two weeks and favorite things.

two weeks ago today...

woah.
what a wonderful whirlwind it has been.
i can't believe our little boy is two weeks old.

so far motherhood is a little different than i expected... although i don't really know what i expected.
after being super laid back easy going pregnant lady, i have somehow morphed into super nervous highly anxious second guessing myself constantly new mommy.

i keep having to remind myself (over and over and over) to stop and take a breath and relax and enjoy little finn being little.
i have to tell myself to stop multi-tasking.
i don't have to simultaneously breastfeed, cook dinner, and do laundry.  (yes i did that).

i want to enjoy the little moments more, i want to cuddle him longer, i want to not freak out when he fusses, and i want to care less about cleaning my floors and organizing baby clothes. 
i want to cut myself a break on putting him on a schedule and being on a routine, and let finn just be a baby for a little while.

i hope that the more i get used to being a mommy, the more i trust my gut, and can breathe deeper, and just relax.  things don't have to be perfect.  they don't have to be textbook.  and i hope i can stop being so suddenly type a- so finn can grow up to be a relaxed and laid back little boy.

i don't know why i'm so nervous!
it's hard when your baby can't say "mom, i prefer sleeping on my side thank you" or "mom, i'm screaming because i just crapped myself, not because i want you to shove your boob in my mouth" or "mom, i'm baking over here, can you please take this hat off of me".
but i'm figuring it out.  luckily finn is a pretty well behaved little fella.

i wanted to share a few favorite things that billy and i have discovered as new parents.
some of the things we like the best for baby finn really surprised both of us.

so here's my first two weeks "favorite things" list:

1) breastfeeding.
it kind of skeeved me out a little bit before.  it definitely skeeved billy out.  but i can now tell you, it's not skeevy, it feels totally normal, it's totally easy, and i just buttoned my size 24 jeans today thankyouverymuch.  weightloss bonus aside, it's seriously fantastic.  many times billy and i have looked at each other and said "seriously, can you imagine having to go mix a bottle of formula in the kitchen right now!?" no. no we cannot.  it's healthy, it's portable, it's easy.  and if my boobs stay this big and my waist keeps shrinking i'll probably breastfeed finn until sixth grade.
ew gross. totally kidding.

2) cloth diapers.
everyone laughed at me when i said i was going to use cloth diapers.  but i'm using them and i love them.  babies poop a lot.  serious amounts of money would be being spent right now on disposables.  finn loves his cloth diapers, they are soft on his butt, and it's no biggie to throw in a load of diapers every other day or so.  we currently use bumgenius newborn size diapers.  i have 16 and it's plenty.  we also use cloth wipes, which i recommend even higher than cloth diapers.  they do an amazing job (much better than disposable wipes) and you can also use them for baby sponge baths.  which brings me to my next favorite thing...

3) a wipes warmer.
if you get a wipes warmer at your baby shower, all the older moms will laugh at you.  it's true.  you will probably think it is superfluous and silly.  it is not.  it is amazing.  it's billy's favorite thing.  we have both wiped a lot of bottoms, and we can tell you that there's nothing little nephews like less than a cold wipe on their willie.  finn is much more tolerant of diaper changes with nice warm wipes.  we use cloth wipes and a cloth wipe warmer.  i make my own "wipe solution" which is 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons natural baby wash, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  this is like a magic mixture.  it keeps his bottom soft and does a good job at cleaning up sticky stuff.  it also smells delish and is good for his little spongebaths, crusty spitup face, etc.

4) my camelback water bottle.
in the hospital they told me i needed to drink 16oz of water per feeding.  i thought this would be hard to do.  but, as i am constantly thirsty, it is not hard to do.  and i carry my water bottle everywhere.

5) aden & anais muslin swaddling blankets.
finn is never without one.  they are SO soft and so good for swaddling.  i kind of want one.  muslin snuggie?

6) sleepers.
people will tell you that those infant gown thingies are the best.  i didn't like them because then you have to mess with baby socks (they always fall off) and i felt like the gowns always bunched up around his waist and his little legs were always hanging out.  the one piece sleepers are much easier.  and the zipper ones are SUPER easy.  i highly recommend those for jammies.  matching snaps is easier said than done during midnight diaper changes.

7) balboa baby sling.
i had a moby wrap and a sleepy wrap, and i am completely retarded and couldn't get the hang of them.  i don't know if i'm too short or what, but trying to figure out all that fabric... not for me.  finn also hated them.  i just ordered a balboa baby sling off amazon and finn loves it and i can actually put it on.  win.

8) a nursing cover.
i didn't think i needed one, but let me just say that blankets fall off.  free boobin' ain't cool.

9) washable nursing pads.
sometimes your baby's diaper isn't the only thing that springs a leak.

10) dancing with the stars.
what? you didn't know it was my guilty pleasure? finn and i and a husband who wishes to remain anonymous are totally watching the new season.  go karate kid!