Baby & Kid

Life with a Baby: Baby Favorites @ 10 months

October 16, 2014

What a packed month we have had!!

We went to Raleigh over Price’s birthday weekend. At that point I realized that flying with a 6 month old is very different than a 10 month old. Oy!!

And in that time Autumn’s crawling speed has increased 10 fold. We really have to make sure all the baby gates are securely closed as she is really quick at going from one end of the room to another. Plus she has been quite proud in showing that she can easily make her way up the first 3 steps with little effort. Oh boy, we are in trouble!!!

The only thing that slowed her down a bit was a recent cold and her first ear infection. Awww poor babe. As usual, she starts out stuffy and then one day her nose is a completely faucet and then she is on the rebound. But this cold also brought along with it the added ear infection so that was extra stinky for Autumn.

Anyway, here is a little round up of things that have been favorites of ours this past month!

Baby Favorites @ 10 months

Silly Hats Barney

While Autumn LOVES her Owl, she is pretty smitten with her singing and dancing Barney toy too. I picked this up at a consignment sale for $5 and, considering how much we have used it, the toy has been a great deal. Every day we take it off the bookcase (so the dog can’t eat it!) and she immediately starts to wiggle. She is ready to dance and clap along with Barney as he sings his songs related to the portion of the hats (farmer, firefighter, bus driver) he has rotated to face forward.

BRICA Super Scoop Bath Toy Organizer

We give Autumn a bath just about every night but what that really means is that I get to say ‘tushy down!!!!!’ about 100 times in 10-15 minutes. Since discovering that she can easily pull herself up from the sides of the tub, she finds it pretty fun to do just that. So I have a heartattack just about every time she does it as there have been a few times when she has slipped and thankfully? gone back (instead of smacking her pretty little face on the edge of the tub). I yank her up again and she blinks back the water that was just all over her back and looks at me like ‘chill, won’t you?’ So, the new solution is lot of toys to keep her entertained in the tub so she doesn’t feel the need to stand up. But where do you keep all those toys?? In this bad boy!! It’s great as it allows you to scoop the toys up and keep them out of the way by hooking on the wall. Awesome!!

Braun Forehead Thermometer

It was easier when Autumn was younger to take her temperature in her armpit or rectally but now it’s much harder as she resists staying still, so this thermometer has been so helpful as it only takes a swipe across her forehead and then done! I highly suggest this to all parents to have in their first aid supplies.

Large Crayola Washable Crayons, 8

Okay, sometimes she still tries to eat them but at least it’s fun to sit with her and doodle with her while she wings them about. It’s just nice to sit without noise and draw with her. She does fast sharp lines and swooshes and then I elaborate them with more doodles, stars, and flowers & leaves. I just look forward to when she really gets into doodling.

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Check out more Baby Favorites:

@ 9 months

@ 7 months @ 8 months

@ 5 months @ 6 months

@ 3 months @ 4 months

@ 1 month @ 2 months

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I’ll do a favorites post every month/stage as Autumn grows, changes, and develops.

What are some of your favorite things for 10 month olds?

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Post contains affiliate links

Dear Autumn @ 10 months

September 27, 2014

September 2014

Dear Autumn-

There are moments when I look at you and I can picture what you will look like when you are a little girl. When I see you sitting there and I envision you with golden brown hair, pulled back in pig tails, while you absentmindedly play with your feet at the bottom of your long legs while watching cartoons. But for the most part it’s all fuzzy to me. Either way, I’m just trying to enjoy the things happening now because it’s astonishing how fast these past 10 months have gone by.

You are doing so well crawling around at a lighting fast speed. As well, you are doing a great job pulling yourself to stand up. You hold on tight to the TV stand, sofa, oven, and the dog’s gate (which blocks you from eating his food) and then up you go to stand there and check yourself out in the reflection of the oven or to yell at that dog while he eats his dinner. Thankfully you are pretty cautious so you haven’t taken make spills just yet.

You had a pretty decent cold this past month and since then you won’t take a bink. You couldn’t suck on the pacifier and breathe through your stuffed up nose at the same time so you stopped using it then. I figured it would be temporary and just while you were sick but you have refused it since. This is bad since I think you still want it at times but remember the struggles you had with it when you were sick. But it’s good that you gave it up on your own so we don’t have to struggle with that when you are older. But who knows, maybe you’ll want it again in a month or so.

