my sheets, and Baby learns to sleep alone (which, if you ever want to sleep again, is pretty helpful).
• Crib mattress: Dad E’s company does business with Serta, if I’m not mistaken, so if you want to boost their stock price however slightly…
• Musical mobile for crib: Cute decoration + distraction for a whiny kid = score. Just watch out when your older kids want to climb in with the newborn to play with the mobile.
• Dresser: “You will need a few drawers to store baby's clothes and toys.” That was a WebMD comment on this one. Check that: you’ll need multiple tractor trailers to store all the c-r-a-p your kid will accumulate. But don’t worry; a multi-drawered dresser will work for starters.
• Changing area: We originally thought, “Why get a baby furniture set? The kid eventually grows out of it, and then you have furniture you can’t use.” Well, that’s what garage sales are for, and, particularly when it comes to changing, you want to have furniture that you actually won’t ever want to touch again once Baby’s through the diapering stage.
• Rocking chair or glider: Or rocker-recliner; whatever you’d prefer to sleep on during those midnight/afternoon/early morning/whenev feedings. A little table for water, snacks, awesome reading material, etc. next to the chair is a must, too.
• Night light/Small Lamp with Dark Shade: We inadvertently lucked out with the latter. We like to see (somewhat) during nighttime changes, and the nightlights we tried didn’t cut it. Our babies have always slept in the dark, too, so a lamp’s been fine because it’s basically just been for us.
• Tape or CD player: See “Essential Non-essentials” for more on this.

Crib Linens (Since your mom is making super-adorable ones of these, you don’t need advice, other than this: get more than one waterproof mattress pad. At least two. Three or four are even better—plus they fit toddler beds, too, if you know what I’m sayin’. I left the WebMD list here just for kicks. And otherwise this section would look naked without bullet points.)

• 1 quilted mattress pad
• At least 2 fitted crib sheets
• 2-4 waterproof mattress pads or waterproof sheets
• 2 light blankets

Diaper Time: What You Need for the Changing Table

• Diapers (plan on using 70-90 per week for the first six weeks, then 50 per week): Put this way, diaper use makes us think of dollar signs. Lots of them. We use generic diapers, usually always the Parent’s Choice Walmart brand. They figure out to 12 or 13 cents apiece versus up to a quarter. I know friends who’ve used cloth, and there’s lots of choices there—bumGenius, FuzziBunz (my personal favorite name), Bummis, Bumkins… you get the idea. Many of these are super cute and look easy to use, too, so if you want to shell out a few hundred bucks to get started on a set, it might be worth your while.
• Disposable diaper wipes (alcohol-free): We get ours at Sam’s Club.
• Diaper rash ointment or cream: We finally wised up and got the one pound Desitin container with the big blue lid. It’s a thousand times cheaper per ounce and it lasts a.long.time. I’d skip almost any other brand; there’s a few others out there that work like magic, so recommendations are good here…)
• Petroleum jelly: Especially if you have a boy. I’ll let someone else explain why.
• Pad for baby to lie on during changing. Um, duh. And I’d add four changing pad covers and a package of prefold fabric diapers go a long way to keeping your changing table semi-non-toxic (we lay a folded diaper on top of the changing pad covers as a quick take-away when changes are messy; that way we don’t have to change the actual pad cover every day).
• Diaper pail: Unlike us who went El-Cheapo and now have a lid that doesn’t close properly, get one like the Baby Trend Diaper Pail Deluxe which will minimize odors (especially once you’re out of the breastfeeding stage. I won’t go into details because they really aren’t necessary).  

