Let the madness begin…

How in the world is Thanksgiving only a day away?! Where did the Fall season go (heck where did the last year go!)? We are hosting Thanksgiving again this year and even though it will be a small affair (just 6 adults & Harper) I can’t wait! I’m attempting to make the day a little more formal than Dan and his family are used to….but I love hosting and what better time to pull out all the nice glasses & serving dishes we recieved for our wedding?! I’m also jazzing up the menu a little bit and turning away from the more traditional dishes I’m used to having (though don’t worry too much…turkey is still on the menu!). I’m a little worried about how it will all turn out (no test run!), but luckily the in-laws eat just about anything! 🙂

However, with Turkey day upon us it also means that Christmas is coming around the corner fast and that means…..time to SHOP! 🙂  I’ve considered joining in the rat race that is called Black Friday, but ulitmately decided that I just couldn’t handle it with a baby. The only part of holiday shopping that stresses me out is parking, but luckily in the city I can take the train downtown and not have to worry about it! Once there I get an adrenaline rush with all the people, lights, and craziness! I typically don’t buy many gifts online since I enjoy the madness of shopping, but this year I think I might break that trend since getting out with Harper can be tough and unpredictable. There are a few gifts I will pick up in person (since I know exactly where/what I need to get)….but instead of strolling the shops looking for inspiration I will be strollign the world wide web!

Obviously I’m not going to blog about what I’m getting certain people, but thought I would share some items that we are looking at getting Harper. Maybe it will give inspiration for others who are wondering what the heck to get a baby. We’ve been putting off buying her certain items so that we could do a bigger Christmas (yes I know she will have no memory of it and I 100% admit this is totally for my pleasure) and I can’t wait for her to open them on Christmas day. 😉

Dan and I are interested in a more montessori/waldorf learning style so we tend to stay away from any toys that have lights or sounds, basically no toys with batteries. We feel that it enhances a child’s imagination and creativity. We also tend to favor toys that are made of wood and other natural substances and try to stay away from plastics.

Battat Zany Zoo

This is Harper’s “big gift” from us this year. I cannot even express how excited I am! It will still be a little too old for her at Christmas but we want something that she will grow into and be able to enjoy for a long time. Other mom’s that I’ve talked to have said their kids loved this toy from 8-9months up until 2+years! It’s perfect for little ones to explore as well as work on their fine motor skills and pincher grasp.

Plan Toy Stacking Rings

I love the Plan Toy brand! They have amazing quality wood toys. I’ve found several well known wood toy companies to be of much lower quality (Melissa & Doug to name one) but Plan Toy always gets great reviews and hold up really well! I love this stacking ring because unlike other stacking rings the pole is the same size all the way up and the holes are the same on all the rings. This allows the baby to stack the rings in any order at first (meaning they can begin playing with it at a younger age). As Harper gets older we will work on her learning her colors and how to stack biggest to smallest.

Plan Toy Oval Xylephone

As we transition Harper’s room from a standard nursery to an infant/toddler montessori room (more on that later!) we plan on having a music/dance corner for her to explore. With this in mind we want to begin collecting appropriate instruments for her to play with. She also seems to like hitting/banging anything she can get her crazy little hands on….might as well give her something fun to hit!

Baby Einstein’s Stack and Discovery Blocks

We have a great set of wooden blocks for Harper to play with eventually, but we want something a little softer for now (since she tends to hit herself in the head with small toys…). I love these blocks by Baby Einsteins because they have so many different features on them! The crinkle sides will be sure to be a big hit with Harper since she LOVES her crinkle book!

Crocheted Ball Rattles

Balls are a great toy for little ones who are just learning to be mobile! They are easy to hold and when pushed/rolled away they encourage a baby to move and scoot closer! Crocheted balls are easy to clean and give a more textured grip for little ones to hold on to! (disclaimer: I know I could make these really cheap….but I haven’t built up my skills enough yet to do it! Anyone feel like making me 2-3 crocheted balls?! Hehe!)

