Audrey - 5 months

Sleep:

We are back to sleeping well! Audrey sleeps really well until about 3 in the morning and then she gets pretty restless after that. We moved her into her own room mid January and she HATES it! We also tried breaking her of the swaddle and that did not go so well so she is still swaddled and in her own crib. I’ve had a few people suggest sleeping training books so we will see how that goes in the upcoming weeks/month.

Eat:

Audrey has started grabbing things and pulling them to her mouth. She is still completely breastfed but wants real food SO bad. I was talking to my other mommas and I need to brush up on baby food, so much has changed in just 2 years. I plan on making my own baby food again this time around so I will be starting to stock up on baby food in the upcoming month. As far as breastfeeding Audrey has always been a pretty good eater but I have had to start swaddling her while breastfeeding. She gets pretty distracted and her arms get in the way when she is trying to eat. 

Development:

Audrey is starting to become a little chatty cathy and loves to talk up a storm. Her eye site is pretty well and looks to grab ahold of pull items close to her. She still hasn’t rolled from back to tummy yet and doesn’t seem to be too interested in it either. Every night we put her on her back and she will just lay there and talk to you. She has figured out how to pull out her pacifier and does it every time we are in the car. She has also decided that if she can’t see you she doesn’t like it and will you know about it. She has upgraded to the bumbo and loves watching everyone especially at dinner time. Evening are a little rough, she starts getting fussy around 7 and if she isn’t in bed or getting ready for bed by 7:30 she turns into a cranky monster. 

Her brother is still one of her favorite people and I love watching them together and their relationship. It sure does help lessen the tension of the 2 under 2 phase

Registry must haves - Gear

Gear

Last and final post for baby registry, YAY!!! I really hope you guys have found this useful as I share everything that we use on the daily.

Car seat – You can not leave the hospital without a car seat. They will stay in an infant carseat for a while but it doesn't hurt to register for a convertible car seat as well since you will get the completion discount. We have the britax carseat and if I'm being completely honest I probably wouldn't recommend this one. The only thing wrong with it is that there are attachments on the side that stick out and it bumps up against your leg and sometimes hurts. I purchased this carseat when it was on sale however so we got it for I think less than 50 dollars and I knew people that had it. We also have the Graco 4ever convertible carseat and I highly recommend this one. You will also want a car seat cover, I love this one because it serves the propose of car seat cover, nursing cover, and grocery cart cover.

Stroller – We love the baby jogger brand. We purchased the city mini GT with Grady and I wish that I would have just gotten the double stroller. We have both the mini GT and the City select double which converts to a single when needed. I absolutely LOVE this stroller. It's on the pricey side but it is so worth it.

Diaper bag - I have purchased 2 diaper bags and have not loved either one of them. I'm a crossbody girl and the ones I have found are too bulky. I have used a backpack for when Grady was a toddler and those are they most convenient. I do want to try a normal crossbody bag with this insert and see if I like it a little better.

Activity center - Babies love activity centers and so do parents. You can put them in there while you cook and they just play and play.

Walker - Pediatricians recommend not getting a walker but we loved ours and Grady loved it as well.

Bouncer - We purchased a 4 moms bouncer and neither one of my kiddos liked it very much. However my mom has a this bouncer which we love so much more.

Play mat - Grady loved his play mat, Audrey on the other hand could care less for it, It is great for working on tummy time, etc.

Outlet protectors - Nothing fancy here just some cheap outlet protectors that will break your nails when you try to take them off! 

Oxi clean - Breastmilk poop is the hardest to get out of clothes. I swear by baby Oxi Clean to get out any stains. 

Laundry Soap - We tried a few baby laundry soaps and then after going to an at home daycare she told us that she just used Tide's Free and gentle and so we purchased some and have not had any problems 

Back seat mirror - You will want this trust me! Especially on your first car ride where  you sit in the front seat.

Scale - This is optional, we purchased one with Grady to keep an eye on his weight and then with Audrey the doctor told me to stop stressing out about it.

Pack n play - We have only used ours a hand full of times and most of the time when you go places you can rent one from the hotel we just make sure to bring extra sheets. This is an item where you don't have to go too expensive.

Click the links for my other registry must haves

Health and Medicine must haves

Bath time must haves

Diapering must haves

Sleep time must haves

Feeding must haves

Registry must haves - Feeding

Feeding

If we are being completely honest this is the department I would get extremely overwhelmed with. Little babies can be super picky and its hard to stock up on items. This is why I highly suggest getting Amazon Prime. You can try out a bottle/pacifier and if that is the only one that they will take you can order it online instead of having to run out to a store to grab. Trust me you will not want to go shopping for about a month or be seen in public for that matter.  

