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This weekend I packed Gracie’s hospital bag. And then I jumped up and down and squealed because I was so excited.

(That’s a true story, by the way…)

When I packed Bean’s bag, I went overboard. Like most new moms, I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed at the hospital. I also wanted to use everything that was new in the first 5 days. His diaper bag had toys in them (note: newborns ain’t so interested in toys), diapers and wipes (note: the hospital gives you these and it saves you lots o’ dough), bibs (note: newborns aren’t teething), blankets (hint: the hospital blankets are better for swaddling than anything they sell in stores), and his entire newborn wardrobe (hint: the hospital staff prefers babies to be in simple clothing so they have easy access to them for testing, feeding, diapering, etc.).

This time, I streamlined.

Even my diaper bag is smaller this time. I loved the diaper bag I had for Bean, but it was really big. Which I really liked at the time. But with two babies now, I’m ready to lighten whatever load I can and so I started with my diaper bag. My sister picked this one out actually and gave it to me for Christmas. I don’t think she meant for it to be my main diaper bag. I think it was really more like an extra Mom Bag to use for miscellaneous things. But I love it! First of all, you can’t tell by looking at it (you can’t even tell in person), but the entire thing is protected in a plastic-like fabric that can be wiped down super easily. I also love that it’s so open. There’s pockets on the ends of the bag that are the perfect size for a cell phone or a couple binkies and there are one or two pockets on the inside if you needed them. But that’s really it. The rest of it is very open, which I love. Super fast access when you’re fumbling around with a newborn in your arms in search of an emergency burp cloth.

You know what I love the most though? My sister had it embroidered with Gracie’s name on it.

(Incidentally, if you’re interested in this diaper bag, shoot me an email. My sister sells them, along with a billion other hand bags and accessories, through a company called 31 Gifts. They come in all kinds of prints and colors.)

My sister also gave Gracie her little lamb. This lamb is made by the same company who made Mr. Bear and it even has the same noise box in the back of it that Bean listened to when he was little bitty. It makes all different kinds of noises – rain, ocean waves, white noise – but the one that always put Bean to sleep was the heartbeat sound. We had Mr. Bear in his little bassinet in the hospital from the day he was born and we’ll do the same for Gracie.

Another thing that we found so useful with Bean was a Boppy pillow. Because I had a c-section, I was in the hospital for five full days. That’s a long time. And I didn’t want Bean to be in his little plastic hospital container that whole time, but I also had trouble holding him for too long because of my c-section incision. My Boppy pillow became a lifesaver. It allowed Bean to snuggle up right there on my bed with me even with my stitches.

This time around, we’re using Bean’s Boppy pillow, but my sweet friend, Sarah, sent me her daughter’s much more girly pillow covers. Bring on the pink and purple!

Also in my diaper bag this time is a little Ziplock bag of newborn binkies. I sterilized these this weekend and then put them in a baggie to toss into my diaper bag. I don’t know if Gracie will take a binky, but Bean loved his. I threw them in the bag just in case. You never know what the wee princess is going to prefer. I really don’t need to bring this many, but they are so small I just threw what I had into the diaper bag. If you’re planning for your own diaper bag, you probably just need one or two.

One of my favorite things in my diaper bag is this small-sized blanket that my mom crocheted. I love it because of it’s size for one thing. It’s just the perfect size for a newborn and it fits perfectly in a car seat or stroller. I love it also because the fabric is so incredibly soft. It feels like a fuzzy little duckling. But I love it mostly because it is the same exact size and pattern as the one she made for Bean. Only Bean’s was blue, green, and yellow.

Now, Gracie has a pink, green, and white blanket to match and we’ll bring her home in that blanket, just like we brought Bean home in his.

That’s not the only thing that my mom made that we’re bringing to the hospital this time. I packed a huge stack of her burp cloths to bring, too. The last time we were at the hospital with Bean, we just used what the hospital gave us and there was nothing wrong with that. They were plentiful and free! And at that time, I had no preference yet for burp cloths. It was my first time using one! But this time around, I know what I prefer and I prefer my mom’s. She makes these giant, over-sized, super soft burp cloths that I just adore. (By the way, she sells them for $4 on her Etsy shop, if you want to stock up…)

I also threw in one of my mom’s homemade receiving blankets. Though the hospitals are really the best ones for swaddling, my mom’s are way softer and much better than the ones I have found in the baby stores. These are slightly over-sized, so they are great for swaddling. And the fabric – though softer than the hospital ones – are still a wee bit stiff, which is actually ideal for swaddling. If the blanket is too floppy or soft, it’s easier for the baby to wiggle their way out. Which really irritates both Mommy and Baby. (Mom sells these in her store, too, by the way…)

When we were in the hospital with Bean, it was freezing! I remember not having socks for me, Chris, OR Bean when we were there the first day. I made Chris go home and get us all extra socks for the rest of our stay. This time, I’m more prepared. I packed at least one pair of socks for the full five days that they might keep us. Some hospitals will provide these, too, (Bean’s did) but I wanted to make sure I had some soft, cozy ones for Gracie. Plus, these are way cuter than white bobby socks!

When Bean was born, the hospital stuck him in this ridiculous looking hat that made him look like a pirate.

So, we switched it out for one of our own that made him look like a gnome instead.

Truthfully, I’m not a fan of babies in hats. But newborns have trouble regulating their body temperature and so those little stupid looking hats actually serve a purpose. This time though, I’m coming prepared. I’m actually bringing THREE hats! Two of them go with little outfits (I’ll get to those in a minute), but one of them will be the hat she just kind of hangs out in.

