Registry Tips (for parents who plan on having multiple children)

When my husband and I got married, we knew we wanted children.  Plural.  

So when I was pregnant with our son, Hadden, we thought careful about what we put on our baby registry, knowing that we wanted things to last for at least one more child.  Today I wanted to share our suggestions of how to plan for multiple children.

**Side note before anyone reads too much into this post.  It is not an announcement.  We are NOT expecting a baby.  :)

1.  Cloth Diapers

I promise you: it's not as hard as it seems!  I've written a little about cloth diapering here and here.  I think the real key is finding a system that works for you - the right diapers, the right pail, the right detergent, etc.  If you're considering cloth diapering, I could recommend a few links to check out.

Overall, it's a great way to save money and help the environment.  It was definitely an investment in the beginning, but now that we have the diapers ready for the next child!  Since we live in base housing, we don't pay for water so the only cost will be more diaper liners and detergent.  

2.  Avoid Pink and Blue

When you're buying big items like a carseat, pack n play or bedding, buy it in a neutral color/pattern.  I have a not-so-secret annoyance with PINK! and BLUE! everything, so I'm aware that this is a soapbox area.  But from a practicality standpoint, it makes sense to purchase neutral too.  This also doubles your chances of reselling the items when you're done with them.

3.  Buy High Quality, Gender Neutral Clothing

If you're like us, there's no way you're forking out $40 for a sweater that your baby will puke all over.  But on the other hand, if you purchase a lot of low-cost clothing items, you might notice that they don't last as long.  We buy almost all of our son's clothing at consignment stores.  My favorite finds so far have been a name brand red pea coat and a Gap baby pullover!  We paid less than $5 for items that originally cost over $30 and you can't even tell that they're used.

We also prefer to buy clothing items that are not highly gendered.  Again, part of this is my philosophy and part of it is practicality.  If we have a daughter next, I am not expecting that she will wear ALL of her brother's clothes, but it will be nice to reuse some of his things.

4.  Invest In Nice Toy Sets

I might write a whole post about this sometime, but (so far) we have had a strict "no characters" rule for Hadden.  No toys or clothes or cups or shoes or anything that is "branded".  No Elmo, no Dora, no "Georgie" (Curious George) unless it is in a book.  My (wonderful and wise) sister explained it to her daughter like this on a shoe-shopping exhibition a few years back, "You don't want those shoes because they are comfortable or because they will serve you well.  The only reason you want those shoes is because they have Dora on them."

Additionally, I came across this interesting blog the other day called "Free Our Kids".  The blogger set out on a yearlong experiment to not spend any money on her son.  Here's what she said as they've neared the end of the experiment:

"In the course of this year, J’s had a few shiny and new gifts from people who weren’t bound by my crazy no-spend ethos. And watching those things get battered and bashed over the course of the year, I’ve noticed a pattern. The toys that are branded with popular cartoon characters – the Fireman Sam fire station he got for his birthday, for instance, from a relative – have fallen apart and needed fiddly resticking over and over again. Plus, he can only play the set stories with them: there’s a fire, someone gets stuck on Pontypandy Mountain yadda yadda yadda.

But the brio train set is built to survive generations of train crashes and hurlings off the top bunk (I know, because we still have some of the bits that Tom and his siblings tried determinedly to destroy in the seventies). The Sylvanian Family camper van we borrowed from J’s older cousin earlier in the year could be sent on any number of different adventures. They’re better quality and better for the imagination. Better for the environment, better for my head space – frankly – because they’re better looking and less cluttering for our house-space. So next year, there may be a little spending, but there won’t be any more plastic trash. Fewer, well chosen, unbranded, good quality toys. Toys that can be shared by a boy and his little sister because they’re neither ‘sugar and spice and all things pinkified’ or ‘bright blue snips, snails and puppy dog tails’"

I feel the same way.  I spent hours playing with a Brio train set as a child and can't wait for Hadden to start collecting his own.  My husband, on the other hand, loved Legos.  My siblings (and now my niece) have spent hours playing with Playmobile.  These are the types of toys I want to invest in.