We’ve begun planning your first birthday party. It’s crazy to even have that on the horizon but it’s just 2 months away and that’s going to be here before we know it. I am looking forward to your little farm themed party. It should be tons of fun, but thankfully we still have 2 more months until then! Sob!

You bring such joy to our lives. We love you so much!

Love,

Mom

Cousins

September 17, 2014

The end of August is filled with birthdays in my family. My dad & nephew share the same day, my set of twin nephews are a week later, and my sister’s is 2 days after that. It’s always such a busy, but fun time.

Price, Autumn, and I headed back to my hometown to be able to celebrate with everyone. We arrived on my dad & nephew’s birthday so there was some cake then & some more cake when we all got back together at my sister’s mom’s house the next day.

It’s so much fun to hang out but I really love watching all the cousins play together as they now range from 12-9 months. My niece Cara adores Autumn and is so gentle with her, even after Autumn grabs fists full of her hair. Ouch!

Price played with some baseball with the twins. Cara wanted to join in too so there was a bit of short distance, slow pitch to her which she did pretty well with.

Hey Uncle TJ!

Just trying to get some pictures of Poppy with all the grandkids! (poor Cara getting her hair pulled!)

Umm, this photo works…

Life with a Baby: Baby Favorites @ 9 months

September 9, 2014

I don’t think Autumn ever sits still now. Well, she does sit still in the grass or on my lap when we are outside at night watching birds fly around as the sun sets, but that’s about it. She enjoys being outside as much as possible, and when she is inside and want to go out she lets you know. Her actions are very deliberate, she knows what she likes and dislikes, and she really lets you know about it either way.

These are some of the things that she really likes, and lets you know it!

Baby Favorites @ 9 months

Jellycat® Woodland Babe Cream Owl

My best friend’s mom got this owl for Autumn when she was a few weeks old. We always keptit in her crib and now it is her favorite thing. She sleeps with it every night, and in the morning often won’t let go of it until she has her bottle downstairs. When I put her in her crib she grabs tight to it and holds its body or wings. Sometimes she will stroke the eyebrow fluff as she falls asleep. It’s just adorable!

Since it basically is her best friend we bought an extra just incase our (jerkface) dog manages to get it and destroy it. We couldn’t risk not having one around for her, she just loves her owl too much.

Munchkin The Medicator

This was one of those things that Price put on the Amazon list and I didn’t get the point of it since Autumn’s medicines comes with droppers- it’s not like we lost them… yet. But once we used it I was a fan. She would often spit out medicine we would give her, no matter if it was cherry flavored Motrin or her 2x daily iron dose. So now we have this, which is similar to the nipple on her bottle so she will take it more easily, compared to getting medicine dropped. And we can mix breast milk or water with it so the tastes are diluted too.

Too Cute!

We don’t really watch many cartoons or kids programing with Autumn. We occasionally put some on but she is on the move and doesn’t pay attention to it and there is only so much Peppa Pig I can listen do while she crawls around the kitchen with a spoon in her hand. But if we put on Too Cute! she is in awe of it. She will at least sit for a few minutes to check out the animals. Sometimes she even claps around to show how much she loves it. It’s too cute! ha!

Regalo Easy Step Walk Thru Gate

For our little girl, who is always on the move now, these baby gates are key to having her be safe. We have one located at the bottom of the stairs on our first floor and one that cuts Autumn off from the main living area to tiny hallway that leads to our first floor bathroom and to stairs to our basement. As well, we now keep the dog’s food and water bowl there to help prevent her from eating the dog food or play with Kemper’s water bowl.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Click’n Learn Remote

Basically, Autumn wants whatever we have. If we are holding the remote, then she wants it. And, obviously, she will play around with it and the channels will change and before we know it we are watching our town’s loop of public ads or some spanish version of QVC. So we now have this toy remote that we can trick her with so she feels like she has what we have and we can still watch the news or other important things like… Extra!

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Check out more Baby Favorites:

@ 8 months

@ 7 months

@ 6 months

@ 5 months

@ 4 months

@ 3 months

@ 2 months

@ 1 month

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I’ll do a favorites post every month/stage as Autumn grows, changes, and develops.

What are some of your favorite things for 6 month olds?

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Post contains affiliate links

The Hub

August 27, 2014

Whenever we visit Maine we go to an island(ish thing) that is called The Hub. I don’t know if it’s officially called that or it’s something that locals call it or just something Price’s family calls it (Elaine… some insight?).

