{the venema} registry

Since Lainey was born, we have found out that Lainey is going to have herself some friends!  That's right - the world keeps turning after your daughter is born and others have babies too! What a concept!  The good thing though, is this means we are not alone in this game called parenting and Lainey has people to grow up with.  It also means that since we were the first baby in this "wave," I get a lot of random texts that say things like "What do you use for this..."  "How do I pick that..." or "What do you recommend?"  

Now I am not going to lie... I sent my fair share of these texts/emails/phone calls/facebook posts when we were prepping for Lainey! 

I would have been lost without my Biggie and Blair at the Ellwood Avenue Chronicles!

I figured I would share some of the stuff we registered for before Lainey was born and some gadgets I have purchased since then, but totally recommend to any expecting moms!  Just so you know, as I find new stuff, I usually "pin it." You can also check out some of the things I find in my pinterest.  There's a link on the right-hand side of the blog to follow my pins!

Let's get this party started... 

Here's the Venema top 7

1. 4Moms mamaRoo - who needs a traditional swing when you have a mamaRoo?! Not us - that's for sure!  We like to call this thing the "space pod" at our house.  It does so many neat movements; if Lainey gets bored with one, I switch it up and she resumes her regularly scheduled happy baby programming.
2. Munchkin formula mixer - yes, I know this seems a little extreme, but it's true.  Now, we usually use ready-made formula but the occasions when we use powdered, we use this little mixer to blend the formula powder up rather than shaking it.  Less bubbles = less gas = happier baby.
3. Wubbanub - holy moly, where would we be without Wubba?! For a while I thought I was becoming more dependent on this adorable Binky with a stuffed animal attached, but I had proven myself wrong... thank goodness I am NOT a crazy person. (ok, maybe I am...) but still - I tried to give Lainey a regular old gumdrop/soothie binky the other night and she was not having it! All she wanted her little friend, Wubba.  We have Wubbas stashed in 3 places - downstairs, attached to the car seat and in the crib.  I have even contemplated buying more of them. No, I am not kidding. 
4. Children's Pandora stations - bed time is glorious at our house.  When 9pm rolls around, everyone starts to get sleepy and a little hungry. A bottle, a good book, and then it's bed time! Every night when Lainey goes to bed, we turn Pandora on her iPod and let it roll.  Some nights it's Disney, others it's Baby Einstein.  The kid loves music and I am totally cool with that.
5. Combi travel system - I am not one for bulk so I knew early on I did not want a regular travel system.  Those things take up your entire trunk and I don't drive a bus! I need the space I have, dag gonnit! So we opted for the Combi Shuttle system.  LOVE IT! The carrier is easy to lug around and stroller is like an umbrella one on steroids.  All the conveniences of a regular travel system, but with no bulk.
6. PB Kids Comfort Glider - after a few nights spent in my glider, I knew I had made the right decision.  Never have I ever sat in a more comfortable chair! I'm not sure how comfy it would be to sleep in a chair with wooden arm rests, etc.
7. Eddie Bauer Travel Bed - I will be the first to admit, I didn't think any one would get this for us at the baby shower.  But low and behold, someone did! I will also be first to admit that I wasn't sure how much use I would actually get out of it either - at one point I remember saying, "Damn1 I should have registered for the shopping cart cover instead!" But I digress... this travel bed has been a godsend! When Hurricane Irene was in town, Lainey and I moved into my aunt's house because that's where the power was, and I used this bed next to me in a "grown up" bed! I didn't want Lainey to get the idea that sleeping in Mom's bed was better than her own so I wanted to make sure she had her boundaries.  Now, yes, I could have taken the pack-n-play, but it's so big and it was only a couple of nights!  Fast forward a couple of months and it's time to head to the beach.  Again - the same argument! Why take the pack-n-play when I have this nifty travel bed?! Plop that sucker in the between Philip and I and it was perfect!

For some reason, I can't get the other pictures to sit where I want them to, sorry about that.  But all of the links should take you where you want... err need.... to go!


xoxo,
Linda