Shh.. its nap time

Tags

Baby, Infant, Nap TIme, Sleep, Time Management, Working time

Anyone who has a small child knows how important nap time is. I’m not talking about how it magically eliminates crankiness in my kid, or any other health benefit here. I’m talking about the benefit for my sanity.  Thankfully my little darling loves his nap time, and I’ve still managed to hold on to two per day.

In the beginning it was “nap when baby naps.” However, it did not take me long to figure out the difference in productivity levels when baby sleeps versus when he is awake.  During these 2-3 hours of my babies rejuvenation, I’m trying to cram in anything and everything that needs to be done around the house.  I literally plan my day around these precious nap times.  However here is the kicker…  I have to be extremely quiet when doing these things, or I risk losing this time of precious productivity.  So often I find myself debating… do I vacuum, ..go into his room to put away laundry, or keep walking up the darn creaky steps that never fail to wake him up, and lose these precious moments of peace?  (I’ve even contemplated whether I should flush the toilet and risk waking him.)  Then there is the cat, who always seems to pick nap time as his time to howl his disillusionment with his nine lives. (.. no matter how much I shush him, or give him the evil eye.)  Then there is the neighbor who always seems to start up his ridiculously loud lawn mower…  or my favorite… the phone ringing… I can not tell you how many times I have frantically searched for my phone on my hands in knees, ready to fling it out the window. (…and people always wonder why I never pick up.. its because I’ve learned to keep it on silent!!)

Did I just hear a cry? Darn it.. my keyboard clanking must be too loud… or was it the cat???

Until next time,

Elza

 

The Good Life..

Tags

Baby, Humor, Schedule

A slight revision.. 😉

-Elza-

Product Review: Bumkins Waterproof Sleeved Bib

Tags

Baby, Bibs, Bumkins Waterproof Sleeved Bib, Kushies Waterproof Bib with Sleeves, Review

My little guy is quite the eater; he loves to try new foods. However he doesn’t limit his culinary exploration to just tasting, he also takes every opportunity to stick his hands into his food. (Much to my dismay!) If food is haphazardly laden onto his spoon, allowing for a bit to drop on his tray, before mommy has even a chance to blink, plop goes his hand into the new-found texture.

His culinary exploration often meant having to hose him down after every meal, and then dealing with the piles of laundry.  Thus I set out on a mission to figure out a way to protect his clothing and my valuable time, while still allowing him to savor his food, even with his  little fingers. 😉

The Solution: Bumkins Waterproof Sleeved Bib.

This bib is awesome! It is nice and large, ties at the neck, and the sleeves have elastic, so nothing gets past it.  It is made of a nylon material, thus it washes and dries easily.  I usually hand wash it in the sink after meals, and  then hang it to dry. It dries within minutes.  The icing on the cake is that it comes in many fun patterns.

Keep in mind that this bib is geared toward babies between the ages of 6 months and up, thus it may not be appropriate for smaller infants who can also create tiny messes.  We can recommend Kushies Waterproof Bib with Sleeves for smaller babies. It is very similar, however it runs smaller in size and does not have the elastic sleeves.

Baby approved! He thoroughly enjoyed his beets without getting his sleeves dirty. What more can we ask for?! 🙂

Until Next Time,

Elza

Growing so fast!: Baby Update

Tags

Baby, baby food, crawling, first teeth, Love

Well my little one is already 6 and 1/2 months! I can’t believe it; he is growing so fast! The last time he was weighed, he was already 20 pounds! (which was about a month ago)  In comparison to other children he is about the size of a 12 month old. He has certainly inherited his daddy’s and mommy’s tall genes… 🙂

He has learned so many new things in the past two months, that I don’t think I could even recount everything. He has definitely become more mobile, rolling all over the place. The other day I placed him on a blanket on the floor to play. A few minutes later I come into the room, and to my surprise he was no-longer on the blanket. He had rolled partially under the couch!  He has also learned to pick himself up on his arms, and I have seen him bend his knees as if he is about to crawl, so I think that milestone will not be to far off.