The last time I was there we picked mussels, but this time we just hung out and took some pictures. It was just a nice mellow time allowing us to walk around, check out the seaweed, find teeny penny sized crabs in the tidal pools, and take pictures. Some of the best ones were the ones with Autumn sitting on the rock where Price’s grandmother would spend time sitting as she watched all the grandkids. We think she was pretty stoked to hang out on ‘Olive’s Rock’.

Kemper was so excited to explore with Price. He was probably dying to get off leash and we were tempted to do it had we had more time than before going back home for dinner. We just figured that he would end up climbing up/down the boulders and getting stuck, so then Price would have to save him. ha!

Honey, don’t eat the sand.

See you next year Maine.

Dear Autumn @ 9 Months

August 21, 2014

August 2014

Dear Autumn-

Oh man, every month the 18th sneaks up on me and I go “OMG! How are you another month older!?!?” I’m sure I’ll be doing this same freak out when your are older as well, but with years. It’s just incredible that time is flying by so quickly and how much you develop and change.

One thing that can change is your volume. Oh my sweets! You have just one volume and that is loud. Babbling loudly, crying loudly, shreeking loudly, yelling loudly. It’s all the same. I’m trying not to dimension your excitement when you are chatting with me but sometimes it can scramble my brain so I respond to you softly hoping that maybe you will mimic and hope that you will learn what “inside voices are.”

So, that is why we often go outside, just so that the shreeks don’t bounce around our walls and in our brains. But guess what? You get quiet then. You will yell and yell until we reach the door and then you zip those lips once we get outside. It’s like you are in pure owe it renders you speechless. You enjoy watching the birds and you listen for planes overhead. And, of course, pulling up bits of the new sod is just the best. Even when I put you on a blanket you pull the edges to you to reach the grass and feel it, pull it, and, sometimes, eat it. ha!

We weren’t sure if you would ever crawl since you only showed interest in walking around with us but you just started just the other day. Previously you would just twist and scoot on your butt, but now you are just starting to get the crawling movement down now. Uh -oh! time to really baby proof!!!

You’re still so teeny tiny! And yet you eat so much! You let it be well-known, by broadcasting it loudly, when you are hungry or when are you full. Thankfully, you are eager to try everything we give you from avocado to beans, pasta to tomatoes, and pancakes to quesadillas. You eat so much but you must burn it up as you are still 5th % for your weight, but at least it as held steady.

I love you so much my happy baby.

Love,

Mom

Camping with a Baby: Sand Pond Campground- Sandford, ME

August 14, 2014

A few weeks ago Price and I packed up the car to go camping with Autumn and Kemper. Yep, camping with a 7 month old.

Our original plan was to go to Pillsbury State Park in Washington, New Hampshire early Saturday morning to stay at a specific camp site but it is one that can’t be reserved and, unfortunately, someone beat us there and was staying the weekend. So it meant for a change of plans. We sourced some books and searched online and ultimately found a spot at Sand Pond Campgrounds in Sanford, Maine.

Normally we are very organized and have everything packed up properly the night before we go away or go camping. Well, not this time. Of course. Unfortunately, one of our rabbits died that day and Price discovered it when he went down to our den to get camping stuff and feed them. So our productivity on Friday night came to a screeching halt. Instead, it was all about crying, feeling sad, saying good bye, and burying him. All of that meant we threw in the towel before we were done packing and decided to finish it in the morning.

People- don’t do that! I hate to say but we should have sucked it up and finished packing because then we would have (probably) had our act together and wouldn’t have needed to make THREE different stops the following morning. Yep, three. Sigh.

Anyway, after leaving an hour later than expected (hey, not so bad) we headed up to Sand Pond Campground in Sanford, ME. Because I can never resist an opportunity to go to Sonic, we stopped there for breakfast burritos and drinks.

While we left later than planned we still managed to arrive before 8.30am giving us plenty of time to get checked in and begin to get set up.

As we brought a baby and a dog with us, they put us in our own field. Thankfully, it was a quiet weekend and we were only 1 of 2 families tent camping. They have 2 fields for tents so they put us in our very own field, which meant we basically had 4 campsites to ourselves so we wouldn’t be disturbing others (as much) compared to being put right next to the other people. This consideration was so nice as it allowed for us to relax a bit more.

While we unpacked the car and set things up, we put Autumn on a picnic blanket. She loved it. She also loved pulling the blanket up and ripping up (and then eating- ugh) grass.

