my thoughts so far

i've realized that we've developed some favorites in our new little world -- things that really make anna happy and/or make our lives easier. and we have a few things that she has just refused, making us miserable in the process. every baby is different, it's so true...

clothing/furniture items/accessories:
- swing. yep, our girl couldn't live without her swing. in fact, she couldn't sleep without it. sure, she'll deign to go down in her bassinet for a nap, or for a few hours at night, but sleep the whole night through? surely you jest. give her the swing and she'll sleep until the morning. the REAL morning, not baby-world 3am morning.
- babyhawk baby carrier. i got both a sling and a babyhawk. anna liked the sling for a whole 2 weeks, and then went on a sling strike. the babyhawk worked much better for her. it holds her close to me at my chest, which is her favorite position. she can look around for a while, and then fall asleep while i do housework or walk to the store. it's a lifesaver for both of us.
- receiving blankets. we swaddle the heck out of our girl. whenever we want her to sleep, we need her to be swaddled. the carter's receiving blankets (the regular ones, not the organic -- the organic are too small) are the perfect size and weight to swaddle her without making her uncomfortable or sweaty. it's the only way she can sleep for any length of time.
- car seat stroller attachments. if i put anna in the car, and she falls asleep, do i really want to wake her up? of course not!
- pillows. not for her, of course. but for her feedings. i like the boppy breastfeeding pillow, but it's heavy and stiff, and so really bothered my incision. so i used all the other soft throw pillows in my house for feedings. sure, i look silly, surrounded by mismatched throw pillows, but it's comfy and helps support her.
- footie pajamas. i like her feet to be warm, and socks fall off.
- swaddlers. sometimes you don't want to have to do blanket origami to get her to sleep. or, if you're dave, you can't do it at all. =) so the swaddlers are an easy fix. granted, they look like baby straight jackets, but they work.
- snow suit. ok, so i still hate the big pink snowsuit that grandma bought for anna, but it does come in handy. as a winter baby, we wouldn't have even been able to get her home without it. on those cold 40-and-below days, it's the right choice. (next year i want one that makes her look like a teddy bear)
- portable changing pads. we don't have a changing table, but we have several portable changing pads. one stays in the nursery/office for daytime changings, and one in our bedroom for nighttime changings. easy, simple, and eliminates the need for moving all through the house to get to a localized change table.

soothing items/methods
- white noise. again, can't stress this enough. it's the only thing that calms her at times, and we keep it on all night to ensure that she sleeps more soundly (it's not so bad for our sleep either). we have a white noise album that plays on a loop on our iPod, and her sleep sheep is a portable way to take the white noise with us for easy calming.
- pacifier. it took a while to get anna to take it. and she still doesn't want it all the time. but when we want her to go back to sleep in her swing, or are trying to get her to sleep while rocking her, the pacifier works like a charm. we like the soothie's brand, and their shape is ideal for breastfeeding moms (apparently, the other types encourage biting. eek!).
- car ride. yeah, if you have access to a car and a cranky kid, this will help out a lot. anna does tend to cry if you stop at a light, since she likes the movement so much, but finally quiets down when she falls to sleep.
- warming her bassinet mattress. it's still chilly in this place sometimes, and if the sheet on the bassinet mattress is cold, she jerks awake and doesn't want to go down. so i discovered that warming the mattress, either at the heater, with a hair dryer, or at the mouth of the oven will aid in getting her to sleep each time. totally genius.
- baths. she just loves her baths! that's daddy/anna bonding time, and she just has the best time. if we want her to relax, it's a great solution.

things she/we could do without
- sleep sacks. a great idea, but they don't keep her swaddled. so we don't use them, unless we're leaving the house. maybe we'll like them when we're out of the swaddling phase.
- car seat. obviously, dave and i like the car seat. and we need a car seat. but most of the time, unless she's in a great mood, anna could do without it. and she HATES being buckled in.
- breastfeeding cover. i got one of those capes so that i could be discreet when i fed her. but she hates being under there. it's dark, it gets hot, she freaks out. so now i just use a pashmina around my neck or something similar when i feed her in public.
- sling. as said above, she really doesn't like it. but i know many babies who do. ::shrug::


this list will change/grow as she gets older, but we like where we are at right now.