What I've learned

Okay so, I've only been a mom for 10 weeks, but there are a few things that have really stuck out to me and I thought I would pass them along to anyone who wanted it instead of telling them/shoving it down their throat, but some advice to expectant parents reading this: Everybody and anybody is going to give you advice and or tell you how to rasie your kid, yes even crazy old people at Wal-Mart who have no clue who you are!! Ignore it!! The only ones you should listen to are your parents who rasied you and your in-laws who raised your spouse, because the child will follow it's parents patterns, it's kinda scary. Hannah favors Elliott a little more in her apperance, but when it comes to her sleeping and eating, we've decided it's a little more me. Her sleeping patterns are almost identical to the way I was as a baby and they're honestly not too different from my current sleeping preferences. As far as her facial expressions it's 50/50. But anywho, back to what I came here to do.

Here's a list of several things that have stuck out to me that have either worked great or failed miserably:
1. Gowns work well for the first week or two, they're handy for overnight diaper changes those first few weeks, but after about week 2 or 3, sleepers are the way to go. They allow for more range of movement in the legs for the baby and if you get the ones with the snaps up the legs it's not much harder to change them.
2. Pacifers are a godsend!! Hannah liked the mam Orthodontic ones in her first week, but she is currently hooked on her Soothie (the new green hospital pacifer), and the Soothie bottle collection from "the First Years."
3. Swings and Bouncers are a must! They are perfect for calming the baby when you can't and they give you a break, because you can't hold your baby every minute of the day. It also teaches them independence and gives them a chance to figure things out, like their fingers.
4. Cloth diapers are the best burp rags, drool wipers, and are perfect for cleaning up a minor spill.
5. Bibs are outfit savers. They're perfect for catching the random spit-ups and drool, so you don't have to do laundry everyday.
6. The no-scratch mittens are useless. They come off at the drop of a hat and the kids don't like them. The little mitten cuffs on various sleepers and gowns work better, but you're better off clipping and filling their nails in their sleep. Your kid will at somepoint scratch their face and it's okay.
7. When it comes to shots, give them Tylenol an hour before and every 4 hours afterward for the next 12 to 24 hours.
8. The pacifer medicine dispensers are awesome!! The kids think they're just sucking away on a pacifer/bottle and the medcine is taken in moments without a hitch.
9. You don't have to be quiet for your kid, they'll most likely sleep through the vacum (the vacum puts Hannah to sleep). Plus the more you and your spouse talk around them the more familar they'll be with you and your voice. You should also talk and sing to them, a lot.
10. Remember when it comes down to it, this is YOUR child, so temperatures, things, sounds, TV shows, and everything you like will mostlikely work for them as well.