This time, these are things I would not be making it without....
My sling. I bought it with my first baby at The Nurture Center in Lafayette, CA, and hardly ever used it because I never mastered how to put the baby in it correctly. Now, with three babies, I pulled it out of the drawer in a desperate attempt at daily survival. Without this sling, I would be huddled in a dark corner muttering to myself and pulling out my hair.
The Miracle Blanket. I have two, but really need three, because E often spits up on one before the other comes out of the wash. I don't use them the way they are meant to be used, but have made my own modifications. I double-swaddle E, not just to keep him warm, but because it seems more secure and he sleeps better when he's double swaddled. I do a regular swaddle with a blanket, and then use the Miracle Blanket over that. It doesn't come loose this way.
Three washers and two dryers. That's right, I said 3 washing machines, and 2 dryers. When I was a little girl, my parents took in half of their two-car garage and made a second laundry room, complete with two washers and two dryers (because with four kids, my mom was drowning in laundry). When the kids and I moved back, I brought my washer and dryer with me, which we stored in the old laundry room. The washer hook-up was still functional, but the gas line had been shut off, so I can't use my gas dryer. We have all three washers going every single day, and even so, it is hard to stay on top of the laundry. I feel so blessed to have this convenience! It makes life so much easier!
I can't tell you how many times I have joked about setting up a mini laundromat in my garage. Three kids under 5 is pretty messy and that isn't even counting the diapers! I just came across your blog today, randomly. Glad to see you are doing well!
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