Favorite Baby Items; 3-6 Months

1. Ergo Baby Carrier- I'm guessing this will be our favorite carrier from here on out. Because of the straps and buckles, this is by far our strongest baby carrier and allows me to bend over and move a lot. I always wear him in it while I grocery shop, and last week I cleaned the whole chicken coop with him on my back. Also, this is the only carrier I can get Nels to wear. I like that the baby always faces the adult's body with an Ergo. Yes, it's fun to be forward facing and see EVERYTHING, but then again, EVERYTHING can get really overwhelming, and there's nowhere to escape EVERYTHING if you want to sleep. When he's on my chest, he is constantly looking from side to side and up at my face, but when he's had enough, he does this little nose rub/burrowing action on my sternum, like he's digging a little face hole, and will take his entire nap there.
*Update on the K'Tan: I still love it, and use it often. Definitely not as much because he gets heavy after a while, but he is so comfortable in it. And considering I wore it at least 6 hours a day for the first 5 months, I definitely got my money's worth. I could see myself eventually wearing baby #2 in the K'tan and a toddler in the Ergo on my back! 

2. Soothie - World's greatest pacifier, IMO. Not only is it fun to stare into the gaping cavity of chomping baby gums, but the entire thing makes for a great teething chew toy. Also, you can fill the nipple with water & freeze it for teethers.


3. Sophie le Giraffe- Oh, Sophie. Sophie is dearly loved in our house, and remains the favorite chew toy. She's been made in France for over 50 years and is made from tree rubber and food paint, feels like human skin, and is just stinkin' cute. She's not the cheapest toy you'll ever buy; I got her for $17 on Amazon, and she's more than that at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. Buttttt... probably the only teething toy you'll ever buy. Apparently they also have a Sophie keychain toy.. someone please get that for me if they stumble across one!!!



4. Kawaii Diapers- 3-6 month olds wiggle more.. and pee more. For this stage, our Kawaii Diapers have proven themselves. They are cute, easy to double stuff for nighttime, and the most inexpensive diapers we have. They run about $7 a piece. The snazzy minky's are my favorite. Most of ours are One Size, which is working great now, but was a little bulky in the 0-4 month stage. They will easily fit until potty training. The Pure & Naturals are made for 0-15 months; we have two which fit great for the newborn stage, but my huge child will outgrow them by 8 months. Still, they are so inexpensive that it wouldn't be bad to get the newborn package if you plan on CDing from birth! 
                                                      Check them out at www.theluvyourbaby.com/
*I prefer snaps over velcro; yes, snaps are difficult on wiggle worms, but the velcro ALWAYS gets snagged on inserts in the wash, regardless of the fold-over tabs.
** The bamboo products feel nice, but for some reason, take forever to dry after washing
***Update on the other diapers.. Still like Trend Lab, FuzziBunz, and LOVE Charlie Banana but can't recommend it because they are outrageously priced. Dislike G Diapers (they are the cutest, but leak almost every time) and strongly dislike BumGenius.


5. Exersaucer/Jumper- Finn loves to jump. I have an exersaucer in my bathroom because it will occupy him long enough for me to take a thorough shower, shave both legs, and fully dry my hair. The doorway jumpers are great too... you can put one near the kitchen while you make dinner. PLEASE don't register for a $100 exersaucer. Yes, I consider it a semi-neccesity, but you'll only use it for a few months, and there is one at almost every garage sale I pass for $10 or less.


6. Bumbo- We call our Bumbo the poop machine. Finn tends to have a difficult time going, and will grunt for hours.. but 30 seconds in the Bumbo and you'll have to call a cleanup crew. I have no idea why.. maybe the angle they sit in it? But this easily cleaned laxative toy has made my kiddo a happy camper. I fully intend on cutting out the bottom and using it for potty training in the future. Ha.
* NEVER put child in Bumbo on couter tops or tables. Hundreds of reports have been made of infants tipping their Bumbo's off of high surfaces.
**Once again, try garage sales. Our neighbor got one for $1. We used this for a total of 3 months. 


7. Nursing-friendly outfits- "Duh", you say. Well sure, you dress nursing friendly from the get go, but then again, you could always throw a blanket over yourself. And if you had a big enough blanket, it wouldn't matter if you were wearing a turtleneck dress. But not so much with a feisty 5 month old that yanks the blanket off his head every time you expose yourself, and then leaves you hanging out in the open while he looks around to see if anyone noticed that he wants to play peek-a-boo. Then back to nursing, then SQUIRREL!!!!!, then back to nursing, then play with Mom's necklace, then nurse, then....  You get the picture. Here's my favorite nursing outfit:

No, this is not me. And please don't forget to add a t-shirt...

