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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Asher's Closet - 6 to 9 Months

Lately I have been throwing so much clothing into the "Too Small" box in the corner of Asher's nursery. His closet has been dwindling down until I recently realized that there is not much left that fits! Other than the much-too-big 12 month sized outfits I have stuffed in the back of the closet, almost everything else is now outgrown. What else to do then build his wardrobe back up with some shopping?

My biggest peeve about baby clothes is that it is really hard to find something UNIQUE! It seems like anything purchased from the department store is sure to be seen on at least 2 other babies within the week. We want individuality around here! { Even if I am the one who chooses the said outfits... :) } So, I am left with no choice but to shop online, which, is one of my favorite past times. So it all works out. 

Another issue with buying baby boy clothes for us is the FLORIDA HEAT! All those cute layered baby looks pinned all over Pinterest and featured in photo shoots left and right... yeah, those aren't happening around here. We have to go with as few layers as possible, foregoing the socks and hats to boot. So much for coordination! We'd like the thinnest fabric available, please.

So, what IS Asher wearing these days?? I'm glad you asked. Let the baby fashion show begin! (Joan would be so proud.)

1. Rock Me Grasshopper One-Piece | 2. Tea Collection Fish Romper | 3. City Threads T-Rex Tee Charlie Rocked Striped Shorts | 4. Tea Collection Skull Tee & Surf Short | 5.  Carter's Firetruck Tee & Red Fitted Short | 6. Jumping Beans Truck Tee & Khaki Pants 7. Jumping Bean Robot Onesie & Patch Pants 8. Jumping Bean Sherrif Onesie & Plaid Short 9. Jumping Bean Car Onesie &  Blue Pants | 10. Jumping Bean Dig It Onesie & Cargo Short 11. Carter's Anchor Short Set 12. You had me at HOLA! Onesie

Thankfully, we no longer are dealing with the extreme spit-up that forced us to change clothes every hour or go diaper-only. This makes for one happy mommy. Now I can dress this kid up with all the fun looks!

I have to admit, I am a sucker for Ebay when it comes to baby clothes. I don't buy used, just new items with and sometimes without tags. Not that there's anything wrong with used clothes, I  have just had a bad run of luck when it comes to purchasing pre-owned articles of baby clothing, so I steer clear now. A few of the outfits shown here were purchased on Ebay. It takes commitment. Think at least one hour of scrolling through search results just to find one cute outfit. I'm picky. And apparently I have too much time on my hands. { I wish! }

I like to mix just a few "higher end" pieces in, but not too many because these clothes don't stick around long. If I'm lucky, I'll get 2-3 months out of something and I'm really pushing it there near the end. I probably could get a few more wears out of some of his things, but just the thought of stuffing Asher into something tight while he wiggles around and fights putting his arms and legs through the holes makes me just move on to something else. Into the bin it goes!

"How does this pug look on me, mom?"
You also may have noticed our old rug is back. The new one was the worst quality ever! :(

Zulily, of course, has been an excellent source of unique and fashionable baby clothes. Diapers.com has a nice range of options from lower end to higher end and their app makes shopping fast and easy. Kohls.com has some great things, too!

I have learned not to wait too long to wash clothes that you think you have a few months to go until they'll fit. Most of these clothes SHRINK! I can't tell you how many times I pass something by thinking it's still too big, then when I finally go to put it on Asher it's too small! :( Mommies beware.

I know one day Asher will thank me for putting so much time and effort into his perfectly coordinated and balanced infant wardrobe... Bahahaha! 

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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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Teething Update - Tooth Watch + Sign for "Hurt"

We are still on TOOTH WATCH only now it has been raised to "Severe". There are no teeth in sight yet, but there are lots of fun teething symptoms going on around here.

Reinventing these terms so commonly used by the national weather services, let's define "tooth watch" and "tooth warning":

Tooth Watch - An announcement that the eruption of a tooth and teething symptoms are possible.
Tooth Warning - A tooth or teething is imminent and expected, i.e. a tooth has been spotted

Any day now we'll be upgrading this "tooth watch" to a "tooth warning" when a little peak of white pops through those pink gums. That will not be a fun day! I wish I could fast forward a few weeks and bypass this horrible discomfort, but I know the relief would only be temporary as teething is not a short-term deal.