Layette: Baby's First Clothes

• 6 undershirts that snap on the bottom or tie on the side, commonly called "onesies" (3 in three-month size and 3 in six-month size): I didn’t use just the shirt ones that snapped, and I’ve never actually seen ones that tie on the side. Go for 3 short-sleeved white AND 3 long-sleeved white for each size. These are great for layering; plus, they’ll tide you over until you find out Baby’s sex. Plus plus, you’ll get a lot more colorful clothes then, too, and you only need so much white.
• 3 to 4 infant gowns “with elastic bottoms or draw strings. These make for easy diaper changes. All you have to do is pull the gown up over the belly to change the diaper and then pull it back down when finished. There is no stumbling around trying to snap the gown back together, which is especially nice when it's 3 a.m. and all you want to do is get baby back to sleep so that you can get back to sleep.”: These also are something I’ve never seen. But they sound great. At least the “so you can get back to sleep” part.  
• 6 sleepers/stretch suits (3 newborn to three-month size and 3 in six-month size).: I love zip-up sleepers. I got a package of five neutral colored ones in the 0-3 months size and have used them to pieces, even with sex-specific other sleepers. Getting a few for 3-6 months are good, too, especially since your child will be tall no matter what and will outgrow the small sizes quickly. Is that jumping to conclusions? Probably. I’d still tend to get more in the bigger sizes than in the 0-3 month size.
• 3 to 4 pairs of booties or socks: I don’t think moms can ever have too many socks for babies. I think we literally have like thirty pairs of newborn/infant socks in white. And still that’s the one thing I feel like I end up getting (especially as the kids get older). Even little C’s going to need some more socks soon, all not-quite-three-months of her, because her feet are too big for the newborn/infant socks we have. I don’t like most booties because the ankles tend to be wide enough to fit mine and so they come off easily.
• 3 to 4 receiving blankets: Most of the ones I have worked for summer babies; they’re light. But none of them were all that big. The ones that were a nice wrappable-Baby size were the ones we filched from the hospital. So don’t go nuts on these.  
• 1 blanket: Ha. Hahahahahaha. Between Grandmas and quilting/crocheting/knitting relatives and church ladies, you’ll have waaaaaaaaaaaay more than one blanket. And that’s good, because you’ll use different ones for different reasons (Baby in bed, Baby laying on the floor, Baby in swing, Baby in carseat, Baby in Daddy’s arms as they both sleep in front of the television…) and different seasons. I wouldn’t buy any because you’ll end up with more than you can use as it is.
• 1 sweater and hat: Two-three light hats for Baby’s early days are nice. Otherwise, hats gotten for seasonal use are great. One or two sweaters/sweatshirts with buttons or zips are plenty at first, especially for summertime.
• Clothes generally for Baby: It’s nice to have two or three “nice” (re: matching, meant for church and/or walks at Easton. You know, so you can strut your Cutie) outfits per size range (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, etc.). Generally, let other people buy these for you. Because they will. And then you can spend your money on other stuff. And try to go big whenever possible with clothes; kids seriously do outgrow stuff insanely fast in the first year, and you really would rather save your cash to get them cute stuff when they’re old enough to appreciate it (and wear it a lot more). Also, Once Upon a Child and other resale places are awesome. I’ve found brand-new and barely worn clothes for our kids there that were super cheap. I don’t buy new clothes for our kids anymore unless we get specific directions to do so with gift money or cards. Or they’re involved in or going to a wedding. Hand-me-downs are even awesomer, so basically brace yourself if you end up having a boy. J

Bathing Baby: What You Need

• Baby bathtub (sloping with foam pad or flat with molded sponge insert): We have a sloping tub and a fat sponge we use in it when our babies were small. You’ll only use the tub for a few months; once our kids hit about seven months and were sitting up well by themselves, we moved ‘em to the kitchen sink and then the tub. So you can go cheap on this.
• 4 terry cloth bath towels (hooded towels are OK, but not necessary): I beg to differ. Hooded towels are necessary. And the bigger, the better; the homemade ones made out of matching hand towels and big towels that we have are p-r-i-c-e-l-e-s-s.
• 4 to 6 washcloths: These are like socks. The more, the better, especially as Baby gets older (and hopefully, Brothers and/or Sisters join the family).
• Tearless shampoo: We got a bunch of this with soap and lotion in gift sets with P. So much bunches that I didn’t actually have to buy any until he was about three years old. So don’t get any yourself.  
• Baby soap. Many brands make baby shampoo and soap all in one.: This is nice; I just go for the cheapest kind.
• Baby lotion: But make sure your baby doesn’t break out from these.
• Baby oil: A must for combatting cradle-cap; this is where the fine-toothed comb comes in, too.
• Brush and comb: Combs with very fine teeth work best. The best ones we have also came from the hospital, and I would probably stoop to stealing more if I ever saw more than one at a time. I think hospitals hoard them. Fifteen bucks for an Ibuprofin? No. These combs probably cost at least $37.50. Each.  
• Rounded-tip nail scissors or clippers.: The little ity-bity ones for babies are best.
• Bulb syringe nasal aspirator. “These are used to suction excess mucus from baby's nose and mouth (the one you receive in the hospital is a keeper!).”: Gross yes and economical yes. If you get a baby medical set, the last three bullet point items are often all included. I always need more than one nasal aspirator (they break, I can’t find one when I need it, etc.), though, and having a few extra clippers are good, too, so those are worth getting a few more of.

