Black Bean Tacos

Everyone likes tacos..I don't know a single person that doesn't like tacos.  What we have here are black bean tacos.  These little babies do NOT contain any meat.  They contain the deliciousness and protein power of BLACK BEANS.  Why don't more people eat more black beans?  Let's break down their nutritional value and health benefits:

Black beans are a great source of protein.  A 100 gram single serving of black beans has almost the same amount of protein from a 100 gram serving of 80% lean cooked, pan-brown beef. See the comparison below:

 Black beans are low in saturated fats, low in sodium and low on the glycemic index scale (meaning, when you eat this food item, your blood sugar will not spike).  I'll explain more about glycemic index scale in another post. 

What will you need for Black Bean Tacos?? Let's check out the ingredients:

2 Cans Organic Black Beans

1 Small Can of Corn

1 Clove of Garlic (pressed)

1 Small Yellow Onion (sometimes I use red onion, depending on how much onion taste I want)

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1 table spoon Chili Powder

1 Cup Grated Cheese (your choice...I use Colbie Jack a lot)

A handful of Cilantro Leaves

Salt and Pepper

1-2 Spoonfuls of Coconut Oil

White Corn and/or Yellow Corn Tortillas

Lime Juice

Sour Cream

Saute Pan

Platter Screen

Strainer

Cheese Grater

Something to smash the beans up

Let's get started!

Place the strainer in the kitchen sink.  Now open the cans of beans and dump into the strainer and rinse well.  We are rinsing the beans to wash off the sodium that the beans have been sitting in since they were canned...gross...Then toss them into a big mixing bowl.

Chop up the onion and cilantro, press the garlic and shred some cheese.

 Are you ready to smash?  Find a kitchen utensil that is capable of smashing the black beans.  I use a whisk or sometimes this little guy and it fails...miserably!  I should really buy a potato masher since I make these things once a week. After the beans are mashed to your liking, add the corn and other ingredients.  Mix all the ingredients together so that the mixture....is mixed!

Before you heat up your pan, because the coconut oil is going to melt really fast really quick, prep your tacos.  Place a few tortillas onto a plate and spread the bean mixture (not too thick) onto HALF of the tortilla like so:

Now, fold the tortilla over the top of the mixture

I typically make 8.  So then, I would prep 8 tacos and THEN heat up the coconut oil.

Heat up your saute pan on medium heat for about a minute.  Now, add a heaping spoonful of coconut oil into the pan.  This stuff should melt right away!

Keep the heat on medium and SLIDE the first two, three or four tacos into the hot oil and then immediately place the splatter screen over the top of the pan:

The splatter screen you see is one that I picked up from the Dollar Store....yep!  The DOLLAR STORE!  You can find these splatter screens online for almost $20! I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to have the matching Rachel Ray Splatter Screen to match the rest of the Rachel Ray cookware that I have!

As the tortillas cook, watch and listen carefully to the coconut oil.  Cook the first side of the tortilla for 3-4 minutes.  Cook the second side for a minute less than you cooked the first side.  Why?  Because, the majority of the oil has cooked into the tortilla's first side or has evaporated.  The second side is mainly cooking on a slightly oiled pan...which means that it will cook faster....in my experience.

After the tacos have cooked, serve them with a heaping spoonful of sour cream on top.

Let's talk about sour cream for a minute.  It's delicious, fatty and oh so yummy!  So, why are you buying the off brand that's only about .50 cheaper and contains about 10 more ingredients than REAL sour cream???  When shopping for sour cream, make sure that there is only ONE ingredient...Grade A Cultured Cream.  That's ALL that should be in that white container.  If the sour cream you are buying contains more than one ingredient, then it's not really sour cream.   

Enjoy!

Clearly, for the purpose of this blog I only used a spoonful of sour cream.  But in real life, I totally just dunked my taco into the container of sour cream :)

Skillet Muffins

Skillet Muffins!!!  These protein and nutrient packed little muffins will give you that boost of energy in the morning, at 3pm or even on your drive home from work!  Eggs are truly incredible.  If you are a person that does not like the taste of eggs, you are going to love these, because they don't really taste like eggs.  They taste like AWESOME!  And everyone should get the opportunity to taste awesome!  These Skillet Muffins do NOT have flour in them which makes them Gluten-Free.  If you are confused about Gluten, then please watch this short clip on what it really is: 

Let's start with the ingredients that are in these:

1/2 Small Onion (white or yellow): yellow onions are sweeter than white onions

1 Small Clove of Garlic

8 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Half Bunch of Asparagus

1/4 Cup of Parsley

1/2 of a Red Pepper

7 Nitrate-Free Sausage Links

8 Organic Cage Free Extra Large Brown Eggs

1/2 Cup Organic Whole Milk (Vitamin D)

1 Cup Colbie Jack Cheese

Salt & Pepper 

This is what you will need to make Skillet Muffins:

Oven 

Non-Stick Muffin Pan

Glass Bowl

Prepware Measuring Cup (You know...a measuring bowl that you can pour liquids out of without spilling all over the counter?)

Whisk

Cutting Board

Chef's Knife

Cheese Grater

Small Saute Pan

Kitchen Tongs

(Optional) Cooling Rack

Zip Top Bags

2 Paper Towels

Oven Mitt

Ready....Set....GO!

Start by preheating the oven to 350

While the oven is preheating, grab the cutting board, veggies and Chef's knife and start chopping the veggies:

Beautiful!  Now, take the muffin pan and line the inside of the cups with the veggie mixture, so the veggies cover the bottom of the cups.

Great!  Next, crack open 8 eggs and put them in the bowl.  To avoid getting shells in the bowl, crack open the egg on a flat surface.  I usually crack open eggs on the cutting board; doing it this way reduces the risk of raw egg getting on the kitchen counter....which drives me crazy!! GERMS!!  After the eggs are in the bowl, pour in 1/2 cup of milk and whisk until blended.  Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the mixture.

Oven is probably still preheating. Let's move onto the sausage links.  Open the package of sausage links and cook half the package, or 7 links.

I added a little bit of EVOO into the pan, because these links were not getting those yummy brown marks on them.

 One the sausages are cooked, place them on a paper towel, so that some of the grease is soaked up.

Instead of burning the heck out of your fingers (like I did), wait until the links have cooled and then chop them up.  