This is not to say that we will never have cheap toys in the house.  But if you DO want to have some of those plastic, characterized toys, I suggest getting them second-hand. We got my son this tiny piano from a local consignment store and paid $3.50.  If he tires of it, we can sell it back to the same shop!  Check Craig's List and garage sales for used toys too!

5.  Double Stroller

Or more specifically, buy a stroller that converts into to a double.  We knew that the one baby item we wanted to splurge on was our stroller.  We LOVE our stroller and especially love that when we purchased it, Amazon was running a special promotion so we got the second seat for free!  If you're planning on spacing out your children, this might not be important to you.  But if you'd like to have a couple children close together, you'll definitely want a double stroller, so why not have one from the beginning?  We've been able to use our second seat a few times with friends, but it will be fun when we actually NEED both seats.  

Also, the graphic designer for this post was Kaylee Mitchell, who is a fellow military spouse!  If you're looking for a graphic designer, check out her FB page! :)  

**The items pictured above can all be found on Amazon.  Here are affiliate links to the cloth diaper, pack 'n play, sweater, train set, and stroller.

my favorite

My favorite is when he wakes up, rosy cheeked and clad in footy pajamas.

My favorite is when he carries his "lovey" (blanket) around in his mouth.

My favorite is when I say "Let's go upstairs!" and his sweet little legs race over as fast as they can.

My favorite is sharing a bowl of oatmeal with him each morning.

My favorite is how he blows raspberries on my legs and then giggles with delight.

My favorite is when he brings books over for me to read aloud.

My favorite is when his eyes light up when his papa walks through the door.

My favorite is strawberries smashed all over his highchair (and his clothes).

My favorite is when he fetches the ball we threw for him.

My favorite is giving him kisses and hugs before his nap time and saying "I'll be back soon."

My favorite is when he claps along with TV shows.

My favorite is his amusement at brushing teeth.

My favorite is his little hand clutching our clothes.

My favorite is every night when I hold him in front of the mirror after his bath, all wrapped in his hooded towel, and say "Who is that CUTE boy?!" and he smiles at my silliness.

Oh sweet boy, you are my very favorite every moment of every day!

(and your dad isn't half bad either ;)

these are a few of my favorite {baby} things: PART TWO

Last November, I wrote about six of our favorite baby products.  Pretty soon after I wrote that post, I started thinking of items I'd forgotten to mention so since that time I've been meaning to write a follow up post.  Now that baby is about to turn one (!), I am finally getting around to it.

I love to read reviews - please tell me I'm not alone in this!  We rarely, rarely buy something on a whim.  Usually I've researched the different options carefully or gotten suggestions from other people.  That's why I like writing reviews.  Please note that I am receiving NO compensation from any company for writing about these products.  These are simply the products that we love and I'm writing about them because I think you'll love them too.  Bear with me on the pictures...most of them were iPhone pictures that were taken for the picture, not specifically to showcase these product.  :)

1. Britax B-Ready Stroller

We cannot say enough good things about our stroller.  We would buy it again in a heartbeat!  My favorite part is that the seat is very easily switched from facing the world, to facing the parent.  I love that Hadden can face us in his stroller!  We also liked that we bought one stroller that could be a single stroller, a double stroller, a jogging stroller (not perfect, but it definitely works) AND be a travel system with baby's carseat.  The wheels are big and sturdy, so they go over all the bumpy sidewalks in our neighborhood.  The price tag is a bit intimidating, but the past two years Amazon has been running a special (for most of the month of July, I believe) where the stroller is discounted AND you get a stroller accessory for free.  We chose a free 2nd seat so now we can go places with friends and we won't have to buy a new stroller if/when we have a second baby (no plans in the future, so don't go spreading rumors!)


