I'll be the first to admit none of us really 'needs' any of this stuff...but it just makes this mommy gig even more enjoyable. I just thought sharing my favorites would be fun.
If you get sqimish about certain mom-realities...I'd suggest you hault your reading now. ;)
First and foremost...leggings. Gray leggings, sport leggings, Aztec leggings, capri leggings...and the classic (and my fave) black leggings. WHAT DID WE ALL DO BEFORE LEGGINGS?! I know everyone has an opinon on this fad and yes, I too read Jen Hatmaker's book in which she discusses how leggings shouldn't be worn as pants. But I'd like to take this prime opportunity to quote Mean Girls..."sweatpants are all that fits me right now." Leggings are my sweatpants. I'm a leggings connesiour. So I want to make a statement of my own on leggings and here it is: Moms who have babies less than a year old, you are hereby exempt from any legging rules. You have my permission (if that matters?) to wear 'em however you feel COMFORTABLE. Avoid anything see-through and I'd encourage black undies...but blessings on you in your comfortable leggings that can be dressed up or down...worn to church or as pajamas. Which is what I might have done four days ago.
Second...coconut oil. My stars. I use this stuff for almost everything (except cooking, which coincidentially is how I *think* it's meant to be used?). I put it on the ends of my wet hair after a shower. I throw a few chunks of it a warm bath to soak into my skin. I put it on my face at night instead of a moisturizer. I put it on my arms and legs instead of body lotion. I put it on Maverick's dry baby acne when he was a couple weeks old. This stuff is amazing. In the dead of winter when everything is dry and you're breastfeeding a baby that is literally sucking every ounce of moisture out of you...coconut oil keeps your skin amazing. I buy it in a giant tub at Sam's Club, dig a little of it out, rub it between my hands to melt it into oil, and put it wherever I want. You're welcome.
Third...this one is kind of lame, but it's actually super important. Drinking water has always been hard for me to remember, but with this giant trusty Starbucks cup by my side...I'm the best little water-drinker you ever did see. It's huge so I'm not spending my day constantly re-filling glasses of water. It's super easy for me to grab-and-go, and Maverick appreciates it too because if I'm full of water, his tummy gets fuller too.
Fourth...fun, cute, comfortable, lounge clothes. Comfy hoodies and sweaters and zip-ups have really exploded in my closet in the past few months (thanks to Christmas and gift cards!) and it's a good thing. Because I live this SAHM life primarily in lounge clothes. I find that I'm more productive and happy (even have more energy?!) when I'm put-together for the day in something other than raggedy old sweats. Silly as it may sound...it actually helps. An added bonus, leggings go with everything I own in this category. I can throw a puffy vest on on top, my warm boots on the bottom and go out and about without having to figure out what to wear. If someone pops over...I look presentable. If I need to be in something to spend the day cleaning...I'm comfortable. If I feel like 'napping while the baby naps'...GAME ON.
Along that same idea...cute PJ's. Why is Maverick the only one who gets to wear cute jammie-jams? Mom wants cute jammies too in the event that she looks down and realizes it's 2:00pm and she's accidentially still in those jammies. Again...ugly old sweats work...but adorable princess jammies make me happier.
Fifth, and where we really begin to enter the TMI zone...cute and pretty nursing pads. As you know...I was fairly weirded out by the whole breastfeeding thing. And (whether or not you agree), I was determinded to do breastfeeding the 'Mollie-Way.' And the 'Mollie-Way' included leapord print nursing pads. I found my favorites on this website and because pregnant moms are bombarded with promotional materials in our mailbox every single day...I got 10 sets for free (plus the price of shipping which was $14.99) in five different patterns. A couple people told me they preferred the disposable version, but I tried those for the first couple weeks (to avoid needing to wash another. blessed. thing.) and they were just not comfortable. It felt like I had plastic and paper in my bra. No thanks.