Bust open the brick of colbie jack cheese and grate about a cup of it off.  Clearly, from the picture below, that is less than a cup of cheese.  Why are we grating cheese?  Why can't we just buy that bag of sprinkle cheese in the store that is already grated and always on sale?  I'll tell you.  I haven't found one single brand of pre-shredded bagged cheese that doesn't contain ingredients that are not only harmful and not digestible by the human body, but actually cause the cheese to not melt as well.  Preservatives...gross.  Cellulose is one ingredient that is derived from wood pulp and/or cotton.  Humans cannot digest this.  Cellulose is added to shredded cheese to keep the strands from sicking together.  If you notice when you grate cheese, the cheese sticks together.  You WANT that.  That is real cheese.  I have found this ingredient even in Organic Shredded Bagged Cheese. A tip for buying cheese...buy cheese that has CHEESE as the first ingredient.  Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Sale and Enzymes are ok as well.  

By now, the oven is probably preheated.  Pour the egg and milk mixture from the bowl into a prepware measuring bowl.  Now pour the mixture into each of the muffin cups.  Leave about a half and inch to an inch from the top, because your Skillet Muffins will magically rise a bit!  Top each of the muffin cup mixture with the grated cheese and place on the bottom rack in the oven:

Cook for 15-20 minutes.  I can tell you that 20 minutes cooks these skillet muffins to the point where there is a little bit of browning on the bottom.  I would maybe cook them for 17 minutes next time.  But, each oven is different.

Put on your fancy oven mit and take the muffin pan out of the oven and place on top of the stove:

Take your kitchen tongs and press lightly on one side of a muffin.  The muffin should slide up.

Now, grab the muffin lightly with the kitchen tongs and place onto the cooling rack:

This is the bottom of the Skillet Muffin after cooked for 20 minutes at 350.

Cut open one and EAT IT!

Wait until the Skillet Muffins are completely cool before completing the bagging and storage step below.  If you bag these when they are still hot, the steam inside the bag will cook them more and you will end up with rubbery Skillet Muffins.  No like.

Depending on how many you want to eat at a time, put that many in a zip top bag and store in the fridge for one week.  My 15 month old will eat one with his 2nd breakfast. Yeah, he is a bottomless pit.  I will typically eat one in the car on the way to work...sometimes two depending on if I got the opportunity to eat dinner the night before or not.

To reheat: Place the zip top bag OPEN in the microwave for 20 seconds and cool for 30 seconds.  DELIGHTFUL!

The Decision to Induce Labor

Thursday, Feb 7th, 2013:  I had reached full term at the beginning of the week. I had a prenatal appointment scheduled after work.  I drove home from work, picked up Dear Husband and then off to the OB we went; we were hoping that good news was coming our way...like maybe I was 3-4 cm dilated.  I was 1/2 cm dilated.  I'm not going to post any images of dilation to scare you, but 1/2 cm dilated is about the size of 1/2 a fingertip (in the words of my OB).  My OB said I have an unfavorable cervix and that it is still "hard".  WTF does that even mean? It means, that the cervix tissue is exactly that, hard.  The cervix needs to soften up in order to dilate more.  And the only way the cervix can soften is with contractions.  You can read in blogs and articles that there are various foods you can eat to soften or "ripen" your cervix, but when it comes down to it, medically, contractions are the only thing that can really do the job.  The OB did mention that having a few "date nights" could help soften the cervix as well.  Perfect!  I'm 9 months pregnant 170 lbs and am more than ready for a date night with Dear Husband...NOT!

My Doc then proceeded to "grab a hold of my cervix" and said, "Ok, I've got a hold of your cervix now to try and soften it up"....uh... I'm not going to lie, but it's more than uncomfortable with her hand up there to begin with.  NOW she is holding onto my cervix!  I couldn't even move and the only thing that would come out of my mouth was, "thank you".  HAHAHAHA!!  After about 30 seconds of her holding on she finally let go.  I just laid there on the table.  She was still talking, but I couldn't really hear her.  This is why I bring Dear Husband with me every time I went to the weekly appointments.  I need him to listen to what she says and then tell me what she said after I recover!  I hated those weekly appointments...just HATED them!  Out of all the pregnancy and post-pregnancy feelings the weekly prenatal appointments towards being full term were the worst feelings. I know now for the next pregnancy, but there is really no way to prepare yourself for the "checking how dilated you are".  Ok, now that I have totally freaked you out.  Let's move on....

So, Dear Husband said that she wanted to see me next Thursday to see if there was any progress.  Valentine's Day..perfect.  Can't imagine a better place to spend Valentine's Day evening....

Thursday, February 14, 2013:  Drove home from work, picked up Dear Husband and drove to the OB.  Again, we were hoping for some more dilation!  1 cm!!!!  Are you kidding me?  I'm a week overdue and I'm only 1cm?  I've read blogs and heard stories from other moms that, "The dilation can go from 1cm to 3cm overnight".  Well, that's not the case with me and according to my OB, most first time moms have an unfavorable cervix.  So, all you first time moms, don't be surprised if you are in the same boat with the unfavorable cervix.  My OB gave me the option to induce labor on Monday. Her exact words, "Your cervix is still hard and unfavorable, do you want to wait and see what happens over the next 5 days or do you want me to induce labor on Monday?"  What??  Just like that??  At this point I had a lot of questions for my OB and since she didn't "grab a hold of my cervix" this time, I was able to form words and verbalize them.
First Question: "Can I opt for a C-Section?"
Doc Answer: "You can; however it is not medically necessary therefore your health insurance probably won't cover it.  1 in 3 births now a days are C-Section, so there is a good chance that your baby's birth could be a C-Section"
Second Question: "What are the risks of a C-Section?"
Doc Answer: "Infection, increased blood loss, injury to surrounding organs such as the bladder, slight risk of uterine eruption with multiple pregnancies after a C-Section.  How many kids are you planning to have?"
*dumbfounded look on my face and complete silence for a few seconds......*
Dear Husband: "Three"
Doc Comment: "Perfect.  If you choose to have more than 3, then the risks of uterine eruption are even greater.  On another note, I will not perform a VBAC.  If your first baby is delivered via C-Section, then all your other babies will be delivered C-Section.  With a VBAC, there is an even GREATER risk of uterine eruption."
Third Question: "If I deliver vaginally is there a possibility that you will perform an episiotomy?"
  -I had to ask this question, because an episiotomy was NOT in my birth plan and I did NOT want to go through that.
Doc Answer: "I typically do not perform those, unless the delivery is causing fetal distress."

I'm sure there were a few more questions that I asked her, but at this point it was hot in the room and all I wanted to do was leave.  Doc told me to think about it over night and to call her the next day with the decision.

