Friday Things
1. Einstein and Duke are both finally healthy! Einstein has dropped five pounds since getting the news back at the end of July that he had plumped up and, no, it was not his thyroid or any other underlying issue. We put him on a diet, and heโs been much more lively and active since dropping the weight. I donโt think Iโve seen them look any cuter than when they shared the crate yesterday afternoon. Brotherly love at its finest!
2. This past Monday marked week 24โฆ I canโt believe that Iโm already 6 months pregnant! On one hand, I feel like it just happened yesterday, and on the other, I feel like Iโve been pregnant forever. I know these next few months are going to fly and our little guy is going to be here before we know it!ย Next up is my glucose test next week and registering for the baby shower. Thank goodness I have friends who have had babies and are willing to spend time imparting knowledge, because I have absolutely ZERO idea what 98% of the things in Babies R Us are, how to use them, and what I actually need. Talk about overwhelming!
3.ย For the last week or so, we have had a crazy odor coming from our fridge, sort of like sour milk or something spoiled. Except we canโt find anything thatโs actually spoiled or sour! Everything is fresh, the shelves are clean, we pulled the fridge out to make sure there were no mouse droppings or anything like that, and we canโt figure it out! Itโs awful!
4. This Distractify post ofย 50 Classy People From The Past Who Remind Us What โCoolโ Really Meansย is 100% awesome. The GIF of Marlon Brando is by far my favorite! Iโve always said that if I had to live in another decade, Iโd want it to be the 1950โs, and this list totally confirms that.
5. This Buzzfeed post โWhat the World Was Like When Todayโs High School Seniors Were Bornโ makes me feel all sorts of old. It was 1997โฆ and I was a high school senior! Thursday night NBCย TV seriously could not be beat.
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6. You know how big of a fan I am of weighing ingredients when baking, so I love this quick and easy solution for how to calibrate yourย kitchen scale using coins.
7.ย A couple of weeks ago, I asked for app recommendations to use in lieu of Reminders on iPhone. Reader Tricia recommended the app Wunderlist; later that evening I downloaded it and started playing around with it. After two weeks, I can officially say that I love it! I use a notebook for my to-do lists and pen-and-paper grocery lists, but the app is awesome for things that I actually need reminded to doโฆ water the plants (I kill them constantly), give the dogs their flea and tick treatment, change room fresheners, etc. Iโve also been using it for keep track of some house-related projects we have going on, as an ongoing list that I can pull up whether weโre home or out somewhere. Highly recommend!
8.ย I am beyond excited that Scandal started back up last night, but I didnโt watch it yet, so shhhhh, donโt tell me anything! Live sports trumps anything else when it comes to TV-watching in our house, soย with preseason hockey, almost-postseason baseball and football last night, shows took a backseat. Weโre also still a week behind on Boardwalk Empire, and while I still like it, I feel a little ho-hum knowing that itโs in the final season. Iโm definitely counting down to next Sunday and the Homeland premiere! Canโt wait to see what they do with the storyline and hoping it remains as awesome as itโs been!
9.ย My Chief Culinary Consultant surprised me by taking me out to breakfast yesterday morning. It was such a simple thing, but it totally made my day. I love impromptu dates :)
10. TGIF!ย Have an awesome weekend!
That buzz feed post really brought back some memories. ..and made me feel old ;)
My favorite baby gifts were gift cards- to Target and Babies R Us in particular. (This was helpful because my baby was early and was on a special formula they sold at Babies R Us. And not everywhere carried preemie diapers either, but they did).
I love your blog. It is one of my favorites! Thank you for the homemade Velveeta recipe! So many yummy recipes that use it and I wonโt use the real stuff. Everyone is right on with the baby stuff advice. I would like to add my two cents please :) donโt get an ear thermometer. I got one and it was a big waste of money. They are not accurate and when you have a sick baby or child, you need their temperature reading to be accurate. My kids are 8 and 10 and I just threw it away, it has been sitting in the cupboard unused all these years. Also, I just had to have a very expensive high chair and stroller. The high chair got returned and I bought the high chair seat that straps onto your own dining chair. Perfect because you donโt have a big high hair taking up space and the portable seat you can take everywhere, other peoples houses, restaurants, etc. and itโs their very own. The stroller was fancy but not functional. Graco makes much better ones with lots of storage etc. Gift cards and books are great advice! I am so excited for you and CCC!
