Carousel Ride

Yesterday Brett took a day off work and the weather was beautiful, so we took Leah to Pullen Park. This time we got to ride the Carousel. Brett had really been looking forward to riding with her, and at 13 months, she was finally old enough. At first, she really really didn't like it. We think it was just because it wasn't moving and she didn't really know what was going on. Once it got started, she just sat quiet and expression-less. She still didn't really look like she was having much fun. Maybe she was just uncertain. We made up for the supposed "torture" by taking her to swing afterward. That was WAY more fun to her!

13 Months Old

My 13 month old:


- Is down to 2 bottles a day, although she's still stubborn when it comes to drinking milk from a cup, so sometimes I cave & give her one mid-day. I can usually force a few sips down her from the cup but she rarely wants to do it herself. I've started moving the bedtime bottle up to dinner time so she can get used to going to bed without a bottle. Eventually I will just replace that one with a cup & I guess she'll just have to learn that's her only option or she won't get milk.


- Is done with formula, and instead drinks straight whole milk! (Saves us about $10 a week!)


- Sleeps 7:30pm to 7:30am usually and naps from the time she gets in the car after school at 2 until about 4 or 4:30. Naps on days off have been much better these past few weeks too and she'll even go down without a bottle or a car ride.

- Still says only a few phrases and most sound like "da." "Da" refers to a dog, "da da" can mean bye bye, and "da" can also mean "that." She says something that sounds like "ah me," which means either "give me the paci" or "pick me up." She recently started saying "hi." She has learned how to point to things she wants, although most of the time she points at everything!


- Is being stubborn about walking, although she's been standing on her own for brief periods at a time these past 2 weeks. Mostly it happens when she lets go of the table or some other piece of furniture for a second before she realizes it. Then when she realizes it she gets surprised and falls down to her knees to crawl wherever she wants to go.

- Can give "high 5."

- Is really working hard at using a spoon. She has the concept down, but can't quite get the food onto her spoon and then into her mouth without the food falling off the spoon. Now she almost always wants to feed herself and if I try to feed her with the spoon, she will grab it and put it to her mouth. I can also put her food on a little plate now & she won't tip it over or throw it.


- Imitates many actions-- brushing her hair, putting on her shoes, reading a book, putting on her shirt (although she usually misses her head and ends up putting it on like a scarf), blowing her nose (really she blows out through her mouth into a tissue but she thinks she is doing the same thing Mommy & Daddy do), and blowing on her food to cool it down.

- Is apparently one of the better students in her preschool class, according to her teachers-- and she's the youngest. Many of the other kids cry a lot for mommy, but Leah usually plays happily or just enjoys watching the other kids. (She sometimes even laughs at the other kids when they're crying-- meanie!) Maybe we haven't yet reached the separation anxiety phase, or maybe we won't-- she's always loved being around other people and will comfortably go to anyone that looks interesting. As long as she's busy she has no reason to cry. Her teacher also said that even though she's about 4 months younger than most of the other kids, the only thing she can't do that they do is walk. She even did a fingerpainting last week. :)

- Really wants to be independent, but still wants to cling to Mommy & Daddy at times.

Leah & Mommy went to visit Grandma & Grandpa at the beach this weekend while Daddy was out of town.














She figured out how to crawl up the stairs, in pursuit of a beloved ball.




















Leah LOVES to swing.












Let it not be said that my child has issues with low self-esteem: (Press Play & turn up sound)

A Tale of Pooh

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Leah. One Christmas when she was just a little bitty baby, Leah's grandma got her a Winnie the Pooh doll. It was sort of meant to be a joke because the little girl's daddy doesn't really like Pooh all that much and thinks Winnie the Pooh is a silly name for a bear.

As it turns out, the little girl REALLY liked that Pooh. And he quickly became her best buddy.

She loved to snuggle with Pooh and kiss him and hug him and carry him around with her wherever she went.

And even though she likes some other bears just a little bit...

None can compare to Pooh.

