1. The floor gym: If you've talked to me at all, or seen my pictures on facebook, then you're probably rolling your eyes right now thinking "Oh grief, here she goes with the floor gym again!";) It's true- I'm in love;) Of course there's the standard great baby essentials that help "hold" Silas like the bouncy seat and swing. And they're definitely favorite things too. But this floor gym has been a fave of mine and Silas' since day 1. Ok wait, day 3 since we didn't exactly take it to the hospital;) Silas didn't have to wait to grow to fit into it; and it serves different purposes and ages, since you can move the bar down for tummy time, and eventually when Silas can sit up on his own, the piano flips up for him to hit with his hands. Ok, I'll stop;) And yes... Ferdy loves it too;)
2. The Velcro swaddlers: We've been avid swaddlers of Silas; and at first, Jason was the only one that was good at it. Since Silas was so itty-bitty he didn't quite fit into his Velcro swaddlers and we used swaddle blankets. I could never get it tight enough to last, and Silas always got out of it. Now that Silas fits into the Velcro ones we have no more escaping, and I can proudly say I can successfully swaddle:)
3. PJs: Oh the adorability of my lil man in PJ's! Be still my heart. Every morning I take his picture. Seriously. Every. Morning. I'm about to blow up Facebook with an album of nothing but Silas' PJ pictures. You will die of happiness:)
4. Stain Remover: Enough said;)
5. The Sleep/Eat/Play Routine: I've never wanted Silas to be on a "schedule"; I didn't want to force him into too much too quickly, and I myself don't want the rigidness of a schedule. But I also got to the point where I knew it couldn't stay a total free-for-all. So I began the Google search and found the "Sleep/Eat/Play routine" that Supernanny and the Baby Whisperer recommend. It's a combination method of parent-led and baby-led methods. Let me tell you, it has worked wonders. There's no longer total guesswork on mommy's end, and it just seems to fit Silas' natural cycle. It has made for a very happy baby and momma:)
6. Hooded towels: Silas is becoming a bit more happy... err, happy might be a strong word... a bit more calm;) during bath time, but boy did it use to bring out the lungs in him. Nevertheless, as soon as bath time is over, all is hunky dory once he's wrapped up in one of his hooded towels. Not to mention the fact that he's uber cozy and adorable:)
7. Mirrors: The baby swing has a mirror globe; the seat his car seat goes in has a baby mirror; his floor gym has a mirror. And I have a little mirror I keep out for when he's not in one of those places:) He loves staring at the mirrors; they work great for calming and entertaining him!
8. Facebook: Nothing like being able to upload a bazillion pictures of my lil man and getting to "hear" everyone's comments to make this girl's day:) It's also great to be able to change my status to a baby question and be able to quickly get so many different people's advice and feedback!
9. Baby Einstein: My brother-in-law and sister-in-law got us this baby einstein toy that can hang from stuff like his car seat, and plays music and has lights. He LOVES it, and it has served to calm down many car rides, and to entertain him in many waiting rooms:)
10. Changing his diaper: Seems weird, right?;) But Silas LOVES having his diaper changed. We spend a lot of time hanging out at his changing table:) If he gets fussy, I'll even fake change his diaper;) I don't even have to take him to the changing table- I'll just pull up his legs and pretend to be checking/changing his diaper. Instant happiness:)