Favorite things 0-4 months

I've been meaning to write these posts for a while, but something always seems to get in the way (namely, my procrastination).

When I was pregnant I always loved reading these posts and I found they helped me soooooo much.  There are so many products out there to choose from that it's so hard to know what to spend your money on.  So, here goes.....

My top recommendation is....lots of swaddle blankets.  Nathan was a pretty tricky baby as a newborn and he didn't like to sleep very much (he's still a little tricky when it comes to sleep).  These swaddle blankets seriously saved our sanity during those first few months.  I loved the Aden and Anais blankets but after a while he started to break out of these so we switched primarily to the swaddles with velcro.  We still use the Halo sleep sack for him and love it.

My second favorite baby item is this "My Little Lamb Swing" by Fisher price.  Nathan slept A LOT in this thing.  It seemed like for a while he would only take his naps here.

I don't think we would've survived those first few months without a baby carrier...and more specifically, the baby bjorn.  For this age I found the bjorn the best, and Nathan seemed to love it the most too.  I tried the Ergo and the moby wrap as well but much preferred the bjorn.  The Ergo is great once they're a little bigger (and we still use it and love it).

For my stroller rec, we went with the Bumbleride Indie...again, another favorite of mine.  We still use this stroller for everything.  It's a great all-around stroller, especially if you're active like we are.  I run, hike, SHOP, walk, (shop some more), in this thing.  I love that it's not too heavy like some of the other jogging strollers and it fully reclines so it's great for him with or without his car seat.

Next up, some sort of reclining bathtub that can fit in your sink.  I had a c-section so the last thing I wanted to do those first few weeks was bend over and bathe N in a big bathtub.

This was probably our favorite "toy" at the beginning...some sort of activity mat.  We took this thing EVERYWHERE.  Whenever we travelled or went to a friends house, we lugged this thing along.  At first he just loved looking at everything (including himself in the mirror), but once he started reaching for things he loved it even more.  We did A LOT of tummy time on this thing too.

And here is the infamous Sophie...and yes fellow bloggers and mommas, it really is worth the $20.  Nathan loved this thing. 

Another favorite that I would HIGHLY recommend is a glider.  We still use ours every night as part of our bedtime routine and during those first few months, it really was a must.  I spent countless hours breastfeeding and rocking this little guy to sleep.  He loves it and we love it.  We have one by Dutalier.

Other favorites:
Binky or pacifier..Nathan love the avent ones
Medela pump in style advanced breast pump
Pack n' play...we used this at the beginning when he slept in our room and now we still use it when we travel
Breast feeding pillow (I used the my breast friend and loved it)

That's all I can think of for now.

Wow, all of these old pics are just reminding me of how fast Nathan is growing....can you believe he's almost 11 months??...geez!!!!

Belated 10 month post

This post is super late...like 2 weeks overdue.  So that means our little guy is more like 10 1/2 months old and soooooo much has happened in the past month (and a half).

So this month was a biggie....We officially have a little walker on our hands.  And when I say "little walker" what I really mean is "a chubby cutie pie who can take 10 little steps and then falls down".  I'm not sure when you can offically call a baby walking, but because I'm such a proud mama, we'll just say he's started now!!!

Everytime you walk Nathan, you have this HUGE grin on your face and we can tell how proud you are of yourself.  I'm glad that you have so much confidence already.  You also always walk with your arms held high as evidence below.

This pic is blurry but wanted to show his cutie pie grin!!!!

This month you also started saying MAMA!!!!  And let me tell you, it's like music to my ears.  You can also say nana, rara, dada, baba, and the list goes on and on.  I'm not sure if these words mean anything to you yet, but mommy thinks you're a genius so they must mean something:)  Speaking of genius, you're still not waving bye-bye.  But, I think it's because you know how badly we want you to do it, so you're actually protesting against it....see, genius!!!!!!

Your sleep this month has been horrendous.  You've learned that when you wake in the middle of the night, if you 'protest' long enough you will end up in our bed.  We desperately need to break this habit but I'm hoping it will just correct itself soon (like tonight, please).  I think you're just recovering from this whole 'moving accross the country' bit so I'm willing to give it a little more time.  And I honestly don't mind the snuggles right now.

