Budget Diapering - Week of 7/6/14

Crazy busy week for us here! But Here are a few deals I was able to find early. Sorry there is no CVS breakdown this week. I just didn't have a chance to check the sneak peak ad :-/

Our Favorite Two Month Gear

I have a 3-month-old now. Insane! O_O This past month has been so fun as Minion has defined more and more of his personality and really started to engage with the world around him. Plus he's become a total chunk and I just can't get enough of him. I've been really wanting to write more detailed day-to-day updates on here but just haven't had the time. So, for the time being, I'll share the quick hits with the gear we've been loving over the past month.

Budget Diapering - 6/29/14

So I missed the last couple weeks, sorry! I hope though that my series has taught you guys some of the places to check for scouting your own deals. Last week was the Spend $30 Get $10 deal again at CVS so that was the same as a couple weeks before that I had posted about. But I had a minute this afternoon to share some of this coming week's deals.

Budget Diapering - 6/8/14

Another late week of posting due to out-of-town guests and 2 day trips almost back to back. But fortunately none of this weeks deals were contingent on Sunday's coupons.

Our Favorite One Month Gear

I cannot believe over another month has passed! Minion is now 2 whole months old and he has developed quite the little personality. I am loving every new stage and milestone he hits more and more. This past month was so much better than our first and we really felt like we had a system down. Here's some of the things that did and didn't help us...

Budget Diapering - Week of 6/1/14

Sorry I'm so late with posting this. After back-to-back out of town guests I got a little behind on couponing and deal hunting :-/

Citrus Lane: April Box Review

So I've been on this subscription box kick and was able to score a month of Citrus Lane for $9. I have to say I was very pleased with this box. While the monetary value of this box doesn't make it worth subscribing monthly to me (mine had a $47 msrp), I liked everything I received.

Budget Diapering - 5/25/14

There are no coupon inserts this weekend because of the Memorial Day holiday. So don't go buying your Sunday prayer anticipating coupons.

Despite that there are a few decent deals this week on diapers :)

Bluum: April & May Box Review

For a month now, I have been meaning to post my review for April's Bluum box. Time got away from me and now my May box has come in so I'll just review both at the same time.

Bluum sent me an amazing box in April! At a retail value of $57 ($49 from Amazon), this box was totally worth the $9 I had spent on it and even made up for March's box. I can honestly say I loved every item I received in it :)

Budget Diapering - Week of 5/18/14

A recent email from a cousin, inspired me to start a new weekly feature to help you guys snag cheap diapers. I've shared how we have stocked up for $500, but my goal for this feature is to help you guys spend $450 or less on a year's supply of diapers. Each week (I'll try to share this on Fridays or Saturdays so you know whether to buy the Sunday paper or not), I'll give at least 1 shopping scenario for buying cheap diapers during the next week.

Our Favorite Newborn Gear

Well we survived the 1st month. At many moments it felt just like that - SURVIVAL. Since Minion developed colic right around 2.5 weeks, we started to try everything to calm him down. Since I really appreciated other bloggers' lists of helpful baby gear when I was preparing for motherhood, I thought I'd share what was and wasn't most helpful to us during the 1st month.

ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES

1. NUK Barely There Nipple Shield with Case
2. Lansinoh HPA Lanolin for Breastfeeding Mothers
3. Huggies Little Snugglers and Pampers Swaddlers with Wetness Indicator
4. Sleeper Gowns
5. MAM Silicone Start Pacifier
6. Gerber Birdseye 10 Count 3-Ply Prefold Cloth Diapers
7. Extra Change Pad Covers and Carters Keep Me Dry Flannel Lap Pads

1. Breastfeeding has not been an easy endeavor. After latching issues, intense pain, a 10.5 % weight loss, and a bleeding nipple, I finally broke down and used the nipple shield I had ordered while pregnant just in case. Latching became super easy and my tender nipples got a break. I don't know if I would have had the conviction to continue breastfeeding without it. 2. As noted above, I definitely needed help to make nursing bearable. I put off using lanolin for almost a week because I have a wool allergy. But finally in the middle of the night I couldn't take the shooting needle stabbing pain any longer. I did a test patch in my wrist and was happy to be reaction free. It was like instant relief when I applied this stuff! 3. Because of couponing I had stocked up on thousands of diapers in advance. I was not brand loyal because I had no clue what we would like. So for the first two days we used Huggies and they worked as they should. But it wasn't until our pediatrician commented on loving the wetness indicator strips on these diapers. She showed us how they worked and knowing when to change Minion's diaper has been so easy. 4. These were my favorite thing to put Minion in for the first two weeks as we developed our diaper changing skills. His feet tend to reject socks so these were great since he could curl his feet up inside but were easy to slide up for changing without having to deal with snaps or zippers. 5. I originally planned on not giving Minion a pacifier until after the 6 week mark. Well that went out the window after that horrible second night. We had been given two newborn pacifiers (a soothie and a mam) and in a moment of desperation, I popped the soothie in his mouth and he immediately calmed down. This kid LOVES his paci. We quickly realized we need to keep one always within arm's reach, so we ended up with a dozen. He definitely likes the mam pacifiers best but will tolerate the soothies, and interestingly hates the gundrop kind which we bought a couple to try. 6. I had heard these prefold cloth diapers were great for burp clothes so we registered for a few. They are awesome! Minion doesn't spit up so we haven't had to use them for burping, but they are great for catching leaks while nursing and wiping his milk drunk face after. Plus they can double as a changing pad liner on the go and serve an infinite number of other uses. 7. I hadn't really thought I would need a backup cover or even use liners but my mom convinced me otherwise. And I'm happy she did because in the very first night we went through two sets. The liners help stretch the pad cover's use beyond the first accident but we've definitely had messes that go through both. We've found the perfect quantity for us is 3 changing pad covers and 4 pad liners with a every other day washing schedule.

