5 Hospital Bag Must Haves for Mama

I am going to be an Auntie! Eeeeeep! My sister recently announced her pregnancy, she'll be welcoming the next new babe to the family in July 2015. How cute is her announcement? Those slippers! Love. 

In honour of her announcement I wanted to post some of my suggested hospital bag items for Mamas. Disclaimer-- this list is pretty bare bones. I was (very) fortunate to have a speedy delivery and a quick stay at the hospital... Which meant that my husband carried around a bunch of bags full of sh#t that was recommended during our prenatal classes, that we didn't end up using. "Why do we have tennis balls? Is there even a microwave to heat up this bean bag thing? Do you actually want to use the hospital microwave?" 

Ok. I'll admit I took that list pretty serious. It's the Type A in me. 

Anyways, these are some items that I recommend make your short list, regardless of how long you are there for, in no particular order. 

1. Footwear. Flip flops. At some point in time you are going to want need to get in the shower and who wouldn't want flip flops. Buy a cheap pair and leave them at the door on your way home. Same goes for slippers, make sure they are easy to slip on/off and make sure they are machine washable, or buy a pair that you can chuck afterwards (hindsight).  

2. Lanolin. They may give you a small tube (at least at our hospital they did), but you'll want heaps of this stuff anyways. The Lansinoh brand is 100% natural and safe for babies-- I've heard there are some brands you need to wash off before feeding babe. Not. A. Chance. This also doubles as an amazing lip balm, which is another item you'll want in your bag anyways. 

3. Clip Down Nursing Cami(s). I didn't have much for nursing wear before the baby came, but I did have a couple of these tanks, and went back for more after V was born. I got mine from Motherhood Maternity and a Pea in the Pod and they were fabulous. I wore them as pajama tops for those long nursing nights for months afterwards too. Note-- plain black is a must, especially for when you reach the point that you are slathering on item #2 like there's no tomorrow (it will leave an oil stain on a light coloured top). Sorry. 

4. BlenderBottle Shaker Cup. I'm sure any water bottle could work, but I love love these. They actually started out as one of my must-have items for flying when I was travelling for work all the time. They don't have a little spout for filling, which means it's easy to hit the ice/water machine and fill it up quickly. The hospital cups (here at least) are teeny and you are going to need way more water than that. When V was little I'd have two of these on my nightstand to make it through the night. 

5. Clothes. For some odd (?) reason I never donned a hospital gown the entire time we were there. Even if you do wear a hospital gown, you'll need your own clothes for heading home. I recommend bringing an over piece-- something cotton, long sleeve and open in the front. This was perfect for easy access while learning to nurse baby, and provided a nice and quick way to cover up when visitors stopped in. Loose pants-- I bought a few pairs of large comfy draw string yoga pants from Costco and they were perfect! Nursing camis (as per above). And underwear. In much bigger sizes then you are used to wearing. 

I know, I said 5.. but I did also bring a mini make-up bag with dry shampoo, bobby pins and elastics, toothbrush and toothpaste, some powder foundation and other odds and ends, so don't forget to pack your toiletry bag!

To my sister, I hope this is helpful. Can't wait for the arrival of my beautiful baby niece or nephew. xoxo  

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Back to Routine ... Almost

Our Christmas holiday break came to an end this week. After a busy week of family and celebrations we took a few days before work started back to hibernate relax. Usually the start of the New Year brings a welcomed change back to routine, especially after consuming more baking, Bailey's and chocolate than the other 11 months of the year combined. 

This year our transition back to routine was a little slower than usual, with winter truly arriving in Kelowna. After a green Christmas, last week we had the most snowfall seen in Kelowna in 78 years and the first Snow Day for schools in 35 years! This made for an interesting commute to work to say the least.

V loved snow day! There is nothing funnier than a baby dressed up like a marshmallow waddling around in the snow, making face-down snow angels here and there as they try to navigate in all their winter gear. My family teases me that when I was little I always screamed "It's tooo tiiiiiiggggght!" when putting on snowsuits. Now having first-hand experience dressing a one year old in too much winter gear, I think my complaints were totally legit ;) 

In other news, I'm working on let's call it "enhancing" V's nutrition. Not a New Year's resolution per say, but more so a realization that although we've been blessed with a great eater, she definitely holds out for her "favourites", which are generally those things that don't make the cut when it comes to a healthy balanced diet. The kid would eat bananas, pasta, pickles and cottage cheese for every meal if it was up to her. Don't get me wrong, she can totally still enjoy these foods, but I'm going to try harder to mix in a few alternatives, starting with breakfast. 

Our first stop was smoothies. One of my long time University friends feeds her boys "hulk juice"; nothing like a little fake-milkshake paired with a superhero to sneak some spinach into their diets! It seems mamas everywhere are mastering kid approved smoothie recipes. 

I started with some recipes I found on a blog I follow, Baby Boy Bakery (written by an amazing and inspiring Mama), which can be found here. We subbed in plain or vanilla greek yogurt, added half an avacado, and V went crazy for it! Success. It turns out my husband Mike also likes our new breakfast go-to, so it's a double win. 

Another breakfast food I've made a few times this week (on days when we've been home for the morning) is pancakes. I'm not crazy about boxed mixes, and I've been making the following recipe for years. I don't know the original source to credit and I've made a few tweaks here and there, but honestly V can't get enough of these! I'd like to say her excitement in the pic below is for the pancakes she's eating, but, truth be told, it's a big weekend for football in our house and V has learned to celebrate "touch down" and does so every few minutes. So friggin' cute. 

Also, check out the new clip-on high chair in this pic that we bought a few weeks ago-- the Guzzie and Guss Perch, which we are loving so far! 

Toddler Approved Pancakes 

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour  
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large banana 
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 large egg w/yolk
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup nuts, mini chocolate chips (optional, I don't usually add anything) 

I have to admit, I am still learning the basics about blogging, and have been trying to find the time to "learn" the ropes of how having a blog works. I wanted it to look perfect of course, but have now decided that design and perfection can come later, and I really just need to get going on regular content (the whole point of this thing anyways). 

Happy Sunday! 

Blogging... my New Year's resolution

Starting this blog has been on my to-do list for a while. I love writing and I want a space to document everyday life, and perhaps share advice (I also love exhaustive research to find out the very best product recommendations, especially when it comes to baby gear). I follow a few "mom blogs" and although I don't personally know these mamas, I love reading about their life and hearing about their successes, celebrations, struggles and frustrations. So here it goes. The HARDEST part of starting this blog has been naming it. You know how once you have a name in your head you can't think of anything else? And then that name is taken and you are completely stuck? Well. That's what happened to me. But, for the sake of actually getting this thing going I had to take a plunge and pick a name. Although I realize that it might look like I have no idea how to spell Pilates, this in fact is not an error, but my attempt to merge those things I love most into one blog title... being a mama, pilates, and lattes of course!