Quick takes: baby showers & registry essentials + 30 weeks

1. I was so happy to discover Tiny Prints because my mom and sisters and I found the most adorable baby shower invites we had ever seen. It was a hard decision, but we ultimately chose these - I love the vintage theme, pretty font, and adorable baby carriage. My mom actually ended up finding napkins and plates that go along with the baby carriage theme :) We were also able to put a little ultrasound picture of the babe on the back.

And these were the runner-up invites (so cute):

Tiny prints also has the sweetest baby announcements (bookmarking for future use!)

2. Speaking of baby showers, I was completely overwhelmed at first with what to put on our registries. Too many options for everything makes knowing what to choose that much more difficult, and since we'll be moving right after the baby is born simplicity is better. I compiled our registries with help from my mom (eight kids has to mean something!), sister-in-law (my nephew is 19 months so she was the perfect person to ask), and some blogger help: you guys gave me some great suggestions, Anne has some great registry essentials lists in this post, Tiny Twig just shared an awesome baby registry post, and this comprehensive list by A Cup of Jo is the best. After a lot of research, here are a few of our baby registry items:

3. Sleep: Co-sleeper, swaddle sacks, noise maker

• Stephen and I knew that we wanted the baby in the room with us for at least the first few months, so a co-sleeper was a must have. Katrina led us to this one and I love the neutral color and polka dots.
• My sister-in-law swears by the Halo sleep sacks as an essential for my nephew to sleep, and since we aren't planning on having any blankets in his crib these are perfect.
• Multiple people have recommended having some sort of noisemaker, and Stephen and I personally always have some sort of white noise in our room but I wouldn't have thought of this for the baby. This little lamb noise maker is cute and portable.

4. Nursing: boppy, breast bottles, Medela double electric pump

• Absolutely everyone has said that the Boppy is an essential for breastfeeding comfortably.
• After doing some reading, a double electric breast pump is a must-have for moms that plan to work after the baby and still breastfeed. We were super lucky to have a mom give us her Medela In Style double electric pump. Even though insurances do cover a breast pump, the lactation consultant at my breastfeeding class told us that a lot of insurances have changed with the new health care plan and no longer will provide a Medela or double electric pump (and I doubt that my student insurance would cover the Medela one we needed). We were so happy to receive this one (and we will of course be getting all new connector parts for it since they technically aren't multi-user pumps).
• The lactation consultant at my class showed us these Medela Calma bottles, which are supposed to mimic breastfeeding for the baby. I'm so glad that I went to the class because I had no idea that we should wait four weeks to start a bottle or that breast-feeding bottles even existed.

5. Travel: diaper dude bag, ergo, umbrella stroller

• Since Stephen will be with the baby more than me, I really thought he needed his own diaper bag, and he informed me that he would need one after he went to his dad's class :) 
• Everyone has recommended the Ergo baby carrier, and the Ergo swaddle carrier is supposed to be great for carrying the baby around the house, etc. if he wants to be held all the time.

6. Baby essentials: Rock n' play sleeper, nosefrida, Sophie the giraffe, muslin swaddlers

• So many people have recommended the Nosefrida, although I still find the concept really weird (Stephen and I watched the video together on how to use it which was kind of entertaining). It comes highly recommended, so I'll take their word for it.
• Multiple people/blogs (including Grace) have sung the praises of Sophie the giraffe as the best teether ever.
• Everyone seems to love the Aden and Adais muslin swaddle blankets (which can also be used as burp cloths, etc.) and I was proud of myself because I actually registered for some before I read all the high reviews.
• I had no idea that there was a difference between a Rock n' Play sleeper and a bouncer, but apparently there is and my nephew would sometimes only sleep in this due to his reflux. It and the bouncer are also supposed to be great to put the baby in while you're showering  (right outside the shower of course) and I honestly always wondered how moms showered when they have a newborn.

7. Just for fun: I couldn't resist the little doctor bib and doctor-in-training scrubs :)

And the weekly baby bump pic:

30 weeks!

Linking up with Jen.

And thank you to Tiny Prints for the lovely baby shower invitations!