tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80724411681968114872024-03-08T03:07:55.159-05:00Momma Esq.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-77074746455018310742012-06-03T22:47:00.000-04:002012-06-03T22:47:08.644-04:00Diaper TractorOur closest friends, Matt and Kate, are less then a month away from delivering their first child. A few weeks ago, we celebrated at Kate's baby shower. We wanted to do something really special for them, and Scott found this wonderful idea online: <br />
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Well, he found a wonderful PICTURE online, but I couldn't find the instructions anywhere. However, I did find instructions for similar items, so I just had to wing it. Here is our finished product:<br />
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Make the wheels first and set them aside. I used Size 1 Pampers Swaddlers (the amount used will vary depending on the size of the tires, but I would buy at least an 84 pack of diapers to be safe). Obviously, you can use any type of diapers you like, but I was partial to these when Felix was first born. I followed the instructions found in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfvNrSlDhPk" target="_blank">this video</a> for the wheels and they came out perfect. I wound up using the springform pan I have for the larger wheels and a Pyrex container for the smaller wheels. I wrapped the wheels with a couple large rubber bands before removing them from the pan. <br />
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I purchased thick green ribbon (2 rolls) and thin yellow ribbon (one roll). I cut the ribbon to the lengths needed based on the size of each of the four wheels. I then affixed the yellow ribbon to the center of the green ribbon using a strong adhesive tape. I attached the completed ribbons around the wheels using double sized tape. I then used two paper towels rolls slid into the middle of each of the wheels to anchor the wheels together. We then put a pair of baby socks into each end of the paper towel rolls as hubcaps (we didn't use any particular color for these).<br />
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I used two dishwasher baskets for the tractor itself. I used the Babies R Us brand that Kate had registered for, which worked perfectly because come in two different sizes (one for each part of the tractor itself). However, you could easily use a box of wipes for the larger part of the tractor and purchase a Munchkin dishwasher basket for the smaller part.<br />
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I wrapped the smaller dishwasher basket with a hooded towel (it may take several folds to get the size you need while also hiding the hood portion of the towel) and affixed it using double sided tape. I then used the same combination of green and yellow ribbon from above to wrap that part of the tractor. <br />
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I wrapped the larger dishwasher basket with two receiving blankets (one to cover the front and back of the basket and one to cover the sides). It may take a few folds to get the right size for the receiving blankets. I affixed each blanket using double sided tape. <br />
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The steeples on top of the tractor were made using a pair of baby socks. For the longer steeple, I placed a sharpie inside one of the socks (which can later be used to write your child's name on things for daycare) and wedged it into the ribbon used around the smaller dishwasher basket. The smaller steeple is a rolled sock held together with the thin yellow ribbon. I then used double sided tape to affix the smaller steeple to the top of the small dishwasher basket. <br />
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The headlights are two craft puffs (not sure what they're actually called) affixed with double sided tape. <br />
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The only pain with the tractor is that I couldn't find a way to attach everything. Since we also bought Matt and Kate a Radio Flyer wagon, I rested the dishwasher baskets on top of the wheels (which have been held together with the paper towel rolls) and placed paper "grass" all around it to keep it from falling apart. <br />
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Another tip is that I placed all the extra socks and receiving blankets (since you will likely buy these in packs of 4 or 6) inside the dishwasher baskets. <br />
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I hope this helps anyone looking to make this in the future. We were really happy with how it turned out! Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-37631789525611691762012-06-03T22:02:00.001-04:002012-06-03T22:02:09.277-04:00Teacher Appreciation Gifts<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've taken a particular liking to Pinterest lately. No, that's an understatement. I'm obsessed with Pinterest! I love doing little things for the important people in our lives and the women that care for Felix are among the most important to us. So for this past Teacher's Appreciation Week, we put these little gifts together for all the ladies at daycare:</div>
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I thought I would post the (simple) instructions on here for anyone looking for similar ideas. I slightly modified the instructions found on <a href="http://domesticatedlady.com/2010/smore-teacher-appreciation-idea-and-free-printable/" target="_blank">this blog</a>. What you'll need:</div>
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<li>Bag of Marshmallows</li>
<li>Sleeve of individually wrapped mini-Hershey bars</li>
<li>Box of Graham Crackers</li>
<li>Ziploc bags (the original blog I found this one called for cellophane bags, but I didn't have any, so I just folded the Ziploc bags down as far as needed to hide the "Ziploc" printed on the bag)</li>
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<li>Printer</li>
<li>Stapler</li>
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I used the printable label found on the blog linked above. Super simple, but special enough to let the girls know how much they mean to us.</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-50435116021624072402012-06-03T21:47:00.001-04:002012-06-03T22:59:21.347-04:0014 Months, Trip to Ohio and Happy Birthday Pepere<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been awhile, but what else is new. I seem to get completely side tracked every month before I realize how much I haven't blogged about.</div>
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We just got back from our trip out to Ohio for my father-in-law's 60th birthday celebration over Memorial Day weekend. Since Felix is older and unwilling to sit in a car seat for very long without getting irate, we decided to split the trip into two days and and stay overnight in PA. The total trip is about 11-12 hours depending on how many stops you make. We made it to Washington, PA before we stopped for the night, which was only about 3.5 hours from our destination. Everything went great, we get Felix to sleep in his pack n' play and I had just sneaked my way to the bed when we heard banging on a nearby door and "HOUSEKEEPING....SOMEONE ORDER CHEESEBURGERS," and a battery of screams from about 6 different kids. Apparently, the family next door thought it was a wonderful time to scream through the hallways and have a feast at 10pm. Needless to say, Felix woke up with a vengeance. Scott was able to get him back to sleep eventually and get some sleep himself, but I couldn't relax enough the rest of the night to sleep. I think we've both decided from now on, unless it's absolutely necessary, we'll be doing the drive in one shot. </div>
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Once we were out in Ohio, the trip was great and it was really nice for Felix to get some quality time with his cousin! Luckily, Felix and Grayson are on very similar nap and sleep schedules. However, we did discover Felix is a stress eater. He ate almost non-stop from the minute we got to Ohio to the minute we left! </div>
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We attended a wonderful dinner for Scott's dad to celebrate his birthday (thanks to Scott's brother, Dan, and his wife, Nicole). And Scott was able to spend some quality time with his dad and brothers. </div>
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Here's some pictures (and one video) from the weekend. I wish I had more, but I have found myself taking them less and less lately, which needs to be rectified!</div>
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So happy to be out of the car and running around the hotel room</div>
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Thank god for maid service! </div>
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Quality time with Grandma </div>
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Boxcar ride around Pepere and Grandma's house</div>
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Pepere's surprise dinner </div>
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Pepere's semi-surprise birthday celebration</div>
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Piano fun </div>
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Playing on Pepere's new patio </div>
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Two and a half hours from home and happy to be taking a break!</div>
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Can't wait to see everyone again for Thanksgiving, when we'll get to celebrate our NEW NIECE (Congrats Dan and Nicole!!). <br />
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This little man is now 14 months old (almost 15 months now) and not happy about posing for pictures: <br />
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Where's your belly? </div>
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He is quite the character. He had said Dadda (but usually it's Daddy), Ma (very rarely says Momma), Uh oh and Woah. While we were in Ohio, he picked up on "Doggie" really quickly too. Since we have returned from Ohio, he has also taken a liking to climbing the stairs (looks like that gate is going to start being used again) and always wants to go outside. He stands at the back door, knocks and then reaches as high as he can for the door knob (but still can't quite reach it). He also knows where is belly is (see above), his nose and his head. He eats almost anything (but is not too big on sweets). While he's home on the weekends, he takes a solid 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon, but his naps are still all over the place while at daycare. <br />
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We have also made another big transition in the last week. We got Felix completely off the sippy cups and onto the straw cups (he was still using one soft sippy cup at night). We also stopped rocking him to sleep. From Day 1 Felix has been very good at letting us know when he's ready to move onto the next step and this was no different. We didn't even need to try. The transition happened in one night. We now give him his straw cup of milk while we read him a book. When he's done listening, he closes the book for us (finished or not) and hands us his milk. We then turn the light off, kiss him goodnight, put him in his crib and leave. No screaming, no crying. It takes him about 10 minutes to fall asleep, but he's completely content doing so!</div>
<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-53775002264187093872012-04-22T23:11:00.000-04:002012-04-22T23:11:01.571-04:00One Year...and 13 Months...and Other Happenings<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many of you know how late I am in posting about Felix's first birthday and some of you have even yelled at me for it! This has been a busy month, but I'm not going to make excuses...I'm just going to celebrate my now over 13 month old! (WARNING: This is a VERY picture intensive post.)</div>
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I can't believe this was over a month ago already! </div>
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Felix's birthday celebration at daycare </div>
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And here he is at 13 months... </div>
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Felix (as well as Scott and I) had a wonderful time at his birthday party. It was so great to see everyone who was able to make it. Many of you were missed and we hope to see you soon! Regardless of who was able to make it, everyone was so generous. Felix is lucky to have you all in his life. And I promise you all that our thank yous are in the midst of being completed and will be to you all soon! In the meantime, here are some pics from King Felix's fabulous party:</div>
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Candy Bar!</div>
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The Colonial Tavern did such an amazing job!<br />
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Cousins!<br />
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Mmmm....Cake!<br />
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Aunties!!<br />
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Everyone was so generous!!<br />
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The day after his party, Felix got some much needed time with his cousin, Grayson, Grandma, Pepere, Aunt Nicole, Uncle Dan, Aunt Michelle and Uncle Alan!</div>
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Playing in the ball pit!<br />
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Recent happenings: <br />
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Felix weighed in (right after his first birthday) at 22 lbs and 29.5 inches. </div>
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Felix has been testing his boundaries more and more over the last month. He has taken to hitting and full on temper tantrums (i.e., kicking and screaming face down on the floor). This week was better then last week, so he may have had more teething pain then usual during that time. We began instituting time outs when it first began, but have since opted for a different tactic: holding both of his hands, looking him in the eye and saying "no, thank you" (consistent with what is said at daycare) and then sitting him in the middle of the room and walking away (ignoring the behavior). We've just started this new plan of action, so we'll see how it turns out. </div>
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Felix now knows how to high five and wave.</div>
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He now says Momma and Dadda and I'm pretty sure almost said "Book" the other day.</div>
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Felix has a new favorite face...</div>
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Felix's food exposure keeps growing. He now eats whatever we're having for dinner (LOVED stuffed salmon for dinner tonight and YAY for no shellfish allergies!). I've been trying to broaden the types of food I give him for breakfast, lunch and snacks as well. As far as the breastmilk, he is on all whole cow's milk in the morning and mid morning, but still gets half breastmilk/half whole cow's milk at night (only because I still have a frozen stash and it's so good for him). We're almost through it all, so I imagine he'll be on all cow's milk within the next couple of weeks.</div>
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Felix finally got his first haircut. We waited as long as we could, but it was starting to look really ratty. He looks so much older now!</div>