2. Planet Wise Diaper Pail Liner

As mentioned in the previous post of recommendations, we cloth diaper using BumGenuis Freetime AIO diapers.  What I didn't mention is the pail liner that goes along with them.  We have two of the Planet Wise Pail Liners and use them with a metal trashcan (like this one).  It works great!  When it's time to wash the diapers, I take the whole bag out and empty it in the washer.  If you plan on cloth diapering, you should give these a try!


3.  Real Nappies Diaper Liners (biodegradable and earth-friendly!)

For all the people who think cloth diapering is the most disgusting thing you've ever heard of, here's the secret.  Use liners!  We use Real Nappies and find them to work very well.  I'm not going to go into details, but here's the basic idea: you just lay a liner on top of the clean diaper before you put it on.  When it's time to change the diaper, the liner goes into the toilet while the diaper goes into the diaper pail.  Easy peasy.


4.  Stacker Set

My sister bought this Green Toys My First Stacker as little gift for Hadden's birthday, but gave it to him early.  I have been SO surprised at how much he likes it!  He concentrates exceptionally hard on getting those pieces together and although he is still far from mastering it, I like seeing how he's using his brain.  Over the past month we've practiced stacking large to small, small to large and by color.  We also learned that if you spin the pieces on a smooth surface, they spin like tops - this will buy you an extra five minutes of "happy".  :)  An added plus of this lovely toy is that it is made in the United States and made of recycled materials.

5.  Books!

 The picture above was when I ran into a store to pick up a new book for Hadden and came out with seven books instead!  If you can't tell, we love books around here!  It's the one thing that we'll never have enough of.  We are pretty picky about everything the books he has, but thankfully there are many, many wonderful children's books to choose from.  Some of our current favorites are:

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? (and the other two companion books seen above)
• Where, Oh Where is Huggle Buggle Bear?
• The Big Red Barn
• Touch and Count with Peter Rabbit
• My First Photo Album (you can add pictures of family members:)

6.  Car Mirror

This was one of those things that I didn't think to register for, but someone bought me anyways, and I sure am glad they did!  We were given the Prince Lionhart mirror.  It's so much easier to check on baby and put his soother back in with one of these!  Plus, Hadden loves looking at himself in the mirror.  He was much happier with someone to look at on our drives! :)  I like that the Prince Lionhart has two clips on the bottom where you can hang toys.

7.  Ikea Highchair, tray and cushion

We bought the Ikea Antilop highchair and tray and the Barnslig cushion.  If you have the luxury of living near an Ikea, you can go get all three of these items for a whopping total of $30.  Unfortunately we don't live near an Ikea so we bought each piece separately (they aren't all sold online) and ended up paying much more than that in shipping costs.  However, it was still cheaper than the majority of the highchairs out there.  I love that it is compact and is aesthetically pleasing while still being practical.

This is a very, very simple design and I love it.  It is easy to put together and I've read that other people even take it on car trips because it's so easy to disassemble.  Because it's so utilitarian, it is easy to clean - there aren't many places for food to get stuck.  We spray it with a water/vinegar mixture and wipe it down with a cloth and it stays very clean.  The cushion goes into the laundry (along with whatever else I'm washing) every so often and it's held up very well.  The one complaint I have read about this highchair is that it is very hard to get the tray off.  We put the tray on the day we received it and haven't taken it off since which has worked out fine for us.


8. Security Blanket

When I decided to get Hadden a "lovey", I chose a Aden + Anais Muslin Security Blanket.  The muslin is soft and breathable, but what Hadden really loved was the silk edge.  It came in a pack of two, which is perfect because everyone and their mother tells you to make sure you have two of whatever item your child decides to love.  We have one for the crib and one for the diaper bag, but he likes to carry them around (usually he carries them around in his teeth - silly boy!).  They wash well which is a major plus.  We bought them from Target for less than half of the price on Amazon.


