16 weeks of Charlotte

Erin's Favorite Things

Though not nearly as exciting as Oprah's, here are some of my favorite baby discoveries so far:

Halo Sleep Sacks - we have two of these, and they make bedtime peace of mind that much easier to attain. I know that Charlie is unable to pull any blankets over her head, and that the cozy fleece will keep her warm when Seattle nights are cold.

NUK pacifiers. We've tried MAM and Gerber, but NUK is the clear winner. She can keep it in her mouth, it doesn't gag her, and she won't leave home without it (or she "lectures" me the whole time we're out if we do.)

Infantino Twist and Fold Gym in neutral. I LOVE this thing. It's brightly colored animals entertain Charlie for hours, allowing me to do laundry, knit, read, or do anything that requires two hands. It will be a sad day when she outgrows this charming little floor gym.

Munchkin Arm and Hammer Disposable Bags and Dispenser. A friend brought this to us when she came to meet Charlie the day after she was born. These puppies are lifesavers, disguising the disgusto-smell of dirty diapers with a pleasant baking soda based scent. Since most places (including the doctor's office) don't appreciate you leaving stinky diapers in their trash cans, these can make the task of taking them with you much more pleasant.

Sony Baby Call Monitor. As paranoid new parents who hadn't been told that babies breathing patterns can be terrifyingly inconsistent, we bought these monitors after a trip to the ER. Did you know babies can stop breathing for up to 10 seconds and it's normal? Neither did we...till the nice ER doctor told us. (By the way, when in doubt, definitely utilize a nurse consulting line, your pediatrician or the ER - peace of mind is so worth it.) Anyway, now we can hear all of her strange sleep sounds and over time have learned which one's warrant checking on, and which are just throat clearings.

Nail clippers with file. Oh poor Charlie's fingertips. So brutalized by nail clippers alone. Now I use clippers to trim a bit and the file to get them as short as I need...files can't cut jerky fingers like clippers can.

Trumpettetoo socks. These stay on! Hip hip hooray! Plus, so adorable.

Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller. Best stroller ever. One handed maneuverability, plus one handed fold, and-wait for it-17 pounds. Yeah, I know. Amazing.

So, that's it so far, I'm sure there will be many more favorite things to come. What are your favorite things?

Charlotte - 3 months

Laura had a end of holidays brunch, which resulted in an impromptu photo shoot. Such sweet pictures!

In three months I've learned:

Books can't teach you everything

I'll do just about anything to get a tiny laugh

Three outfits in a day may not be enough (for either of us)

All diapers are not created equal

Napping with Charlotte is delightful

Floor gyms are underrated - it's a daily necessity for us

Tummy time and tub time are tricky to pull off

It's possible to miss her even if she's just taking a nap

She's the most amazing thing ever

Charlotte's Room

Charlie's room was inspired by some artwork we had from the Etsy shop Jellybeans. Taking the idea of trees with polka dot leaves and running with it, we designed a simple nursery that we absolutely love.

We opted for grayish blue walls so it wasn't quite so girly. (This may have been subconsciously influenced by the fact that I lived in an obscenely pink room for many years when I was younger.)

We found a tree decal on Etsy that was similar to the style of the artwork, and put it over the crib, which we got from IKEA. The bedding is Dwell Studio for Target, and continues that idea of abstract plant life. (Because of the controversy over bumpers, we used the one that came with the set as a makeshift window seat cushion.)

Our one splurge or this room was the rocker glider, and it was so worth it. For the amount of time spent in it you really want to make sure you have something comfy enough to doze off in. My sister in law made this beautiful quilt for Charlie, complete with her initials, and we've hung one of our Jellybeans pieces above the chair, where Charlie loves to stare at it.

We "made" the changing table from a bookcase and tabletop at IKEA, and it's the perfect height. Above it are two more Jellybeans prints, one representing a Daddy and Daughter, and the other a Mother and Daughter.

We also purchased a bigger version of the same bookcase for books and toys. The last Jellybeans print lives here, along with Charlotte's Web and some framed paper I found.

It's been a great place to display favorite toys and books.

We claimed the walk in closet in her room for ourselves (filled to the rafters with the storage that used to fill her room) so we found a wardrobe system at IKEA to hold her clothes. On the side of the wardrobe we've hung the Jellybeans calendar.

A few other details:

Some framed paper in the entry way

A DIY mobile:

A "night light" so diaper changes in the dark aren't quite so treacherous. We swapped out the winged frogs for some more of the paper I found.

That pretty much sums it up. If you see something I didn't give details on that you'd like to know about (changing pad cover, bins in the bookcases etc,) just let me know and I'll tell you where I found it. We love this room and are excited to see Charlie grow into it and personalize it.

The Final Selection

I spent over an hour narrowing down my favorites of Shutterfly.com's many, many holiday cards. When I finally chose one, I spent an equal amount of time selecting the pictures to feature on it (with some help from Tim, of course.) But I'm so happy with the end result, especially considering they were a gift from Shutterly (a $104 value!). I can't wait for them to get here, and I also can't wait to send them out! What a wonderful experience!

Charlotte's First Christmas

is coming up, so naturally I'd like to document it with as many photos as possible. One thing that is really important to me is to send out a photo Christmas card. Since she's so new (and wonderful), and changing and growing so quickly, I want everyone we love to be able to have a picture of her, and this is the best possible way to make that happen. So, with the help of Shutterfly.com, this years Christmas cards should be amazing! Here are some of my favorites:


I love the bright colors and simple styling of this one. It's sweet and festive.

This one feels so modern to me, and it can have multiple photos on it.

Again, I love the modern feel of this one, that it can have three pictures, and the colorful lettering.
Some possible card worthy shots from our days in the snow:

Having a snow ball fight with her grandpa (while blowing bubbles, a favorite past time of hers.)

Snuggling with me to keep warm,

And getting squishy smooches from her mommy and daddy.

Right now, Shutterfly has a promotion for 50 free holiday cards (what more could a new mom want?) All you have to do is blog about it! Simple enough. I'm thrilled that at a time when so many people are strapped for cash and are having to do away with certain non-essentials (for us, one of those things was going to have to be Christmas cards, actually), this wonderful company is making it possible for us to share with our friends and family. Thank you Shutterfly!See here for details.