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And FINALLY, we have a walker people!! Video to come soon!</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-72999047764193687512012-03-25T14:17:00.039-04:002012-03-25T21:33:46.600-04:00A few of our favorite things...(a husband and wife perspective)Or ALL of our favorite things...along with some of the things we could have done without and one or two things we wish we had. Now normally when you are expecting, everyone loves to tell you about their likes in regards to products, but with the 6,748 people trying to give you advice right now, that's not helpful unless you're a millionaire. So I'm going to begin with the part everyone seems to forget to tell you... the stuff that just didn't work for us (favorites will be at the bottom):<br />
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<div style="color: red;"><u><b>Could Do Without <i>(aka. didn't work for us or Felix)</i>:</b></u></div><span style="color: #660000;">[</span><i style="color: #660000;"><b>Disclaimer/Author Note/Whatever else you want to call it:</b></i><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><i style="color: #660000;">We do not wish to offend anyone that may have purchased the items below for us, or may have purchased them for themselves. Each item was placed on our registry by us, and therefore the responsibility of selection rests on us. We appreciate all the help we received at the beginning of this parenting endeavor, but in an effort to save others money, space, time, and sanity; we feel that we can assist by pointing out unnecessary products and possible alternatives.</i><span style="color: #660000;">] </span><u><b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4089530" target="_blank">Graco SnugRide 35 Infant Car Seat</a> (The "Cadillac" of Infant Seats)</b><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFyXqIzZVkI/T28vCjlAwTI/AAAAAAAABRQ/lNaVre9HzxI/s1600/Snugride" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFyXqIzZVkI/T28vCjlAwTI/AAAAAAAABRQ/lNaVre9HzxI/s200/Snugride" width="200" /></a>We registered for this seat with all intentions of using it until Felix reached 35 pounds, so we could hold off on buying two convertible car seats. What we didn't expect was that Felix would outgrow the seat before he reached 35 pounds. Could we still have fit him in it for awhile longer...probably. But having baby with a buddah belly and wearing a winter coat did not fair well for his mood when we had to load him into the car. We wound up purchasing two convertible seats before Felix even reached 22 pounds. We definitely would have been perfectly happy with an infant seat with a lower weight limit (which as you can expect would be much CHEAPER). Although, we would not recommend skipping the infant seat all together for a convertible car seat. The ease of taking Felix in and out of cars/house/strollers without having to wake him up was invaluable (see review for Snap-N-Go below).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4306791" target="_blank">Britax Marathon70 Convertible Car Seat</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wqlQlwbARwo/T28vX7llerI/AAAAAAAABRY/fX6OGntUDiI/s1600/Britax" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wqlQlwbARwo/T28vX7llerI/AAAAAAAABRY/fX6OGntUDiI/s200/Britax" width="200" /></a></div>As stated above, we wound up purchasing two convertible car seats (one for each of our cars) much sooner then expected. When you're a new parent, you tend to gravitate toward the brand name items that you assume are better simply because of the name. Don't get me wrong, I actually love the Britax car seat. It has an extremely high safety rating and is very comfortable for Felix to ride in (even on a 12 hour trip to Ohio). However, we discovered a much less expensive car seat with a similar safety rating that Felix is even more comfortable in (see rating below).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8072441168196811487" target="_blank">Graco Pack n' Play Portable Playard</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DC9Mz_hTyA4/T28wrvfMJmI/AAAAAAAABRg/h-zy6BiO7xI/s1600/Pack+N+Play" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DC9Mz_hTyA4/T28wrvfMJmI/AAAAAAAABRg/h-zy6BiO7xI/s1600/Pack+N+Play" /></a></div>This rating is largely due to the fact that Felix hated being laid flat on his back when he was a newborn. If he hadn't been so particular, we likely would have used this as his bassinet for naps and such. Unfortunately, we only used it a few times for play, when we need to keep him contained for a short time. We have now turned it into a ball pit in order to get some use out of it. I don't want to mislead anyone...it is a great product. But we have not traveled very much with Felix yet and when we have, it has been to Ohio where our family has an extra one for us to use. We probably could have done with a less expensive version without the bassinet/changer portion.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4465099&searchURL=false" target="_blank">Graco Contempo High Chair</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31acciV0r40/T28ys8sX0OI/AAAAAAAABRo/InBpPMtEuYA/s1600/High+Chair" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31acciV0r40/T28ys8sX0OI/AAAAAAAABRo/InBpPMtEuYA/s200/High+Chair" width="100" /></a></div>We have no issues with this high chair other then its bulkiness, and the amount of space it bogart's in the kitchen. It's not as much an issue in the house, as it is when we have to travel with it. Lately, we've lugged this thing to his first birthday party, my mom's house and friends' houses. Given the choice again, we would have chosen one of the space saver high chairs (see below).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3594395" target="_blank">Infantino Vintage Twist and Fold Activity Gym</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rxZhb4lB-W4/T28zozJiFTI/AAAAAAAABRw/25iN06X3db0/s1600/Infantino+mat" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rxZhb4lB-W4/T28zozJiFTI/AAAAAAAABRw/25iN06X3db0/s200/Infantino+mat" width="100" /></a></div>This is a tough one. Felix barely used this mat, but I know our nephew loved it. One thing we loved about it was how compact it is. However, we received a much larger play mat from a friend that Felix has gotten a lot more use out of (see below). Plain and simple, it didn't last long and was outgrown quickly, even with a preemie.<br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><u><b>Wish List <i>(aka. life would have been easier with...)</i>:</b></u></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4449501" target="_blank">Fisher Price Playtime Bouncer</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RQby-8E36SU/T280jeK69yI/AAAAAAAABR4/cY31vFKfafM/s1600/Bouncer" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RQby-8E36SU/T280jeK69yI/AAAAAAAABR4/cY31vFKfafM/s200/Bouncer" width="150" /></a></div>This is something we assumed we wouldn't get any use out of, considering how many "chairs" a baby has (I think we counted over 10 total places the baby could sit). By the time we realized a seat similar to this was Felix's favorite place to be at daycare, he was almost too big for it. Hence, why we never bought one. The reason we would have liked this particular one is for its simplicity and the fact that it folds up. The one Felix liked at daycare had no bells and whistles to it (not even the bar with toys on it). <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11981516" target="_blank">Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPNyV1zbBKM/T282BxVkFTI/AAAAAAAABSA/vqEYACM8Abg/s1600/Spce+Saver" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPNyV1zbBKM/T282BxVkFTI/AAAAAAAABSA/vqEYACM8Abg/s200/Spce+Saver" width="150" /></a></div>See review above as to why we wish we had a space saver high chair. The only reason we've chosen to list this one is because I'm not sure who else makes them and/or the reviews. This one looks to have all the perks of a full size high chair (reclinable for infants, cushy, etc.). It's not worth it for us to spend the money on a space saver now, but we are looking for a good travel booster to buy, so Felix can use the table for eating (instead of a tray) when we go to my moms/travel.<br />
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<u><b>Favorites <i>(aka. seriously consider putting this on your registry)</i>:</b></u><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12535560&searchURL=false" target="_blank">Graco MyRide 65 Convertible Car Seat</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qj3v6rIHulY/T283SL49OMI/AAAAAAAABSI/7d9O1FB5wYM/s1600/Convertible+Car+Seat" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qj3v6rIHulY/T283SL49OMI/AAAAAAAABSI/7d9O1FB5wYM/s200/Convertible+Car+Seat" width="100" /></a></div>By comparison to the expensive Britax we purchased, this seat just out shines or matches it in every category. It has the same safety rating. It's more comfortable for the baby (at least for Felix). It's easier to get them into the car, and has a better angle than the Britax. The straps are just as frustrating as any car seat, but I don't think there is a solution to that in general. It seems to give the baby a little more room to look around at their surroundings, which really does help with keeping them happy on car rides. Most importantly, it's about a 1/3 of the price of the Britax.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4360510" target="_blank">Fisher Price Cradle Swing - My Little Snug A Bunny</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mtFwOKNKEzk/T283k8uRs-I/AAAAAAAABSQ/9kxxnYaWSWg/s1600/Swing" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mtFwOKNKEzk/T283k8uRs-I/AAAAAAAABSQ/9kxxnYaWSWg/s200/Swing" width="100" /></a></div>One word; <b>invaluable</b> for the first 6 months or so. This chair saved our sanity. Babies cry, babies don't sleep when you want them to, babies can sometimes just be inconsolable. When feeding them doesn't work, when changing them doesn't work, when holding them doesn't work, when burping them doesn't work... 50% of the time this chair works 100% of the time. Part entertainment, part lullaby, pure baby comfort. Get one. You don't have to get this one, but we can vouch for this one.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12655801" target="_blank">Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-664vKoVo0rQ/T284TPmOIRI/AAAAAAAABSY/q-EVdUwBWZ8/s1600/Rock+N+Play" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-664vKoVo0rQ/T284TPmOIRI/AAAAAAAABSY/q-EVdUwBWZ8/s200/Rock+N+Play" width="150" /></a></div>Another one we found invaluable. Felix was a preemie, and was born with respiratory issues. Taking those conditions under consideration as well as our uncertainty of being parents for the first time, we were terrified SIDS and were looking for solutions. That combined with the fact that Felix would not sleep flat on his back for 4 months or so, led us to this purchase. Our nephew used it for home and travel, and we ended up following the same trend. This was Felix's first bed and only bed for months. It was also his bed when sick (as long as he would fit), to help drain the goop. It folds up easy for travel, it's small enough to fit virtually anywhere you would want to put a baby to sleep, cleans easily, and is gender neutral. Highly recommended. Some reviews say that it promotes flat spots on the back of the head, but we were able to combat that by putting a folded blanket under the cover in back.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2507965" target="_blank">Boppy Pillow</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bgijbst1b4o/T284933-MOI/AAAAAAAABSg/P7e1h_PffIE/s1600/Boppy" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bgijbst1b4o/T284933-MOI/AAAAAAAABSg/P7e1h_PffIE/s200/Boppy" width="75" /></a></div>Felix still loves using this, even though he has no real need for it. This is a must for easy/more comfortable nursing. And if you're not going to breastfeed, it can be used to cradle baby on floor while they drink a bottle and aid with tummy time. Make sure to also purchase the protector and a couple covers, as babies do make a mess. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2327597" target="_blank">Baby Trend Snap-N-Go Infant Car Seat Carrier Stroller</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwIjBWvryr8/T285cBdPs6I/AAAAAAAABSo/Q257h4y4LfY/s1600/Snap+N+Go" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwIjBWvryr8/T285cBdPs6I/AAAAAAAABSo/Q257h4y4LfY/s200/Snap+N+Go" width="200" /></a></div>Amazing. No need to wake the baby up, fight to get them out of the infant car seat, transfer them screaming into stroller, listen them wail throughout the whole store while you try to buy them diapers and wipes, try to transfer them back into the infant seat while they scream so hard they stop breathing, ride home with a migrain, decide to never leave the house again... Nope. Not with this thing. Snap the sleeping baby in the infant seat out of the car, snap infant seat into this thing, shop silently and enjoy getting out of the house, snap sleeping baby and infant seat back into car, go home, rejoice, write us a thank you note and send us a bottle of wine. Also, the basket underneath this is a really good for just about any normal outing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3800140" target="_blank"><b>Baby Jogger 2011 City Mini</b></a><br />
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</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUOaGFT89QU/T2_D06PHbjI/AAAAAAAABV4/QAbn8LtmiKQ/s1600/stroller" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUOaGFT89QU/T2_D06PHbjI/AAAAAAAABV4/QAbn8LtmiKQ/s1600/stroller" /></a>We love it. It's very light, extremely easy to maneuver, can be folded with just one hand, reclines flat and Felix loves it. We opted not to register for the travel system (infant seat/full size stroller combo) due to the large size and weight of the full size stroller. I knew I would never use it. Instead, as you can see from the review above, we opted to use the Snap-N-Go with the infant seat and then purchased this stroller once Felix became curious enough to want to face forward. My only real complaint about this stroller is the basket underneath. Maybe I was spoiled by the huge basket in the Snap-N-Go, but I find this one extremely limited and very hard to get things in to/out of. This seems to be a common complaint among reviewers.<br />
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<b>Glider</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-umEp8LdfWHs/T2_G-UhBIeI/AAAAAAAABWI/DhN2k2DkzYg/s1600/glider" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-umEp8LdfWHs/T2_G-UhBIeI/AAAAAAAABWI/DhN2k2DkzYg/s1600/glider" /></a></div>I can't for the life of me remember what brand of glider we have and, since Felix is sleeping, I will not be going upstairs to check. We use this every night when reading to Felix and putting him to bed. There were even a few times I found myself sleeping in it with him when he was younger. We went back and forth as to whether to buy a reclining glider. I used to fall asleep in it every night while nursing Felix, and the only thing that would wake me up is the crick in my neck from not being reclined. So, in short, it's probably a good thing it doesn't recline or I would have been sleeping in his room every night. One thing I do wish it had is removable seat covers. We are lucky in that Felix only spit up on it once or twice and not very much. But I know that's not usually the case. It would be nice to be able to wash the covers instead of having to take the entire cushion to the dry cleaners. In our opinion, the only way to choose a glider is to go to the store and test out as many as you can. It didn't matter so much for me, but with Scott's height and his broad shoulders, we had some difficulty finding one that was comfortable for him.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4360511" target="_blank">Fisher Price Luv U Zoo Jumperoo</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gl39p6qidnI/T2852x9iYLI/AAAAAAAABSw/ixW8c97q-oU/s1600/Jumperoo" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gl39p6qidnI/T2852x9iYLI/AAAAAAAABSw/ixW8c97q-oU/s200/Jumperoo" width="100" /></a></div>It took a bit longer then normal for Felix to be able to use this, due to his short legs (sorry kid...not the best trait for Mommy to pass on). As a result, it was pretty short lived. But, while he could use it, he absolutely loved it. He could sit in this thing for 30 minutes, bouncing and playing with the attached toys, without getting fed up. A great thing while prepping dinner!<br />
