Stale Cereal, Mama, Dada, & Doggy

Our Labor Day weekend was productive and eventful! We cleaned out our kitchen pantry which was much, much needed - even more so than I realized. I won't miss the cans of soup from 2008 or the box of stale cereal that had been taking up precious shelf space for months. We now actually have a place to store our baby formula and rice cereal! It's the small things in life, it really is.

This weekend also marked a very exciting milestone for baby Asher. He said "Mama" and "Dada"! Check it out...




We also think we may have heard "Doggy" but the jury's still out on that one. How exciting! These are definitely some of the greatest moments in parenting. And the 6 month cuddles... I die!

This month also marked another record breaker at our shop. Holy moly - we are busier than ever! I have to apologize for my lack of blog posts but this momma has been busy, busy, busy. Thank goodness that 6 1/2 months also brought some self-entertainment skills and Asher is able to play happily on his own for a little while. Our Pack and Plays have finally become our go-to lifesaving baby gear during the day. We keep one at our shop and have one in our living room now, too. He actually took a nap in it while we were getting our clean on in the pantry. Woop-woop!

This week is going to be another hectic one while we continue to fulfill the orders that have been pouring in throughout the past month. Asher's rearin' and ready to go with Signing Time and his Pack and Play. :)

Enjoy our latest iPhone favs and have a wonderful short week!

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Immune Boosting Maple Cookies

It's been one of those weeks (hence the lack of posts the past few days!).

On top of one of the busiest weeks at our Etsy shop that we've EVER had, my car battery finally died. It's been on it's last leg for the past few months; we knew it was going to. Every time I get into my car, the time is 10 more minutes behind. I have been helplessly late to everything because of this battery! (At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.) Yet, somehow we kept finding ways of putting the replacing of it off. Apparently BMW batteries are NOT cheap. Thankfully, when it finally decided to kick the can, Asher was not with me to melt in the 98 degree heat and John was just down the road. 

I felt ANOTHER cold coming on and even though I am not a proponent of taking antibiotics at every given chance, I decided to hit up that extra z-pack I had in my medicine cabinet. Last time I was sick, it lasted for 3 weeks and my ears still don't feel quite right. I didn't want to take any chances.

Which leads me to my next hiccup this week... I haven't been out in the sun in AGES. So, I decided to hit the tanning salon (I know, I know!!!) to give myself a tiny base tan and some much needed vitamin D. I've literally only been out in the sun one time in the past... year???... so, hey, give me a pass on this one. Anyways, I forgot that antibiotics make you sensitive to sunlight and I got burned, baby, burned! I just hope my red hot skin tames down before my massage scheduled for this Sunday. If not, that will really top everything off for me. This momma needs to get her relaxation on and I am not about the let a faux sunburn stop me!

On the positive side of things, our transition from the bassinet to the crib has been going magnificently well. The past 2 nights, Asher has slept through the night again (10-11.5 hours) and gone to sleep within 10 minutes of being put down. He's even starting to cooperate with being put down for naps, now, too. (Insert applause - make that standing ovation - here!) Take that Cry-It-Out. We barely even needed to use you. :)

So in celebration of our baby sleeping soundly at 6:30pm and also as a band-aid to my oh-so-stress-filled week, I decided to whip up some sinfully delicious Maple Cookies this evening. Did you know maple syrup (the real stuff, people, not that high-fructose-corn-syrup-crap) has immune boosting properties? Maple syrup contains zinc and manganese, both of which are key players in the function of your immune system. So if you happen to eat one too many of these cookies - it's all good! You're just building up your immune system, after all!

MAPLE COOKIES - FIND THE RECIPE HERE

Oh, you thought I made that recipe up? Not a chance. ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Go and get some sun - some real sun - but don't forget your SPF! Learn from my mistake. 

...Lastly, I have to leave you with at least one cuteness shot from this week. Check out these adorably chunk-a-licious Jumperoo lovin' legs! Go, baby, go!

