Design Dummy

Would anyone like to design a blog for me? Because I am design dummy.

Halloween Hint

On Saturday I have to put the finishing touches on our coordinating Halloween costumes. Any guesses as to what our little trio might be? (if you already know, don't say!)

Babies!

We watched an utterly charming documentary called Babies this week and I highly recommend it, whether you have a baby or not. An hour and a half of ridiculously squishably cute babies being ridiculously squishably cute... what's a better mood lifter than that? The filmmakers followed the families of four different babies from birth to walking. There no narration and barely any dialogue at all in this film. As the title suggests, it's just... babies. The babies are from vastly different places - United States, Japan, Namibia and Mongolia - but are remarkably similar in their development, behavior and mannerisms. Scenes of happy Mongolian babies playing and bathing amongst livestock and nekkid Namibian babies teething on roots and rocks will make you smile and laugh at yourself (and the American and Japanese parents) for attending baby music classes, sanitizing everything in sight and owning three strollers. Ahem.

Stroller Breakdown

I realized on my previous stroller post that it might sound nuts to some people that we have three strollers. Here is my breakdown and review of each of the stroller we have, as well as why we have them. Just in case any of my readers (all ten of you) are in the market for a stroller, here is what I have and why I like each one.

Maclaren Easy Traveller

Retail price: $80

I paid: $30

This was our first stroller and the one we used the most when Shelby was a newborn. It's a stroller frame that fits an infant car seat. It sort of outgrew its usefulness once Shelby was old enough to sit up on her own and will be obsolete once she outgrows her infant car seat, but I bought it cheap on Craigslist and we will definitely get our money's worth during its limited lifespan. Even though we use our Quest more now, we still keep this in our car for quick trips.

Pros

• Easy, compact umbrella-style fold
• Lightweight
• Smooth steering and maneuverability
• High handlebars - good for a guy or taller person
• Huge basket

Cons

• The $80 price tag might be a turn off for some, but when you consider the lower end brands like Snap N Go and Graco are $60 it's really not that much more to pay for the famous Maclaren quality and maneuverability. That's really what you're paying for and to me, it's worth it. Maclarens steer smoothly and handle beautifully. I'm not that much of a brand snob, but there is a reason this brand is so popular and you really do get what you pay for.

Maclaren Quest

Retail price: $300

I paid: $150

I realize a $300 umbrella stroller is stupid expensive and even a $150 umbrella stroller might be only slightly less stupid expensive, but I looooove this stroller. It was one of the first things I bought when I found out I was pregnant and it just came to be one of those special, symbolic baby purchases that you get, put in your house, and look at every day because it gives you the warm fuzzies and reminds you that your baby is going to ride around in it one day.

Pros

• Easy, compact umbrella-style fold
• Lightweight - in fact, it is so lightweight that it can tip over if you hang a bag on the handle without the child in the seat to counterbalance
• Smooth steering and maneuverability
• High handlebars
• Reclining seat and extendable footrest
• Rain cover included
• Nicely padded seat
• I loooove the fabric pattern!

Cons

• Small sunshade
• Small basket

Joovy Zoom 360

Retail price: $250

I paid: $170

Jogging strollers can be expensive and I think anything in the sub-$200 range is a good deal. I thought we could just get by with an umbrella stroller, but we walk outside a lot and the umbrella stroller just isn't cut out for long walks or jogs on uneven surfaces. I think for most families in suburban environments, two strollers make life a lot easier. We're in and out of our cars running errands a lot, but we also spend a lot of time outside on walks, going to the pool and playground, etc.

Pros

• Good quality and style without the huge price tag
• Smooth steering
• Front wheel can swivel or lock into place for jogging
• Huge sunshade - a big plus for us
• Reclining seat
• Huge storage basket
• Security wrist strap for jogging
• Includes extras like a rain cover, tire pump and parent console
• Back tires come off for storage or transport

Cons

• Size - This thing weights nearly 30 pounds. You would not want to drag this thing around in your trunk as your quick errand stroller.

How many strollers do you own?

