Are 2018 resolutions still resolutions if they aren't written out in blog format in January?
Who knows, but I figured I'll write this out real quick while it's still the 31st just in case my carriage turns into a pumpkin at midnight, or something.
I don't normally do the whole goals/resolutions thing, at least not at the beginning of every year, because I tend to believe that goals can be made and accomplished any time you want and there's no reason to wait until a new year starts to get cracking.
That said, I have a couple things floating around in my mind that I'd really like to work on and I guess if I write them down it makes me more accountable.
1. Work on my fitness.
I know, I know. This is basically every person's resolution every single time the calendar switches over, which is why gym memberships skyrocket and the Nike store is sold out of half their products. The thing is, I had a baby last July. I love her to death, and I wouldn't trade her for the best physique in the world, but pregnancy really took a toll on my body. I had grand illusions of having a "fit pregnancy" and I pinned a crap ton of pregnancy workouts on Pinterest and YouTube with the intention of gaining as little weight as I could while still being healthy and giving Imogen everything she needed. Unfortunately, I was really sick from weeks 6-13, and I literally could not stomach anything but bagels, crackers, bread, and more bagels. Eating healthy food made me sick, not eating anything made me feel even worse, so "carbs" became my safe word. Before having Imogen, I was in probably the best shape of my life. I was going to the gym several times a week, hiking with Isaiah almost every weekend, running and lifting weights and working on leaning out and getting more defined muscles. I had a body fat percentage I was proud of for once in my life, and I didn't want to cry anymore when I stepped on the scale. I've known through trial and error and lots of macro experimenting that too many carbs make me gain weight, so you can imagine what eating nothing BUT carbs for almost two months did to me. I also think my genetics factored in a bit, because I didn't eat THAT unhealthily after I started feeling better, but I ended up gaining 45 pounds. My mom told me she gained something like 60 pounds when she was pregnant with me, but it all dropped off really easily after I was born. I was hoping my own 45 pounds (on a 5'4" body that's not pretty) would drop off just as easily, but - whomp whomp - it didn't.
I wish I could say I've been working really hard at losing weight and I don't know why the scale isn't moving, but that would be a lie. I don't eat like crap - really, I don't - I don't eat much sugar and I don't snack on junk food and I don't overeat - I just haven't been exercising really much at all. Imogen is almost 7 months old, and I still have 30 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
It's my fault, and I'm owning it - but I'm also going to change it. I've started using My Fitness Pal again to track my macros, and now that Imogen is taking fairly regular naps that are longer than 30 minutes I don't have any excuse to not exercise. We have a treadmill in our house, and the way I first started losing some weight back in 2015 was with Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guide (circuit training), and I want to start doing that again too. Isaiah and I plan to start going to the gym together again soon, and we even ordered a portable playpen so we can take Imogen and not have to worry about getting a babysitter (we go to the trooper academy gym, so we can take her - in case that sounded weird).
I know a lot of people say "9 months on, 9 months off!" but 2 months from now is an unrealistic amount of time to lose 30 pounds if I want it to stay off, so I'm going to try really hard to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by Imogen's first birthday on July 2nd. That gives me 5 months, an average of 6 pounds per month. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work, but I'm ready. I'm sick of wearing jeans that are 3 sizes bigger than I used to wear, and I'm sick of not being able to wear 95% of my closet because everything is two sizes too small for me right now. I look at pictures from last summer and I want to be really upset that I let this happen, but it's also a little bit motivating because I know what I can accomplish and how I can look if I try really hard, and I'm ready to try really hard.
