My Favorite Baby Stuff... Volume 1

This is for all you new moms out there...  you will probably not want to read otherwise, could be very irrelevant.

I have talked to tons of people lately about which things to buy for babies and what worked with Annie. I keep finding myself trying to explain really cool stuff I have loved and it's pretty hard.   Example: "It's like this yellow thing and it's kind of rubbery.  It sticks to your table and catches food."  I understand it is not easy to tell the salesperson at Target this lame description and find what you are looking for without knowing what it looks like already for yourself.  So I decided to make this post (volume 1, as it will be added to) to both show a picture of and explanation of why I like and use certain things.  

I am no veteran mom and I don't research things (at all).  I just like simplicity and personal recommendations.  So here are mine...

Organization & Keep-saking

I got this from my sister before I had Annie.  She got it on polkadotwhale.com, a cutesy online baby boutique place.  Ordinarily, I do not like gimmicky things.  I would rather get some regular folders at Office Max, but I will say, I REALLY use this thing.  It has folders with the labels you really need inside and it is a set place for me to keep all of Annie's hosptial paperwork, social security info, immunizations records, and random papers they give me at the dr.'s office that I don't think I will need and then later realize I do when she breaks out in a rash.

  

When J was still working at Dell they sent us this pretty fancy, mostly locally Austin, baby gift package complete with a Dell onesie (which you will not see pictured because it is not among my favorites).   However, included was the coolest first year calendar.  It gives you a sheet of stickers with the milestones on them that you place on days they occur to keep up with what happened and when, especially helpful when you don't really know what you should be looking for. ;-)  I was totally overwhelmed with the thought of doing a scrapbook page and reflection piece on every milestone.  Not only was the thought daunting, but there is no way I could keep that up with multiple kids, I know myself too well.  This was perfect!  High points only with a little space each month for some likes and dislikes and how much they eat and sleep, etc. Love it!  http://www.creativekidstuff.com/my-life-as-a-baby.html

up to 1 year

Books

 

I read this non-stop for awhile, usually while breast-feeding.  It is written by a pediatrician and mom of 3 who paired up.  Very practical, frequently-asked questions and answers. Also, presents all the viewpoints and options for various subjects like sleep training, for instance.  I hear they also have toddler, kids, (and on up) books that I intend to get.  

up to 1 year

I read this pretty much in one day when Annie hit 9 months and started throwing mini-fits and touching sockets.  Very good for practical discipline and training and also shows us as parents what our heart and intentions should be.

One of my favorite books of all time.  Not just for Annie, but for me, too!  It goes through the entire Bible, telling the entire redemption story starting in Genesis all the way to Revelation and shows how Christ was being pointed to and revealed along the way as our great rescuer.  Great illustrations and very captivating writing for both children and adults.  Great for adults who didn't grow up hearing Bible stories (like me).  Learning them as a young adult and knowing that many of them are not fluffy and cute, I was really struggling to figure out how to tell children (Annie) the stories in the Bible (for example, Noah and the ark) and not make it about cute animals going on a boat ride.  Ya know?  

Food Stuff

 

Splat mat.  Leslie got this for me for Christmas.  Can be used for babies learning to eat or can be used for art projects.  Love it!

 

Annie's lunch sack.  Insulated.  Even if it weren't for the temp control I use it just to keep all of her food stuff together in my diaper bag.  For Austinites- you can get it at Terra Toys.

    

Left: Portable feeding chair: For the longest time, I took this into every restaurant with me (it folds up really nice).  In a high chair, early on, Annie tended to drop more stuff on her lap and floor than she got in her mouth.  The tray goes all the way to the belly to keep the lap clean and the tray has a lip on it to prevent her from swiping everything on the floor at once. 

Annie used it 6 months-12 months out and now just uses it at home or when there won't be a high chair handy.

Right: Feeding suction mat thing:  Suctions to the table, complete with gutter.  This is for those of you like me who don't want to just throw the fries on the table at Burger King.  It just feels wrong.  Even though you know it doesn't matter really and it isn't grosser than the grocery cart (arguably cleaner).  Love this.  

Annie uses it 12 months and will probably use it for another 6 months or so.

   

Left: Plastic, re-usable bibs.  Don't get me wrong, I love really cute, fabric bibs (thanks, Candi) when I'm home, but when you are out and have to put it back in your bag after eating bbq sauce and then smell it again several hours later this is where plastic ones you can wipe off come in handy.