9. Secure-A-Toy

This was another thing that wasn't on my registry, but was a great baby gift!  We have used Secure-A-Toy for his soother and for toys.  Last month when we took a long road trip, I could easily turn around and attach a toy for him to play with.  When he was bored with it, I could pull it back and attach a new toy.

10.  Raffi DVDs

We love Raffi.  There's no way around it.  I could write a whole post (or four) on all the things we love about him, but I'll try to keep it brief.  :)  We have a DVD containing three Raffi concerts filmed between 1984-1993.  It is hilarious to see the outfits and hairstyles from the 80's, but Raffi's songs and his kind, respectful demeanor are timeless.  My sister said it like this: "He seemed so genuine and respectful.  We had noticed in watching the Wiggles, Barney, and other similar children’s musicians, that they all seemed to pander to the crowd.  With Raffi there was true respect and joy."

These are the only shows that Hadden watches, but he loves them (at this point we only watch the first two...the Broadway one is a bit too old for him)!  He knows all the songs and we usually sing along to them.  He gets excited when he hears the music.  It's been a fun way for our family to connect because Caleb and I have watched these so many times that we have it memorized - even the speaking parts!  We sing the songs in the car and at home and love seeing Hadden connect to music at this young age.



Hope that you find some new favorite products from this list!  :)




**as stated above, I get NO compensation from any company for recommending these products.  These are simply the brands that we use and would recommend to others based on our experience.

toy envy: Little Pnuts

Have you walked down a toy aisle recently?

Last week my husband and I went in search of a new toy for our son.  I'm going to be upfront about this:  we're picky parents.  We want to choose toys (and all things) with intention so that our son grows up with carefully picked, educational toys.  For now, we're doing our best to avoid toys that have characters on them and toys with batteries.  The way we see it, most of America is obsessed with electronics so we're going to "hold out" as long as possible on those types of toys and instead encourage him in more creative, imaginative toys.

Well, we're learning that toy departments aren't really geared toward intentional parents.  :(

That brings me to Little Pnuts.

A couple days ago (after we visited the toy aisle) I discovered this company called Little Pnuts. Looking over the website, I've been impressed with the company and their toys, which are "sustainably made, ecologically friendly, organic, and naturally made toys".  So awesome!

Here's how the company works:

First, you tell the company about your child (their gender and their birthday).  Then four times a year, a special box is delivered to your house containing 3-5 toys that are geared toward your child's developmental stages.  There are toys aimed at children from birth until 5 years old.   Although my son is still young, I can only imagine the excitement that a toddler or preschooler would have as each new package arrived.  :)

The annual rate for Little Pnuts is $240 (or you can pay $25 per month).  To be honest, this isn't in our budget right now so we'll have to wait before we can consider signing our son up.  Since we are careful about how we spend our money, it seemed like a lot at first.  However, when my husband and I started doing the math, it made a lot more sense to us.

Here's our thinking:  4 boxes per year each containing 3-5 toys is a total of 12-20 toys.  If you pay $240, that's between $12-$20 per toy.  That's the same price range that we saw on the toy aisle the other day for the not-so-nice toys.  And when you consider that each of these toys are high-quality, educational and would hold up well for many years, it really seems worth it in the end.

Like I said, this isn't an option for us at this point, but when I find a company that I admire, I always want to tell others about it.





**Disclosure:  I received no compensation for writing this post.  I honestly just love the mission of this company and wanted to share it with others.  The Little Pnuts logo and picture are used with permission.

thanks giving

(September 2012)

A staff member at our university used to quote one of his professors and tell us that when Christ returns, the only things He will take with Him are God's Word and God's people - so we should invest our lives into those things.  In that spirit, as I have been ruminating on this holiday, I am reminded of the things for which I am most grateful.

In addition to my many spiritual blessings (which really are the most important), the main things I am thanking Jesus for are these two.  I am humbled and awed by the blessings that they've been in my life thus far.  I am undeserving of such grace.