And now, even 9 months later, Leah's face lights up every time she sees that Pooh. She points her little finger toward him until someone gives him to her. And then she buries her little face into his cuddly fur. She really loves that Pooh. Silly name or not!

Baby "Stuff" Reviews- Part 3

I haven't forgotten this series! Here's some more "big girl" stuff I've bought recently and what I thought!

Sippy Cups: The First Years Take & Toss

Pros: I tried about 3 or 4 other kinds of sippy cups before we ended up with these. They are the only ones Leah would actually drink from. Most of the other cups have a valve inside that keeps them from spilling. These don't have one (they still don't really spill that easily), making it a little easier for her to get the drink out. These are the most inexpensive cups out there. I think I got 5 or 6 for $3.50. That way if you accidentally lose one, it's no big deal.

Cons: You have to make sure the lid is on tight enough or everything spills out. They are not that easy to just throw in a diaper bag because if it was to catch on something, the lid might come off. They also don't have any handles, which hasn't really been a problem for Leah, but could be for some kids.

For the record, they also make spoons, bowls & snack cups in the "Take and Toss" line, and I have loved those too! The snack bowls are the perfect size to throw in her diaper bag and the spoons are also just the right size. And you don't feel bad if they get lost because they're inexpensive. I'm thinking of going to get some more of everything (perhaps in the Disney Princess variety for my growing princess?).



Formula: Enfamil Lipil

I've tried several different types of formula (thanks, Similac, for all the samples!) and I really just like this the best. Leah could really care less, I think-- she'll drink any, including Walmart brand if that's all I have money for. But I think the Enfamil mixes the best without leaving "chunks" of powder in the bottle. I also really like the "Next Step" brand, which is made for older babies to help the transition to regular milk. So I know she's getting the nutrients she needs. It's also a fairly inexpensive brand, as long as they keep sending me the $5 off coupons in the mail!

Convertible Car Seat: Evenflo Generations Booster Seat
I haven't really installed this just yet, because Little Booger isn't quite 20 lbs. so she needs to stay rear-facing for awhile, but here's what I forsee as being the pros & cons!
Pros: We chose this because it will last the rest of her childhood. The weight limit says up to 100 lbs. (In hindsight, I think up to about 60 lbs. would have been just fine, because after that they don't really need a booster anymore, anyway, right?). It turns into a booster once they outgrow the seat part so it lasts awhile. I also liked the color of it, and how plush it is and that it had arm rests & a cup holder.

Cons: The big thing is that it's not convertible, meaning it ONLY faces forward, not backward & forward. So we can't use it until she's more than 20 lbs. But I knew that when I bought it & could have bought a different kind if I wanted! From the reviews online and from just playing with it, the straps are a little difficult to buckle & unbuckle (although they do loosen up very easily, which I like), but maybe that will change with time (plus I don't want it to be easy for Leah to unbuckle while she's in there!). Some of the reviews also said it doesn't recline well & their kids' heads fell forward when they tried to sleep in it. That was a problem with Leah's first seat, but we figured out a way to fix that, so maybe if we play with it enough, we can figure that out too.



Safety Gate: Safety 1st Lift & Lock Security Gate

Pros: It does its job. It blocks the doorway. And we're using it at the top of the stairs. So it serves its purpose & can't be knocked over easily. It was also one of the more inexpensive gates. And I don't think it was that hard to install. (But you might want to ask Brett, since I didn't really do it.)

Cons: It's not really that easy to open & close with one hand. You have to really push in a button & then pull up hard in order to get it to open right. I can do it, but it's not easy.




Other cool things I've gotten (or want to get) over the past few months that I highly recommend having if you plan on having more than one child:


- Fisher Price portable high chair- This is pretty much like a booster seat that straps to any regular chair. It also has a tray with it, so it is the perfect high chair for traveling or for friends' houses where there is no high chair. It collapses and you can use the straps as a carrying strap & just throw it over your shoulder. We'll probably be able to use it as a booster seat & just pull it up to the table when Leah gets bigger. This was a great find!


