Stroller/ Car Seat
You have two options; the travel system or the snap and go with infant carrier.
I had a Graco infant carrier and a baby trend snap and go stroller. I chose this because it was light weight and I didn’t want to lug around the huge stroller.

Now that Valentine is older and no longer in an infant carrier I use a Britax car seat and Maclaren Umbrella stroller. I do not recommend the Maclaren stroller. I recommend finding a stroller with storage space, a cup holder for you, and a cup holder/snack place for your baby. I would eventually like to buy the especially for kids Trend Sport Umbrella Stroller.

I found this mirror and car seat toy helpful. This car seat grabber helps protect your seat.

Things we didn’t use:
Neck rest, Seat organizer, Window shade that sticks directly on the window

Safety and Toiletries stuff
Diapers (Pampers Swaddlers)
Ear Thermometer
Children’s Tylenol
Gas Relief (Mylicon Drops)
Teething Medicine (Baby Orajel Tablets)
Baby Lotion (Aveno)
Baby Wash (Johnson and Johnson)
Diaper Rash Cream (Desitin)
Dry Skin or scrapes (Aquaphor)
Sunscreen (Ask your doctor what he recommends)
Pacifier
Pacifier Case
Nail clippers
Bulb Syringe
Wash Clothes and Towels
I never used: baby powder, wipe warmer, diaper genie
Pack and Play
There are 3 different sizes. (Deluxe, Lite, and bassinet) The Deluxe doesn’t fit through a normal sized door. The lite is good to keep in your trunk so you can bring it in for naps when you are out. The bassinet is good when they are new borns and sleeping right next to your bed.

Bath Time
I did not have a lot of room for a separate tub for Valentine so I would use one of these foam pads in the kitchen sink to give her a bath. Now that she is older, I put her in the tub in one of these chairs.

Your Best Friend
Boppy
Boppy Cover
Bumbo

Nursing
Pump
Accessory Kit
Extra accessories
Storage Bags
Nursing Pads
Nursing Cover
Lansinoh Nursing Cream
Medela 9 Volt lighter adapter

Bottles
Dr. Browns Bottles
Dr. Brown Steamer
Drying Rack
Bottle Cleaning Brush

Formula

Food/Snacks
Teething Feeder
Snack Catcher
Puffs
Rubber Spoons (so she can chew on them)
Terry Cloth Bibbs (The cotton ones are smaller and don’t clean their face and hands as well)

Monitors
I used the video monitor and I loved it. I would just leave the sound off and watch her. This made it to where I wasn’t always going in to check on her. I could tell that she was safe so I didn’t have to worry.

Child Carriers
I used the Baby Bjorn. I didn’t use it often but found it helpful when I was doing things around the house and she wanted to be attached to me. I wished that I had a different one, but am not sure which one I would have really wanted. http://www.theslingstation.com/

Bouncer
Valentine did not use her bouncer, but many other babies lived in them.

Gym Play Mat
I thought the play mat was a waste of money. Again, other people loved them.

Jumper
Valentine will spend forever in this door jumper. I liked it better because it was very portable. I would take it with me to my friend’s houses and put her in it. Many people cannot use it though because they do not have doorframes. If not, the stationary jumper gives the same effect.

Bedroom
Sheets
Extra Sheets
Changing Pad
Changing Pad Cover
Extra Changing Pad Covers
Breathable Bumper Pads/Bumper Pads
Small Fan to muffle the sound
Infant Positioner
Diaper Stacker
Mobile

Detergent

As my life flips from
full time worker and plenty of free time
to
full time mom, wife, and hairstylist
I feel overwhelmed and lost.

Used to when I wanted something all I had to do to achieve it was work really hard placing all my time and efforts into whatever it was I wanted; my relationships, dance, hair, yoga, friends.

I never understood the phrase
‘when you have kids your time is not your own anymore.’

Well I am realizing exactly what parents meant when they said that. All of the things I want to do require extra time. Extra time that I don’t have. It’s like I have plenty of time when Valentine takes naps during the day, but she has to be in her own room in her crib to take a nap. I have plenty of time when she goes to bed at night, but I want to spend that time with David. I could wake up before her, but I can’t get into a routine because of David’s work. A lot of this could be interpreted as excuses or laziness, but I’m not trying to make excuses I’m trying to figure out all of these new emotions that are overwhelming to me.

I want to be a better mom.
I want to be a better wife.
I want to dance again.
I want to be better at hair.
I want to become a yoga instructor, but before that develop a solid foundation in my own yoga practice.
I want to learn how to do eyelash extensions.
I want to attend marriage community groups at church.
I want to learn how to do facials.

This entry began focusing on my lack of time, but is now turning into my feelings of self worth…
I look at the list above and think how silly I am. Do I not realize that I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I get to live my life’s dream of staying home with my kids. How do I find purpose and self worth while staying home with my daughter. In this Bible study I began when Valentine was just born the other women talked about this feeling. That Satan would come and try and make me feel like my choice to stay home makes me feel like less of a person than the working women. How can I be okay with not making a monetary contribution to my family. Maybe the fact that one of the clients was talking about how stay at home moms annoy her because they do all kinds of extra things for their kids.

This is left kind of open ended, but I wanted to let all of you know that you aren’t the only ones who feel like this (if you do feel like this).

http://blog.ambergallegos.com/613/