Top Ten Tuesday: Baby Names

With less then 2 months to go for this pregnancy the most common question we get is have you decided on names? The answer is yes! We have a boy name complete with first and middle and a girl name with a middle that is less certain but we have ideas.

There are so many resources out there if you are looking for baby names or names for your dog or goldfish cause they gotta have names too right?

1. The Baby Name Wizard is my favourite baby name book of all time. It was given to me when I was pregnant with Isabel and it makes name searching fun. Names are organized into categories like Guys & Dolls and Why not? Sibling name suggestions are also given. Love it.

2. Baby Names World is a great site. It gives the meaning and has surveys from people with the name so you can read responses from people with first-hand experience.

3. Nymbler allows you to type in names that you like and get suggestions based on those names. I spent the better part of an evening sitting on the couch reading Nymbler's suggestions and vetoing them with my husband.

4.  Name Berry is another one of my most frequented baby names site. Shows current name searches and trending names.

5. The Bump has some great resources. I particularly like the baby names community forum board that allows you to post your own polls and have people vote.

6. The Baby Name Wizard site has name maps and popularity over time.

7. SSA name lists by year and state.

8.  Baby Names gives meanings and has trending names of the day on the front page. This is great of you are like me and want to avoid popular names.

9.  Your family tree. Middle names for me are a way to honor a family member so I have been using Geni to double check my grandmother and great grandmother's full names.

10. Behind the name gives meanings and popularity by country.

Go visit Angie for more top ten fun.

Wordless Wednesday

Top Ten Tuesday: New Baby Tips

Good morning! I'm recovering from my very first run yesterday...ugh legs are a little sore

but nothing a snuggle with my baby girl and some yummy breakfast won't fix. Did I mention that she is 3 months old...already?!?! It seems like yesterday when I wasn't sure I w

ould make it through those long nights in the first week.

Over the past 3 months I have gathered a few tips from other moms and my own experience on easy things to do to get ready for and/or to make everyday life with a new baby easy and economical.

1. Bounty - Peanut Butter Jar Wipes I need to buy some more paper towel to make more wipes so I will post a picture when I have some made but the link will take you to another mom who has discovered their wonder. I you are going to go the route of disposable wipes you might as well give homemade ones a try.

2. Hand-Me-Downs I will accept any and all donations of clothing from moms because they just make my day. Chances are my kid(s) won't wear them out either and they can go to their next happy home when I am done with them. Not to mention that most of the gross manufacturing chemicals have been washed out of them by the time I get them.

3. Baking Ahead It seems no matter what time I get up I am not on time since having this baby. She is always hungry or needs a diaper change as I am about to go out the door. I don't deal well without breakfast in my tummy so by making a batch of muffins I have insta-portable breakfast-to-go ready and waiting. Also saves money on drive-thrus.

4. Coffee Timers Caffeine makes me jittery if I have too much of it but since I have entered the realm of new parent sleep deprivation 3 months ago I have become a one cup of coffee in the morning type of gal. Our coffee pot has a timer and due to reasons stated in #3 if it is all set and brewing I can pour myself a travel mug and be on my way.

Just in case you are looking for some delicious coffee, visit my favourite coffee shop from home Java Moose...Maple Cinnamon Coffee??? drool. And like #3, saves money on drive-thrus.

5. Dishwasher I always felt kind of guilty using the dishwasher for just my husband and I but unless I want dirty dishes stacked until each evening when I have a moment without incidences that I mentioned in #3 we load our dishwasher and it at least gives me the feeling that my kitchen is clean.

6. Meal Planning I have been doing this for a while but it seems to make all the more sense now that my schedule is much more dictated by a 14.5 lb person. Laura hosts Menu Plan Mondays, an awesome place to start.

7. House Cleaning Schedule I'm still working on this one but it just seems like laundry piles up in a matter of minutes...

8. Cloth Diapers Not that these make my life a whole lot easier but they don't make it any more difficult. We do have to empty the garbage less and they are just so darn cute! My current fave are Fuzzi Bunz and I'm looking to buy some more, they really are great, and they do work out to be cheaper in the long run.

9. Baby Wrap I love this thing see my other post

10. Loving Husband He is seriously the best dad I could ever have hoped for and I wouldn't want to do this without him.

For more Top Ten Tuesday Fun go see Amanda.

Things I Love Thursday: Baby Wrap

I became a mom almost 3 months ago and I'm not sure I would get much of anything done without my baby wrap. She loves being in the wrap and it got me through her first month of life especially, she was so unhappy being anywhere but in our arms. I received 2 as shower gifts and was so grateful. If I hadn't I was prepared to sew one because of the good things I had heard about them from other moms. There are also benefits to baby wearing check out this list.

I have another popular baby carrier but the weight it puts on my shoulders makes them tired and sore in a very short time, baby and I are so much more comfy in the wrap. Daddy even wears her :)

Check out other things that people love over at The Diaper Diaries

WFMW: baby leg warmers

I have always thought baby leg warmers were so cute and now that I have a baby to put them on I just had to have some. I sew ( haha I totally just typed "I'm a sewer"...hahaha) so I set out to make some myself.

The first one I made following this tutorial but I was using adult knee socks and the cuff turned out too big for my baby's ankles. I did buy a pair of girls knee socks this week and will follow those directions, but for adult socks I made the cuff smaller like this tutorial shows.

They are so simple to make it's ridiculous, even if you don't sew I know you could make them.

here's my model

That's what works for me! For other great ideas be sure to head over to We Are That Family.

Baby Bean has arrived!

Well she arrived nearly 2 months ago but we've been busy needless to say:

Isabel was born on December 15 @ 0640 weighing 8lbs 8oz and 20" long.
She is absolutely precious and we can't imagine life without her.