(also thankful for my parents and siblings today and missing all of you very much! go rock that turkey trot!)

these are a few of my favorite {baby} things

**See PART TWO of this post here

While I was pregnant, I kept seeing Pinterest links to lists of "must have" items for baby.  It was always interesting to see what one mom consider an absolute essential and another mom said she never used.  Clearly all moms are different and all babies are different so there can't be one definitive list.  : )  However I still decided to share some of our favorite things that we use all the time and that have made the first three months easier.  

We waited a couple months to begin cloth diapering to allow ourselves time to adjust to having a baby. Now we use them fulltime unless we are traveling or have company here.  Before Hadden came I did tons and tons of research into all the diaper brands and kinds and we ended up picking BumGenius Freetime All in One Diapers.  They work great for us!  It was definitely an investment to buy these diapers (and we are grateful that a few people gave them to us as baby gifts), but we'll be able to use them with other children and in the long run, we will be saving money and helping the environment.  It took us a little while to get the hang of it and to get on a washing schedule, but it works great for us now.  Plus how cute is Hadden in that diaper?!

It took me until this week to buy this, but I should have invested in these SwaddleMe wraps a long time ago.  They are wonderful!!  Hadden sleeps swaddled up and we tried so many different blankets, but he could kick his way out of all of them and then wake up crying.  And I was always a terrible swaddler - Caleb had to do it each night because mine would come undone in about five seconds.  These wraps are super easy to use.  Now he is snuggled up happily and he is sleeping for longer periods, which means we are too (a-mazing!).  They come in three different sizes so you can get one that fits your baby snugly.

Evidently some people suggest waiting a few weeks before giving a baby a pacifier to ensure that they learn to latch correctly.  Some people feel very strongly about this, which is understandable if your baby had problems eating and the pacifier was making it worse.  However, Hadden (from the moment he was born) wanted something in his mouth.  We actually started using these in the hospital (at the suggestion of a nurse) and have used them ever since.  They keep us all happy. : )  We tried switching him to the "normal" pacifiers and he doesn't like them, so, for now, we're sticking with the Philips Soothie Pacifiers.  If you took in the other pictures on this post, you'll see that it makes an appearance in a lot of them as well.  That's because we ALWAYS have one with us!

Ahh.  I love our sling.  It was probably the thing that I was most excited about getting from our baby registry (thanks grandma mays!).  And it has proven to be just as wonderful as I thought it would be.  Again, I did lots of research into the safety, durability and wearability of different slings and decided that the Sakura Bloom would be the best fit for us.  It's lovely.  And comfortable.  We get lots of compliments when we use it and people often ask where they can buy one.  Hadden loves to be in it and I love to wear it.  Sometimes Caleb uses it too.  : )  I cannot recommend this highly enough.  

The cute little newborn hats are sometime hard to get on and off quickly and I'm pretty picky about having his head covered.  So we were looking for a winter hat that would be easy to put on in a hurry and was still cute and we found the perfect on a The Children's Place (I can't find this hat on the website, but there are other cute ones like the giraffe one!).  You can tell from the picture that he's still growing into it, but it should fit him all winter and it definitely keeps him warm.

We debated a long, long time on getting a baby bath.  I did a ton of research into different kinds.  Some people thought it was a waste of money because you only use them for a few months.  Plus then you have to store this bulky thing somewhere.  Other people swear by them.  We didn't own one for the first month or so, but I did NOT like bathing him without one.  He was too little and slippery for me and it made me nervous.  And he cried the whole time, which didn't help.  We ended up just going to Target to look at different kinds and buying the Munchkin Bath Cradle.  It was less than $10 which why we picked it.  I'm going to be honest.  It's not perfect. It's a sponge, so after bath time is done it has to dry somewhere.  But it has been SO great!  Now Hadden loves to take baths!  It doesn't take up very much room either.  He's three months old and we'll probably still be using it for another month or so.  We have already gotten our moneys worth (many times over) and we'd recommend this to anyone who was looking for a cheap solution for baby baths.

