Bucket List

Today, I turn 25 years old. That is big one for me.  It is an age that makes me sit back and evaluate my life and experiences so far. And, it makes me think about what else I hope to do before 30.  As of now, I am just excited to move to the next check box on surveys (from 18-24 to 25-29)! I can hopefully, now, be taken more seriously!

Speaking of life and experiences...

I was asked to do a half-marathon in May, "You know, something to cross off the bucket list."

Hmmm.....my bucket list.

Whenever I thought of things I wanted to do in my lifetime, I would always think of the 'general' ones: get married, have children, celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary, etc. I am not one to want to jump out of airplanes, bungee jump, or anything daring. I am pretty boring for the most part.

Lately, however, I have caught myself saying, "that is something that I want to do." I realized that ultimately it would be on my so-called bucket list. And, then I realized something else: it is pretty therapeutic making a bucket list and crossing items off. It makes you feel accomplished and worth while. :)

So, here are some items that I have mustered up, in no particular order. Some I've crossed off already and am excited that I was able to do so.

1) Find true love & get married
2) Have children
3) Get a Bachelors Degree
4) Own a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels
5) Attend an Aerosmith concert
6) Go to Europe
7) Meet a 3rd cast member of 'Saved by the Bell'
8) Get a Masters Degree
9) Attend an Elton John concert
10) Adopt a dog in need
11) Run a half-marathon
12) Fit into my skinny jeans
13) Get a Doctorate
14) See The Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert
15) Go to Disney World, with my children
16) Go to a College Football Championship
17) Go skiiing
18) Go parasailing
19) Ride/Sleep on a train
20) Visit Jamestown, NY (Lucille Ball's Birthplace)
21) See the Statue of Liberty
22) Go whitewater rafting
23) Visit Grauman's Chinese Theater
23) See the Grand Canyon
24) Win a game show
25) Own a Mercedes Benz
26) Gamble in Las Vegas
27) Win a drawing
28) See a Broadway Show
29) Ride in a helicopter
30) Visit the Alamo (verify that there isn't a basement)
31) Go to Washington, D.C.
32) Celebrate a 50th Wedding Anniversary
33) Find a hidden treasure
34) Write a book 

Some of these show how sheltered I am! haha. What would be on your bucket list?

Push Prize

The other night was a wreck! Lucy had yet another molar coming in! It was giving her the worst time last night. We rubbed a whole lot of Orajel on it and then finally gave her some pain reliever. I sat in her room, in the glider, and held her while she slowly fell back to sleep.

She fought it the best she could; but, she finally fell asleep holding onto my necklace's pennant. She often plays with it, when awake. She has always been fascinated by the sparkle. But, that night, I realized that she was actually comforted by it. She reached for it and held on tight until she was in a deep sleep. It must be her way of knowing that it is me and that I am still there. :) :)

After this realization, I felt wonderful. And, now I will tell you why...

Back when I was pregnant, I had heard about husband's getting their wives gifts after the delivery of their child. However, I had never heard the term for such a present, "Push Prize".

Heath introduced me to the term; apparently, he had been doing his husbandly research and noticed that this was a new trend that was becoming more and more common. It is just a little something to show the wife, and new mom, that you appreciate her. :) And, it also tugs at those heart strings.

Heath surprised me in front of all of our family and friends with a little jewelry box, right after Lucy was born. I was so wrapped up in everything else the last month or so, that I forgot that the supposed 'push prize' even existed. Therefore, when he pulled out the gift, I was super surprised! It made me cry of course; with my emotions already running on high, I was a mess!

He wrote the sweetest and most uplifting card you can imagine, and inside the box was the necklace. It is almost identical to the one you see above. I instantly fell in love with it! And, I instantly put it on.

I wear it always. I wear it in the shower, to work out, everywhere! I even got a new silver chain for it this Christmas. The only time I take it off is to wear another, usually costume, necklace to go out. Then, I get home and put this one right back on.

It had always made me feel close to Lucy. Whenever I am away from her and I pray at night, I will kiss it. Whenever I take it off, I kiss it first. It always had such a special meaning for me. Now, it has even more.

The necklace, at the end of the day, is just a necklace. But, it always represented a little more than that. I feel a bond with Lucy when I wear it and now, I know she feels a bond with me when she holds it. How wonderful?!

So, to all those men out there (which I doubt many, if any, actually read this), I recommend a 'push prize'. It is a win, win, win, win situation. :)

Heath is wondering now what he could possibly get me for our next children that could mean as much! haha. :) He has some time to think about it.

My Top 20 Baby Musts

I, again, was visiting my #1 online shopping spot this evening. I often rate and critique products. I know how much I use other buyers' feedback; therefore, I try to pay it forward. So, I decided to make a list of all of the items that Heath and I have been so thankful for in this first 8 months of raising Lucy -others are just Lucy's favorites.

Please know that there are many other things that we needed and are thankful for; but, these are the little 'extras' that have made this process so much easier! They are in no particular order.

EDIT: If you liked this post, you may also like 'My Top 20 Baby to Toddler Musts'.

1) The Boppy

I have no idea how Heath and I would have made it through the first month without this holder. Lucy would feel like we were still holding her; therefore, we were actually able to eat every once in a while! Also, when I was breast-feeding, this was a great arm rest. I was able to have a free arm.

