3-6 Month Favorites

How do I have a 6 month old? I don't know where the time has gone! As a new mommy one of my favorite post to read are baby product favorites. There is SO much STUFF out there it can be hard to decipher what you really need and what is a waist of money. I think hearing what works from other moms is so helpful! If you missed my newborn favorite products you can see that here.

Tummy Time Mat

We use our mat ALL the time. It is obviously great for tummy time but now that Anna Claire has learned to roll over she likes to just lay on her back and swat at all of the dangling toys. It keeps her entertained for a solid chunk of time and is so light weight so we can drag it room to room with us as needed. 

Exersaucer 

Anna Claire LOVES this thing! She started using it when she was about 4 months old. She loves to look at all of the different toys and try to reach for things. I love how you can add more toys to it to keep things fresh. She is just now starting to actually bounce in it so I think this one we will continue to get use out of in the next couple of months! 

Teether Toys

Around 5 months we started pulling out ALL of the teething toys we had stored away. This Nuby silicone Teethe-eez and this Nuby Banana are two of her favorites!

Pack N Play
This has been a favorite from day one. When Anna Claire was a newborn she slept beside our bed in the bassinet part of this pack n play. When she outgrew the bassinet we kept her in our room in this pack n play and just removed the bassinet/ changing table. It has been SO nice for middle of the night feedings to have her in our room. We also travel a good bit and this pack n play folds up super easy. We love it! 

Anna Claire l 6 months

I think I am in complete shock that my baby girl is halfway to one! 6 months seems like a milestone. This has easily been the best 6 months of my life. Life with you, Anna Claire, is so much fun! 

Weight 
Anna Claire is 15 pounds and 28 inches! She's filling out her 6 month clothes and in size 2 diapers. 

Sleep

Anna Claire is napping about 3 times a day around 9am, 12:30, and 5:00 sometimes squeezing in an extra cat nap in the afternoon. She sleeps 7:30 pm- 7 am but has gone through a little regression this month. She was only waking up once in the middle of the night to eat but that has increased to 2-3 times some nights. I'm just riding it out and not too worried about it right now because I feel rested and you are happy. She has always fallen asleep super easy once you get her in her Merlin and turn the white noise on. Usually just a few minutes of rocking and she's out! She's still in the pack and play beside our bed just because it makes the middle of the night feedings so much easier on me. Once she starts sleeping through the night better we will transition to the crib! 

Eat

We are still breastfeeding with her taking a bottle while I'm at work. She nurses every three hours still with a longer stretch at night. This has been an exciting month because we introduced solids! We tried rice cereal once a day when she was about 5 and a half months and this week she has tried banana and pears. I'm making all of her food right now and it it bringing so much joy! So far she has liked everything she's tried. Next up on the list is squash. 

Clothes

Six month clothes are fitting perfect with most nine month items still being a tad big. I've already started shopping for Christmas pajamas. I don't think I'll be able to wait until December to start using them! She was set 0-6 months with summer attire but didn't have much Fall/Winter gear so this has been the month we've had to do the most shopping to get ready for the cooler temps. It's expensive to build a whole new wardrobe for the season but it's so much fun! 

Likes

Anna Claire loves trying foods, smiling at people who talk to her, bath time, blowing bubbles and being held. 

Dislikes

She does not like long car rides, getting dressed, when you take the wet wash cloth away after bath time and definitely does not like the nasal saline drops.

Milestones

This month she rolled from back to tummy for the first time! She's only done it twice but I know she can do it. She can sit up on her on for a few seconds. We visited the pumpkin patch this month, attended a best friends rehearsal dinner although she sat the wedding out and traveled to meet another friends baby! It's been such a fun month watching Anna Claire grow!

A Day in the Life- Maternity Leave

My favorite post to read are day in the life post so I thought it would be fun to document what a typical day looks like in this season of life. I also think it will be fun to look back on as I know this precious time is fleeting. We are following Moms on Call and it's working great for us. 

6am- Anna Claire starts stirring but I give her a paci and try to make it to 7am before we wake up. 

7am- Justin's alarm goes off and we all wake up. Anna Claire is full of smiles when she wakes up and is absolutely adorable to talk to. This is my favorite part of the day! I nurse her then get up to make some coffee and breakfast. 

7:30am- We spend close to an hour playing. Play time right now involves swinging in her swing, talking to her and making sounds/faces, tummy time and looking at things on her play mat. She is generally really happy during this time but towards the end I can tell she is getting tired. 

8:30am- Swaddle, paci, white noise and rock n play for a nap. She normally falls asleep within minutes during this time and will sleep anywhere from one to two hours. This is when I will do my devotional, sip on my second cup of coffee and catch up on blogs. If we have plans that day I'll also squeeze in a shower while she's asleep. 

10am- Wake her up if she is still sleeping and nurse her before we start play time again. We spend the next hour repeating the same play time routine. If I have errands to run we may run those now also. Yesterday we ran to the library and to meet Justin for lunch.

11:30 am Nap time again. She falls asleep easy if we are at home. What I should do is workout during this time but I normally spend this time picking up in the house. 

