We're scheduled to move in two days and 95% of our house is packed up and ready. So you're probably assuming I took these photos weeks ago, right? You'd be wrong- I took them today. While we don't have any dishes to eat off of or more than three outfits for each of us to wear, Tyler's room is in perfect unpacked condition! Because I've been meaning to take photos of his first nurser before we pack it in boxes and set it up (probably identically?) in the new house, I keep procrastinating to pack his things. Justin thinks it's silly and overly sentimental. But you guys! My baby's nursery! Probably the last nursery we'll ever set up and even though his new room will look identical, this was where he slept his first night home from the hospital, where we've nursed through the night, where I folded onesies and prayed for him before he was born. I wanted to capture it!
So anyways, I finally snapped some photos of his neutral nursery. Here was my inspiration for his room- I knew I wanted to keep it simple from the beginning. I started with my most favorite greige paint and layered grays on top with a few pops of blues, red, and yellows. We bought the same Ikea crib Caleb has, just in white (its crazy affordable!), painted a somewhat janky hand-me-down dresser, and moved the chair from Caleb's room.
I bought three big-ish things for the room that I love- this rug, this adorable wolf print, and this beautiful sign. Other than that, I pieced together inexpensive things or borrowed from Caleb's room. Those picture frames above his dresser? From Walmart! Super cheap and cute. Oh! And I found this really cute felt ball garland on Etsy for above his crib. I have plans (and all the materials) to make another pallet coat rack, but by the time I decided to start working on it we listed our house. So I'll make it (maybe?) once we settle in to the new house.
Anyways, there you have it. Tyler's nursery- simple and sweet. Less colorful and busy than Caleb's room. Which is ironic, because he is a much more colorful and busy baby than Caleb was!
// Before Caleb, I never used a purse. I usually just carried my wallet and keys whereever I went. So it isn't too much of a surprise that I hardly use the contents of his diaper bag- we just don't need much when we're on the go! Because of that, I didn't put too much thought into what diaper bag to buy. 
// Honestly, I didn't do much stroller research. I hear awesome things about the pricey BOBs, but have you seen a mom try to navigate those ginormous tires through the cramped aisles at Target? No thanks. They're probably great for actually running, but not for day-to-day use. My friend Emily showed me her stroller, raved about it, shared the research on safety she had done, and let me test drive it. And I was sold! 10 months later, and I absolutely love our 
{with carseat/base} and have loved those, too!
was perfect for newborn days. When we were out and about, it was so easy to snuggle Caleb in there if he was ready to be out of his carseat and it took zero effort on my part to get it on! Justin has loved our 
and it was a tailgate/family walk staple in the fall. We've pretty much retired both now, but will definitely break them out with any future babies!
// For Caleb's Christmas present, we bought him 
or a 
. Both are WAY pricier, but so much more practical for traveling. They are lighter, set up easier, and can grow with your child longer. This is one of those things that I think is worth splurging on.
// This seems to be a new-mom registry staple, and I understand why. It's just so convenient to have when nursing! I used this really consistently for the first couple of months and would recommend it to everyone. Justin also loved our boppy and used it all the time when he snuggled with Caleb as a newborn! Sidenote: I hated all the affordable covers I could find {there are super cute, pricey ones on Etsy!} but found 
and love it!
was my favorite. They're perfect for preventing any embarrassing leaks, but also just for comfort in those first few weeks when you're just a little sensitive and need a little buffer! Unfortunately, Medela has changed the design of them and I don't love the new design as much {more bulky and noticeable under clothing}, but that's ok because I only needed them for the first couple of months. I'm on the hunt for any left in the old design so I can stock up for future babies! {I found some of the old style 
// Like I mentioned above, I never had any problems with pain while nursing or surrounding it. I didn't have any cracking or bleeding or any of the horror stories people mentioned. But my sister included this in a little care package she brought to the hospital when Caleb was born, so I started using it before and after each nursing session just in case. I think it definitely helped!
// I have 
// I picked up these spoons before we started solids and love love loved how they showed me the temperature! I was nervous at first about food being too hot for him, so these were great for putting my mind at ease. Plus the soft tip made feeding easy.
// These are by far my favorite bowl for baby food, especially since I make my own. They deeper and wider than most baby bowls and are so affordable {isn't everything at ikea affordable?}
// Just because it's fun for me, I have the time, and it really does save money- I've made most of Caleb's baby food. Making purees in big batches, freezing in ice cube trays, and storing in freezer bags is the method that worked best for me.
// I've used ice cube trays for about 90% of my baby food storage. But when I saw this easy pouch system on Zulilly and had a $15 credit to use- I ordered on for free. It's actually really convenient and easy to use! I also like that it takes up really little storage space {unlike the popular squeeze station} and the pouches could be used for pumped milk storage, too!
// When we're on the go, we've found that it's great to have food on hand to keep Caleb busy. This brand is my favorite!
// We used our Bumbo for a hot minute when we started solids, but quickly transitioned to our highchair. And I LOVE our highchair. It's a bit fancy and was a total registry splurge, but it's been awesome. Bonus? It grows with the baby and can transition from highchair to booster seat and eventually into a chair for an adult!
// I know everyone raves about 
, but we hardly used ours. As soon as Caleb was big enough, we started using these amazing sacks that took all the work of swaddling away from night time feedings/changings. They were so much harder for him to break out of! Soon, we stopped doing any diaper changes at night and went right back to sleep after each feeding. I definitely credit this lifesavers!
// Since he has always been a great eater, we gave Caleb his first pacifier in the hospital and he loved them until he got his first teeth. They seemed to be a really good source of comfort, and he only ever took them when he was tired. We found that these were his favorite and essential to helping him sleep at night!
// We didn't stop swaddling Caleb until closer to 8 months, which is crazy. But he loved the comfort of it! We used this to slowly transition him out of the swaddle, but ended up just ditching it all together because that seemed to work best for him...
//...but! He had become so used to 'cuddling' with his swaddle, that we had to replace the with something. Enter his monkey. He loves this thing {or anything similiar} and keeps it near him throughout the entire night!
. It's pricier for sure, but makes up for it ten-fold. First, it's made of powder-coated steel, which is just a fancy way of saying it DOESN'T RETAIN THE POOP SMELL! Second, you can use regular kitchen trash bags. Super convenient, cheaper, and again, holds in the stink better. Third, {and my favorite!}, it can be used as a regular trashcan once the diaper days are over.
:: Honestly, I don't remember if this is the brand we have? Before Caleb was sleeping through the night, I would nurse him in his room. His lamp and overhead light were way too bright, so for awhile I would turn on the hall light and leave his door cracked so I could see around but not enough to wake him up fully. And then, {I'm really slow about these things} I finally realized I could just put a nightlight in! There's an outlet right by the glider and on a wall adjacent to the crib, so it doesn't bother him while he's sleeping but is perfect if we need to go in his room at night without waking him.
:: Ok, so we've only one monitor. But we love it, so that means something right? I wanted an audio monitor {cheaper!} and Justin voted video; we had extra gift cards so we splurged on the video. Since Caleb was in his own room from the beginning, it was nice to have the video to peek in on him. For the first couple of weeks I think we even slept with the volume on High and the screen on {silly first time parents!}. Now, we keep the volume super low and the screen off unless we need to see what he's up to. We have 