2. Stop feeling guilty over not being able to breastfeed Imogen.
I haven't blogged much about it because it's still a really big source of guilt and hurt, but long story short, I had every intention of exclusively breastfeeding Imogen until she was at least a year old. For the first week or so of her life, nursing was going really well. She was gaining weight, my milk came in just fine, and (I thought) she was getting the hang of latching. Then something stalled. She stopped gaining weight at an appropriate rate. She was fussy (so, so fussy) every time I would try and nurse her. She would nurse for two minutes, then pull away and start crying and thrashing around and doing this odd little head-banging move. I went to the lactation consultant at our clinic, and we tried so many things. Different positions, different nursing pillows, making sure I had a good letdown (not over/under-active), and so on and so forth. Finally, she checked for a tongue tie and, lo and behold, Imogen had not only a severe tongue tie but also an upper lip tie, which was preventing her from latching properly and, since she wasn't latching properly, she wasn't getting enough milk. In turn, that made my milk supply take a huge nosedive - supply and demand and all that. We ended up flying down to see a specialist in Washington who fixed her lip and tongue when she was 3 months old, but by then, she had already had so many bottles of pumped milk and formula that we were never able to get back to breastfeeding. She would just get so frustrated because my supply was low, she was used to instant gratification from bottles, and every time we tried to nurse, one or both of us would end up crying. The last time I nursed her was November 30th. She wasn't even 5 months old.
I struggle every day with "what ifs". What if we had discovered/fixed her tongue tie earlier? What if I had just tried harder to nurse her? What if she hadn't been born with those issues? What if not being able to bond over breastfeeding hurts our relationship in the future? What if the fact that she's not a very snuggly baby is because she's somehow subconsciously mad at me for not nursing her? What if we have to go through this all over again with our next baby? I know half of those questions are irrational, but being a mom makes you pretty irrational sometimes. Starting now, I want to stop beating myself up over the whole situation, and just be thankful that she is perfectly healthy and thriving on bottles and formula. Besides, we're on our way to transitioning to solid food, and by the end of the summer she won't be needing bottles anymore anyway. I want to just be happy that formula and bottles exist to feed my baby, and not feel guilty and start tearing up every time I run across a blog or Instagram post about someone else's amazing breastfeeding journey. I also want to be proud that we endured so many months upon months of lactation consultant appointments, therapy appointments for her jaw/latching issues, weigh-ins at the doctor to make sure she was still gaining weight, the hours upon hours of pumping I've done in order to give her SOME milk, even if it's not ALL milk - and not have those feelings of guilt come creeping in again every time someone else finds out we're doing bottles of formula now and kind of acts like maybe I didn't try hard enough. It's happened - I don't like it - but I'm done letting it get to me.
3. Curb my spending/earn some money.
I wouldn't classify myself as a shopaholic, but having a baby kind of makes you want to buy ALL THE THINGS. Imogen does not need one more outfit until she actually grows out of what she currently has. She does not need one more toy until she hits a new developmental stage and rattles and crinkle books just aren't fun anymore. She does not need one more book until - okay, that's a lie, she always needs more books.
Still, I need to quit buying her things she doesn't need right now/yet, and instead I'd like to find a way to earn some money from some of the clothes and things she's outgrowing. I've been saving a good amount of her clothes in case we have another baby girl someday, but there have also been many bags donated to the thrift store. I do like donating things so someone else can have nice baby clothes for a fraction of the cost, but I'd also like to start selling some of her nicer stuff so I can recoup some what I've spent on her clothing. There's an app called Kidizen where you can buy/sell new and used baby clothes from other moms, and I'd really like to start selling some stuff on there. I ordered a printer on Amazon so I can print shipping labels (I'm such an adult now!) and as soon as it comes I'm going to try and get some stuff listed. And then put that money into savings and not immediately spend it on more baby clothes.
So, those are the three things I'd like to work on this year. If you have any magic potions to make me instantly drop 30 pounds, let me know - I'm excited to get back into the exercise grind but also very much NOT looking forward to the amount of hard work I know it's going to take. Yikes.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
2018 Reading Challenge
I've never heard of this reading challenge before, but when I read saw it on Kristin's blog today, I suddenly felt more motivation to read books than I have in quite a while. I had quite a lofty goal of 40 books in 2017, and I think I ended up reading something like 22. Insert an [excellent!] excuse about how I had a baby and had zero motivation to read any books that didn't pertain to nursing, sleep training, or baby development during the latter half of the year.