Did your awful parents forget a bowl for you so you had to drink water out of a pot? yep.

This year we upgraded our 3 person tent to an 8 person tent. We used our 3 person tent for the past few years but with the baby and the dog we knew that we wouldn’t fit in there. I was thinking we would get a 6 person tent but Price decided to ‘go big or go home’ and picked out a Coleman Montana 8 Person Tent.
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It felt funny setting it up as it was just 2 adults, 1 infant, and a dog but we all have a lot of stuff for each of us -bags for clothes, bags for cooking stuff, my pumping bag, stuff for the dog, etc. All of that stuff takes of a lot of room, and even when they say ‘sleeps 8’ they show the people in the diagram practically touching each other so I don’t feel that bad about such a big tent for all of us in the end. The tent was pretty easy to assemble so it made for a quick set up.

I took Autumn to the pool for a bit so she could splash around and play. There were a few families there but it was pretty mellow and quiet. It was a smallish pool but there was plenty of room for adults to hang around the edge while kids played in the deep end (not deep enough for diving!). There aren’t too many umbrellas so be sure to to bring plenty of sunblock, sunglasses, and a hat for you and your family.

Price later on enjoyed some solo pool time so that he could cool off and relax a bit while I sat back at the campsite enjoying some sun while Autumn napped.

Kemper enjoyed swimming around when we were at Pillsbury State Park last year, which is part of the reason that we selected Sand Pond this year. We wanted to give him that same opportunity this year so having a place for him to swim was one of the factors involved in picking out the campgrounds.

After 1 jump from the dock that resulted in him going under the surface, even with the life jacket on, Price would lower him into the water so he could swim out to the sticks we wanted to retrieve. He definitely got spooked going under the water so I’m really glad we had a life jacket on him to make him come up quickly and to have something to grab onto to get him out of the water quickly. Once he caught his breath he was ready to go again!

After Kemper did his swimming adventure… he was exhausted!

Well, we were all tired. 🙂

Autumn loves to be outside. This little camping adventure was right up her alley.

For dinner we ate hot dogs and store bought side salads. We enjoyed the leisurely pace of the evening as we hung out and walked around with Autumn. The sunset was really pretty but the best part was that we went during the full moon. We purposefully planned that when we were planning on when we were going camping during the summer. A gorgeous big moon, camp fire, and s’mores make for the best kind of night outside under the stars. Shoot! I didn’t even mind the squeaky bats that danced and darted above our heads. Thanks for eating all those pesky bugs guys!

Throughout the camping trip I would sneak away to the car to pump. Ah, the joys of pumping! I could have brought my battery pack with me to pump in the tent but I figured I would enjoy some AC in the car so I just brought the car adapter. Plus, it always gave me a chance to charge my phone which functioned as our clock, alarm, and always at hand camera. (I did bring my big Nikon as well.)

We brought a cooler for our food and for my to store my milk. We just made sure we had plenty of ice and it was simple to keep things safely stored for all of us.

We survived the night!

Of course, right as I was putting Autumn down in the tent a bunch of fireworks went off (off camp property) so she was spooked and took longer to get down. As well, she was up more at night as it was an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar sounds and smells. Thankfully, we didn’t have any close neighbors, but we still didn’t enjoy her crying so quickly brought her onto our sleeping bags (she was on her own at the start) to snuggle. Well, she mostly just batted me in the face!

Price made us breakfast!

Autumn was fussy and I needed to pump so I ending up giving Price some morning peace and drove around with her while I pumped. Plus, I grabbed some coffee’s from Dunkin’s which is just a few miles away (Thankfully, if you forget anything while camping here you can just drive a few miles and grab what you need at the grocery store or (the dreaded) Wal-mart).

Price’s mom sent us this ciao! baby Portable Highchair which is PERFECT for camping.

Price made cornbread just to try out the process. Ultimately, having a lid is key to making it cook properly. Gotta try to learn!

Hello Bacon Egg and Cheese!!!!

In the morning I took Autumn on a long walk around the campgrounds to get some exercise and kill some time while Price tidied things up around our campsite so we could pack up and get on the road early.

On our walk we kept looping around the campsite checking out everything that Sand Pond had to offer. One thing that I really enjoyed was that they have really clean, well organized facilities. There are 2 locations for restrooms and showers, one being by the pool. As most of the people there are in RV’s, which have bathrooms, the facilities were quiet and extremely clean. Even pretty of bugs as the screen doors are on closers so no one can forget the door open and fill the restrooms full of bugs!