Right: If you love fabric and cute baby stuff, my cousin Candi, does custom stuff for babies and kids of all ages (blankets, bedding, clothes, bows, bibs, everything).  She is one of the most gifted people I know and I would LOVE to put you in touch with her if you have gifts to give or little ones!

 

This is for those who have kiddos who are slow to warm up to new foods/ drinks or don't want to give in to picky eaters.  Anything and everything Annie did not like to eat, I would add apple sauce to.  I keep a jar in my fridge always (cheap, big, and generic).  I would gradually wean her off the applesauce until she would just eat the food.  Annie didn't like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, or bananas at first.  By the way, this is also how I got her used to formula, by adding apple juice.  You would think this would give her a sweet tooth, but the funny thing is she has probably only had 10 cups of juice in her whole life straight up- she loves water.  Every kid is different so I don't know if this works across the board.  Worked for us.

 

If you want to make your own baby food, it is cheap and easy once you get going.  I had the hardest time getting started.  We use this high powered blender/ food processor thing called the Vitamix.  Buy carrots.  put them in with a little water or milk.  Blend.  Pour in ice cube trays and cover and freeze.  When it's time to eat.  Pop 2 out and microwave for 25 seconds.  Super easy at home, but I just got jars when I went out so I didn't have to find a microwave.  

For Annie: 6 months-10months

 

Munchkin Tossables.  But I do not toss them.  They come in a big, cheap pack and they are the perfect eating shape for kids.  Great for holding, great sized bite, and great for banging (not like loud metal).

 

It looks like an alien, but it is a cover for shopping carts and high chairs.  Useful when they are too little to really sit in the cart and need a little extra something to hold them up and catch their toys.  Lot of people use them for germs, but if that's the only reason, I would do without it, especially when they crawl with their hands on the floor anyways.  Annie is too crazy to use it anymore since she will stand up in most carts and highchairs unless buckled in tight.  The buckles don't always line up great so we aren't using it at ton anymore.

For Annie 5-9 months.

Strollers & Carseats

  

Left: I got the Graco Safeseat.  Pros:  You kid will not outgrow it before it is time to turn around.  Cons: If you like to cram all carseats in 1 car to ride with friends, this one will not fit with 2 others.  It is also really heavy.  I would have gone with the Graco Snugride in retrospect.

Right: The Graco snap and go stroller.  Car seat snaps on top.  Great for 1 baby family.  We used this until Annie turned 1 year and got her new carseat.  It has a huge storage area, is super light weight and easy to fold and unfold.  Adjustable for tall people.  :-)  Annie would stay sleeping and I could just pop her in and out of this thing without taking her out of her carseat.  Awesome!  When we have 2 kids, we will probably get a Phil and Ted stroller.  I've heard great things.

up to 1 year

Mom Stuff

  

I went for the fancy diaper bag.  I never use it.  Too small and compartmentalized for me.  I use this huge bag from Target that cost 12.99.  I recommend something big with a zipper.  

Here is a general list of some other things: 

Pacifiers: The gumdrop.  It must be ordered online or given for free at St. Davids when you have a baby (arguably not free).  Awesome.  The only one Annie used at first.  Now she uses anything.

Bottles: Dr. Browns were what Annie liked best, but we switched off as soon as we could.  6 parts to clean.  Barf.  Now we use Avent.

Pump: Medela, electric, back-pack style, double.  Loved it.  

Bumbo: Awesome for pretending your baby is older than they really are.  You can sit them in this thing on the dinner table and have tons of great conversation.  

More on toys another day...

What is your favorite baby stuff?  Please comment or shoot me an email if I left something off that needs to be talked about!  

Love, Sally

Annie's Walking!

Annie has been walking now for a few weeks now and it's time to share it!

She started with a couple of steps a little over a month ago, but then decided not to do it again for a few weeks. Three weeks ago she started back up and has now been walking everywhere! She rarely ever thinks walking is more fun.

