Gavin has been Earth side for 18 days, I honestly can’t imagine my days without him now. He is the most beautiful, well behaved and loved baby (of course I am bias). He sleeps pretty well, eats amazingly well, and has stolen our hearts better than anyone.

His days are full of eating, sleeping, tummy time, looking up at his play gym, swinging in the swing, and as of lately, riding in a sling and taking a few walks in his stroller.

Every morning when I shower and get the day started, he spends time with Daddy in bed and it is the most adorable thing ever.

Eunee is treating Gavin with such care. She is so curious, licks him and follows us around when he is crying. She’s also constantly crossing her legs because I can’t do the stairs so well yet, so I don’t take her to the bathroom and she has to wait for Adam to get home from work.

Here are some pictures of him…as if I already don’t have 1,000!

At some point in the last 18 days, we were nominated for a blogger award, a pretty cool one at that, considering we haven’t been such religious bloggers right now. Thanks to Lisa at She’sLosingIt, we were nominated for the Blog of the Year. Our year has been full of crazies and life changing events.

For this award, I have to share 7 useful “things”. I think since my life revolves around this little guy, Ill share what we have found in the last 18 days, the 7 most useful baby “things.”

1. The Baby Swing – Gavin sleeps in this a lot of the night. He isn’t such a fan of sleeping in the bassinet yet, and the swing has been a life saver (thanks Mom and Dad). We have the Graco Duet Soothee Swing & Rocker What’s great about it is that the seat comes off and sits by itself on the floor as well.

2. The Changing Table and Pampers – Papa D, Natasha and Kata, we use the changing table about 12 times a day…a much needed necessity. We purchased one at Ikea. We have also decided Pampers Swaddlers are the best diapers…Huggies leaks every time! Pampers also has the gifts to grow points you can track on their website when you buy a package of diapers or wipes. An extra added bonus is that each diaper package comes with $20 off shutterfly…which is my second best friend.

3. The Floor Mat Gym – Tummy Time, Back Time, Play Time and Eunee sniff time, thank you Babbitt family. We have the Sassy Sensory Gym, Gavin spends about an hour a day, in 10 minute increments, settled on this thing. Already at 2 weeks he is pulling at some of the toys and kicking them…No, it isn’t his reflexes he is the smartest baby alive and does it purposefully.

4. The Boppy – Auntie Judi you so knew the greatest gift, I think the bobby is attached to my waist at all times to help with feeding. We have this bobby with these two covers, A and the other is in the picture with Eunee (you must have 2, so when one is in the laundry, you can use the other). Under the cover, we also have a waterproof cover because sometimes if you forget to tuck the Wenis down, it can spray out the top of the diaper, onto you, baby and the boppy. Even Eunee has tried to claim the boppy as her own.

5. The Stroller/ Car Seat – Thank you to Aunt Shannon,Uncle Shawn and Grandma Maryanne. The JJ Cole Broadway stroller is so maneuverable and stylish looking. Gavin falls asleep right away in the car seat, although he looks so incredibly small in it. We also have this great head rest from one step ahead. (we were trying on hats, which were all too big, and we actually don’t have a great shot of the stroller yet…will update when we do) We also need to find a cup holder that fits on this thing!

6. The softest Blankets Ever – Jen, you outdid yourself, these Aden and Anais blankets are so cuddly. The organic bamboo muslin is much more breathable to swaddle with than the traditional swaddle blankets. This is the set we have, and I am dying to get this one. Gavin’s body temperature is so warm, like his Dad’s that he sweats at night and 1/2 of this blanket wrapped around him still makes him feel tucked in and safe. We tie the end in a knot by his feet since there is so much extra material. I swear that Gavin knows when these blankets are around him though because he automatically relaxes a bit more.

7. Coconut Oil tied with the Camera Phone – We were told in birth class by Rebecca, to always keep a jar of coconut oil by the changing table and rub some on the booty every time you change the diaper…it makes the poo not stick at all. It is absolute magic and works every time. We can definitely tell when we don’t put the coconut oil on because we have to basically scratch the yellow poo off. And the camera phone…Adam hasn’t taken out his huge Nikon yet at all…every picture= from our phones.

** a bonus** My Ring Sling – Alicia gave me this and Rebecca showed me how to use it. I will admit in one short sentence, I have had a lot of anxiety about leaving the house. I won’t go into detail but I have heard that lots of Mom’s have this and especially Mom’s who have C-sections. We tried going out with just the stroller and after no more than 8 minutes I was like, we have to go home. But, then a few days later, we tried it with Gavin in the sling and we did much better. It really helped having him so close to me.

Of course there are other things I couldn’t live without…well I could but I don’t want to…here’s a short list.

• Adam
• Pandora radio
• Reusable breast pads
• Tucks pads (thanks Nicole)
• Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Strawberries, Blueberries and Blackberries
• Coffee
• Basic cloth diaper cloths
• Having a washer/dryer in my house
• Breast feeding tanks/bras (although I have nothing to wear on my bottom)

I’m supposed to nominate other blogs for the blog of the year award.

Growing Up In the Garden, Fabulous 50’s,Wanderlustress,  It’s All in the Simple