Bottles - Grady was never picky with bottles or pacifiers, Audrey on the other hand will only use the tommee tippee bottles and pacifiers. I know a lot of people that like the Dr. Brown bottles but I have never been a big fan of all the parts they come with. My suggestion here is to register for a 3 pack and then a single bottle of brands you want to try. My favorite brand is the tommee tippee,  medela (you'll want extra medela bottles if you plan on pumping), and Avent. This way you can try a single bottle out and if your baby doesn't take to it you won't be wasting the full pack of bottles. Remember you can always return items to stores they were purchased at. And if you need more bottles just hop onto Amazon and order some more. You'll need about 3 bottles at Daycare and at least 1 bottle at home but if you are planning on pumping you'll need more bottles for that.

Pacifiers - Audrey will only take the tommee tippee pacifiers. My favorite pacifiers are the MAM, Tommee Tippee, and Philips. You can actually ask for the Philips ones at the hospital. Pacifiers come in 2 sizes 0-6 and 6-18 months. I would recommend getting 4 pacifiers for each size.

Boppy/cover - For my momma's that plan to breastfeed. Breastfeeding looks different for everyone and a boppy is something I can not live without. I will probably need to toss the one I have and get a new one for any additional babies I've used it so much. I have to have my boppy or else my back would kill me! I have 2 covers for when 1 is in the washer. 

Burp rags - By far the best burp rags are cloth diapers! People will get you cutesy burp rags but save your money on other things and just get cloth diapers. There is a burp rag everyone you look (except when you need it the most) in our house. We have them in her bed, rock n play, on the couch, etc. Audrey is a spitter upper so we use the burp rags a lot!

Spoons - For when your little one starts solids. 

Suction bowls - When your baby starts eating real food they LOVE to make messes. These suction bowls are AWESOME!!

Section plates - I'm a big stickler on a well balanced meal for every meal so section plates make it easy for the fruits, protein, and veggies. We have tried these suction plate mats before and they don't seem to work the greatest.

Silverware - My favorite silverware for when your little one starts eating on their own is actually from Ikea. However you'll need about 3-4 sets of silverware

Sippy cups - We have tried almost all the sippy cups on the plant I feel like. Here are our favorites. Take and Toss, take and toss with straw,  Nuby, Nuby transition, Thermos sippy cup.

Bibs - I've never been a big bib person. I just take their shirt off and call it good but my favorites are the cheap cloth bibs, we tried the silicone bibs on Grady and he broke out with a rash around his neck. 

Pump – Check your insurance more than likely you will get a free pump. I actually use the Medela Sympthy because I have always struggled with breastfeeding however I also have the Medela pump in style. Your pump will more than likely come with pump parts but do yourself a favor and get the 27mm flanges, your nipples will thank me later. Also I just tried the Duckbill valves and these are amazing, the suction is so much stronger. I will do a post about breastfeeding and pumping later on!

Steam bags - Do yourself a favor and get the steam bags. We use to boil my pump parts and bottles every night with Grady until the very end and used the steamed bags and boy was it so much easier!

Breast milk bags - If you are a working momma you will use A TON of these. Do not spend too much money on bags. I have used the Lansinoh bags and the Up and Up (target) bags. The Up and Up are my favorite plus they send me a coupon every month so its a plus. Bags will somehow get holes in them. Do yourself a favor and put the bags in a bowl when thawing out every ounce is pure gold.

Breast pads - You will need these until your milk levels out, with Grady that was around 4 months Audrey was around 3 weeks. I love the lilypadz brand because you can stick them in the freezer and they feel oh so good on your breasts after a feeding. I've also used the disposable ones and those work great as well.

Nipple cream - Trust me you will need this especially if you are a first time mom. Breastfeeding can hurt in the beginning and this is a lifesaver.

Highchair - We have this highchair which is nice because it doesn't take up much room but any highchair will work. They probably won't be ready for the highchair until about 8 months however.

Bumbo - I love the bumbo we use it right around 4 months until they are ready for the highchair. Babies want to see whats going on and sit up but necessarily aren't ready to sit up yet.

Bottle brush - OXO brand is my favorite, I have tried another brand and the bristles were tough and didn't get the milk residue.

Drying grass - This will be on your counter until the end of time it feels like. We also have the twig accessory.

Pumping bra - Do yourself a favor and get a pumping bra! No one wants to be holding bottles for 20 minutes while pumping.

Nursing bra - I have tried several nursing bras and haven't found one I absolutely love. I did buy a bra from Zulily this past time and it is my favorite so far(linked here). Most nursing bras come with a lining which I have never understood. I mean you fold it down to nurse and the lining gets all messed up and then your trying to burp the baby, put your boob up, and adjust the lining. It's a nightmare! I like these for sleeping, and these are my favorite for lounging around.