This reading challenge from Modern Mrs. Darcy has you choose 12 books, which I find to be a much more attainable goal than the 20-30 I was thinking about attempting to read. I blame Goodreads and all of you people who somehow find time - with kids - to read 50-60 books a year. Tell me your secrets because as soon as nap/bedtime hits, all I want is Netflix.
So, here is my official list of books I'd like to read in 2018. I'm putting 12 books down for my Goodreads reading challenge goal, with these dozen in mind. If you've read any of these and think I would be better off choosing something else, feel free to let me know. I'm open to suggestions, too!
Also, confession...I'm a dummy and didn't know what "a book in translation" meant. I had a hunch but I still had to do a little Google search.
#1. A classic you've been meaning to read. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's honestly a little shameful that I've never read this book, considering how much I love the movie. I even own a beautiful copy of this book...that I've never opened. Tsk tsk, me.
#2. A book recommended by someone with great taste. Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor. My friend Michelle is my number one go-to for book recommendations. She recently gave this one 5 stars, and that was good enough for me. It's also set during WWI and I'm a huge sucker for war novels.
#3. A book in translation. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. This is another book I've been meaning to read for a while. I've been told by some that it's a little bit dry and the audiobook is better, but I cannot - repeat, cannot - get into audiobooks. I've tried. The most I've been able to sit through is about 3 chapters of The Devil in the White City, when I was holed up in a dark room the entire evening after getting LASIK in December. My Audible trial is about to run out and I'm going to just have to lose that audiobook because I'm not paying for a service I'll never use. I digress...we'll see how it goes with this book, whether I think it's hard to read or not!
#4. A book nominated for an award in 2018. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich. To be honest, I had to spend a good half hour Googling books that have been nominated for awards this year. This one was on the 2018 shortlist by the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (naturally). I'm not entirely sure how much I'm going to like this book because it involves a man with early-onset dementia and that topic does tend to hit a little too close to home (my dad), but I'll give it a good college try.
#5. A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection. The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings by Edgar Allen Poe. I've always been somewhat fascinated by Poe, despite not really having read much of his work. I'm excited to delve a little bit into the mind of a famous poet.
#6. A book you can read in a day. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I had to Google "books you can read in a day" also. I just don't tend to gravitate toward shorter books for some reason. This one is described as a sort of psychological thrilled/horror book and after reading the synopsis, I'm intrigued.
#7. A book with more than 500 pages. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. This one has been on my to-read list for quite a while, and it just so happens to be 531 pages. Score.
#8. A book by a favorite author. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I've read both The Lake House and The Secret Keeper, and really enjoyed both, even though I wasn't entirely thrilled with the ending of The Lake House. Still, even though I've only read 2 out of 5 books by Kate Morton, I would consider her one of my favorite authors. I really like the way she weaves a tale.
#9. A book recommended by a librarian or indie bookseller. Wool by Hugh Howey. I don't personally know any librarians or indie booksellers, but it just so happens that our local bookshop puts little cards next to the workers' favorite books, describing why they like them. I just so happened to notice this one at the bookstore the other day and apparently it's one of their favorite books, so I'm counting it as an indie bookseller recommendation.
#10. A banned book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Once again, I've seen the movie but never read the book. I've been meaning to read this one for a long time; seems like 2018 is going to be the year I finally get around to reading books I've had my eye on for a while!
#11. A memoir, biography, or book of creative nonfiction. Spaceman by Mike Massimino. I've seen this one recommended several times around the blog world, and if multiple people are recommending it, I figure it's probably a decent read. I just hope it's not like The Martian, because I think I'm the only person who absolutely hated that book (the movie was okay).
#12. A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity or religion than your own. Silence by Shusaku Endo. I've been going back and forth on whether or not I want to watch the movie based on this book, so I figure I'll just go ahead and read the book and then decide if I want to watch it. The author is Japanese, and I am definitely not, though (fun fact!) I did take 3 years of Japanese in high school.
I think I'll update this list as I read these books, and let you know what I think of each one!
Are you doing any sort of reading challenge this year?
Sayonara!
