Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Jamie and his busy life as a 1 year old
Jamie is so busy! He's not quite walking yet, but he likes to cruise along furniture and is still champion crawler of the house.
He has a few baby friends that he sees regularly in playgroup and random playdates. He LOVES to be social. He'll go up to another baby and pat them, offer them toys, or take their toys, talk up a storm, share his food, etc. If we see another baby while out we're out, he'll turn around in his stroller or shopping cart to get a good look.
He loves buttons. And tv cords. And messing with the knobs on the stereo. Food that isn't his. Elmo and most of the muppets on Sesame Street. Anything with a reflection so that he can check himself out. His fruity flavored toddler toothpaste. He insists on brushing his own teeth. Hates milk. Absolutely hates it. Prefers apple juice and water. Loves cuddles. Hates being ignored. MUST be included in everything. Loves stroller walks and taking everything in. Enjoys riding in the car. Loves standing at the window -- any window. He wants to check out who's walking by and will call out to them. "Oh, hello! Have a productive day! Enjoy it!" Loves the swings at the park. Swinging makes him laugh like nothing else. Does not enjoy wearing shoes. Will pull at the velcro and kick them off if he's able. Enjoys pulling magnets off the fridge. Also sits in the kitchen and pulls boxes off of the shelf -- cereal, pasta, that kind of thing. Still loves bananas. Absolute favorite food. Also eats nutrigrain bars, muffins, chicken nuggets (sometimes), french fries, yogurt, baby oatmeal, applesauce, cheese, bread, peanut butter, goldfish crackers, cheerios, saltines, and actually, still goes for a jar of pureed food on a regular basis. This boy can put away some food. He also enjoys birthday cupcakes and will polish them off in no time. Still enjoys chewing on things. And grinding his teeth. We can't seem to get him to stop. Likes books and will pat the pages if he's into the story. Claps his hands with great enthusiasm and does "so big" with a smile. Doesn't prefer to have his nose wiped. Poor thing. He's such a boy about it. "Ma! Don't wipe my nose! People might see!" Very preppy. As if he had a choice! Will wear sweater vests and a tie (the clip on variety) for important occasions. If he's visiting friends, a fun tshirt and a collared shirt will do. Likes polo shirts, cargo pants, anything with a dinosaur on the front. His pjs are too cute. My favorite are the snug fitting 2 piece sets. Anything that shows off his cute feet.
Yup, Jamie's a busy guy with his own ideas. Watch out!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Favorite baby products.
Isn't it crazy how much "stuff" a baby needs? I thought I'd make a list of stuff that I love, and hopefully pass on some good advice to other moms out there.
1. Carseat & Stroller. The nurses won't let you leave the hospital without one, and believe me, I did a lot of research on this one. I eventually decided to go with a travel system, because I thought I'd like to have a matching stroller. I'm very glad I did this. Even though Jamie is on to his next car seat (the convertible kind), we get A LOT of use out of his stroller. I went with the Graco snugride infant seat, with the "lightrider" stroller. The car seat snaps into place, which is nice. The stroller features 3 cupholders (one on the tray for the baby) and 2 up top, near the handles. There's also a convenient basket underneath, which is helpful on quick trips to the store. Graco has a lot of different patterns in the snugride -- but I chose "pippin". It's basically a green elephant design. I wanted a stroller that didn't take up a lot of trunk space, and this one is very light and easy to maneuver. Absolutely love it.
2. Pack and Play. Mine is a basic Graco one, with a monkey design. I just wanted something for the living room in the beginning, and something that would travel well. It's not an absolute necessity, but it's definitely a nicety.
3. Highchair. I'm very happy with our highchair. Again, it's a Graco. I like that Jamie has his own seat, it adjusts to a few different heights, there's a little storage shelf under the seat, the pattern is cute....I could go on. If you have the space, I recommend getting a highchair.
4. Baby bathtub. In the beginning, we put this plastic whale-shaped bathtub on the changing table. Fisher Price makes it. I couldn't imagine bathing Jamie in the sink, or putting him in the bathtub so soon. The baby tub was just so handy! Later on, we started using it in the bath tub, and within the last few months, he uses the real tub. Again, you don't *have* to have it, but it made our lives easier.
5. Gerber cloth diapers. No, I didn't cloth diaper my baby -- I bought a package of plain cloth diapers to use as burp rags. These ended up being my favorite burp rags. No joke. They're very soft, they can be bleached, they're absorbent...what more could you ask for? LOVE THESE. In fact, I still use them to wipe Jamie's snotty nose.
6. Munchkin dishwasher basket. I didn't use bottles very much at all, but this thing is great for washing baby spoons, little plastic toys, teethers, and now, sippy cup parts.
7. Speaking of spoons, I would recommend getting a decent sized pack of plastic baby spoons. Not the gerber kind with the metal handle. No. Just get the colorful plastic spoons -- I think it comes in a package that says "take and toss". Of course, you'll just throw these in your dishwasher basket and reuse them. They are GREAT. I much prefer them over the metal handled ones. I store them in a plastic cup in the cabinet. Jamie has his own shelf of bowls, spoons, sippy cups, etc.
