I have no idea why I'm doing it. Well, I have a little bit of an idea, I needed 30 topics to make it through a month of blogging. And I'm almost done!
I think that's all I got today. I've got a long day ahead of me. The drive home begins in just a couple minutes...This is what I hope G dog does for a good portion of the trip home... But I kinda love him a lot when he's awake too.
For the most part I have good friends. I think in life there are life suckers, and there are life givers, there are high maintenance people, and low maintenance people. I've always had a good balance of friends when it comes to having people that just need me to listen and ones that I can talk about just about anything with. Sometimes I feel like I'm friends with people because my friends are friends with them, or my husband is friends with them, etc. But I know there are people that Paul calls friends because I'm friends with them. Its a good balance and its good to interact with people you love and click with, and those who you can't find much in common with. Maybe, I don't know.
I can see now that I'm rambling. I have a good excuse. It's black friday. Last night our shopping began at about 6PM. We only went to one place at 6:00. Then the real shopping started at about 10:30PM. We made a couple quick stops back at my in-laws in between stores and we finished at 9:00 this morning. I was the only one who had done black friday shopping before so I went to every stop on everyones list while the others picked and choose where they wanted to go so they could get some sleep. Needless to say I've been awake for almost 37 hours and I haven't found time for a nap yet ( and I don't think I will before bed time tonight). I'm way too old for this crap.
-Wallet -Sunglasses -Camera -2 Pacifiers -3 Pens -2 kinds of chap stick -Keys -Vitamins -A couple lists -A few receipts -Boogie Wipes -Cell Phone -A couple coupons -A necklace -A sucker -Mints -Gum -A business card from a furniture store where we want to buy a table -A bunch of change -Bobby pins -A pad -Paint swatches -A diaper
I need to clean out my purse. I think being on vacation adds to the stuff, but not by much. I need a new method to keep my purse organized.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
It's been a great day. We started it with breakfast. Then we went out and got some family pictures taken for our Christmas card. After that we relaxed, took naps, sat outside in the sun, and watched football. We had a delicious feast outside in the sun. Garrett and I cuddled and both fell asleep for a while. Then I went through the adds and we made our plan of attack. We ran to Micheal's at 5:00pm this evening for the start of their sale, 60% off cricut cartridges! And now everyone is sleeping, eating again, watching football, doing puzzles, having pie. It's a good day with lots to be thankful for. I love my little Gobble Bum.Such a cute little guy!Everyone IS thankful for him.It doesn't get much better than this...Oh wait, yes it does. Man, I love these two.
I'm sitting here in California on vacation, and you both just got here today to join us for Thanksgiving. I'm so excited you're here!
I could tell you that I'm grateful for all the financial help you've given me over the years, from my broken ankle that happened between me having health insurance, school, bad choices that left me stranded in different parts of the country, etc. But I wont add all that up because I don't want to depress you when you realize that if it wasn't for me you could probably own a small island somewhere exotic.
So I'll just say thank you for always being there for me, no matter what.
Thank you for never giving up on me, even when it seemed hopeless.
Thank you for never disappointing me.
Thank you for doing so good all these years at the most thankless job, parenting.
Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for loving Paul.
Thank you for loving Garrett.
Thank you for waiting 30 years for me to have Garrett so you could finally see me begin to realize the constant hard work and dedication it takes to be a good parent.
I've always known that I had parents who loved me, parents who worked hard, parents who wanted the best for their kids, parents who sacrifice, parents who know how to be good parents. But it wasn't until I became a parent that I really learned a new way to love. Thank you for being prefect examples of that kind of love.
I miss you both already, so much. (Utah and California aren't that far away...)
But if there is candy around, which anyone who has ever been to my house, knows that there is always candy around, I never want the kind of candy that is available. I guess its a good thing because I don't sit and eat it all day, but whenever I go to the store I want to buy candy. I didn't buy much or eat much candy when I was pregnant, so I thought I was maybe cured, but as soon as I was done being pregnant it started up again, maybe even worse. I don't buy it all the time, and I don't eat it all the time, but I'm aware that I want to buy it and eat it all the time.
And speaking of being not pregnant. I've been not pregnant for 2 months today! I can't believe my little baby is already 2 months old. He gets cuter and makes me happier everyday. And everyday I think its not possible, but it keeps happening. His 2 month check up is not until the 30th because of the holiday and being out of town.
This is my favorite kind of down time. It'll be a sad day when Garrett no longer falls asleep on him tummy while I'm holding him. I can't get enough!
Day 22: What makes you different from everyone else.
Don't get me started.
I'll just tell you what makes me different from Paul. I love to take pictures. He doesn't. He gives me a hard time about it, but I know he'll appreciate it eventually. I told him last night that I was looking at my baby scrapbook and it skipped from 2 months old to 8 months old. What did I look like from 3-7 months?!? Garrett won't have to wonder about that. He'll have 40 pictures from everyday to show him. ;)
My picture taking has actually slowed down a bit from 2 months ago, but I still love catching all the little happy moments. And here are just a few that I've captured the past couple days.