As soon as we got in the car I lost it.  I started crying!  I was so scared, so tired, so pregnant and just wanted what was best for the baby's delivery even if that meant that I was gong to get sliced and diced or that shit down there was going to tear.  In all honesty, I did NOT want to go through a vaginal birth.  I tried to prepare myself for a vaginal birth during the last month of my pregnancy, by watching videos, reading medical articles and talking to veteran moms about their child birth experience.  In preparing myself, I really just scared myself.  Backing up, when I told my OB that last sentence she cut me off and said, "Why would you watch videos?  You are going to be on the other end!" I never even thought of that, but I wanted to know what would be going on during the whole thing.  Back to the car:  I called my mother-in-law and mom to give them an update.  They were both supportive if we decided to induce or to just wait.  Great...I was hoping that one of them would tell me what to do!  But when it came down to it, it was a decision that Dear Husband and I had to do.

We slept on it and then the next day after work we decided that it was best for us to induce labor.

1. There was no more room in my belly for this baby boy
2. I work 50 minutes away from the hospital where my OB delivers
3. If my water broke, then I didn't want to be at work when it did (per my OB: "only 20% of pregnant women's water breaks on their own during the last stage of pregnancy")
4. I didn't want to work anymore :)

I called the OB on Friday at 12:30pm and left a message with the Front Office Secretary to let the doc know what we decided to induce.  Doc was with a patient and then she had surgeries schedule for the rest of the day at the hospital.  The gal told reassured me that she would give her the message......she never did.  6:30pm came and I still hadn't heard back from the doc.  I started to panic and ended up calling her, but the answering service picked up.  

"Are you pregnant?"

Me: "Yes"

"Is this an emergency?"

Me: "No?"

"Is that a question?"

Me: "All I'm trying to do is get a hold of my doctor to schedule an induction on Monday like she told me"

"Ok, I have paged the doctor.  If she doesn't call you back within 10 minutes please call again"

I waited 15 minutes and didn't receive a call....so I called back, just like the answering service suggested.

"Are you pregnant?"

You get the idea.  Well, the doc was paged a second time and then called back 15 minutes later.  She sounded pissed off and in a bad mood!

Doc: "Yes?"
Me: "Hi Doc, I had left a message with Linda at your office today at 12:30pm to schedule the induction for Monday"

Doc: "I just got out of surgery.  She never gave me the message.....*silence*...You will need to call the hospital on Monday first thing to get scheduled.  If there are any women coming into deliver that are not scheduled for an induction you will get bumped down on the list."

Me:"Ok"
click
WTF just happened?  I started crying.  Flew into Dear Husband's arms.  Another meltdown...lasted about 12 minutes this time!  Then my phone rang...with what appeared to be the Doc's cell.
Doc: "Hi! I've got you schedule to be induced on Monday.  You will need to check into the hospital before 4:00pm to get started.  It is important that you get as much sleep as you can over the next couple of days before being induced.  You are going to need your energy during labor and delivery. Any questions?"
Me: "no"
Doc: "Have a good weekend"
click

Well then!  I don't know what happened, but the second time she called me it was like I was speaking to someone else.

The Night Before Induction
Saturday went by and then Sunday went by.  It was Sunday night and I couldn't sleep.  The ONE time in my pregnancy when I couldn't sleep, I needed to. Awesome. I started thinking about everything that was going to happen and then realized...I had no idea what was going to happen!  I prepared myself for a vaginal birth with my water breaking on its own and pushing a baby out with an episiotmoy! That's when I went onto Google and searched for "Unfavorable Cervix".  I avoided Google like the plague during my entire pregnancy, because it is full of WRONG information and HORROR stories regarding pregnancy.  That's when I found the woman's blog article about her unfavorable cervix and it helped me realize that no matter what birth plan I had written up, that it was going to be tossed out the window.  I couldn't prepare anymore.  I just had to let go of control with this one thing in my life.  When it came down to it, I wanted what was going to be the best and safest for my little baby boy.

Baby Registry Breakdown

I find that my choice in stock art above is contradictory to this post, because you aren't going to need baby shoes until your child is walking.  But, that's what I had available to choose from at the time :) 

Intro

This post explains and breaks down the common baby registry checklist that you get at a store (or online) when you first start making a baby registry.  You won't find any quick tips or cute photos with only 10 items on it saying, "Most Needed Items!".  You will find a detailed explanation of each common item on a baby registry checklist explained and applied to real life based on my experience and the experience of other moms.

What?

Traditionally, a couple will create a baby registry for their first child.  Most soon-to-be mommies and daddies can't wait to start a baby registry!  It's great bonding time between a couple and really puts the whole baby thing into perspective.  The best time to create a baby registry is when you are in the second trimester, towards the middle or the end (you want to get into that "safe zone" in pregnancy).  I was around 20 weeks, after the anatomy scan, when we started our baby registries.

Where?

Where do you register?  Most retail stores like Target and Wal-Mart  have baby registries and of course there are the specialized "baby stores" such as BuyBuyBaby and Babies R Us that also have baby registries.  You can even create a baby registry at Amazon.com!!  There are couples who register at two different places.  This is a wise decision, especially if you are a couple that has family and friends who live in different parts of the globe.  You have Gramma Ann who never goes anywhere and lives 330 miles away from you, so it would be easier for her to just go to a website and purchase a baby item and have it shipped to you.  Then you have Aunt Cathy who is a coupon junkie and saves up all those 20% off coupons for one baby item.  It's best for her to go to the store, because you know she is going to argue with the clerk that the coupon is NOT expired and that YES she can use multiple ones at the same time.  Then there is your group of single guy friends who don't even look at a baby registry and choose to just purchase a gift card along with a four pack of D batteries...really...it happens.  Do you see where I'm going with this?

Dear Husband and I registered at BuyBuyBaby (BBB) and Babies R Us (BRU).  Since the 20% off coupons and $5 off a single item over $25 were almost always available for BBB, we chose to register the more expensive items at BBB.  This way, it gave our friends and family the opportunity to not spend as much money.  This included baby furniture!  There are times when BBB has a coupon for $200 off any baby furniture item over $500.  Traditionally, a parent of the couple will purchase the baby's crib or another piece of overpriced baby furniture, so give them a heads up about the coupons.  In addition to awesome coupons, BBB has a free gift wrapping center.  I can't tell you how many baby showers I've been to before the era of BBB; I would seriously spend anywhere from $10-$15 on wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper and cards!  I would have rather allocated that money towards another gift!  BBB is smart like that.  Their mindset is that since the gift warp is free you will spend more money on stuff for baby.  Well, BBB it worked.  Good job! 