1pm- Wake her up if she is still sleeping to nurse and play. I'll take a million pictures of her and just hang out.  If I didn't run any errands earlier we may do that now just to get out of the house for a bit. 

2:30- Down for another nap and I may hop back on the computer to check emails and read more blogs. 

4:00- She is up ready to nurse and play for another hour. She is normally more fussy during this time so it's a good time to pull out the Solly Wrap or go for a walk if it isn't too hot.

5:30- Anna Claire takes a short nap and Justin gets home. We start dinner and get as much done as we can before she wakes up. 

6:30- Anna Claire is awake and normally fussy so it's the perfect time for a bath! She loves the bath but hates drying off and putting on her pajamas 

7:00- I nurse her and put her down for a nap. This should be her bedtime but she will normally nap on and off for the next two hours and not really ever fall asleep. We all hang out and watch TV/ eat dinner and relax as a family. 

10pm- We are all exhausted so we head to bed. I nurse Anna Claire one more time, kind of a dream feed and this time she normally will fall asleep for the night. On a good night we will make it to 3AM before she is ready to eat and then at 7 am we start the whole day over. 

Add in lots of diapers changes and that's pretty much our typical day! Of course some days we have plans so things play out differently but we try to stick to this schedule as much as possible. The days can be somewhat monotonous but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I absolutely love staying home with Anna Claire and watching her grow and change each day. I am SO fortunate in the timing of my maternity leave- I am a teacher so I took six weeks of maternity leave and then school let out for the summer so I am able to stay home with her until August when she will be 15 weeks. These days are precious to me and I hope I never take them for granted!  

Anna Claire l 2 Months

Today Anna Claire turns two months old! In some ways it feels like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital and in other ways it seems like she has been a part of our lives forever. It has been such a fun month watching her change and start to develop her personality! 

Weight 

Anna Claire is 12.7 lbs and 23 inches which puts her in the 85th percentile. She still fits in her 0-3 month outfits but I can tell they are getting snug and a few of them I am already putting away. We will be moving up to the next size very soon! 

Sleep

She is a great sleeper and has really always been. On a typical day (especially if we are at home and can stay in our routine) she naps 4 times a day for one-two hours. At night she sleeps from about 9pm-7am waking up one to two times for a feeding but always goes right back to sleep after she eats which is so nice. We are following Moms on Call and it's working pretty well for us both. This week I am supposed to change her bedtime to 7:30 instead of 9 but we haven't really transitioned to that yet. 

Eating 

I am still exclusively breastfeeding and it's going great! She nurses every three hours during the day and every 4 or maybe one 5 hour stretch during the night. She has always been a pretty quick eater so it doesn't take up too much time. I think I really got lucky with her! There is no telling what I will get with baby #2 haha. 

..this has been the month of smiles! 

Milestones 

This month Anna Claire made her second road trip to my hometown and attended her first family reunion where she was the star of the show.  She celebrated her first Fathers Day and  started staying awake for more time during the day. She flashes the biggest smile when you talk to her. It is absolutely adorable! This month Anna Claire really started to enjoy bath time. Her eyes get SO big every time you pour water on her... she however does not like to dry off or change into her pajamas. 

Likes/Dislikes 

Anna Claire loves swinging, taking naps, being worn in the solly wrap, being talked to, her pacifier and bath time.  

She does not like diaper and outfit changes or missing a nap time. 

I love you so much Anna Claire! My prayer for you this month is that you will know how much you are loved and supported as you continue to grow and change. I pray that you will have the confidence to try new things and will know that you have a Heavenly Father and two parents that love you more than you could ever imagine and are here to support you as you grow. Amen

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. -Isaiah 41:10

Newborn Favorites 0-2 Months

I can.not.believe my baby is almost two months old!!!! Time has just flown by. I always love seeing what other peoples favorite baby items are so I thought I would share some of the things that have made life so much easier for us the past two months with a newborn. All of the items on this list we use daily. 

Rock N' Play

We have this exact rock n' play and it is worth every penny! We have used this every single day, multiple times a day. Anna Claire sleeps in her bassinet beside our bed but she naps in this throughout the day. We keep it in the living room and it's great to have a place to lay her down. For naps if I swaddle her, give her a paci, turn on some white noise and put her in this she falls asleep within 5 minutes. It is also great for traveling since it folds up flat.

Swing 

I was so confused on what gear we really needed between a rock n' play, swing and bouncer. I was hesitant to purchase a swing so when my friend offered to let me borrow hers I jumped on it. Now after using it I realize how essential it has been for us. We will be purchasing another one for baby number two! Anna Claire started using this daily when she was about three weeks old. We put her in it as part of "play time" and she LOVES it. We crank the swing up to its highest setting and it will keep her occupied for a solid 20 minutes which is great if you are cooking dinner, doing laundry, etc. She also found the star mobile and it is the CUTEST thing I have ever seen. She gazes and just smiles away at the stars the whole time.  Just that look alone is worth the money! I often see these at second hand baby consignment stores so be sure to look there because they can be pricey.

