My Hospital Packing List - Getting Ready for Baby

I try to keep packing for the maternity ward simple. Who wants to lug everything but the kitchen sink around the hospital? Plus packing light makes it easier to find what you need quickly.

I’ll be delivering my second child at the same hospital, so it should be a lot easier this time around. I now realize what was not needed that I packed last time, and what I missed that I wish I would have packed.

Here’s my list of everything I’m going to consider taking to the hospital.

Purse
- Photo ID
- Insurance Card/Information
- Checkbook or Credit Card for Payment
- Hospital Registration Forms (if you haven’t completed and submitted in advance)

For Delivery - Mommy
I like to put these items in a small zip top bag for easy access, stashed in my duffle bag until needed.
- Washcloth
- Tennis Ball - can be helpful for massage if you’re trying to delivery naturally
- Lip Balm
- Hair Band
- Mints, Snacks, and Bottle of Water for after Birth (they gave me ice chips at the hospital, but didn’t want me to eat or drink.)
Last time I packed all kinds of fun entertainment options, thinking I would have hours of waiting that I could relax and watch movies on a laptop with my husband, magazines to read, etc. Ha, ha...boy was I ever wrong! I must have been watching too many Baby Stories on TV, because I chose to give birth naturally and was in active labor the whole time without a break. There was a point where I would have considered an epidural, but it was the middle of the night and I told the staff early on not to call in the anesthesiologist. In the end, I’m glad it worked out the way it did, all the pain magically disappears as soon as the baby is pushed out.

For Delivery - Labor Coach
Pack in a small bag stored inside duffle bag, unless you have as much camera equipment as my hubby.
- Watch with second hand (if they don’t wear one everyday)
- Snacks and Bottle of Water
- Camera, Video Camera, Charger, and Memory Cards ready for right after the Birth (Note: Don’t leave these in the car like last time, there won’t be time to go out and get them later.)

For Mommy's Hospital Stay - In My Duffle Bag
- Shower Shoes (Cheap-o Old Navy Flip Flops - hospital floors can be icky!)
- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, deodorant, comb, makeup, hair band, soap, shampoo / conditioner, and lotion) - some items may be provided, but I prefer my own
- Comfortable Pajamas, Robe, Slippers, and Socks
- iPhone & Charger - This eliminates much of the comfort items (family picture, music, entertainment, etc.) I brought last time when smart phones were non-existent!
- Nursing Bras & Pads
- Comfortable Going Home Outfit
- Healthy Snacks & Water (Not Fan of Hospital Food)
- Small Notepad and Pen (May just use iPhone, but it's nice to be able to jot down important information, memories, notes, etc.)
- Prenatal Vitamins, DHA Supplement

For Baby's Hospital Stay - In My Duffle Bag
- Boppy Nursing Pillow (Didn’t take to hospital for first baby, now I know.)
- Hospital Picture Outfit - Our hospital takes newborn portraits
- Going Home Outfit (I try to pick something comfy for going home.)
- Warm Hat & Blanket, if it’s cold outside for Going Home
- Car Seat Installed

*Make a List of Items to Grab Before You Head Out the Door and Put On Top of Hospital Bag Some items like a nursing pillow, I’m not going to use everyday and they can be packed and waiting, but I only have one small makeup bag so that’s not going to be sitting in my hospital bag for a few weeks. These items are things I use daily that I’ll need to grab before heading out the door.
- makeup bag
- camera
- cell phone
- sandwich for Daddy (Labor Coach)

Getting Vehicle Ready
Put Towels and Garbage Bag in Car to put on the seat for the ride to the hospital.  In case water breaks, you won’t have another thing to clean when getting home from the hospital.

Getting Ready at Home
Everyone’s list will be different, but as long as you have the necessities (place for baby to sleep, clean clothes, diapers, wipes) you can figure it out as you go. I like to be organized and prepared, so I try to have everything ready in advance, but delivering a baby can be unpredictable so you just have to do your best and be ready for anything.

Pre-School Valentines Cards

I love seeing all the creative handmade valentines on blogs and pinterest.  I usually love designing and making my own too, but with a baby on the way I decided to check out what the stores offered for classroom style valentines this year.

