What I Packed in My Hospital Bag

August 20, 2020January 19, 2023 MariaLeave a comment

I used the same L.L. Bean tote as my hospital bag for both boys. It is just the right size for quick stay. I love that I can pack so much stuff in it!

Unlike many other people, we didn’t pack a bag for Michael, because he went home every day. So this post is going to be what I packed for myself and baby this second go ‘round. When I packed my hospital bag with Ted, I packed all of his things in the diaper bag and that was his ‘suitcase’. This time Michael still needed it at home for Ted, so I used packing cubes to separate his things from mine in the same bag.

This long-sleeve kimono onesie has rollover mittens!

Here are the 5 things I packed for Junior:

1. Sleeping gowns – These are a game changer with newborns! You don’t have to worry about pushing floppy newborn legs into pant legs. You don’t have to worry about trying to do up zippers when you’re exhausted and sleep deprived.

2. Baby nail clippers – I didn’t actually pack these initially, I had Michael bring them the day after Junior was born. He was born with super long nails (and has continued to grow them like crazy!) and kept scratching me when he was nursing. Most of the stuff that you need for baby, the hospital has, but they didn’t have these.

3. Blanket/swaddle – Again, the hospital has blankets, but I like to bring one that is a piece of home. Also, I am terrible at swaddling, so I love the Happiest Baby or Freshly Picked swaddles, that take the wrapping at out of it.

4. Going home outfit – This is the time to go crazy! Find the cutest outfit that suits your style. Ted came home in a Harry Potter themed outfit, and Junior wore dinosaur Little Brother pajamas.

5. Kimono style onesies – These are the BEST for when you’re in the hospital/first coming home. They are easy to put on (no trying to get floppy baby into a over-the-head shirt). They are also more forgiving of the belly button/umbilical clip that can get caught on an over the head shirt.

Getting ready to go home, wearing the comfiest pjs around.

As for myself, I packed a bit more but still tried to keep it minimal. The last thing you want is to be juggling a lot of stuff while having contractions!

1. Nursing friendly pajamas – I love these because they fit the bump the last few weeks of pregnancy, and I’m still wearing them 7 weeks postpartum! So soft and easy for nighttime feeds.

2. Blanket – Some people bring blankets and pillows, but I am okay using hospital pillows (trying to keep it minimal). If you have a special pillow, bring it! Make your stay feel cozy.

3. Nursing pillow – Honesty time. I didn’t bring my Bobby for nursing. After the traumatic birth of Ted, I sat on the Boppy for weeks. It took the pressure off of my stitches and made sitting comfortable. So I brought it this time, just in case that happened again.

4. Slippers – Socks work too! Just something to keep the hospital chill off of your toes. Again, go with whatever makes you comfortable.

5. Toiletries – I didn’t wash my hair while I was in the hospital, but I did shower ASAP after birth. I also had my makeup in there too. Doing my makeup makes me feel like a person and ready for the day, so I brought it as a in-hospital selfcare item.

6. Breast pump – If you are planning on pumping at all, I would suggest bringing your pump to the hospital. Will you use it, most likely not. But you can work with the on site lactation consultant to make sure you feel confident in how your pump works, and checking that you are using it correctly.

7. Going home outfit – I chose a flowy, chambray dress as my going home outfit. It’s not too fitted or tight, so it was comfortable. I was able to dress it up a little for some pictures too. Depending on the time of year that you give birth, you may also need to add a coat, or wear a shirt/joggers combo.

8. Support bloomers – These support bloomers from Bao Bei are a MUST HAVE postpartum. They are seamless, so they don’t irritate stitches. They are lightly compressing, so they provide just the right amount of support. And they are cute!

9. Long phone charger – You will need the longest phone charger you can find. Hospital beds are notoriously far away from plugins and you will be hanging out in your bed for most of your stay.

10. Nursing bras – I have been loving the pull down version of nursing bras this go ‘round. Last time, I used the clip ones. They work great, but sometimes Ted would be fussy and I would fumble around trying to clip or I clip my bra and it was inconvenient.

That was all that I brought with me! The hospital provides SO much stuff, that it seemed silly to me to bring it all with me. Especially since I ended up driving myself to the hospital! (See Junior’s Birth Story)

I hope this helps you to figure out what you will pack. Like all things in motherhood, do what is right for you. No two moms (and no two babies) are exactly the same. Enjoy your journey!

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Our Story

August 19, 2020December 4, 2020 MariaLeave a comment

Let’s start a the very beginning, it’s such a nice place to start (Name that movie!). It’s a hot day at the end of April/beginning of May 2015. I just came inside from doing yard work (read: sweaty mess), when I was volun-told by my friend to join a sand volleyball game that her friends were organizing. I staunchly refused, stating my obvious sweaty appearance and need for a shower as reason not to go. I was overruled. So I gathered up some lemonade and a cooler, because, dang it, if I was going to go embarrass myself in front of strangers, I might as well be hydrated. And off we went.

When we arrived, I greeted the people I knew, and we loitered around waiting for the organizers/people with the volleyball to show up. Mid-conversation, up pulls their car, and they get out. Great. Cute boys. Exactly what I wanted when I’m sweaty and haven’t showered. Well, there goes that opportunity to make a good impression. I guess I’ll just make the best of it. Literally my train of thought as Michael & Friends approach. So I resign myself to being the sweaty, stinky friend and have a blast attempting to play volleyball. At the end of the day, we all exchange numbers and agree to set up another game in the future.