At 5 and 1/2 months I started introducing solid foods, and boy does he have an appetite! He will pretty much eat anything you put in front of him.  He particularly loves pureed carrots, prunes and mango.  He wasn’t too enthusiastic about green beans however. He made the most hilarious faces with each spoonful. I find this pretty amusing since I’m not a huge fan of any type of bean myself. 🙂 He has also tried apple, pear, banana,  squash, sweet potatoes, pineapple, avocado, mashed potatoes, peas, red bell pepper, oranges, and even a bit of my mother’s golumpki’s.  He loves food! As soon as he sees his spoon, he opens his mouth soo wide, you could see the two little teeth that he sprouted about a week ago. 🙂 They are the cutest little bunny teeth I have ever seen! Today we went and purchased him a tooth brush. Also, today we tried some baby cereal puffs for the first time.  I was hoping he would feed himself.  I put some on his tray to see if he would be able to pick them up.  His attempt was very funny; the cereal went everywhere but his mouth.  Half of them ended up on the floor, and the other half underneath him.  I think a total of two puffs actually ended up in his mouth.  Good effort though! lol

My little one has also become very vocal… He does these funny squeaking/screeching sounds. One time my mom called and she thought there were parakeets in the background. Nope, just the baby having a grand-all-time! 🙂

My child is definitely a people person.  He is not afraid of crowds, and smiles at anyone who looks somewhat friendly.  I have a feeling he is going to be very social just like his daddy.  I’m more of the anti-social one in the family.  Give me a good book and I’m happy. As long as I have a close-knit family, I ask for nothing more. 🙂

Well I could probably think of million more things that my little darling has been doing, however I think I’ve gotten most of the major accomplishments. Thus, I will finish by saying that God has truly blessed me with my little boy.  He is the sunshine of my life, and I just can’t imagine life anymore without his silly little grin. He brings so much joy and happiness to our lives.  I will be eternally grateful to God for giving us such a precious gift.

-Elza-

Product Review: Hoppop Bato Baby Bath Tub

Tags

Baby, Baby Tub, Bathtub, Hoppop Bato Bath Tub

I have been searching for the perfect baby bath tub since my little one turned about 4 months.

We already have the First Year’s Infant To Toddler Tub with Sling, having received it as a gift. I really liked the sling part when he was really little. (for like the first two months…) However, he quickly outgrew it. Without the sling, I was not impressed.  I found that the bump in the middle of the tub, which is supposedly supposed to keep him from sliding down,  hit him in the wrong spot. He would always slide over the bump, and it would stick right into his back, making him look very uncomfortable. Plus it kept him mostly suspended above the water, and not in it. He is a tall baby, 95th percentile, so maybe the tub was made for shorter babies.

Thus, I went on the hunt for a new tub. In the mean time, poor William had to take a bath in our bathroom sink, which was a little more comfortable, but still quit  cramped.

 Almost all the bathtubs I looked at had some sort of weird bumps and guards to position the baby; which I was not a big fan of. Today there are so many safety features on things, to the point of being ridiculous. I certainly don’t intend to leave him in there unsupervised for even a second.   I just want a simple tub, where my baby could sit in actual water!

So finally I stumbled upon the Hoppop bath tub. It seemed like exactly the thing I was looking for; simple, deep, and stylish too. So I took the plunge, and purchased one.

It is a little on the pricey side, but I must say I’m pretty happy with it.  It is geared more towards toddlers or a baby that can fully sit up. However, I found that by adding a non-slip mat, and a baby bath cushion, he was able to recline comfortably without sliding around. (He is still not old enough to sit without support.)

I like the fact that I will be able to use this tub for a very long time, because its nice and deep.  Right now he has plenty of room to stretch out and splash around, and it will prob. serve him pretty well into toddler years.  This makes me happy, because we still haven’t gotten to renovating the full bath in our home. As much as I scrub, the tub just never seems clean enough. I wouldn’t dream of putting the baby in it. So until we replace it, this will work perfectly.

UPDATE….

I’m adding two more pictures to this review because of the questions I’m getting.

In this picture you can see the Summer Comfy Bath Sponge that I use so that he can recline.  In the picture above you may notice a blue bath sponge…  That is the Safety 1st brand, and I wasn’t a big fan of it. It was too thin and slid down easily. The Summer bath sponge is much thicker, thus it provides more cushion for him.  After the bath I drain the tub, and squeeze all the water out of the bath sponge. It usually dries by morning.

In the following picture you can sorta see the Green Sprouts non-slip Bath Mat on the bottom. It has a lot of little suction cups which keep it in place. I find that it dries really quickly, and is mildew resistant.Hope this helps!

Losing the baby weight and other adventures!

