ALL THE BAGS PT 3: THE POST-PARTUM BAG

Time for the last bag of all the bags. The postpartum bag....aka THE MOST EMBARRASSING BAG EVER. I really debated posting this just out of personal embarrassment but then I thought "You know, this is just part of it." If I'm gonna share the fun, exciting parts along the journey of pregnancy/parenthood, then I'm gonna share the embarrassing, not-so-fun parts. Let's just be real, there's some gross things that come along with pregnancy, labor, and the first few weeks (months?!) postpartum. Honestly, until I was pregnant and began looking up things for myself...I'd never heard of really any of the things the body goes through beyond the actual labor part and, to me, the first few weeks after sounds way worse than the actual labor and delivery! How had I never heard these things?! Because no one wants to talk about it. And I'm sure with a brand new baby to obsess over, non of this is gonna seem that bad. My focus will be elsewhere. 

Non-pregnant women and definitely any men may want to stop reading now. So without further explanation....

The bag is the 31 large utility tote. I LOVE this bag. For now it'll be used to house all these giant packs of things, but I'm thinking eventually it'll be great as a kind of toy box for Thea.

The first thing I gathered supplies for was DIY Padsicles that everyone (pinterest, mommy bloggers, etc) raves about. Apparently these are #1 MUST HAVE item for postpartum healing. Basically it's the biggest, super-sized mega pad you can find (The Always overnight maxi's are just that) with aloe vera, witch hazel, and lavender oil soaked into them and then frozen. It's a heavenly, soothing ice pack for your "business".

So the giant pads obviously need some giant panties to hold them. I totally plan on rocking the fantastic mesh ones the hospital gives you while I am there, but I picked up my own for home. I opted for boy briefs cause that just seems like it'd be more comfortable than actually briefs. Just like wearing a pair of shorts...right? Apparently even with giant pads, there is the chance of leaking, depending on the...flow. So I saw moisture pads recommended for sitting on and I thought PUPPY PADS! This is a giant pack so they are going to come in handy when little miss starts sleeping in her crib. I saw a genius tip to put little moisture pads under the sheet and layer your sheets up (pad, sheet, pad, sheet, etc) so that when baby has an accident in the middle of the night, you can just strip off the sheet and pad and there's a new one under it. Easy!

Ahhh... the "tender bits" care. From what I hear, and obviously after the stretching (and possible tearing) that comes from delivering a baby, things are a bit sore down there for a while and things as simple as toilet paper will feel like sand paper. Hence, the wipes. Hemorrhoidal medicated wipes for the back part if the pushing causes hemorrhoids. Regular  personal wipes for the front part. I also got pain reliever to help with the soreness and Miralax and Colace were BOTH recommend for helping with the first postpartum BM- which is apparently way worse than labor itself?! 

The down below bits are the only sensitive parts that need care. I have some Lanolin nipple cream in my breast feeding pump bag but got another one for this. The cream is to help with the drying and cracking (ouch!) that can come with breastfeeding. I also got the soothie gel pads for cooling relief. I got a couple boxes of Mother's Milk tea which is supposed to help with producing milk, just in case that is an issue. I really want breastfeeding to work out.

And that makes up my Postpartum Care Kit. Now, I've never had a baby before. I have no idea if any of this will actually be needed. I am perfectly fine if ALL of it isn't needed. But the last thing I wanted was to find myself needing ANY of it when I get home and having to worry about getting to the store to get it. Now, I am prepared and that gives me peace of mind.

So that's it. All my baby bags packed and ready for Miss Thea to make her appearance.

*** EDIT: Looking at the supplies picture, I just realized I forgot to include the Epsom salts! I figured a whole bath would be easier than the sitz bath you put on the toilet that they want you to do. Plus... Baths are my favorite! ***

ALL THE BAGS PT. 1: THE DIAPER BAG

Welcome to the first of 3 blogs I'll be posting about all the bags that I've been prepping for the arrival of baby. I packed the diaper bag last week and took pictures of the process to share. Anyone who knows me knows how much I HEART organization. Like it makes my heart really happy. They also know how much I need to research and be informed about everything (some may negatively call this "overthinking"). So after reading a lot of different mommy blogs on diaper bag essentials, I've come up with what I think will work for me. At least for the first few months, as I know diaper bags grow as your child does. Without further ado...

First step was to find a diaper bag. I wanted one that was cute enough to carry around as a regular bag since it will double as my purse, was easy to clean, and of course-lots of room. I ordered this Ju-Ju-Be one from Amazon and it does not disappoint! I also got this set of 7 various sized clear cosmetic bags for all the beloved organization. My label maker is in my classroom right now, but I'll also be labeling all these bags. Next, I gathered up all the supplies...

1) I got one of those grooming and health all in one kits. I added in a cute little first aid kit I found at the store, a travel pack of Kleenex, and some infant's Tylenol to make a sort of first aid emergency kit. 2) I received a travel set of baby wash, shampoo, powder, etc and added that along with a couple sample lotions and diaper creams in one of the small cosmetic bags in case of over night stays. 3) Sunscreen and hand sanitizer is part of the first aid but I put them in their own little bag in case of leaks.

