A must have is a baby swing or a chair that bounces or vibrates. In fact, we discovered we needed one for upstairs and one for downstairs. It really doesn't matter what kind you get as long as you have a place to set the baby that moves in some way to calm them.
I love my BOB jogging stroller. I've wanted one every since Gavin was a baby. We finally broke down and bought one (at REI). It's not only a great jogging/power walking stroller, but it's all terrain so your little baby isn't bouncing around when you are walking on something other than a smooth sidewalk. It used to be that you couldn't use it until your baby was about 6 months old and had good neck control, but now they sell an infant car seat converter so that you can use it with your newborn (which is when you really want to lose that baby weight). 
I love this infant car seat cover. We are using Gavin's old car seat, which is black and gray (not very feminine). This adorable cover can be removed easily for washing and it provides a little cozy comfort for my LTB as Tony calls her (Little Tiny Baby). For an added bonus... it is reversible. One side has this cool black and white pattern and the other has a super soft lavender chenille. This particular cover is by Itzy Ritzy.
How did I ever survive without a nursing cover when I first had Gavin? This is my #1 pick for baby gear that I can't live without. When you have a new baby and she wants to eat every 2 hours you must be ready to stop and nurse her no matter where you are (unless you just want to stay home all the time for fear of nursing in public). I use this fashionable nursing cover everywhere... restaurants, the park, the pool, the mall, etc. It's totally discreet, nice and big so it covers everything, light weight, and won't slide off like a blanket. This nursing cover is also by Itzy Ritzy. The one I have matches my car seat cover (above).
This is my favorite diaper bag (and I've tried several). It's the Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote. It's the perfect size and I like how it resembles a large purse. It has the perfect amount of pockets. I also like how it can stand on it's own and it's comfortable to carry. To me it's fashionable and functional. You can purchase it here.
Here are a few pictures from the vault that I have compiled to illustrate what a great dad Tony is. I couldn't have asked for a better father for my children. He loves to teach Gavin fun new things (and I know he'll enjoy teaching Bella all these things too). In case you didn't know Tony and I share the joy of caring for our kids. When I'm working and Tony is off he stays home with Gavin (& soon little Miss A too). He's a very involved, hands-on dad. Happy father's day Tony!
I also must wish my wonderful dad a happy father's day as well. I've always thought he was the best, coolest, strongest, most handsome dad around. Growing up my dad was an accountant by day and superhero by night. He drove a Corvette. He surfed. He was a triathlete for years (winning several of the triathlons he was in). I often had friends who commented on how handsome my dad was. And now he is a wonderful grandpa and Gavin adores him. Happy father's day, Dad.
I've been meaning to blog about The Silly Wagon ever since I ordered some things from them a couple of months ago. I got a couple of tees for Gavin, one with his name on it and one with a 4 and trains to display his age (example above & you can scroll down to "Gavin's Birthday" to see him wearing the other green personalized shirt I got him). For Arabella I found a really cute outfit and a onsie with her initial on it (example above). The items arrived surprisingly quick and came with a coloring page, crayons and a happy face stamp (Gavin was especially excited about that). Now they are celebrating their 2nd anniversary and almost everything is 4o% off. They are also giving away one of their most popular tees to one lucky winner. Click here to go to their website and here to enter their giveaway.
I have really been diggin' Gweneth Paltrow's blog/website, GOOP. You can sign up and receive her weekly newsletter about her favorite recipes, restaurants, fashion, parenting advice, music, travel, etc. Last week's newsletter was about Party Jams and she asked several well known DJs what their favorite party music was. She also shared her favorite party songs. I got some good suggestions and downloaded them onto my ipod for my workout mix. This week's newsletter was about 3 of her favorite Italian food recipes. You can sign up for GOOP here .
A friend mentioned how much she liked this bath foam on her blog and I just happened to be in the market for some new bubble bath so I tried it and loved it. It's Boots Bath Foam and can be purchased at Target. It smells divine and foams up really well and doesn't fizzle out right away like other bubble baths do. And the added bonus is that the classic glass bottle looks pretty sitting on the edge of your tub.
We found this cool egg spinner at the grocery store and Gavin had a great time coloring Easter eggs. You stick an egg inside, add the dye and spin away. The result is cool, multicolored eggs. And the best part is that there is literally no mess!
Last week Gavin insisted on putting on his firefighter costume. He also insisted on wearing his sunglasses with it. Tony is actually giving a presentation about firefighters and fire safety to Gavin's preschool class this week. Good luck, Sweetie.