I so love the pictures of Einstein and Duke! One of the best baby shower gifts I got were these tiny nail clippers which I used on my kids until they were like 10. One of those silly little things I wouldnโt have ever thought of โ :)
Enjoy your weekend!
Best thing to buy for newborn? Sweet pea gowns to sleep. Easier to change diaper in middle of night. Trying to snap a sleeper in the dark will make you lose your mind. Lol
Do you have an older fridge with a drip pan underneath it? If so, that may the source of the funky odor. My old fridge had one, and it would become a science experiment if I didnโt clean it out regularly.
Your boys are just adorable as will your next one will be! When it comes to all the stuff you can buy nowadays, take it from someone with a 30 and 31 year old-you probably donโt need most of it no matter how cute it may be. Most items are not needed for very long and take up a lot of space during and after that short time. Unless you have unlimited money and space, that is.
I LOVE Wunderlistโฆitโs the best app. I use it for reminders and list making. Perfect for the grocery store!
As a former kindergarten teacher and lover of childrenโs books, I encourage starting a library for you little guy asap. As odd as it may sound, It is so important to read to your baby right from the start. Numerous child development studies have shown this is one of the most important activities to make a habit of. There are so many wonderful picture booksโฆboth classic ones and newer ones. You will have to be sure start a collection of Tomie DePaola books. Tomie is of Italian heritage and many of his books reflect his culture and family experiences. โStregna Nonaโ is his most famous book but I also love โNana Upstairs and Nana Downstairsโ, โTomโ, and โTonyโs Breadโโฆa imaginative tale about how pannetone came to be.
I second nancy-k: my sis-in-law and so many others I know made it a habit to read to their infants before bedtime. It became a routine, and by 9-12 months, the baby could hold his/her Attention while Mommy turned the pages. As time passed, the baby was turning the pages and visibly enjoyed โreadingโ before s/he could even recognize a single word. Amazing! So excited for you and CCC!
Thanks for the confirmition, Betti! It is amazing what can happen when books are introduced early to children. When my now 10 year old godchild was 18 months old, I could hand her a book upsidedown and backwards and she would turn it over and around so that she could open it correctly and turn the pages. She especially loved to look at familiar books. As she developed, reading related skills such as left to right progression, return sweep, letter recognition and some sight words all were naturally โabsorbedโ. BTW, she loves to read and often goes to a book rather than technology for entertainmentโฆa big plus!
Registering is SO overwhelming!!! When my husband and I went, I ended up leaving in tears and not registering for one thing. I came home and did it all online, which was much more palatable to deal with. Good luck!
Diapers are expensive and theyโd be great presents but as youโll need different size as babies grow quickly a gift card would be even better. I know some people think gift cards are impersonal but I think they are the best kind of present (aside from cash) since you can pick what you want.
As a book lover I also recommend adding a few of you and your CCCโs favourite children books to start off your sonโs mini-library ^_^.
Gift cards are THE BEST gift for new parents!! THE BEST.
Einstein and Duke look so cute together! I am seconding everyone on the drip tray and on the baby items. You might want to ask for gift cards to the baby store so that after you have the baby you can get what you will actually use. At first you really just need a car seat, a crib or bassinet, diapers, baby wipes and food (depending on if you are doing the breast feeding thing). Loved the links to the 50 Classy People (it was really great) and the What the World was like in 1997 โ it seems like just yesterday!
Eintstein and Duke are gorgeous! I think they would get on very well with my pup Rufus hereโฆ are they retrievers?
http://piccadillyhillbilly.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/grow-your-own/
Yep, they are both Golden Retrievers! They look so similar to yours :)
Not that you asked for advice, but of course we are going to give it unasked :-)
1) donโt wash all the clothes โ wait until heโs born so you have some idea of sizes โ the other stuff can be returned or regifted. 2) For โgadgetsโ, not really a gadget, but given that you are due in January and live in PA, I loved the car seat covers (http://www.amazon.com/JJ-Cole-Seat-Cover-Graphite/dp/B00511J6BM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411740686&sr=8-1&keywords=car+seat+cover) โ that was a new thing when my baby (now 18!) was born, and what a great idea โ no more stuffing them in jackets or buntings that didnโt fit the buckle, and take him into a store and just unzip the cover, and have the temperature be ok inside โ very, very convenient, especially if you have a baby that falls asleep in the car seat. 3) Donโt forget to set up a 529 (Fidelity has this new cool gifting page you can set up so that itโs easy for friends/relatives to make contributions.)