They also have spaces for events and places for kids to play around. The playground had a jungle gym and a basketball hoop. Great for kids (even adults!) with tons of energy.

They were hosting BINGO on Saturday afternoon. I didn’t play but it was fun to walk by all the action.

They also host other events throughout the summer, for example, there was a blueberry bake off on the next weekend. Bummer to miss that!

They had a cute little beach which would be fun for Autumn to play in when she gets in older.

After the walk we broke down the tent and chucked stuff in the trunk and we were on our way home. We prefer to just get home and properly unpack/repack thing later. Like the tent was covered in dew so it would have been gross to fold up and put away in it’s case, we unpacked it, let it dry out and then packed it up later that afternoon.

Thankfully we have a car seat cover for our car since Kemper was filthy!!!This Kurgo cover is a lifesaver when it comes to keeping the car clean with Kemper.

We were all pooped when we got back. That is when you know it was a very successful camping weekend. So much fun!

So, we survived our first camping experience with Autumn and are looking forward to going again. Things will be very different next year with Autumn running around but I think it will just make it even more fun! So exciting!

Tips and Tricks for Camping at Sand Pond Campground

Bringing small bills with you will make it easier to pay for firewood. They do accept cards so you can use that for your fee but if you need wood later having cash makes things easier.
If you are bringing your dog then you HAVE TO bring a current copy of its rabies papers. The tag is NOT enough.
As there are a lot of trailers here, there are a lot of activities here to keep the people who summer here busy and happy. This is either your thing or not, just keep that it mind.
Dogs can’t go swimming on the beach but there is an area for dogs. They can use the boat dock but if your dog is not a jumper they might have difficulty getting in the water as there are canoes strapped off the dock inhibiting easy access in that area.
There are small wooden fences prohibiting you from driving up directly to your camp site so be ready to carry things back and forth as you unload/reload your car.

Tips and Tricks for Camping with an Infant

Bring lots of wipes!
Bring a hat and sunblock to protect your little one’s skin.
Use an all natural bug spray, as needed.
If you need to pump, bring a car adapter or a battery pack charger with you.
I suggest this ciao! baby Portable Highchair to make this easier for meal times.
Have some patience! It’s a new experience for you and them. There are all new things to look at which is fun but overwhelming too so they can get over stimulated quickly.
Try to pick a campsite that has bathroom facilities in case of accidents- make for washing things out and cleaning up easier, one that is fairly close to a store incase you forget something that you need, and one that isn’t too far from home just in case you need to ditch your plans and get home quickly. Be flexible. 🙂
Know where the closest hospital is and how to get there. Better to be prepared and never need it then have to scramble later.

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Life with a Baby: Baby Favorites @ 8 months

August 12, 2014

Can someone please explain to Autumn what ‘inside voices’ are in a way that she will understand? Please.

Our dearest little Autumn is a loud mouth. And she is a yeller and shreaker. For example, if she is really happy she yells and shreaks, but she does the same when she is mad. So that just means that there is a lot of noise all the time. Except, when we are outside. Wanna shut her up? Go outside! It’s like a magic trick. Walk out of the threshold and zip, quiet. That is part of the reason why I’ll take her out on 3 1/2 mile walks on the weekends quite exercise time.

So of the things that bring on the shreaks of joy are…

Baby Favorites @ 8 months

Follow Me Fred

I picked this pup up at a tag sale for $5. Such a deal since she loves him so much. He bark, plays music, and moves around. The best part is that he moves around with just a light touch so she can operate him herself. A plus for us, there are different settings, including a ‘mute’ one that allows for him to move around but without the noise. A definite win for us.

LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table

As Autumn is not yet standing on her own we took off the legs so it can just sit on the floor with her. More often than not it is on our bed and she bangs away at it while we are getting ready in the morning. There are 2 modes, which is controlled by the book in the center. Autumn likes the mode that sings ABC’s to her. The alphabet song is her favorite thing to calm her down and excite her. I’ve lost track at the number of times I’ve sung it or the number of times she has spun that toy to hear it sung to her. It’s kinda driving Price lately so he flips the book to the different mode and when music plays Autumn gets annoyed and flips it back to hear her ABC’s.

ciao! baby Portable Highchair

Price’s mom gave us this chair so that we could easily feed Autumn while traveling. We used it when we went camping and when we went to Maine this summer. It has also worked well in our backyard. It’s easy to clean, set up, and use. The highchair is light and has a bag so it’s easy to toss in your car and take on the go.