Homemade Baby Food: Part 2

This weekend, I whipped up four more baby food varieties for Shelby. Most of it was quite easy and I can't wait to introduce these new foods to her. We introduced peas this weekend and she loved them! Here's what I made. I bought the following produce at Super Target and took note of the prices so I could compare it to the cost of jarred food:

• Medium acorn squash - $1.16 - made 12 oz.
• Large butternut squash - $3.27 - made about 24 oz.
• 3 organic gala apples - $2.93 - made about 10 oz.
• 1 1-lb. bag of frozen peas - $1.64 - made 16 oz. Birds Eye brand was the only brand I could find that did not have added salt.

The acorn squash and the butternut squash were by far the most difficult to make, just because they were really hard to chop! The peas were the easiest and I think I will definitely be making them again and again, especially since Shelby seemed to like them so much. I have made almost all the foods in the 6 month section of the Fresh Baby book (still have to make pears) and I am almost ready to move on to the 6-8 month section of the book! Exciting! Making food has been surprisingly fun and rewarding, especially since I can give Shelby such a variety of foods. It seems like the options in most grocery stores are extremely limited. The Fresh Baby kit comes with two ice cube trays with lids that you can use to freeze your portions and then pop them out and store the cubes in a Ziploc bag but I also bought these freezer containers so I could easily freeze portions to send to school with Shelby. Next on the menu: apples!

Seven Months Old

Well, time continues to move along at warp speed for us. Shelby is an absolutely delightful baby. We feel so lucky. Here's what she's doing nowadays:

• Shelby is getting better about tolerating tummy time. She is not really into being on her tummy, playing on her tummy or sleeping on her tummy. She went from fussing immediately during tummy time to putting up with it, but only if you distract her with a toy or book. She is great at sitting up but not really into being on her stomach or rolling. She rolled for a while but then it was like she got bored with it and stopped once she figured out how to sit up. Is this normal?
• I think she is almost crawling. Sort of. She sort of wiggles her butt around like she's thinking about propelling herself forward but she hasn't quite figured out the mechanics of it yet. I think she's close. Or not. Who knows.
• Shelby still does not have any teeth but I think she is starting to teethe. She was fussy last night and felt slightly warm. She also hasn't felt much like eating solids at dinner for the past couple of nights. She has also expressed a new interest in chewing on straps or anything fabric-like. Perhaps I should give her some chilled washcloths.
• She is obsessed with the cat. Whenever he comes into the room or passes by her field of vision she's instantly fixated on him and will stare intently at him. He has even tolerated her petting him a time or two.
• Shelby is making lots of fun new noises and sounds and is really starting to babble now. The sounds bla, da, ba and la are her favorites. But what about ma?!
• It's really entertaining to plop her down next to a small container with a bunch of her toys in it. She will carefully remove each toy one at a time, inspect it, toss it aside and move on to the next toy. If a toy is particularly interesting it might get a chomp or chew. The look on her face of total concentration during this game is absolutely precious.
• She expresses happiness and excitement when you pick her up. She wiggles all of her limbs up and down in this coordinated happy dance we like to call "Happy Baby Starfish."
• Shelby is becoming more skilled in eating solid foods and actually keeping the food in her mouth. When you hold the spoon in front of her she will open her mouth for a bite. We call this "Happy Baby Bird Mouth." We are weird.
• As for the poos that come with solids... Oh. Oh my. We shall not speak of them. Every time we change a diaper, we quote Anchorman. "It's quite pungent. Stings the nostrils."

New Stroller!

I captured Shelby mid-chew and looking guilty. Lately, she loves to chew on straps and any fabric type thingy she can get her hands on. I think she's teething.

I know it's super dorky to be excited about things like strollers, BUT. I'm super excited about the new jogging stroller we just got! We took it out on a walk tonight and it was awesome! Despite it's giant size and nearly 30-pound weight, it was actually much easier to push than our lightweight umbrella stroller. Hooray for air inflated tires.

After a lot of research, I settled on the Joovy Zoom 360. I wanted a good quality all terrain stroller but thought it was foolish to spend $400 on the popular BOB jogging stroller. After checking out a BOB floor model in person and testing out our new Joovy, I think it's comparable in quality and performance. I bought our Joovy from Diapers.com and used a 15% off coupon code, which brought the price down to just $170. Double hooray for free 2-day shipping and no tax.

We can't wait to use our new stroller as much as possible before it gets dark early and the temperatures start to drop. Ever since Shelby was a teeny tiny baby, we've loved to go on walks. She was born in the perfect time of year and I spent many a day (sometimes 2-3 times a day!) on walks during my maternity leave. We live in a hilly neighborhood that is perfect for walking and we get outside any chance we get.