Day 21: A picture of something that makes you happy.
Another one that is way too easy. And here's a few other things that make me happy. We're on vacation right now and it was crazy thinking of everything we might need for Garrett on this trip. I think I did pretty well at packing and being prepared, but its made me realize how much stuff he has! He is a well taken care of little kid. I've seen a couple of moms-to-be and future Grandmas on this trip, so maybe this'll help with spoiling your little ones. Here's a list of a few things, almost all of which my mom survived without as a new mom, and its probably all stuff I could survive without, but its also fun and helpful to have. My friend Heidi did a lot of blog posts like this after she had her baby 8 months ago, and hers helped me prepare a lot. I think you can find her helpful lists under the category 'baby recs' on her blog HERE.
Activity Gym- Garrett loves being under his little gym. And I'm sure any gym would do. As long as it has a non-breakable mirror with it. He can entertain himself for hours with his own reflection. I've read that babies seeing there own reflection at a young age helps with learning to communicate. But whatever, I'm just going for fun things that help me survive at this point.Sheet Saver- These are kinda cool if you have a leaky or drooly baby. It just saves you from having to change the crib sheet as often. You just wash this instead of the sheet and it ties onto the crib bars just like bumpers do.Car Mirror- This is a must have for me. Before I got it I would get really nervous if Garrett suddenly went silent in the car and I was driving and couldn't check him. Now I can see him while I drive. And the one we got has a remote control with it and we can turn one music and a light.Garbage Can- My practical mom half-rolled her eyes at me when she saw this and learned that I wouldn't be throwing diapers in a regular garbage can. But I love it! This one, the diaper champ, keeps out the smell and you can use regular trash bags with it. It doesn't require the fancy expensive ones.Soothing Sound Maker- This helps Garrett stay asleep when we put him in his crib. It makes all different sounds like: rain, womb, waterfall, birds, thunder, and a few others. You can do a combo of 2, or mixed sounds as well. It also has a timer so you can set it for an hour and it shuts off after Paul, Garrett and I are all deeply sleeping. It's also like the only baby thing we have that comes with a plug! I've spent hundreds of dollars on batteries. Ok, not really. But everything uses batteries! This will run on batteries so you can take it in the car but it also plugs in. Love it. It soothes me too!Swing- Garrett slept in this at night the first couple weeks. We didn't let that go on too long but he was so comfy. Now he swings in it when he's awake and usually enjoys it. He even falls asleep in it sometimes, which is kind of nice.Helpful Books- I heard about both of these books a long time ago. Couldn't decide which one I wanted, and heard a lot of good stuff about both. So I bought both. They are both great, but if I had to recommend one it would be The Happiest Baby On The Block. I've realized that I've done a lot of what the book teaches already. And by the books definition, I have a really "easy" baby, but after doing more of what it teaches, Garrett is sleeping even better and longer at night and he's much easier to calm down when he's crying and he falls asleep for naps and bed time much quicker. He's been sleeping 6-8 hours a night for about 5 weeks now, (awesome, I know) but after making a couple little changes, he's going down earlier, falling asleep faster, and seeming to sleep more sound. I haven't read all of Healthy Sleep Habits yet. If I learn anything awesome, I'll tell you about it.Bath- We have a bad bathroom tub and kitchen sink for baby baths, so we bought this. We bath Garrett on the kitchen table and he LOVES it. It's a little baby spa tub and the brand is Summer, I think. It has a bubble maker that Garrett loves putting his toes under, and it's just deep enough that he doesn't get the chills when he's sitting in it. It also has a little shower head hose thing to rinse him off. Very easy to set up and he loves every minute of it, and we do too.Laundry Soap- I didn't use baby laundry soap at the beginning and I noticed a few red spots on Garretts chest. I don't know if they were from my regular laundry soap and I don't know if BabyGanics made them go away, but within a day of switching laundry detergent, the spots on him were gone, so this is what we use.Bottle Warmer- This is more for pumping moms or formula fed babies. But its really nice to have on your night stand if your baby wakes up and needs to be fed and you don't want to get out of bed. It chills bottles for up to 8 hours, and warms them in a minute and also has a built in night light. Very nice for the lazy mom in all of us.Incline Sleep Positioner- When I realized I didn't want my baby sleeping in a swing every night, I bought this. He seemed to wake up a bit when I'd move him from the the comfy curled up position of mamas arms to the totally flat on his back position of the crib. This helped him adjust, and its suppose to help with their oxygen flow as well. (This is at Grandma and Grandpa White's house.) You cant see the positioner very well, but its a foam wedge with bumpers on the sides that velcro on to adjust as he grows.A couple other tips.
Our baby monitor has a camera in G's room and a screen for us to see him. It works in the dark too and it reads the temperature in his room.
Don't by 30 X30 receiving blankets. They're too small, even for a 7 pounder. Get 30 X 40 or bigger.
Roll up changing pads are awesome for when you're out in public. Ours fits in the diaper bag and has zipper pouches for wipes, diapers and hand sanitizer.