Sixth...the bra thing. I'm sure this isn't common for most 27-year-olds...but I live 90% of my life in a sports bra. I did this even before Maverick was born. Unless I was dressed up for work or some other occasion...it was sports bra city allllll the way people. And now that's what I wear constantly unless an outfit calls for something different. Ironic because I'm not much for sports (laugh it up) but it's just what I like! Some girls come home and choose to get comfy by going braless under their sweats or jammies...I switch from a real bra to a sports bra and yes, I've been sleeping in a bra since I started wearing one in fourth grade. When it came time to consider what kind of nursing bras I would be purchasing and wearing for the first year of Maverick's life I wanted to make sure I found something I loved. I wasn't looking forward to big-ol-gross nursing bras but I was able to dig through the ones that were way too mom-ish for me and find the perfect style/fit. And as per usual, it was Target to the rescue. This is the one I live in and I have four.
In the event a real bra is necessary...I'm convinced I found THE BEST ONE ON THE MARKET. I was not looking forward to the fat straps and the clips and looking like a frumpy-nursing-mom in my giant mom bra. At some point during the last few weeks before Maverick came I was annoyed at the probability of that ugly-mom-bra looming in my immediate future and went to Target determined to NOT become that mom. I was able to find this beauty hiding in the maternity bra aisle and all was right with the world again...as it usually is upon exiting Target after yet another successful trip.
Seventh...tanning seems...borderline frivolous with an infant at home. So even though Josh is home most of the winter and I could probably get away with a quick trip to Sun Tan City once or twice a week...the added time and monthly cost seems...well, frivolous. But oh how I miss my beautiful, middle-of-the-winter glow. Since I still buy my make-up from the make-up aisle at...you guessed it...Target (I know I know, I'm a teenage girl) I was in the market for a better foundation/cover-up than what I used when I was tan and my skin was pretty. With the dryness of my skin due to the aformentioned breastfed baby...this Covergirl + Olay combination has become my saving grace until I can spend every. single. day momming it poolside this summer and my skin returns to the dreamy brown color I can only dream of right now.
Eighth...stretch marks are semi-inevitable unless your Kim Kardashian. So how do the rest of us combat this without a million dollar budget and lazer treatments at our finger tips? Here goes...my strech mark issues were fairly minimal after Maverick came but still bugged me. I religiously used this Burt's Bee's Mama Bee Belly Butter for all nine months of pregnancy and I honestly think that was part of the reason my tummy never itched and didn't strech as bad at the end. Since then, I've alternated using the Burt's Bee's with this Mederma Cream and It Works! Stretch Mark Cream...and this tummy of mine is well on its way to being stretch-mark-free.
Ninth...and the one I was unsure about writing, but I'm doing it because I don't typically shy away from writing exactly what I think. And I really do think this one is important...
Who else is completley apalled by the 'products' that new mom's use at the hospital and are then sent home with? They're just MORTIFYING. As if the recovery process wasn't painful enough, just looking at the giant scary pads I was supposed to use for the next six weeks actually caused me MORE PHYSICAL PAIN. So guess who made a trip to Target with a five-day-old baby to buy colorful, fun, teenage girl pads and tampons? Me. Before you decide this is ridiculous, let me give you a rundown of all the 'pros.'
1. When an unsuspecting brother-in-law goes digging for a toothbrush in your bathroom, he's not terrified when he opens that bottom vanity drawer. In fact, he probably wonders what candy is doing in the bathroom. THAT'S HOW PRETTY THEY ARE.
2. If something accidentially gets flung out of the purse/diaper bag, there's a good chance anyone who sees will think it's a colorful baby toy.
3. The bathroom trash can is a cornucopia of colorful plastic and paper. I've never seen such pretty garbage.
4. They're re-sealable. I don't think I need to explain to any of you how important this is.
5. I swear...those granny pads are enough to send a new mom into postpardum depression. Avoid that...spend the extra $1 for something pretty. You just had a baby, you definitley deserve it.
I'll wrap it up with number ten...peppermint Smooth Move tea. Let me just say...the time I've spent in the bathroom each day for the past five months has been fairly dramatic. I won't go into any further details, but that precious little Maverick wreaked some serious havok on my previously perfect digestive system. This tea has been the only thing that's worked and bonus! It tastes like Christmas! Go with God on this one. You'll need Him during your darkest hours with a newborn...which for me, was not the middle of the night...it was in the bathroom each morning.
MmB
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