I packed a couple extra outfits, an extra sleeper, and an extra pair of mittens and socks all nice and neat into one of the cosmetic bags. I packed 4 burp cloths (1 is a burp cloth/bib) into another bag. And l used 1 bag for a toy/activity bag. This bag is big enough to fit a small board book and a couple toys as she gets older and her entertainment interests change.

1) I packed all the individual bags inside the diaper bag. Look how nice they all fit! 2) The rest of the stuff are things that I wanted to have quicker, on-hand access too. A few extra diapers, wipes (love this cute refillable case I got at Target!), butt paste, and the disposable dirty diaper bag dispenser all went into one of the big inside pockets. 3) A pack of Wet Ones, a couple receiving blankets, and a case of "binkies" went in the other big pocket. 4) Everything still fitting nice and neat. 5) My bestie got me this cute flower band that I wrapped around the free diaper clutch (has a couple diapers and wipes inside) I got in my Target registry bag and a receiving blanket I will use as a changing pad. This is my quick portable changing station I can take into a public bathroom without having to have the whole bag with me. 6) I just laid this right on top and the inside of my diaper bag was complete.

The outside pockets are what I'm devoting to my mommy stuff. 1) On one side is one giant pocket that I filled with a nursing cover, a thin black scarf (a great tip I read for quick cover ups when you get spit up on), and my Baby K'Tan Breeze baby carrier (so excited to use this!). 2) On the other side is 3 split pockets. In one I have extra breast pads and the other 2 are perfect for my chapstick, wallet, and phone. I can even fit my water bottle in one! 3) I even had 2 of the cosmetic bags left over. One of which will eventually be used to carry snacks.

And there we have it folks. The diaper bag is checked off the to-do list. I'm sure I'll have something small for just simple diapers and wipes for times we drop her off in the church nursery and things like that. But this is my big ol momma bag. You may be wondering about bottles...my breast pump came with a little cooler that I'll use for transporting her bottles to the sitter when needed. 

 So is there anything you experienced mommas would add? Any essentials that you found useful? Share what you packed in your diaper bag!

DIY MAKEUP DRAWER

My husband regularly makes fun of me for being a "hoarder". It's hard for me to throw away any type of container (pickle jars, tissue boxes, etc) because my mind instantly thinks of different things I could do with it. As a teacher I know that paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and all other sorts of "trash" can be turned into a masterpiece in 7 year old hands. If I had the storage space, there would most definitely be a hoard of these things piled up somewhere. 

This "hoarding" of mine has come in handy around the house. Those strong twist ties that come around appliance cords are kept in a drawer and are excellent for all my different opened paleo flour bags. I have several Crystal Light-like containers housing pens, markers, etc. Which is much more organized than them floating around in a drawer somewhere. Pickle jars and other glass containers are excellent for storing homemade paleo condiments or the coffee creamer I'm going to whip up tonight. 

To me this is just practical and logical. I don't over-hoard. My need to have things tidy and organized outweigh my need or ability to upcycle every piece of "trash". I figured I'd share my latest trash DIY with y'all. With the beauty subscription products I've been receiving I wanted a way to separate it all and still have it easily accessible. So I made this makeup drawer organizer!

It's a little ghetto fabulous cause I used tape to tape the boxes to the side to keep them from sliding around every time the drawer is pushed shut. But it works perfectly for what I need! I only have 1 drawer in my bathroom vanity and it is very, very shallow. I had not been able to find any of the trays and organizers you can buy in the store that were short enough. So I pulled out a couple handy, empty tissue boxes and got to cutting. 

First, I taped the turquoise tissue paper to the bottom and sides of the drawer. This is simply because its my favorite color and it makes me happy to see a bright pop of color when I open it. I put one of the tissue boxes down into the drawer and marked where I would need to cut so the drawer could still close. Once I had my different "trays" I taped them all together and then to the sides of the drawer to prevent sliding. And voila...simple as that. Perfect solution to the shallow drawer that wasn't able to be used for much before. And it only took maybe 10 minutes.

Even my sweet hubby has to admit eventually that "trash" can come in pretty handy.

UPDATES

Man, it's been almost 2 months since my last post! Life is just flying by. I am not even sure where to begin to update you. Here's the highlights of the past couple months, in chronological order for your reading pleasure. First, and most importantly, THIS happened!

I am an aunt (10 times over)! My sister had her fourth baby, and first girl! Her name in Peyton Lee and she is absolutely perfect. I am so in love with her and have decided that maybe having a baby girl one day wouldn't be so bad. The cuteness of bows and clothes and all those fun things may just make up for whatever extremely emotional teenage years she might have.

A belated, blog-official "Congrats" to my beautiful sister Sarah and bro-in-law Mark!

(I took this series of pics as she was sleeping on my chest. so amazed at the range of emotion I captured. What do babies dream of???)

And then...did my first big (ish) home DIY project. My dining table.

Before

After



We also canceled our cable, officially decided on TBT for our home church, searched and searched and finally found an apartment, I learned to shoot a gun, had my very first jury duty, and started running. And that brings us to today. I think.

I had something I wanted to write about, that is actually the reason I finally picked up the ol' computer, but after the updating, I think I will save that for...tomorrow? Two days in a row? We will see.