Tags

Baby, carseat, Diaper, Mall, Shopping, Sneakers

So recently I decided that it’s about time that I lose the pregnancy pounds.  I’ve been trying to eat healthy, and I’m starting to incorporate some daily exercise. (We purchased a treadmill for my benefit, and I bought myself a yoga mat :))  I am determined to get back to my pre-baby weight (and to lose the mommy pooch).

When I started exercising, I realized that I didn’t have a decent pair of sneakers. The two pairs that I do own are either too old, or a little too tight. (My feet never went back to my previous size after pregnancy. I’ve been dreading the task of sorting my shoe collection, to see what I need to give away. …so sad.. 😦 )

So anyways, to up my spirit and give myself some extra motivation, I decided to go buy some new sneakers, and to purchase a scale. (Ours stopped working for some reason.) Thus I took the baby and we headed for a day at the mall. However, my silly baby had other plans.

About five minutes into our shopping, as I was browsing a clothing store, I noticed my little guy was turning red and very focused. After a quick sniff test, I knew that he had produced quite the present for mommy.

Lets just say this was the diaper explosion of all diaper explosions! Not only did he leak through his clothes, but all over his car seat, leaking through belt buckle holes all the way down to the bottom basket of the stroller! I used a whole packet of wipes just to get him cleaned up. Good thing I carry a water-resistant lap pad with me. I was able to use it to line his car seat, otherwise I would have had no choice than to sit him into a poopy car seat. By the time I was finished, I felt like I had completed some sort of Olympic event! However by then he was no longer in a good mood. So I dropped everything I was going to try on, and ran out of the store looking for a spot to calm my screaming baby. (Side Note: I had to change him in a dressing room… In my defense, this store had no bathrooms, and the closest one was on the opposite side of the mall..  Imagine how bad it would have been if I let him sit any longer in his poopy diaper…it would prob. have been up to his ears by then. So sorry to anyone who was trying on clothes, and had to smell my baby’s poopy diaper!)

Not until I fully fed and burped my baby in the middle of the mall, was he willing to go shoe shopping with mommy. So in the end I did get my sneakers, and my scale. However there’s no telling when I will attempt such an adventure again … Prob. not any time soon.

Summer Time!!

Tags

4th of July, Baby, Cape Cod, Summer

We have been enjoying summer these past few weeks.  On the 4th, we entertained people at our house for the first time, with a barbecue on our lawn.  Then, William and I went to visit my parents at the Cape for the weekend. We had a lovely time getting our feet wet and enjoying the fresh air. My mom and I donned our sun hats and went walking with William every day. I couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather, and the little one behaved himself very well. He garnered quite a bit of attention on the boardwalk, flashing his silly grin under the brim his floppy hat.  William is becoming more and more interactive each day. He is a really happy baby. I am amazed at how fast he is growing, and how quickly he is learning new skills.  Every day it seems I notice something new.  He is beginning to use his hands to interact with toys, and though he doesn’t love tummy time, he is beginning to hold his head now.  He is also discovering his voice, babbling to himself and others. It’s so cute to hear his soft little voice. I can’t help but smile every time I hear him.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

 

3 Month Update

Tags

Baby, Colic, Health, Sleep deprivation

Baby William is growing like a weed! lol  He looks so different from when we brought him home. He is already 13 pounds! He doesn’t feel as fragile anymore, but rather very huggable. 🙂 He is becoming a lot more alert.   He especially loves it when we talk to him,  often responding with a big smile. He stares so intently, trying to make sounds of his own.   He is still colicky at certain times of the day, but he is learning to become distracted from his tummy pains. Sometimes he is even able to keep himself amused by staring at objects. He is particularly fascinated by our bed posts for some reason, often craning his head to look up at them.

He still keeps me very busy, not leaving much room for anything else to get done. During the day he doesn’t sleep very deeply, and wants to be held.  He will fall asleep in my arms, but as soon as I go to put him in his crib he wakes up and starts crying.   During the night he sleeps pretty well though… often getting 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  I’m starting to think that maybe its the daylight that keeps him awake.  I noticed that when it was stormy last week, and dark, he slept more during the day.  I think I might have to invest in some light-blocking blinds for the nursery, and see if it will help him sleep longer during the day.

