Something Saturdays (7/28/18)

Hey guys! I'm back!! Great news-vacation went really well! James actually slept every night all night (we rigged a sheet between his pack n play and our bed so it was like a makeshift wall lol) and his naps weren't too bad either. He had a great time-he got a bit spoiled by all the attention and WILL NOT HAVE me leaving him on his own for very long now lol. We all really enjoyed ourselves but were exhausted and ready to go home at the end. Especially because poor Jamesy got his first cold :( Luckily he's mostly over it now but it was sad. 

We've pretty much just been recovering from vacation and baby cold (oh and Michael caught it too so now we also have a daddy cold which is probably even worse than the baby). We also got James' photos back so I'll probably be posting those soon! This weekend I work and then tomorrow is my family reunion which should be crazy so wish us all luck!

Baby Must-Haves (1-6 Months)

James is 7 months old and I haven't posted any more must-haves since I posted his 0-1 month favorites. So this is LONG overdue! This is what else we've been loving so far. 

(Disclaimer-there are some Amazon affiliate links which I make a small commission from if you purchase after clicking, with no extra charge to you.)

1. OXO Tot Seedling High Chair

James started eating around 6 months and we looove our high chair. It is SUPER easy to clean (which is a pretty big deal), the height is adjustable (so he can use it pretty much forever), there are wheels on the feet which makes it easy to move around, and we all just love it. 

2. Skip Hop Explore and More Roll Around Hedgehog Toy

Ask anyone who has spent any time with James what his favorite toy is and their answer will be swift: hedgehog. He started loving it right around when he started teething (3 months)-partly because it has TONS of great places to chew on, is really easy to grab a hold of for a baby just learning to grab objects, plus it rattles and is cute and stuff. 

3. Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls

I forgot to write about these in my last post, we've been using them since before James was born. Since fabric softener is a no no for babies we got these dryer balls to still keep his clothes soft and now we use them for EVERYTHING. I love that you can reuse them like 1000 times and it's so much cheaper and better for all of us than fabric softener. Woot!

4. ZoLi BUZZ B Electric Nail Trimmer

Another one I forgot to post about last time, this is a BIG one. Everyone complains about doing baby nails and this little electric nail trimmer is a GOD SEND. It's like a baby electric nail file (like the kind they use at nail salons).  It has different file strengths for different ages (although I guess James is tough because he's been on the 12 months+ one since he was like 3 months) and just trims those sharp little baby nails down completely painlessly! I will say it totally eats through batteries super quickly and now that James is older he will fight us when we use it but I feel like he'd do that regardless because he hates to be restrained but at least we aren't worrying that we're going to accidentally cut him with nail clippers!

5. Roshambo Baby Shades

It's summer so we wanted to get some sunglasses for the little guy and these ones are super cute light, flexible, and practically indestructible! (Plus they support autism charities which is pretty cool).

6. Wubbanub Infant Pacifier

This was a uniquely 3-6 month must-have. Prior to 3 months pacifiers were a designated no-no due to nipple confusion and since he hit 6 months we've mostly stopped using them so he doesn't become attached to them. But the wubbanubs were perfect because they were the only pacifiers he ever really liked and they were pretty much the only teething item he was able to use at first since he started teething so young. Plus they have those cute little animals to hold onto. We have 2 dinosaur ones plus an elephant. 

7. Kiinde Breast Milk Storage Set

If you're breastfeeding and pumping this makes storing milk so simple! I've loved this for building my freezer stash.

8. Fisher-Price 1 to 5 Soft Activity Book with Monkey Teether

James' other favorite play item! This book is soft and has bunches of places to chewy + a mirror, a squeaker, and a crinkly page. It has lots to play with and look at and is just super fun for babies.

9. Minbie Bottles

Like I mentioned, James had some issues with nipple confusion when he was younger and these have REALLY helped with that when he needs to take a bottle. They're specifically created for breastfed babies and are shaped PERFECTLY for them. They also make pace-feeding easier and really just the entire breast and bottle relationship work better. The website has different sizes but James still uses the XS newborn flow rate because anything faster and he just guzzles it lol.