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SUPERBABY, Zany Zoo, + Phone Favorites

I should have a badge made that says "Crazy Mom". I am the mom whose baby fell asleep in his crib without fussing (woo-hoo!) and then decided to lug in my camera and a tripod to take some pictures of him in the dark. Risky business. Fortunately, he did not wake up. He stirred a few times and I held my breath - but thankfully he didn't wake while I was clanking around in there just a few feet away from him. I said I was crazy, didn't I?

NIGHT 6 OF BASSINET TO CRIB TRANSITION

Today, Asher only napped about 15 minutes in the car. He was up at 9 (well, up at 6, ate, then came to our room until 9. I was so tired I didn't even want to attempt the re-inserting of the paci over and over again from across the house. He went right back to sleep in our room. Bad mom! TIRED MOM.)

Any-who, he was officially up at 9, ate breakfast, then was off to work with me. He got a bottle there and we unsuccessfully attempted napping a few times. We were back home by 2.  He had lunch then we TRIED napping. He wasn't having it. Before I knew it, 5pm came around and he looked super sleepy. Since late afternoon naps can mean long, sleepless nights, I kept him up and we did bath, bottle, book, a little more from his bottle, and bed by 7:30. He fussed until that last few ounces so I think he was just still hungry? His appetite has been all over the place lately. He was out as soon as I put him down. So much for putting him down while he's still awake like "the experts" say to do, but we're doing our best here. I'm still rather new at this. :)

Presenting... SUPERBABY! He could fight crime in his sleep. He's a super sleeper.

Alas, the night is still young. I flipped our little flat head onto his side after taking these pics and got these little nuggets with my phone. Um, you're welcome.

cotton booty cuteness ;) aka cloth diaper fluffy butt

Drool spots on the sheets are probably only cute when babies do it. Or maybe it's cute for all children, but certainly not adults. Just a word to the wise. ;)

On another note, our new big boy toy came in and I, I mean Asher, was so excited! We got him a Zany Zoo that he can play with while sitting up. He already loves flipping open the doors, spinning, flicking, pressing, twirling... and he can't even see everything on top yet!

I can't even. These pictures are so edible I don't know which ones to make smaller. They're all full-size worthy. Indulge yourself in the cuteness...

Without further ado, it's time for my iPhone Favorites from the past few weeks. I am a little behind on getting these up since we've been so crazily busy. Enjoy! 

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Happy Half Birthday - 6 Months of Fun!

6 Month Update - Development & Milestones

I've said it and I will say it again, I can't believe it has been 6 months already since our sweet baby was born. 1/2 of a year! It went by so, so fast.

Asher is so much more lively and interactive now than ever before. He is happy all day and lets us know with a huge, as John would say, "Kool-Aid grin" that stretched from ear to ear. He laughs, he plays, he is curious... and he is so smart!

SIGN LANGUAGE UPDATE - 6 Months

Asher is now signing:

Dog

Milk

Up

Eat

More

We have seen glimpses of...

Cereal

Mama

Dada

Water

He gave up on:

Banana 

Carrot

I have now introduced these new signs:

Diaper

Change

Sleep

Sleep Clothes aka Pajamas

Train

Airplane

Car

Ball

Bath

Pacifier/Binky

Play

SIGNING IN USE...

The other night, I had to change Asher's diaper after having already put him to bed. While on the changing pad, he signed "milk". I wouldn't have otherwise given him any since he had just eaten, but once I did he ate the whole thing! This is just amazing to me and really solidifies our desire to continue with baby signing.

Here's a video of our little signer showing off his skills signing "dog" when he sees and hears the pugs during his pictures this morning...

MILESTONES @ 6 MONTHS

• Asher can now sit without using his hands for support (still topples over after a minute or so).
• Crawling "inchworm" style, still, only he is now making more progress in terms of moving across the floor. He can't yet lift his belly and support himself on his hands and knees, but once he figures that out - watch out! He'll be unstoppable.
• Sounding out "brrrr", "thhh", "deh", "meh", and blowing spit bubbles. I swear I heard "mama" and "dada" tonight but it may just be wishful thinking. ;) I DID hear "eee-ooo" while he was trying to  do peek-a-boo and I'm pretty sure he wants to say "doggy" so badly!
• Can drink from a sippy cup (but loses his grip within a few seconds). Just a tiny bit of water with his "crackers" (which I then discovered "may contain milk or soy" - oops - so I made homemade ones and will share the recipe soon. They also said they contain "organic flavor"? What the heck is "organic flavor"??? I am getting crunchier by the minute...)