GLAD WE BOUGHT/WERE GIVEN

1. Contoured Changing Pad
2. Exercise/Stability Ball
3. Rocking Chair
4. Moby Wrap
5. Ikea Knodd Bin with Wet Bag
6. Plush Blankets
7. Infant Stroller
8. Nursing Cover
9. Nose Frida Snot Sucker

1. Our changing pad had the obvious handy intended use but a friend of mine gave me another genius idea for it when Minion was super colicky ave only wanted to co-sleep. Instead of buying an expensive co-sleeper that he may or may not like and won't get used very long, we just moved his changing pad to the bed between us. The contoured sides keep him in place and are so thick that we don't have no worry about rolling over. 2. Not only was my stability ball the comfiest chair at the end of my pregnancy, but it's been great for bouncing on to soothe Minion to sleep. 3. This kid LOVES motion and only wants to nurse when I am in the rocking chair. Plus its another tool to help calm him on colicky nights. 4. Minion finds great comfort in being swaddled and wants to always be held. So our Moby wrap has been a major player. Everyone in the family has used it except for my dad and my only complaint is how thick the fabric is. Temperatures having already reached the 100's, wearing so much heavy fabric can get suffocating. I ended up ordering some gauze to make a cooler wrap. 5. We had picked up this cute metal trash can from Ikea to use as a diaper pail for when we start cloth diapering but in the meantime it has been the perfect hamper. I think I want to go ahead and get a second one to serve as his hamper when this one takes on its intended purpose.

6. We were given so many plush blankets but we've gotten to use every single one. Since the A/C is on a lot, having a cozy blanket handy has been great and it makes snuggling with minion even more enjoyable. 7. I never planned on getting an infant stroller since I didn't think we would use it enough to justify the expense. But since generous friends offered to buy one for us and Luke want completely sold on my exclusively baby wearing idea. So we accepted their offer and I'm so happy we did. We've only used it once in the first month when we went to the zoo but it was so wonderful to not have to carry my super heavy diaper bag all day. I love having a stroller just for the storage capacity of it. 8. I have a love/hate relationship with my nursing cover. While I don't enjoy the added work it adds to our feeding sessions or the feeling of a lot of fabric around me, I do enjoy being able to comfortably feed minion anywhere. I have used it everyday we've gone out, several times in restaurants, once while walking through the doctor's office, and in the evenings when we hang out with my parents. 9. I know a lot of people are grossed out by the concept of the nose frida (even I was at first), but when minion git suck and was too congested to even nurse comfortably, we had to do something. We tried the old fashioned bulb for two days and it just didn't work. The first time I used the nose frida, I got a huge boogie and minion felt so much better. We swear by it now. Every time we use it, we can control the suction pressure and we can tell that we are really clearing out Minion's poor little nose.

HAVE, BUT HAVEN'T USED/NEEDED

1. Breast Pump
2. Baby Monitor
3. Crib
4. Cloth Diapers
5. Fisher-Price Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper

WISH WE INVESTED IN SOONER

1. Rocker Recliner

I had nice detailed explanations for the above categories but somehow this post got reverted from published to draft and lost all my updates. As a new mom, I cannot justify taking the time to try to remember my explanations so this is what you get now ;)

Motherhood by the Numbers - 1 Month

I cannot believe I have been a mother for almost a month now. Where has the time gone? Since my updates have been sparse, here's the highlights of our last month...

What's on my screen? - Day 34

Finally edited all my labor and delivery photos. Now on to the hard part of choosing which ones will make the album...

The World's Toughest Job

Radio silence. Every day I wake up with plans to write a new blog post about our new life as parents. And every day I go to bed feeling as if I've accomplished not a single personal endeavor and only been half productive as a mother.

DIY Nursing Tanks

Early in my pregnancy, I came across the Undercover Mama Nursing Tops. I absolutely loved how they hooked onto any nursing bra and made it possible to nurse while wearing regular tops and tees. What I didn't like was the $25 price tag. Sometime thereafter I came across this tutorial for DIYing a cheap alternative. So I pinned it and stashed the idea away in my things to do before Minion list.

The Cost of a Baby - Budget Update (April 2014)

So at the beginning of my pregnancy, I created a Budget Goal for Minion's first year of life. It pretty much broke down to us spending $2000 for everything that Minion would need. Now that I have reached the end of my pregnancy and we have gotten everything ready for his arrival, I wanted to evaluate how we have done so far.

What's on my screen? - Day 33

Minion had his first Skype session with his great-grandpa :-)

Bluum: March Box Review

As part of my recent subscription box kick, I snagged a 3-month subscription to Bluum on LivingSocial for $28 after promo codes. What drew me to Bluum is that they offered full-size products for mommy and baby based on your child's current development stage. Each box is advertised as having "a value of $40 or more and contain 5 or more full-size products. The age range begins with our pregnancy line where products are covering the life of a soon-to-be mom and a few items for the growing child. The baby line covers monthly boxes from newborn to 12 months. Toddlers range from 13 to 36 months and are followed by pre-K and pre-school boxes for children all the way up to 5 years."
For March, I received the 3rd Trimester box and here is what I found inside...

Minion's Birth Story

I initially wrote this story just to share with family and friends who requested it. After more than 40 requests via Instagram, I've decided to share it here. It gets a bit graphic so take that into consideration before reading. But I didn't censor myself in order to help another woman who may experience similar things as me that they didn't anticipate.

What's on my screen? - Day 32

Finally finished writing Minion's birth story and made it available to share with friends and family.