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Emma and Ellie 365

I’ve always loved photography. I got my first Polaroid camera when I was six years old from my grandparents. I remember having to be very particular about what I took pictures of because you had to pay for every flash and every photo!

 I don’t know HOW much they spent on flashbulbs and photos for me during those early years…

Truth is… It was probably a great lesson in choosing your subject matter carefully and really planning your photo! I like to think SOME of that has stuck with me over the many years that have since passed…

A few weeks after Emma was born, a dear friend of mine told me about a “challenge” that a photographer friend of hers had posed to himself. And that was to take a photo of something in Austin each and every day for 365 days.

Immediately, I thought “I’m going to do that with Emma”…

That first year, I think I missed one, maybe 2 days of her entire first year.

It started out with the intention of making a coffee table book of Emma’s first 365 days (and then, of course, when Ellie was born… to document her first year as well). But it grew into something bigger… it grew into a habit… just something that I do.

But, then, a funny thing happened along the way! I got in the HABIT of taking a photo (or video) every day. Here we are 1386 days later (6/17/10) and I can still count the days missed on my two hands, possibly one!

Every day, I make it a point to take a photo of my girls…

Why, you ask?

Don’t they just fill up your phone?

And what exactly do you DO with all of these photos?

Why?

For starters, it’s a great way for me to “practice” photography even though I’m busy running two businesses and raising two tiny humans. It gets me looking through a lens every single day. And on days when we’re out and about and I can take my “real” camera with me, I use it to practice all of my camera settings.

But more than that, it’s a way for me to never forget the little things that happen… It’s a way for me to catalog memories that may otherwise fade away. It’s a way for me to share their childhood with them when they grow up and the details get lost!

I love to look back “on this day in XXXX” to see what we were doing, how much they’ve grown since then, and to remember that time goes by fast and to cherish today!

Don’t They Just Fill Up Your Phone?

Yes! But they also fill up my heart when Apple sends me a memory from a special event or a season of life that has passed.

Plus, storage is cheap… and the memories are forever!

I back them up to the cloud. I keep copies on hard drives as a fail safe… And one of these days, when time slows and life settles a little bit, I’ll get to go through them and live their childhood over once again.

And What Exactly Do You DO with All of These Photos?

There are so many options when you have the photos and the memories!

As an old friend once told me, “it’s better to have and not need, than need and not have!”

Here are just a handful of things that I do with all these photos:

Monthly Prints

First things first, I was lucky to find an app called TimeShel about a month after Emma was born. They let me go back a month and ever since then, I’ve chosen my 30 favorite photos each and every month and have prints delivered to myself, my mother in law and my mother.

They get beautiful printed photos every month… I have used these to make banners for birthday parties, to hang in their playroom, 12 month calendars, and more…

Thank You Cards

I use the photos to send thank you notes and birthday wishes to family and friends using an app called “Ink”. Whenever we get a special gift from someone, my photo that day highlights the girls with the gift they’ve received. We then turn that into a thank you card to the person that sent it to us.

Photo Wall

Print square photos (8×8, 10×10, etc.) and then use spray adhesive to attach them to a foam board of the same size and then put a light command strip on the back and hang them on the playroom wall. Each piece costs a couple of dollars and it brightens up a playroom with memories and fun for the kiddos.

Update them every few weeks with new photos of special events or memories. When your child plays, they’ll be surrounded by the memories of family, friends and love.

I know that some will say I should live the moment and not just always have my camera, but the UPSIDE of having a high quality camera on my phone and by my side is that I can quickly pop it out and shoot and then get back to the activity – and be in the moment!

Admittedly, I could do a much better job of going back through the photos and getting rid of all the bad ones, or ones that don’t tell a story! And like with so many things as a mom “I’ll get to it one of these days!”

Slideshow

Every birthday, I do a slideshow of the previous year for each of my girls. I highlight key milestones and major memories. Every year, they have a 3-4 minute video of the highlights from that year. Over the next 18 years, I’m hoping it will be a treasure for them… Plus, it’s a great gift to share with our family and friends.