Labels:
books
Friday, January 12, 2018
Baby Recommendations: 4-6 Months
I had so much fun writing my 1-3 month baby recommendations, I thought I'd do another one for 4-6 months! I had a couple people tell me that the post was helpful, and I always aim to please, so here's another set of stuff! Some of it is a need (like, books) and some of it is just nice to have (like, baby specific spoons for eating) but they're all things we've really enjoyed recently and, if nothing else, hopefully it gives you some good ideas for your own baby or baby shower gifts!
None of these links are sponsored, of course - mama don't play like that. Enjoy!
Feeding
Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons. I haven't really tried a bunch of baby spoons yet so I can't really claim that these are the BEST, but after buying them, I don't really feel the need to experiment with other spoons! I really like that you can set them down and the little plastic piece on the underside makes it so the mouth part (?) doesn't actually touch anything. The spoon isn't too big for Imogen's mouth and the handle is nice and long so when she inevitably grabs it to try and feed herself, I can keep my hand far enough away from hers that I don't get sweet potato or peas smeared all over my hands too.
OXO Tot Waterproof Silicone Bib. I mean, I guess you don't NEED a bib in order to feed your baby, but it sure makes for less laundry. The pocket on the front seems gimmicky, but it has definitely caught more banana chunks than I can count. I even did an experiment and ran one through the dishwasher (top rack) and it came out just fine!
Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder. This is honestly more just for fun than anything else, but there's something so cute about dumping some puree (or whole foods, whatever!) in this feeder and handing it to your baby and watching them chomp down on it. I just put some butternut squash in it yesterday for Imogen and she went. to. TOWN. She had that thing emptied within minutes.
Clothing
Earth Elements Long Sleeve Bodysuits. For some reason, it's really hard to find solid colored onesies for babies that 1) aren't organic and also 2) don't cost an arm and a leg. I tried for WEEKS to find a solid black onesie for Imogen before I finally found these and ordered one. And it's great!! Good quality, not thin or scratchy, and washes really well.
Earth Elements Short Sleeve Bodysuits. Same thing as above, just short sleeved!
H&M Denim Leggings Is there any thing cuter than a baby in jeans? I submit to you that there is not. And I LOVE these. They're inexpensive (considering), they're stretchy and fit her really well, and the sizing is accurate. She has the 6-9 month size and at 6 months still has some room to grow in them, which is quite a miracle considering she's already growing out of her 6 month footie pajamas because the girl is so darn tall.
Bathtime
Skip Hop Dunck Stacking Ducks. If your baby is anything like mine, they're OBSESSED with cups. Big cups, little cups, smacking them, chewing on them, trying to "drink" out of them. These are kinda cup-like, but they're duck shaped so they're cuter. Imogen loooooves them.
Mesh Hanging Bath Toy Organizer. You wouldn't think a 6 month old needs many toys, but somehow we've amassed a giant collection of rubber ducks, squirting rubber fish, those duck cups I shared above, a swimming plastic penguin, some foam bath letters...and I had nowhere to put all of her bath toys, so I asked my mom to buy her this for Christmas. It's perfect. It holds ALL her toys with room to spare, and I can even keep her baby shampoo/body wash up in one of the pockets. This one comes with an extra suction hook, too, which is nice for hanging up a washcloth.
Boon Soak 3-Stage Bathtub. Last time, I recommended the Puj Flyte for a baby bathtub. This time, I'm here to tell you that our 27" long 6 month old has officially grown out (way out) of that tub and needed something bigger. She isn't sitting up independently yet, so we can't just plop her in the big tub and let her do her thing, so this tub is a nice intermediate option. The insert in the bottom (with the bump on it) can be removed and turned around to accommodate smaller babies or bigger ones like Imogen. You can also take it out completely if you have a baby who sits up but isn't ready to be turned loose in the full size tub. The only complaint I have is there's no way to hang it to dry, so it's kind of in the way in our tiny little bathroom, but that's okay. It works well and will last us a while so I'm fine with tripping over it sometimes.