Are you ready for this?

Are you sure?

Cause it’s pretty cute…

Isn’t it the cutest thing in the world? Look at those ears! This was a gift from a friend at church and I adore it. It’s from a little shop called Nugget Baby Beanies. They are sold primarily through Facebook, if you’re interested. I think they are adorable!

When I packed for Bean the first time, I was hesitant about bringing along my own clothes for him. I didn’t want the nurses to make fun of me for dressing him up right out of the shoot (…literally), but I also had all these super soft, super clean, super cute onesies that were just sitting at home. Why not bring them to the hospital? This time, I’m definitely bringing our own onesies and I’m not worrying about it at all. I want my little girl in my little clothes smelling like my little house. Even while we’re in the hospital. I packed three cute ones and three plain white ones. That is way more than we’ll need, but you never know. Plus, those white ones are so useful that it’s nice to just have them on hand. I love the Little Sister one, too. I want to put Gracie in that one when Bean comes to meet her for the first time!

The next two things are new this time and so I have no idea if I’ll use them or not. I decided this time to bring along three little lounging outfits. We’ll have lots of people visiting and as I was packing tonight I thought, “Maybe I’ll put her in cute little PJs when I know we’re having visitors. Though Gracie will most likely be all bundled up and her clothes won’t even be seen, at least I’ll have them if I want them.

Isn’t this one so sweet?

I love the little elephant and the little bows.

I also packed this little ducky pajama set that I think is so sweet. I actually think Bean had this same outfit when he was a newborn. Maybe that’s why I love it.

And this one has a matching hat to keep her little head warm.

The last thing I packed was, of course, Gracie’s coming home outfit. I have known this is what I’ll be bringing her home in from the minute I laid eyes on it. This little outfit was actually the inspiration for her shabby chic, rose-filled nursery.

I love the dainty ruffles and roses.

And I love the 3/4 length sleeves!! To die for!

Don’t you just want to snuggle with whoever is in this outfit? I wish they made them in my size. Or in Lucy’s size. I think Lucy would look lovely in this little high collared ruffled number. Though her growling might be a bit distracting.

So, that’s it. That’s what we’re bringing to the hospital. Not too much, but I’m certainly not skimping either. From what I remember, this should be all that she’ll need to be comfortable and then a little extra, too.

What about you? What did you bring to the hospital that you found useful for the baby?

32 comments | posted in Baby Products, Gracie Girl, Pregnancy, The Romper Room, What I've Learned | tags: packing for hospital, pregnancy, second pregnancy

As my due date gets closer and closer (April 4, by the way…), I find myself getting a little sentimental about my Bean Man.Â I think it’s the idea that soon it won’t just be him anymore.Â And even though I know in my head I’ll have more than enough love to go around, I worry about how much time I’ll have to go around.Â Newborns are quite the time suck (no offense, Gracie) and I remember that when Bean was born, it was even hard to balance time between Bean and Chris.Â And Chris was a grown man who understood what was going on.Â Bean won’t understand and though I’d like to think I’ll be able to balance two children perfectly, I know that it takes a while to regain your balance when you add something else to your plate.Â And I’m worried that during that transitional time while I learn to be a mother to two babies, Bean won’t get what he needs from me.

This morning I found myself in an empty house after Chris left for work and I had dropped Bean at daycare. Before I assumed my position on the couch, I wandered into Bean’s room to straighten up from the morning rush. And for the first time in a long time, I walked around touching his things, remembering what fun we’ve had in the past 20 months, and, oddly enough, missing Bean.

I stopped and looked at this picture of me and Bean, taken by our church photographer last Mother’s Day.Â We had just found our church and I remember sitting in the pew on Mother’s Day morning and hearing our minister talk about the important role a mother plays in the life of her children. He talked about how she is the voice they hear in the back of their minds as they go through life. And I remember praying that God would give me the strength to be strong for Bean so that the voice he heard was confident and steadfast.

I stopped and looked at his little bookshelves, full of his favorite toys and games and books. And I thought about last Christmas and the Christmas before that when Bean got most of those things. I remembered his first Christmas and how he was the same height as his stocking. I remembered this past Christmas when he was a year older and seemed to understand more about what was going on. Christmas was so much better because he was there.

I saw his Curious George and Papa Bear stuffed animals that belonged to Chris when he was Bean’s age. And I smiled as I pictured Bean walking through our house, dragging those two characters at his sides. Since we gave them to him together, he hasn’t separated them. Where Curious George goes, Papa Bear goes. And vice versa. He’s a loyal little creature of habit, that Bean of mine. Just like his Daddy.

I peered into his toy chest and smiled when I saw Nemo on top of the heap. And it made me think about Bean’s first birthday when we took him to Animal Kingdom at Disney World to celebrate with our family. I remember thinking at that time that Bean was such a big boy. I couldn’t imagine him getting any bigger. And I couldn’t imagine loving him any more. I was wrong on both counts.

And as I walked out of his bedroom, I stopped at his dresser for a minute and looked long and hard at our first family picture, taken the day he was born. The happiest day of my life. It was the day we became a family.Â At the time, I remember telling people that we had Bean because Chris and I loved each other so much it spilled over and made a baby. And, you know, I guess growing our family isn’t much different. Except this time, Gracie was born out of not just the love that Chris and I have for each other, but from the love that we have for Bean. He was a product of Chris and me and Gracie will be the product of the love that grew out of my Bean, out of my Micheal. And when I think about it like that, it doesn’t seem as overwhelming to bring another person into our family. Instead, it just feels like Gracie’s always been here. Right there inside of Bean’s sweet little heart.