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<a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2299911" target="_blank"><b>Summer Infant Velboa Snuzzler</b></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--F9z_nzOucA/T2_FJ9zrz0I/AAAAAAAABWA/V2PjqDftcbs/s1600/snuzzler" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--F9z_nzOucA/T2_FJ9zrz0I/AAAAAAAABWA/V2PjqDftcbs/s1600/snuzzler" /></a></div>Because Felix was only 6 lbs 5 oz when he came home, he was a bit small for most of the "seats" we had for him. Even the infant insert in the infant seat didn't seem to be all that comfortable for him. We wound up using the Snuzzler in both the infant seat and the Rock-N-Play and it worked perfectly. Once he got a bit bigger, the infant insert in the infant seat worked really well for him. Be advised that many babies are not small enough at birth to use this product without it further pushing their heads forward.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-6-Pack-Premium-6-Ply-Diaper/dp/B003BL55BE" target="_blank">Gerber Premium Cloth Diapers</a></b><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0DuUqXp6Cpk/T286gokAfCI/AAAAAAAABS4/ET7LJ_2No2I/s1600/Cloth+Diapers" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0DuUqXp6Cpk/T286gokAfCI/AAAAAAAABS4/ET7LJ_2No2I/s200/Cloth+Diapers" width="100" /></a>Best burp cloths ever. Why use a rag when you can use a diaper? These honestly absorbed everything, were easy to wash, even to bleach if necessary. They were also super durable, and will be ready to go for any future bundles of joy. Seem to be harder to find now. MUST BE premium!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2585708" target="_blank">Triple Paste Diaper Rash Ointment</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiZtFjKhIv4/T2864qnPKsI/AAAAAAAABTA/kJhsZ-opcLg/s1600/Triple+Paste" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiZtFjKhIv4/T2864qnPKsI/AAAAAAAABTA/kJhsZ-opcLg/s200/Triple+Paste" width="75" /></a></div>Felix had a nasty rash after we brought him home from the NICU. We tried the ointment the hospital gave us, Desitin and Desitin Maximum Strength. Nothing worked. Until we discovered this amazing cream. Cleared his rash up in about a day. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3502433" target="_blank">Play Links</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ccev7begkI4/T287wXbSovI/AAAAAAAABTI/J1i1e0tCHUs/s1600/Links" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ccev7begkI4/T287wXbSovI/AAAAAAAABTI/J1i1e0tCHUs/s1600/Links" width="75" /></a></div>No need to be brand specific with these. Perfect for hanging toys from the infant seas/stroller to keep baby occupied. Also great for hanging off stroller to hold bags, etc. for Mom and Dad. There were many times Felix just enjoyed playing with the links themselves.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2574128" target="_blank">Lamaze Toys</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0AaA2Y06FI/T288PCE8a7I/AAAAAAAABTQ/gw0RSnUv_1Q/s1600/Lamaze" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0AaA2Y06FI/T288PCE8a7I/AAAAAAAABTQ/gw0RSnUv_1Q/s1600/Lamaze" width="75" /></a></div>We have multiple Lamaze toys and Felix loved them all. From the bright colors, tissue paper limbs, mirrors and teethers, definitely a baby favorite. If you can measure the entertainment in hours instead of minutes (like we did), you should run and not walk to buy it. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4179885" target="_blank">Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--f9kgVZbWrs/T288fk0jRmI/AAAAAAAABTY/zs1aRFRrQ_g/s1600/Grass+Rack" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--f9kgVZbWrs/T288fk0jRmI/AAAAAAAABTY/zs1aRFRrQ_g/s1600/Grass+Rack" width="75" /></a></div>As with a couple other things, this is not necessarily brand specific. The most important part of this is to find something that can accommodate any shape and any size. A lot of baby products have different (weird) size/shape parts and, unless you're working with a blank slate, you will find it difficult to find a place for everything.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4279464" target="_blank">Phillips Avent bottles</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TL2vJ7_op6I/T289C_XYcLI/AAAAAAAABTg/N06bRQoeWJY/s1600/Bottles" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TL2vJ7_op6I/T289C_XYcLI/AAAAAAAABTg/N06bRQoeWJY/s1600/Bottles" width="75" /></a></div>Originally, we registered for Dr. Brown's bottles. However, we weren't expecting to have to use bottles for a while, since I was going to try nursing. When Felix landed in the NICU, unable to breastfeed for at least a week, we were concerned he would have trouble jumping from bottle to nipple. The NICU nurses recommended Avent, stating that they have never seen babies have a problem switching between the two. Based on the recommendation, we exchanged everything we had. Felix never had a problem with nipple confusion. It helps that the bottles are super easy to clean as compared to the Dr. Brown bottles. As a side note, we purchased the gift set, which included a brush, formula holder and sanitizer, as well as different size bottle. We could have done without everything but the bottles. It would have been just as easy to boil everything, steam it in the microwave or throw it in the dishwasher. I only sanitized things when I first bought them and threw it all in the dishwasher once I week. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10978303" target="_blank">Munchkin Bottle Brush and Nipple Brush</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKU2qufRkyg/T289bfuuj0I/AAAAAAAABTo/kDVaBUYcG2M/s1600/Brush" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKU2qufRkyg/T289bfuuj0I/AAAAAAAABTo/kDVaBUYcG2M/s1600/Brush" width="75" /></a></div>I have tried almost every brand of bottle brush. These were one of the cheapest options and have lasted longer then any of the other ones I've tried. Keep in mind, you have to switch them out about once a month and throw them in the dishwasher every week or so. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Infantino-206-538-Jumbo-Wheel-Playspace/dp/B003I86870" target="_blank">Infantino Jumbo Wheel Playspace</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gdCxH_aWNJE/T2895dkmxwI/AAAAAAAABTw/jmQnG5A11Ow/s1600/Mat" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gdCxH_aWNJE/T2895dkmxwI/AAAAAAAABTw/jmQnG5A11Ow/s320/Mat" width="75" /></a></div>As stated above, we preferred this mat over the smaller one we registered for. It's much more colorful, has the tissue paper inside to make noise, a mirror and plenty of other things to keep baby happy. It's also huge, so it lasted until he was able to crawl away (which wasn't until about 10 months).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3433615" target="_blank">Bumbo Baby Sitter Seat</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GL31qkLhz8M/T28-fD6JTvI/AAAAAAAABT4/7dKuexDtj8Y/s1600/Bumbo" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GL31qkLhz8M/T28-fD6JTvI/AAAAAAAABT4/7dKuexDtj8Y/s200/Bumbo" width="75" /></a></div>Again, an invaluable product, but one Felix grew out of much earlier then we expected. His chubby little legs would get stuck. But we did get a few months of use out of it and it was a great makeshift high chair (for when we were at someone else's house) when coupled with the tray (sold seperately).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2901995" target="_blank">Medela Pump In Style Advanced Double Electric Breast Pump</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2_M7H3FW5DE/T28-8N9V68I/AAAAAAAABUA/_VgBRaIlpyk/s1600/Pump" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2_M7H3FW5DE/T28-8N9V68I/AAAAAAAABUA/_VgBRaIlpyk/s320/Pump" width="75" /></a></div>A MUST if you plan to nurse/pump and are returning to work. There are three different bags you can get with this (backpack and purse style). If I had it to do over again, I might have gotten one of the other bags.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.simplewishes.com/product/hands-free-pumping-bra.html" target="_blank">Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bustier</a></b><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GsFrYMBNL0/T2_CIUC6D4I/AAAAAAAABVo/Sr9nhd2AQLk/s1600/Bra" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GsFrYMBNL0/T2_CIUC6D4I/AAAAAAAABVo/Sr9nhd2AQLk/s1600/Bra" /></a>Another MUST have if you're going to be pumping. I have tried several different hands free pump bras and this is by far the best. It is completely adjustable, provides more coverage then most, has removable straps and never lost it shape (even when I was using it 6 times a day).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2967914" target="_blank">Lasinoh Breast Milk Storage Bags</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H6zKnvYRG0Q/T28_OFzPDtI/AAAAAAAABUI/lWSX6eUIVIc/s1600/Milk+Bags" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H6zKnvYRG0Q/T28_OFzPDtI/AAAAAAAABUI/lWSX6eUIVIc/s1600/Milk+Bags" width="75" /></a></div>These made it a cinch to store frozen breast milk. I had a bit of an oversupply and our basement freezer was used solely for this purpose. This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4nr7hxToiY%20" target="_blank">video</a> shows exactly how I stored everything.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2668339" target="_blank">Lasinoh Brand Lanolin Topical Breast Cream</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oXO0h02n7lo/T28_278WNXI/AAAAAAAABUQ/WXw4fTE7g5k/s1600/Lanolin" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oXO0h02n7lo/T28_278WNXI/AAAAAAAABUQ/WXw4fTE7g5k/s320/Lanolin" width="75" /></a></div>Again, invaluable if you're going to pump. Many people use it directly on the nipple to sooth any discomfort. I never used it for this purpose, but you do need to use it on the pump itself to create a suction. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3956438" target="_blank">Lasinoh Soothies Gel Pads</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Inc3nHxsKwA/T29AHhy8vHI/AAAAAAAABUY/YlWEbrBmR0I/s1600/Soothies" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Inc3nHxsKwA/T29AHhy8vHI/AAAAAAAABUY/YlWEbrBmR0I/s320/Soothies" width="75" /></a></div>These were recommended by the lactation consultants at the hospital. I only used them for the first few weeks, but they helped immensely with the discomfort until my nipples toughened up.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2793488" target="_blank">Lasinoh Nursing Pads</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WXA3uUvwq0Q/T29Ac2bROyI/AAAAAAAABUg/HyUj1TSwpHo/s1600/Pads" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WXA3uUvwq0Q/T29Ac2bROyI/AAAAAAAABUg/HyUj1TSwpHo/s1600/Pads" width="75" /></a></div>Unlike must moms I know, I never leaked and, thus, never needed to use these...that is, until I started weaning myself form the pump. I've been using them for the last few weeks and will continue for another week or so until I know my milk is completely gone. They are the largest pads I've found, which is necessary with boobs of this size!<br />
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<b>Diapers</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc6EPp4kZpw/T29BI8Ua6QI/AAAAAAAABUo/YI1b908c0yw/s1600/sensitive" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc6EPp4kZpw/T29BI8Ua6QI/AAAAAAAABUo/YI1b908c0yw/s1600/sensitive" width="75" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw_ImwwjSl0/T29BJ_ZiQhI/AAAAAAAABUw/YsmIb8WsLq0/s1600/Baby+Dry" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw_ImwwjSl0/T29BJ_ZiQhI/AAAAAAAABUw/YsmIb8WsLq0/s320/Baby+Dry" width="75" /></a>We were dead set on using only Pampers diapers when Felix was born. We began with Pampers Swaddlers and/or Swaddler Sensitives. After a month or so, we started using the Baby Dry's at night so Felix would sleep longer between changes. Now we use Cruisers during the day and Huggies Overnights at night. We did not use the Pampers overnights due to several reviewers stating that their children got chemical burns when the Pampers overnights would split open at night, exposing the beads inside. We have since decided it's time to find a cheaper alternative. At nearly $45-50/box for the Pampers, there has to be a comparable option! We have heard incredible things about Luvs from numerous sources. However, Luvs just increased the price of their diapers. Still cheaper then Pampers, but not as big a savings as it should be. We are about to try Kirkland (Costco) brand, as it would save us nearly $20 a case.<br />
<br />
<b>Huggies Natural Care Wipes</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uMBScOtVBwU/T29BtKQ6NZI/AAAAAAAABVA/NIQSZPAwhRc/s1600/Wipes" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uMBScOtVBwU/T29BtKQ6NZI/AAAAAAAABVA/NIQSZPAwhRc/s1600/Wipes" width="75" /></a></div>As with the Pampers, I was dead set on these wipes. And I still stand by them. They are much thicker then the Pampers brand wipes and seemed to cause the least amount of irritation. However, we have recently switched to the Kirkland (Costco) brand wipes, which are comparable and less expense. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3092075" target="_blank">Diaper Genie</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-exojirzMjV0/T29B_t-PN6I/AAAAAAAABVI/CzqgE4nSEvc/s1600/Diaper+genie" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-exojirzMjV0/T29B_t-PN6I/AAAAAAAABVI/CzqgE4nSEvc/s320/Diaper+genie" width="75" /></a></div>Have to be honest...we hated this thing in the beginning. Since Felix was exclusively breastfed, his poop didn't smell....AT ALL. But, because he was breastfed, he was pooping nearly 8-10 times a day. Not to mention all the times we changed his diaper when we didn't need to, just because we didn't know any better. As a result, the diaper genie had to be emptied every day or two. HOWEVER, once Felix started eating solid food, the diaper genie was a necessity to keep the stink in! If we had to do it again, we would probably try and get the one that automatically pushes the diaper down for you...there's nothing more disgusting then pushing a nasty diaper down into the diaper genie with your bare hand!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3553504" target="_blank">Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Bath Tub</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hc4bXEHAGrw/T29CiSTVnXI/AAAAAAAABVQ/NchW9fRZ7jU/s1600/bath" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hc4bXEHAGrw/T29CiSTVnXI/AAAAAAAABVQ/NchW9fRZ7jU/s1600/bath" width="75" /></a></div>We have gone back and forth as to whether we should have gotten one of those new fold up tubs that fit in the bathroom sink. And neither of us feels strongly as to whether ours is the best tub. I think just about any tub will do, but it does make life easier to have one.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-48144807210481015252012-03-01T21:34:00.000-05:002012-03-01T21:34:04.834-05:0011 monthsMy baby turned 11 months (a couple weeks ago). I can't believe we'll be having his first birthday party in 2 weeks! Where did the last year go?!? <br />