10. Aden + Anais Bamboo Swaddle Blankets

We actually use these as burp cloths (since it's not safe for babies to really have blankets)-James has always been a pretty spit-uppy baby so the fact that these are large and soft and absorbent makes them a fave. (We use the non bamboo kind also, the bamboo ones are just EXTRA soft!)

Something Saturdays (7/14/18)

Ok first of all-we're leaving for vacation tomorrow for almost a week in PA with Michael's family. I'm excited but super nervous because it's a tiny cottage that we're sharing with Michael's dad, stepmom, and brother and sister-in-law and James hasn't shared a room with us since before he started sleeping through the night so yeah...I'm nervous haha. There's like no internet there so I'll be MIA (with some social media exceptions) until next week!

Last weekend we had so much fun getting James' photos taken-he of course wasn't 100% cooperative but he was still SO MUCH fun and so funny and Amanda (the most amazing photographer ever) was amazing. She's sent us a few sneak peeks but I can't wait to see the rest!

Ok fine...here's a sneak peek of our sneak peeks for you:

Amanda Ellis Photography

ANYWAY on Sunday Michael's mom, sister, and a couple of his cousins came over and we played Dungeons and Dragons...and shut up it was super fun lol. The rest of the week I spent time with my little baby love and tried to get some things done. Wednesday my mom came with me and James to the grocery store and then later Michael's mom came over and watched James last minute while I went to the doctor and then Thursday and Friday she also watched him while I worked. Today I have a wedding and tomorrow we leave for vacation! AH

James-7 Months!

Date: July 10, 2018

Sleeping Pattern: We've been doing pretty darn well lately! James takes a nice sized nap in the morning that usually lasts around 1.5-2 hours, then he has another decent sized nap (about 1-1.5 hours usually) in the afternoon, then one short 30 minute nap in the later afternoon/early evening. Bedtime is 7:30 (prior to that we change him, do a story, Michael does a cute little bedtime routine, then brings him upstairs to me) and then I feed him and put him down for the night. We've pretty much entirely phased out the pacifier (he rarely used it anyway) so putting him to sleep usually just consists of me putting him in his sleep-sack, singing to him for like a minute, then putting him in his crib to sleep.

Eating Habits: This baby gets SO distracted. Eating is a much more lively affair these days-he's always moving around and looking around and grabbing his feet and my hair and popping off because he wants the other side then going back again...it's an adventure. But he's still eating 5 times over the course of the day. We've also introduced solids but he usually just has them once a day, generally at dinner time-about 30 minutes to an hour after he's finished nursing. We do baby led weaning so we give him table food, usually whatever we're having, and just put it on his tray and let him have at it.

Development & Firsts: On June 14th he started sitting up on his own (and is super good at it now! Although we usually still surround him with pillows in case he topples over). He also got his 1st tooth (bottom front right) and then his 2nd tooth (bottom front left). They are sharp lol. James also started eating this month!! He's actually doing pretty amazing-we're doing baby led weaning so we give him table foods and it was a little nerve wracking at first but watching how good he is getting is awesome. He's LOVING it-every time he goes into the high chair he immediately starts reaching for whatever is on it for him to eat and starts going at it. His favorites so far are pizza, chicken, zucchini, and yogurt.

Mischief: SO MISCHIEVOUS. He still "attacks" us (much more terrifying now that he has teeth, however). Anytime I try to tell James no (usually when he's grabbing himself while I'm trying to change his diaper-an especially terrible idea if it's poopy) he smiles or full on laughs at me. And he will say no and has just started shaking his head at us too. He's just insane and fun and silly.

Cuteness:  Yeah yeah yeah he's the cutest lol. He smiles so much and is oh so cuddly and gives lots of kisses and giggles. He'll reach for mine or Michael's face and just stare at us with adoration. He gets stoked as heck to see his grandparents and Aunt Shannan. He's SO ticklish (one of Michael's favorite things to do is tickle the crap out of him). He just makes the most hilarious expressions and sounds (he's always squealing or "talking" he also went through a phase where he kept blowing raspberries or sticking his tongue out). He'll do an indignant cough that's pretty humorous.

