Simple Things

         

Sometimes it is the simple things that make you feel so good. Things like...

A freshly vacuumed living room

Shaved legs

Clean sheets and pillowcases

A really good smelling candle

Hot tea in your favorite flavor

A friendly, unexpected text message

A new picture of your nieces and nephews

Bread and butter

A letter in the mail

The Closet of Doom

             

   

I think most of us have this place in our home where junk resides. There's usually a junk drawer in the kitchen. And a Closet of Doom elsewhere in the house. Ours resides in an awkward corner of the living room. Awkward because it makes placing furniture extremely difficult. We still haven't figured out a couch layout that makes sense. Either the closet or front door is in the way. But today I cleaned this sucker OUT.

Want to know what was inside this closet?

1- 2.5 gallons of paint. Some leftover from the painters before we moved in. Some leftover from the stripes we painted on one wall of our bedroom. And a sample size of the orange wall in Oliver's room.

2- No less than 4 vacuums. One we actually use. Two are from Idontevenknow. And one is a Dust Buster we use for the cars sometimes.

3- About 10 winter coats. Many don't fit anymore. Also, we live in coastal CA, so... Winter coats?

4- Toys and clothes that have been given to Oliver, but he isn't old enough to play with/wear yet.

5- A rolled up area rug

6- About 20 reusable shopping bags-- where do these even come from? 

7- Gift bags to reuse for other people's gifts.

8- A clarinet, trombone, and music stand.

9- Fruit basket that doesn't work/fit in our kitchen.

10- Ironing board & extra vacuum bags.

11- The door to Oliver's room (uh, that's another story for another day)

12- Leftover plates, cups, and plasticware from our wedding 3 years ago.

13- Extra stroller

...and more, I'm sure.

I took it all out. Everything was sitting in piles around the living room.

I found nooks and crannies in the linen closet and garage. Things have a place now. My donation pile takes up the entire width of my CA King bed. Oh yeah-- I started going through my clothes closet, too. 

Now what do we have? A toy closet! A place for Oliver to play or grab his toys. And when he goes to bed at 8pm, we can close the closet door. And not a toy will be in sight! It's not finished yet. I need to secure the shelf on the wall, maybe put some hooks up or decorate a tiny bit. But it's pretty cool. And what kid doesn't want his own little nook?

                

                             Before                                     After

** sorry for the low-quality photos. I'm doing this all on an iPad and the quality is terrible, especially through the Blogger app.**

Favorite Baby Products 0-12 months

We have so many things from our first year of parenthood I'd love to share! For now, here is a list of products we would absolutely recommend. There are many other things we enjoyed, but these are at the top of our list. 

Graco Pack n Play -- we used this in the living room for daytime naps as a newborn and now we use it when we travel. So convenient. [link]

Eddie Bauer Quilted Play Yard Sheet-- makes the pack n play "mattress" more soft and comfy. [link]

Zippered Pajamas-- snaps and buttons are way too difficult at 2am & 4am! These ones are Target's Circo brand  [link]

Changing Pad-- skip the changing table and use this on top of a dresser or your bed. Ours is a hand-me-down from Oliver's cousin.  [link]

Mam Pacifiers-- we received these as a baby shower gift and Oliver loved them. He didn't like some other shapes/brands we tried. He stopped using pacifiers around 9 months old. [link]

IKEA Antilop High Chair-- it's simple, it's cheap, and there's nowhere for crusty food to hide! Love this chair. [link]

Baby Einstein Caterpillar & Fiends Activity Gym-- kept Oliver busy for months! And the toys are detachable. He still loves the toys-- especially the ones that make loud noises when you shake them. [link]

Lamaze Octivity Time Toy-- this toy has made him happy since he was a tiny babe. We used to have it attached to his crib and he'd play with it when he woke up. Now we keep it in the car to play with when he gets bored. [link]

Kirkland brand Infant Formula (from Costco)-- my babe did not like the boob. And formula is CRAZYEXPENSIVE. Thankfully, Costco pulled through and fed our baby bear all year, for half the price of other brands.  [link]

Leap Frog My Pal Scout-- this dog does it all! We mostly use this for lullaby music (every night). But he also sings songs and plays games. He always cheers Oliver up if he's cranky. Oh, AND it's customizable! You plug it into your computer and pick the songs, tell him your baby's name, favorite food, etc. so he says creepy things like "Goodnight Oliver!" :) [link]

Boon Catch Plate with Spill Catcher-- I got this on a whim at Marshall's. Its great! The plate suctions to the high chair tray. And the "spill catcher" reduces the amount of food falling to the ground. Oliver mostly self feeds (baby led weaning), and this helps a ton. Plus, he's learning how to use a plate without throwing it off his tray table. [link]

Boudreaux's Butt Paste-- the best diaper cream. Hands down. And it smells so good. [link]