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It's safe to say that Felix is no longer interested in taking his monthly photos:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IMPSE75hMug/T07Vm9FVJII/AAAAAAAABOU/vX8D1Ek52n4/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IMPSE75hMug/T07Vm9FVJII/AAAAAAAABOU/vX8D1Ek52n4/s400/IMG_1755.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6D48cdXzXY/T07Vh8q5pPI/AAAAAAAABOM/BeZGGvlB-W0/s1600/IMG_1754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6D48cdXzXY/T07Vh8q5pPI/AAAAAAAABOM/BeZGGvlB-W0/s400/IMG_1754.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ixqrDcqeers/T07VZVXptaI/AAAAAAAABN8/2r4Ux5iePu4/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ixqrDcqeers/T07VZVXptaI/AAAAAAAABN8/2r4Ux5iePu4/s400/IMG_1752.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"I will eat your face!" </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vOB6d_A97-A/T07VrOR2h8I/AAAAAAAABOc/pFm1IG5pYGg/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vOB6d_A97-A/T07VrOR2h8I/AAAAAAAABOc/pFm1IG5pYGg/s400/IMG_1756.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gJCICmh8dQ/T07V6CMAaXI/AAAAAAAABO0/8JnKT1jnz18/s1600/IMG_1759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gJCICmh8dQ/T07V6CMAaXI/AAAAAAAABO0/8JnKT1jnz18/s400/IMG_1759.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsA4nQurrVs/T07V_BtG-3I/AAAAAAAABO8/IuoLS_qvtAg/s1600/IMG_1760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsA4nQurrVs/T07V_BtG-3I/AAAAAAAABO8/IuoLS_qvtAg/s400/IMG_1760.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JVOKLNCyh4A/T07WqGuOImI/AAAAAAAABPU/lYBdMKaQ5FY/s1600/IMG_1763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JVOKLNCyh4A/T07WqGuOImI/AAAAAAAABPU/lYBdMKaQ5FY/s400/IMG_1763.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CF_GbaCa6nI/T07W7yCGXGI/AAAAAAAABP0/GF9E4FX0OJU/s1600/IMG_1767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CF_GbaCa6nI/T07W7yCGXGI/AAAAAAAABP0/GF9E4FX0OJU/s400/IMG_1767.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"I said enough with the photos!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ahxfq1ynWg4/T07XI4bdsxI/AAAAAAAABQM/bj5Ue7ga9yk/s1600/IMG_1770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ahxfq1ynWg4/T07XI4bdsxI/AAAAAAAABQM/bj5Ue7ga9yk/s400/IMG_1770.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Did you really just pants me?!?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tfB-4xHbxYI/T07XNU9FAFI/AAAAAAAABQU/DnvsiH7y9Zg/s1600/IMG_1771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tfB-4xHbxYI/T07XNU9FAFI/AAAAAAAABQU/DnvsiH7y9Zg/s400/IMG_1771.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"I'm so embarrassed!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
We will have a new height and weight at our next doctor's appointment in a couple weeks, but it is obvious he is still plagued with my short legs and long torso.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Milestones/happenings:</div><ul><li>Has a total of 4 teeth (2 top and 2 bottom), with at least 2-3 more coming in.</li>
<li>Eats finger foods at all three meals (i.e., cheerios, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, avocado, chicken, pasta, rice, small cheese doodle size baby puffs, yogurt bites, banana, grapes, blueberries, pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc.). Still gets his baby food to make sure he gets enough fruits, veggies, proteins, but eats a lot of finger foods along with it.</li>
<li>Loves his yogurt. I have been trying to introduce cottage cheese as an alternative to yogurt as well, but he's not taking to it as well as the yogurt (who can blame him).</li>
<li>Looks like he may be exclusively on sippy cups during the day.</li>
<li>Stands up on everything and walks from one thing to another while holding on.</li>
<li>Stands up, sits down and squats down with ease. </li>
<li>Walks while assisted (holding hands, using a toy with wheels, or just pushing something around)</li>
<li>Immediately gravitates towards everything we don't want him to get into. We finally got a decorative cover for the fireplace, which helps.</li>
<li>Hates the final diaper change of the day.</li>
<li>Finally christened.</li>
<li>Hates when daddy touches mommy. Will begin screaming the second daddy touches mommy and doesn't stop until he walks away.</li>
<li>Has formed his own jibberish language and talks incessantly (LOVE it!)</li>
<li>Loves to turn the pages of his books as we read to him and loves story time before bed.</li>
<li>Learned how to high five this week.</li>
<li>Waves bye (when he wants to).</li>
<li>Crawls very quickly.</li>
<li>Knows what a doorknob is and tries to reach it, but can't.</li>
<li>Throws/rolls balls and other toys back and forth (i.e., plays catch).</li>
<li>Loves bathtime and has started crawling around the tub during his baths. Occasionally falls in face first and gets super shocked for a moment. Loves to take his bath toys and throw them outside the bath to mommy.</li>
<li>Loves to eat bananas right out of the peel (takes bites entirely too big for him).</li>
<li>We finally retired the jumper a couple weeks ago. Now that he can move around on his own, he wasn't nearly as interested in it and it freed up a lot of space in the living room.</li>
<li>LOVES music. If he is ever crying on the car ride to or home from daycare, all I have to do is sing ABCs and Mary Had a Little Lamb on repeat (mostly because it's the only ones I can remember off hand).</li>
<li>Has two big boy car seats now (infant carrier has been retired).</li>
<li>Loves riding in his smart trike when we go out. Giggle constantly while riding in it, but screams bloody murder if you ever stop. Usually ends up with mommy running laps around stores while daddy shops.</li>
<li>Loves anything that is an adult toy. His favorite toys right now are an empty M&M container and the empty tin heart from Valentine's Day.</li>
<li>Still loves trucks and anything with wheels...such a boy! </li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_2004203194"></span><span id="goog_2004203195"></span></div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-33935577342040031822012-01-17T22:51:00.000-05:002012-01-17T22:51:13.644-05:0010 monthsThis kid...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MrQcr-MAF4E/TxY6OygSjQI/AAAAAAAABHs/93UxULSWQfU/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MrQcr-MAF4E/TxY6OygSjQI/AAAAAAAABHs/93UxULSWQfU/s400/IMG_1687.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...always makes me smile...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and is getting increasingly difficult to photograph!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-YRzWYqBgw/TxY6TJvXkeI/AAAAAAAABH0/sCy54GuVHkY/s1600/IMG_1688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-YRzWYqBgw/TxY6TJvXkeI/AAAAAAAABH0/sCy54GuVHkY/s400/IMG_1688.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kY7pTzq33L0/TxY6WnRDQ2I/AAAAAAAABH8/qZwAZJMXqsA/s1600/IMG_1689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kY7pTzq33L0/TxY6WnRDQ2I/AAAAAAAABH8/qZwAZJMXqsA/s400/IMG_1689.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FDa76LXAZWg/TxY6asWcbSI/AAAAAAAABIE/hj7hYYG0w2Y/s1600/IMG_1690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FDa76LXAZWg/TxY6asWcbSI/AAAAAAAABIE/hj7hYYG0w2Y/s400/IMG_1690.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TFy68KJAbk/TxY6ebe0G_I/AAAAAAAABIM/PMqFQ_o-zp8/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TFy68KJAbk/TxY6ebe0G_I/AAAAAAAABIM/PMqFQ_o-zp8/s400/IMG_1691.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u8AVt7Cq96U/TxY6hM3WG6I/AAAAAAAABIU/ZiB7F5moXvM/s1600/IMG_1692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u8AVt7Cq96U/TxY6hM3WG6I/AAAAAAAABIU/ZiB7F5moXvM/s400/IMG_1692.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fW1i_B-Iq_o/TxY6kixcHNI/AAAAAAAABIc/I5Yg4FLFBGM/s1600/IMG_1693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fW1i_B-Iq_o/TxY6kixcHNI/AAAAAAAABIc/I5Yg4FLFBGM/s400/IMG_1693.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More pictures...really Ma??!! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cHy1G0thZ4/TxY6pH8iI1I/AAAAAAAABIk/tYQ8AuuBBBw/s1600/IMG_1694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cHy1G0thZ4/TxY6pH8iI1I/AAAAAAAABIk/tYQ8AuuBBBw/s400/IMG_1694.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tevn7ZN53wY/TxY6zxL0keI/AAAAAAAABI8/qeA2dPK8944/s1600/IMG_1697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tevn7ZN53wY/TxY6zxL0keI/AAAAAAAABI8/qeA2dPK8944/s400/IMG_1697.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My favorite this month </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Weight: 20 lbs 5 oz (just under 50th percentile)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Height: 28 in (just under 50th percentile)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Milestones/Happenings:</div><ul><li>In the last week, you've started crawling (where you used to roll and scoot everywhere) and started taking steps while holding onto our hands (you can now do laps around the room like this).</li>
<li>You learned to clap.</li>
<li>You have started saying what I think is "yah" all the time now.</li>
<li>I think you've started dreaming...you seem to talk in your sleep sometimes now.</li>
<li>You LOVE riding on Daddy's shoulders.</li>
<li>You have 4 teeth coming in, the first of which finally cut about a week and a half ago.</li>
<li>You reached your highest temperature (and 3rd ear infection in 2 months) a couple weeks ago. </li>
<li>You now feed yourself puffs and small bits of food (i.e., banana, soft cooked carrot).</li>
<li>You WANT to feed yourself everything and will sometimes get so irate that we don't give you the spoon that you will refuse to finish your dinner.</li>
<li>This past week, you have HATED going to bed, even though your exhausted.</li>
<li>You have also started hitting and throwing little tantrums when you want/don't want something...and we must find a way to break you of these things ASAP! </li>
<li>The last couple days, you have started a new trend of screaming bloody murder when I lay you on the changing table. You then proceed to lock your legs straight, lift your whole lower body and try and roll off the dresser. </li>
<li>You are FINALLY getting Christened this weekend!</li>
<li>We are in the midst of planning your first birthday party...I still can't believe you're almost a year old.</li>
<li>You no longer nurse, but are still taking breastmilk in a bottle 4 times a day, which means Mommy is 2 months away from no longer being tethered to the pump! It has all been worth it, but I long for the day when I don't have to schedule my hours around the pump. I've reduced to 4 times a day and intend to go down to 3 times a day by next week (in preparation for my trip to the Superbowl!). </li>
</ul>And one last thing...you love your Uncle Matt and Aunt Kate! They came over to watch you so Mommy could go for a much needed massage this weekend...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqhGi-ZkRjw/TxY7BTLNYUI/AAAAAAAABJc/8U3yG6reJwU/s1600/IMG00434-20120115-1455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqhGi-ZkRjw/TxY7BTLNYUI/AAAAAAAABJc/8U3yG6reJwU/s400/IMG00434-20120115-1455.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz75I8AYteOpMoMVkKM5eZf6M8hlF5gTuQMIjZp2H4hqyJP4TPKkCFYDnMUbQiaryjbUr6t58ZpncEFLKQo' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-23211848257594182962012-01-17T22:18:00.000-05:002012-01-17T22:18:13.573-05:00Play Dates!Felix (and Mommy) had his first play date just after we returned from Ohio. We got together one afternoon with Kate, Sara and Lexi. We need more of these!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a8ZnfomKFT4/TxY3aRbK2JI/AAAAAAAABFc/nYTxIR-NEvQ/s1600/IMG_1669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a8ZnfomKFT4/TxY3aRbK2JI/AAAAAAAABFc/nYTxIR-NEvQ/s400/IMG_1669.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Starting off a bit timid... </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qhc42CWuCdY/TxY3uVnFNKI/AAAAAAAABF8/XVgD1drMYb0/s1600/IMG_1673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qhc42CWuCdY/TxY3uVnFNKI/AAAAAAAABF8/XVgD1drMYb0/s400/IMG_1673.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here, let me show you how this works... </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9GM8_HH4Nw/TxY33vgxZDI/AAAAAAAABGM/zzRTDzuzuhw/s1600/IMG_1675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9GM8_HH4Nw/TxY33vgxZDI/AAAAAAAABGM/zzRTDzuzuhw/s400/IMG_1675.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-04vgMrRGRU4/TxY38FBHLOI/AAAAAAAABGU/f7bp2B7ycBA/s1600/IMG_1676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-04vgMrRGRU4/TxY38FBHLOI/AAAAAAAABGU/f7bp2B7ycBA/s400/IMG_1676.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yay, toys!! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iOBKrgSvE6M/TxY4AiZ3SjI/AAAAAAAABGc/9Gh1Dqh6St0/s1600/IMG_1677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iOBKrgSvE6M/TxY4AiZ3SjI/AAAAAAAABGc/9Gh1Dqh6St0/s400/IMG_1677.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kisses! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oRm8wsfUJw8/TxY4EZbL2aI/AAAAAAAABGk/EHZCX7wap78/s1600/IMG_1678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oRm8wsfUJw8/TxY4EZbL2aI/AAAAAAAABGk/EHZCX7wap78/s400/IMG_1678.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Adorable! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-On2aVVE4Zhg/TxY4IUI5MsI/AAAAAAAABGs/8fCULscxYJ0/s1600/IMG_1679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-On2aVVE4Zhg/TxY4IUI5MsI/AAAAAAAABGs/8fCULscxYJ0/s400/IMG_1679.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mom, give me my pants! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-873BtaNiojw/TxY4MhBiicI/AAAAAAAABG0/Mcxx3JgL_kg/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-873BtaNiojw/TxY4MhBiicI/AAAAAAAABG0/Mcxx3JgL_kg/s400/IMG_1680.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NnSwzbuoSY0/TxY4VdsgzcI/AAAAAAAABHE/Dr-584J8q3o/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NnSwzbuoSY0/TxY4VdsgzcI/AAAAAAAABHE/Dr-584J8q3o/s400/IMG_1682.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik34Lw8rzeo/TxY4jyp5lbI/AAAAAAAABHc/ZmQIm_N1JXQ/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik34Lw8rzeo/TxY4jyp5lbI/AAAAAAAABHc/ZmQIm_N1JXQ/s400/IMG_1685.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Working on his truck... </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-44469854503830891162012-01-17T22:05:00.000-05:002012-01-17T22:05:17.392-05:00Christmas in Ohio<div style="text-align: center;">**WARNING: Picture intensive post** </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know Christmas is most definitely off of everyone's radar already, but I wanted to give a recap and post some incredibly adorable pictures from our trip. As you know, we spent Christmas 2011 in Ohio with (most of) Scott's immediate family. It was so nice to see everyone and I loved seeing Felix and Grayson interact. I think by March when we see them agaoin (hopefully) the age difference will be even less apparent. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">By the time we got to Christmas Day, Felix was a pro at opening gifts...or eating the wrapping/tissue paper. Scott and I limited our gift giving to each other to stockings this year, since we decided to purchase our new desks for the home office as our big gift to each other. It worked out perfectly. We've both decided that our money would be better spent buying something "house" related on holidays/birthdays, since neither one of us really needs anything big at this point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's talk about driving...we decided to leave in the middle of the night to drive to/from Ohio, which worked perfectly for us. We times it so that our first gas/bathroom/breakfast stop was right about sunrise when Felix would be waking up for the day. Surprisingly, we were able to keep our stops to no more then about 1.5 hours each way. Our saving grace...a headrest holder for the IPad and a ton of toys in the back seat. We have a child that gets bored very quickly at time, so we had enough stimulation to switch things out every 10-15 minutes. We'll see how he handles the next big trip!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Without further adieu, here are some holiday memories from Christmas 2011...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kT_cXITfL1Q/TxYvFUuDNUI/AAAAAAAABB8/a1Cgb4X0I5o/s1600/IMG_1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kT_cXITfL1Q/TxYvFUuDNUI/AAAAAAAABB8/a1Cgb4X0I5o/s400/IMG_1602.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanging out with Uncle Dan </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eE4NMVvGHd4/TxYvJgLRGJI/AAAAAAAABCE/XObv2eJvaYQ/s1600/IMG_1603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eE4NMVvGHd4/TxYvJgLRGJI/AAAAAAAABCE/XObv2eJvaYQ/s400/IMG_1603.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Adorable!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJAu2CqKVKI/TxYvUQkvu-I/AAAAAAAABCU/krM-5kJkiCQ/s1600/IMG_1607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJAu2CqKVKI/TxYvUQkvu-I/AAAAAAAABCU/krM-5kJkiCQ/s400/IMG_1607.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrVk4dzOulk/TxYvdEfscMI/AAAAAAAABCk/vaQeLZh-pjA/s1600/IMG_1611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrVk4dzOulk/TxYvdEfscMI/AAAAAAAABCk/vaQeLZh-pjA/s400/IMG_1611.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esVmrAvtZRE/TxYv00ybj6I/AAAAAAAABC0/G1onVNrccBs/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esVmrAvtZRE/TxYv00ybj6I/AAAAAAAABC0/G1onVNrccBs/s400/IMG_1613.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c63C627k-K8/TxYv5WOKrEI/AAAAAAAABC8/IQSt9jqoyHQ/s1600/IMG_1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c63C627k-K8/TxYv5WOKrEI/AAAAAAAABC8/IQSt9jqoyHQ/s400/IMG_1615.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trying out Uncle Scott's boots </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb5hlJCnjaw/TxYv-NEPxII/AAAAAAAABDE/jKEGtGCGqmQ/s1600/IMG_1616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb5hlJCnjaw/TxYv-NEPxII/AAAAAAAABDE/jKEGtGCGqmQ/s400/IMG_1616.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Birthday suit fun! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gchhgQ8F-KU/TxYwHwkJiPI/AAAAAAAABDQ/598VTRL_Ahw/s1600/IMG_1618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gchhgQ8F-KU/TxYwHwkJiPI/AAAAAAAABDQ/598VTRL_Ahw/s400/IMG_1618.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kisses! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2lXW_kLThI/TxYwLtqufWI/AAAAAAAABDc/hxh5bLqRBXs/s1600/IMG_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2lXW_kLThI/TxYwLtqufWI/AAAAAAAABDc/hxh5bLqRBXs/s400/IMG_1619.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fAEln57P6c8/TxYwRP50DlI/AAAAAAAABDk/80F3E2c7Gs8/s1600/IMG_1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fAEln57P6c8/TxYwRP50DlI/AAAAAAAABDk/80F3E2c7Gs8/s400/IMG_1626.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Christmas morning </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xwMngh-tDCQ/TxYwg-5yrtI/AAAAAAAABD8/ZS1v57YSO9M/s1600/IMG_1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xwMngh-tDCQ/TxYwg-5yrtI/AAAAAAAABD8/ZS1v57YSO9M/s400/IMG_1639.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Felix's big gift from Mom and Dad this year (FYI...no need to lug the big gifts that take up half the trunk!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7XKDglysVK0/TxYwkvpBVII/AAAAAAAABEE/myo6zfISX48/s1600/IMG_1643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7XKDglysVK0/TxYwkvpBVII/AAAAAAAABEE/myo6zfISX48/s400/IMG_1643.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanging out with Daddy </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiMBwJLGzuc/TxYw1_aGaEI/AAAAAAAABEc/6ywHSVPxhfE/s1600/IMG_1648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiMBwJLGzuc/TxYw1_aGaEI/AAAAAAAABEc/6ywHSVPxhfE/s400/IMG_1648.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8k_W8Dr0fHQ/TxYxFRGhwII/AAAAAAAABE0/ADankw_0orU/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8k_W8Dr0fHQ/TxYxFRGhwII/AAAAAAAABE0/ADankw_0orU/s400/IMG_1658.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nU-ztTY8S4w/TxYxKcHYBLI/AAAAAAAABE8/jQxF5csOInw/s1600/IMG_1661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nU-ztTY8S4w/TxYxKcHYBLI/AAAAAAAABE8/jQxF5csOInw/s400/IMG_1661.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMRKyi8Q8qc/TxYxPaqXaYI/AAAAAAAABFE/CrHImAZOQ10/s1600/IMG_1664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMRKyi8Q8qc/TxYxPaqXaYI/AAAAAAAABFE/CrHImAZOQ10/s400/IMG_1664.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He looks thrilled! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vkPcvmiu4Bo/TxYxUhWG33I/AAAAAAAABFM/RNZA1usFaJE/s1600/IMG_1666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vkPcvmiu4Bo/TxYxUhWG33I/AAAAAAAABFM/RNZA1usFaJE/s400/IMG_1666.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The boys with Grandma and Pepere </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YPzpZgfH9Y/TxYxWjAWT-I/AAAAAAAABFU/WNL2aYg9sFY/s1600/IMAG0083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YPzpZgfH9Y/TxYxWjAWT-I/AAAAAAAABFU/WNL2aYg9sFY/s400/IMAG0083.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Felix trying to head back to his cousin on the trip home... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I'll leave you with a video of Felix having fun with Grayson's new drum set...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyS3Gqe5kK7DezDpE3dQ2oEXRGC1ll2p-zVpqRDyKaPX23NGdxRTrNDjDVvQyYSsZ4CkPHpbzQKwe_CxGJHsQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-58413661935284547452011-12-21T21:40:00.000-05:002011-12-21T21:40:35.991-05:009 monthsThis kid is getting HUGE...and silly...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGT-UscZpY4/TvKRNwb0P8I/AAAAAAAABBM/8IB3Y4t0Nr4/s1600/IMG_1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGT-UscZpY4/TvKRNwb0P8I/AAAAAAAABBM/8IB3Y4t0Nr4/s400/IMG_1595.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9axz48WD_Pc/TvKRSVzgo9I/AAAAAAAABBU/JSKxJE0i9Ps/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9axz48WD_Pc/TvKRSVzgo9I/AAAAAAAABBU/JSKxJE0i9Ps/s400/IMG_1596.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8GHJuBbCWeI/TvKRXFHxKyI/AAAAAAAABBc/FTFwr8LNYZU/s1600/IMG_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8GHJuBbCWeI/TvKRXFHxKyI/AAAAAAAABBc/FTFwr8LNYZU/s400/IMG_1597.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VUkMpjzdWk0/TvKRcvRqwsI/AAAAAAAABBk/EDapiCpR5EM/s1600/IMG_1598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VUkMpjzdWk0/TvKRcvRqwsI/AAAAAAAABBk/EDapiCpR5EM/s400/IMG_1598.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qCZYFwcfkDA/TvKRg0V5aOI/AAAAAAAABBs/6DVSZ6vBa68/s1600/IMG_1599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qCZYFwcfkDA/TvKRg0V5aOI/AAAAAAAABBs/6DVSZ6vBa68/s400/IMG_1599.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8xvGmx8roXg/TvKRl_agz2I/AAAAAAAABB0/fIeWICUcSUA/s1600/IMG_1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8xvGmx8roXg/TvKRl_agz2I/AAAAAAAABB0/fIeWICUcSUA/s400/IMG_1600.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Felix's next doctor's appointment isn't until we get back from Ohio next week, but he's hovering right around 20 lbs based on our last "sick" visit to the doctor. Speaking of...Felix had his first ear infection a few weeks ago...right around Thanksgiving. He's also FINALLY teething. I can see those two little bottom nubs just begging to break through...or maybe that's just wishful thinking!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are some of the milestones/tidbits I can remember, but they're becoming so many, it's hard to remember them all. I need to start making my notes again every time I see/hear a new one!</div><ul><li>The last couple days, he has become much more mobile. He has been rolling/scooting around the room for awhile now, but he's gotten fast lately. </li>
<li>He's SO close to crawling, but still not sure he'll do it. I still say he'll get right up and walk away one day.</li>
<li>He grabs my fingers, lifts himself to standing and then sits back down again and repeats. At least he won't wind up screaming when he doesn't know how to sit down from standing</li>
<li>I'm convinced he says Momma and Dadda with more purpose now...Momma whenever he gets hurt, doesn't feel good or is hungry or tired and Dadda the rest of the time.</li>
<li>We are trying to get him on more of a schedule as far as his eating is concerned. Since he was born, we've very much just followed his cues on eating/napping. Napping is still completely up in the air, but getting better, usually getting a nap every morning and afternoon on the weekends (time varies widely). Daycare is trying to help us set up an eating schedule. Not sure I like how it is now, but it's all trial and error right? Right now, during the week, he has a bottle at about 6:30am, oatmeal/cereal and fruit at about 830-9am, bottle at 11 am, lunch (fruit and veggie mix) around 12-1pm, a bottle at around 2-3pm, dinner (veggies/meat) around 6pm and a bottle just before bed around 730-8pm. Kids a big eater!</li>
<li>He loves anything "adult." Whenever we're out and a tantrum comes at an inopportune time, you just need to give him something adult...a bracelet me or scott is wearing, a sealed bottle of seltzer, etc.</li>
<li>Felix HATED santa. We took him to sears where there were a lot less kids/less of a line and a GREAT santa. Santa walked around, introducing himself to all the kids before the photos started. Felix stared at him for a good couple of minutes, not sure what to make of him, before going into total meltdown mode out of nowhere...made for a great picture though!</li>
<li>He's much better at opening presents then we thought he'd be. Takes him some time, and you need to take away each piece of wrapping paper as he rips it off, so that he keeps going, but not bad. I still wrapped all his presents in tissue paper for christmas, just to help him out a bit.</li>
<li>Felix never took a pacifier, but has taken to sucking/chewing on rags instead. He can't go to sleep/nap without one.</li>
<li>HATES having his nose wiped.</li>
<li>He got his first big boy car seat. We still keep the infant seat in my car, since he only drives in it to/from daycare (and not even every day, if Scott is working from home). It's been great for Scott's car so far. Took a little getting used to, since he can't really see us in his headrest mirror anymore because the seat is so much bigger and sits so much higher.</li>
<li>Babbles ALL the time...love it!</li>
<li>He claps his feet...he's been doing this for awhile, but it's still hysterical.</li>
<li>He makes kissy/fish faces.</li>
<li>He blows kisses or smacks his lips together. </li>
</ul>That's all I've got right now. We're leaving at 2am tomorrow morning (tonight) for Ohio for Christmas. We're hoping Felix will sleep at least 3-4 hours in the beginning...IF we can get him into the car without him waking up! <br />
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Happy Holidays everyone!!<br />
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</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-46443696862777500262011-11-29T22:53:00.000-05:002011-11-29T22:53:08.871-05:00Felix's First ThanksgivingAs I mentioned in the 8 month post below, Felix had a nasty cold and ear infection last week...but that didn't stop him from enjoying his first Thanksgiving and even trying a little piece of turkey!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wd1nj3GX5BY/TtWm-R314NI/AAAAAAAAA_0/MElbmbA5-WA/s1600/IMG952503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wd1nj3GX5BY/TtWm-R314NI/AAAAAAAAA_0/MElbmbA5-WA/s400/IMG952503.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GldDkkDjy2c/TtWm9Ri7PvI/AAAAAAAAA_k/FAdUb-iA1sg/s1600/391772_2469354408298_1085460230_32723722_1516833478_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GldDkkDjy2c/TtWm9Ri7PvI/AAAAAAAAA_k/FAdUb-iA1sg/s400/391772_2469354408298_1085460230_32723722_1516833478_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hugs!!</div><br />
Scott also made his first Turducken, which he's been dying to make for awhile now. It was absolutely delicious...definitely the best tasting turkey I've ever had. It even looked like a real turkey once we put it all together:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WWE629D45pY/TtWm6o66IOI/AAAAAAAAA-8/B3xBHe0LP34/s1600/373921_2469354728306_1085460230_32723723_253276035_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WWE629D45pY/TtWm6o66IOI/AAAAAAAAA-8/B3xBHe0LP34/s400/373921_2469354728306_1085460230_32723723_253276035_n.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We also got to see exactly what our oven was capable of. We had no idea we had a convection roaster option, which cooked the Turducken in a fraction of the time...even though it did set the smoke alarm off for a little while.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, Felix didn't get any pictures with Grandma and Pop Pop, but there were plenty of pictures with his favorite aunts!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GT3LJUhLdyw/TtWm6PMEy8I/AAAAAAAAA-0/inCUxs2-srk/s1600/309762_2469353088265_1085460230_32723719_969837439_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GT3LJUhLdyw/TtWm6PMEy8I/AAAAAAAAA-0/inCUxs2-srk/s400/309762_2469353088265_1085460230_32723719_969837439_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jq2ivbo7tBw/TtWm8vRuKfI/AAAAAAAAA_c/AmTjDu92e4M/s1600/391124_2469353768282_1085460230_32723721_1644870640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jq2ivbo7tBw/TtWm8vRuKfI/AAAAAAAAA_c/AmTjDu92e4M/s400/391124_2469353768282_1085460230_32723721_1644870640_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1V43z-6ioL8/TtWnqRYR7LI/AAAAAAAABAs/7epdqwvD0vw/s1600/IMAG0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1V43z-6ioL8/TtWnqRYR7LI/AAAAAAAABAs/7epdqwvD0vw/s400/IMAG0045.jpg" width="238" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Next up...Christmas with the Bouchards! That's right...we'll be heading out to Ohio for Felix's first Christmas to spend some time with Grandma, Pepere, Uncle Dan, Aunt Nicole and Grayson...can't wait!<br />