Here's a video! (the song in the background wasn't on purpose, it's just a television ad):

Happy Mom Day

A little late, but a few things about Mom's Day.  It's always a little bittersweet for me, remembering my mom, but not being able to celebrate with her.  On the other hand feeling like God has provided me with so many great moms to learn from and grow with.  Moms who get excited over Annie's little triumphs and trials like I do (and like my mom would).  Moms who have advice on the small stuff (like how to get your kid to eat certain things or stop screaming to get your attention every few minutes).  God has provided me with a whole army of moms that I can look to.  Sisters, sisters in laws, aunts, cousins, mother in laws, grandmas, grandmas in laws, and friends.  I love you all and you each teach me something with the way you love and enjoy your kids.

Speaking of grandmas, our Nana (on Justin's side), just got recognized in the newspaper in Tucson for a contest called "Mom's at her Funniest".  Her daughter, (our Aunt Moni), entered her in the contest without her knowing and she won!  Nana is really neat lady that I am very glad to know. Diviértase en su día de balneario, Nana! (compliments of freetranslation.com! hehe)

Here is the article:

"Still Learning and Laughing Along the Way!"

"Mom was born in Mexico and spoke only Spanish. After marriage and obtaining legal residency, mom wanted to take it a step further and apply for citizenship. Dad helped her learn English and study for her citizenshipclasses, tests and interviews. During one of these many study sessions, dad asked mom a constitution question that she kept missing. Finally, she waves her arms, and in her frustration, she says, "Ayyyyy,Alfredo, I don't underwear!" Needless to say, dad had a few extra vocabulary lessons with mom. To this day, mom and I still use this and it takes us back to that day, with dad. Oh, and yes, mom passed successfully!"

Firsts

To explain the title of the post... I feel like time is moving so fast and everything Annie is doing seems to be a first for her over the past couple of weeks.

She had her first car ride in her front facing seat. She loves it. She talks and sings constantly in the car now because she can actually see me and have "conversations". This particular seat has a cup-holder, which Annie associates with being a rock star. We all know that all rock stars have the best cup-holders. Annie knows this, too. Nothing gives her more joy than her cup-holder.

Annie has officially first stood and is now doing it like a champ. We have known for weeks that she had the ability do this, because if she is concentrating on a toy, she will be holding it and not even notice that she is standing on her own. Once she notices, she immediately collapses out of fear. For Annie, this is one of the many disadvantages of being tall. She is now standing willingly!

She started to do official sign language. Her first signs were showing us how big she is at 8 months or so (arms overhead in touch-down position), which we weren't sure if we could count since we had never heard of it before. At around 9 months she started waving "hi" and "bye" and shaking her head "no" (pretty helpful in determining if she understood what she wasn't supposed to do or if she didn't like something). Now she does what we feel are more official baby signs- "more" and "please." We say more official because these are ones that she uses instead of yelling when at the table (sometimes :-). Here she is enjoying the fruits of her labor.

Oh and by the way.... TODAY is her FIRST BIRTHDAY.

We had a first birthday party over the weekend with some family and a few close friends. This party was in honor of Annie's actual birthday today! It was such a blast. We couldn't have anticipated how much she would have loved the whole thing. (Or how much I loved planning it!) This picture features me and the piñata we named Dolly-Llama. J and I obtained this ancient treasure at Fiesta. What you may not know is that Fiesta is not known for their candy. Much to the delight of all the children at the party, the piñata contained salsa flavored twizzlers, salted fruit strips, and tamarind flavored goo. (Note the sarcasm. The kids 3 and over really hated it and were really upset until I gave them some real candy.)

At the party, she had her first bite of cake... and then was on her way to eating the entire thing before it fell to the ground. Then she polished off her first cupcake after eating a huge chunk of the big cake. Pretty impressive. My sister, Molly made this cake- coolest cake ever!

Some of her first words- "hey" (when I come in her room to greet her after a nap), "dad" (for J), "dada" (for everyone and everything), "mama" (only when she's upset), "up" (occasionally she says this if she is feeling generous with her performances), "that" (sounds more like "dat", but we count it), and "uh-uh" (her attempt at "uh-oh" used when she drops something).