I was actually surprised to find a great selection that even included small gifts at an inexpensive price.  We purchased a pack of valentines at Walmart for $2.47 and they had similar sets at Target for $3.00.  There were quite a few fun options to choose from, but my son immediately gravitated to the Disney Cars valentines that included pencils.  It seems like all the kids in his class are really into erasing things right now, so whether they want to practice writing their name or just have fun with the eraser they should be a hit.

His class recently took a field trip to the post office complete with a behind the scenes tour.  Each child will get to be the "mailman" at school, hand delivering their valentines to the mailboxes they each made during preschool class.  Our store bought valentines did not come with envelops, so that's the only thing we added to make it a little easier to deliver the cards and ensure the pencils wouldn't fall out.  Plus it's fun to open a surprise card.

I found stamping markers that were being discontinued at IKEA.  The red marker has a heart stamper, perfect to decorate the envelops.  I never heard of stamp markers before, but they are super fun and easy to use.

If you're looking for stamp markers, I also found cute Stamp Marker Activity Pads made by Melissa and Doug in pink and blue that would be perfect as a small gift, to put in an Easter basket, or just to have at the ready for rainy day fun.  I ordered the blue one for my little guy and I already know which stamp marker will be his favorite...definitely the red car!

I would love to check out everyone's valentines!  I've been busy pinning all sorts of fun Valentines Day inspiration on Pinterest.

Happy Valentines Day!

Purple Day - Kids Handprint Project

It was Purple Day at my son's Pre-School and it’s always fun to check his backpack to see what he’s been working on at school. When they learn about colors, they have everything covered from wearing purple to school, sharing a purple snack, and even creating a purple themed craft. I’m a sucker for any project involving my kids’ handprints, so I was a big fan of this creative handprint project showcasing purple.

It was fun to see his excitement as he explained how he first made red handprints, then blue handprints, and when the red and blue mixed it made purple...magically! What a fun way to learn about basic color mixing with paint. I also like how the teachers added the words “red + blue = purple”, and the simple math “1 + 1 = 2” at the bottom of this handprint project.

Preparing for Baby - My Get Ready for Baby To Do List

Since this is our second child, my to do list is much shorter than the first time around. I don’t have a baby registry to get together and we’re not having another baby shower, but there is still much to do. I’ll add to this list as I go and hopefully cross off many items quickly. Strangers are making comments that I look like I’m carrying a basketball, so it’s definitely time to finish getting the necessities together and get ready for baby!

- Revisit Hospital Packing List and Pack My Bags
- Get baby equipment out of storage, clean, and decide if we need to replace anything (infant car seat, strollers, crib / bassinet, swing, bouncer, bathtub, changing pads, and eventually high chair, baby gates, potty, etc.)
- Research if crib or any other baby equipment was recalled (I remember hearing about a ton of crib recalls after our first child was already out of the crib. It didn’t affect us then, but it does now.)
- Decide on Baby Laundry Detergent to Wash Everything
- Sort, organize, and wash all new and hand me down baby clothing
- Make a list of things to buy (special birthday outfit, nb diapers, baby care products, etc.)
- Research best diaper and wipes deals (Coupons, Warehouse Clubs, Discount Stores, or Online?)
- Research Amazon Mom Program, decide if it's worth signing up
- Find an iPhone App to track feedings and diaper changes for first days home (last time I used a pen and clipboard!)
- Complete Hospital Pre-Registration Forms and Submit to Hospital
- Fill Out Paperwork for my Husband's Family Leave from Work - Take to doctor to fill out their portion and fax
- Install Infant Car Seat
- Skim book used in my first childbirth class for a refresher on techniques for natural childbirth
- Finalize Baby Name Choice
- Take a few Maternity Pictures
- Baby Proof the House (this one will be harder with a 4 year old in the mix)
- Freeze Some Meals
- Buy Postpartum Necessities - Good Nursing Tanks / Bras
- Plan Newborn Photo Shoot and Pictures We Want to Capture
- Decide on Baby Announcements - DIY or Printing Company
- Buy Thank You Cards and Stamps
- Start an Online Document for Baby - Capture birth story and other important information that will help complete a baby book and be an accessible place to document everything quickly.
- Organize all baby necessities and find a place for everything around the house, so everyone can help put things where they belong.