The day we met. Sweaty, stinky friend in full force. Remind me again why Michael was interested??

A few weeks later, Michael texts me that the group is going to see Age of Ultron and asks if I want to join (Clue #1). I’ve already seen it, and being a poor college student who can’t afford to see the same movie twice, decline. I did check in the next day to ask his opinion of the movie though!

A few weeks later, Michael texts me with extra tickets to Country Stampede (a 3 day music festival in town) and asks if I can join him (Clue #2). Unfortunately, I’m out of town that weekend visiting friends.

A few weeks later, Michael texts me asking, direct quote: “Do you want to copilot a food adventure to the new BBQ place?” (Clue #3) My response, “Heck yea! I love BBQ.” (I’m the sweaty, stinky friend, remember?) So Michael picks me up (Clue #4) and drives to the restaurant. It’s not open that day, so we pick another place to get lunch. We sit down, have a great meal and even better conversation. Then it’s time to pay, and Michael takes the check (Clue #5, realization is dawning). On the drive home Michael sees the gears turning in my brain and helps me out. “I like casual dates, like this. They help you get to know each other better.” (Clue #6, a neon sign flashing ‘YOU’RE ON A DATE, DUMMY!) Total facepalm. That is the story of what we call ‘Michael’s First Date’.

My first date came about a month later, in August 2015, an invitation to a Military Ball. I was appropriately nervous and dressed up, as you should be for a first date. As I went to get into the car to drive to the event, I hear Michael yell from behind me ‘You touch it and you die!’ as he proceeded to get in front of me to open the car door. We have a great time, eat good food, and meet lots of people. Over the course of the evening at least 2 different people ask how long we’d been married, looking awkward and shocked when we told them that it was our first date. I guess it was a sign, huh?

Did I mention I got this haircut that week? 16 inches gone, just like that.

We had been dating for a few months by the time Halloween rolled around. Michael was back home in Virginia on leave visiting his family, and I had a bunch of girlfriends in town for the weekend. Unbeknownst to either of us, we were having similar conversations with our friends/family. I was told ‘You’re going to marry this guy, aren’t you?’ to which I responded, ‘You can’t say that, we’ve only been dating a few months. Only a crazy person would marry someone they just met.’ Notice it’s not a ‘No,’ It’s a ‘I won’t say yes, because I’m not a crazy person.’ Michael left out the ‘I’m not crazy’ bit, and just admitted what we both already knew.

Our first Christmas together. Michael was on duty that day, but swung by before work to exchange gifts.

He proposed January 17, 2016 after a visit to my parents’ house in Texas. We were walking through the grounds of the Houston Temple, when he made me turn around because ‘I missed THE spot’, and he got down on one knee. We set the date for July, and navigated through a whirlwind of a 6 month engagement.

On July 2, 2016 I said the easiest ‘Yes!’ of my life in front of our friends and family. It was a great day, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to spend eternity with. We are now in year 4 of forever. We have 2 kids and a dog. We have lived in (soon to be) 3 states. We have learned and grown together, but I think we will always remain the girl who was too oblivious to know she was being asked on a date and the guy stubborn enough to keep trying anyway.

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Why Blogging?

August 19, 2020December 4, 2020 MariaLeave a comment

Maria, why are you starting a blog? Great question; I’m not quite sure yet. When I was on maternity leave from teaching with Teddy, our oldest, I found myself feeling very isolated. We lived in a rural community, in the backwoods of Vermont, and I had no family close by. So when the time came that I had questions about the brand new world of parenting, what did I do? Like any good Millennial, I turned to the internet. I read blogs, watched vlogs, and followed other moms on social media. I learned a lot that way, but more importantly I felt a part of a community.

In January 2020, we found out that Michael’s unit was being deployed later in the year and it made us rethink our plans for the upcoming school year. We decided that with a toddler and a newborn, commuting an hour (each way) to work every day wasn’t going to work for me while he was gone. So we started to prepare for me becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom. Then COVID-19 hit. It was (and still is) a crazy, hectic time for teachers. I suddenly had my full time job, a toddler home full time, and was in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Did I mention that Michael was an essential worker, working 12 hour night shifts at a surge hospital? It was overwhelming to say the least. In my time balancing all of the things, I realized that there were so many things I didn’t know about having a toddler. So I did the thing that I always do when I have a spark of passion/curiosity and I researched the crap out of all things developmentally appropriate for a 2 year old; eating habits, play habits, routines, social/emotional development. You name it, I researched it.

As I debated working vs. staying home, I realized that what I really want is to stay home with my boys, but also do something for myself. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I knew I wanted to use my passion for teaching, my new found knowledge of early childhood development, and the Mama Community I had found in some way.

Thus the parenting blog idea was formed. I am by no means an expert in any one area of childhood development, but I hope to gather resources and experts in different fields and have them all in one place that parents can come to when they need help. If you have any specific topics that you want me to cover, please contact me! This space is a place where I can share all of the information that I have learned, but it is ultimately for you, parents.