Hopefully this stroller will complete our collection and this will be the end of our stroller purchases. The other strollers in our ever expanding lineup include a Maclaren snap n go type stroller frame and an umbrella stroller. We used these for outdoor walking and although they were OK, they didn't offer much in the way of shade or shocks. If the sun was shining in our faces, we'd sometimes have to turn the stroller around and pull Shelby backwards or one of us would strategically walk in front of her to make a shadow! The Maclarens also made for a bumpy ride. As an indoor/mall/lightweight stroller, they are hands down the best, but not so great for uneven outdoor surfaces.

I think strollers are a category of baby gear that people can go really nuts over and it's sort of like car buying in terms of the variety of brands, models, quality, style, resale value (Really.), and status symbols (Yes. Really.) As with our beloved Hyundais, I feel like our strollers match our car buying philosophy: the best quality at the best price!

Shelby Goes Viral

Who would have thought that our jokey Luke Perry picture would end up all over the internet? Hilarious. I can't wait to embarrass Shelby with this when she's older. Or wait... maybe she should feel embarrassed for me? Either way, we got a good chuckle out of the whole thing.

Good Idea: Sock Keeper

Good idea: keep a mesh bag in your laundry basket. Wash and dry baby socks in the bag so you don't have to constantly fish itty bitty socks out of your washer and dryer. And can I just express my love for those adorable little shoe socks? Shelby has quite a collection going and I will be a little bit sad when she finally gets old enough to wear real shoes.

Homemade Baby Food

This weekend I took a stab at making my own baby food. I am not a very crunchy person and did not think I would enjoy making baby food, but it was actually very easy and sort of fun! For Shelby's first food besides cereal, I made sweet potatoes. Two organic sweet potatoes cost a grand total of $1.61 and I got more than 24 1 oz. servings out them. A friend recommended the Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit to me and it really took any guess work out of making your own baby food. I mean... not that there is that much guess work to begin with! You basically chop, steam and puree everything.

The book is helpful because it gives some guidance on the order in which you should introduce food and offers some suggestions on combining foods or adding spices down the road. This is helpful for a person like me who doesn't really like to cook (Bake, yes. Cook, no.) and had no idea that you could give a baby things like butternut squash, acorn squash or cinnamon (after 8 months). The book also has spaces where you can write down the date you introduced the food, if the baby liked it, etc.

Shelby the food critic gave my homemade sweet potato baby food two thumbs up! She gobbled it up and was hungry for more! I am looking forward to introducing some more veggies in the coming weeks. Next on the menu: maybe some peas and butternut squash? I've read that you are supposed to introduce veggies first and fruits second so the baby doesn't develop a preference for sweet foods. I don't know if this is true or not, but I am starting out with veggies just to be safe and make sure Shelby doesn't end up with a huge sweet tooth like her mother. I loooove sweets.

I also bought some jarred organic sweet potatoes before I made my own and did my own taste test. Verdict? I liked mine better. Even though they were the same thing with the exact same ingredients (sweet potatoes and water) my version tasted different and was an entirely different color and texture. The jarred kind was more orange and soupy, while mine was a bit thicker. However, I fed Shelby both at one meal and she gobbled down each version with equal enthusiasm.

Have you made your own baby food? What foods did you introduce first?

Fall Fun

This weekend was the perfect fall weekend. The weather was perfect. We visited a pumpkin patch, went to our school's fall carnival and spent lots of time outside. We also decorated our house for Halloween. On Sunday we had a delicious anniversary brunch. I can't believe I didn't mention the word "football" when describing a perfect fall weekend, but we really have not missed it that much. It's actually kind of nice to have our entire Saturdays free to relax and do fall-ish things.

Shelby at the pumpkin patch in her cute fall bubble dress and orange socks.

Next to a giant pumpkin! She could have easily fit inside.

Shelby loved the pumpkins so much we could not get her to look at the camera!

Surrounded by orange. I love the way the sun catches her wispy little hair.

A fall front porch!

More pictures in the gallery.

Mom Must Have: Baby Comfy Nose

When Shelby is sick, it stinks. She gets over colds pretty quickly but her runny nose seems to last a while. We use the hospital aspirator religiously but she seems to get stuffy again five minutes later. When she's really stuffy, it's hard for her to eat or sleep and it's just so heartbreaking to hear her congested breathing!