1. Sports Bra. Screw nursing bras, you'll be sick of them by this point. Besides, when you have to lift your shirt UP and your nursing bra DOWN, things get tricky.
2. Bra-less tank. LOVE these!!!  Not only does the compression help hold in the leftover mommy belly flab, but when you lift your shirt up to feed, you still have a tank underneath and aren't showing the world your stomach (which, admit it, NEVER looks good when you're sitting down and hunched over). I have this one from Target, but I've seen tons of them for $7 at Burlington.
3. Throw any t-shirt on top. Now just lift shirt & sports bra together in one fell swoop, and with a little practice, you should have plenty of coverage with your child's large head and your lifted up t-shirt. And if the unthinkable happens.. and... *GASP*, some easily offended bystander gets a nipple flash, tell them to GET OVER IT. Boobs were made for feeding babies.


8. Water- Hurray! Our newest, cheapest toy. Sink, bathtub, dog bowl... huge hit. When you have a sitter, fold a towel and set in kitchen sink. fold another towel up and place against the back of the sink. Fill 3/4 with warm water, sit baby in their under-water towel chair, and let them get slap-happy. You might want another towel on the floor.. this gets messy.
*ALWAYS supervise your baby around ANY water. A baby can drown in less than 1 inch of water.

9. Books-  For Finn AND for me. Three to six monthers love touch & feel board books. And they like to eat them. My favorite book to read to Finn is The Jesus Storybook Bible.. it is incredible.  Also, you should be getting decent sleep & occasional down time by now, so treat yourself to some reading of your own. If you haven't yet, please get your hands on a copy of Give Them Grace; Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus.


10. Nakedness- We've started to run out of clothes that fit, but I'm resisting buying more. That little body is so squishy and pink.. I just can't bring myself to cover it up! Plus, less clothes equals less laundry. I'd say that 80% of the time, my child is naked. And by naked, I mean wearing a diaper if we're inside, and wearing absolutely nothing if we're outside. Give those buns a chance to air out.

That's all for now, folks. Look for the 6-9 month list mid-summer!!

Camping con Bebé

I've often referred to myself as an "avid camper", but considering it had been over a year since my tent had seen daylight, I've had to humbly drop that tagline. We finally made it out last weekend and joined up with some fellow World Race alumni for a Houston-area camp out. It was a gorgeously clear and sunny weekend, with a nippy low of 22°.

The little bugger turned out to be a fantastic camper... can that sort of thing be genetic? He didn't really do much, which can be said for most 3-month-olds, but he was happy being along for the ride. He wore his usual grin all weekend and seemed unfazed by the chilly weather and lack of modern conveniences. I was inspired last spring when my cousin took her 2-month-old camping in March, and enlisted her advice. She recommended leaving the cloth diapers at home (disposables keep them a little drier which prevents them from getting too cold), and co-sleeping to keep them warm overnight. 
I was a bit timid to put him in my uber-tiny cocoon sleeping bag, but we felt that would still be a smarter decision than putting him in the generously sized bag with his dad who sleeps like a log and has been known to [unintentionally] punch me in the face in the middle of the night. He agreed that we might end up with a pancake for a child and that it would be best if the little guy slept with me. Fortunately he did not end up in the foot of my sleeping bag and woke up, after a solid 8 hours of sleep, sweaty and smiling. 

I will admit... I couldn't stand to pull him out of the snuggly warm sleeping bag, completely undress him, and bare his little butt in below-freezing air, so Hubby warmed up the car and we changed his diaper in there. Not to mention that there's not a ton of space in a one-and-a-half person tent, and an unexpected fountain of pee (which happens most often in the mornings) would soak EVER-Y-THING. 

The flares directly on the left and right are the "sun dogs".

After a scrumptious potato, bacon, and egg breakfast we explored the 200 acres, fed the cattle, picked apart massive wild hog skeletons, and piddled around on the ponds. 
In the middle of a very competitive game of washers, we noticed some really cool sun-reflections. I later learned they are called "sun dogs", and happen when ice crystals called "diamond dust" become vertically aligned with a "22° Halo"(relates to an angle, not the temperature.. rather coincidental, though!) that sometimes can appear around the sun in very cold weather. And no, I didn't make any of that up. 

All in all, a terrific weekend; we've got a second generation camper for sure. Looks like it's time for a bigger tent. 