My baby is now 18 too!!
Anyhow, is there a baby that DOESNโT fall asleep in the car?
My two daughters hated the car seat and cried and cried when they were in it. If they fell asleep, it was from exhaustion from crying! It took a while โ 6 months or more โ before they got better in it (just better, not great).
Oh those baby gizmos! What a money waste some of them are.
If youโre going to have a shower, ask for the basics โ stuff you KNOW youโll need. A highchair, a carseat, stroller. And clothes. You will need lots of clothes. If you plan to swaddle or sleepsack, get a good stash (Baby will pee and spit up on those, too). You might also want to hint to people to buy 6 month, 9 month and 12 month clothes so youโre not stuck with a pile of newborn wear and nothing for after that. Especially if you have a fast-growing plumpkin like I did.
Once you get to know your baby youโll have a better sense of what gizmos heโll need or that will help you guys out. Not every baby likes being in a swing or a bumbo or a swaddle or a Moby or whatever. So donโt buy them until you get a sense of what your baby likes and what soothes him/helps you. Best of luck. The last three months drag but heโll be here before you know it!
^^ best advice right there. I would also like to add, keep things SIMPLE. As an example, I never understood buying the bottles with 10 pieces because OMG colic, but what if your baby doesnt get it? I bought very simple ones and she was fine, and if she turned out to get colic, THEN I would have gone out and bought the complicated bottles. I did not want to have to wash 37 pieces of plastic just to give my baby her bottle if I didnt have to. (and BTW, dishwashers SUCK at cleaning bottles so get out your bottle brush!) LOL.
I too was BLOWN AWAY at the WASTE of money and clothes during those first few months. How many formal dresses does a 1-6 month old need!?!? She never wore a SINGLE one, and I got a couple hundred dollars back just on clothes return alone (which is why you should never wash all the clothes!!), which I was able to go buy things a newborn/infant actually NEEDED. It was UNREAL. Donโt get me wrong, I was grateful that people were so generous but I dont know what would make people think to buy such things for a newborn who needs onsies and jammies mostly. It was bizarre.
I have been having the same issue with my fridge as far as odor. I have cleaned everything multiply times as well as checked for spoiled food and the smell still lingers. Thanks ladies for the helpful tip on the drip pan I will be checking that this weekend.
Congratulations on the baby! Check out the book Baby Bargains before you register. It really helped me when I registered. Theyโve done all the research and give all the products (strollers, car seats, baby monitors, clothes, etc) grades, and even gives a list โbest bargain, if youโre buying or if Grandma is buyingโ. It helped me so much deciding when I was pregnant with my first, and again with my second when I was looking for a double stroller. Good luck and get as much rest as you can now!
Iโd like to second pretty much everything Amy said. The drip pan issue happened to us and we never even used our ice-maker (it wasnโt hooked up to our water line)! Also, most moms will tell you that for a new baby you need three things โ some way to feed the baby, cloth the baby, and someplace for it to sleep. Everything else is extra :) But seriously, Iโm glad to hear youโve got lots of mommaโs ready to help you narrow down that registry list โ good luck :)
Many blessings as you enter month 6 (and beyond)!! What a fun time โ the little peanuts really start to move ;)
I love your adorable Einstein and Duke! They look so snuggled in their crate. We are hoping to adopt a bro soon for our yellow lab to have some companionship. First we need a bigger house though! I think one 90 pound dog is all a one bedroom can take.
xo Rachel
If your fridge has an ice maker you could check the manual (or google the model) to see if it has a drip pan. Sometimes condensation can build up in various places and mildew will leave your fridge with funk.
Oh and half the stuff everyone tells you that you need for babies you will never use. I couldnโt believe how many untouched things we donated at the one year mark. I guess Iโm trying to say, if you donโt know about all the fancy baby gear doodads, our mothers didnโt either. Although my favorite modern gadget is the ear thermometer. I donโt care if its inaccurate. As a new mom I was paranoid about my son running a fever and I was glad to not have to break out the recommended anal thermometer just to feel at ease.
Are you having a boy? I read your posts daily and I know I didnโt catch that!!!
Hi Marla, I am! :)
Congratulations!!
Thank you! :)