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</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-89163634242474440222011-11-29T22:36:00.000-05:002011-11-29T22:36:55.184-05:00Best Picture EVER!<div style="text-align: justify;">I can't believe I forgot to post this picture when it was taken. A few weeks ago, Scott's brother Alan came to visit one night and spend some time with Felix...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rmUsPe-UEw/TtWktnlw0cI/AAAAAAAAA-s/u8Jr-cRiZd8/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rmUsPe-UEw/TtWktnlw0cI/AAAAAAAAA-s/u8Jr-cRiZd8/s400/IMG_1562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-41428315930820696032011-11-29T22:33:00.000-05:002011-11-29T22:33:59.485-05:00Proof he is his father's son...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwjO6sHEzwEhHRqVgPnaxcAK_S51ZH4m8rYwL98m-f6LUMcXddoymeoD4p2Bg9q9Prad_aFvtchfrkexddELw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Ok...to be fair, this was taken last week when he was sick and super stuffy.</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-91306186920263960132011-11-29T22:30:00.002-05:002011-11-29T22:42:08.376-05:008 MonthsThis little boy....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D4Mqkq2lQtM/TtWXUxtlAcI/AAAAAAAAA98/BSb7plKH0wU/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D4Mqkq2lQtM/TtWXUxtlAcI/AAAAAAAAA98/BSb7plKH0wU/s400/IMG_1574.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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...is not so little anymore!<br />
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I can't believe the year is almost over!<br />
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I have definitely seen the biggest changes in Felix over the last couple of weeks. He is MUCH more vocal and studies things more than he ever has before.<br />
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Still no teeth. He keeps having these weeks where he chews on everything and grinds his gums together, but then it goes away. I, myself, did not get a tooth until I was EIGHTEEN months old...let's pray I don't pass that one on to my son!<br />
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Still no crawling, but I have a feeling he's going to go right to walking...someday. It doesn't help that he's figured out how to get to what he wants by rolling, scooting and folding himself in half to reach things (I, unfortunately, passed my long torso and short legs on to my son).<br />
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We also made it over 8 months before Felix had his first ear infection. Unfortunately, that fell right about the same time as Felix's first Thanksgiving. Luckily, the one day he seemed to be in the least amount of pain last week was Thanksgiving Day. He came down with a nasty cold and ear infection earlier that week and still has the remnants of a cough, but is 100% better now. Unfortunately, he passed it onto Scott who, in turn, passed it on to me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my body fights it off before it gets any worse.<br />
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Felix's next check-up isn't for another month, but he was weighed (albeit, with his clothes and diaper on) when we took him to the doctor last week and came in at about 19 lbs 7 oz.<br />
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I'm convinced this kid was born with what I like to call the "vroom vroom" gene. He loves anything with wheels, especially trucks. We bought him a little ride on CAT truck at Costco this weekend, that also came with a smaller CAT truck, some large Legos and a tool kit. I've never seen him so interested in anything.<br />
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Felix has started dancing, which is absolutely adorable. Of course, he does it while sitting and just rocks side to side on his butt anytime he hears music he likes.<br />
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A few weeks ago, Felix started shaking his head "no". If you say "no" to him or shake your head, he'll do it right back. And if you nod your head and say "yes"...well, he'll still shake his head no. But he's getting there!<br />
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He is also starting to imitate a lot more...he smacks his lips and does fish faces when I do them...most of the time.<br />
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And for awhile there, I actually got him to say Momma. I just kept repeating "Momma Momma Momma" to him and he, eventually, started saying it back. Whether or not he really knows what it means, we'll never know. BUT for about a week straight, anytime he wanted anything, he would keep saying it over and over and over and over...guess it's a sign of things to come!<br />
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Best of all...Felix has learned how to hug. It gives me goosebumps every time he does it! <br />
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We have also been Skyping every couple of weeks with Felix's Aunt Nicole, Uncle Dan and cousin Grayson. This last time he got very excited, but he's changed so much in the last couple of weeks, I'm excited to see how he reacts the next time.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-11267981868073395572011-11-01T23:43:00.000-04:002011-11-01T23:43:13.394-04:00Felix's First Halloween...<div style="text-align: justify;">was CANCELLED!! Thanks to the freak snow storm we had that dumped 15" on us 2 days before Thanksgiving. At least it's been in the 50s all week, so the snow is slowly melting. But the majority of the area still has no power, including Felix's daycare. Luckily, my office was closed yesterday and they are really great about letting us work from home when needed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We took Felix to Sears to take some pro pics for our new photo wall. They did such a fantastic job...especially considering this kid never gives anyone the benefit of the doubt and grills them for a ridiculous amount of time before ever cracking a smile. But the girl was able to get him smiling in just 5 minutes!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--FFjNYEQ99o/TrC3t3y-SdI/AAAAAAAAA7o/HbeqX_TXfLQ/s1600/DisplayImage.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--FFjNYEQ99o/TrC3t3y-SdI/AAAAAAAAA7o/HbeqX_TXfLQ/s400/DisplayImage.ashx.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpZiwlEIVgQ/TrC3uTa8b0I/AAAAAAAAA7w/GQHVLg0roVU/s1600/DisplayImage2.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpZiwlEIVgQ/TrC3uTa8b0I/AAAAAAAAA7w/GQHVLg0roVU/s400/DisplayImage2.ashx.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We dressed Felix up before bed and walked next door to our neighbors house to show him off for a few before bed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A couple days before Halloween me and my sister-in-law realized our kids had the same <i>unplanned</i> Halloween costumes...adorable!! I wish we lived closer together so the boys could hang out more. We'll be going out there for Christmas, which will be so much fun, since Felix <i>should</i> be more mobile and able to play with his cousin. In the meantime, our Skype dates will have to do!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlgRCtZu-uo/TrC8I5B3LXI/AAAAAAAAA8I/C5O09LASRgc/s1600/halloooo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlgRCtZu-uo/TrC8I5B3LXI/AAAAAAAAA8I/C5O09LASRgc/s400/halloooo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-54852058276231715092011-11-01T23:20:00.001-04:002011-11-01T23:35:07.477-04:007 MonthsI know, I know...late again...<br />
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</div><br />
Milestones/Events:<br />
<ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>You now sit up without any wavering, unless you <i>want</i> to lay yourself on the ground. But, you still can't get yourself to a seated position when you're laying down.</li>
<li>Since you've started sitting up, you have no desire to be on your belly or crawl, which drives your father crazy!</li>
<li>Still no teeth, but you're definitely slobering and chewing on everything lately.</li>
<li>You are now into fruits...you've tried bananas and applesauce so far...surprisingly, you have not taken to fruits as well as you did to veggies. It took several days for you to warm up to bananas and you have not enjoyed your applesauce the last couple of days. Next up is probably peaches or pears.</li>
<li>We made the mistake of feeding you bananas at night the first time you tried fruit. You were bouncing off the walls until about 11pm and didn't sleep well at all that night. From now on, you only get fruit in the mornings with your oatmeal! </li>
<li>A few days ago, you learned to shake your head "no." You even respond by shaking your head whenever we say the word "no"...most of the time. You can't yet nod your head "yes," but you do respond to "yes," by raising your chin a little higher when you shake your head.</li>
<li>Maybe not the most glamorous thing, but your poop is much harder now...to the point where you have been whiny and uncomfortable while pooping and want to be changed immediately. This is a big change, since you never let on when you had a poopy diaper before, so we always had to check. O, and you STINK now with all the food you've been eating! </li>
<li>You are now wearing mostly 6 or 9 month clothing, but are even in some 12 month. We've started buying 12 month clothes. They may be a little big now, but they'll fit you for a lot longer. You are in all 12 month PJs, since you wake up if your PJs pull even the slightest bit. </li>
<li>We've stopped giving you a bath every night, so that your body can develop its on oils, etc. and so you don't NEED a bath in order to go to sleep. We generally try to bathe you every other night, unless something comes up.</li>
<li>You have started dancing to music (whether from the TV, radio or a toy) by swaying your body from one butt cheek to the other. </li>
<li>Your first Halloween was CANCELLED due to the freak snow storm that dumped 15" of snow on us 2 days before Halloween. Some surrounding towns postponed it, but our actually cancelled it. They opened up the mall for trick or treating that night and we heard it was a madhouse (too many people and the mall ran out of candy in minutes). We dressed you up and took you over to the neighbors house for a few minutes. Luckily, you're too young to notice!</li>
<li>Your next doctor's appointment isn't until after Christmas, so we will have a weight and height check-in then. </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Update: As I was writing this post, you rolled over onto your belly and have stayed sleeping...so far. You usually sleep on your side. When you first learned how to roll over, there was about a week where every night you would roll onto your belly and immediately wake up and cry until daddy came in and rolled you back over. After that week, you never rolled onto your belly in your sleep again, until tonight. </div><ul></ul>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-43126036823590713352011-10-10T22:58:00.001-04:002011-10-10T22:59:00.617-04:00Baby Food, Ninja’s, & BBQ Sauce<style>
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Dad’s turn to post…</div>
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The first lesson my son has taught me, is that as a parent,
you need to make the most of any downtime you get. It doesn’t come often, and it doesn’t last
long. So in the spirit of making the
most out of this blog post, I’m going to drop as much useful and time saving
information as I can surrounding our attempts at making all of Felix’s baby
food. I’m also going to toss in my
secret homemade BBQ recipe just to add a nugget of masculinity back into my
life (and possibly father’s who read this).
Oh, and yes, there is a Ninja in this story.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 1: Why are you
making baby food?</b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5018141185_f595182617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5018141185_f595182617.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
That’s simple. My
wife want’s to do it. I think I would be OK purchasing organic baby food, but Danielle has made it her mission to make
sure that she has a hand in everything Felix ingests for the first year of his
life. Happy wife = happy life.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 2: When do you
do it?</b></div>
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I find Sunday’s are awesome for making baby food. Steaming the food takes a bit, so I have
plenty of time to watch football between pureeing the food. By watching football, I mean that I have
strategically placed my son between the television screen and myself so that
while I make sure he isn’t doing anything to kill himself (I find watching a
baby is very similar to watching a dear friend on suicide watch), I can catch a
few plays and highlights.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 3: How much do
you make?</b></div>
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The last time we made baby food, it measured out at about
100 ounces in a day, which works out to be about a month of food at this point
in his life (6-7 months). I’m sure that
it will not last nearly as long as he continues to grow.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 4: What kind of
equipment do you need?</b></div>
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We did not go out and buy one of those baby food maker
kits. It seemed… unnecessary. There are all sorts of these odd looking kits
and appliances with various baby themed names that steam and blend food in
custom containers all as a one stop shop, ranging between $100-$300+. But, what do you do with it once the baby is
eating food off your plate? As far as I
can tell by observing my nephew and my friends children, kids aren’t on baby
food all that long. There is enough
outgrown and unused baby shit going into closets already, I don’t need more.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img align="left" alt="Red KitchenAid Blender" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LeWawNGhL._SX300_SY390_CR,0,0,300,390_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="100" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BAD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We instead decided to invest in appliances and cooking tools
that we can use way beyond Felix’s baby food days. The first and foremost, you need a good
blender/food processor. We received <a href="http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSB465ER-Countertop-48-Ounce-Polycarbonate/dp/B001AS6YKQ">a
KitchenAid Blender</a> for Danielle’s wedding shower. It is the worst blender
ever manufactured by man. It’s our own
fault; we put it on the registry. We had
a Red KitchenAid theme going for our appliances. Who knew that everything made by KitchenAid,
other than their <a href="http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-2-Quart-Ultra-Power-Empire/dp/B000UVRC64/ref=sr_1_6?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1318251752&sr=1-6">Stand
Mixer</a>, is useless?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img align="right" alt="NINJA Kitchen System" border="0" height="200" src="http://www.ninjakitchensystem1100bl700.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Ninja_Kitchen_System_1100___Model_BL700-300x300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GOOD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However, a few weeks ago, while shopping for baby crap at
KOHL’s, I came across a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Kitchen-System-1100-Model/dp/B004UR1FFS/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1318252784&sr=1-1">blender
called NINJA</a>. It immediately caught
my eye. In-fact, the only thing better
than a blender named NINJA would be some other kitchen appliance named after a
pirate. Danielle instantly rolled her
eyes at my enthusiasm concerning the covert mercenary appliance of feudal
Japan. Although, a middle aged woman
also saw my eagerness, and spoke up. She
told us how she has one at home, and that it is the most amazing blender she
has ever owned. Her husband is a chef
and actually uses it in his kitchen as well.
