Being a first time parent though exhilarating is pretty tough. Besides the learning curve one experiences it can be just as hard deciding what gear to get. I know for me I’m constantly wondering if ‘this is a good toy’ or ‘will my son actually use this product’. When I had my baby shower at work my girlfriend asked me to make a list of stuff that I needed. To be honest I simply told her that I didn’t have a clue what I needed or what would be a good purchase versus just more ’stuff’. So I suggested that she make up my list for me seeing as she already had kids and would know better than I what gear was necessary and what was just more fluff. During my pregnancy I felt this pressure to buy all kinds of high end equipment and lots of it. I mean what did my child actually need? I was looking at strollers, bouncy chairs, non-bouncy chairs, exersaucers, jolly jumpers, high chairs, booster seats, bumbo chairs… My head was totally spinning. I have since decided (after almost 11 months) that whatever you get will suffice. I didn’t need to get that change table, I mean what do you do with a change table after you’re not changing diapers anymore? Instead we opted for a child’s desk with a change pad on top.
I will say though that what I consider my smartest purchase was the Fisher Price Rainforest Swing. My son was getting to the stage where I couldn’t put him down because he’d cry. He wasn’t sitting yet, so that wasn’t an option. I thought maybe a swing would be a good idea so I did some research. Goodness knows there are enough of them out there. There are the portable swings, cradle swings, full size swings and then of course there are all the different options available to each one. I chose the Fisher Price Rainforest Swing for a few reasons. 1. I could plug it into the wall. That’s right, besides using batteries I also had the option of using the accompanying AC adapter. 2. I could alter which way it swung. I could turn the cradle seat to swing forwards and backwards or from side to side. 3. The attached mobile lifted up and out of the way. This is great feature when trying to get the little guy in and out of the swing, I never had to worry about banging his head. There were other less (in my opinion) important features such as variable speeds, different music, volume controls and reclining seat.

Sunday I ended up going to church by myself. Okay correction, without Retard. In usual form he started telling me the night before that he would not be going. Why does it have to be a constant struggle every week?! So of course I was running late, and when you’re running late of course that would be the time when it’s packed and tough to find a seat. Mostly it was an enjoyable service except that I felt I had to keep my little guy quiet (he’s really starting to babble these days) during the sermon. So I kept trying to put a pacifier in his mouth, something he’s definitely not used to since I basically refuse to use them. The lady next to us (who I didn’t know) kept trying to get him to hold her hand. Not sure exactly if I thought this was just nice or kind of creepy. Don’t people usually ask instead of presuming they can just put their hand in my son’s car seat and touch him? I’m sure I’m just over-reacting.
So after church I had to go bathing suit shopping. Nothing more interesting than buying a swim suit for a 4 month old. Once again our family motto of “everything happens for a reason” crops up. Saturday I had Goober Monster in the bath with me and decided to try on his suit for his upcoming very first swim lesson. The pool is very strict about the diaper being tight around his legs so it retains any foul things that might emerge from his backside. Thank goodness I tried it on him (I was sort of saving it for that day) ahead of time as it ended up being too big! I wouldn’t have imagined that it would be. It’s a size small from 10-16lbs and he’s skinny sure, but he still weighs over 11lbs. So I was all in a panic because according to the class guidelines I was to have either Kooshies or Little Swimmers. I figured the ones I bought were so cute because they were actual trunks instead of the diaper style. Plus I hadn’t been able to find Kooshies (though I didn’t look that hard) and Little Swimmers didn’t come that small. I did manage to find a place downtown and drove all the way out there only to be told that they didn’t carry small sizes. ARGH! Luckily (again) I had jotted down 1 other place that was said to carry the Kooshies and called them. They did in fact have small in stock and boys ones to boot. YAY! They really are cuter than I figured they’d be, so now I’m all set. The Kooshies fit 6-14lbs so there shouldn’t be any reason that they won’t fit. I haven’t tried them yet, and will before his lesson Friday, but it’s a diaper style so I can easily cinch the tummy smaller thus making the legs tighter too. I have been looking forward to getting the little boy in the water since he was born, so I’m definitely not going to miss this!
I managed to find my little guy a boy doll (Little Eddie) for when he gets a bit older and it just arrived.

I’m so impressed. I bought it off ebay and it’s nearly mint! You wouldn’t believe another kid ever played with it and it even has all it’s little parts. Um, not the way that sounded. He’s wearing a removable backpack that contains his friend the frog (don’t know his name) and a little comb, because apparently Little Eddie is a little vain. hahaha

Babygadget

I stumbled upon this contraption while surfing today and all I can say is…whoa. Overkill or what. I don’t know what other mothers out there think of this. In fact maybe they think it’s really useful. I find it hard enough getting my little guy to pay attention to what he’s doing while eating, I certainly wouldn’t put on this sideshow!

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