- Collapsible "umbrella"-type stroller-- I got so sick of pulling the huge, beastly travel system stroller out of my trunk all the time (and it's ripped now because it never quite fit in my trunk without rubbing the top) I had to find something smaller. Elizabeth found one for me at a consignment sale. I love how I can open & close it one-handed while holding the baby in the other. And I can put other things in my trunk when it's in there!! It's a little hard to push, because my feet keep getting tripped on the bottom, and the handles are a little low, but that is probably to be expected with any smaller stroller. I think Leah likes to be closer to the ground & being able to see out a little better, too!


- "Snack Trap"- This is a great snack cup that has a sort of plastic "mesh-like" covering that the baby can put her hand in to get out the snack, but when she tips the cup over, nothing falls out. At first I didn't see the point, but since we got a stroller with no snack tray, it really has proven to be helpful-- even as a diversion if the baby's not even really hungry!

- Travel Placemat-- I don't have one of these but I have really really been contemplating getting one for when we go to restaurants. There is a really nice plastic one that rolls out and can just be washed clean when you're done & then rolled back up. Usually I just toss her food on a high chair or the table, but at some restaurants it just doesn't seem sanitary!




Best Baby Toys


Well, these are the things Leah liked best. I'm sure every baby is different.

0-6 months:

- The play mat
- links of rings with a rattle or something colorful attached
- mirrors
- flashing lights & music

6-9 months:

- The Exersaucer
- Stack & Roll cups
- stuffed toys/ dolls
- rattles & things that make noise when you shake them
- rubber ducks & small bath toys
- small blocks


9-12 months:

- Balls, all sizes & shapes
- bowls, cups & spoons
- anything that has buttons to push to make music
- toy phones & remote controls
- board books
- ride-on toy
- Laugh & Learn Learning Home playset (she plays with this the most at preschool)

I'm Back!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but our family has been infested with sickness. Leah came down with sniffles/ general ickiness two weeks ago Thursday. She went to the dr. for her one-year check up that Friday and the dr. didn't see anything of concern. Sat. she started to get a little better and we spent the day at the lake with some people from church who own a house there & a couple jet skis & boats.

Then Monday she came down with this horrible barking cough and was wheezing instead of breathing. A couple other kids in her preschool class were diagnosed with croup. So back to the dr. we went. And sure enough, that's what it was. She had a steroid "shot" (which was just oral) which was all it took to cure her within 2 days. She also has an ear infection, which is still lingering after 5 days of antibiotics, but will probably soon be gone. Now her cough is still hanging on, but she's got back all the energy she lacked and yesterday just played and giggled all day long.

I missed almost all week of work last week, going in about an hour or two a day with Leah, since I couldn't take her to school. She was really whiny most of the time and just wanted to be held, or just lay around. Most of the time I didn't mind, but when she whined while being held, it got pretty tiring. And then Brett caught it, and then I caught it (both of us to a mild degree) and it's still lingering in our house but I am back at work today.

Meanwhile, Leah's still not walking, but she is ever-so-close. She loves to push chairs around the house, holding on and walking them around. If she would just let go! She is also mimicking our actions more than ever: when given a hairbrush, she pretends to brush her hair; when she finds shoes she tries to put them on her feet (and also says something that sounds an awful lot like "shoe"); she takes tissues and wipes her face (and today even made a blowing sound with her mouth in it like she was blowing her nose); she puts shirts on over her head.... I guess we're going to have to start watching what we do!

Our 2nd Lake Day of the summer. Leah with Ben & Sarah's dog, Sam. Upon first seeing her, Leah pointed & shouted "da!" and couldn't get enough of that dog. She also got to drive the golf cart. :)

Pushing the chair around...

"Helping" with the laundry. For some reason she likes to pull the clothes out of the dryer.

This was a birthday present from someone at church, and it's become a favorite. Of course, it involves balls. She pushes the button & they come popping out. She always looks at it with a surprised face and says "oh!"