But then I found the Baby Comfy Nose. I read about it on a website and had to try it out for myself. It looks gross (You're basically vacuuming snot with your mouth. Sort of.) but it really works. You stick a tissue in the egg-shaped part of the chamber so no snot or germs actually get in your mouth. You then create suction by sucking on the hose and the snot stays in the little spout. Shelby hated the aspirator, but she actually kind of likes this - probably because you don't actually stick anything in her nose. And unlike the aspirator, you don't have to keep squeezing and sucking - the constant suction from the tube gets all of the snot out quickly, which is essential with a squirmy baby. Two thumbs up for the Baby Comfy Nose!

Six Month Checkup

Here is Shelby chilling in her stroller after a nap and her six month check up. She was pooped afterwards and slept for an hour and a half after her appointment!

Shelby's stats at 30 weeks:

• Height: 26.5 inches (75-90th percentile)
• Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces (50th percentile)
• Head circumference: 42.3 centimeters (50th percentile)

She's a healthy, happy growing girl!

Celebrating Nine Great Years

Scott and I celebrated nine great years of marriage today. It's hard to believe we have been together for a decade! And what a great decade it's been. From fun college days to having a beautiful daughter ... each year just gets better than the last!

What's New in Shelbyville

Lately we've been...

Practicing eating rice cereal! Some days, Shelby gobbles it up and other days she wants nothing to do with it. We'll introduce bananas and maybe a veggie or two in the coming weeks.

Enjoying the nice weather! Just look at this happy girl! We took advantage of the gorgeous weather this past weekend and spent lots of time playing outdoors at parks, going on long walks and just sitting on our front stoop watching cars go by. It's her favorite afternoon activity.

Taking flying lessons with Daddy. Beautiful blue fall skies... is there anything better?

Posing for a picture in the backyard with Mommy.

Practicing standing up. She's such a big girl!

More photos in the gallery.

A Fun Fall Shower

This past weekend, I co-hosted a baby shower in Athens for my friend Carrie. She's due at the end of November and they're waiting until the baby is born to find out the gender. I was in charge of decorations and had to get a little creative since I couldn't do the typical blue or pink baby shower theme. I don't know what came over me, but I got a little craft craaaazy the week before the shower! I had a lot of fun seeking out easy and inexpensive decorating ideas and working on little projects after Shelby went to bed.

An easy no-sew fabric flag bunting. I got the tutorial here.

The food table. We went with a red and brown fall theme. I found some fabric fall leaves at the Dollar Store and used them to adorn everything from votives to napkins.

Carrie's invitation was brown with a picture of an owl, so I tied in the owl theme with some crafty owls made from a cardboard wrapping paper tube! I got the idea here. In the background are some cupcakes I made inspired by these from Martha Stewart. They're topped with toasted coconut "nests" and jelly bean "eggs" tucked inside to continue the owl theme.

More cardboard owls flying over the food table! Those fabric fall leaves went a long way.

I got this idea for a blessing tree at a shower that was thrown for me when I was pregnant. Guests write a little wish or blessing for the mom and baby-to-be and hang them on the tree.

Cake pop favors. Mine turned out upside down because I forgot to get something to stand them upright in to dry! Oh well. They were still tasty.

I didn't get a chance to take any pictures at the shower once it started, but it was a lot of fun and we can't wait to meet Baby Kelly very soon!

Solids = A Solid Night of Sleep?

Another big milestone! Shelby had her first 12-hour night (11.5, but close enough) of uninterrupted sleep last night! It may have just been a fluke, but we'll take it! I think bumping her up to two feedings of rice cereal a day may have had something to do with it. She ate cereal once at lunchtime and again around 5:30, in addition to her regular feedings. I am pretty sure she was waking up at night because she was hungry! Breastfed babies can take longer to sleep through the night because they digest the milk faster than formula.

I know that it won't last and will be interrupted again soon for teething, an illness, a growth spurt or a developmental milestone, but it sure felt nice. Of course, that did not prevent me from waking up every hour beginning at 4 a.m., checking on her and wondering why she hadn't woken up yet!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Shelby and Daddy on his birthday.

Nothing Cuter

Is there anything cuter than baby legwarmers? I think not.