Friday, December 27, 2013

Baby Must Haves: Month Nine

Robby turned 9 months old on December 9! We have been having the most fun lately. I can see his little world opening up and he understands so much more now. I'm getting the best work out ever chasing him around the house. He crawls so fast. His favorite thing to do is look for cords to pull on. I am not sure what to do about this. Are we not supposed to have lamps? Sigh.

Childproofing the house kind of makes me cringe. I totally said I wouldn't change my house for kids (I love all things home decor), but I am slowly realizing that if I don't want to have to keep my eyes on him every second of every day, I am going to have to make some small changes. So basically a little childproofing = a lot more freedom for me. For now, I have only moved one glass side table out of the living room. Robby loves that glass table like he loves food. I may as well not buy him toys because he is a fan of glass tables, electrical cords and outlets, and kitchen utensils. Our pediatrician told us not to worry too much about outlets because your child would basically have to be standing in a puddle of water while sticking a metal fork into the outlet exactly right for something terrible to happen. I just love him. I did, however, still place outlet covers around the house. I have not, however, put up gates on our stairs yet.......#badmom  It's on the to-do list.

Here are our baby must haves for month nine!


California Baby Eczema Cream - This has been a lifesaver. About a month ago, Robby started getting the WORST dry skin. It turned into little red patches all over his back and tummy. I though he was dying of some rare disease (dramatic, much?).....turns out, it was Eczema. This cream is so awesome. It reduced the redness almost immediately and smells heavenly.

Baby Motrin - Robby cut two teeth a few days before he turned 9 months old. It was a brutal week. Motrin really helped him us get some sleep at night. Babies can't have Motrin until they are 6 months old, and it works so much better than Tylenol. It also lasts longer which usually equals more sleep. Yay! You know how I need my sleep...the hubs REALLY knows.

Graco Pack 'n Play - This truly is a must have these days. If I have to leave my kind-of-un-child-proofed living room for more than a minute, I stick Robby in his Pack 'n Play. He doesn't love it but I know he'll be safe in there. It's also great for taking a shower. Or for having to go into the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. Safety first!

Diaper Booster Pads - This one is weird but trust me, if you have what is known as a heavy wetter, you need these. I hear this is more of a problem with little boys than with little girls. Once Robby started sleeping all night, his diaper leaked sometimes. Then, if he woke up, he was pissed. Literally. I can't imagine it feels great to be laying on a cold, wet, sheet. I found these diaper pads on Amazon and they have worked SO well. You just stick them down the middle of the diaper and they create an extra absorbency layer. We only use them at night. They could probably come in handy if you know you won't be able to change a diaper in the daytime for a long period of time - maybe a road trip or something. Or maybe just if you're lazy. When Robby is older, I am sure his Dad is going to tell him he once wore women's maxi pads. Poor kid.

That's it for month nine!  I'll leave you with some nine-month photos and a little nine-month update on Mr. Robby for those who care.
As stated above, playing with electrical cords and kitchen utensils are favorite pastimes of Mr. R these days. Bath time is always fun, as is eating. Specifically, R still loves bananas. Puffs are also a fave, although half of them end up on the floor. Other yummy things R loves eating are shreds of chicken, applesauce, and sweet potatoes.

Robby wants to stand all the time now. He crawls all over the place looking for things he can pull up on. He took his first few steps with the assistance of his Fisher Price walker toy on Christmas Day. He crawled right up to it, grabbed the handle to stand up, and started walking. I feel like I may have an early walker on my hands! Yikes.

He is really busy. All.the.time. Is this all nine-month olds or just my baby?.....He has also become way more verbal than in the past. We hear lots of "Dada" and only sometimes "Mama" around here. Tear. Surely he will learn who is more important soon. ;)

Things that do NOT go over well at our house are diaper changes, rubbing R's face with Aquaphor, and taking things away from him. I wish I could reason with him and just explain why he can't chew on electrical cords. Why are they so much more inviting than his actual teethers? This brings an idea to mind....perhaps I should invent a teether that looks exactly like an electrical cord but would somehow be safe and not a strangulation hazard. Why are there so many hazards? Ugh. I'd buy almost anything to keep R busy so I can, you know, watch Real Housewives and shop on Amazon all day. Kidding. Kind of.

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Our Christmas recap and some yummy recipes are coming soon!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

December Around My House: A Winter Storm, Christmas Decorations, and Chicken Noodle Soup

It's been a winter wonderland here this past week! Only in Texas can it be 80 degrees one day and drop to 20 degrees the next. Seeing white outside my window has me feeling totally festive and craving all things terrible for me. Hot chocolate. Cookies. Rice Krispie treats. #imstarving Why does cold weather make one hungry? Oh, I know. Because you're stuck in your house and food cures boredom. Oh well. 'Tis the Season!

I've been busy decorating for Christmas. I still wouldn't say I'm done but I've accomplished a lot. Being iced in for three days really helped my wine intake production level.....Merry Merry!