Annie at 1 year has the sweetest disposition. She is really easily excited. If something suits her fancy she will most likely get stiff as a board, red in the face, and scream! She is also really active and keeps you on your toes. She is not very sensitive we have found. If we try to take something away- she gets mad, not sad, if she cares at all. If we have to discipline her (squeeze the hand or a flick on the hand) for something she knows not to do (evidenced by taking two paces towards it, looking at me and shaking her head "no", and then going for it), she won't back down until she has finished what she set out to do, she'll take the flicks (oh, boy). She startles easily (loud noises, anything by her face, or anything that moves too quickly). She loves to be outside on a windy day. She hasn't yet figured out empathy. She still laughs when other kids are crying. She LOVES dogs (still going strong), stuffed animals, and now baby dolls more than any other toys. Books and pictures are close seconds if she is permitted to handle them herself. I am convinced her favorite would be laptops if we would let her near them. She also has a developing passion for throwing and rolling balls. A little secret, if you have on jewelry she will always come to you. She is still a dancing and singing machine and adding new moves everyday. This is our Annie. We can't wait to get to know her even better.

Happy Birthday, Annabel! We are so blessed and honored to be your parents and raise you. You are an amazing gift from God and we thank Him for your life daily and pray you grow up to love Him more than anything else in the world.

Do you like delicious food? I do....

Some of you may know, some might not, but my sister Molly lives with us! She was working seasonally as a chef in Alaska, and then New Zealand, and then Alaska again.

We love having her live with us because her and Annie get to be so close and I have someone to talk with during the day! :-) She has such a servant's heart and does whatever she can to make our lives easier. She is constant entertainment for Annie and my favorite errand-running, breakfast-eating, and coffee-drinking pal.

She moved back in October and has been looking for the right job while trying to pursue some of her passions while she has the time. Two things she really wants to do: 1) help those without job skills get jobs in the food industry- she wants to create and teach a culinary program for refugees, immigrants or anyone without these skills that needs them to get a job. This will be another post! 2) have her own cafe.

So since December, she has catered a bunch of special events for people and had the idea to start her own online cafe. Molly's style of cooking: she has the capabilities to do super fancy things that I don't even know how to pronounce, but she's practical, too, for those of us who are commoners in the food department. This week was Turkey-Tamale pie. Lean ground turkey, baked with mexican spices, corn, bell peppers, onions and beans and topped with a cornbread crust. Served with marinated vegetable salad. For dessert, Zucchini-Apple cup cakes with white chocolate frosting. Really moist and rich, with adorable packaging for gifts.

She cooks really healthy and makes it delicious for even J!

Next week is:

Lemon- Herb Chicken Piccata

topped with a savory saute of artichoke,

sweet onion, mushrooms and capers.

Served with whole wheat penne &

Side of roasted seasonal vegetables

Old Fashion Lemon Bars

She features a meal/ per week that you can order and she will deliver it to you. There are some really cool features on the sight where you can vote for stuff for her to make the following week.

She also has other services available like office catering, events, etc. It is also great if someone you know needs a meal, but you don't have the time. She makes it and delivers it for you! Check it out!

http://vanillaorchidbymolly.blogspot.com/

Go, Molly, go!

My Big Girl is a Big Girl!

I have snapped some pictures of Annie in the last few days of things that totally surprise me. Is it me or did she grow up fast?

This is her just watching her cartoons and drinking a bottle. A "big kid" moment for me.

Screaming at the top of her lungs!

Watching Veggietales. Her favorite... the Silly Song Countdown.

This came on the outside of the flowers J got me for Valentine's Day. It also double as a tutu, we found.

Parker (J's college roomie and one of our close friends) trying to influence Annie in the way of the Aggies.
Someone's got to.
It will probably not be us. :-)

She loves LOVES to watch puppies on you tube. You can show her these videos anytime she is upset and it is like Jekell and Hyde.

Most of you know that Annie is a big dancer. She dances to every tune, all day long. She is now coming up with different dances for different songs. The slow ones are side to side, the fast front to back.

Here is her doing the side to side one for the first time. The video camera was stationed just above the laptop screen of some kind of sappy slideshow of lab puppies. Take note of her reaction when the music stops.

And finally... relaxing with Dad. This is one of my favorite of her right now. She is one smiley lady with some killer hippo teeth.
We love our little lady.

Well worth it!

The following event bought me an extra 30 minutes of free time, which I used to return some emails. I say, well worth the cost of clean up time of only a mere 2 minutes. Overall, 28 minutes of age-appropriate-entertainment for both me and Annie and a trick I plan to use again!

Caught in the middle of having some fun!

Realizing she's been caught!

Showing me the tools she used to complete this masterpiece.

Flapping her arms with excitement.

Proud of herself... really proud.



And a video featuring her crawling!