For the BRU registry, we put smaller items on there and items that were different than the items on the BBB registry.  Some couples build two registries and two different places and put the same stuff on both.  I could never find logic in that  You ARE going to get doubles if you do that and  when it comes down to it, you don't want to be going to the store 8 or 9 months pregnant to return a bunch of stuff that you received twice.  You will just want to finish setting up the nursery in case baby comes early....or because you are 8 or 9 months pregnant and really don't want to do anything!  Sure, you could send Dear Husband to do the returns and maybe he needs a break from rubbing your feet.  All in all, in the last couple months of pregnancy you should want to spend as much time with dear husband as possible, because both your worlds are going to change and finding time together can be difficult in the first few months after the baby is born.

Now for the registry breakdown.  There are a few ways you can do this (based on survey results that I obtained):

1) Don't use a registry checklist from the store and scan whatever you want on it

2) Use a registry checklist from the store as a guide, but really scan in whatever you want

3) Create your own checklist from variable sources

4) Consult with someone who had previously had a baby and ask them what they did

Now, keep in mind that different things work for different people.  I am sharing with you what worked for Dear Husband and I, because I believe it will help you and guide you with the baby registry process.  You don't want to end up arguing over something stupid in the store, because you are hungry and tired and it's taking FOREVER to scan shit in!  Take a deep breath and use the breakdown of common items found on a baby registry checklist below to decide what is best for you and your partner.  

Layette

4-6 Side-snap Tees

• The only side-snap tee we used was the one they put on Baby D in the hospital…for a whole 15 minutes.  We had more fun swaddling him in the blanket and holding him to keep him warm J

4-8 Bodysuits/Onesies (Long and Short-sleeved)

• These are good to have.  Just make sure to not buy a ton of newborn size, because Baby D grew out of them around 4 weeks.  We seldom had him in bodysuits/onesies for the first month, because it was easier to put a sleep sack or wearable blanket on him for the purpose of diaper changes. NOTE: Gerber sized ANYTHING runs extremely small, along with the Babies R Us brand of clothing. SMALL!

1-2 Caps

• 40-45% of our body heat is lost from our head, so imagine you are a teeny tiny baby with little to no hair. You would want a cap on! You can usually find caps in 2-3 packs.  Again, the Gerber brands run SMALL.  So, if your baby has a big melon like Baby D did, then go for a different brand…any brand but Gerber or the Babies R Us brand.

1-2 No-scratch Mittens

• You really don’t need these.  You can prevent baby from scratching his/her face using socks on their hands.  Yup, socks. They are cheaper and softer.  We had a few pairs of the no-scratch mittens, but Baby D always managed to get them off (even at 3 weeks).

9-12 Pairs of Socks

• 12 seems extreme to me, especially when baby does a LOT of growing in the first few months.  Baby D grew out of his newborn socks in 4 weeks.  When you do get socks, make sure you buy the kind that has the seam sewn on the outside.  Here’s why.

4  Swaddling Blankets

• YES!  We tried so many different brands of swaddling blankets and the ones that worked the best were the Aden & Anias Muslin Cotton Swaddling Blankets. You can find the best deal on A&A stuff from Kohls or Amazon.  Don't ever buy anything directly from their website; otherwise you will pay twice as much as you would in a retail store.  Unless, there is a certain pattern or character on the swaddling blanket that you absolutely have to have...then it's ok! :)

3 Receiving Blankets

• I purchased a bunch of Carter's receiving blankets (Amazon has them in a 4 pack for under $15 with Prime) and by the time Baby D was 3 weeks old, he could no longer be wrapped in them, because he outgrew the size and shape of the blanket.  I ended up using the receiving blankets as spit up "towels" and used them to lay Baby D on top of to change diapers.  I always have one in my diaper bag to use to cover the diaper changing station table in public places. So, they really do serve a purpose other than what they were intended for.

1-2 Wearable Blankets

• If you go this route, make sure you get the kind that zipper all the way from the bottom to the top with a snap on the top.  These were a life saver for diaper changes during the first couple of weeks.  Get a few different fabrics; fleece, cotton and the muslin cotton.  Depending on the type of sleep sack, or wearable blanket you get will depend on if baby will wear a long-sleeved T or a short-sleeved T. Below are some visuals for you :)

This is an Aden & Anias wearable "sleep bag".  It is made from Muslin cotton (an extremely light and breathable fabric).  If you want baby to wear this, then put a long-sleeved T on her first and then put her into the sleep bag.  The T will act as a barrier to the fabric and zipper.  By all means, the fabric is super soft and will only get softer each time you wash it, but since it is such a light fabric, baby should have something else to keep her warm.

• This is a Halo Sleep Sack.  The one pictured is made of a fleece, but you can buy cotton  fabric. It serves the same purpose as the A&A pictured above, it's just thicker fabric. 

• Ready for this mind-blowing garment?  This is a Sleepsack swaddling blanket combo!  If you find that your newborn is having problems going to sleep by himself, try this thing.  You get a sleep sack for easy diaper changes and the fabric that folds across baby and closes with no scratch velcro acts as a swaddling blanket to hold baby with a comfortable tightness, like mommy or daddy is cradling them. Baby D never liked his arms being inside the sleepsack swaddler, because he wanted to sleep with his arms and hands above his head after 3 weeks, but we did use it in week 2 and he seemed to be content with it.  We bought 2, but really only used one...for a week.

2-4 Gowns

• My sister-in-law bought a 3-pack of these gowns and I LOVED them. 100% cotton blend.  There is an elastic band at the bottom of the gown for easy access for diaper changes. Stay away from the Gerber brand...super small. Carter's is the way to go on these.  They are less than $20 for a pack of 3.
  

4-8 Footies

• When Baby D turned 3 months he LIVED in footie PJs.  Carters has the "sleep and play" kind that come with a cap....meh.  Once you wash the cap it gets all misshapen.  But the PJs are great.  Every brand of baby clothing has footies, but you have to get the kind that either zip down one side or button down one side.  The kind that have snaps down the front and then each leg is a pain in the ass to change diapers in the middle of the night!  I would always buy the zipper kind if I could find them.

Too Many SNAPS!!!

Ahhhh...one sided snaps/zipper.

