"These are a few of my favorite things..."

I used to think that the marketing people behind the wedding industry were the biggest geniuses in the world...

Now, I KNOW it's the marketing people behind the BABY industry who are, in fact, the biggest geniuses in the world.  I can't even tell you how much stuff we've bought thinking we really, really needed it, and unfortunately a lot of it has barely even been used.  There's already a very small window of time to use most of the baby gear we buy, and then when your baby doesn't use some of the stuff at all you feel like you've completely wasted your money.  I feel like I know a decent amount about babies and children, given all my schoolin' in child development, but there's something about those ads on Babies R Us and Amazon.com and Target commercials that make you feel like your child just can't survive without a _(fill in the blank)_...and if you want that language to develop and those motor skills to be on par, you just better have a _(fill in the blank)_ or your kid will be "behind", whatever that means.

With that being said (and my admission that I, too, am one of those suckers who has bought way too much baby gear), there are a few things we've purchased or that were given to us that have been very worthwhile and I'd buy them all over again.  Here they are, in no particular order:

-The sling--I have a Dr. Sears Balboa Baby sling that I use all the time.  I especially used it a lot when Davis was really small and never wanted to be put down.  It allows me to do things around the house and hold him at the same time, and he loves being in it.  It calms him almost instantly when he's fussy.  It's also great for shopping trips.

-The Boppy pillow--I use this a lot when nursing.  I just put it around my waist and Davis can lie across it on my lap.  That way, I can use my phone or read while he's refueling or after he falls asleep if I don't want to put him down.

-The baby gate--This is my new favorite, since the little man is all over the place!  It keeps him safely in the carpeted den and out of the kitchen, which has a hard tile floor.  I'm sure it has already paid for itself in the band-aids and Neosporin we've not had to buy.

-Sophie---Davis loves his little rubber giraffe and plays with her all the time.  She soothes his sore gums, squeaks at him, and gives him something to do in the car and at restaurants.  She also packs up nice; she fits right in mama's purse.

Those are just a few of our most valuable baby buys, in addition to the car seat, diapers, food, and the other stuff that you really do have to have.

Here are a few of Davis' favorite things at the moment:  my purse, the remote, DVD cases, Pepsi bottles, shoes (on other people), and magazines. 

We went to the park the other day, since it was a steamy 50-something degrees, and Davis got to swing by himself for the first time.  He was a little tense about it, but I'm sure he'll enjoy it more the next time we go... (Hurry up, warmer weather!)