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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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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Happy { Belated } 4th

You may have noticed that I have been M.I.A. for the past week. We were on VACA! Well, as much of a "vacation" as you can have driving 12 hours away with a 5 month old. ;) On our last day there, I came down with a serious cold, perhaps even the flu, so now I am fighting a sinus and ear infection that has led to laryngitis. Ugghhh. I WILL BLOG ON!

We went to John's parents' (Asher's Nonna and Grandpa's) North Carolina house for a week. John's brother's family went, as well, with their 3 kids so the house was full of life! In fact, the entire street was full of life as John's aunts and uncles all have houses there, too, so the whole week was filled with family, family, family. It was wonderful seeing everyone and many were meeting baby Asher for the first time. He loved every minute of it! Well, except for the drive...

I have so much to share from our week and will be breaking it down into several posts because there is just SO MUCH. Today, I'm going to share our wonderful family vacation pictures and July 4th pics. Asher was out by 8pm, so this year wasn't as exciting for him as future firework-filled Independence Days will be. But we were still festive!

Then, be on the lookout for these topics later this week:

Traveling with Baby + Packing Checklist
Babywearing for Outdoor Activities
10 Days Without Cloth Diapers
5 Month Update - Photos & Developments
Photographing Fireworks

Hopefully I can kick this bug quickly and get back to my frequent blog posts. There is always something to talk about in the world of baby!

Without further ado, here are some pictures from our family vacation to NC:

Our first day in the mountains, we broke out our Stokke MyCarrier for our visit to Chimney Rock. A complete review with more details and more pictures is soon to come, but I will say that this carrier was ideal for an outdoor activity such as this. Asher was 110% secure in the Stokke carrier and that made me feel much better about taking him 2280 feet in the air!

 

My white shorts are a Zulily steal!

Stokke MyCarrier with Bib Accessory

Asher's camera onesie was purchased from Kakabaka on Etsy

The next few days were full of rain (on and off, but mostly on) so they were spent visiting with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins.... and Asher was in heaven. We also went downtown and checked out the shops and restaurants a bit.

The sun stayed out long enough for us to take the Smokey Mountain Train Ride. It was loooong... but still a fun time. I'm so glad that Asher was exposed to trains so that he has some idea of why I often say, "Chug a chug a CHOO CHOO!"

{ We had an impromptu outfit change for Asher on the train ride home, so that's why there are two outfits going on in these train pics. }

My yellow shirt was a Zulily steal!

 

We decided to visit an indoor (covered) farmer's market to escape the heavy, heavy rain that eventually started and did not stop for the rest of the week...

Lillebaby Carrier - Complete review and detailed pics coming soon!

Now, 4th of July - still raining - complete with my first attempt at night photography using a tripod and remote. I think I'm in love! I'm going to have to play around with this awesome technique some more!

John wore the Stokke carrier with ease. It easily converted from my size to his.

What a fun vacation! I can't wait for next year when Asher will be running around with his little cousins. Oh - they grow so fast!!!

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Conquering Spit-Up Fashionably PART 1

We deal with a lot of spit-up. A lot. A lot, a lot. We've tried to find a rhyme or reason, some kind of method to this madness... but there really isn't much of a pattern other than a lot of spit-up, all the time. There are days when I can lay Asher down after a feeding and he is fine. Actually this happens quite often. He spits-up whether he is held upright or is in a sitting or laying position. Off and on, he spits-up immediately after eating and in-between them. He'll spit-up when he's overwhelmed - but sometimes he's totally fine. The only difference is the spit-up itself with different formulas. We've been through so many and it's pretty consistent in quantity and frequency. At least with his new formula, his spit-up isn't all acidic, curdled milk; that's a plus. 

So, when dealing with a baby who spits up a lot, you NEED to use bibs or you will find yourself changing their outfit umpteen million times a day. Ugh. Bibs.

I used to hate baby bibs. I even wondered to myself in those early days with this sweet, new baby eating from his bottle so delicately in my arms, "Why do these baby outfits all come with ugly bibs? Who would ruin the cuteness of the outfit with a BIB??" Now I know.

We only had 5 or so bibs until a few weeks ago. Don't even ask me how I did it. I don't know. 

"This bib? THIS BIB?? Mommy, you CRAZY!"

In an effort to save a little, I bought 2 packs of 10 bibs that were $10/each at Target. They aren't the cutest bibs in the world, but I needed something and fast. They work well during feedings, but they aren't nearly thick enough for our in-between spit-up occurrences. Asher laughs in the face of those bibs between his feedings. "HAHAHA!" Squashes them like bugs. Or maybe floods them like bugs, rather. I may just double up on them until he grows out of this problem. 

Lucky for us, I have come up with some other options that better fit our "bib criteria" and also are more fashionable! 

My Bib Criteria:

• CUTE
• THICK/ABSORBANT
• DURABLE TO WITHSTAND MANY WASHES

{Of course, with any bib you don't want to let your child sleep or nap with it on.} 

ZULILY SALE / Electrik Kidz - Bandana Style Bibs with Pacifier Loop

I got these super cute bibs from a Zulily sale featuring the brand Electrik Kidz. They're so adorable and also reversible, so they will work with many of different outfits. They seemed to be more targeted towards drool rather than spit-up, but Asher tested out the nautical anchor one just moments after snapping the last picture of him wearing it. It did the job!

LE PETITE BIRDIE - Stylish Boutique Bibs

I purchased these baby bibs from an Etsy seller, Le Petite Birdie. So far so good. They are lined with fleece to wick away the moisture. I'm honestly not sure how that works since it's on the back of the bib and I thought that moisture still would soak through while the fleece still feels dry... but I must be wrong, because these have been protecting Asher's outfits beneath them quite well. I don't understand the concept of a "stay-dry" fleece liner in a cloth diaper now.... Some serious 'Google-ing' is about to take place! Regardless, every time he wears one of these bibs, he gets compliments. In particular, the sock monkey patterned one has been a real hit!

I have some more bibs on their way, a few SCARF STYLE ones from another Etsy seller. Until those arrive and I've had a chance to try them out, this post is officially...

 To be continued...

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