Okay guys, I have to say, I was a little bit hesitant about introducing lots of baby and parenting related content to this site. But since I’ve been sharing my experiences I’ve gotten such nice feedback from readers, which makes me so happy! I read and read and read until I reached the end of the parenting internet while pregnant and am finding it so fun to start to add my own perspective into the mix now. Today I’m partnering with my friends at buy buy BABY to take on a topic I found so daunting as a first time mom: researching baby gear. It’s so hard to know where exactly to start when researching everything you need for a newborn as a first time mom. I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks I picked up from my first experience with the hopes it helps other new moms out!
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Miss Jane is two months old today! I can’t believe it. I had a grand plan to write this post after her first month and share all of the essential items that got us through those initial weeks. But the first few weeks are a blur, and now two months later I finally got my act together to share all of the things that were super helpful for my recovery and for our survival as first-time parents! I read so many of these types of posts when I was pregnant and I loved hearing different experiences about what worked for others; I hope my own experiences can be helpful for others too! 
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When I was pregnant with Jane, I had an obsession with reading articles and blog posts about what other women packed in their hospital bags for labor (okay fine, I had two obsessions: hospital bag posts and spicy Indian food). Some women prepare for their labor experience by reading books on the delivery or working with a doula. I never made it past chapter 3 in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, and closed my eyes for most of the birthing class we took, but I was sure as heck going to have everything I possibly needed in my overnight bag! Part of the fascination with finding out what other women brought with them has to be rooted in my control-freak tendencies. So much of the delivery, I knew, was going to be out of my control (boy was I right!). Being ready with a well-packed bag was one of my little ways of feeling like I was prepared for anything that the hospital stay threw at me.
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I have started this post on maybe ten different occasions now, and each time I sit down to write it I get a little stuck. I think part of it is that it’s called a “birth story” post and I honestly roll my eyes a bit when I see other people share those because I assume they’re going to be either gross and filled with graphic pictures of the actual birth. Or worse, they’re stories written by women that describe birth as the most fluffy, magical, beautiful experience and fail to mention the screaming and sweat and tears that went on during the delivery. So I guess I’ll start with the disclaimer that there are zero pictures of the actual birth in this blog post, you’re safe! Enjoy these cute pictures from Jane’s newborn photo session instead (by Bring to Light Photography). I’ll also mention that my story is a good mix of the happy fluffy snuggly baby moments with a bit of the sweat and screaming mixed in too.
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It feels so appropriate that my last blog post was a 41-week pregnancy update, and I’m jumping back in after two weeks off from blogging to share the news of our little family addition! Jane Emerson Bowler was born on Friday, January 20th at 6:04pm after quite a few days of laboring, restless nights, doctor’s visits, and a surprise C-section for her grand finale! She is the absolute best 8 lb bundle of love that has ever existed (okay, I may be biased). We have been learning our new “normal” over the past two weeks, getting in lots of snuggles and sniffs of that delicious newborn baby smell in between a few sleepless nights. I’ve got lots of big plans to share a full birth story, posts about what I packed in my hospital bag, and how we’re surviving these first few weeks. But for now, I’ll leave with you a few candid pictures from the selection of hundreds I’ve already taken on my iPhone! Welcome to the world Miss Jane! 
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Well, I didn’t think I’d be writing a post with “week 41” in the title, but Baby B is enjoying her stay and just doesn’t want to seem to make her arrival yet! I spoke to my mom on the phone this week and I joked that she couldn’t be my child, I absolutely hate being late. My mom assured me though that she would be exactly like me, because this baby is doing things her own way and demanding complete control of the situation around her. Mom’s always tell it like it is, and I realized she couldn’t be more right. So while we not-so-patiently await her to let us know when she’s ready to greet the world, I figured I would squeeze in one more bump update!
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It’s been 8 weeks since my last bump update, and which is a testament to how life seems to be flying by lately. Part of me feels like I’ve been pregnant forever. I look down at that app on my phone and see the days count down though (oh gosh, five weeks and a few days to go!) and I’m absolutely amazed at how time is passing by so quickly in this stage. And with that, a few updates! 
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I’ve purchased a car, I’ve purchased a house, and yet the research I feel like I’ve done for purchasing baby products has seemed to be one of the more daunting grown-up tasks. When it came to looking for a car seat and stroller I was super intimidated and overwhelmed with all of the information out there! After tons of research and “test-driving” some of the models in person, we ended up selecting a Chicco Bravo Travel System. A big priority for me, being super-petite, was a system I could easily fold-up, carry, and feel comfortable pushing around. I also really liked the idea of buying something that was one full-system so that everyone worked together seamlessly and grew with the baby over time. 
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The high of the baby shower is starting to fade (can we do that every weekend?) and I’m currently staring at a large wall of boxes and gifts bags filled to the brim with baby gear, clothes, and gifts that I’m trying to figure out where we’re going to put! Registering was so much fun for the baby, but admittedly a little overwhelming too given all of the choices out there! While the experience is still fresh in mind, I thought it would be helpful to share a few thoughts on the various places I considered building our baby registry, and where we ended up registering. There were so many pros and cons to each site, and I ended up being happy with our choice to put the majority of our registry items on Amazon, with a few speciality items on a universal registry service like Babylist. 
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I’ll admit, I was a little bit nervous when I posted my first entry in this new series. I wasn’t sure how people would react introducing this new part of my life into the content here. I did notice a few followers drop off from Instagram when I jumped into the topic, but overall I found it was some of the most engaging conversations I’ve had on blog posts in a long time! So, the verdict is the bump diary posts will continue — both for my own love of recording all of phases of life (seriously, I found a box of dozens of my journals in my parents attic when they were moving houses this summer!), and for the every so helpful advice and comments I’ve gotten from sharing my pregnancy journey here and on social media. The past five weeks have zoomed by faster than I can could have imagined, which brings many new changes and updates on my ever-growing bump! 
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