Nice To Do, but not Necessary Right Away
- Figure Out Closet Organization System
- Special Craft / DIY Projects to Decorate for Baby
- Buy another Rocking/Recliner Chair and Short Dresser (if we use the same ones we used for our son, his bedroom will be bare!)

Waist Extender - Easy DIY to make Pre-Pregnancy Pants Fit Longer

I admit, with my second pregnancy, I’ve been less than excited about buying maternity clothes. I would much rather buy regular size clothes or baby items, because I just don’t love maternity clothes and you don’t wear them for very long. I would be happy to wear the same items I purchased when pregnant with my first, but I was pregnant during hot summer months and now I’m pregnant during winter. Super cold temperatures don’t mix well with maternity shorts and tanks. So I came up with a way to make my pre-pregnancy pants fit a little longer with one unexpected hair accessory, a ponytail holder!

Get out a ponytail holder. Put it through the buttonhole of your pants.

Next put the right side through the opening of the ponytail holder on the left side.

This makes a secure loop that acts as an extended buttonhole.

Since ponytail holders are stretchy you even have a little give making it more comfortable. This extra room allows me to to wear my regular jeans longer than should be possible, even as my baby bump grows.

In the pictures, I used a bright orange ponytail holder so you can see it.  I typically choose a navy blue or black hairband. They blend the best with my jeans as I really don’t want this to stand out. Although your shirt should cover it, so you can just use what you have.

If you really love a pair of jeans, you may not want to try this technique since it may stretch out the top more than you would like and not go back for postpartum use. I'm using a pair of jeans that look nice, but aren’t my favorite, so I won’t be upset if they get stretched out and don’t fit as well after pregnancy. Since I still have a few weeks to go, I haven’t tried these jeans on postpartum to see if they are in good shape when I’m back to my normal size.

Note: You may be able to try this with a rubber band. I never tried it, because I had extra ponytail holders in different sizes on hand and they work so well!

I know this tip won’t work for everyone, but I thought I would share since it worked so well for me.

Organizing with Technology - Using Pinterest to Eliminate Paper Clutter!

I’m very active on Pinterest! I love how easy it is to collect all the fun inspiration I find online in one visual place. I can quickly skim through my pins to find an article I read that I want to reference or an image that inspires an idea to create something amazing.

My favorite new use for Pinterest is to eliminate paper clutter in my home. I always use to hang on to catalogs or rip pages out of magazines that I would toss in a manilla file folder for later. It was cumbersome to dig through stacks of scrap paper in file folders, so they largely went untouched. Now I’m finding the images online and pinning them to my boards on Pinterest and recycling the old catalogs, magazines, and scraps of paper that I was storing. Love that!

I’m taking my stack of old magazines and recycling them at church. They actually get paid for paper recyclables and I get the old clutter out of my house and still have my inspiration organized online where I’m more likely to reference it. It’s definitely a win-win-win.

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, check it out or stop by my Pinterest boards and follow along.  Whether you enjoy trying new recipes, decorating, DIY projects, gardening, organizing, crafting, photography, travel, or anything else you're sure to find a use for it.
 

How To Remove Long Hair Wrapped Around Vacuum Cleaner Beater Bar

As a girl with long hair, I can tell you firsthand that all my vacuum cleaners get clogged up with tightly wound hair tangled around the beater bar. It’s not pretty, but it must be removed so we get the best clean possible on our floors.

You can try to squeeze a pair of scissors between the hair that’s tightly wound around the beater bar and snip the hair loose, but I discovered an even easier solution. Dig out your sewing tools and use a seam ripper!

A seam ripper is by far the fastest and easiest way to remove things tangled around your vacuum beater bar, especially hair. With kids hiding treasures around the house, you never know what you’re going to accidentally vacuum up.  I’ve also used a seam ripper to remove thread, ribbon, and even strands of plastic Easter basket filler wrapped around the beater bar.

After you’ve used the seam ripper to cut the hair loose, simply pull gently to remove the unwanted debris from the beater bar and it’ll be as good as new. I love when a tool has more than one use and makes a job easier.

Don't have a seam ripper, but want to give it a try?  Go to your local fabric store to pick one up or simply order a seam ripper online from Amazon.  It will be a real time saver!