We are fortunate that Asher is easily distracted so the crankiness comes in short spurts. We've been surviving the extra painful moments with Hyland's Teething Tablets (in moderation, once per day if needed), frozen blueberries or peaches in our Nuby Nibbler, and cold teething rings.

1. Munchkin Teething Ring  2. Hyland's Teething Tablets  3. Nuby Nibbler with Frozen Blueberries/Peaches/Ice
4. Sophie the Giraffe 5. Lots of Hugs and Kisses! :(

{ Side note about the Nuby Nibbler - I like the one with the handle MUCH  better for handling purposes and because you can hook it to his pacifier clip so that it doesn't get thrown on the floor. A warning about using bananas in it, though - you will not be able to get the black gunk out of the net! Ick. }

Last night, Asher woke up around 10pm for a midnight snack, then was wide-eyed-and-bushy-tailed for about an hour and a half. I put him temporarily in his bassinet while I got ready for bed and he made sure to tell me that he was having some teething pain (although he was, surprisingly, tear-free). Check out his super impressive baby sign language for "hurt":

We actually have never practiced the baby sign for "hurt" with him, but he's only seen it on the Baby Signing Time DVD like a billion times, so I am not surprised he picked it up. Well... I kind of am, actually. There's no denying that this definitely looks like his mouth hurting is what he was trying to convey and he is having teething pain, so, it only makes sense. Smarty pants I tell ya. He's goin' places, this one!


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B2C - Night 7 + Wooden Teething Toy

Oh my goodness... can you get enough of that old-man-face cuteness?? I can't either.

We are on B2C NIGHT 7 - the transition from the bassinet to the crib. Last night Asher woke for a bottle around 1am (his eating schedule has been rearranged so I do believe he was legitimately hungry) and then it took him just a few minutes to fall back to sleep and he slept until about 6 when we brought him in with us until 8:30 for some extra Zzzzs.

This afternoon, we put him down for a nap in his crib at about 3:30 and he was asleep around 4:00. He resisted and we attempted to let him cry a little until I offered him a comforting hand to squeeze after about 10 minutes of steady tears and frustration. Within 5 minutes of that, he was asleep. I guess it was like a modified CIO. I just can't do the real thing but I don't think we'll need to. He napped for an hour and a half. Yipee!

It was bedtime at 7:07 and by 7:28 he was sound asleep and has been every since. He didn't cry, just groaned and grunted his way into slumber-land. He did let out one cry and needed my hand to squeeze for just a minute right before he nodded off. Hey - we may be onto something here. We'll just wean the hand and should be golden. Stay tuned.

Our newest excitement is this wooden teething toy from Hennie Rose on Etsy. This is one of the few teething toys that he actually likes chewing on. This shop has the cutest things! I might also get Asher one of the pacifier clips that has the wooden beads on it, as well, considering he is always chewing on the straps of his. So neat! I wanted to share. 

As luck would have it, we have to rise early again tomorrow to get a few things done at our shop while there's still time to get a shipment out. Oh well, maybe we'll hit breakfast after that if we get early enough of a start. Who knows what's on the agenda for the rest of the weekend... maybe the zoo? ;)

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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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6 Month - Half Birthday Prep & Pics

Well, almost! Asher's "official" 6 month half birthday is this Friday, August 9th. Can you believe it has been 6 months already?!??! It feels like just yesterday I was feeling him kick inside my belly.

It is just incredible how quickly they grow. Not just physically, but mentally, too. I'll get into detail with everything like a usually do after I take his 6 month onesie growth picture. Plus, I've got some seriously awesome news on baby signing. Be sure to check back in a few days for that!