Baby's Laundry

Dreft, the made-for-babies laundry detergent, smells awesome. I’d buy it if it was less expensive and if it wasn’t too weird to have adult clothes smelling like new Baby. It’s nice to get for first kid, though, for your first set of clothes and linens and such to smell amazingly sweet. Helps with the nesting instinct—I would bet money on it. And Shout Stain Remover Ultra Gel is a must for diaper explosions and other incidents that leave messies on clothes. It even works if the yucky has been left for three days in a huge pile of laundry before being put on and then washed. Not that I’m speaking from experience.

Feeding Baby (Other than breastfeeding, of course. And even if you do…)

• Boppy and/or breastfeeding pillow and two covers. Not only are these adorable, but they’re awesome. I’ve used mine for hours every single day with each kid, and not just during feedings; they’re good prop-me-ups for tummy time, too. This is a must, must, must.
• Breast pump for breastfeeding moms: I got a secondhand pump before P was born. (I know, I know—they all scream about voiding warranties and insinuate other grossness when talking about breast pumps. But the owner got it new and used it only a handful of times; she even had the original box. It’s worked fine, and none of us has come down with any diseases. Fifty bucks sure beat $250, too.) I have a Medela breast pump and I’d recommend the brand; you’ll know better than me with reviews and such if that’s still the case.
• 12 nipples, covers, and bottles: You can get these in sets that go along with whatever brand of pump you get. Make sure to get nipples for different ages; as Baby grows, the flow increases and so different nipples are used.
• 1 bottle and nipple brush for cleaning
• Dishwasher basket for bottles and nipples: Definitely a must if you pump regularly. You do not want to be cleaning all those little doo-dads by hand.
• Infant formula and measuring cup: I kept all the free samples I got just to have backup and to use when I started weaning (I haven’t made it to the one year mark… yet). Docs usually recommend certain kinds and usually you stick to one kind so Baby doesn’t get fussy, but this is a subject outside of my expertise, so don’t listen to me.
• 12 burp cloths: A few cute ones are nice, but usually I use the prefold cloth diapers for this. Then, when Baby grows up, you can use them for dust rags. Or so I’ve been told.
• 6 bibs: I have only bought the plastic big bibs for toddlers for our kids because we got so many bibs from others. So probably don’t buy any of these, either. Unless you just can’t live without the “Mmmmmm. Boobies” one. J

The Diaper Bag

WebMD is worth quoting here: “When buying a diaper bag, pick one that has lots of pockets and places to store individual items. Also, keep in mind that your diaper bag often becomes your purse, so find one large enough to keep your wallet, keys, glasses, cell phone, and other items you need for yourself.” Clarification:  you will not actually use a stand-alone purse for about a decade after having children. So get a cute and multi-pocketed (re: Vera Bradley J) diaper bag.

This is a nice little list of stuff to keep in diaper bags. I say bags, because I think having two is better than having one. Just in case, you know.

• 5 to 6 diapers
• Disposable wipes
• Diaper rash cream or ointment
• Pad to lie your baby on top of when changing the diaper
• Plastic bags to wrap dirty diapers in until you can find a trash can to throw them out
• Change of clothes for baby: Infant onesies, a pair of socks, hat, baby outfit (Just be sure to keep the clothes updated for Baby’s size and according to season. Not much worse than being peed on in church during the autumn, opening up the diaper bag, and realizing all you have to clothe your little Saint with is a summertime romper with “Life’s a Beach” on it.)
• Blanket
• 2 clean bottles and powdered formula (if bottle feeding)
• Burp cloth (or two..)
• Pacifier (if using) and cover. Even if you aren’t using one, put one in the diaper bag. You’ll thank me when you go to see Garrison Keillor and Baby decides to wail in the middle of a Lutheran monologue and multiple retired persons around you start squirming. Just don’t drop it, especially not way, way under the seat where you can’t reach it. But I digress.)
• Baby toy or rattle: Not really necessary for the first few months. Don’t overpack; your biceps will thank you.
• Sunscreen for babies older than 6 months: I’ve never put this in a diaper bag. I’ve never even thought to put this in a diaper bag.
• Baby Tylenol: Ditto. If you need this, that’s what Walgreens is for.