While taking a photo every single day may not appeal to you, I encourage you to capture the moments… Record the memories… You can still live in the moment…

And… don’t forget to get in the photos at least a few times a month! As much as I hate selfies… take a selfie when you have nobody else to take a photo… and don’t worry if you’re not perfect. In 20 years, it’s not going to matter. It’s just going to matter that you were PART of the memory, not simply standing on the outside looking in!

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Baby Recommendations

My Top Baby Picks

Glider & DIaper Changer

A lot of people have opinions on gliders and changing tables and not worth the money, but I definitely would recommend both! We didn’t have a diaper changer with Emma and it was SO worth it when we got one for Ellie. I actually got a second glider when Ellie was born – one for her room and one for mine. I had a rocking chair and glider for Emma and ultimately got rid of the rocking chair because it moves around too much when you rock in it!

Co-Sleeping

I know there’s a lot about this, so no idea what you want to do here, but for me… we had Emma in a rock and play in our room for the first 3-4 months, but they are have been recalled. Either way, we had this for Ellie: https://www.amazon.com/Arms-Reach-Concepts-Bedside-Bassinet/dp/B01ITQOV0Q/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_75_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R7SF99K03GZ4QGPRCCSX and I LOVED it. I wish I’d had it with Emma… Ellie was in it until I woke up in the middle of the night and saw her standing in it about to jump out on to me! haha… Then, I moved her to my bed and she’s been there pretty much ever since! I know.. people say it’s awful. I had her in the crib for a bit but it was harder than just bringing her with me cause she climbs out. So we’re waiting on the rails to come in to convert her to a full size bed. I just couldn’t be away from them and wanted them close to me and all the research on SIDS made me opt to keep them in my room for a while.

Diapering

I loved the Honest diapers. You can sign up on their website with an email and don’t order anything.. THey’ll send you a 40% off of your first bundle… We had all of our family do this and got like a year of diapers and wipes for 6 months. If you’re going cloth, I don’t have any recommendations. We did get a diaper genie and still use it. Highly recommend getting two if you have upstairs and downstairs to make life easier.

I also loved these to put on top of the changing mat/pad. Made clean up much easier! https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Waterproof-Changing-Liners-Count/dp/B009UPUJIY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3BW5NYRQ3YBCW&keywords=changing+pad+liners&qid=1561479487&s=baby-products&sprefix=changing+bad+%2Cbaby-products%2C168&sr=1-3

We have always used Burts Bees Diaper cream but have had very few issues with rashes. Not sure if it’s the kids, the Honest diapers or what… But have been lucky.

I got a wipe warmer as a gift and never really did use that. If you want mine, you can have it though…

Crib

My sister in law told me about Baby Appleseed. They have some sort of green certification, but aren’t organic so they don’t cost a total fortune, but they are supposedly healthier. Do some homework, but I love our cribs.. We opted for the cribs that convert to full size beds for the future. You can see their cribs at Buy Buy Baby. And if you get their coupons, they honor Bed Bath and Beyond and you can save 20%. I have been very happy with the furniture. Super sturdy.

Bottles/Feeding/Nursing

Seems everything is a “thing” with babies. To make life easier, I went with Joovy Boob glass bottles with a sleeve and then there’s no risk of any sort with all the chemicals in plastic. I’m crazy though.. and millions use plastic bottles with no problems. (This is similar to the set I got for Ellie: https://www.amazon.com/Joovy-Boob-Diamond-Gift-Set/dp/B07MSYCHT2/ref=sr_1_25?crid=28I7Z18IC1PL4&keywords=joovy+boop+bottle&qid=1561478685&s=baby-products&sprefix=joovy+boob+bo%2Cbaby-products%2C174&sr=1-25)  I DID use the plastic bottles that I pumped into, however, a bit. If you decide you want these, I bought a good set and you could have them, just get new nipples… If you’re pumping, hands down the Spectra S1 (I believe it’s the one with a cordless option). It takes a minute to get used to all the pieces but was WAY better then Medela and the cordless option was a gamechanger. I think it costs $100 outside of insurance, but insurance covers the rest of it. They send new parts/supplies every few weeks though so I figure the $100 balanced out. I think I got them through aeroflow. They do all the work for you and send it to you when the delivery is close. I had nursing cover ups, but both of my kids HATED to be covered so I gave up. I would just go to the car or even a bathroom stall to nurse because they refused… One tip.. if you are nursing… keep him latched as much as he will in the hospital and start pumping the minute you got home. I didn’t with Emma and struggled the whole year. With Ellie, I got about a week supply built up pretty fast. It helped when my period came back and supply dropped. The downfall is that she developed an allergy to dairy for a bit so I couldn’t use some of it til much later!

