5 on Friday - Favorites

1.

These boys

😍

2.
My Bean Boots

I wear a 7/12 and went down to a 7 in these.  They fit GREAT, even with thick socks.

I bought these a few months ago on sale and they are worth every penny.

Temps are around 0 here with lot of snow; so it is sloppy out and these boots are proving their worth.

3.

This creamer

I buy it at Wal-Mart in the largest size they offer.  I've never been a fan of the French Vanilla creamer (or any other creamer I've had, to be honest) but I made it my goal to find one I liked this year.

With our new Ninja Coffee Bar I really didn't have a need to get Starbucks every morning.  Haha.

Do you have a favorite creamer I should try?

4.

Amazon Prime Music

My current favorite station?

Top Pop (Clean)

This plays pretty much the entire time we're at home.

Dance Party!!

5.

Things I Bought and Liked

Even though she's anonymous, I adore her.

I'm currently binging on her podcast recommendation - Conviction

I'm also looking for other podcast recommendations.

Happy Friday!

I hope it's warm where you are.

We are expecting single digits and 6-12 inches of snow.  WOO.

Sleep Training - Night 1

Night one is done.

And I truly believe your (and ours) prayers worked!!

For the first time in WEEKS, #biggywigs slept from 7 PM to 1130 PM.

He usually wakes around 9/930 screaming.  Either I take 20 minutes to rock him back asleep or nurse him asleep.  Then we repeat every 2 hours.

We've ended up in this cycle on him sleeping with us because the fastest way for him to go back to sleep (which is also the fastest way for us to go back to sleep) is to nurse.

So back to last night.  He went down, easy peasy, like always at 7.  Fussed around 730 for his paci, and slept until 1130!!  When he woke and I checked the time, I decided to nurse.  We'll work on night weaning once he only wakes at nursing times.

He woke again at 2.  I wasn't planning on nursing until 3, so I put his paci back in and he was miraculously back to sleep.
For 5 minutes.
He cried off an on for the next half hour.  Sometimes falling back asleep on his own, sometimes from me putting his paci back in. ;)
I caved and nursed at 240.  We all slept until just after 5.
#biggywigs woke again screaming and after crying it out for a bit, we got the paci back in and he slept until 630!!

This seems mundane.
And boring.
I know.
I need to document the wins occasionally. :)

#biggywigs | 9 months

#biggywigs | 9 MONTHS

nicknames | monkey, love monkey, a play on your name, nugget

weight | I over estimated on your chalkboard.  You 9 month well check was this morning (4 days after your month-iversary) and you are 24 lbs 10 oz and 30 inches tall!!

size |  size 5 diapers and 24 month.  You are getting longer, but not putting on weight as quickly (yay!) so I'm hoping you stay in size 5 quite a bit longer.

sleep | HAHAHAHAHA.  You are NOT a good sleeper.  Please help me.  You go down without a fight at 7PM but you are up every 2 to 3 hours after that.  Never really awake, just crying/cranky/whining.  Sometimes you'll nurse back to sleep, other times we have to rock you.  You've been sick and/or congested for the past two months so that hasn't helped.  Sleep training this week.  Pray for us.

eats | Everything.  You nurse at 7AM, 11AM, 500/530 PM 7PM, and various times at night.  You are on table food and you eat everything.  You especially love chicken, peas, grean beans, black beans, and peanut butter sandwich's.

loves |  Food, nursing, clapping, your big brother, baths, and your jellyfish toy.

dislikes | dirty diapers, waiting to be fed, and being over tired

firsts |  5 teeth!!  Your 6th is just now poking through.  So that's been fun.  You are a clapping machine, you are crawling (backwards) every where.  Though this morning you went forward!  You have started pulling yourself up, but you can't get you feet under you to stand yet.

Momma |  Even though you have rough nights, you are the HAPPIEST baby when you wake up in the morning.  I love that you love me so fiercely.  Your hugs and kisses are as big as you can make them and you have the very best laugh.

I love our one on one time at school each day.  I love our snuggles.  You are growing so quickly.  Please, pretty please, slow down?  I'm not ready for you to be walking and talking and chasing after your big brother.