Favorite Baby Items; Birth-3 Months

HAHA!!! One day I'll get the hubby to pose like this in our wraps. 

1. K'tan wrap

My K'tan has become my second skin. We have an Ergo, Maya, and Hotsling as well.. they are all fantastic. But the K'tan is by far my favorite. Most people think it's a Moby; it's made from the same stretchy cotton but requires zero wrapping and is super quick and easy to put on. I wore it for our 6 hour plane flight last month because I could take it on and off while sitting in my seat. I wear Finn in it between 2-3 hours a day... it's his favorite place to be. You can get them at Buy Buy Baby or off the K'tan website, or you could save yourself $50 and make one. Check out this page for a DIY tutorial.

2. Twinkle Lights

At Christmastime we learned that a quick fix for any fussiness was to hold Finn in front of the Christmas tree; he would immediately quiet down and stare at the lights. I picked up a battery-operated mini strand of lights at Target (runs on 4 AA's) and wound it around the handle of his car seat... instant hit. They are a little harder to find now that holiday stuff is off the shelves, but tons of websites sell them online. These lights blink.. I bought a second strand that didn't and he was far less interested. Call us redneck if you'd like, but these will be staying on the car seat well into summer.

3. Raw Shea Butter

Great, cheap, all-natural lotion. Whenever Finn's arms or legs are exposed in public and someone has the audacity to touch him, they often ask what lotion we use.. he's that soft! It's the only lotion I use as well. Also works great for helping prevent stretch marks during pregnancy. It is a little greasy and has a playdough-like smell, but both the greasiness and the smell disappear about 10 minutes after you rub it in. I buy mine off Amazon; it comes in a 5lb chunk from Ghana. After melting a handful on the stove and blending it with some olive oil it becomes a little softer and easier to apply. I'll probably whip some up to sell on Etsy one of these days.

4. Trend Lab Cloth Diapers

Found these puppies on Target.com while trying to use up a giftcard. Charlie Banana and Kawaii diapers, but for price & ease, Trend Lab rates high with us! The liner snaps in.. I don't have to stick my hand in a mess-filled pocket to pull the liner out. It also has seemed to fit Finn's legs the best.. no red marks. I had never heard of them before and am pleasantly surprised! They run about $12 a diaper.
*UPDATE: In the long run, these turned out so/so.. once he started crawling, they didn't hold much in and don't fit as well.

5. Frankie the Frog

Have I mentioned that my kid likes lights? He's really good at putting himself to sleep, and loves to stare at the stars on the side of the crib while dozing off. The music on it isn't exactly relaxing, but we use the "heartbeat" sound a lot. Frankie is a Summer Infant slumber buddy.. also at Target.

6. Swaddlers (pre-made)

Little bug loves to be swaddled and seems to sleep much longer when he's wrapped up snug. We have plenty of swaddling blankets, but he's a Houdini and manages to wriggle free of all of them. The pre-formed swaddlers with velcro tabs hold him all night.

We use the Kiddopotamus ones from Target; The Bonkie swaddles have awesome reviews as well, but are double the price. (Can you tell we spend a lot of time at Target???)

7. Wet Bags

I recently ordered a couple wet bags from Beth at Pink Paper Pigeons. The bags arrived 2 days after I ordered them (and a custom order, at that!) and I could not be happier with them. Until now, we had been putting our soiled cloth diapers in plastic bags until we had enough to wash.... ick. Let's just say our nursery finally smells fresh again! The XL holds about two days worth of diapers, the small goes in the diaper bag for diapers on the go/ dirty outfits. Love LOVE these wet bags! Check out Beth's Etsy page, Pink Pigeon Paper.
*UPDATE: Still really like the XL.. has held up incredibly well for being washed every 3 days for a year! The small is a little too small.. the opening at the top is too narrow and is really difficult to get a cloth diaper into without getting your hands.. err.. nasty. I'd go up a size. 

8. Dr. Brown's wide neck bottles

We don't use bottles often, but when we do.. these are the ones. Wide neck helps prevent nipple confusion, air releasing system prevents air bubbles being swallowed. Finn is a spitter.. yet rarely spits at all when we feed him from these bottles.

9. Manual Breast Pump

A must for traveling. I have an electric medela pump too, but I like having one I can toss in the diaper bag. On road trips, it's easy to pump & feed without having to pull over! It was also great to have when we flew last month.. there wasn't room in my carry on for the full electric pump. I have the Evenflo SimplyGo Pump.. I think it was around $15.