And start drinking Mother’s Milk tea as soon as you get home!

It’ll be a little bit before you need a high chair but it’s not a bad registry item. My M-I-L gave it to us as a Christmas present for Emma’s first Christmas and we just retired it a few months ago. https://www.amazon.com/Ingenuity-Trio-High-Chair-Ridgedale/dp/B019D3SVQO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ingenuity+high+chair&qid=1561480186&s=baby-products&sr=1-3 I don’t know what they make the fabric out of, but EVERYTHING washes out of it. It also converts to more of a booster kind of like the size in restaurants when you want to move to the table but aren’t ready for a booster seat.

Bathing

I loved this bathtub. I’d give you ours but it’s a little tired… https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-4-Sling-Seat-Tub/dp/B00F2MQ0EQ/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=baby+bathtub&qid=1561479788&s=baby-products&sr=1-4 They have both always LOVED the ater sprinkler thing and it’s nice because it’s portable. We bathed Emma on the island in the kitchen for months. With Ellie, we could do that or bring her in the bathroom and bath her on the fllor while Emma was in the tub.

We have always used the Honest wash for them since the beginning

I also got lots of the baby washcloths. You can get like a dozen for $5 at Homegoods!!!

Monitor

Were on our second. The first was a Motorola and lasted a good while, but I don’t think we could add a second camera? I don’t recall the issue… Order early and test in your house. Some work better. DO NOT GET WIFI that connects to your Internet. Google the scary stories about it… Just get the wireless that work in the house. The one we have now is https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=sxts_b2b_ccp_search_reorder?keywords=baby+monitor&pd_rd_i=B00ECHYTBI&pd_rd_r=d2e455b6-0d2c-40c3-80c6-c34bc329d578&pd_rd_w=6k6Rx&pd_rd_wg=soeJ9&pf_rd_p=a7bfb983-e674-4caa-917b-596cc469ad1f&pf_rd_r=37V8P0BP5YY0NQVENASJ&qid=1561479540&s=baby-products. I like it fine. The battery life was great in the beginning, but dead now. We even bought a second battery and it has to be plugged in, but it’s not that big of a deal. You can add additional cameras when you have more kiddos and it goes between them.

Stroller

I LOVE our Citi Mini GT stroller STILL https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jogger-2016-Single-Stroller/dp/B019W8W8P0/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2QJZD8KWR2GFJ&keywords=city%2Bmini%2Bgt&qid=1561478496&s=baby-products&sprefix=city%2Bmini%2Cbaby-products%2C170&sr=1-3&th=1. It’s light weight, easy to put up and open up. It’s good for light terrain (like walking Lady Bird Lake downtown, on streets, etc.). If you’re doing hard core running, then I’m probably not the right one to ask!

Carseat

We used the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant seat for both. (https://www.amazon.com/Chicco-KeyFit-Infant-Seat-Orion/dp/B071L1NG6N/ref=sr_1_3?crid=7S3SLIEYSKFC&keywords=chicco%2Bkeyfit%2B30%2Binfant%2Bcar%2Bseat&qid=1561478730&s=baby-products&sprefix=chicco%2Bkeyf%2Cbaby-products%2C177&sr=1-3&th=1) I’d give it to you, but I think they have an expiration on them. However, I DO have the bases for the cars if you end up going with that one. One comes with, but it’s nice to have a second becacuse you can just move the carseat between cars and the bases are installed. You can review it online, but I loved how easy it was to get in and out and install.