Raggedy Ann & Andy Dolls

These will actually be a gift from Harper’s great-grandmother/father. My grandmother is a firm believer that all little girls need at least one doll and asked if she could buy her her first doll. I gladly said yes and just requested that it be a “soft” doll so Harper could start loving on it right away. She picked out the Raggedy Ann & Andy doll and I love it! Classic and sweet 🙂

On top of these gifts we are also getting Harper several new books (she has yet to enjoy being read to…but I’m determined she will grow up with a love of books!!), some larger sized diaper covers, a set of wool diaper covers (yay!), christmas pjs, and some baby leg warmers for her stocking!

She is going to be one spoiled little girl! 🙂  Gotta love the benefits of being the oldest! 😉

Moments

The other day I looked over at my sweet baby girl playing in her Bumbo and by some trick of the light saw a little girl….not a baby. In that instant I saw the little person she is becoming. I’m not ashamed to admit it, I cried a little.

5 amazing months have passed since she entered our life and everyday gets better than the last. There are so many little moments that I want to hold on to, want to remember exactly how they felt, want to never never forget.

By far my favorite time of day is the evening. That last hour or so before Harper goes down to bed. We both climb into a warm bath and let all the craziness from the day drift away while she splashes around and I tell her the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Sometimes we listen to music…sometimes we sing….and sometimes we just relax in the quiet. Once we are warm, toasty, and wrinkled we climb out and I give Harper her bedtime massage while humming her lullabyes. We finish by putting on our PJs and laying down in bed so she can cuddle/nurse to sleep.

Since she goes to bed so early (6:30-7:00) it gives me plenty of time to enjoy dinner with Dan or relax with a glass of wine by myself when he is working.

When it’s time to go to bed we attempt to do so quietly so we don’t disturb her but she usually starts to stir (I honestly think she can smell me enter a room!). I climb into bed and we assume our sleep positions – both on our sides facing each other (her in her bed and me in mine) and holding hands.

Could there be a better way to end the day?

Other amazing moments are just watching her explore and learn new things everyday. It is amazing how a little one can go from not knowing how to do something to being an expert in it in just a day!!

5 Months Stats:

• Weighed in at 14lbs even! She has officially doubled her birthweight 😦  My tiny baby no more! Height is an impressive 26inches!! Tall & skinny still!
• Sleep – slowly getting better!! 🙂  We seem to be over the 4 month wakeful (thank the lord!) but her sleep still gets disrupted some nights due to teething. She goes down around 6:30-7:00 and sleeps until 7ish in the morning waking a few times to eat during the night. I’ve been hoping to break the nurse to sleep habit and she slowly seems to be moving that way. About 75% of the time she will nurse until full and then turn her head away and drift off to sleep. She has a death grip on me the whole time though so sneaking back out can be difficult! The first hour after she falls alseep she stirs frequently but she seems to be self-soothing herself about 1/2 the time with no crying. Baby steps….baby steps!
• Teeth seem to be right around the corner! She seems to be following in my footsteps and having a rough time at it. Her gums get inflammed and she is miserable for a few days…and then it goes away with no teeth to show for it! Blah! We have been trying to find ways to ease the discomfort but haven’t found the solution yet. Our main problems is she HATES anything cold/frozen (she wants to hold it herself and hates the cold on her hands!).
• We bought her a jumparoo, which has been a big fail so far. 😦  She has no interest in jumping and the toys on it seem to only piss her off! One toy in particular seems to annoy her the most. I’m not sure what she wants the flower to do…but it definately doesn’t do it! She grabs it with both hands while giving it the “stare-down” and then escalates to yelling at it and slapping it. Oh my the toddler years are going to be fun! So far the jumparoo only holds her attention for about 5 min max…..just long enough for me to run to the bathroom or gobble something quick to eat! 😉
• We are planning on starting table foods on Christmas day but Harper has to be able to sit unassisted very well for it to be safe. She is getting stronger core strength every day and can almost tri-pod sit for a few seconds but I’m not sure she will be ready by Christmas. Oh well! 🙂  If not then I have no problem waiting a few more weeks for solids!
• She recently learned how to fake cough. She thinks it’s fun (and I’m sure enjoys the extra attention) but her poor anxiety filled father is going to have a heart attack soon if she doesn’t stop! He freezes and stares every.single.time she does it! I know he is just waiting to hear that horrible whooping cough. The rise of pertussis scares the crap out of both of us!

If the first 5 months have been this crazy wonderful how are the next 5 years going to be?!