Nicknames: James-y, Littlest Bob, Nugget (or Nug or Nuggy), Cutie McCuterson, Cuddle Bug, Snuggle Bunny, Hedgehog, Mister, Sir, Bud/Buddy, Friend, Sweet Boy, Baby, Love (My love, little love, sweet love), Cutie patootie/pie, My Sweetie/Sweetie-pie, Little/Sweet/Baby Boy (or any combo with any of the other nicknames listed)

Talking: So much talking. He's been making a lot of "mama" babbles-some sounding more intentional than others. Usually it's when he's sad/mad. The other day he was angry at me for not paying attention to him and when I went back to him he wailed, "mommyyy..." And, as previously mentioned, "no" has been getting said a bit. Also usually when mad/sad lol.

Favorites: Me and Michael. His grandparents and Aunt Shannan. Dancing/singing (I think he's starting to join in sometimes lol). Being held. KISSES.  Being tickled. His toys (his hedgehog is his clear favorite). Being smiled at and talked to and played with. I mean...yeah it's pretty much all the same stuff. Oh! But also-FOOD! And water (weird but he seems to like it, I love water so he comes by it honestly). He seems to especially love meat-but pizza and yogurt have also been a big hit.

Dislikes: Not having attention/doing the same thing and being in the same spot for too long. Mommy and daddy being gone. Teething. Being tired. Noisiness when he's trying to sleep. The car.

Concerns: Nothing much! Just hoping he's eating enough (milk, not worried about solids at this age) and gaining and growing ok.

A Day in the Life: James wakes up around 7AM and I get him and feed him. Then we play and visit with daddy before work and he goes down for his nap around 8:45. Lately he's been sleeping until about 10:30-11 (which is awesome). Then I feed him and we play. Back down to nap around 12:30-1ish. He naps until about 2 then eats, plays, then back to nap around 4:15-4:30. Then he naps until 5, eats, and we play/I finish up dinner. Michael usually comes home around then and we all have dinner together. Then around 7:15 we start getting him ready for bed (we change him, read a book, then I go put him in his sleepsack, and put lotion on his hands). Then I feed him (around 7:30) in the rocker in his room and afterwards put him right down in his crib where he still sleeps all night (although he moves all around and wakes up in a very different position and spot in the crib than where he was put down.)

{Lower Sugar} Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are SO SO GOOD.

Like super delicious. Even though they're lower in sugar. But I swear you don't notice. Michael still raved about them and he's always quick to tell you when your healthier treats don't stack up to the regular ones lol.

In all fairness, though, Michael has lofty opinions of my cookies. He says even my worst cookies are better than almost anyone else's best ones. He's a keeper, that boy.

As is this recipe. I loved them. I miss them. I want them.

I'd feel slightly less bad giving these to James. Someday. Not now lol.

Seriously-these cookies are perfectly chewy, have just the right amount of chocolate chips, and they taste AMAZING. I used coconut sugar and it adds this amazing depth of flavor and softness to the cookies, you really don't feel like you're missing anything! Because you're not! Yay!

Something Saturdays (7/7/18)

Hey hey! How was your 4th? Did you do anything fun? We went to a pool party at my grandma's but it was too hot to put baby in the pool so we just hung out (and I yelled at my uncle for taking James out of his pack and play when he was trying to fall asleep for his nap--which he never was able to do, then. So that was fun lol).

Otherwise this week has just been getting things done, spending time with the hubs and babe and seeing pretty much all our parents. James has been doing really well with his eating, he freaking loves meat (he attacked a burger I was eating while holding him and he went to town on some chicken another day) and also pizza (yepp, that's my kid). I'm SO stoked because today we're going to get his "sitter session" photos taken!!! (Essentially 6 month photos but because he wasn't quite sitting yet he's now almost 7 months.) I can't wait!