Half-birthday onesie from Kakabaka on Etsy.

TEETHING UPDATE

We are still on "tooth watch"! Nothing yet, but lots of crankiness in the evenings, so something must be moving around in there. We've got a close eye out for anything breaking through...

We've been giving Asher 2-3 Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets in his bottles whenever he seems to be experiencing teething pain. We also picked up some BabyGanics Teething Pods which I have only had to break out once and it really seemed to have helped a lot. 

SOLID FOOD UPDATE

Asher loves solid foods! He loves them so much that he will only drink half his usual amount of milk in the mornings and is extra finicky with bottles now. I had to start giving him brown rice cereal (against my original plan) so that I could mix more milk into his solids to thicken everything up.

It's been about 2 weeks now that he has been eating brown rice cereal and over the past week or so we have seen an onset of mild eczema on his face, arms, legs, and chest. I am not sure if this is related to the rice cereal or the introduction of stage 2 baby foods (which have multiple ingredients in them) so I am going to be doing some backtracking to stage ones and hopefully I can figure out what is causing this issue. Our city has also made changes to the water recently and it smells like awful chlorine now, so maybe it could be related to that... It's so frustrating! His next doctor's appointment is just around the corner, so unless the skin issue takes a turn for the worse before then, we'll address it then.

POSTPARTUM UPDATE

My hair is still shedding like crazy - when does this stop?!?! Otherwise, things are pretty much back to normal, for the most part. Thank goodness!

Giving Suki the "stink eye". :)

Happy Half-Birthday to our ENERGETIC little jumping bean. He is so sweet and loving but he is also showing signs of never ending ENERGY! Those feet - they just go and go and go. We have our work cut out for us with this one, I think. Oh and that mischievous smile... Yes, we are in trouble. 

We love you baby Asher! 

Don't tell Daddy, but now it is time to start planning your 1-year birthday...

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The Teething Monster

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It's been a whirlwind few days of cranky baby, cloth diaper annoyance, and a disdain for cleaning and cooking. I was a little too ambitious with adding in homemade meals every night. I mean, it's just me here eating it. I learned the hard way that a lot of food goes to waste. So, I am going to aim for every 2-3 days since leftovers will fill in just fine. Oh - don't get me started on the diapers. I am so over the diapers. For now. Update soon. I promise. 

Dare I say our little bundle is finally sleeping soundly and has been since 7:45pm? What a relief. We've been having "bedtime battles" for the past few nights and Asher has been winning. He just doesn't want to sleep! Here's a little snippet of what we've got going on at bedtime...

This will last for hours! Eventually I'll go get him, try my best to keep him calm out in the living room with me covering all the bases - change, feed (if he'll eat), burp - then I'll put him back to bed and the cycle continues. Thank goodness that tonight he is letting me take breather and is staying in bed - asleep. Hallelujah. 

The little guy is also starting to show signs of teething discomfort. They're coming! He's been gnawing on anything and everything much more often and much more forcefully than ever before. Around 5pm, like clockwork, it seems the aching starts to get the best of him and the tears start to break through. He pulls on and pats his cheek and ear and the most calming thing for him has been a cool teething ring. He even prefers it over his paci. Poor little guy. 

"I never asked for teeth!!!"

Although our household has been turned somewhat upside-down for the past few days with lack of sleep for everyone and the 3 Cs of the Wonder Week (clingy, cranky, crying), we still have a content and happy baby for most of the day... As long as you're holding him or playing with him. Hence the aforementioned disdain for cleaning. So, without further ado, here is a fun compilation of his happy and giggly moments throughout the past few days followed by my latest iPhone favs... Gotta keep it lighthearted up in here. ;)

You see? A teething and wonder week filled household can still be a fun and laughter filled household! You just have to find the silver lining. Let's just say we all needed that video around here.

I bought this for Asher, and when it arrived it was MY SIZE! Talk about luck!

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