The elusive smile

Ladies and gents (but mostly ladies I’m sure), we have achieved a milestone. Curly…smiles! It started happening a couple days ago and was unmistakable last night, when Nutella & I sang songs to Curly and he smiled on and off throughout. They are difficult to get pictures of, but I have a couple gems below. It’s so entirely rewarding to get to this point.

We were at a baby shower this past weekend and as my good friend was opening her presents, I thought about what we found to be highly useful, sometimes life-saving products in these past few weeks. Since there have been some awesome BFP’s in the blog world recently, as well as many expectant moms, I’ll list them out here in case anyone is interested.

Pacifiers (specifically NUK): We weren’t planning on using these until a few weeks passed, hearing so much negativity against them, but they are freaking lifesavers. As soon as Curly came out of the womb, all he wanted to do is suck…even when he wasn’t hungry. It’s still all he wants to do much of the time. These truly do “pacify” him and we’d be at our wit’s end without them. Use them. Early. Often.

Sleep positioner: At first, I thought this thing was dumb when someone gave it to us. But after only 3 days, I was digging it out of the closet. It helps elevate a baby’s head (the ones that have a mesh pillow), and when you need to lay your baby slightly on its side while swaddled, to help with reflux/spit-up, this keeps them there safely.

The Ultimate Baby Wrap: This is my personal favorite baby wrap. I’ve also tried the maya and the bjorn with lumbar support, but this one is the most comfortable for both me and the baby. It’s lightweight, stretchable jersey material, and though the downside is that it takes a while to put on, once it’s on, it keeps the baby snug and secure. Can be worn 5 ways, although we mostly use 2. 100% adjustable for whoever’s wearing it, although if you’re short & thin, you’re going to be wrapping a bit more material around yourself.

A squishy bath pillow (like this from SummerInfant): Since Curly loves the bath and our backs were hurting from  holding him up the first couple times, this thing was awesome. He can lay in it for a long time while we bath him and he just loves it and finds it so comfortable.

Boppy lounger: Good for only about 3 weeks, but during that time, it was great to have a specific place to put him while we went to the kitchen or the bathroom for a few minutes.

Yoga ball: Still a lifesaving device. Babies love bouncing and this helps you do it efficiently and for a long time. Great for burping him, and great for your abs, too!

White noise machine: Great for keeping the baby asleep, and for hiding small sounds they make in their sleep that do not necessarily mean they’re waking up.

Laptop table, laptop and wireless internet: A breastfeeding woman’s best friend.