4 Pairs of footed pants

• Footed pants are good to have to keep baby warm and stylish in the early months. You don't have to worry about socks!!  Carter's Sleep and Play sets include a pair of footed pants, a onesie and a cap. 

Coming Home Outfit

• You HAVE to get a coming home outfit!  Make sure to wash it first before packing it in your baby's hospital bag!  New clothing is LOADED with chemicals.  Here's why.

Seasonal Clothing

• Keep in mind the weather when you bring home baby from the hospital and bring him to his many well exams within the first few months.  It snowed each day that I was in the hospital with Baby D and we received a bunting as a gift at one of my baby showers....If I would have put Baby D in that bunting and then put the baby in the infant carrier with the car seat cover over it...that baby would have overheated in a second!  He was just fine in his long sleeved side snap tee, pants, fuzzy socks and a cap.

Safety/Health

Baby Monitor

• The only baby monitor you will need.  This monitor works off a wireless connection between the monitor and the camera.  NOT to be confused with your wireless home network.  Here is my theory on those super-expensive WIFI baby monitors....if your internet goes down or your wireless router craps out...so does the monitor.  There is no other way for the monitor to talk to the camera and vice-versa; well unless you setup a hotspot on your phone and use the data from your cell phone carrier.  Also, if you have slow internet at home, you will notice slow performance in the monitor/camera on the WIFI capable ones.  With THIS monitor, below, you can actually buy an additional camera and spy on your next baby the same time you are spying on your toddler!

Safety Gates

• You won't need these until baby starts to crawl and especially when he starts walking.  Put a few different ones on your registry, because someone might buy it for you.  That's $80-$150 less that you will have to spend when baby is around 5-6 months old.

Safety Locks, outlet plug covers

• Again, you won't need these until baby is mobile.  Most cabinet locks on the market require you to drill into the kitchen/bathroom cabinetry, at least from the ones I have seen and the ones that look like zip ties are IMPOSSIBLE to work.  Honestly, I gave Baby D his own drawer in the kitchen and used twist ties on the cabinet in the kitchen that contains the cleaning supplies.  He occasionally tries to open it, but the twist ties hold up......and they came with my trash bags. #winning
• Get a HUGE box of the Outlet Plug Covers, because once you use one box, you realize that you need about 20 more.

Humidifier

• "furnace nose" is very common in newborn babies. This is when they seems congested with a stuffy nose.  It happens no matter what the weather is like outside and inside the home.  A newborn baby will need to grown into their Lymph nodes and glands inside their neck and throat.  They are a little bigger which can cause this "furnace nose" to happen.  Any humidifier will work just fine.  It doesn't need to be a $50 frog one that matches the baby's nursery theme. You can get an ultrasonic filterless humidifier at Wal-Mart for under $30.

Thermometer

• I recommend 2 thermometers.  One that can be used in the ear and a regular digital one.  We have this one that I bought at Wal-Mart for $30. 

• If you baby takes a pacifier, try this one out. Make sure to read the instructions carefully and DON'T drop it! I haven't had to use it yet, because baby hasn't been sick. Having a few thermometers in the house is good, in case you get a strange reading on one, you can use the backup to make sure.

Nasal Aspirator

• Let me just say, this NoseFrida thing is disgusting and expensive, but there are moms out there that swear by it!  I have had the best luck with the nasal aspirator the nurse gave me at the hospital.

First Aid Kit and Infant Medicines

• The first aid kid in my house contains:
•  holistic teething tablets (which I always forget about)
• baby brush, baby comb
• pacifier thermometer
• pacifier medicine dispenser (AWESOME!)
• This first aid kid which has great medicine dispensing tools..the nasal aspirator sucks..well..doesn't suck...sigh...it doesn't suck out boogies!
• Saline drops/sprayer
• Vaseline
• Liquid Children's Tylenol
• Liquid Children's Motrin

Gentle Laundry Detergent

• Dreft is good to use.  I still use it for Baby D. It has a very light baby scent to it.  If you are concerned about your baby's sensitive skin, buy any kind of laundry detergent that says "fragrance fee and Hypoallergenic".  These types of detergent are made without chemicals that could be considered potential allergens.

Furniture and Television Straps

• Again, you aren't going to need these until baby is moving, but put them on the registry anyway.  Someone might buy them.

Shopping Cart/Restaurant High Chair Cover

• We have the Eddie Bauer one that we received as a gift and still use it today. As soon as Baby D hit 20 pounds I started putting him in it; otherwise I would carry him around in a front pack.  He just got too heavy for me and my back was killing me by the end of the shopping trip...but it was so worth it to have a sleeping baby on me.

Baby Wearing

• Moby Wrap is a must, no matter how much I hate it.  There is a lot of fabric with this thing.  I used this around the house, because whenever I went anywhere I would have to put it on BEFORE I even got in the car.  It's a pain in the ass, really, but I loved it for around the house and really once Baby D turned 2 months old, I felt as though he didn't fit into it as well as he did as a newborn.
• Ergo Baby Carrier: This is the high end of baby carriers and IMO the only one you will ever need. I don't have one.  I wanted one.  I STILL want one, but they are $135.  Sometimes, Target will have a deal where if you buy the Ergo you get a free $20 Target gift card. That's a good deal.
• Patapum.  I was fortunate enough to have a veteran mom lend one of these to me and I absolutely loved it...until Baby D reached 20 pounds and it's only like that because I was still wearing him on the front.  The patapum can be worn so that baby is on your back.  I still have yet to try this with my now toddler (tear).

Night-light

• Any night-light will do.  In addition to a night light, Dear Husband and I got a 3-way changing light bulb at a very low watt and used that to change diapers in the middle of the night.

Nursing & Feeding

Breast Pump

• I know you plan on breastfeeding...right??? OK good :) Because the Medela Pump n Style with tote is the only breast pump you will need.  If you don't get this as a gift from your registry, don't fret.  You can return a bunch of stuff that you will never use and apply the store credit to the breast pump.  That is what Dear Husband and I did.  When you go to purchase the breast pump, look on the box to find a manufactured date.  I don't know what it is about electronics, but I feel more comfortable knowing that something was built in the last 3 months than something that has been sitting on the shelf for 1 year.  Remember to sterilize all pump parts at least a week before baby is due, that way you won't have to do it when you need to start pumping to store breastmilk

Breast Milk Storage Containers

• I bought the Lansinoh bags in bulk on Amazon and used every single one of them.  Not only for Breastmilk, but also for baby food when I started making it for Baby D.
• If you buy the Medela pump n style advanced, it comes with a little cooler with 4 small bottles to pump in.  You will need more if you plan on storing breastmilk.  I recommend four 5oz bottles and four 8oz bottles from Medela. 