Crane Drop Shape Cool Mist Humidifier-- the best looking humidifiers on the market. Really quiet. We have one in white for us, and green for Oliver. They also have white/blue, pink & orange. [link]

ErgoBaby baby carrier-- we bought this on recommendation from my sister in law. We found them for a really great price, so we bought both the Original & Sport versions. I really love the Sport; it is so soft and folds up smaller. We also used a BabyBjorn when Oliver was younger. I just like "baby wearing" so any brand is fine by me! [link]

California Baby Shampoo & Body Wash-- it just smells so good. I registered for it, so I have a ton from my baby shower! We're currently still using our first bottle in the Calming formula.  [link]

Carter's Sleep Sacks-- we used these until Oliver was about 7 months old. The sizing says 0-9 months. It keeps them nice and warm without having to be paranoid about blankets resting over your baby's face. Since he has grown out of these, we now use (when it is cold enough), Summer brand sleep sacks & Hippo Hop sleeping sacks. They sell these other brands for ridiculou$ price$! I got ours at TJ Maxx and Zulily, respectively.  [link]

Honorable mention: Carter's and Osh Kosh. They are my favorite brands for Oliver's clothes. Always soft & cute. The Osh Kosh Genuine Kids clothing line at Target is so stinkin cute. 

[all photos are from the brand's website or reseller]

11 months

              

   

One month til 1 year old. I'm actually so excited now! I'm sure on his birthday I will be all sentimental and sad-happy. But right now I'm just... Proud! Every day he learns something new. He's turning into a kid and it is so cool!

This month was a blur, so I'm not sure I have many details to share.

He's only having two servings of formula per day now. I giving him some whole milk and water as his other drinks throughout the day. He doesn't need handles on his cups anymore so we've moved onto Tommy Tippee straw cups and Playtex straw cups. He's a pro! Gotta teach him how to drink out of a real cup. He doesn't know to tilt his head back.

He mostly eats what we're eating now. Chows down on chicken, bananas, cantaloupe, grapes, and watermelon. Cereal with milk for breakfast. 

He's so mobile! Still just scooting (not crawling) and walking along furniture & walls. I don't even think he's really into any specific toys right now. He just really loves to explore. Maybe his favorite thing is to stand against the screen door & look outside. Or go behind the curtains and play so I can't see him. Or watch me cook in the kitchen. He always wants to know what I'm doing.

I think he might be pre-teething (is that a thing?). Since he got his 8 teeth a couple months ago, he hasn't really been into chewing toys. But he is chewing on toys and fingers and sofas again. Who knows... I don't see any signs of new teefers in his mouth. 

Tats all I can think of for now. We're planning his birthday party. I know, birthday parties for 1 year olds are kind of silly. But it's for the family to celebrate surviving parenthood for one year! And for me to not ever remember what labor felt like. :) 

Here's some photos.

   

10 months

                            

   

Another month has come and gone, and my little Love is now in the double digits! He's changing every day now. When he was a newborn, sometimes he'd wake up from a nap and look bigger and older. And now that he IS bigger and older, every day he has a new trick up his sleeves.

He now has 8 teeth! That's right. One month ago he had 3, and now he has 8. He actually wasn't that fussy, considering all the teeth that came in almost at once. I think the first two were the worst yet. Can't wait for those molars...

He scoots along the floor. Yep, like a dog with tummy problems. His preferred method of movement is still rolling-- it's much faster. But he will booty scoot his way all across the living room if necessary. 

He pulls up on everything! Oliver always wants to be standing. He still struggles with getting up on his own. But he just loves to cruise along the couch.

He loves making new noises. We taught him how to put his hand up by his mouth and say, "bluubsbluuubluaaba!" And even though he is way better at it if we use our own hands, it is so cool to see him learn how to do it himself.

We are transitioning away from bottles. Oliver is bottle fed and I don't really want bottles to continue past 1 year old. I'm sure it works for other people. But it's kinda weird seeing a 3 year old tote around a bottle. So we are putting his milk into sippies & he loves straw cups the best. He doesn't understand how to tip his head back to use other types of sippy cups. It's amazingly difficult to find brands and styles that work for your baby. So far he does well with Lansinoh's "mOmma" straw cup and Playtex straw cups. And he only uses a bottle before bed.

We went camping for the first time! It was just Oliver and me (and my brother Nick's whole family in the other tent). David had to work the next day so he only stayed a few hours. But it was a success! He hiked without complaint (though i didn't) in the ErgoBaby carrier. And slept all night in his Pack n Play inside our tent. I even had to wake him up in the morning, he slept so long! 

He loves to laugh. I love this in him. He is such a giggler. David gets the best laughs out of him. But I get some pretty good ones myself.