10. Spit-up De-stinkafiers

The little mister spits up. All. The. Time. I bought little spray bottles from the travel section at (you guessed it) Target and filled them with vinegar and water... about 1:3. We keep one in every room (plus one in the diaper bag) and spray it on whatever he's chosen to spit on this time. The vinegar smells goes away when it dries and helps prevent the sour milk smell on items that you can't immediately wash. I'll be honest... I wear the same shirt for the majority of the day. If I changed every time he spit on me, I'd go through 8 outfits a day. A little vinegar tides me over 'til that glorious moment that I get to slip into my fresh-smelling jammies.

Those are our faves from birth-3 months. I'll put up a favorites list every couple months because I know I'll find other must-haves as he gets older! 

Pilot

I'm fairly certain AOL Instant Messenger was my gateway drug. I did not yet own a cell phone, so being able to 'chat' with friends long past the hour I was allowed to call their home phone was a novelty. Not to mention how beneficial it was to my WPM skills... Mavis Beacon would have been proud. MySpace came next, followed by Facebook. Status updates, events, and hundreds of my friends' photos? It was love at first friend request. I'd gone to college out of state and it was just what I needed to stay "in the loop" with my friends back home. It seemed like such a great idea at the time, but before long, the ease of writing on walls nearly replaced phone calls. I mean, what if they don't answer? Then I'll have to leave a voice mail. Then we'll play phone tag. What if they're in the middle of dinner? Facebook seemed like the ultimate time-saving friend keeper-upper. Rather than waste hours on the phone, I could just click through a smattering of pics and be up to date on a handful of people.

But somehow time-saving turned into time-sucking. I'd sit down at my laptop and start to browse my news feed and then.. all of a sudden.. jolt out of a coma and realize that 3 hours had gone by. That jolt usually came about when I was halfway through 187 pictures of a friend's sister's boyfriend's aunt's co-worker's daughter's "Thanksgiving of 2009" album.

Remember the anti-smoking presentations in middle school? "If you buy 1 pack of cigarettes a day for 10 years, you will have spent "x" amount of money. Just think of what you could do with that money if you didn't have to buy cigarettes!".  I often wonder how many hours I've spent on social networks in the past 10 years. If I spent an hour a day online, that's 3,650 hours. That's 152 days... 

And I have absolutely nothing to show for it.

The other day I was an hour deep into Pinterest while the little bambino was playing in my lap. When scrolling through a friend's friend's friend's (you get the picture) pin board, I stumbled upon this poem:

 

Now, I'm not exactly a clean freak, and I've never been one to turn down an opportunity because sweeping my floors was just SO much more appealing. But the second I read it, I knew that cleaning/scrubbing/cobwebs/dust could easily be translated to facebook/twitter/pinterest. Here I am with a beautiful grinning 3-month-old in my lap, yet I'm enamored with pinned photos of houses I'll never be able to afford and more DIY ideas than I'll ever have time for. How many hours of the past three months did I spend looking at my iPhone or desktop instead of at my son?

The thought was horrifying.

Thus began the purging of my internet addiction. I deleted my Pinterest account immediately and begun tearing my Facebook apart.

*Sidenote: I'm not anti-social network just like I'm not anti-wine. In moderation, each is good. Pinterest rocks. If I have a plethora of potatoes and company coming over for dinner, I'll probably search "potato" on the public Pinterest food boards for a recipe idea. Facebook has been a stellar method of online photo storage. I have 7 years of photos, many of which I've lost the hard copies to, stored on that account (hence why I'm having to do a little backing up before completely deleting it).

I'm not advocating for the downfall of all that is social networking and I won't be bothered in the least if you don't follow me. I would, however, urge you to examine your current level of social network dependency and to take a step back if need be. Go for a walk. Sit on the couch and enjoy your cup of coffee instead of mindlessly sipping it while staring at a screen. Call up a friend whose voice you haven't heard in a while, or, if they live nearby, visit them! 

And yes, blogs are a form of social media. So why am I blogging? For one, to be held accountable. For two, to share my life with those of you that I can't visit without a $400+ plane ticket. I am committing to blog ONLY if my little one is napping, and if Hubby is home, only when Hubby is mowing or snoring. :)

Not quite sure what I'll be blogging about. If you know me, then you know it's bound to be quirky, sporadic, and spastic. If you'd like to keep up with my little adventure, go ahead and click the "follow" link on the side of the blog. 

"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a short time and then vanishes"  -James 4:14

Carpe Diem.