Larkin's first Christmas

Larkin had the best Christmas that a baby could ask for . Many might say that he got too much but in my house his Christmas was completely normal. Like I stated before Christmas is always a huge deal in my house. 

Christmas Eve we spent with my in laws. He played with his cousins and cried a whole lot. I don't know if anyone else's 8 month old does this but Larkin only wants me or his dad. He refuses to go to anyone else. He's been like this since around 5 months. But it did seem like he had fun in between crying. 

Then we dressed him in his little Christmas pjs and brought him home to bed. He woke up on the button at 8 am. He woke up so happy. Talking away, I was making breakfast so we put him down to see what he thought of all the presents but he wasn't too interested. 

That was the scene. Larkin then got his stocking from us which had some happy baby organic puffs and some little cups that nest together and a sippy cup. ( 1 of 4 ) 

Then came the opening of the presents. Larkin really made out, he ended up getting so many things. I'm not even upset that he probably got too much. He has been having so much fun since Christmas. He wasn't really interested in opening. I'd rip it a little bit then if it looked colorful enough then he'd pull it back. But other than that we had to spilt the opening into two because he became so tired and needed a nap in the middle of opening.  This is a mini haul doesn't even have everything. I included none of the clothes that he got . He had a lot of shirts and pjs. 

Ah the first of many B toys larkin received. We were Christmas shopping one day and my mom picked this up to show to larkin and he played with it for at least 30 minutes. He loved opening all the doors. Now that he has it his favorite part is putting the ball in the top and letting it go.

This was a no brainer. I know that a lot of children like to pound on things . I know that Larkin loves to pound everything. So I just wanted to give him some tools to make music. The drumsticks have been his favorite toy thus far. 

Every since I found out I was pregnant this was one of my dream toys. I just love this B brand. The toys are so beautifully colored. I love the learning aspects of this particular toy. It's something that he will have for years. 

This one was a surprise to me. My mother got a good deal on it and Larkin so far has loved it. He knows exactly how he's supposed to push it around. 

The elephant! I have wanted this for a long time. So far larkin hasn't paid much attention to it. I'm sure once he gets the hang of it he will love it. 

I had to have this Mickey hoodie. His favorite character is mickey. Every time he hears his voice he turns and smiles. 

Let's start on the top left and go left to right.

Monster inc sippy cup

Little sully that talks

Small Donald duck stuffed 

Medium size Mickey Mouse

B. Fire truck 

Munchkin sippy

B. Cell phone

personalized mickey blanket

Mickey Mouse sippy

Owl sippy from target

Medium sized stuffed sully

Mickey plate

Some bath toys

Stacking cups

Dollar spot books

Lion o ball roller

Some tennis shoes

V tech cell phone

Mickey Mouse figurines

Play school stacker

Dollar spot books 

So that's it. He had such a good day and every since he's had the best time playing. 

Babies 1st Christmas

  It's the season to buy , buy , buy ! It's Christmas! I love Christmas and growing up it was always a huge deal in my house . My mom always made sure that the Christmas tree was full of things for us. It always makes me happy thinking about Christmas morning and my stocking and opening gifts with everyone. So this year having a little guy running around it just insane!! My excitement is just overload.

Larkin is turning 8 months old in a couple of days so it's not like he's really going to "get Christmas" but I still want to start some traditions. I will be taking him to see Santa! Some time within the next couple of weeks. But my main focus on this blog is going to be "what the heck do you buy an eight month old for Christmas?".

I really struggled with this at first but I think I found some handy gifts. 

1. The big present 

This is a Fisher Price elephant bounce stride and ride

It's available at walmart and the price goes up and down from 30-39$ 

I like this particular walker/rider because it does those things. Larkin is a very mobile baby and it's hard for him to sit still. He is always on the go so this will be great for him to learn to walk and for him also to bounce around. Other ones that I liked were called more "sit and push" or things like that and I feel like he would just not get use out of the sitting part. 

 2. BOOKS! 

Honestly reading at his age although important ,can be really boring. I like to read books to Larkin that I enjoy . Because If I'm interested and excited it's easier for him to hop on board. For example I love Monsters inc. so when I saw these half off at lowes I grabbed them. I also have picked up some books at Target Dollar Spot for stocking stuffers. 

3. Boy fun

Honestly these could be for a boy or a girl but larkin doesn't have any cars. I thought that these would be adorable for him to play with and maybe learn to push around. I love the B brand everything is always so cute. These are available at Target for $16. 

