List of Baby Things You Might Need (or Might Not Need)

I have forwarded the following list to about a zillion friends and have just realized how much easier it would be to just post it here and use this link as reference. If it's your time to have your first baby and you feel completely confused by what the heck you should be registering for, check this list out. It's certainly not the end all, be all - and I encourage additions via comments from fellow mamas and papas - but it's a good list, one I've been cultivating for two years now.

Things you need/might use

Dr. Sears, "The Baby Book" (absolutely invaluable - the bible of baby books)
Soft Muslin Blankets (Aden + Anais or Hudson Baby for a cheaper option)
Burp/Spit-up Cloths (old school diaper cloths)
Monitor (I'd get a digital video one if I did it again)
Boppy Nursing Pillow
Booster Seat with Tray
Changing Table
Baby Hangers with Clips
Portable Crib with Bassinette that fits in (for baby to sleep next to you for first couple of months if you so choose)
High Chair (Wish like hell I could've afforded the Tripp Trapp one)
Jogging Stroller
Cheap stroller to keep in trunk of car
Sling or Carrier (I use both, but my carrier more.  Baby Bjorn is popular, but has a lower weight limit)
Zutano Fleece Booties (absolutely indispensable - the only sock- or shoe-like item that stays on)
Infant Bathtub
Spout Cover
Towels/Baby Washcloths
Aveeno Baby Soap/Shampoo
First Aid Kit with Nail Clippers
Drainable Bath Scoop
Bumbo Baby Seat
Exersaucer
Johnny Jump-Up
Shampoo Shield/Visor (so brilliant - love this thing)
Toy Chests/Bins
Diaper Bag (I think Skip Hop makes the cutest, most affordable ones): http://www.skiphop.com/
Activity Center
Desitin (I've only used half of one tube over the last year)
Usborne Books
Robeez Baby Shoes (for when they walk - if not this brand then just this style)
Night Light (we have this one: http://bestbabyshower.com/twtubaslai.html)
Potty Chair (for later)
Mirrors for car
Binkies
Binky Straps
Containers for snacks (Munchkin Snack Catcher is genius)
Spill-proof cups for later (I like the Avents the best as they're the easiest to clean thoroughly)
Infant Carrier
Carseat (for after the Infant Carrier)
Carseat Saver
Fold-up Outdoor Blanket (like this one: http://www.skiphop.com/product/centralpark.html)
A lifetime supply of Gerber Graduate Puffs (also known as baby crack)
Dutalier Nursery Slider/Ottoman (yeah, um, this one's really expensive)

Nursing Stuff
Medela Breast Pump (Pump In Style is the one I have - they're expensive, but necessary, in my opinion)
Medela Nursing Bras (Here's the one I wore for eleven months: http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Softcup-Seamless-Assorted-Colors/dp/B0008MFDDE)
Medela Sleeping Bras: http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Womens-Sleep-Nursing-Bra/dp/B000JK0FOW/ref=pd_sbs_a_4
Nursing Pads (NOT the disposable ones! They're uncomfortable)
Medela Nursing Bottles (to go with the Pump In Style)
Breastmilk Freezer Storage Bags
Lansinoh (small, small, small container - you won't need it long)

Things you don't need/probably won't use
Socks (at least that many of them)
Robes
Bottles (You'll need them, but not that many, really - or at least, Atticus didn't need many)
Shoes (for infants)
A winter jacket for a baby - (blankets are easier and you can't put a baby in a jacket in a carseat)

Warby Parker Challenge, Take Two

Okay, so I wasn't happy with the fit of my first round of choices from Warby Parker (which, by the way, is a really excellent company that I have been very happy to work with over the past couple of weeks. Excellent communication and excellent customer service - plus a great price! Hard to beat).

Okay, please weigh on on these next five. I have a favorite already, but I'll withhold that for now.

1. The Nedwin

2. The Finn (again, but a new color)

3. The Reece

4. The Fitz

5. The Japhy

Let the Great Warby Parker Challenge Begin

Friends,

I am on the market for a new pair of glasses - ones that make me look both charming, smart, and lovely. Toward that goal, I signed on for the Warby Parker try at home program. Please vote for your favorite pair based on the pictures below.

#1. The Langston


#2. The Miles


#3. The Webb


#4. The Zagg


#5. The Finn


Full Disclosure: I'm leaning toward the Finn or the Langston.

Connectivity, Friends, Disappointments

Of one thing we might be certain, our lives will continue to scatter as we age in a sad number of ways. This is perhaps truer of academics than people from other professions as we academics are more prone to moving around the country than most. Except maybe journalists. They probably move a lot. And people who work for airlines. And probably some other kinds of jobs that are not coming to mind right now. To all those groups of people, I say let us commiserate.

Let us commiserate about how difficult it is to retain friendships as we keep moving, both geographically and temporally. Staying connected as we grow older is an increasing impossibility which is a great misfortune as we now need those connections even more than we did in our pink-lighted, beer-soaked days where friends were everywhere, seeping out of our pockets, lining near barstools, ringing through our phones and ears and hearts.

And then, silence. Or perhaps not silence so much as the steady hush of busyness, of life getting on with itself, of life becoming more complicated, of responsibilities shoring our shoulders closer to the ground.

And then out of nowhere, we are where we are. And sometimes it is unfamiliar when a familiar face would be awfully nice. But the terrible busy is terribly important. Kids, work, projects, relationships, television obsessions.

Another unreturned phone call. More moments of solitary. Less connectivity. More getting on with it.

Painting with Feet

Moving forward in the painting world with a two-year-old, I present our latest project. There are a zillion, trillion things one can do with an imprint of the hands and feet. Just do a quick search on Pinterest and you will see tiny little hands making the shape of reindeer antlers, Christmas trees, and birds. I am in love with all of these ideas and you will probably see many represented here. I just love the idea of documenting Atticus's size and having a cute picture for the fridge at the same time.

I am really partial to the tractor. I blame my son for that particularly brainwashing.

Painting with Cars Project

I have not done much blogging lately. The reason for this is actually a pretty good one. I've had actual writing projects to work on instead of spending my writing energy on blogging. But I miss the blog form and I have guilt over not writing here. Toward rectification of that, I submit the first in a series of blogs on creative projects I have been doing with my son (when I'm not writing or sleeping or teaching).

So here I present painting with cars. It's really simple and perfect for a two-year-old. Just pour some paint on paper and then roll Hot Wheels through it. It's really quite a lot of fun. And then here's the bonus I was really not planning on: once all the painting fun is done, you have a series of tracks that your son (or daughter) will be very happy to tool their cars around on.

I let my son continue the painting onto the cars themselves because we use washable paint. When that fun was done, we then took all the cars to the car wash (a.k.a., the sink) where the fun continued.

All in all, the car painting project took about 45 minutes. And now we have cool tracks to ride on.

Questions About Being a Mom and Being a Writer

Read here on Daniel Nester's site where I respond to questions about trying to mom and trying to write all at once. Oh, the hats we wear.