As for myself…  I still crave sleep, but don’t feel as sleep deprived as before. However my body is protesting about the lack of movement. I find myself spending way too much time sitting in the glider trying to put him to sleep. I’m usually more active than this; even when I was pregnant, I kept myself physically active with various projects.  I try to go for a walk with him everyday, but that is not always possible.  Also I’ve tried putting him in the baby carrier to get some stuff done, but he doesn’t like it too much..he squirms, and then starts crying. I have to figure something out soon, because I can feel that this is unhealthy, and it has certainly not helped me drop the baby weight.  Although I must say my arms are getting quite the workout from holding him all the time.

So yeah still trying to figure out life with baby…  Suggestions are welcome!

Trying to Catch Some ZZzzz’s

Tags

Baby, Colic, Sleep deprivation, Smoothie

Well.. I have not been very good about updating my blog lately. We are still adjusting to having this new life as the center of our world.  Life is truly revolving around feedings, diaper changes, and trying to catch as much sleep as possible.  Sleep!… Oh even saying the word makes me wonder if I will ever know once again what a full night of satisfying sleep feels like. Poor William has all the signs of colic, thus when he is not eating he is mostly crying, and only seems to sleep at most… an hour and a half at a time.  As a result mommy and daddy are very much like walking zombies.  I pray to God this phase passes quickly! My husband is going back to work next week, and I can’t imagine having to deal with a crying baby all by myself for 8 hours.  His cries break my heart, and often my husband steps in and takes him so that I could get some rest. Otherwise I feel like I would just join the baby and cry in unison!

Honestly my husband has been great these past weeks. He has taken over much of the housework and cooking. He also makes sure I eat healthy and serves me up a smoothie every morning, and makes sure I’m well hydrated, with a bottle of water always by my side.  Also, he went out and purchased me a glider, because we didn’t really have a decent place to sit and nurse the baby. I would sit on the edge of the bed, and after a while my back would really hurt me.

Anyways.. I’m going to take a nap now while the baby is still sleeping… I don’t really know when I’ll get the opportunity again.

Bye Bye for now…

-Elvira-

Nursery Pictures!!

Tags

A.C. Moore, Baby, Bedding, Changing table, Crib, Decorating, Infant, Interior design, Martha Stewart, Nursery, Pottery Barn

I have been meaning to post Nursery pictures for a while now. Yet, with all the unexpected circumstances, I just didn’t have the chance. However today all that is about to change my friends!! I am happy to say that things are looking brighter here lately.  Husband is on the mend, and we are anxiously waiting for the arrival of baby William, who is due in 8 days!! Could you believe it??

So anyways here is Baby William’s Nursery; everything it all set and ready for him!!

I can’t wait to fill those frames with some baby pictures!I really wanted to keep the room gender neutral. This is why I went for the light mint walls with white and silver accents.  Also, I didn’t want it to be too cliché baby themed.

How cute is this bunny???

My sister purchased this adorable crib mobile from Pottery Barn.  I absolutely love it!!  (I have a thing for sheep…. Baa lol)

I found these vintage German Hummel prints at a garage sale when we first got married. I fell in love with them, and purchased them thinking they would be perfect for a kids room some day. 🙂

I searched and searched for the perfect baskets to fit the changing table… There are baskets sold everywhere, but they were either to small or too big…or not tall enough or deep enough. If I found ones that I liked, there wasn’t four identical!!  Finally I found these as A.C. Moore.  They were a little pricey, but I had to get them… not only were they the perfect size, they matched the color of the nursery chair exactly!

The teddy bear is the first thing my husband and I bought when we found out I was pregnant.

The mirror over the changing table was originally more gold toned.  I painted it with  Martha Stewart’s silver texture paint to make it match with the rest of the silver accents in the room.

The chandelier in this room was one of the first things I purchased. It sort of set the tone for the rest of the decor. I really wanted something sparkly for the baby to stare at, but didn’t want it to be too girly.  I think this one fits the criteria perfectly. It has just enough sparkle, and the clean-lined silver frame and white shade keeps it from being too feminine.

For the bedding, I also went pretty simple. I didn’t go with any particular set, finding them to be too babyish, but rather purchased all the pieces separately.

I really love the tulle bedskirt I found on Amazon, it matches nicely with the white sheer curtains, giving the whole room a very fresh and airy feel.

Check out this lamb night light we received at my shower…

Well…this is it… This nursery was most certainly a labor of love… Hopefully my pictures did it justice.  It’s really hard to take photos in that room.  It’s really bright during the day, and in photos it comes out sort of washed out… But hopefully you can still see what I see, and maybe get some inspiration for your own nursery. I can’t wait to actually be able to use it.

Some final shots…