4. Clothes. 

I know boring. But he honestly needs so many clothes. Larkin was a big baby but I didn't think he would grow this fast this quick! He has just grown out of every size clothes. I feel like he was in size 6m for a week. He now regularly wears 12-18 month clothing. 9m pants are way too short. Also when I bought clothes ahead before he was born I didn't think he would be in winter clothes for 12 size so I have nothing. He has only a couple of long sleeve shirts. So on Black Friday Target had clothing 40% off and I got a ton of stuff. 

That's all I really have planned to buy him everything else is probably going to found on a shopping trip this weekend! Go ahead and tell me what you think he would like! 

Happy holidays!! 

Mobile Larkin

  I feel like I haven't really just wrote a blog post chatting to you about Larkin since he was a little baby. Now i feel like he's not even a baby anymore. He's in the in between stage. He doesn't just eat and sleep all day anymore. He's mobile and he has very sensitive feelings and he prefers to constantly be moving. 

Larkin is now a week away from eight months. That statement is crazy to me. Where does the time go when you have a baby? It certainly doesn't go to sleeping that's for sure. To say I miss the times when he just sat around and if he giggled at me it was a good five minutes seems to be weird. Larkin grew up fast. I know that every child is different and most parents think that they have this super advanced baby. Larkin honestly was babbling at one month. By two months he was telling me stories all the time. By five months he said "dada & mama" not to mention he started army crawling everywhere. At five and a half months he crawled on his knees and pulled himself up places. At six months he was the fastest little crawler and sat up very well. At six and half months all he wanted to do was stand and walk around furniture. 

Now at seven and a half months he has mastered all of those things and now prefers to stand up all the time while barley holding on or not holding at all. He also walks really fast around the furniture. That's his day . Sometimes he bumps his little head or he falls down but he gets right back up and tries again. Everyday he's on the move from the minute he wakes up until he goes to bed. It's such a fun stage to see him learning. The joy on his face is worth every second. I'm going to leave some pictures of him doing what he does best! 

All of these pictures are from 5 months and on. 

I used to just put him on this blanket and he would find his way around but it didn't last long

High chair shopping

After being a nanny for almost three years maybe more, I know a high chair is pretty important. However before around six months I don't really see the need. It was one of those things that we put off till we needed it. I took awhile to research what I wanted. 

 I knew that I really didn't care for the classic piece of plastic that you push around. It really takes up quite a bit of space and I just don't like the way it looks. Someone I'm close to has wooden hair chairs and I like the look but she claims it to be a pain in the butt. I watch some family vlogs and the Tripp trapp seems to be the "it" high chair. There is also the booster high chair option. Not really a fan of that. 

There are quite a few choices to consider. I really didn't want to spend a ton of money, our budget was to stay under $150. which I believe you can get a quite nice high chair for that price. It was a journey of looking at pictures after pictures until I ultimately went with one that I just couldn't get over.

All of the prices and pictures are from Target. 

graco $140

Like I said above I'm not a huge fan of these "big pieces of plastic" . Every child that I've nannied for before has had something like this. It is pretty easy to clean and move around. Taste wise it's just not my style. 

Stokke $250

This high chair is very trendy. I believe it's called the "forever chair". You can buy accessories for it, like an infant seat or a tray. So it could probably get really expensive. I do like the look and if I had the money I would probably splurge for it. 

chicco Polly $150

If I was going to get a plastic high chair this would be the one I'd pick. I just love chicco products and I like the cushion. I think it's cute. This one reclines and it "grows with child" . I did consider this for awhile. 

 Summer infant $125

And the chosen one! This was the best compromise that I could find. I love the seat design and it's plastic so easy wipe. The wooden look is perfect and sturdy. I just loved the look and Larkin has really enjoyed it so far. I take it outside everyday for lunch and he has the best time. He will stay it in for long periods of time. The only thing that I really could care less about is the strap. It clips from the top and around the waist. Larkin loves to move so I never use the shoulders straps when he is in the stroller or in his hair chair. He would hate it if I did. So I have shoulder straps kind of just hanging down. Other than that it was easy to put together and so far so good . I leave you with pictures of him chowing down! 

Affordable Convertible Car Seat Options

The time has come. Oh man, I didn't want this to happen so soon. It's happening though at seven months it's time. Just as every grown person is different so is every baby. Larkin is ready to move into a bigger car seat. I'm not a huge fan for several reasons. 