Kiddie Pool

Since Autumn loves to be outside so much this kiddie pool is getting great use this summer. It’s like tubby time but better. I’d love to get to the beach with her but there is so much to plan, pack, and carry. But this kiddie pool allows for her to be in the water without all the sand involved.

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Check out more Baby Favorites:

@ 7 months

@ 6 months

@ 5 months

@ 4 months

@ 3 months

@ 2 months

@ 1 month

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I’ll do a favorites post every month/stage as Autumn grows, changes, and develops.

What are some of your favorite things for 8 month olds?

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Post Contains Affiliate Links

38 weeks in/38 weeks out

August 11, 2014

Autumn cooked for 38 weeks, and she has been hatched for 38 weeks.

In both cases time sped by. There were moments when I’ve watched the clock tick in both cases but overall I really can’t believe how fast it has sped by. Warped Speed tricks.

Autumn is stunning, happy, smart, and leaves are hearts full. Being a mom is the craziest thing ever but it’s the absolute best.

looking forward to the next 38 weeks and for everything that brings along with it.

**photo from tonight, after grocery shopping**

Dear Autumn @ 8 Months

July 21, 2014

July 2014

Dear Autumn-

Man, you are so cool. As cool as can be for a 8 month old. Definitely.

We are just in love with everything that you can do now. You are just growing in leaps and bounds now. It’s so much fun seeing all the new things you are learning in such a short period of time. You’re sitting up like a pro. Every now and then you’re pitch over and wack your head on the floor so we generally try to keep the Boppy around you or sit right behind or next to you just in case.You can keep yourself occupied for a few minutes on your own so that I can run Kemper out in the front yard or start dinner.

Your favorite thing to do now is wave at everyone and everything. You started about a week and a half ago and now it’s just the coolest thing ever. You’re such a crab when I change your diaper but once we leave your room and you see your reflection in the hallway mirror you just light up and star waving.

You even wave at Kemper now. He doesn’t get it, he just looks at you for food, which you are amazing at giving to him. You look right at us and listen to us say “No, not for puppy!” but you still drop it for him. And then when you continue to do that we put our hand under your’s so that if you drop it we will catch it before he gets it. You take your hand back and then put the food in your mouth, take a bite or 2. Once we move our hand as it seems you are going to eat your food, you quickly extend your hand and drop it for Kemper. Ugh. So, while we are ticked that you keep feeding the dog, we still crack up because you are try your best to be sneaky about it.

The dog is fun but walking is the best. You love to hold on to our hands so that we can guide you around. I’m afraid you’ll never crawl but I’m not that worried about it since we haven’t done any baby-proofing yet. You completely freak out when you are on your stomach since you can’t figure out crawling and that completely pisses you off! Oh the tears and tears. It’s so sad but funny how instantly you will freak! ha!

But truthfully, we do more freaking out than you. We can’t believe how fast you are growing (minus the crawling!). There have been some great moments this past month but I have 2 favorite moments. You started to wave one day to your reflection when we would walk by the mirror which was so cool but that night you started to wave to Dad and you had the biggest smile on your face. You were so excited to wave to him and he was so excited it was the best moment (so, of course, I teared up!) And then one day when I was picking you up from daycare you guys were outside and you noticed me and you started to kick you legs and wave your arms while Gloria was holding you. As I got closer you started showing ‘mamamamama’ and put your arms out to grab me. OMG. The. Best.

You’re just the best thing ever.

Love,

Mom

Life with a Baby: Baby Favorites @ 7 months

July 10, 2014

Oh what a month!

Autumn is getting closer to getting on the move, or at least that is what she so desperately wants so she has been getting quite frustrated when she can’t reach something. Instead of being held she wings her body down to the floor so we always need to be on high alert that we have a good grip on her. Once seated on the floor she does amazingly well at sitting on her own. We still put pillows all around as she’ll randomly fall over and those cries are the worst after you hear that thud.

Oh, and teething is the worst!! But we’re totally enjoying her big grins with her 2 bottom front teeth peaking through her gums. At least they def help her chow down!

Baby Favorites @ 7 months

Activity Cube

When we were staying at Price’s brother’s house over the 4th of July weekend, Autumn played with their activity cube that they had for their kids. She really liked how there were all different toys right at her level. She liked the gears, the rotating disks, spinning things, and the colors. She liked it so much they just gave it to her. So now I’m sure she will be standing up and holding on to it in no time! Ahh!!