And there you have it!  Six things that we recommend to make life with a newborn a little easier.  : )

**Want more reviews?  See a follow up post here

mornings with baby

"every little baby is the sweetest and the best."

anne of the island

Mornings are my favorite time with Hadden.  Most days it's just the two of us.  After his morning feeding and a diaper change we head back to my bed.  I open the curtains to let in the morning sun and put my knees up so Hadden can lay facing me.  For the next twenty or so minutes, I sing and talk to him.  We play "this little piggy", although he hasn't quite found the humor in it yet.  He practices holding his head up and "standing".  Sometimes we Facetime Auntie McKenna or Grandy so that they can see how baby is growing up ever so quickly.  Or take pictures to send to Uncle Patrick (because he is pretty much obsessed with his nephew:).  Hadden is so happy in the mornings and it's absolutely darling to see him smile and coo.  Even though it's just been eight weeks since he was born, we already can see him growing up so we try to cherish every sweet moment we have with him.

welcome little one!!

Introducing...

Hadden Elijah Glorioso-Mays

 Our wee one arrived late in the evening on August 3rd (just in time to share a birthday with his Auntie Elizabeth).  We are smitten!!!  He was wide awake for quite awhile, but this afternoon he is only interested in sleeping and being cuddled (I mean, who isn't interested in those things?).    We are all feeling great at this point!  Hadden has blue eyes and light brown hair.  You can't tell it from these pictures, but he has been very expressive when he's been awake - the nurses were laughing at all the funny faces he was given them the first night.  We'll post more pictures later, but here are a couple quick ones.  

From the doctors and residents to the nurses and techs, we've had the best staff during this hospital stay!  Here is the sign for his bassinet that one of the techs made.  :)

Hi, sweet boy!!

Someone is already proving to be a great papa.  ;)  He's been so great through this whole thing.

on blogging and marriage

**written sometime last month

I lay here in the dark thinking of the wonderful parts of marriage.  His hand caresses my bare shoulder and he softly plants a kiss on my cheek.  I am filled with gratitude for this man who loves me dearly even in the moments when we drive each other crazy.

I hesitate to write these things because I know that we are only in the beginning of this journey.  I know that there will be days when marriage is so frustrating and difficult and we look at each other and think "Where in the world is the person I married?"

But I write all the same.

In college, my professors said that when a couple was having marital problems, one technique to help is to get them to remember how they fell in love.  

I write so that Mr. Mays and I can retrace our steps if we get lost.

One day the inevitable will happen and Mr. Mays will be called away into the wild, blue yonder to serve our country for months on end while I hold down things at home.  From all accounts, deployments are one of the hardest time for a married couple.

 I write so that we will remember our connection when we are far apart.

It is easy to let each day slip by unnoticed and unappreciated.  I must work to keep my heart pondering and keep my actions intentional.

I write to keep a record of the fleeting days and, hopefully, to keep myself accountable to live them fully.

While we say that we have a lifetime together, the truth is that neither of us knows how long "a lifetime" really is.  It could be that we spend sixty years together that are both good and hard.  It could be that one of us is taken tomorrow without warning and that these days together were shorter than we ever imagined.

I write so that we will have a memorial.

We're bringing a baby into this crazy world in just a few months.  Life is unpredictable.  In all likelihood, the little man will grow up with both of us there.  But what if he doesn't?  Will he know us? How can we leave a mark on the little life we created if something happens to us and he is raised by someone else?  Even if we are there through his entire childhood and into his teenage/adult years, he won't remember what we were like at this stage.

I write so that one day he will have a glimpse into our lives and will have a chance to know us in a different way.

Mostly, though, I write so that I will remember God's faithfulness.  So that I can look back and see how He has gotten me through and how He promises to get me through the next hurdle in life.

I write because I have spiritual amnesia for which the best cure is reading my history and acknowledging His perfect faithfulness.