Needless to say, even though it is a little pricey, we ended up buying
it. Although, we did end up leaving and going to Bed, Bath & Beyond to drop
a 20% coupon on it.</div>
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After making gallons of pureed baby food with this thing, I
concur, it is the most amazing blender/food processor I have ever owned. I highly endorse it. A good blender saves a lot of time and
headache when making baby food.</div>
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Other than that, the rest is basic. You need a large pot with a lid, which you
should own by now. You also need a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Aids-Steamer-Basket/dp/B003E6NPUE/ref=sr_1_12?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1318252947&sr=1-12">steamer
basket</a>, which ranges in price from like $5-$20. We found one at Stop & Shop for $10 while
we were picking up food. You also need
about 10 ice cube trays or more if you are going to make baby food in bulk like
we did. I found that they cost about $0.75
a tray, but can probably be found cheaper.
Also, make sure you have saran wrap handy.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 5: How do you do
it?</b></div>
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Recipes are below, but the basics are here: Take your food, and steam it. Once mushy, put it in the blender. We add breast milk to soften it up and make
the consistency smoother for the baby.
If you don’t have breast milk, substitute in the water you used to steam
the food. Pour the mush into ice cube
trays, cover with saran wrap, and let freeze over night. Pop the cubes out into freezer bags, date,
label, and put back into the freezer.</div>
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Each cube is about 1 ounce of food. Our son eats about 3 ounces at a sitting
right now. When it is time to feed your
baby, take the desired amount of cubes, defrost them, mix them up, and shove
them down their gullet. We try to make
ours about room temperature. </div>
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We decided to introduce Felix to foods starting him on
greens first (avocado, green beans, peas), then moving through yellows
(carrots, squash, sweet potato), and we will finish with fruits (bananas,
peaches, apples, pears). We heard
mention that if you start them on fruits; it’s hard to get them to eat veggies
later, because they want the sweetness of the fruits. Also, by having the food in 1-ounce cubes, we
can mix and match and make a little meal for him.</div>
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As an additional guideline from our doctor, when introducing
new foods, only introduce 1 new food every 4 days. This way you can monitor food allergies effectively
if they crop up.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WARNING:</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> If you put something green in your baby, they
make bright green deposits in their Pampers.
If you put something orange in your baby, they make bright orange
deposits in their Pampers. It doesn’t sound earth shattering here, but to a new
parent, the first time you see it, it is in fact quite shocking… almost photo
worthy, but definitely worth calling your spouse over to share in your
amazement.</i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 6: Baby Food
Recipes</b></div>
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<b>Butternut squash</b><br />
1 large butternut squash<br />
De-seed, skin, cube<br />
Steam 35-45 minutes<br />
Puree with approximately 6 ounces of breast milk<br />
Makes about 28 ounces (2 ice cube trays)<br />
Total time = 1.5 hours<b><br /><br />Carrots</b><br />
<b></b>1 pound large organic carrots<br />
Shave, cap, slice<br />
Steam 1 hour<br />
Puree with approximately 6 ounces of breast milk<br />
Makes about 20 ounces (about 1.5 ice cube trays)<br />
Total time = 1.5 hours<br />
<b><br />Sweet Potato</b><br />
<b> </b>3 large sweet potatoes<br />
wash, dry, Wrap in foil<br />
Bake at 400 for 75 minutes<br />
Puree with approximately 7 ounces of breast milk<br />
Makes about 26 ounces (about 2 ice cube trays)<br />
Total time = 1 hour 45 minutes<b><br /><br />Green Beans</b><br />
<b></b>2x12 oz of frozen green beans<br />
Steam for 35-45 minutes<br />
Puree with approximately 15 ounces of breast milk<br />
Makes about 31 ounces (just over 2 ice cube trays).<b><br /></b>Total time = 1 hour<b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>Peas</b><br />
2 pound package of frozen peas<br />
Steam for 25 minutes<br />
Puree with approximately 9 ounces of breast milk<br />
Makes about 28 ounces (2 ice cube trays)</div>
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Total time = 1 hour</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ITEM 7: Bouchard
Chipotle Bourbon BBQ Sauce Recipe</b></div>
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Having a baby definitely knocks a man down on the
masculinity scale by a few pegs. You
can’t help it. Between the stupid noises
and voices you now make, and the cuddling, the infinite baby activities,
constantly smelling like baby powder and diaper cream… you loose track of
yourself and the things you used to do that made you feel like a man. I find the grill is a good place to get some
of that feeling back. Mommy and Daddy
need to eat, why not do it outside with some serious cuts of meat, over red-hot
coals, with a brew in your hand?</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve spent some time researching, testing, and perfecting
what I consider the ultimate homemade BBQ sauce. It makes a mean piece of grilled
chicken. The sauce has an initial spicy
kick, but finishes smooth, sweet, and smoky.
Feel free to modify:</div>
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1.5 C ketchup</div>
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0.5 C bottled French salad dressing</div>
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1.5 C Frank’s hot sauce</div>
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0.5 C Maker’s Mark Bourbon</div>
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0.25 C lemon juice</div>
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0.25 C Worcestershire</div>
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1 tbsp liq. smoke</div>
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1 tbsp garlic pdr</div>
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1 tbsp pepper</div>
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1 tbsp chili pdr</div>
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1 tbsp onion pdr</div>
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1.5 C cider vinegar</div>
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0.5 C Espresso blend coffee</div>
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0.25 C prepared yellow mustard</div>
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0.25 C Molasses</div>
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1 tbsp Cajun spice</div>
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2 tbsp paprika</div>
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4 crushed dry chipotle chili's</div>
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3 lg cloves garlic – minced</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Combine in a heavy bottomed stock pot except for
the bourbon. Reduce on low for 2 hours,
stirring every 15 minutes. At the 1-hour
mark, add in the bourbon. Use as you
would any sauce.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Go Bengals! </span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-57964151914907886672011-10-09T23:03:00.000-04:002011-10-09T23:03:03.796-04:00Giggles...We had a visit from our friend, Ryan, today and I've never heard Felix laugh so much!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw1qAgpmHIMjo7zfEEjk8rOqo4zcI686KbcfuiuZUvnusMSIrxOG-pTR0PXjK3XtmisDIlhjTLWC_c4TYSVKA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-856107901629387332011-10-09T22:53:00.000-04:002011-10-09T22:53:51.432-04:00Swim LessonsA few weeks ago, we started Felix in his first round of swim lessons. It's mostly to get him used to the water and moving his arms/legs in the water. The first class was taught by this drill sergeant of a woman! In fact, she was so harsh with people, half the class didn't come back the following week. But we were SO happy to find out the next week that she was just a stand-in and that the actual teacher was very kid-friendly. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Scott and I have been switching off week by week so Felix gets used to being with both of us in the water. He did great the first couple of classes and then a few weeks ago he had a meltdown 5 minutes into the class and we wound up having to take him out of the pool. It was the funniest thing...if Scott lifted him out of the water, he stopped screaming, but the second he put him back in the water, he started screaming again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luckily, we made it through the next class without having to leave. But we did discover that he HATES "jumping" off the wall. It's the second part of every class where all the parents seat the babies on the side of the pool and simulate them jumping in the pool, while holding them. Well...the second his little butt hits the side of the pool, he starts crying. So, we've taken to doing another pool activity while the other kids are doing that one...just so we don't wind up having to leave early again! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since the weather is getting colder, we have been going back and forth about getting a full membership for the YMCA so we can continue to swim with Felix during the winter months...we'll have to see how the next few weeks goes!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-25364188327812363692011-10-05T23:32:00.000-04:002011-10-05T23:32:58.999-04:006 monthsSo I know this post is WAY late considering Felix will be 7 months in less then two weeks now! But I blame him...seriously. Felix has begun consistently waking up at least once, usually twice before going down for the night. Which is fine, except that it means I don't get finished putting him to bed until anywhere between 9-11pm every night (hence, why I've been drafting this post for 3 days now). Which also means, I barely get anything done at night anymore. <br />
<br />
Our schedule usually goes something like this: I pick Felix up at about 5pm from daycare. We play a little bit until I start making his dinner at about 6-6:15 pm. Scott usually gets home just before or just after he finishes eating. I use the 15-30 minutes while Scott is playing with him to do some dishes, throw in some laundry, etc. Felix is usually rubbing his eyes and itching to get the bedtime process moving by about 7:15-730 pm, depending on the day (sometimes he's at that point way earlier, sometimes later). Between bath and/or getting him ready for bed, we usually start the nursing process by about 7:45-8:00 pm and I get out of there anytime between 9:00-11:00 pm (sometimes I can escape for 15 minutes before he gets up again to get some things done).<br />
<br />
I'll admit, there are times when I fall asleep in the glider and wind up getting out of there way later then expected. I'm hoping he grows out of the stage soon. We've started giving him baby oatmeal at in the morning too, thinking that maybe breastmilk just isn't enough for him anymore and we needed to add a second meal during the day. We have also considered that I am not producing enough at bedtime to satisfy him, which is why he wakes up a couple more times to eat now. My supply dwindled a bit when I switched jobs recently, most likely just my body getting used to the new pumping atmosphere/schedule. <br />
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Enough about my night time difficulties...onto why you're really reading this post:<br />
<br />
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<u>Milestones</u>: <br />
<ul><li>As of your 6 month appointment a couple of weeks ago, you weighed 17 lbs 3.5 oz (42.46 %) and was 26.5 in. tall (50.43%).</li>
<li>You have been reaching for things, especially me and dad.</li>
<li>When you're hungry, you try to pull yourself to my boob (which freaks out your dad).</li>
<li>You started rice cereal on August 20, 2011. You loved it by the end of the meal on day 2 and, since day 3, get super excited every time you see your bowl and spoon.</li>
<li>About a month after we started you on rice cereal (just after your 6 month birthday), we started making your baby food. So far, you have had avocado, green beans, oatmeal (not made by us) peas, and carrots. You started carrots tonight and LOVED them (so much, you ate almost 4 oz!).</li>
<li>As a result of eating "real" food, your poop has become much more solidified and it STINKS!! I know anyone who has fed their baby formula is used to the awful smelling poop, but the difference is shocking to us! </li>
<li>On August 28, 2011, you rolled from back to front in your crib. You did this for several nights in a row and cried until we rolled you back over. It only lasted a few nights and you haven't done it while sleeping since.</li>
<li>On September 6, 2011, you sat up by yourself for a couple of minutes. Now, you sit all the time and love it. Just this week, you started dropping yourself to the ground from a sitting position. Looks like you might try crawling soon!</li>
<li>On September 7, 2011, you pooped in the tub for the first time ever. On the one hand, I'm shocked it hasn't happened before, considering that, until recently, you had a bath every night. On the other hand...GROSS!!! </li>
<li>You sit all the time now. We can literally sit you down with all your toys and you'll play for over an hour (as long as we sit and play with you every once in awhile). Don't worry. We don't ignore you! But sometimes, it's the only time we can get things done. Although, there are plenty of times that if I walk 2 feet away from you, you scream your head off.</li>
<li>In anticipation of the winter months, we've started bathing you every other day, instead of every day, so you don't dry out. We also did it so you didn't get used to needing a bath before bedtime.</li>
<li>We had our first middle of the night hospital trip with you on September 6, 2011. You had what we thought was (and probably actually was) a cold, which turned into a nasty cough. We had you sleeping in your Rock N' Play to keep you elevated. As we were going to bed, we heard you start coughing, lose your breath and then we heard nothing. We both jumped out of bed at the same time and went running into your room. After calling the doctor for the second time that night, we took you to the ER at about 1am. Luckily, they saw us pretty quickly and we were only there for 2-3 hours. Unluckily, dad had to hold you in the x-ray contraption while you looked at him screaming the entire time. The ER doctor, who I was NOT thrilled with, told us you "might" have a slight case of pneumonia. When I pressed him as to what else it could be, he told us that it could also be nothing. But any doctor say your baby has pneumonia is like forcing you to put your child on any medication they recommend. We took you to the pediatrician the next day who told us it was likely just a cold, but to keep you on the meds anyway, just in case. You healed up pretty quickly, but ran us ragged in the process!</li>
<li>We got you a big boy stroller (the City Mini) in anticipation of going to the Big E. While you still fit in your infant seat and Snap N' Go, you're so curious about everything around you that we wanted to let you start facing forward when we were out places. </li>
<li>You had your first trip to the Big E on September 24, 2011. As you'll soon learn, we go to the Big E for dad's birthday every year. You were very well behaved even though it was SUPER hot that day and even did well on the car ride home regardless of the fact that we kept you out past your bedtime. </li>
<li>Your 6 month shots were awful. It was the first time your dad came to a doctor's appointment and you had to get 4 shots that day, including your first dose of the flu shot. Your legs hurt so bad from where they gave you the shots that day that I gave you some tylenol after you ate dinner to try and soothe the pain. Well, you choked on the tylenol and when your dad picked you up to help, you emptied the 3oz worth of avocado that was in your belly all over him, the rug and the couch! O and you also threw up the one lone cheerio we had given you earlier, which you promptly choked on and swallowed hole (another terrifying moment). Note to your doctor...cheerios do not dissolve quickly as you advised!</li>
