A couple of scattershot thoughts on things I have been loving in these two weeks since micro was born.
+I bought this Aesop hand cream the day before micro was born as a little treat for myself in the hospital and am obsessed! The scent and texture are heaven.
+I have been watching Schitt’s Creek, Russian Doll, and David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction during late-night feeds. Wonderful company, all three. Russian Doll is quirky and dark but interesting (and produced/co-written by Amy Poehler), Schitt’s Creek is hilarious, and I am finding all of the Letterman interviews fascinating — especially the one with Tina Fey. She holds her own.
+I traded in those *elegant* hospital mesh underwear for these high-waisted postpartum ones and they are so comfortable (love the elasticized lace waistband) and surprisingly non-hideous. Highly recommend for fellow c-section moms.
+Have been keeping mini busy while nursing micro by giving her a few activities to use while sitting next to me in bed: these two-piece puzzles, some special books (like this), puffy sticker sets, and especially this Curious George magnet set have been very popular with her.
+I have an undersupply of milk again so I have been eating tons of oatmeal, eating these, and drinking lots of fenugreek tea. And chugging as much water as I can stand in my favorite water bottle. (The sports nozzle makes it so easy to drink with one hand and prevents spills!) I’m so glad we stocked up on these stage one Philips Avent bottles and this formula so we were prepared. This go around, we made sure to buy tons of bottles so we’d never be stuck hand-washing at the last minute.
+Having major baby bag lust over this utility tote from new-to-me label L’Uniform. Love all of the options for customization (!!) — I think I’d get the navy canvas with white trim and white monogram on the side, or maybe the natural canvas with white trim? Love.
+Though I wrote an entire post on what to wear while nursing, I kind of forgot to think about the awkward time immediately after giving birth where literally nothing fits. I’m too small for maternity clothes (and don’t want to accentuate a bump…) and too big for pre-pregnancy. Also, everything needs to be nursing-friendly. I’ve been getting a lot of wear out of this floral beauty, my Storq caftan, and my Sleeper dress. I also just ordered this $28 SZ Blockprints-lookalike after seeing a bunch of fellow bloggers post about it, as it appears to button down lower than the SZ ones, which makes them impossible to nurse in (will report back on quality and nursing access). I ordered it in the pink color as I already have a ton of blue in my closet, but I think my favorite colorway for this style is the blue on blue one. Finally, I have my eye on this gorgeous (discounted!) maxi (more of a pull-down style for nursing, which looks gloriously forgiving and would look super chic with my Newbark sandals — on serious sale!), this floaty cover-up to wear around the house, and this adorable Banjanan dress. And I’m also wondering whether this tunic-style SZ Blockprints dress has a low-enough button front to accommodate nursing…
+At night, I have been living in these nursing nightgowns, my favorite Cosabella maternity jammies (great for during pregnancy and after), and my Eberjey robe (I own it in the pale pink). I have to say that switching into my own soft robe (and, on day three, my own nursing nightgown instead of the hospital gown) at the hospital made me feel so much more human, and I was so glad I had both on hand.
+In general, I packed well for the hospital (I especially loved these individually-wrapped toning pads, which I used the first 24 hours to clean my face when it was hard to get out of the hospital bed; a plain old bar of Dove body soap, which smelled like heaven to me during my first shower; my trusty 8-hour cream, as my lips were so dry!; and this cream). My only regret: I wish I had packed more snacks for myself — the hospital food was disgusting and I ended up spending the second two nights on my own (sent Mr. Magpie back to our apartment both so he could sleep and so mini had more of a sense of continuity) and often woke up ravenously hungry. If I could do it again, I would pack saltines/crackers, some of these single serve peanut butter pouches, and some fruit (apples, bananas, etc).
+With micro in our room until we move, quarters are tight. We have this striped Gathre changing mat to use for changing at the foot of our bed and space in one of the window-sills for all of his diapering essentials. I have my eye on this to better organize this — wipes, diapers, creams, vitamin D, brush, nail scissors, etc.
+Janie + Jack has so many precious things available right now. I’m so glad it was bought out by Gap (did you see it almost went under and disappeared and Gap white knighted at the last minute?!). I have my eye on this one-piece, this kimono set, these swim trunks, this collared situation, and these saddle crib shoes. And this would be so sweet for mini on the fourth. Also — have my eye on these as a gift for friends having baby girls in the near future. So darling!
+OMG THIS SUIT. It’s splash pad season in NYC! I do usually put mini in a rashguard to keep her skin safer (and it’s so hard to get a toddler to sit still while rubbing sunscreen on her…), and I love the ones from Minnow (more styles, with free shipping!, here). Also ordering her this adorable peplum style from Amazon.
+I have been finding micro often pees through his pajamas and swaddle at night — !! — and it took me awhile to figure out that it was a combination of folding the diaper down around his umbilical cord and not having his anatomy pointed in the right direction, if you get my drift…and so I have been doing a lot of laundry and spending a lot of time evaluating the merits and demerits of various swaddles. I am absolutely in love with the scent and quality of this baby detergent and honestly have yet to find a swaddle that is better than Aden + Anais’. There are literally hundreds of swaddle brands out there, many of them cheaper than A+A, but the muslin is thicker and stretchier and all around better with the Aden + Anais classics (and I’ve probably tried half a dozen other brands). Strongly endorse A+A even though there are others out there with cuter prints. I know a lot of moms have better luck with the velcro/zip swaddle styles, but we’ve always loved plain old fabric swaddles in our home. If you’re the same way, stick with A+A.
+Drinking a glass of wine at happy hour is heaven.
P.S. My ultimate baby registry and 10 baby products that changed my life.
P.P.S. Inspired by the royal baby.
P.P.P.S. Random things that make me very happy.