Swaddle Me Swaddles 

While we LOVE our Aden and Anais swaddle blankets (another must have) they are not as secure at swaddling as these velcro Swaddle Me swaddles. Without a swaddle on, Anna Claire will only nap for about 20 minutes before she wakes herself up with the typical newborn startle reflex. These prevent that and help her get nice long stretches of sleep. We tried other brands such as Woombie and Halo (a close runner-up) but these have been our favorite! They are also so much easier to use than a traditional blanket like they use in the hospital.

Chico Key Fit 30

I don't mind admitting I'm obsessed with our infant carseat! When you are a first time mom registering for baby gear can be confusing. One of the questions I had was if I should get an infant car seat and then later on purchase a convertible car seat or if I should skip the infant seat and go straight to the convertible seat. I learned that it is worth every penny to get the infant seat!! After tons of research we chose the Chico Key Fit 30 and I LOVE it! If you follow along you may remember that Anna Claire and I were rear ended by another car when she was just a month old. She was buckled in this car seat and it kept her safe and injury free which is by far the most important thing. Another thing I love about this car seat is how EASY it is to take it in and out of your car. It literally clicks in, clicks out... It's so easy. There have been several times when she is sleeping and instead of waking her up to get her out of her car seat we just remove the car seat and snap it into our stroller (Baby Jogger- City Select, which I also love) and go about our business. I love it and would purchase it again in a heartbeat! 

Solly Wrap

When nothing else will calm our little one being worn in the Solly Wrap will. She LOVES to be worn and I love it also! It is also so convenient if you need your hands free. You can often find Anna Claire hanging out in the Solly while I make breakfast or walking out to the pool/beach when my hands are full carrying a million other things.   

Angle Care Bath Tub 

I purchased a Puj tub for the sink and this Angel Care one and the Angel Care is by far my favorite. The Puj always came unsnapped mid bath causing Anna Claire to start falling over. We love the Angle Care and she LOVES bath time! 

Baby Dome

snoozing away in her baby dome! 

This is the only product on the list that we don't actually use daily but it has gotten tons of use and has come in so handy. This baby dome blocks the sun and keeps Anna Claire nice and cool when we are outside at the beach, pool, beach music concerts, etc. I place my battery operated stroller fan in their and she naps away and stays nice and cool. It also folds up and is SO easy to carry. If she had been born in the winter this item probably would not be worth it but for a spring/summer baby it's great! 

++++++++++

Other honorable mentions that we love and can be found all around our house, in the stroller, in the diaper bag and pretty much everywhere we go: pacifiers, Aden and Anais swaddle blankets, diapers and wipes (duh) but we have been most impressed with Pampers and lansinoh disposable nursing pads if you are breast feeding (especially until your milk regulates these are a must). 

For fun I asked Justin his top 5 baby products to get a dads point of view and he was pretty much spot on with my favorites- swaddles, pacifiers, rock n play, swing and burp cloths. (: 

Anna Claire- Newborn Photos

Oh my goodness... I can't believe I forgot to share Anna Claire's newborn photos on here!! I debated long and hard if I wanted to hire a photographer and ultimately decided to wait until she is just a little older and have professional pictures taken then. For these my sweet sister took them using my Cannon EOS Rebel camera and they turned out great! I could just eat up every squishy newborn roll on her!!! 

her hair!!

Anna Claire l 1 Month

I can't believe my baby is already one month old!!!  The past month has flown by faster than I ever imagined it would. It has no doubt been the best month of my life. There is nothing I love more than being Anna Claire's mommy! She has already changed so much in her first month of life.

Weight 

At her one month check up (4 weeks and 6 days) she weighed 11lbs 1oz which is almost two pounds past her birth weight! We have a healthy little girl. I just love every single little roll on her!!! She is 22 inches long. She is out of her newborn clothes and fits well in 0-3 month outfits. 

Sleep

She is for the most part a pretty good sleeper. She has her nights that are more challenging (like when she hiccups for half an hour straight after feeding....) but for the most part she goes down for the night about 9pm and will wake about 1 am, 4am and 6am for a feeding. She is really good about going back to sleep quickly as long as she doesn't get the hiccups or reflux. 

We are following Moms on Call and it's working pretty well for us both. She naps about 4 times a day anywhere from one-two hours if all goes as planned. 

Eating 

Right now we are exclusively breastfeeding and it's going great! I feel so fortunate to have had a fairly easy experience breastfeeding and plan to keep it up as long as I can. She is full and gaining weight which makes me so happy! 

Milestones 

Towards the end of her first month of life she started to notice the star mobile on her swing and it was the cutest thing ever! She LOVES to stare at the stars and swing! Anna Claire has a head full of dark hair but we think it may be starting to fall out.

This month she also made her first trip to the beach and traveled four hours to my hometown to meet her great grandmother! 

Likes/Dislikes 

Anna Claire loves being held, being swaddled, being worn in the solly wrap, her pacifier, walks in her stroller and car rides.  

She does not like diaper and outfit changes.