Activity Walker

In addition to the activity cube that we got as an awesome hand-me-down, we got a walker. Autumn lights up when she is moving around as she can’t yet do it on her own. However, she equally gets frustrated that she sometimes ends up moving the wrong direction so there is some yelling at times. But I think it all equals out.

Baby Jogger City Select Stroller

Okay, so I am going to do a seperate post (on of these day’s…) about this stroller but until then, just trust me when I say that it is really, really awesome. We have been walking all over with Autumn in this stroller. It was great to use with the carseat but now the peanut is actually big enough for the stroller seat, which has a better sunshade than the carseat, which works out well with the summer sun. We’ve hoofed a lot of miles with this stroller and I love it so much because it’s lightweight, easy to open/close, and is great on the cobblestones, sidewalks, and unpaved park paths we visit.

Motrin Infants’ Drops

Infant Motrin… how we love thee!

Teething is rough man. ‘We’ toughed it out for a while with some teething rings and orajel but the thing that really makes things bearable is the Infant Motrin. Autumn got 2 teeth back to back in June and now all signs point to her getting another tooth as she sleeping is sucky, she is extra cranky, and eating solids is taking a long time again (assuming it hurts more to eat those yummy baked sweet potato fries I make!). But she def mellows out when we give her a dose of Motrin as it is helps with “relieves minor aches and pains due to the common cold, flu, sore throat, headaches and toothaches.”

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Check out more Baby Favorites:

@ 6 months

@ 5 months

@ 4 months

@ 3 months

@ 2 months

@ 1 month

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I’ll do a favorites post every month/stage as Autumn grows, changes, and develops.

What are some of your favorite things for 7 month olds?

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Our Water Baby

July 7, 2014

Both Price and I grew up on the water- Price on one of the Finger Lakes in NY, me on Long Island Sound- so it is important for us to have Autumn comfortable with the water. We wanted her to approach playing around and in water in a confident, safe manner. Most importantly we wanted her to respect the water and be very safe when she was around it so we enrolled her in swim lessons.

We signed her up for the 6 lesson class at Boston University (rates depended on if you are a BU student/alumni- we weren’t so it cost us $95). She was in a group with a few other kids ranging from ages 6 months to 18 months. Since we started her right at 6 months she was the youngest there but did well in the water. The teacher was very kind and accommodating making each child feel comfortable in the water.

With the exception of the weekend I was in Florida, every Sunday morning we went to Boston University’s fitness center for Autumn’s lesson. But I didn’t slack off the weekend as my mom took us to one of the local pools in her complex.

During the 30 minute lessons we would have the babes sit on the edge of the pool (I’d support Autumn from falling over) and count to 3 and give them permission to come into the pool, which then prompted a bunch of babes to flop into the pool (I just pulled her in then). This was to teach them from the start that they can not assume they can just enter a pool without asking for permission.

We would play games and sing songs during the class so that being in the water was fun and they would learn skills along the way. We would splash around to the “Hokey Pokey” and “The Wheels on the Bus”. There were points when they kids would put their face in the water and blow bubbles (at the “you put your whole face in…” part) but that was too much for Autumn so I would just get her chin in since the few times she got a mouthful of water she would grip my arm for dear life and cough and cough. I’m sure I could have pusher her a bit more but for this class the goal for us was for her to be comfortable in the water and not be scared.

Price took these photos on the last day of class when photography was permitted, (I did sneak a photo of Price and Autumn in the pool when he took her on Father’s Day!!) and I’m pretty sure she knew it was the last class because she didn’t want to give that rubber ducky up! Her favorite parts of class always revolved around the ducks. We would put them in the water in front of our kids and as they splashed around and kicked we would move them closer to get them to simulate swimming for them. The older kids also played around with noodles, rings, and even got a boat ride on the last day, but Autumn just loved the rubber ducks.

I just ordered an Otteroo just to give it a try. It’s a funny looking inflatable that SAFELY goes around your kid’s neck that allows them to float around freely (but this is not an excuse to let them hang out in the pool, they still NEED hands on supervision!). Autumn likes to float when I am supporting her head up out of the waterso I figured this might be fun for her as well. Or just a waste of money if it spooks her. I figure we’ll start in the tub at home with it and just see how that goes. Keep ya posted!

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