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<ul></ul>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-6669873960503101112011-09-29T23:17:00.000-04:002011-09-29T23:17:19.357-04:00Dear Grayson,What up Cuz?! How's everything over in O-H-I-O? You running Grandma and Pepere in circles yet? Man I wish I could run... so far I've only got that sitting thing down. Not doing much for my figure though. Dad says I'm starting to get a bus driver butt. Whatever. Every time he talks smack I just blow out my diaper and smile at him. He'll learn to keep his opinions to himself eventually.<br />
<br />
So these threads you sent me are bang-bus! I was like, Dinosaur? Heck yeah! Let me crawl up inside those and get my roar on! Oh, and the kicks? SO SWEEEEEET. They're just kind of decoration for me right now, I plan on driving mom INSANE soon by wearing them all over the house. Check me out, I got Pics below!<br />
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Thanks for everything man, I really appreciate it. Can't wait to hang at Christmas. Felix Out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g25B8FreD4c/ToUumCjNmkI/AAAAAAAAA4w/zX-2dU6IYRI/s1600/IMG_1541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g25B8FreD4c/ToUumCjNmkI/AAAAAAAAA4w/zX-2dU6IYRI/s400/IMG_1541.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGuQKRFeJMo/ToUwMp9dWjI/AAAAAAAAA48/8snyb50Ygr4/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGuQKRFeJMo/ToUwMp9dWjI/AAAAAAAAA48/8snyb50Ygr4/s320/IMG_1542.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-5192184571483766152011-08-17T23:18:00.001-04:002011-08-18T21:30:09.431-04:00The Best Nursing Bra...kind of<div style="text-align: justify;"> I've decided there's really no such thing as the perfect nursing bra. Basically, you need to decide which aspects of a nursing bra are the most important to you and start there because you will never find one that has it all (at least not for us busty, Italian women). For me, I couldn't imagine going back to work (or out in public anymore) with a wireless bra. When you're an F cup, it just doesn't work! <br />
<br />
I've been through my fair share of nursing bras in the last five months, and even a few more since <a href="http://mommaesq.blogspot.com/2011/05/weight-loss-or-lack-thereof-and-nursing.html">my last post</a>. Some of them I still use daily. As soon as I get home from work, or if I'm just hanging around the house, I make sure to put on a wireless bra to help the ladies breath. I also sleep in a sleep nursing bra at night. <br />
<br />
But I think I've finally found the best "out in public" bra <i>for me</i>. It lifts, it shapes, it doesn't spread the ladies out to the side too much. It also does a very good job of stretching with my every expanded breasts throughout the day. But of course, if it looks good, it doesn't always FEEL good. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This bra took a little getting used to...the material is a little itchy at first (until you wear it in a bit) and the band digs a little bit (again, until you wear it in). And it's not the easiest bra to fold down when you need to nurse, but it DOES provide easier access then a regular bra and infinitely better shape and lift then any other nursing bra I've seen. Besides, you really can't expect a bra with this much shaping to just flop down when you need to nurse. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And let's face it...we're women...beauty isn't always easy!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, without further ado, I present...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The Sexy Mama Nursing Bra from Le Mystere</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cabOu68mPNM/TkyD4JPkY2I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/TpZm_CX16Pg/s1600/81IHWWxaNUL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cabOu68mPNM/TkyD4JPkY2I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/TpZm_CX16Pg/s400/81IHWWxaNUL._SL1500_.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br />
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Just a tip, I get mine from Amazon. And if you're a soon-to-be or new mom stocking up on baby supplies, you'll enjoy free two-day shipping with Amazon Mom (free of charge and it keeps getting extended with every "baby" purchase you make). I buy almost everything from Amazon now...wipes, diaper cream (Triple Paste is a godsend), milk pills (Motherlove for those nursing ladies out there), pump accessories...you name it, Amazon has it and, usually cheaper then anywhere else (except diapers...believe it or not, I've found Babies R' Us to be the cheapest in that department).<br />
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Now, if I could just find a good sports bra... </div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-7207544826959937022011-08-17T21:47:00.003-04:002011-08-17T22:02:50.908-04:00Happy 5 Month Birthday Baby!<div style="text-align: justify;">My little boy turned 5 months old this week! I can't believe how fast he's growing. Lately, it seems like he gets bigger or smarter or more mobile with each week. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">We don't have another doctor's appointment until next month, so I don't have any new stats for you, but I do have plenty of milestones...including a new fascination with his feet!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dSVPuWF334M/TknfIXysyqI/AAAAAAAAA3g/iApJ4FkSxTA/s1600/IMG_1498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dSVPuWF334M/TknfIXysyqI/AAAAAAAAA3g/iApJ4FkSxTA/s400/IMG_1498.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> "O crap, I'm falling"</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ydJiWRotfZo/TknfLKebCiI/AAAAAAAAA3k/Afk8jarueFw/s1600/IMG_1499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ydJiWRotfZo/TknfLKebCiI/AAAAAAAAA3k/Afk8jarueFw/s400/IMG_1499.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Look Ma...I got them both" </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2Aarspa6lw/TknfMPlCwqI/AAAAAAAAA3o/lGkp_QBcFdc/s1600/IMG_1500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2Aarspa6lw/TknfMPlCwqI/AAAAAAAAA3o/lGkp_QBcFdc/s400/IMG_1500.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"If I could just get it in my mouth..." </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6uMueMuaSwQ/TknfNFDbyHI/AAAAAAAAA3s/B1RDHzRrivU/s1600/IMG_1501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6uMueMuaSwQ/TknfNFDbyHI/AAAAAAAAA3s/B1RDHzRrivU/s400/IMG_1501.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"I think I just pooped..." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Look at the difference!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Zxj-rYsCOY/TkxwMcCWJmI/AAAAAAAAA4M/TYh2uynX9Z0/s1600/felix_0-5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAIh5YARueI/TkxtnfczGCI/AAAAAAAAA4I/4QAedTb8ICQ/s1600/felix_0-5.gif" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAIh5YARueI/TkxtnfczGCI/AAAAAAAAA4I/4QAedTb8ICQ/s1600/felix_0-5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</div>Here goes...<br />
<br />
You are officially into 6-9 month clothes and have grown out of most of the socks we have for you. This kid is going to be taller then me by the time he's 12.<br />
<br />
You're in size 3 diapers. We switched you a couple of weeks ago due to you consistently blowing out of your diapers at least once, but sometimes multiple, times a day. <br />
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You still love your bath every night...it helps to calm you down and give you some daddy time before you go to bed.<br />
<br />
You're still nursing like a champ...During the week, I nurse you when you first wake up and at bedtime and you get bottles during the day at daycare. You just increased the amount you consume at daycare and are generally taking about 20 ounces a day, plus whatever you get from me. We have figured out that, when you get a bottle in the morning or at night during the week, you take just about 8 oz each time. I still exclusively nurse on the weekends.<br />
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You are still sleeping through the night...by about 7pm you are begging for your bath, dinner and to be rocked. During the week, I usually have to wake you up in the morning (at about 5:45am). On days when you don't get woken up, you generally wake up between 6-7am, but don't start whining until about 7am.<br />
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You now reach for things all the time, including toys, your jumperoo, my boobs...you name it. <br />
<br />
On July 29, you started trying to sit up just about anytime we had you leaning on something or laying down.<br />
<br />
On July 30, you rolled over from your back to your belly by pulling on your activity mat, but you couldn't seem to get your arm out from under you. On August 7, you rolled over without any help...which we both unfortunately missed (one minute you were on your back, we turn around for a second, and all of a sudden your grunting on your belly!! Those are the only times you've rolled over, but I'm hoping you'll start making a habit of it soon.<br />
<br />
That same day was when I noticed you getting super talkative, as well as beginning to chew on EVERYTHING...from that point on you always have your fingers in your mouth. In the beginning you only used to talk when you had your fingers in your mouth. I think you either liked the feel of your tongue or the vibration in your mouth when you were talking.<br />
<br />
Also on that same day, you figured out what Sophie the Giraffe was really for...to slobber and chew on! <br />
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As of August 1, you started grabbing your feet almost every time your diaper was being changed, but especially first thing in the morning. This makes for some interesting diaper changes, especially considering those are usually your dirtiest diapers. You also grabbed my arm to chew on a few times.<br />
<br />
Starting about August 7, you had about a week where you were very stuffy during the night and in the mornings. You still slept great, but we could hear you snoring through the monitor all night. So, I finally broke out the Nosefrida and started sucking away every morning. Before you all get grossed out, there is a filter and NO WAY the boogers can make it into my mouth. We've been running the humidifier at night since.<br />
<br />
Since this past weekend, you have made a habit of trying to get your toes into your mouth. And as of today, anytime your teacher at daycare put socks on you, you pulled them off.<br />
<br />
For awhile now, you have only slept on your right side. We were very careful to always put you down on your right side, so you wouldn't wake up...and you would always wake up if you wound up on your back or left side. But the last few days, I've watched you sleep on your right side, your back and now your left side, throughout the night (thanks to my handy dandy video monitor that I LOVE). Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-50838120610985717042011-07-29T00:09:00.001-04:002011-07-29T00:11:11.831-04:004 Months!Felix is 4 months old!! Well...he's about four and a half months now.<br />
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As of his last doctor's appointment last week, he weighed in at 14 lbs 6 oz (40th percentile) and 24.5 inches (32nd percentile). Big boy! He did great with his second round of shots too...he only cried for a few minuted. I did wind up giving him his first dose of Tylenol that night though...every time he moved his legs he cried out in pain...poor kid! <br />
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Here's the little goon...such a little chunk!<br />
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I know I say it every month, but I can't believe how much he's changed in just four short months:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2CjpJagkFE/TdSMmZDNKSI/AAAAAAAAAwA/rVNii4hdrxs/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2CjpJagkFE/TdSMmZDNKSI/AAAAAAAAAwA/rVNii4hdrxs/s400/IMG_1154.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts9BgY1yp-c/Tf62rQBhUhI/AAAAAAAAA0g/81N9-ea0D0s/s1600/IMG_1294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts9BgY1yp-c/Tf62rQBhUhI/AAAAAAAAA0g/81N9-ea0D0s/s400/IMG_1294.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aM73WZg6paM/TjIsj4lreKI/AAAAAAAAA24/WXWZyrtTtCg/s1600/IMG_1431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aM73WZg6paM/TjIsj4lreKI/AAAAAAAAA24/WXWZyrtTtCg/s400/IMG_1431.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's some of his milestones lately...definitely the most noticeable yet. Don't mind my date references...since this is, essentially, Felix's baby book, I am doing my best to keep track with as much detail as possible.</div><br />
<ul><li>You started laughing out loud a bit on June 24, 2011</li>
<li>You were transitioned to your crib on June 24, 2011. You had already been sleeping in your room for awhile, just in the Rock N' Play and you had already been consistenly sleeping through the night by that time. It was a Friday when we made the transition...you woke up once that night and once Saturday night (although, your dad will tell you it was my fault for starting the dishwasher and making too much noise), but by Sunday, you were sleeping through the night in your crib.</li>
<li>You started noticeably grabbing your toys on June 24, 2011.</li>
<li>Your first "real" laugh was on July 3, 2011, while we were driving around the cape. I was playing with you in the back when it happened. It only happened a couple times and not again until July 13, 2011. Now I can usually throw you into a giggle fit once a day. On July 19-20, 2011, I had you hysterical for nearly five minutes playing in your room, before it wore you out!</li>
<li>We first noticed you becoming exceptionally vocal on July 3, 2011, while eating breakfast at the Pancake Man in Cape Cod. You have been consistently vocal since July 14, 2011.</li>
<li>You started grabbing and becoming enthralled with your rattles on July 5, 2011 </li>
<li> You started realizing what it takes for your jumperoo to make noise around July 9, 2011.</li>
<li>The first and only time I've ever seen you reach for anyone was at day care, on July 13, 2011, when you reached for one of your teachers. It broke my heart! While you've lunged for me before and stared me down until I picked you up, you haven't actually reached out for me yet.</li>
<li>You've been lunging at things you want, like me/dad and your jumperoo or pirate blanket, for a while now.</li>
<li>You held your own bottle at day care on July 20, 2011. I still need to get the pictures as evidence. I was shocked when your teacher told me!</li>
<li>Over the last month and a half, you have also developed your different forms of crying...you have your real cry, your pretend cry where you stare at us and make a crying sound (without any tears, shaking hands/body, etc.) and then there are times where you just scream at us until you get what you want.</li>
<li>You've got a pretty good routine going...once daddy gets home from work, you take a bath and then are usually in bed by about 8pm...that is unless I fall asleep in the glider with you while nursing...then you wind up in your crib around 9pm. ;-) </li>
</ul>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072441168196811487.post-86729705518408983842011-07-28T23:39:00.000-04:002011-07-28T23:39:36.615-04:00Catching Up<div style="text-align: justify;">It's been an exciting couple of months...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Scott and I both have new jobs!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Scott started his new job in Hoboken last month. it's about a 2.5 hour commute, one way, but his schedule allows him to leave at 4pm, so he's still home about 7pm (although he does have to leave the house by 5:15am)...just in time to bathe the baby. We were worried, before he started, that he wouldn't see the baby at all during the week, but it seems to be working out. And he loves the job...which makes all the difference in the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for me...today was my last day at the firm. Monday, I start my new job. YAY! So, tomorrow I am off to buy some non-maternity clothes that fit me. I'm back in a few of my pre-preg clothes, but I've still been wearing most of my maternity clothes to work...held up by my bella band. Yikes! I definitely don't want to show up at a new job looking like that! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you can see, we've been a bit busy with the new jobs/closing out old jobs lately, among other things. And now it's time for a little catch up...over the next few days, I'll be posting about a lot of different things I've been meaning to catch you up on lately. Keep a lookout!</div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396381670636777776noreply@blogger.com0