8. Ikea makes these great little plastic bowls for kids. Because they're small, they're ideal for a baby serving size of yogurt, applesauce -- whatever you're about the feed the baby.
9. Speaking of Ikea, we found our bathtub mat there. It's in the shape of an alligator and suctions to the bottom of the tub. Now the tub is slip-proof.
10. Baby nightgowns. For the first few months, I preferred to put Jamie in cotton nightgowns with elastic at the bottom. They made 2am diaper changes a little easier. In fact, I've never really liked pajamas with snaps. Too much work. Once he was too big for nightgowns, I liked the pajamas with a zipper. Around 9 months, I started putting him in 2 piece pjs, but I still do zipper pajamas, too.
11. Nursery furniture. I can't believe I forgot about furniture. Obviously, babies need a place to sleep -- and a crib is usually the way to go. For the first 2 months, Jamie slept in a cradle in our bedroom. If we hadn't been given a cradle, I would have used the pack n play. For his nursery, he has a crib and changing table (which were generously donated by his aunt, uncle and cousin!). Some people don't like changing tables -- I think they're great. Get a contoured changing pad and a few covers for it. I also like plastic diaper organizers/caddies with a space for the wipes. Again, you'll find things here and there that will make your life easier.
12. Desitin. I prefer this over the other diaper rash ointments.
To be continued...
1. Carseat & Stroller. The nurses won't let you leave the hospital without one, and believe me, I did a lot of research on this one. I eventually decided to go with a travel system, because I thought I'd like to have a matching stroller. I'm very glad I did this. Even though Jamie is on to his next car seat (the convertible kind), we get A LOT of use out of his stroller. I went with the Graco snugride infant seat, with the "lightrider" stroller. The car seat snaps into place, which is nice. The stroller features 3 cupholders (one on the tray for the baby) and 2 up top, near the handles. There's also a convenient basket underneath, which is helpful on quick trips to the store. Graco has a lot of different patterns in the snugride -- but I chose "pippin". It's basically a green elephant design. I wanted a stroller that didn't take up a lot of trunk space, and this one is very light and easy to maneuver. Absolutely love it.
2. Pack and Play. Mine is a basic Graco one, with a monkey design. I just wanted something for the living room in the beginning, and something that would travel well. It's not an absolute necessity, but it's definitely a nicety.
3. Highchair. I'm very happy with our highchair. Again, it's a Graco. I like that Jamie has his own seat, it adjusts to a few different heights, there's a little storage shelf under the seat, the pattern is cute....I could go on. If you have the space, I recommend getting a highchair.
4. Baby bathtub. In the beginning, we put this plastic whale-shaped bathtub on the changing table. Fisher Price makes it. I couldn't imagine bathing Jamie in the sink, or putting him in the bathtub so soon. The baby tub was just so handy! Later on, we started using it in the bath tub, and within the last few months, he uses the real tub. Again, you don't *have* to have it, but it made our lives easier.
5. Gerber cloth diapers. No, I didn't cloth diaper my baby -- I bought a package of plain cloth diapers to use as burp rags. These ended up being my favorite burp rags. No joke. They're very soft, they can be bleached, they're absorbent...what more could you ask for? LOVE THESE. In fact, I still use them to wipe Jamie's snotty nose.
6. Munchkin dishwasher basket. I didn't use bottles very much at all, but this thing is great for washing baby spoons, little plastic toys, teethers, and now, sippy cup parts.
7. Speaking of spoons, I would recommend getting a decent sized pack of plastic baby spoons. Not the gerber kind with the metal handle. No. Just get the colorful plastic spoons -- I think it comes in a package that says "take and toss". Of course, you'll just throw these in your dishwasher basket and reuse them. They are GREAT. I much prefer them over the metal handled ones. I store them in a plastic cup in the cabinet. Jamie has his own shelf of bowls, spoons, sippy cups, etc.
8. Ikea makes these great little plastic bowls for kids. Because they're small, they're ideal for a baby serving size of yogurt, applesauce -- whatever you're about the feed the baby.
9. Speaking of Ikea, we found our bathtub mat there. It's in the shape of an alligator and suctions to the bottom of the tub. Now the tub is slip-proof.
10. Baby nightgowns. For the first few months, I preferred to put Jamie in cotton nightgowns with elastic at the bottom. They made 2am diaper changes a little easier. In fact, I've never really liked pajamas with snaps. Too much work. Once he was too big for nightgowns, I liked the pajamas with a zipper. Around 9 months, I started putting him in 2 piece pjs, but I still do zipper pajamas, too.
11. Nursery furniture. I can't believe I forgot about furniture. Obviously, babies need a place to sleep -- and a crib is usually the way to go. For the first 2 months, Jamie slept in a cradle in our bedroom. If we hadn't been given a cradle, I would have used the pack n play. For his nursery, he has a crib and changing table (which were generously donated by his aunt, uncle and cousin!). Some people don't like changing tables -- I think they're great. Get a contoured changing pad and a few covers for it. I also like plastic diaper organizers/caddies with a space for the wipes. Again, you'll find things here and there that will make your life easier.
12. Desitin. I prefer this over the other diaper rash ointments.
To be continued...
Happy Birthday, Jamie!
I'm a little late, seeing as his birthday was the 28th, but here's a picture post to enjoy!
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