Bedtime
Halo Sleepsacks. (fleece) (cotton) I am proud to say we have officially ditched the swaddle (as of 2 months ago, haha). Our house tends to be on the cooler side, so we like using sleep sacks with Imogen. I have a cotton one and a fleece one, so depending on her pajamas, we use one or the other (cotton pjs + fleece sleep sack / fleece pjs + cotton sleep sack). These Halo ones aren't the cheapest ever, but they're great quality and wash really well. They zip from the top, which I really like. Hopefully someday they'll be more of a comfort item for Imogen...right now she knows it's sleep time when she gets put into it so it kinda cues the tears at the moment, but I'm told that won't last forever.
Burts Bees Zip Sleepers. I guess these kinda fall under both bedtime and clothing, but these are some of my favorite pajamas for Imogen. They're soft and come in a ton of different colors/patterns, and they ZIP, which for some reason is hard to find in pajamas unless you spend a lot of money. They do tend to run a little bit long, so keep that in mind, but for a long baby like Imogen it's actually a good thing because she is already growing out of her 6 month Carter's pajamas. Eyeroll.
Playtime
Hedgehugs Board Books. (another one) (another one) These are some of our favorite little board books! By "our" I mean "mine" since Imogen neither understands nor cares about books yet, but they're ones I won't mind reading over and over if she asks me to when she's older. I'm a firm believer in stocking up on books *I* like right now.
Winnie the Pooh Crinkle Book. It's a book! It's a chew toy! It's something to smash on the ground over and over! It's one of Imogen's favorites. She loves that it crinkles, I love that it has a carabiner-style clip on it so we don't lose it.
Other Gear
Skip Hop 3-Stage Activity Center. So, this item was a little bit of an investment, but it has been a LIFE SAVER. After Imogen started learning to roll, I officially couldn't use her swing anymore, and she started hating being laid down in the Rock and Play a long time ago. I needed some way to put her down and keep her entertained while I do things around the house. She LOVES it. It's not too heavy so I can move it all around the house, which is nice because she's happier if she can watch what I'm doing. It converts into a table, too, so when she's older we can use it without the toys. She's been using it since about 4 months, and we'll be able to use it for quite a long time still.
Graco Bumper Jumper. This was one of Imogen's Christmas presents, and I'm only sorry we didn't buy it earlier. She has been obsessed with jumping while we hold her for a while now, and the minute we put her in this jumper, she immediately knew what to do. She started squealing and screeching and giggling while she jumped for the first time and it was just the cutest thing ever. The only stupid thing is that it comes with these two attachable toys that are...safari animals?? The seat has trees and bears and such on it, nice and forest themed...and then it comes with a zebra and a lion to attach to the straps. Huh?
Infantino 4-Way Baby Carrier So, we have the Ergo. It's the original, not the 360 or whatever, so it doesn't allow for face-out carrying of a baby. Imogen has never liked it. She never liked being carried in a wrap as a tiny baby, either. She's too wiggly, likes to see what's going on around her, and hates being confined (ask how much she loves her car seat). As much as I wish she was a bit more snuggly, she's just not, and that's okay - it's her personality. But I always had a sneaking suspicion that as soon as she was old enough, she might just tolerate an outward facing carrier. And I was right. This carrier allows for inward-facing, outward-facing, and back carrying. It's significantly cheaper than the Ergo and many other carriers, which is why I decided to give it a shot. I figured if she hated it, I'd just return it to Amazon, no problem. Except we tested it out last night and she was totally, 100% fine with it as long as she was facing outward. I like that the carrier has zip pockets and an adjustable crotch width depending on the size of your baby, and it's not impossible to put on. I even find the Ergo a little difficult to put on, but this one's pretty easy. Did I mention it's not terribly expensive? They even make versions with different fabric and no pockets that are closer to $20-30, if that's closer to your budget. I'm thrilled we found something she'll tolerate as far as carriers go, and I can't wait to take her on some walks sans stroller!
None of these links are sponsored, of course - mama don't play like that. Enjoy!
Feeding
Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons. I haven't really tried a bunch of baby spoons yet so I can't really claim that these are the BEST, but after buying them, I don't really feel the need to experiment with other spoons! I really like that you can set them down and the little plastic piece on the underside makes it so the mouth part (?) doesn't actually touch anything. The spoon isn't too big for Imogen's mouth and the handle is nice and long so when she inevitably grabs it to try and feed herself, I can keep my hand far enough away from hers that I don't get sweet potato or peas smeared all over my hands too.