Also, something to do now is to go on Enfamil and other formula companies and register with them. They will send you samples and coupons to have just in case. 

(AWW baby Grady)

Click the links for my other registry must haves

Health and Medicine must haves

Bath time must haves

Diapering must haves

Sleep time must haves

Registry must haves - Health and Medicine

Health and Medicine

In my opinion I feel like this is an area that most people forget about. It's hard to think of our babies being sick but it happens and its so important to be prepared.

Underarm thermometer - Ok so I can not live without the head thermometer, the under the arm one takes far too long but for some reason Chad can not operate the head one and its always good to have 2 to have more of an accurate reading. 

Head thermometer - Like I mentioned above I can not live without this. It's so easy to use (unless you are Chad) and doesn't take forever which is important especially for a toddler

Infant Tylenol - This is the first medicine that they can actually have. It's good to stock up on some. As much as we try to prevent illness' they always seem to strike. And when your baby is running a fever the last thing you want to do is run to the store to get medicine. Trust me and have it ready to go.

Benedryl - They can't have benedryl until they are about 6 months old but its always good to have especially when they start solid foods and unsure of any allergies. You'll need to ask your pediatrician for the dosage amount 

Infant Ibuprofen - They can't have ibuprofen until 6 months of age but again stock up and have some ready. You'll be ready to use ibuprofen instead of Tylenol when they are old enough

Baby vicks - Again always good to have this around, especially if you have a winter baby. It's the sadiest thing when your baby can't breathe. Just put some on the bottom of their little feet with socks or footed pjs.

Gripe water – I swear by this stuff, this is a homeopathic medicine to help with gas and discomfort. We have given this to both our babies at night right before bed. It helps tremendously with gassy babies.

Saline drops - This stuff helps loosen those boogers up so you can suck all that nasty snot out of their nose so they can breathe.

Nose Frida - People think this is the grossest thing ever but honestly you will do anything to help your little one breathe and this works amazingly.

Humidifier - Unfortunately babies are normally too small for any medicine when they have a cold, etc. a humidifier works really well while your baby is sick or when the air is just really dry.

Click the links for my other registry must haves

Bath time must haves

Diapering must haves

Sleep time must haves

Christmas 2017

Holy Moly was this Christmas season a blur. We try and make a To-Do list during seasons of the year and most of the time it’s just a list and we don’t get around to all of it but for Christmas we hit on every single item on our list! This year we really tried to take in all Christmas activities with Grady since he is at such a fun age for it. Our list consisted of:

Making an ornament for Audrey

Going to see the lights

Going to Woolaroc

Making homemade fudge

Making hot chocolate

Watching Home Alone 2

Hosting a Christmas dinner

One of my favorite moments was when Grady and I made treats for our neighbors and passed them out. I love to bake and cook with Grady. What is that one saying “Let them be messy” blah blah blah. Anyways its so true let them be messy and they will soar. We made trail mix, fudge, and brownies with kisses on them. Grady was in charge of putting the kisses on the brownies and everyone got a few extra ones. That’s what makes it so special is the imperfect but perfect child touches.

We of course made cookies for Santa too which included a partially bitten cookie and more sprinkles than frosting.

I have hosted a Christmas Eve dinner the past few years and love doing it. We had dinner on Friday night with all intentions of attending a Christmas Eve service at church but it was freezing cold outside and we just didn’t want to get out in the cold temperatures. This year I wanted something a little fancier for the menu. I truly enjoying hosting and cooking for guests it brings such joy to my little heart. We had ribs and chicken with butternut squash, salad, green beans, rolls, and a pecan pie cheesecake for dessert. Oh heaven was that cheesecake to die for and a sure Christmas time staple.

Chad and I are very fortunate to live close to both of our families. It sure does make getting together for Holidays so much easier. My parents always host Christmas Eve and then we go to his parents for Christmas. We normally do Christmas morning at his parents but we did that evening and I liked it so much better. It gave us the chance to open presents and chill instead of being rushed around.

Chad and I discussed well before Christmas that we wouldn’t go all out. With our kids still being young they really do not understand the concept so we opted to get them both 2 presents and a stocking. My mom thoroughly enjoys purchasing presents so we let her and Chad’s mom buy majority of the presents and we stick to just a few. My mom does a really good job of gift giving and I really hope that one day I can be as good as she is.

By far Grady’s favorite toy that he received was magic glow in the dark race track. We have already gone through 6 batteries and it’s so cute when he says momma play.