(Not-So) Baby Boy's First Birthday Gift Guide

I am really excited because Benson's first birthday is coming at the end of the month (I'm also freaking out, a lot, that my baby is growing up so quickly!!) However, I feel like we're finally getting to the stage where he will be excited about gifts-or at least new toys!

I have few key things I wanted to get Benson, but as I was looking around I had so much fun finding cool things that I decided I would create a little gift guide in case you are searching for some fun things to get the one year old boys in your life.

Ultimately, kids need two things for their birthday toys and clothes, so all of my picks are from those two categories.

First up, I know Benson really needs some new jammies. While I love foot jimmies on kids, I totally prefer separates on Benson because he is so long and it's hard to get his legs into the footie jammies.

A tool kit to match Dad and help out with any new house projects is essential (plus I saw my nephew with one and I knew we had to copy him!)

A soccer ball for two reasons. 1. We are soccer players so we are trying to influence his taste and 2. Chasing a ball around the house keeps Benson so busy, so I can get stuff done.

Plush cars were not even on my radar until I saw these. Benson puts everything in his mouth. e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. He loved playing with his cousin's cars when we saw them so I knew I wanted to get him some cool cars and these Melissa & Doug ones are just icing on the cake. I discovered Melissa & Doug last Christmas when shopping for my niece and nephew and fell in love with all of their stuff.

I love the idea go getting Benson some building blocks because he has a few and loves them already. I definitely love the "lego" aspect of these because he can still use them as he gets older.

Don't forget to scroll to the right to see more picks!

Why thrifted toys are the best

I was really lucky with my son that so many people gave us some amazing toys. Honestly, I have purchased very few brand new toys for Benson. I bought him a teether toy or two brand new but that's about it.

Kid toys are a tricky business. It seems to always be a balancing act between having enough toys to entertain, keeping things fresh and not having them take over your house. When you're buying brand new toys it can start to add up really quickly and you probably won't get as many toys for your dollar as you will if you're buying used.

My friend sold me an entire garbage sack of toys for $10, which was incredibly sweet of her! (Thanks Moon!) I got so many toys that I'm able to split them up between my office, the living room, the front room and Benson's room and he still doesn't play with all of them! Which is incredibly helpful because I like to switch his toys in and out so he doesn't get bored of them.

My absolute favorite baby thrift was an activity play mat. I am a member of a local Facebook garage sale group and before Benson was born I scoured that page daily for baby deals. I knew I needed to get a couple of things to entertain him since I would be working throughout the day and a play mat was on the top of my list. Brand new they run $20-$50. I got this exact one retailing at $49.80 for $3. Three. Dollars. It was missing maybe two toys, but for $3 I was not going to complain. Plus Benson doesn't know the difference! The best part of that purchase is that Benson will still play with it at 10 months old. It has been by far, my favorite baby purchase, thrifted or not.

If there are toys you really want brand new, then go ahead and buy them, or put them on your registry! My sister-in-law, whose son is just year older than Benson, was sweet enough to gift me her favorite toys and books. Some of those toys are my favorites too so I'm definitely glad we had a few new things for Benson when he was born.

If you do buy used toys just make sure to wash them before you let your little ones play with them, or if you kids are anything like mine, play = stick them in their mouths. I sprayed the non-cloth toys down with some disinfectant spray and then rinsed them off in the tub. It took me all of 10 minutes and then they were ready to go! You can wash most cloth toys in the washing machine. I really want this bag for that very reason!

I am also a big believer in donating unused toys to a friend or thrift store-mainly because I don't want them overrunning my house. I read an article that said to donate or sell old toys when you buy new ones. I loved the idea of getting rid of toys that are no longer holding kids' attention because by then they are just taking up space and not serving a purpose.

What are you best kid thrift finds? What's your policy on new and old toys? Any advice for this new mom?
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Why I gave up on breastfeeding

I'm not going to lie I was not looking forward to breastfeeding when I was pregnant. I was bracing myself for pain and a lot of long nights since I would be the only one able to feed Benson. But I have a (not so) secret to share with you. I didn't breastfeed my son. *Gasp*

Breastfeeding was always difficult for me. Benson was in the NICU for the first couple of days and while I tried to pump I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I tried to breastfeed him but we were having some issues so we tried giving him a bottle and he sucked the whole thing down. The kid was hungry. Every time after that when we went into the NICU we gave him a bottle and he happily drank it.

On one of my last days in the hospital one of the nurses decided I needed to try breastfeeding again and, I have no idea why but, she grabbed my boob and completely squished in order to teach me what I needed to do. I completely lost it. She turned around for one second and I burst into tears. Now, I feel a little justified in this reaction because it was late at night, I was still recovering from a 29 hour labor and a c-section and I was just completely exhausted. I was in so much pain it was terrible. From that moment on I gave up on breastfeeding. I never looked back and I never felt guilty about not breastfeeding. We were just going to be a bottle family.

I got a pump so that I could still give Benson breastmilk. I knew the benefits of breastmilk and I wanted him to get breastmilk whenever it was possible. Even though I pumped regularly my milk production couldn't keep up with Benson's appetite, so we also supplemented the breastmilk with formula. I pumped everyday until Benson hit the five month mark.

Pumping was always a chore for me. I never got much from it no matter how many times a day I pumped or for how long. By the end, I would sit there hooked up to the pump for 15-30 minutes and get maybe half an ounce. Half of an ounce. It was miserable.