1. Our current car seat is so nice and safe.

2. He won't be able to be carried in this car seat from place to place.

3. We will have to get two . ( two cars ) 

So I'm not going to do an indepth look at the car seat I'm just going to do an overview of the ones I've narrowed it down too. We honestly don't have the money to spend 270$ on a car seat. I think the ones I have it narrowed down too are affordable enough and I like the style. Here we go! 

GRACO CONTENDER  $140 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Graco-Contender-65-Convertible-Car-Seat-Black-Carbon/33396182

I really like the style of the car seat and love that it has a cup holder. It also will hold him rear facing for up to 40 pounds . Then he will be able to forward face till 65 pounds. 

EVENFLO PROCOMFORT TRIUMPH LX $160

This one I love the color! It also holds up to 65 pounds. It is a target exclusive. It has cup holders , gel material and you can recline! I feel like you're getting a lot for your money with this car seat. Also I'm from the area where Evenflo is made so sometimes I can be brand loyal. Supporting my old hometown. 

 EVENFLO SURE RIDE DLX 100.00$

Honestly this one looks massive in store! It's a bit intimidating. Again it Evenflo and holds up to 65 pounds. I really like the all black option on this one. It is missing some if the perks of the others but it's rated pretty high by people that have purchased it. I have a coupon for this car seat from my baby packet when I had Larkin. And I do like it. It's just really big! 

Well there you go after three months of narrowing down to three options I'm stuck. Let me know If you have a convertible car seat that you love or if you have one of these! 

 Xoxo 

I feel horrible

When I first started writing this blog I had every intention of staying on a two post a week schedule. After all I'm a stay at home mom. I should have the time right? Wow was I wrong. The only person I let down is myself. So November is around the corner and I'm committing myself to posting at least once a week. 

Let's talk about what's happened since the last time I've posted something. Well I now have not just a baby but a baby that babbles non stop and army crawls all over my floor. Every day he melts my heart. Every single day. Let's talk about some milestones this little guy has hit! 

At four months I started solids! It was a joint decision between everyone whose important in Larkin's life. Including his peditrictian. We started with single grain cereal (Beach nut) and moved on from there. I will be posting an entire post about the food process. I make all of his food and it's so easy! 

At five months he got a tooth!! So exciting. He also fully sat up this month. It was also the first time he said "mama" really clear. He now says both "mama" and "dada" . He says them both clearly and often. Nothing in this world makes me happier. 

At six months he got his second tooth and started to army crawl! I started to put him on his stomach when he was in the bath instead of in his little tub and I noticed he was able to pull himself forward. Previously he had been crawling backwards and turning all around. Now he's everywhere. He pulls himself up from laying on his back and he's flipped from his back to his stomach at least twice. 

I can't believe I have this little guy who is so strong and determined. It's gone so fast. So join me on my journey with a mobile baby. Some post that you can look forward too are : convertible car seat shopping, high chair shopping, sippy cup diary and homemade baby food. 

 See you in a little while! 

Rubber Ducky you're the one.

Hi guys! I want to get on a regular posting schedule so I'm hoping to do that soon. Also my boyfriend and I are talking about vlogging a couple days a week! So look for that. Today I think we will talk about bath time and what we do. 

I give Larkin a bath twice a week for the most part. I wish I could give him a bath every night just because it's a cute bonding experience and he seems to like it. Also he's so young there aren't many activities we can do a day. For right now it's just two days a week. He looks worried the entire time I'm giving him a bath but I can tell he's enjoying it.

I've found that baths do make him sleepy so I tend to give them like at 8/9 pm. Depends on his day. 

So here's everything we need/use. 

First here's the bath! It's from the brand summer and it sells at Target. I believe it's like 18 dollars and I love how functional it is. Larkin seems to be comfortable. I love the edges of it to keep him in a little more. I don't think he will be in it for a long long time but he really likes it for now.

We are really lucky with Larkin that he doesn't have sensitive skin. From the get go we've used this body wash and it hasn't bothered him. We always wash his clothes with regular detergent now. The only problem I have is that it is a little drying for him so I'm thinking about switching so I can bathe him more often. 

I got these as a shower gift. I love them! They are from Target. The elephant just really picks up the soap and makes it lather like I can't with a wash cloth. I do like the cloths because they are thicker than the other ones I have. They are the brand circo. 