We kicked off the winter storm warning with some homemade chicken noodle soup. The hubs made it home just as the sleet/ice/snow/stuff started falling. Isn't R's little bowl of soup adorable? Let's be honest, he spilled it everywhere and only ate two bites of very mashed up chicken but I simply needed to see this most cutest ever tiny bowl of soup. I had to do it. #whatamess


Our roads remained icy for most of three days, during which we stayed in our PJs, worked from home (kind of), went "sledding" with friends, and helped people get their cars unstuck in front of our house. This was some thick ice. The neighborhood was pretty much an ice-skating rink. It had me totally wishing I had a pair of ice skates in my closet. Would have been SO.FUN! My fourth-grade ice-skating lessons could have been put to good use at last.


When we weren't busy laying around working, I got out our Christmas stuff. Most of it is stuff from last year, plus some new plaid ribbon I found. I wish it was Christmas all year. The thought of having to take this down in January makes me sad already!






Hope you are loving your December! Here's the recipe for the soup I made - just a good, basic chicken noodle soup. Delicious on a cold day.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts, uncooked
4 cups water
4 cups chicken stock
1 can cream of chicken
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt/pepper to taste
1 10-ounce bag frozen corn
2 cups egg noodles

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and carrots for five minutes, or beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more. Add water, chicken stock, cream of chicken, chicken breasts, bay leaf, thyme, basil, salt & pepper, and corn to pot. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove chicken, shred, and add back to pot. Add egg noodles to simmering soup and cook for about 8 more minutes. *You may need to add some water after putting the noodles in. I had to add about one cup.* Adjust seasonings to taste and enjoy!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Mommy Must Haves: December Favorites

Happy December! I'm sitting here inhaling the scent of my Winter candle from Bath and Body Works. The smell is DIVINE I tell you. It kinda creates that faux sensation that I'm relaxing in a cabin somewhere in Colorado watching the snow fall outside. But let's be clear. It's not just a cabin-y cabin. It's a cabin mansion with walls of windows and down feather comforters. And Nutella hot-chocolate. And Bailey's to go with said hot-chocolate. What a nice little escape. ;)

December is full of so many favorites that it was hard for me to narrow down the list. But I did it. Here are my December Mommy Must Haves!
Bath & Body Works White Barn Winter Candle - The smell is just divine. So wintery. So walk in the woods-y. So cabin in Colorado-y. Just get it. You'll love it! Christmas in a jar. MMMMM.

Land's End Flannel Tunics - These are Ah-MAZING. I was a little unsure when I ordered mine, but my love of Land's End shirts convinced me to go with it. I don't regret it. I'm thinking about getting the other colors and wearing them like every day. If you see me soon, I'll probably be wearing this. And I'm not apologizing for repeating.....Princess Kate repeats her favorite outfits, OK? Maybe not every day.

Boot Socks - SO much fun! These just add a touch of whimsy to your wardrobe. Great stocking stuffer idea. And I am really loving the product description they have for these on Amazon. PLEASE read it. Actually I'll just post it here for you. I think they consider these to be "leg warmers"......
     "A gorgeous soft leg warmer with classic cable knit design. Leg warmers used to be only used by dancers to keep their legs warm after stretching to prevent cramping. (HILARIOUS-do they really prevent cramping? I'm no dancer but I do get the occasional leg cramp....thank goodness I have these). Nowadays leg warmers are stylish and practical for anyone to use to keep warm. Girls can wear them over their stockings to keep warm on the way to school while business women can do the same on their way to work. It is easily removed and stored when you don't need it. Leg warmers have versatile functions and styles of use. You can use it as a leg warmer, pull up to thigh to keep it warm for slimmer adults or kids (bahaha! Someone please wear this as a thigh warmer and send me a pic), or even wear on arm as an arm warmer (WHAT?! EVEN better). For stylish looks you can push the leg warmer down to ankle for a scrunch sock look or over the top of your shoe and up your calf to create a boot look for your shoes, This is a great accessory to keep legs warm for girls and women of all ages during cool and cold weather. Available in various colors: White, Khaki, Gray and Black."

Please tell me you're laughing! I am. Order these at least on the premise of their creative description.

I am also LOVING these boot socks I found on Etsy. So cute with the ruffle detail.

Mario Badescu Super Collagen Mask - Bring the spa to your own bathroom! This face mask really does improve your skin's appearance and texture. It feels crazy after you've had it on for a few minutes. And by crazy I mean like someone has very very very tightly wrapped your face in saran wrap. But I think that just means its working. Leave it on for the full 20 minutes - you won't be disappointed. I've been loving this for a few months now but wanted to be sure it produced good results before sharing. Now if only I could figure out how to inject this stuff into my face. It does have collagen in it's name...Kidding!

I'm ALMOST done with Christmas decorations and hope to share later this week. Hope your Monday is mah-velous and your day is full of comfort and joy!