Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My Baby Must-Haves, 3-6 Months

It's time for the second installment of my "Must-Haves" posts. My 0-3 month choices are listed here. I am still using most of the items listed in that post, but we have weaned The Little One from the swaddle blanket now since he can roll over. I must admit that as he gets older, a few of the "must-haves" become more like "favorite things" and not so much something that you couldn't interchange with another similar product. However, these are the products that I have used the most in the last three months and am LOVING right now. So without further ado, and in no particular order, I give you my 3-6 month must-haves.


The first item I am going to mention is an Exersaucer or similar product. This one was a hand-me-down and I am so thankful for it. As you can see, The Little One loves spending time in this thing! I love this version because the legs have some spring and the baby can jump around a bit as well as practice standing. Some models have solid legs and I highly suggest one with some bounce.


The second item I am going to mention is a two part item, the Bumbo seat with Play Tray. I never thought we would need a Bumbo chair, since we already seemed to have a house full of baby paraphernalia, but we received a used one as a gift from one of The Mr.'s co-workers and I love it!

I found the tray at a consignment shop for $6.99. When The Little One was younger, it helped him to be able to sit up sooner and watch what was going on around him. Now I am using the chair along with the tray as an early highchair. I love the tray because it keeps the baby in the chair and if they arch their back, they soon learn that it isn't going to get them anywhere.



Next we have the Skwish. In my opinion, the very first toy for any baby should be the Skwish. We have the "classic" as shown in the image above, but it also comes in other color combinations as well as natural wood tone. This wooden rattle is incredibly easy for young babies to grasp and it was the first toy our little guy hung on to, as well as the first toy he brought to his mouth. It makes a sweet wooden rattle sound when you shake it and I think that it's just noisy enough to keep a baby from losing interest. A teething baby also likes to chew on the wood parts of the Skwish.


Yes, my fourth item is a toy as well, but this one is specifically for teething. The Sophie the Giraffe Teether is one of the baby toys that is played with the most in our house. The Little One loves to chew it, fling it around, and squeeze it. It is made of natural rubber and must feel good to chew during teething because it is almost always covered in drool when being played with. It has a smooth but grippy texture, so it is very easy to hold. The little one likes to hold it by one leg and move it around in the air, as it is very light. It's not one of the cheaper baby toys, but we received ours as a gift and it is something I have been so happy to have.


My KidCo Food Mill has been used so much in the past few weeks. So far it has ground everything that I have tried to put in it. I also want to mention Momtastic's Wholesome Baby Food website, which is an amazing resource for moms and healthy, hungry, growing babies. :)


These Munchkin Soft Tip spoons are the perfect puree spoons in my opinion. They are longer than some baby spoons, which makes aiming easier when you have a wiggly baby that is just learning to eat solids. The spoons are also deeper than most baby spoons, and I find them perfect for those thinner purees that would just run off a regular baby spoon as well as the thicker stuff.


Last, but certainly not least, we have the KidCo PeaPod, which is essentially a travel baby bed. However, when you compare it to a regular travel bed or Pack n' Play, set up is faster, it folds down quickly and easily, folds way smaller, is very light (a small child could carry it), and it has the added bonus of being covered so you can use it outdoors as a bug free, shaded environment for your baby to relax.

The PeaPod comes with a blow up mattress but we haven't used it yet, as our little guy sleeps just fine on top of a blanket or the oval sleeping-bag-like blanket that is provided with the PeaPod. Once he is older I am sure he will appreciate having the mattress for padding. So far we have used this for numerous overnight visits to friends homes and have even used it while sleeping on our boat. It is nice to have such a familiar and safe place for The Little One to sleep no matter where we are staying the night.

That concludes my 3-6 Month Must Haves!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Watch Me Grow!

When The Little One was 2 weeks old, I took a photo of him on the chair in the nursery. He was so tiny! Since then, I've taken a photo of him on the same chair once a month and this is the result so far.



Two Weeks Old- just over 7lbs, tiny and helpless. (I love his fresh pink skin and skinny newborn legs.)


One Month Old- chubs!


Two Months Old- "Hey, is this thing attached to me?" (Found his hands.)


Three Months Old- "Take the photo quick... before I fall over!"


Four Months Old- "Check it out mom, I have feet! Isn't that cool?"


Five Months Old


Six Months Old- around 16 lbs!


Six months, but laying down. Compare this to his two week photo.... my Little One is growing up so quickly!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful

Words simply cannot express how thankful I am for my little family of three. The Lord is good!

O taste and see that the Lord is good...
Psalms 34:8



You might notice something new - The Little One is teething and has the beginnings of four teeth coming through the gums! What a little trooper. Correction: three teeth, I thought the fourth one was coming in too, but just felt in his mouth today (11/28) and it's puffy, but still smooth as a baby's.... gums.


Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with The Little One for the first time. (Side note: I love these two handsome guys so much!)


For dinner we had Parisian salad, cranberry sauce, Martinelli's sparkling apple cider, garlic mashed potatoes, roast turkey breast, maple butter baked yams, and gravy. We truly do live in a land of plenty.


Dessert was crust-less pumpkin pie served in goblets, with whipped cream of course.


I am one happy momma. Being a mother is indescribably special. I am so thankful to be The Mr.'s wife and now I'm a momma too - what more could I ask for?!



....O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever.
Psalm 30:12