Awesome Apps: Best Baby Monitor

When I was registering for my baby shower I wasn't sure what type of baby monitor to get because I have a small apartment and I wasn't sure if I would even need one.  Video monitors are very expensive, in the end I registered for a video monitor and a basic audio monitor that was much cheaper.  It turned out that I didn't get a monitor as a gift, so I decided I would get the inexpensive basic audio monitor.  It just seemed more practical to get an audio monitor since during the day I knew my son would always be with me in the living room.

After my son was born I realized that I would like a video monitor for the times that I do put him in his crib and I'm upstairs cleaning or showering.  Instead of running out and buying a $100 video monitor I decided to check out the apps store.

I have many apple products, a macbook, iPad, 2 iphones, & an old school iPod that still works.  I figured, there must be a video monitor app.  Of course there were several apps and I decided to try one that was free first, it didn't work very well.  So I sucked it up and spent $5.99 on the Best Baby Monitor app (I don't like paying for apps) That was the best $5.99 I have ever spent.  Once you download this app on your iPhone and iPad you are all set.  You sent up one of your devices facing your baby and you can watch your baby from your phone or ipad.

One of my favorite features is the lullaby feature.  You can choose from 3 lullaby's, Twinkle Twinkle, Brahms Lullaby, and Sweet Dreams.  You can set it to play the lullaby 1, 3 or 5 times in a row, and you can control all these settings from your side.  It even keeps a log for you of the noise made by your child and when he/she is silent.

I really love this app because I can set up my iPad turn on my phone and go take a shower while my son sleeps.  In the summer when I had BBQ's I could put him down to sleep and watch him from outside.  As a new mom I want to watch my baby's every move, and this app allows me to do that.

***As a holiday promotion this app is being sold for $1.99.

The Last 3 Months

For the last three months I have been doing the Mami thing.  It has been an amazing ride so far and everyday I still can't believe I'm a parent.  Every week I try to visit my best friend Nia and she always looks at Francisco and then looks at me and says "you have a baby" and I say "I know its crazy".  You have 9 months to get use to the idea that your going to be a parent, but once it happens it's still unbelievable. 

It has not been an easy ride, there have been ups and downs and lots of things to figure out.  During the first couple of weeks I had some major cabin fever because I was told that I shouldn't exert myself for the first 2 weeks which meant that I shouldn't take long walks or lift anything heavier then my baby (7lbs).  Well I was going crazy, but luckily many friends and family came by to visit and keep me company with the baby.  During week three I got an infection in the milk ducts of my breast and I had a fever for about three days before I new what was happening.

My wonderful and loving husband who was able to stay home and help most day for the first two weeks got wrapped up in the beginning of the football season. He spent several nights hanging out until really late with his friends watching football; I wanted to kill him.  I also felt that he needed to help me out more with keeping the house together.  Instead of killing him we sat down and had a long talk about where I needed him to help. Now things are great and he is more aware of how he can help.  Now that he is super busy at work and is unable to help as much, we have hired 2 of my former students who are college bound to come once a week to clean up and do some laundry.  Now, instead of us cleaning when he is home we are able to spend time relaxing together.

The biggest problem that I had to solve was creating a schedule and routines for me and Francisco.  Now I make sure that I'm up by 9am.  We shower, eat and get dressed.  Mondays and Wednesdays we go to Gymboree. Tuesdays I go to Central Park for the walking tours if weather permits it.  On Thursdays I meet up with my mother and sister for lunch, and Friday I just make sure that we go on a long walk.  As long as I follow this weekly schedule I'm out of the house at least once a day and that makes a big difference.  Usually I also visit Nia at work or go for long walks in Riverside or Central Park.

So now that I have figured out a few things I hope that I can slowly add more activities to my days including this blog...