When he gets out he always looks so cute in his little Target circo towel. I love these things. They keep him warm and they wash really nice. We have a ton of them. I got some as shower gifts and had some hand me downs. 

After he's done with his bath I do a baby massage. He giggles the whole time and smiles plus he smells sooooo nice after this. I just want to eat him up.

Then I put something like this on him. I like the zip up sleepers bc they are easier to for night time changes but I'm not too picky. Just anything to keep him warm. 

I then brush his ton of hair! This little man not only has a full head but it's thick! So we comb and brush it really quickly before it drys :). 

Not every time but every other I use these on the outside of his ears. They get some soap stuck in there every once in awhile. 

When experienced moms tell you to steal the nose sucker from the hospital, they aren't kidding. These things are AMAZING. I haven't used any others but I have no need too. I loveeeeeeeeee these things. If you haven't had your little man yet I highly recommend this! 

&& that's all! Thank you for reading. Xoxox - chels. 

Reminder to self , you are not super mom

I hate that term , super mom. I always thought I had to be perfect. I think it came from being a nanny. It is easy to have tons of energy and do everything right when you're a nanny. You get to go home at the end of the day and get a full nights of interrupted rest and your days off are spent doing whatever you want.

Being a mom is a lot more demanding. I am completely responsible for this little man. The minute someone talks about going somewhere I think about his needs first. How much food do i need? Is the temperature okay? What time do we leave so he naps in the car. Being a nanny I didn't worry about that stuff. As they say with more responsibility comes the bigger reward. I would give everything I have for the smiles I get from my little guy. 

With all that being said my little guy turns two months this Saturday and for the first time since giving birth I had a breakdown.. I've only left him for two hours once. Other than that it's been small little I run out the door and back within thirty minutes. And I only leave if he's sleeping. So hence my breakdown. I felt not myself , like I needed alone time. Which is crazy but that's what I needed. A mini break.. And it made me feel like an awful mommy. Because there is no one I love more than him but I needed a break? Now I didn't tell my boyfriend or my mom bc if I did they would have sent me out the door and told me to get better And it doesn't make you a bad mom.. Instead I hid it and just became grumpy. Not mad at Larkin at all, in fact he was the only one I wasn't mad at. I know all this is crazy but it's what I felt. 

I didn't get that break yet but I'm sure I will but just talking about it makes me feel so much better. Trusting in my soulmate that he will let me have that break and give me a chance to breathe.. I guess the point of all this rambles is : you deserve a break. No one is super mom . I hate that expression and I'll never use it again..  I'm the best mom to Larkin. That's what I am. And that's all he needs, doesn't need no super mom. 

 

Thanks for listening here's the little man today :) 

Xoxo - chels 

Larkin loves : BYE BYE.

I don't know how any other babies are at two months but our little guy loves to go! He's so good when we go out for the day it makes it easy. My cousin twins just hit one year old so she didn't need her stroller/ car seat set. So she gifted it to me. It was actually the one I wanted but green instead of red. Which is completely fine. 

It's the Chicco cortina set in zest. We absolutely love it! It's been a lifesaver.  Not only is it nice looking but it rides so nice and has tons of room. My diaper bag fits in the bottom and I put my phone and drink at the top. I'm glad he can grow with this set. Its also easy to clean. The material is great. We went to the beach and the sand wiped right off. 

Now it is a little pricy but safety first ! This is your childs life you're talking about. The extra bases are $85 a piece. 

It's very easy to unfold its a one button / trigger , so I can do it with one hand. Plus it's not too heavy.

Now when we are on the go larkin of course needs entertainment so he has some favorite toys. We also have a mirror so we can see him! He likes the mirror too :). 

I did have some owl straps on his car seat but it was interfering with safety so I ditched them. Ill picture everything below :) 

One of my favorite baby items I didn't know I was going to love. It's an absolute must. This isn't the exact one we have but I couldn't find the one so I found one that looks like it. I had the Eddie Bauer owl one but I didn't like the way it hooked.

These are the little mans favorite toys. The owl is something you can find at target or discount stores. The froggy is actually from his activity set but it's his favorite. He will giggle and talk to the frog all day. It's so cute . 

Ah here's the adorable owl strap covers that I can't wait to use when he gets a little bigger. They are so cute and you can find them at target. 

That's it for now anyone else have a travel system they love?!