Steam Sterilizer Bags and Cleaning Wipes

• You don't need to go crazy with the steam sterilizer bags and cleaning wipes.  Out of the year that I breastfed and pumped I only used 2 of the steam sterilizer bags and maybe 4 cleaning wipes.  You can use each Medela steam sterilizer bag 20 times. You can find the best deal on these at the baby stores. NOT Amazon this time.
• Cleaning wipes are good to keep with you in your pump bag when you go anywhere.  There was a time when I dropped my shield and the cap to a bottle that I just pumped into at work.  Luckily, I had put pacifier wipes in my pump bag and used those to wipe down the parts that fell on the floor.

Nursing Bras, Pads, Soothing Ointments and Gel Pads

• This is the only nursing tank you will EVER need.  I bought 5 of them and they have held up nicely in the wash.  You can only get them at Target and they are only $25.  Watch for sales!
  
• I tried two different kinds of soothing ointments for sore nipples and none of them really did anything.  You just have to power through the feeding frenzies!  The gel pads hurt when they come off, but they do soothe for about 10 minutes.
  Bamboobies seem to be really popular and have great reviews, but I used disposable ones for the first month and then moved onto organic cotton ones that are washable.

Nursing Pillow and Cover

• Of course you need the Boppy! I have friends that used "My Breast Friend" and loved it, but I'm not a fan...maybe because of the name? HAHA! I used the boppy to nurse Baby D and also used it to prop him up and for tummy time! I would recommend getting at least 2 covers for it.  In the beginning of breastfeeding, the milk has a yellowish tint to it and can stain.  I was given the Bare Naked Boppy and a water resistant protective cover.  Even if breast milk/spitup/formula leaks through the cover, it will still get on the pillow, but if you get a water resistant cover it will help not to seep into the pillow as much.

Burp Cloths

• I hear some moms say that all burp cloths do the same thing.  True; however you can get a burp cloth that does AMAZING things...like absorb MORE liquid!  We used cloth diapers for burp cloths/sipup rags.  These things are super-absorbent and a lot thicker than the shitty Gerber burp rags.  I hated the Gerber burp cloths.  Spit-up would literally just roll off the Gerber burp cloth.  You can get 6 cloth diapers for under $12 on Amazon.

Bottles and Nipples:

• If you are planning on following my post on the secrets to pumping and storing breastmilk or if you are a working mom, then you will need 3 sets of the Dr. Brown's 3-pack of 4 oz bottles.  Total of nine 4 oz bottles
• As baby drinks more around 3-4 months you will need to upgrade to the 8 oz bottles.  You will also need 3 sets of these.  Total of nine 8 oz bottles
• It's always good to have a spare pack of nipples, but I never used them.

Bottle Brush

• By far, this is the best bottle brush to clean the breastmilk film off the bottles.

Bottle Sterilizer

• When it comes to kitchen gadgets, I'm a brat.  I love anything by Cuisinart.  Therefore, we had to get the Cuisinart sterilizer

Bottle Drying Rack

• Seriously, this is the only drying rack you will ever need. And it's less than $10!!

Dishwasher Basket

• Never bought one, because I had the sterilizer.  I thought, "when I'm too lazy to use the sterilizer I'll go get a dishwasher basket"..I never did, because I never got lazy with the bottle sterilizer.  The days that I felt tired of cleaning and sterilizing bottles I reminded myself that my baby is drinking out of a container that needs to be completely sterile of all germs that might hurt his little body.  Maybe I'll feel differently with the next baby, but not now.

Bottle Warmer

• You guessed it...Cuisinart. I miss that bottle warmer.  I brought it over to my child care provider's house to use, because it heated bottles and food PERFECTLY! I did end up buying this one on eBay for $12 to keep at my house.  All bottle warmers do the exact same thing, you just have to play around with how much water you put into it to get the food/milk/formula to the right temperature.

Infant Bowls and Spoons

• We didn't put these on the registry thinking, it's going to be a while until we use these.  We started solids at 4 months and it was great having a bowl and spoon ready...NOT.  I had to go to the store on my lunch break and get bowls and the correct size spoons to start feeding Baby D cereal.  I recently purchased these bowls that have suction cups on the bottom!  Amazing invention!
  

High Chair

• Get a high chair that can convert.  We got the transformer of all high chairs. This thing is a high chair, booster seat, toddler seat and infant seat. It was around $200 and it does all those things.  Pretty amazing.  It will literally grow with Baby D.  Plus, when Baby D is ready for the toddler seat the high chair part is still available for another infant to sit in!  Watch the video and be amazed.  Oh one more thing, it snaps together.

Booster Seat

• Since the high chair comes with a booster, we didn't put one on our registry.  I did end up buy a $20 one from BRU to keep at my mother-in-laws house for when we go over there for family dinners and holidays. $20 well spent, so put one on your registry!

15-30 Bibs

• You read that correctly. You cannot have too many bibs.  You will need them if you have a "spitter", heavy drooler and you will even need them for breastfeeding if you are using a shield.  When baby starts teething the drool will just pour out of baby's mouth and you don't want baby to have a wet chest from the drool otherwise he might get chilled. Try to find bibs with snaps or the no-scratch velcro.  We had some cheapy bibs and one actually scratched the side of Baby D's face and left marks. It was so sad. There are so many creative bibs these days.  I bought these from Amazon and used them only for a short amount of time when Baby D was around 4 months.  He was just a chunk around 4 and 5 months and these bibs did not fit very well.  He wears them now that he is a year old and they fit perfectly.

Toddler Cups

• Put a variety of sippy cups on your registry.  Some babies are picky with what they drink out of.  For example, Baby D prefers to drink out of a sippy cup with a soft straw.  These come apart for easy cleaning (do not sterilize, they will melt).

Don't get these, you will NEVER get the straw back through the lid once you take it out to clean.

To-go and Storage Containers

• We put a few of these on the registry, but I didn't start using them until Baby D was eating a lot of solid foods that weren't pureed around 7 months.  I used them to pack his lunch in for the next day.

Insulated Bottle Tote and/or Reusable Ice Pack

• They all do the same thing, just make sure you get one tall enough for the 8 oz bottles

4-6 Pacifiers

• I can't stress this enough: get different brands and different kinds.  Luckily, we only had to try 2 different pacifiers until Baby D found the one that he really liked.  The hospital gave us the Avent Soothie which was great, until he out grew it.  Then we moved onto the Phillips Avent Freeflow soothers .  And of course I bought some glow in the dark night night binkies!  Totally unnecessary.