His favorite foods are probably still Cheerios and blueberries. By we've been giving him some new things like chicken and peanut butter toast. He also will devour chunks of watermelon or frozen peas. After not liking bananas for a couple months, I think he's liking them OK again. He ate half of one this morning, anyway.

His favorite toys at the moment are puzzles and books! He rolls or scoots over to his shelf of Oliver Stuff and picks out books and puzzle pieces. Basically all of his favorites are hand-me-downs from his cousins. Big knobbed Melissa & Doug shape puzzles and books with lots of animals in them.

These past few weeks have flown by. We've had so many visitors. I bet this next month will be a lot slower since we have nothing planned. Cheers!

 With Oma in Half Moon Bay

 Swimming with Willow in Bakersfield.

 On a walk on the 4th of July

 A weekend in Mt Hermon

 My cousin & uncle

 Riding a steam engine train through the redwoods. He looks so grown up here.

 Sleeping away at camp in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 

9 months old

Well, that was fast! My son is 9 months old as of yesterday and solidly wearing 12m clothes. We had his 9 month check up today (woo hoo for no shots!) and got his official stats: 29" long/tall and 24 lbs. ohh this boy is growing up so much. 

In the past week, even, so much has changed. He rolls to wherever he wants to go. He'll eat almost anything -- though Cheerios, blueberries & yogurt sure take the cake. He takes steps when you hold him up! He's very very interested in standing. But he always needs our hands to hold onto. I don't think he's figured out that he can try it on things like the couch. He has 3 bottom teeth and one top tooth. The other three top ones are almost in, too.

I mentioned that last month he was having a lot of separation anxiety. This included crying if I left the room and lots of nighttime cries & interruptions (read: no sleep). He was cosleeping with us because of this. Which only made him more attached, while still not getting a full night's rest. I mentioned this to a few of my old coworkers during a recent visit who all have grown children. They said, and I [roughly] quote, "No. No, Megan! This is when you need him OUT of your bed. Trust me. He will stay until he's 3. Do it tonight. Do it now. He has to stay in his crib!" And I responded, "Well uh, it's ok. We don't mind. Err uhh, I'll think about it." And even though unsolicited advice is a bit frustrating at times, I took their advice. I sat in a chair next to his crib that night. And eventually (midnight!), he fell asleep. That's all it took. He's been much less grumpy lately. He sleeps in his crib for naps now, which he NEVER did before. AND, no more pacifier. I took away the pacifier because babies/kids wake up sometimes in the middle of the night and search for it, ruining their sleeping pattern. So, I went and cut it out cold turkey. He hasn't even noticed. We still have them in a drawer, more so for my own sentimentality. And a brand new pack that he didn't even get to use. I guess we'll save it as a gift or a future someday baby. 

My baby boy is growing up. And even though he is definitely still a baby... I can see toddlerhood on the horizon.

 He now rolls onto his belly in his sleep.

 Snuggling with my old coworkers

 We made this for Father's Day

 My boys. I love them so!

8 months old

My little love bug is 8 months old today! I just keep thinking... He's almost 1. I need to really enjoy these months and days. Because it really does go by fast.

He's about 22 lbs and 30" long/tall I think. He's getting so chunky. Needs to learn how to crawl soon to lose some chub! Or not. That's ok too. His hair is still slowly growing in. Fitting into mostly 9 month size clothing. It depends on the brand. But I have his 12 month stuff in the bottom drawer of his dresser because I think, any day now, nothing will button anymore.

I thought I'd do a Favorite Things post. Things Oliver seems to enjoy & things we enjoy for him.

1. Silicon spatula. Never underestimate the power of a kitchen utensil as a toy. He loves chewing on the handle!
2. Snack time. He's really into yogurt, veggie straws, and BLUEBERRIES. Though, a poopy diaper post-blueberry snack is quite amusing.
3. Ergo Baby Carrier. We love it because he never gets fussy in it, it's comfortable, and you don't have to fuss with a stroller to get through the door. I think he loves it because it feels like a hug (a la Temple Grandin?)
4. Itsy-Bitsy Spider. He's been struggling a tiny bit with going to bed lately because of separation anxiety. But he falls right to sleep if we sing itsy-bitsy spider... Or play it from this link on YouTube. (http://youtu.be/Wze27LeyF4Q)

5. Shopping carts. I don't know why, but he is ALL smiles when he gets to ride in a shopping cart.

6. Hand-me-down clothes. David's co-worker has a son 2 months older than Oliver. He's quite a chunker, so I hear, and she has given us a ton of his old clothes. Nice stuff, too! Baby Gap! Yes!

...ok there's more but he just woke up from his nap. Happy 8 months, big guy. :)

 8 month old picture.

 Kaleidoscope

 Swaddled up for fun because he was getting fussy. It worked!

 Roaming around Mt Hermon on Mother's Day.

 Oliver's new hat

 Enjoying the park.