You still love to eat...surprise, surprise.  You are eating 100% finger foods now with 3 bottles per day. 

You still take 2 naps per day.  Each are about 60 to 90 minutes.

You are now switching to 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  You're a little tricky to dress since your belly is so pudgy compared to your legs.  I'm a little sad that eventually your chub will disappear now that you're walking.  I'm going to miss all those little rolls on your knees.

Favorite "things to do" this month....

Playing with the dog Bowl (again)

Pulling out every drawer and cupboard in our house 

Lifting the toilet seat up and down

Crawling up and down the stairs (supervised)

And your absolute most favorite....Pulling every book off the bookshelf

BUSTED!!!!!!

You are a very busy little man but your daddy and I love that about you.  We love that you're exploring and learning about everything.  I think that means you're going to be a smartie pants when you're older!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Who has the coolest dog in town......?????

That's right, we do!!!!!!

First trip to the park...ever!!!!!!

Who knew a swing could make a 10 month old so happy???  Not mommy, that's for sure??  I honestly thought he was still a little young to take to a park, but boy was I wrong!!!  Nathan is usually pretty stingy with his giggles but he was seriously all laughs this day.

About a week ago we packed up the fam (nanny, mommy, daddy, Nathan and pooch) and took a trip to our local park.  It was a beautiful sunny spring day and it seemed like everyone and their grandmother was outside.  The park was beautiful...and it directly overlooked Lake Onatrio.  I can't wait to bring Nathan back in the summer when he's full on walking and he can actually go to the water park too (he has sorta started walking BTW but that's another post...eek) !!!



Here are some snapshots of the day.

Nanny liked the swings too!!!  haha

Overall, a great day and hopefully a preview for what this summer will look like!!!

Daddy turns 31 (and Nathan is 10 months)

This week was Daddy's birthday.  We went out for dinner and drinks the previous night with friends (yay for babysitters)!!!  Then on the his actual birthday we had a low key celebration with his parents, my mom, us and our doggie.  Just a yummy BBQ and delicious cake.  It was so yummy that we decided to let Nathan dig in for a few bites.

Here we are after opening presents...(and yes, I do realize Nathan looks messy already!!!!)

Here's our very yummy cake....(and yes, I do realize that I accidentally put the #1 on backwards....apparently I was having a 'blonde day'.

And here we are after the first bite....looks a little skeptical.

And the skepticism lasted all of 5 seconds....."let's dig in guys...this s*#t is gooooood"!!!

The day also marked Nathan's 10 month birthday...what a cutie.  I'll do more on that post another time. We're off to have our last 'date night' while Nanny is still here to babysit!!!!!

We're finally here......!!!!!!!!!!!

We've officially reached our destination....just outside of Toronto.  I've been so busy over the past couple of weeks unpacking, working (6 days per week...ugh!), looking for daycares, working (ugh!!), and trying to squeeze in every morsel of time with my Boo.  Needless to say, blogging has been forced to the bottom of my priorities.

So far things are great!!!  I love our new house (more on that later), I love our new neighborhood, and well, my job is okay for now.  It is just a locum right now so I'm just filling in for another optometrist for the next 4 months.  And hence, another task....find a job that will become permanent.

I just wanted to leave you with our last few days in British Columbia.....I miss it already.  The ocean, the views, our friends, etc etc.

WARNING...pic overload!!!!!

Up next, our new house, first pics at our park, and sleep issues (again)!!!!!!!!!!

Big Week....

This week has been a biggie for our Mr. Boo Bear.

He's learned to consistently stand on his own with perfect balance while holding something interesting with both hands (and no furniture).

He took his first step....don't get too excited...I seriously think it was more of a "I'm falling and I'm going to catch myself" rather than a "I want to walk over there".  But hey, still a serious milestone none the less.

And lastly, he CLAPPED tonight!!!  Yay!!!!!!!  Mommy has been clapping like an idiot for the past few weeks waiting for him to catch on!!!  And guess what!???  It was worth looking like a goof ball to see his face while he was doing it!!

Whew!!  What a crazy week!!!  And poor daddy missed the whole thing!!!!  He's still at our old house in British Columbia while we're here in Toronto!!!  We can't wait to show him all of our new tricks in a few days:)