2 Teethers

• You defiantly need to have at least one of these. Don't buy the over-priced squeeky giraffe for almost $25! For one, if you have a dog it will think that it's HIS toy. And the teethers that you put in the freezer are too hard for baby to nom on.  We bought two different ones and Baby D liked them both and they each were under $5.
• RazBaby RazBerry

• Nuby Teether

Bath 

• Puj Tub.  This thing was pretty cool, but as soon as Baby D was able to launch himself out of it onto the bathroom counter by kicking his feet we switched to this one at 4 months:
• Two-Way Baby Bather. This one is able to support even newborns.  We used this one until 7 months old.

Diaper Pail/Refills

• You can spend the $40 on the diaper pail and continue to invest $15 for each refill, or just use the plastic bags that you get with your groceries.  We still have the diaper pail...and when it's full, we switch to plastic bags.  Really, the baby poop doesn't smell bad if you are breastfeeding.  It starts to smell once you introduce a few cans of pureed food.

Diapers, in progressive sizes

• Don't put too many newborn sizes on the registry! Baby D only wore newborn sizes for a month. Put size 1, 2 and 3 on the registry.  You will find that your baby will be in a size 3 and 4 for the longest time.  Baby D is now 13 months old and still wearing a size 4, to give you an example.  Remember too, diaper sizes are based on how much baby weighs, not how old he is in months.  I think a lot of people get confused with that, along with sizes in baby clothing.  When it comes to brands of diapers, we only went with Pampers based on consumer reviews that they did not leak.  Then, P&G changed the design and material of the diaper in late 2013 and the Pampers Cruisers now suck.  They leak and the white tabs (once purple) are so cheap and thin that they rip off.  We switched to Huggies and haven't had an issue.

Wipes & Vaseline

• Start with sensitive wipes and STAY with sensitive wipes.  Pamper's sensitive wipes are the only ones that do not give Baby D booty irritation. They do not have any fragrance which is good, because that is just one more added chemical that doesn't need to be on your baby's body! We tried Huggies Natural care and it literally gave him blisters on his little butt.  I was so pissed.
• You don't need to spend lots of money on A&D and other diaper ointments.  If baby has diaper rash, then instead of putting a chemical on it to "Medicate" the rash, put a barrier on it so that it can heal while baby still does his business.  This coming directly from Baby D's pediatrician Dr. Doug.  To this day, Baby D has not had any type of diaper rash.  His little booty did get irritated at times from pooping a lot, but no diaper rash.

Baby Shampoo/Wash

• Chances are you are going to get a lot of BabyMagic and Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo/body wash and lotion.  I started with Aveeno's line of hypoallergenic, fragrance free bath and lotion products.  Again, less chemicals to put on your baby's skin.  It makes mommy's skin soft too!

Bath Toys

• You won't need these right away, but when baby is old enough to play in the tub with bath toys (I'd say around 7 months) they are nice to have readily available.  Rinse them first before putting them in the tub with baby...again, they are made in factories with chemicals.

Bath Toy Storage

• I have all Baby D's bath toys in a bin I bought at the dollar store. 

Bath Kneeler

• You don't really need one of these if you have a memory foam bath mat from Aldi that you bought for $5!

4-6 Hooded Towels

• You will need these for baby.  And you will also need this! My mom made me two of these and I still use them!

6-8 Baby Washcloths

• Make sure the fabric is super soft and wash these before washing baby.

Shampoo Rinse Cup

• I got one of these at one of my baby showers and didn't think I would ever use it, but held onto it.  Good thing I did, because I use it every time Baby D takes a bath!

Bathtub Spout Cover

• Prevents baby from bonking his head on the spout.  No one got me this on the registry :( and I still don't have one! 

Nursery & Decor

Bassinet/Playard

• Don't spend $150-$300 on a bassinet that you are only going to use for a month!  That is outrageous! Buy on of these and use it for a looooong time at it was about $150. We put this on on our registry and it was a group gift.  We used this for a good amount of time when Baby D was a newborn, with the bassinet attachment. Baby D slept in the bassinet part and when it was time for diaper changes in the middle of the night, Dear Husband lifted him out of the bassinet and over to the changing station that is built into the pack n play.  Changed the diaper and then lifted him back into the bassinet attachment. Done. Sleep until next one.  This is where the Carter's receiving blankets came in handy.  I would lay one down on the changing table attachment, so that the changing table material wasn't cold on baby's booty.  It is made out of a type of plastic material that can easily be cleaned, but it was always cold to the touch.  These attachments come off, so when baby outgrows the bassinet attachment (2 months for Baby D), you can put baby to sleep in the pack in play via the elevated bed part.  Baby D did NOT like this at all.  Instead, we used the Rock N Play Sleeper for the longest time...probably until he was 6 months old.  The Rock N Play Sleeper literally hugs the baby.  See below:

Rock N Play Sleeper:

Crib and Crib Mattress

• Yeah, I'm not even going to comment on this, because Baby D still doesn't sleep in his crib as often as he should.  And we ended up buying a $500 convertible crib. 

2-3 Waterproof Mattress Pads

3+ Fitted Crib Sheets

2-3 Sheet Savers

• Get a couple of these in different types of fabrics.  We bought two, so when one was on the crib the other one was standing by to replace that one.

Changing Table

• You don't neeeeed a changing table.  We put a changing pad on top of his dresser that has a hutch on it.  We honestly only used it a few times, since Baby D was rooming-in with us for the first few months.

Changing Pad

• They all do the same thing.  Just make sure you get one with a belt.

2-3 Changing Pad Covers

• You will be surprised of the amount of times you have to change the changing pad cover.  We had four and while we were using the changing pad the first month, we went through those changing pad covers on a daily basis.  Sometimes, baby decides he isn't done pooping...or maybe he needs to poop again and then pee on daddy :)

Dresser or Dresser with Hutch

• Again, we invested money into Baby D's furniture, because it is going to last for many years. We didn't want to end up purchasing a toddler bed when it came time to do so and then purchase a bigger bed and so on and so forth so we purchased a Dresser with hutch and the convertible crib from BBB with a $200 off furniture coupon.  All together, we probably paid $1,000 for the baby furniture.