We also have the attachment that makes it so you can just put the carseat on top of the stroller if you go with that combo.

Carrier

I had the Baby Bjorn wiht Emma and then moved to the Ergo baby 360 (I think) when she was bigger and I was more pregnant. Emma would STILL be happy in the carrier if she could. Ellie doesn’t like to be restrained! I never did well witht he wraps of any sort. I couldn’t figure them out. But… I have the Baby K’tan, Ergo Baby and Baby Bjorn if you want to try them out before you pick one out (if you’re going to baby wear). Emma wouldn’t ever let me be far away so it was the only way I could get anything done.

Misc.

– Swaddles. I probably had close to 20… I used them for EVERYTHING.. Swaddling, light blankets, sitting at the park, burp cloths, etc. I personally don’t think you can have too many. Now that they’re older and love baby dolls, they use them as blankets for their babies.

– Burp cloths/bibs – Emma never spit up. Ellie spit up a LOT. So I used them a good bith with Ellie, never with Emma. For bibs, when they get older, I like the plastic ones with a pocket to catch stuff. Emma was good with them for a long time. Ellie refused bibs entirely forever!!!

– Love this… https://www.amazon.com/Ingenuity-Baby-Base-2-Seat/dp/B07N1GCBLD/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=infantino+high+chair&qid=1561478987&s=baby-products&sr=1-5. I wanted a Bumbo, but Target was out of stock so I got this. I’ve since bought one for my mother in law’s house and a second one for here (more of a booster). You can sit them on the counter with you once they can sit up while you prep meals, do dishes, etc. as well as when they learn to eat. Now that they’ve outgrown the high chair, we have these on the regular chairs. Emma technically doesn’t need it anynore, but has been in a phase where she wants to stand on the chair so we keep it close by and lock her in if she won’t sit down.

– Swing – I could take or leave it. Neither of my kids loved them. Emma WOULD sleep in it though and she was really hard to get to sleep without me holding her! But as soon as the music went off, she’d wake up so we had to keep hitting the button!

– Playmats – I have a couple I can give you. I do like them to give them some independence and provide some stimulation

– Books… Just an idea for your shower. I had everyone sign a book and write a message instead of a card and that’s how we started their libraries. I did the same for Ellie since we already had everything we could ever need… So just asked for books for her.

– Boppy pillow… I hate that they’ve cornered the market on this, but they really are the best. I had another version too that was kind of useless.. Spring for the boppy pillow 🙂

– You won’t need sunscreen at first, but we use ThinkBaby. It’s mineral sunscreen and seems to be one of the safer ones for them.

– Dreft laundry detergent. Smells like baby. I STILL use this sometimes on loads of just kid clothes.

– Forehead thermometer (so many out there. I’d just do some homework)

– Rectal thermometer (If you’re ever worried about temperature, they have you do this. Sometimes the forehead can be a couple degrees hotter).

– Oh… Amazon has some new mom’s club or something. I dont know it requires prime or not… But it was well worth it!

Apps

– Timeshel – This lets you choose your favorite 15 or 30 photos a month and then mails the prints. Quality is great and I found them a month after Emma was born. They let me go back and create that month so I’ve been sending these to us and the moms since Emma was born.

– Ink – This makes thank you notes SO much easier. Snap a photo of the baby in the outfit, wiht the gift, etc. and then you can make a thank you postcard right on your phone. People LOVE them so much more than handwritten notes and I’m real big about making sure we thank everyone for stuff

– Sound Sleeper – I used this SO much with both of the kids. Even now, I use it from time to time if they’r having a hard time going to sleep. It’s like a sound machine on your phone.

Embryo Storage

We have our remaining embryos at Ovation. We had done offsight between Emma and Ellie, but I think they were still local to Austin. I would be nervous to transport too. I don’t have a strong opinion on this though since TFC is pretty stringent on the companies they work with. I think it would depend on the savings and how soon you’d want to try for a second because you’ve got to pay to bring them back I think as well.