We have a 6 month baby photo shoot set up with our photographer, Caroline Nicole Photography, on the 17th. I'm still not 100% sure where we are going to do them. I am torn between a beach setting or park setting. Maybe there's a beach with a park that would cover both bases. We'll see. I'll have to brainstorm on some spots. Ideas are welcome!

WARDROBE!

I've been collecting outfits for Asher's 6 month photos for awhile now and am SO EXCITED because they're just absolutely adorable (if I do say so myself)! #1 is perfect for the shoot with Caroline since we'll be outdoors and it will be HOT. I have another onesie on its way that is similar but with a vest instead of suspenders. #2 is going to be perfect for whatever we end up doing on Friday. #3 is going to be used for an indoor portrait session by ME! Or, it may be too big and it will be saved for a later date. #4 I purchased before Asher was born and I hope it still fits! It's size 0-6 month, so we will see. If it fits, I'll bring it along for the outdoor session.

*** WHERE TO BUY FIND THE ABOVE OUTFITS ***

1.  Tie/Suspender Onesie - Laddies & Lasses on Etsy

     Onesie with Vest (not pictured) - The Accent Shop on Etsy

     Hat - Born to Love Clothing (I found on Zulily sale...)

2.  Custom 1/2 Onesie with Matching Legwarmers - Kakabaka on Etsy

3.  3-Piece Vest Outfit - Macys

     Newsboy Hat - Born to Love Clothing (I found on Zulily sale...)

4.  Giraffe Romper - Mud-Pie

5. Ruffly Blanket (Shown under the clothes above and will be the perfect beach blanket for our pics. Also, this store is now on my list for go-to baby gifts - this is the most adorable blanket I've ever seen! I'll have to be extra careful with it during our photo shoot not to ruin it.) - All the Truffle on Etsy

As for me, I am going to wear a white shirt with white pants? Maybe, maybe not. And a turquoise statement necklace. I bought John two shirts to try on. I'm not falling into the figure-out-what-you're-going-to-wear-on-the-day-of-the-shoot trap again. Here's what I have going on in my head:

PROPS!

I also had John make some half birthday photo props for our little guy. One that says '1/2' and one that says '6mo.'.  We also are now selling them! Here's a link to our store if you're interested: 1/2 Birthday Photo Prop

I also found a really neat vintage wine box on Etsy for Asher to sit in. I hope it gets here in time!

Did I mention I am excited???

The good thing about having this photo shoot on the 17th (other than more than enough time to prepare) is that Asher will be sitting like a pro by then. He is getting more and more steady sitting without his hands. In a week's time, he'll have it down, I'm sure. Here's a quick video of his skills...

Needless to say, there is much excitement around here with our little half-year-old. I hope I have a chance to make a half cake for him. More half birthday news and pictures coming soon!

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Photos with Baby Marley

Today, baby Marley and her mommy, Nancy, came over to take some photos while both her and Asher's daddys were outside working on John's boat. We were totally content indoors in the cool a/c while the guys were melting in the Florida heat.

While I snapped picture after picture of this little beauty, baby Asher watched happily from his Rock 'n Play. Both he and Marley were such great sports throughout the whole process! There was hardly a tear all day from either of the little ones, and that is saying something! I was excited to get some extra practice in on some of the new backdrop items I recently purchased and Nancy was just as excited to get some photos of her little angel.

Marley was such a pleasure to take pictures of and she is just so darn cute and photogenic!

After the mini "photo shoot", both babies fell fast asleep. I'm telling you, we couldn't have planned the whole thing better. So, while the "models" rested, Nancy and I whipped up some Carrot Margaritas as featured on Cupcakes and Cashmere. I know, it sounds like a strange recipe - but they turned out awesome. I didn't have red pepper flakes, only ground red pepper which worked just fine with a tiny sprinkle on top. It finished it off with the perfect 'kick'. We even brought a few to the guys who were still working diligently outside in the heat. How they can be outside for more than a few minutes (hours!) in this weather, I will never know. We had a fun time connecting with "mommy-talk" while the babies finished up their naps.

Oh - and I will deny any allegations of using a baby bottle to measure the correct ounces of liquor. ;)

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