Glider & Ottoman

• Instead of a glider and ottoman, we invested in a lazyboy type nursing chair.  That way, once we are done using it as a rocking/nursing chair it can go into the living room as a regular chair.  We got one that matched the other furniture in our house.  It was a little on the expensive side, but think about it...when are you EVER going to use the glider and ottoman again.  Are you going to put that in your living room when you are done nursing? Shove it in storage until the next baby? Seems like a waste of $150 when you can apply that money towards something else that you can use later.

Hamper

• A must

Mobile

• My father bought this mobile for Baby D when he was a newborn and Baby D really liked it.  Once Baby D was able to stand up in his crib and start grabbing at the mobile, we took the mobile attachment off.  Now, he has a nice sound machine with waves, seagulls and classical lullabies. 
  

Storage Baskets/Bins

• These are super great to have.  I use them as portable diaper caddies.  One in my bedroom, one in the living room and one in Baby D's room. Different sizes of bins are recommended!

Baby Gear & Travel

Travel System

• If you buy a travel system, you will not need to buy a stroller, infant carrier and infant car seat base separately.  My father bought the travel system for us for $269 with a 20% off coupon at BBB.  Included with it was an infant carrier, infant carrier car seat base and a stroller! Watch the video and see if this is right for you and your family.

Convertible Car seat

• You won't necessarily need the convertible car seat until your baby is a year old, or exceeds the weight and length limit of the infant carrier.  We switched over to a convertible car seat at 6 months old.  Baby D was just too heavy to carry around in that infant carrier!!  When the time did come to buy a convertible car seat, I went with safety ratings over look and style and I purchased an all-in-one convertible car seat. Keep baby facing rear as long as possible, even if he is starting to kick the back of the back seat.  Rear facing is the safest for baby/toddler.

Extra Car Seat Base

• If you have two cars, then get an extra base.  If you don't have two cars, don't waste your money on an extra base.

Car Mirror

• Much needed to spy on baby while he's in the car seat.  You don't have to get the $30 car mirror with all the lights, sounds and animals on it.  Chances are baby is going to fall asleep in the car and not even look at the mirror.  We bought two of these and haven't had any issues with them

Car Seat Bunting/Cover

• These are a great to have for all seasons.  We bought one that was super thick and fuzzy, since Baby D was born in February and we live in Chicago.  We used it EVERY single time we took the baby anywhere, until it got warm enough to "shelve it".  I have seen some custom made ones on Etsy like this that are lighter weight and about the same price as the store-bought ones. My sister-in-law used a changing pad cover!  Amazing!!

Stroller or Travel System

• You will save money if you buy a travel system.  A typical travel system comes with an infant car seat base, infant car seat and a stroller that the infant car seat snaps right into.   In addition, the stroller is also a regular stroller (check to make sure before buying).  Here is the one that we bought:
  

Umbrella Stroller

• We still haven't purchased one of these, but maybe we will when he is a little older.  I rarely even use the stroller that came with the travel system as it is.  It's way more fun to wear baby!

Baby Wearing

• My favorite part!  Baby wearing is really awesome.  I will write a completely separate post on baby wearing.  But these are all the baby carriers that I have an have used:
• Moby
• Patapum (baby and toddler carrier in one)
• Baby Bjorn (easiest for Dear Husband to use)
• Ergo Baby Carrier (Put this on your registry if you plan on carrying baby, because it's over $100!!)

Bouncer or Rocker

• If you buy a 3-in-1 device, you can have a rocker, bounce and swing! The one we purchased is a swing and bouncer all in one!  When baby is done swinging, just lift off the bouncer part and you now have....yep...a bouncer.  The bouncer part has 2 vibrating speeds and the swing part has a few nature sounds and many swing speeds.  Both require batteries, of course :)  We only used this for about 2 months and then Baby D was NOT interested in it at all.
  

Diaper Bag for Mom

• My Mother and Sister went in on a Coach diaper bag for me and it's great!  I thought for sure that it was going to be too small, but it honestly fits everything that I need in the bag!  You can find diaper bags at any store.  You don't need to spend more than $30 on one, unless you want to.  They all pretty much do the same.  There was no need for us to get the one with an insulated pocket, because Baby D was breastfed.  Oh wait...there was this one time when Dear Husband needed a place to put his Dr. Pepper...THEN that would have come in handy.

Diaper Bag for Significant Other

• Don't think that your significant other doesn't need a diaper bag, because they do!  They will need one for their car at least, but you can pack it to make sure baby has everything he needs.

Changing Mat

• Most diaper bags come with a shitty changing mat.  It works.  We used the changing mat until Baby D started to eat solid foods.  When they start eating solid foods, their poo is less runny and more formed, so you don't have as many drips.

Toys for Car Seat and Stroller

• No matter how many toys I put in the car or stroller, Baby D seldom to rarely played with them :/

Stroller Hooks

• I highly recommend the Mommy Hook.  You can put a lot of shit on this without having to crowd the stroller.

Activity Center and Jumper

• I recommend purchasing two: one activity center and one jumper, especially if you have a two story house.  We keep one in the basement and one upstairs.  Baby D never spent more than 10 minutes in either one of these things (sometimes I think babies get overstimulated in these things), but they are good to have if you need to run to the bathroom; baby will be safe in there for 10 minutes.

Bright Starts Activity Centers are much cheaper than Fisher Price and other brands...and they do the same exact things: Keep baby safe and stimulate for a bit.

We have this Baby Einstein one and I don't think it bounces really well.  The springs are so tight.  My girlfriend has a Fisher Price Jumper and it's REALLY springy!

Activity Mats and Gyms

• Activity Mats and Gyms are great, especially if you can find one that can convert into a couple other different things.  We bought the Fisher Price Discover 'n Grow Kick and Play Piano Gym.  It features a mat, with a mirror hanging above baby and a little piano that plays single notes and songs.  When baby is ready for tummy time you can move the arc and prop up the mirror, so that baby can see himself!  He loves it!  THEN...with a click of the keyboard baby can play the piano when he is able to sit up by himself.  This device was a life saver when I was getting ready for work.  Again, Baby D did not last more than 15 minutes with this thing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Books

• Choose books with contrasting colors, baby will LOVE that.  Baby D never seemed interested in books when he was an infant, but now that's all he wants to do is read  books (gook).  So, when he was an infant I would read to him from the American Academy of Pediatrics book! He didn't seem to mind and I was learning lots of good stuff.

Batteries

• It seems silly to put batteries on your baby registry....but do it!  You WILL go through them!