Week 12: Hard Copy of Daily Baby Record

As we were packing up our things in the hospital to take our baby boy home, the multiple nurses who came through each mentioned to us that we needed to keep track of how often (and how long) he was nursing,  hen he had a wet diaper, when he had a BM diaper, etc. They each said that the pediatrician would be asking for that information at the first doctor's appointment. 

I had seen a post on Pinterest about great apps for mom's and one of them was Baby Connect ($4.99 for your iPhone). Once you download the app you can track all of these things and more! It's awesome because you can designate others to login to the application (like your spouse, grandparents or other caregivers) so they can input the information into the same place as well. Even though you have to pay the $4.99 for each device the app is used on, you can login for free from any computer. 

Fantastic if all of your caregivers have smart phones or access to a computer 24/7 while watching your little one, but what if they don't? It's still important to me to have that information tracked, so I created a hard copy document that I can print off as I need to. I even put instructions at the top so each new caregiver knows how much to feed (or not feed) the baby and what other expectations you have as far as activities are concerned. You can download an example document here that you can customize to your child's name and criteria. (Simply click Ctrl + S when the preview pops up to download the original word file.)

This may seem like a more manual process, since you'll have to log the information back into the Baby Connect interface yourself, but at least you'll have the information logged and you don't have caregivers trying to remember how many wet diapers there were and how many ounces the little guy or gal has had since early that morning.

Week 11: Crib Dust Ruffle

I saw this tutorial for making a crib dust ruffle on Pinterest and wanted to make an Angry Birds dust ruffle for my baby's crib. First I purchased the smallest sheet set I could find (twin) and was going to cut it up and follow the instructions.

However, I felt like it was an ambitious task I was about to undertake considering how tired I was in the third trimester. So I improvised.

The sheet set was completely useful in its twin set state so before we put the mattress down, we just used the flat sheet as the dust ruffle. Not only was it a heck of a lot easier than sewing a dust ruffle (like the one pictured top left), but now we can reuse the twin sheet. Some may call it cheating or a short-cut... I call it efficient and achievable. :)

Week 10: Hospital Goody Bag for Dad

Once my bag was packed in preparation for going to the hospital, I put together a special bag for my husband based on something I saw on Pinterest. Yes, it's true that once you go into labor you are limited on what you can eat and drink, but I didn't think my husband should be punished and starve because I couldn't eat.

On Pinterest I saw a "Daddy Hospital Survival Kit" filled with some candy, magazines, homemade bread, soda and some magazines. Although the packaging was very nice and included some cute printables, I knew my husband wouldn't really care about how nice it looked. I did package my version like a present (gift bag with tissue paper) so he wouldn't look through it before I went into labor.

I let him open his "Survival Kit" when we arrived at the hospital and were unpacking our hospital bag. My goal was to give him some snacks and something to do during the first night where I anticipated being in labor all night long. Once the baby arrived he would have plenty to do!

Here's what I included in my version of the "Daddy Hospital Survival Kit:"

• Two magazines (fantasy football guide and a guide to phone apps)
• Two Snickers bars (his favorite candy)
• Peanut butter crackers (peanut butter for some energy)
• Mountain Dew (for a lot of energy)
• Angry Birds Cheese Nips (our nursery theme is Angry Birds)

No matter what you put in your "Daddy Hospital Survival Kit," make sure that you pack some snacks for yourself in your regular hospital bag for when you're done delivering your bundle of joy. Daddy will likely be happy with whatever you pack for him, but making it personal will make him feel special as well.

Week Nine: Make-Up Brush Holder

With our bathroom remodel, I've been looking for organization ideas for storage to keep the counter tops looking classy. I saw this photo on the left on Pinterest where make-up brushes are stored in a glass container with flat marbles.

I really liked the idea, but wanted to use whole coffee beans instead of flat marbles. It's turned out to be a fragrant pick-me-up in the morning when I'm putting my make-up on. My make-up brush collection isn't very large so I used a smaller container that I purchased for a dollar at the local Deals. I chose the cheapest hazelnut flavored coffee beans from Walmart for about $5. When the coffee beans stop smelling fragrant, I have a reserve to replace the whole beans as necessary.

This organization can be used for other items too! I'm using the same idea for my eyeliners as well.

Week Eight: Final Pinterest Project, Maternity Photos

Alright, so it's not really week eight - I'm a little behind. But it's time for maternity photos, yay! Pinterest offered a variety of good ideas... and some (ahem) interesting photos. I had my brother and sister-in-law come over to take the photos loosely based off the ideas I showed them from Pinterest. We didn't research online, but here's a post about flattering maternity pics if you want some other ideas. Here's some of the inspirational photos from Pinterest.

Here's some of the more interesting photos I came across. (Note: I personally not a big fan of showing my stretch-marked belly, but it works for some women... and the husbands/boyfriends apparently.)

Through all the inspiration on Pinterest, here's some of the photos we saw, I liked the ones that were a little quirky, ones that included the family dog, and ones that included some portion of the nursery. We had two locations for the photo shoot: a trail with a lot of greenery and the nursery.

Our dog wasn't too interested in cooperating and the inspirational poses I found on Pinterest looked really awkward so we just winged it. My favorite photo is the one taken with a point and shot at a tilted angle (middle photo at left).

Food Taste Test: Mississippi Roast

I'm always on the hunt for a good/quick/easy meal to feast on and I found it with this Mississippi Roast recipe. It is literally the easiest thing I've ever made and it tastes FANTASTIC! Here's the instructions: Put chuck roast in crock pot, sprinkle with Hidden Valley ranch dressing dry mix packet, add Au Jus dry mix packet, a stick of butter, 5 pepperoncini peppers. Don't add water. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

It was tempting to change up the recipe just a little bit, but I went by the instructions and it was tasty. Next time I would add in some carrots and onions - adding some much needed veggies in my diet.

Photo of recipe from Candis' blog.

I initially found this Mississippi Roast recipe through Pinterest, but there are more pictures (like the one in this post) and instructions on Candis' blog post.

Week Seven: Final Pinterest Project Tub Cleaning

This week, I decided to clean my bathtub and even though the pictures aren't great, I think everyone can tell that this tub needed a good clean (see photo below). My inspiration was the tub cleaner solution from Pinterest (see photo to right) of equal parts white vinegar (microwaved for 90 seconds) and Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle swirled around. You're supposed to spray and let it set for one to two hours.

I didn't have Dawn dish soap so I took my chances with Palmolive. Although you can see from my before and after pictures that it actually does work, here are the lessons I learned from implementing this Pin this week.

• Be really careful when pulling the vinegar out of the microwave, it's extremely hot.
• Use a funnel when putting the vinegar and dish soap into the spray bottle, it's a heck of a lot easier.
• The fumes are noxious! Be prepared for strong smells from the beginning. Even when you spray the tub and leave the bathroom, the smell will waft down the hall as you're letting it sit. Use a fan to help with the stench.
• Let it sit for the recommended two hours. I only let it sit for one hour and did have to scrub a bunch. Either way, it was a lot less scrubbing that would have happened with regular cleaners I've used in the past.

PINTEREST success!!!