My mom asked me the other day if I felt like everything we had gotten for Graham was worthwhile, or if I could do it all over again, what would I decide I didn't need. That got me thinking about the baby gear the Pretekin family loves. So in true Mom fashion, I'm going to spend a little time giving kudos to our favorite baby gear. Feel free to stop reading if you care nothing about baby products!
Lovies: Graham received many Angel Dear lovies (7 to be exact). Graham cannot get enough of these things. He is constantly hugging them and sucking on them - sometimes two at a time. They wash up great and are super cute. I'm also sort of obsessed with them and want to collect all of the different animals. I mean, just in case he wears one out or we lose one, we will always have another, right?
Bouncy Seat: This thing has been a lifesaver in so many ways. Graham is content in it when we need ot put him down for a few minutes. It has also saved us when he has had a cold, as it helps him sleep more upright. I didn't have a bouncy seat on the registry for a long time and added one at the last minute. Luckily someone scooped one up for us, and I'm so glad that they did!
Blanket: We got a Pottery Barn Kids blanket as a gift. We all refer to it as "The Softie." This blanket is the softest, most cuddly blanket I have ever seen. It has stayed in perfect shape through many washing. I seriouly wish they made these blankets in bigger sizes for adults.
Cloud B Sleep Products: We have the sleep sheep, the sleep girafee, and the turtle night light. The sheep and giraffe play soothing sleep sounds. The turtle is a night light that puts constellations on the ceiling in the color you choose. I wasn't super into all of the sleep stuff (especially the sound machines) at first, but I have been converted! The sheep or giraffe goes with Graham whenever he has an overnight somewhere.
Other things we love: Manhatten Toy Winkle,
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, large swaddle blankets, activity gym, cloth diapers (the BEST burp cloths by far), California Baby products, car seat bundler, Baby Trend Expedition Travel System, Fisher Price space-saver high chair, and warm-mist humidifiers (life-saver when you have a baby that a cold and/or cough).
Things we could have lived without: Bumbo, Boppy, all nursing products (I should have tried it before I bought these), swaddlers, sleep sacks, and baby carrier (I like the Baby Bjorn, but should have tried them out first because now we have 3 carriers).
Things I'm Glad I Never Wanted: Bassinet (our pack'n'play and bouncy seat worked fine to have him sleep in our room), wipe warmer (total waste of money), bottle warmer (warm tap water is just fine), a sling (just another carrier I probably wouldn't have liked), and an infant sleep positioner (these still don't make sense to me). And no post is complete without a picture of the little man who made it possible for us to have endless amounts of gear in our house and our cars:
Notice the lovie and the foot of the sleep giraffe...
He doesn't love to ride in his car seat, but looks so cute all bundled up in it! 
He LOVES to stand! 
His first time riding on Papa's shoulders. He's not quite sure about this yet! 
It looks like he just might get his Mama's blue eyes! 
He loves spending time with his Uncle Zach! 
He loves eating his rice cereal. He has really gotten the hang of eating off a spoon and starts opening and closing his mouth the second we put him in his high chair and he sees the cereal bowl coming over. 
The batter has been mixed into the pans to create a rainbow effect. 
Time to bake. Piper loves to lay on the stove when the oven is warm 
The finished product. I'm horrible at cutting those nice wegde slices, as evident by the mess on my plate. 
(And my apologies for the quality of the pictures. They were taken with my cell phone, which does not have a good camera)
Notice the lovie and the foot of the sleep giraffe...