2) Graco SwingThis swing plays a heart-beat sound that put Lucy right to sleep when she was a newborn. Also, her car seat is Graco and can be added to the cradle (just take the current one out). So, after car rides, we don't have to wake her; we just put her on the swing cradle and go about our routine.

3) Video Monitor Heath found this video monitoring system. It is really more like a security camera. We mounted it over her crib. It puts my mind so much at ease. Also, it is not a constant sounding monitor. When it is quiet in the nursery, there isn't any sound omitted. When Lucy cries, the sound kicks on and an alarm goes off. Finally, it hooks up to the television too for a picture in picture view. We will watch a movie and Lucy will be in the corner sleeping like a log.

4. Pacifiers (or "binkies" - in our house) Just when you think you have enough pacifiers, buy another package. We have already lost 4. We just had to buy some more. Now granted, your baby may not be a binkie baby. Perhaps you could leave them in the package until you know for sure. Lucy sure is and she LOVES them!

5. Baby Orajel

This one is clearly on my mind because we are right in the middle of teething! We use this all the time. It calms her down almost immediately.

6. Playtex Bottles with Drop-Ins
This is probably, purely a preference thing. My family all uses drop-ins; so, naturally, I did too. But, honestly, we favor these bottles over all our others. It seemed to be the best for not making her gassy as a newborn and now they are the easiest to mix formula in. Making an 8 oz. or 10 oz. bottle in anything else is a mess!

7. Changing PadWe decided on not getting a changing table. We just didn't think we'd use it enough to warrant buying one. So, we use changing pads. I have to admit though, we don't use these, above. We use Dollar Store pads - hey, they work! :)

8. Car Seat Cover I had Lucy in the dead of winter, so we used this a lot. It was so nice not to be fighting blankets and it didn't lay directly on her face. Plus, it kept her very toasty in there!

9. Diaper Genie II (Elite)I had heard both good and bad things about this product; but, we thought, hey, why not try it out ourselves. Oh, how thankful I am for it! It isn't too ugly to put in Lucy's room, it's short enough to fit in a closet (if need be), and it truly does keep the smell in. I highly, highly, recommend it to anyone, as long as you don't mind buying the refill sacks (about $6 every 6-8 weeks, for us).

10. Usborne Books - Touch & Feel

We recently bought some touch and feel books from an Usborne Consultant and Lucy just loves them! We have the one above and we also got another one about animals. They are thick and durable. Here is a link to their website: http://www.usborne.com/. Also, I know a consultant, if you want to make an order or have a book party! :)

11. Rubber Duckies

This is a Lucy favorite. She loves playing with them in the tub. The little ones are small enough for her to grab onto easily. She chews on them through her entire bath.

12. Baby Bath TubI know a lot of people just go from sink bathing to the big tub; but, we enjoy our baby tub. She started as a newborn in the sling and she continues to use it now without. The only issue we have is where to store it. It ends up just staying in the tub; we move it in and out when we take showers.

13. 'God Gave Us You'
This story is just so touching. Lucy isn't old enough yet to understand; but, I am excited for when she can. It is all about a couple planning for a baby (getting the nursery ready, the growing belly, being excited). It is very sweet and it tells a story so much like Heath and me, getting ready for Lucy - adorable! (Thanks Gigi!)

14. Sleepmate Sound Machine
This machine started out as Heath and mine, in the master bedroom. I used to live near a highway and silence just doesn't work for me. So, we had this and turned it on every night. It makes just a real hollow-type sound, basically white noise or 'whooshing.' Anyway, we had Lucy sleep in our room for the first two-months. She was next to my side of the bed and the sleepmate on the nightstand. Needless to say, when she made the move to her nursery the machine had to go too. It took us about three nights to figure out that is what she needed to sleep.

15. Sleep-Sacks

Again, since Lucy was a winter baby, we used a lot of warm items. Because of SIDS, we didn't want her to sleep in the crib with a blanket. Also, Lucy has to have her arms over her head when she sleeps; so, swaddling never worked for us. These were a great was to keep a 'blanket' on her, on cold nights. I just wish they were easier to find!

16. Razz-Berry Teether

This is another Lucy favorite. She could chew on this thing for hours. It can also be put in the refrigerator, to cool down like other teethers. Warning - keep bibs on standby; they will drool a LOT.

17. Play Gym

Before Lucy was mobile, this was her favorite past-time. We don't have this exact one, but a similar one. It folds up easily too for trips or to get it out of the way.

18. Graco Pack N' Play This system was a great addition to our Graco set. Although we didn't really use the nap area or changing table, we did use the crib aspect. This is where Lucy slept for the first two months and when she stays the night at Mimi's house. She is big enough now that we use it as a play pen; but, she still naps in it occasionally.

19. Gas Relief Drops I can't forget these! When she was a newborn, I swear she was always gassy! These drops would work within about 10 minutes.

20. Vibrating Chair We have two different vibrating chairs, this is one of them. As a newborn, she loved to nap in her chair. It was comforting. Now, she likes to nap in this one because she can play and rock before hand. She'll be playing pretty hard and next thing we know, she's asleep. :)

There you have it. My recommendations for the parent-to-be. Any moms out there have any other recommendations? What could you not live without, then or now?