The Eccentric American Mama in Cumbria

After my best friend told me she was pregnant the next words out of her mouth were, can you please help me make a list of the essentials? I remember myself at this stage of pregnancy being completely daunted by the task of what I needed to buy and what the baby actually needed to survive. You'll be happy to know the baby  needs  very little but there are some essentials that will make taking care of a baby much easier. Over the next couple weeks I'll be creating a list of the essentials by month and then saving it in a tab at the top of my blog page for easy access called monthly favourites . Of course not all of these items will work for everyone as it depends on your diapering/feeding needs but I'm hoping to shine some light for first time mums! Bugaboo Buffalo - Cybex Sirona Car Seat - Moby Wrap - Tommee Tippee Bibs -  Philips Avent Pacifiers - Born Free Glass Bottles - Medela Swing Electric Pump (double if you're going back to work) - Lanolin - Brea

After much deliberation we have decided to forgo the big first birthday bash in exchange for a quiet night in as a family of 4. (Don't panic I'm not pregnant, we just always include Hobson in our family size.) At first I thought it would be fun to celebrate this milestone, not only for Cyril, but for Josh, Hobson and I who managed to survive the first year as parents, and yes I consider Hobson a parent as well. As I began searching for ideas I started to feel overwhelmed by the cost, lack of space in our cottage, and guest list. I also thought about how Cyril is still on two long naps a day, and that any party would surely interrupt his schedule and make him miserable, overtired, and overstimulated by the sudden influx of guests that he's not used to having around. In the end, we decided that for our family it was best to have a quiet dinner on Friday complete with a couple gifts and a homemade caterpillar cake by his mama. I will be attempting to bake this :) The