OXO Tot Waterproof Silicone Bib. I mean, I guess you don't NEED a bib in order to feed your baby, but it sure makes for less laundry. The pocket on the front seems gimmicky, but it has definitely caught more banana chunks than I can count. I even did an experiment and ran one through the dishwasher (top rack) and it came out just fine!
Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder. This is honestly more just for fun than anything else, but there's something so cute about dumping some puree (or whole foods, whatever!) in this feeder and handing it to your baby and watching them chomp down on it. I just put some butternut squash in it yesterday for Imogen and she went. to. TOWN. She had that thing emptied within minutes.
Clothing
Earth Elements Long Sleeve Bodysuits. For some reason, it's really hard to find solid colored onesies for babies that 1) aren't organic and also 2) don't cost an arm and a leg. I tried for WEEKS to find a solid black onesie for Imogen before I finally found these and ordered one. And it's great!! Good quality, not thin or scratchy, and washes really well.
Earth Elements Short Sleeve Bodysuits. Same thing as above, just short sleeved!
H&M Denim Leggings Is there any thing cuter than a baby in jeans? I submit to you that there is not. And I LOVE these. They're inexpensive (considering), they're stretchy and fit her really well, and the sizing is accurate. She has the 6-9 month size and at 6 months still has some room to grow in them, which is quite a miracle considering she's already growing out of her 6 month footie pajamas because the girl is so darn tall.
Bathtime
Skip Hop Dunck Stacking Ducks. If your baby is anything like mine, they're OBSESSED with cups. Big cups, little cups, smacking them, chewing on them, trying to "drink" out of them. These are kinda cup-like, but they're duck shaped so they're cuter. Imogen loooooves them.
Mesh Hanging Bath Toy Organizer. You wouldn't think a 6 month old needs many toys, but somehow we've amassed a giant collection of rubber ducks, squirting rubber fish, those duck cups I shared above, a swimming plastic penguin, some foam bath letters...and I had nowhere to put all of her bath toys, so I asked my mom to buy her this for Christmas. It's perfect. It holds ALL her toys with room to spare, and I can even keep her baby shampoo/body wash up in one of the pockets. This one comes with an extra suction hook, too, which is nice for hanging up a washcloth.
Boon Soak 3-Stage Bathtub. Last time, I recommended the Puj Flyte for a baby bathtub. This time, I'm here to tell you that our 27" long 6 month old has officially grown out (way out) of that tub and needed something bigger. She isn't sitting up independently yet, so we can't just plop her in the big tub and let her do her thing, so this tub is a nice intermediate option. The insert in the bottom (with the bump on it) can be removed and turned around to accommodate smaller babies or bigger ones like Imogen. You can also take it out completely if you have a baby who sits up but isn't ready to be turned loose in the full size tub. The only complaint I have is there's no way to hang it to dry, so it's kind of in the way in our tiny little bathroom, but that's okay. It works well and will last us a while so I'm fine with tripping over it sometimes.
Halo Sleepsacks. (fleece) (cotton) I am proud to say we have officially ditched the swaddle (as of 2 months ago, haha). Our house tends to be on the cooler side, so we like using sleep sacks with Imogen. I have a cotton one and a fleece one, so depending on her pajamas, we use one or the other (cotton pjs + fleece sleep sack / fleece pjs + cotton sleep sack). These Halo ones aren't the cheapest ever, but they're great quality and wash really well. They zip from the top, which I really like. Hopefully someday they'll be more of a comfort item for Imogen...right now she knows it's sleep time when she gets put into it so it kinda cues the tears at the moment, but I'm told that won't last forever.
Burts Bees Zip Sleepers. I guess these kinda fall under both bedtime and clothing, but these are some of my favorite pajamas for Imogen. They're soft and come in a ton of different colors/patterns, and they ZIP, which for some reason is hard to find in pajamas unless you spend a lot of money. They do tend to run a little bit long, so keep that in mind, but for a long baby like Imogen it's actually a good thing because she is already growing out of her 6 month Carter's pajamas. Eyeroll.