When I started considering giving it up Benson was only getting one bottle of breast milk a week and I was laboring over that one bottle. It was just ridiculous. As my milk started to deplete even more I started to worry that the milk was going bad before he could even have any. I was exhausted from pumping and I just didn't want to do it anymore.

I tormented over the decision to stop pumping. I felt guilty about not giving him breastmilk if I had any to give. I felt guilty about how much formula cost when I was supposed to be able to feed him without it. I felt guilty about how cranky and whiney I would get whenever it was time to pump.

Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth feeling guilty over. I decided that one bottle a week really wasn't saving us much money and that, that one bottle wasn't going to vastly affect Benson's health. So I stopped pumping. I gave up breastfeeding all together.

I never thought that it would have been such a difficult decision for me, since I was never a do-or-die breastfeeder. I'm glad that I pumped and I'm glad that Jason was able to help me out during those night feedings with the formula.

I don't feel like I missed out on bonding moments with my baby because I didn't exclusively breastfeed. I still held him and snuggled with him after he finished a bottle. I feel like I did what was best for me and my family and in the end that's what was important to me. 

The Mommy Diaries: Why I'm proud of my c-section

If you've been following my blog for a while (at least 7 months) you may know that I had one of the least natural births possible. You can read the full (suuuuper long) story here, but I'll give you a quick recap.

I went into the hospital to be induced when I was 5 days past my due date. My doctor didn't want me to go more than a week over and I figured it would be nice if I could have the baby on a Friday and Jason could stay home with us for a week, so that's what we planned. I was put on pitocin early Friday morning, had my epideral by noon, and labored until Saturday morning. I then pushed for two hours-to no avail-and had an emergency c-section around 12:30 Saturday afternoon. All-in-all I was on pitocin for 26 hours and had an epideral for almost 24.

And I'll tell you one thing: I don't regret a single second of it. Heck, if I had to do it again the only thing I would do differently is have a c-section earlier.

There's a huge craze going on about how c-sections aren't real births and how we should or shouldn't be ashamed of having a c-section, but I don't understand any of these points.

Obviously I gave birth. There is no longer a baby kicking me in there ribs. And of course I'm not ashamed of having a c-section! I'm dang proud of it. I will always carry the scar of bringing my son into this world and if that doesn't show that I gave birth, then I don't know what does.

Because whether you had a c-section, natural birth or somewhat medicated vaginal birth it doesn't matter. You carried that baby for as long as your body allowed you to. You went through the good and the bad that come along with pregnancy. You counted down the days until your little one arrived and once he or she was in your arms you knew you were a mom.

Each mother has found a way to be with her child no matter how that child came to this earth and we have to stop putting each other down, or even building ourselves up by comparing our experiences.

I know women who have all natural births and have had their children delivered in their own homes. Good for you. Your first moments with your baby were at home and that's absolutely lovely.

I know women who planned the perfect natural birth but things changed when it became dangerous or too hard to do so. Good for you. You put your baby's needs over your own wants and that's what motherhood is all about.

I know women who asked for the epideral at the first twinge of pain (and I'm one of them.) Good for you...us. You were able to enjoy your child's birth and soak in the experience.

I know women who have planned c-sections. Good for you. You had a hard recovery and took care of a newborn and that's really tough!

Why is it that we always have to put others down for their experiences or way of life? Let's celebrate our differences. Let's try to understand other people's decisions. Let's build each other up.

Stop shaming each other. We all want the same thing: to raise awesome, intelligent, kind kids. The best way to do that is to be that way ourselves.

What's in my diaper bag

Packing for yourself and baby in one bag can be a tricky business. I always want to be prepared for any scenario, which I attribute to growing up with five eagle scouts; however, I also want to keep my bag as light as possible because when you add carrying a baby to the mix things get heavy quickly! 

I try to pack the bag with a majority of baby essentials and then fill in the gaps with my own essentials. Here's what's in my diaper bag! 

For Him:

Diapering essentials: In order to keep my bag somewhat light, I only pack a couple of diapers, a pack of wipes and these scented bags to throw the stinkier diapers in. The trick to packing light is remembering to restock when you run out!

Figure Eight Teether. Winkle Owl Rattle. FlutterFly Teether. 

Toys: My boy Benson is a serial teether (he already has two teeth at 6 months!) We always take a couple of toys when we go out so that if he drops one on the ground while we're running around Walmart we always have a back up. 

Backup food and supplies: I always carry a burp rag, bib and extra food just in case we are out longer than planned. I'm really excited now that Benson is eating solids so that we can bring along puffs and other finger foods (and some snacks that I can eat too!) 

For Her:

The bag: When I was pregnant picking my diaper bag was the first thing I wanted to do. I knew that my diaper bag was going to be my new purse so I made sure I got something I loved. I waited for months for this bag to go on sale and then snagged it when it was on sale and it was worth the wait. I'm so glad that I got a bag that I loved instead of settling for the typical tug boat diaper bag. 

My essentials: I was so glad that my bag had a big momma pocket so I could store everything I needed: Mary Kay Lotion, EOS chapstick, a couple of pens, a notebook and earbuds. These were all in my purse pre-baby and I knew that I would need them in my diaper bag too. 

Looking for some good diaper bag options (under $100)? Check these out!

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