The Baby Medicine Cabinet

• Thermometer: We have a digital thermometer that reads temps off of the forehead, and it’s totally worth the $30 or so to get one.
• Calibrated medicine dropper: This will come in that medical kit I  
• Pain reliever/fever reducer medicine: Infant Tylenol works for this.
• Teething rings to soothe teething gums: Wet washcloths work for this, too.
• Small gauze squares to clean wounds.
• Hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds: This just sounds evil to me. That’s the stuff that burns even when you’re an adult. But hey, this is WebMD, so they must know.
• Wound cream such as Bacitracin Antibiotic or Johnson & Johnson First Aid Cream.
• Small bandages.
• Cool mist vaporizer. Good for when baby has a cold.: We’ve used a warm-mist, too. These are a must, especially in the winter.
• Infant sunscreen for babies over age 6 months
• Pedialyte or Ricelyte to be used as directed by your child's pediatrician for fluid replacement during diarrhea or vomiting.: Hopefully you won’t have to worry about this, well, ever. But at least until Baby’s over a year.

Essential Non-Essentials (plus other random stuff I thought of)

• Newborn-size pacifier: “Some lactation consultants recommend not using a pacifier if you are breastfeeding to prevent nipple confusion in your baby.”: Yeeeaaaah. Get two. Just in case you need to save your sanity (and other body parts that need a break once in awhile).
• Noise machine and/or music maker (Ipod, CD player, etc.): We found that P really only like to sleep when he had white  noise around him. While you can go old school on this (dryers, exhaust fans, even running water can make white noise, and we know multiple parents who have put their babies by all of these things to please, dear Jesus, make them sleep), having a formal back-up isn’t a bad idea.
• Cart covers: I’ve never had one and don’t think I’d ever use one if I did. I think this is one of several rip-off items that companies make because most people who get one use it twice and then forget about it. But maybe there’s more moms out there that are germ-sensitive than I think.
• Wipe warmer. I got one as a gift for P and used it a lot, until these weird bugs crawled in there from our basement. It sounds like a super gross B movie, but those things were crazy good at finding spots with water, which, of course, the warmer was. Back in those days, I’d keep the house spotless (or almost) and then hit the ceiling as I freaked out finding those bugs in the warmer. So that, along with not wanting to replace the sponge after the first few times, convinced me they are more trouble than they’re worth. Plus our kids lived even when the wipes weren’t warm. So not something I’d recommend actually buying yourself.
• Baby monitor: Nice, especially if you want to go lay out in the backyard with your dog by your side while Baby naps. You know, just in case you have a backyard and a dog. J
• Baby book…or a blog: Obvious what this is for (other than collecting dust for Kid #2 and #3’s stuff—the book, not the blog, though that happens with some people, too. But you won’t be like that.)
• Infant seat: We have a very basic one that’s been great. You can get one with 1000 bells and whistle, but ultimately, it’s just a seat. If it’s got straps and is easily washable and take-apart-able, then it works.
• Bumbo (mid-infant-age seat): We got one of these with S and used it a lot once he could sit up by himself. I’ve also seen people take these along on outings; they’re portable and cute.
• Swing: Ditto above. Also be prepared to buy lots of batteries with these baby seat type things.
• High chair: Ours is plastic, so it’s relatively easy to clean, comfortable (not hard or cold), and reclinable, too. You can match these to your traveling system sometimes if you’re really into a certain pattern, which is nice.
• Baby sling or pouch: I’ve used the Baby Bjorn a LOT. (Hey, I got that from you! Good call! J) The wrap sling, not so much, but I just got it with C and I’ve found I either carry her or put her in a seat or on a quilt more than wear her around. I’d recommend waiting to get a more involved wrap until you get a sense of how you’ll care for your little bundle of joy.

This is a long list, and I hope it helps (and doesn’t completely overwhelm) you! Remember: it’s not the stuff that makes the baby or the parents… but it sure helps make you feel like you kind of know what you’re doing going into this Parenting thing. Plus, it’s FUN! J

Love,

Your SIL