Frugal Gifts for Mom's with Newborns

4 Generation Photo

I wanted to say new moms, but new I am not! We have been blessed to receive so many wonderful gifts these past few months. Some gifts have been amazingly generous in their cost, but not everyone has the financial resources to give that way. Money should never stop you from attending a baby shower or assisting the new mom. Here are some fabulous gifts that will cost you very little to nothing:

• Knitted or Crocheted baby caps, blankets, or booties. These can all be made for the price of yarn. Even then, if you let people know you knit or crochet, you will receive plenty of FREE yarn. Everyone seems to have yarn, and not need it. Maybe you are laughing because you don't know how to knit or crochet. Learn! I purchased several baby caps from my friend Ann and discovered that I wanted to learn to knit. She directed me to KnittingHelp.com. This site not only has written directions, but video directions. So no matter what your learning style, you can learn from this site!

• Meals. These have been such a great help to us! We have received frozen meals that I could defrost and cook at any time. We have received meals that were made and delivered hot. We also received cans of soup, crackers and corn bread mix which are perfect for lunches or last minute meals (and can be made easily by husbands or older children).
  

• Night Sitting. I never knew how much a good night's sleep meant to me, until I went over 2 weeks without. That's when a friend responded to my Facebook post about sleep and my desire for a night nurse. She volunteered to spend the night caring for the boys so I could sleep. It was AMAZING. I felt so good the next day. After thanking her on Facebook another friend volunteered to do the same. So I have had 2 full nights of sleep now, and they have been fantastic. The cost is absolutely nothing but time.

• Housework, Gardening, Errands. Maybe you cannot do the overnight shift (don't use kids as an excuse though, both of these ladies have children of their own), but like the idea of helping. With a newborn (or 2) at home there is plenty to do. My house is a disaster, my garden is filled with weeds, and for the first few weeks, there were always errands that needed done. Helping clean, garden, watching the baby while mom runs an errand, or completing the errand for her are all wonderful gifts.

I hope these ideas help you out with your next baby shower. I have one next weekend, and I plan to make a baby cap as she lives out of town.

Our 4 cuties

Thanks to Grandpa Gordie for capturing this photo for us.

A few photos

The boys are growing! Brendon is finally out of preemie clothes, and Bryce is almost too big for some of the newborn clothes. 2 oz bottles are slowly becoming 3 or 4 oz bottles and both boys are better at nursing, when they want to nurse.

The boys are happiest when they are together. When they were born, Bryce was the first out. He came out crying and we knew he was a big and healthy boy. What we couldn't see behind the curtain, was Brendon reaching his hand out of the incision and waving it around. Some of the nurses and doctors were joking that he didn't want to be left behind, others said he was learning early to reach for a credit card, but I think he just wanted to know where his brother went. They both pay attention to where brother is and are not happy when separated.

I have started going into work for a few hours a day. It's nice to be out of the house and away from the endless cycle of diapers, feeding and naps. The boys seemed to enjoy their time at Grammy and Papa's yesterday, and I had my first opportunity to try and tell them apart. The good news: I passed. I walked in to see that both boys were in different jammies, I quickly picked out which one was Bryce and which was Brendon.

Sleepy Brendon

Bryce checking things out

Mommy Cinnamon keeping an eye on the boys.

Too Tired to Think?

Or maybe it's just too tired to post. Of course there is plenty going on here. I've tried to compose posts in my head, but they don't get very far. Life revolves around feedings, diaper changes, and sleep... or lack of sleep.

We are falling into a routine though. The boys are eating on their own command, and I no longer need to set an alarm to wake them. They each get the chance to nurse at least once a day, and the rest of the time they get bottles of expressed milk or formula. I have mastered tandem bottle feeding and alternate who sits in the Boppy to eat and who is held.

Kaia and Mo love their brothers. Kaia is over-zealous in her desire to hold them and feed them. They would never sleep if she had her way because she wants to hold and play with them all the time. Mo enjoys showing them his toys and how they work. He gives them "big hugs" and kisses often.

Dana is great helping with the boys. And we both seem to be figuring out our role as the parents of 4 kids.

I miss reading all your blogs, and hopefully will get all caught up soon!

Halloween Night, I wasn't getting much cooperation and photo time.

Celebration!

Things are moving along quite rapidly here. The boys are over one week old already! It's unbelievable. They are also gaining weight as needed, and mom is starting to get some sleep.

We've had other good news too. While I was in the hospital, we learned that the Suburban we wanted was finally approved and ready for us. It was a long ordeal, and we'd both written off owning the Suburban, as much as we wanted it and had decided to just make do as a two car family. Now it is sitting in our garage, and I can't wait until I'm allowed to drive again so I can be behind the wheel.

We traded our truck in on it, so the car, which has always been considered mine will be Dana's vehicle quite often. So he spent one of his days off cleaning it. It was filthy, and while I've cleaned it, I've haven't had it spotless in ages. I'm afraid of vacuuming up something special that the kids lost in it.

On my wedding day, my mom gave me her silver cross that she received as a gift from her sister on her 16th birthday. It has a diamond in the center and it was her first diamond. I wore it quite often, but one day the chain broke. I put the cross in a little holder in the car, with the broken chain, in hopes of finding a chain that matched. Then one day it was gone. Kaia and Mo had been playing in the car and things were all over the place. I looked and looked, but never found the cross.

Dana did a thorough cleaning of the car, and then sorted through the shop vac before dumping it. Guess what he brought me. Yes, I do have a wonderful husband! Not many men dig through the trash for their wives, but mine knew how much it meant to me.