Daddy | You are our Big Boy!  I love seeing your smiling happy face every morning regardless of how you slept J  You are growing every day.  Mom shared with me your height and weight from your 9 Month appt and you are getting so big!  You learned how to clap this month and you love it!  and I love clapping with you and seeing your big smile.  I love you so much.  You are getting so close to crawling…forward.  You love crawling backwards and are so close to crawling forward…very soon.    You are an incredible eater and will eat almost anything Momma puts in front of you.   You sleep a lot like dad so we are hoping that with time, you grow out of that, but we love you so much anyways J

5 Favorite Instagramers

These accounts are ones I try to never miss.

1.

April Robson

She actually has three accounts:

@SmidgeofThis

@CharlottesJoy

@smoochbyApril

Life had dealt their family a rough road, and she's the epitome of grace and beauty through it all.  I want to be just like her when I grow up.

She radiates joy, love, and is as real as they come.

2.

Things I Bought and Liked

@things.i.bought.and.liked

She's anonymous.

She has the BEST captions.

I feel like I need to buy everything she posts.

3.

Maxine

@Max_themom

She is hilarious and so very very real.

She's also mentally/emotionally/physically stronger than I'll ever be.  #mombadass

4.
@theskimm

If you are not reading The Skimm every morning, you are Missing Out.
It's the best 411 on whats going on the world.
Their instagram is amazing.  I love all their series and feedback with followers.

5.
@kensingtonroyal

Guilty.
I love following the royal family.
Specifically Duchess Catherine AKA Kate Middleton.
Her style is to die for.

Baby Gear We Don't Want to Live Without

Two kids in and four years later, I have a list of baby/kid items I absolutely love.

These aren't the basic items everyone recommends:
Jumper
Rock N Play
Boppy
Etc, etc, etc.
(P.S. Lucie's List is a GREAT resource)

These are the items that I didn't know I needed.  Now that I have them, I never want to be without them.

First up

A Rocker/Glider

Sure, everyone says one is necessary.  No one talks about how you LIVE in this thing the first few weeks, or how you may fall asleep in it in the middle of the night.  No one mentions that this rocker/glider will be a staple in your life for the next 6 plus YEARS (per kid!).

So...get yourself a really good one.

I love my PB Kids Comfort Swivel Glider.  Why?

The arms are wide enough to hold a plate of food.

The lap is wide enough for the boppy to lie flat across your lap.

I can hold both boys in my lap while reading a book and everyone is comfortable.

The back is high enough I can fall asleep and not get a kink in my neck.

Washable SLIPCOVERS!

This rocker/glider will be in our home for at least the next 10 years.   Once it's out of the boys rooms I'll order a new slip cover and move it to a new home (either our room, living room, or TV room)

Next on my short list

Nightlight

I wish I had found this years ago.

The Vava Night Light is perfect for those middle of night diaper changes, breastfeeding (or bottle feeding) adjustments, and it's portable!  PORTABLE!
Yes, the egg light can be removed from it's charger base and carried around.

I used it a lot for middle of the night snacks after nursing.  What can I say, I was hungry. :)

It has two light features - amber and bright white.  It's dims from a bright light to a night light with one touch and never gets hot to the touch.

We have an Ok to Wake clock in #wiggydiggy's room, so he doesn't need two nightlights.  However he asks to carry this one to bed every night and he loves turning it on and off for us.

My last 'Can't Live Without' product:
Stroller Fan

We have two.  I may get a third.  Haha.

I carry a portable charger in my purse, and the fan gets first dibs in the summer.

It's perfect to clip on car seats/head rests in the summer.  It clips on strollers to face the baby on walks (or you).  I aim it on myself when I'm sitting and nursing.  When the stroller is in double mode, both kids get a fan to blow on them.  We've even put in on the hiking backpack.

Bonus - it creates a white noise effect that helps keep the baby napping longer.

It's also great to take to the gym and clip on your bike or elliptical. 

🙃

What are the baby/kid items you can't live without?

Adios January

Woof.

January kicked our butts.

AGAIN.

How did my favorite month of the year turn into a sick fest?  TWICE?!

This year we were hit with RSV, sinus infection, ear infection, stomach bug, and colds.
I am SO happy we are in February and those crummy 31 days are over.

I've lysol-ed every surface, bleached the toys, washed anything that will fit in the washing machine, and I have been running our air purifiers on full blast 24/7.
Spring, please come soon.

I did have a wonderful birthday (even though it did end with a stomach bug in our house.  For the third time!)  Dinner with my girls and a whole day to myself for some pampering.  #welldeserved

And thank you!  For all of the love on our anniversary.
6 whole years.
I love him.