Playtime
Hedgehugs Board Books. (another one) (another one) These are some of our favorite little board books! By "our" I mean "mine" since Imogen neither understands nor cares about books yet, but they're ones I won't mind reading over and over if she asks me to when she's older. I'm a firm believer in stocking up on books *I* like right now.
Winnie the Pooh Crinkle Book. It's a book! It's a chew toy! It's something to smash on the ground over and over! It's one of Imogen's favorites. She loves that it crinkles, I love that it has a carabiner-style clip on it so we don't lose it.
Other Gear
Skip Hop 3-Stage Activity Center. So, this item was a little bit of an investment, but it has been a LIFE SAVER. After Imogen started learning to roll, I officially couldn't use her swing anymore, and she started hating being laid down in the Rock and Play a long time ago. I needed some way to put her down and keep her entertained while I do things around the house. She LOVES it. It's not too heavy so I can move it all around the house, which is nice because she's happier if she can watch what I'm doing. It converts into a table, too, so when she's older we can use it without the toys. She's been using it since about 4 months, and we'll be able to use it for quite a long time still.
Graco Bumper Jumper. This was one of Imogen's Christmas presents, and I'm only sorry we didn't buy it earlier. She has been obsessed with jumping while we hold her for a while now, and the minute we put her in this jumper, she immediately knew what to do. She started squealing and screeching and giggling while she jumped for the first time and it was just the cutest thing ever. The only stupid thing is that it comes with these two attachable toys that are...safari animals?? The seat has trees and bears and such on it, nice and forest themed...and then it comes with a zebra and a lion to attach to the straps. Huh?
Infantino 4-Way Baby Carrier So, we have the Ergo. It's the original, not the 360 or whatever, so it doesn't allow for face-out carrying of a baby. Imogen has never liked it. She never liked being carried in a wrap as a tiny baby, either. She's too wiggly, likes to see what's going on around her, and hates being confined (ask how much she loves her car seat). As much as I wish she was a bit more snuggly, she's just not, and that's okay - it's her personality. But I always had a sneaking suspicion that as soon as she was old enough, she might just tolerate an outward facing carrier. And I was right. This carrier allows for inward-facing, outward-facing, and back carrying. It's significantly cheaper than the Ergo and many other carriers, which is why I decided to give it a shot. I figured if she hated it, I'd just return it to Amazon, no problem. Except we tested it out last night and she was totally, 100% fine with it as long as she was facing outward. I like that the carrier has zip pockets and an adjustable crotch width depending on the size of your baby, and it's not impossible to put on. I even find the Ergo a little difficult to put on, but this one's pretty easy. Did I mention it's not terribly expensive? They even make versions with different fabric and no pockets that are closer to $20-30, if that's closer to your budget. I'm thrilled we found something she'll tolerate as far as carriers go, and I can't wait to take her on some walks sans stroller!
Labels:
the kid,
things I like
Monday, January 1, 2018
Life Lately #14: Happy New Year!
Reading: Still plugging away at Eve in Exile. I would say I haven't had much time to read, but that's not entirely true. I do have time to read, usually while Imogen is napping, but I seem to always find other things I'd rather do. I go through phases, I suppose. Sometimes I plow through books like there's no tomorrow, other times I'd rather do anything BUT read. I had a goal to read 40 books this year. Then I had a baby. I think I read 22. Whoops.
Watching: So there's this fun show on Netflix called Ultimate Beastmaster, and if you're feeling pretty good about your physical fitness level, I'd recommend watching this show for a dose of humility. Or for a dose of motivation, either one.
Listening to: Not Christmas music. I am officially burned out on Christmas music.
Wearing: Pajamas, because it's 7pm and I'm certainly not leaving the house again at this ungodly hour.
Smelling: Not a whole lot at the moment, thanks to a lovely cold I managed to catch while in Seattle for Christmas. Sniff, cough.
Eating: Only healthy foods because holy moly did I NOT watch what I ate the last month, and my non-shrinking waistline is evidence of that.