Pacifier clips are nice, but I wish someone would invent something to store or hook the pacifier cap to.
Get a bottle cleaner that has a sponge on the end too, the bristles aren't enough to clean it well.
Babies don't need shoes, but they're so dang cute!
Snap sleepers are better that zip up ones because when you're changing a diaper you can just undo the bottom half.
Maybe I'll do this again later as I think of more stuff. Also, any tips or product ideas from other moms would be great if you have any!
This is what I hope G dog does for a good portion of the trip home...
But I kinda love him a lot when he's awake too.
I love my little Gobble Bum.
Such a cute little guy!
Everyone IS thankful for him.
It doesn't get much better than this...
Oh wait, yes it does. Man, I love these two.
And here's a few other things that make me happy. We're on vacation right now and it was crazy thinking of everything we might need for Garrett on this trip. I think I did pretty well at packing and being prepared, but its made me realize how much stuff he has! He is a well taken care of little kid. I've seen a couple of moms-to-be and future Grandmas on this trip, so maybe this'll help with spoiling your little ones. Here's a list of a few things, almost all of which my mom survived without as a new mom, and its probably all stuff I could survive without, but its also fun and helpful to have. My friend Heidi did a lot of blog posts like this after she had her baby 8 months ago, and hers helped me prepare a lot. I think you can find her helpful lists under the category 'baby recs' on her blog HERE.
Sheet Saver- These are kinda cool if you have a leaky or drooly baby. It just saves you from having to change the crib sheet as often. You just wash this instead of the sheet and it ties onto the crib bars just like bumpers do.
Car Mirror- This is a must have for me. Before I got it I would get really nervous if Garrett suddenly went silent in the car and I was driving and couldn't check him. Now I can see him while I drive. And the one we got has a remote control with it and we can turn one music and a light.
Garbage Can- My practical mom half-rolled her eyes at me when she saw this and learned that I wouldn't be throwing diapers in a regular garbage can. But I love it! This one, the diaper champ, keeps out the smell and you can use regular trash bags with it. It doesn't require the fancy expensive ones.
Soothing Sound Maker- This helps Garrett stay asleep when we put him in his crib. It makes all different sounds like: rain, womb, waterfall, birds, thunder, and a few others. You can do a combo of 2, or mixed sounds as well. It also has a timer so you can set it for an hour and it shuts off after Paul, Garrett and I are all deeply sleeping. It's also like the only baby thing we have that comes with a plug! I've spent hundreds of dollars on batteries. Ok, not really. But everything uses batteries! This will run on batteries so you can take it in the car but it also plugs in. Love it. It soothes me too!
Swing- Garrett slept in this at night the first couple weeks. We didn't let that go on too long but he was so comfy. Now he swings in it when he's awake and usually enjoys it. He even falls asleep in it sometimes, which is kind of nice.
Helpful Books- I heard about both of these books a long time ago. Couldn't decide which one I wanted, and heard a lot of good stuff about both. So I bought both. They are both great, but if I had to recommend one it would be The Happiest Baby On The Block. I've realized that I've done a lot of what the book teaches already. And by the books definition, I have a really "easy" baby, but after doing more of what it teaches, Garrett is sleeping even better and longer at night and he's much easier to calm down when he's crying and he falls asleep for naps and bed time much quicker. He's been sleeping 6-8 hours a night for about 5 weeks now, (awesome, I know) but after making a couple little changes, he's going down earlier, falling asleep faster, and seeming to sleep more sound. I haven't read all of Healthy Sleep Habits yet. If I learn anything awesome, I'll tell you about it.
Bath- We have a bad bathroom tub and kitchen sink for baby baths, so we bought this. We bath Garrett on the kitchen table and he LOVES it. It's a little baby spa tub and the brand is Summer, I think. It has a bubble maker that Garrett loves putting his toes under, and it's just deep enough that he doesn't get the chills when he's sitting in it. It also has a little shower head hose thing to rinse him off. Very easy to set up and he loves every minute of it, and we do too.
Laundry Soap- I didn't use baby laundry soap at the beginning and I noticed a few red spots on Garretts chest. I don't know if they were from my regular laundry soap and I don't know if BabyGanics made them go away, but within a day of switching laundry detergent, the spots on him were gone, so this is what we use.
Bottle Warmer- This is more for pumping moms or formula fed babies. But its really nice to have on your night stand if your baby wakes up and needs to be fed and you don't want to get out of bed. It chills bottles for up to 8 hours, and warms them in a minute and also has a built in night light. Very nice for the lazy mom in all of us.
Incline Sleep Positioner- When I realized I didn't want my baby sleeping in a swing every night, I bought this. He seemed to wake up a bit when I'd move him from the the comfy curled up position of mamas arms to the totally flat on his back position of the crib. This helped him adjust, and its suppose to help with their oxygen flow as well. (This is at Grandma and Grandpa White's house.) You cant see the positioner very well, but its a foam wedge with bumpers on the sides that velcro on to adjust as he grows.
A couple other tips.