Loving: The new Polaroid photo printer Isaiah got me for Christmas. It connects via Bluetooth to my iPhone and I can print little 2x3" photos anytime, anywhere. So far, yes - they've all been of Imogen. But it was so fun to be able to print a couple of photos for my mom on Christmas. We also drove down to see Isaiah's grandpa in Oregon right after Christmas, and we had the waitress at the restaurant take a group photo of all of us - and I was able to print him a picture right there on the spot, which he loved.
Annoyed with: Amazon. For the last month, I haven't been able to upgrade a single item to expedited shipping. If I don't expedite things, I'm lucky if they arrive in less than two weeks. I finally hopped onto their chat support today to find out if they've changed something about their Alaska shipping policies and got a non-answer from someone named Vinayak. So yeah.
Wanting: Sleep, and lots of it.
Laughing at: Every single article on the Babylon Bee. It's the Christian version of The Onion, and every time I read one of their articles I laugh so hard I almost cry. This one poking fun at essential oils had me rolling. I also cannot stop looking at this screenshot of Imogen eating sweet potato puree for the first time. Her face...
Feeling: Tired. It's hard enough being sick without a kid, but it's ten times harder when all you want to do is take a double dose of Nyquil and go to bed at 4pm but you can't because, like, you still have to feed and play with your baby for another few hours.
Thankful for: SCIENCE. I haven't talked much about it (first because I wasn't sure I was actually going to get it, and second because I wanted to see my final results) but I got LASIK surgery while we were in Washington. For the first time since kindergarten, I can see without glasses or contacts. It's honestly bizarre (but amazing) and I'm still getting used to it, and also pushing up phantom glasses about every 5 minutes all day long.
Watching: So there's this fun show on Netflix called Ultimate Beastmaster, and if you're feeling pretty good about your physical fitness level, I'd recommend watching this show for a dose of humility. Or for a dose of motivation, either one.
Listening to: Not Christmas music. I am officially burned out on Christmas music.
Wearing: Pajamas, because it's 7pm and I'm certainly not leaving the house again at this ungodly hour.
Smelling: Not a whole lot at the moment, thanks to a lovely cold I managed to catch while in Seattle for Christmas. Sniff, cough.
Eating: Only healthy foods because holy moly did I NOT watch what I ate the last month, and my non-shrinking waistline is evidence of that.
Loving: The new Polaroid photo printer Isaiah got me for Christmas. It connects via Bluetooth to my iPhone and I can print little 2x3" photos anytime, anywhere. So far, yes - they've all been of Imogen. But it was so fun to be able to print a couple of photos for my mom on Christmas. We also drove down to see Isaiah's grandpa in Oregon right after Christmas, and we had the waitress at the restaurant take a group photo of all of us - and I was able to print him a picture right there on the spot, which he loved.
Annoyed with: Amazon. For the last month, I haven't been able to upgrade a single item to expedited shipping. If I don't expedite things, I'm lucky if they arrive in less than two weeks. I finally hopped onto their chat support today to find out if they've changed something about their Alaska shipping policies and got a non-answer from someone named Vinayak. So yeah.
Wanting: Sleep, and lots of it.
Laughing at: Every single article on the Babylon Bee. It's the Christian version of The Onion, and every time I read one of their articles I laugh so hard I almost cry. This one poking fun at essential oils had me rolling. I also cannot stop looking at this screenshot of Imogen eating sweet potato puree for the first time. Her face...
Feeling: Tired. It's hard enough being sick without a kid, but it's ten times harder when all you want to do is take a double dose of Nyquil and go to bed at 4pm but you can't because, like, you still have to feed and play with your baby for another few hours.
Thankful for: SCIENCE. I haven't talked much about it (first because I wasn't sure I was actually going to get it, and second because I wanted to see my final results) but I got LASIK surgery while we were in Washington. For the first time since kindergarten, I can see without glasses or contacts. It's honestly bizarre (but amazing) and I'm still getting used to it, and also pushing up phantom glasses about every 5 minutes all day long.
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life lately