Month 5….We Have All Survived!!!

Baby D has made it to 5 months.  I simply can not understand how these months keep flying by and how big this boy has become.  I am also happy to report that I have kept BOTH children alive and relatively unharmed for a whole 5 months!  It was touch and go for a while at week 5, but we have gotten to a point where these kids really love each other and I am no longer a little scared that Miss A will try to suffocate him…(on purpose).

This big boy has gained another lb, putting him at around 16lbs (no exact measurement since there was no official 5 month checkup).  He is in most of his 6 month clothing and thanks to Grandma M, he has been moved up to 6 month onesies and is no longer sqeezing into those 3 month ones he has been wearing!

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He is fascinated by his toes.  He loves to hold them, eat them, stare at them…they are his favorite toy.  The night that I posted his 4 month update, he decided to roll over.  He went belly to back.  He has perfected this move over the last month, and is now working on getting back to belly with as much ease.  Proud parent outlook…”Great!  he’s on track and doing what the Doctor expects him to do!”  Real parent outlook “Dammit…he slept wayyyy later in the morning before this rolling over nonsense!”  This month marked his first cold.  We have the head of his crib raised, and he usually wakes up with his head at the bottom….I’m sure that feels fantastic!  He’s loving his excer-saucer like crazy, and we also have been enjoying our Baby Bjorn bouncy chair!  He finds it is the best position to get maximum foot to mouth access!

These days, the kid has 3 general looks.

1.  Feet in mouth:

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2.  We will call this one….Typical Man: AKA Huh?!….

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3.  My most favorite…Super, ridiculously happy!

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I can’t take that face.  For real….I bite him at least 3 times a day.  His drool hasn’t stopped.  He loves sucking his thumb.  He still is hanging on strong to the bassinet of his stroller since he is Mr. Belly Sleeper.  He’s usually found strapped to me in my baby wrap and it is there he does his best work as my partner in crime.  He can charm the pants off of everyone he meets, but he’s a respectable boy so he lets them keep their pants on!  His laugh is infectious and he is usually found giggling away with his sister in his crib!

Baby D…Mommy said please keep the teeth away and let me enjoy your gummy smile for a few more months.  I’m not ready to give up your baby-ness.  I love you more than words could ever say.

 

 

Family Beach Evening…

We unexpectedly had to cancel our plans to head to CT for our friend’s bachelor party this weekend, and while we did miss all the fun with our friends, we did get to have a wonderful LK family night here in Long Beach.  We had dinner at the “Shoregasboard” followed by a fun golden hour photo shoot on the beach!  It was Baby D’s first beach experience!

This is what he thought of the sand…

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He was a little unsure at first….but we didn’t really stick him in the sand too much!  He had lots of layers underneath him!  Once he got used to the tiny bit of sand he had between his adorable toes…he started to really have some fun!

Daddy & D2

Daddy & D

D6But if we’re talking about fun…I’m pretty sure Miss A takes the cake on fun!

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A1

A & Daddy Air4

A & Daddy Air3

A & Daddy Air2

A & Daddy Air1

 

A & Daddy Air5

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A15She was loving the beach…as long as we didn’t make her go in the ocean!

I was also able to get these 2 kids together!  They are really stinkin’ adorable!  If you’ve never snuggled with them….well I’m just sorry for you because they are just the yummiest babies ever!  Even when Miss A is being difficult…she’s just smushy.  I love them both more than I could even describe.

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A&D4

A&D3

A&D2

A&D

 

So even though our weekend took an unexpected turn….we still made the best of it & had a wonderful time!  Sorry we missed the party boys…we do love you tons!

 

 

4 Months Happy…

Holy Happy Baby!!!

What do I do with this FACE????
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He’s so smiley!  He still sleeps like an angel & is content wherever we are.  He might look like his Daddy, but his demeanor is all his Mommy!!! (hehe wink wink*)

Our most recent 4 month checkup had him at 14lbs 12oz, and 25.5″ tall.  He was talking away and smiling throughout his appointment!  He got a clean bill of health & Dr H confirmed that he’s a talker!  Just what we need around here…another talker!  He is still doing best on 6oz every 3 hours.  When we play with his food he gets all thrown off and sleeps too long or vomits or is just generally off his game.  If it aint’ broke, don’t fix it!  His major milestone was finding his toes!  He even got them into his mouth!  We just retired his PJ gowns since there’s really not been a reason to keep him in easy access PJs since he sleeps through the night.  He’s in PJs with feet now!  He’s also outgrown the beloved Puj tub…about 2 months before his sister did!  He’s moved on to the Boon Naked bath.  As long as the water is warm/hot….he’s cool!  He’s overall, just a happy little baby who lights up my life & makes this family complete!

D71_2574He is still obsessed with putting those hands in his mouth, and is ridiculously drooly!!!!

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Baby D is just plain happy…and I’m soaking it all in…

d4I love you Baby D….my little man….I love watching you grow but PLEASE stay a baby as long as possible!!!!  (Not an adult baby though….that’s proven bad)

 

 

54789340854678678567 Baby Products….Our 11 Favorites!

There are a lot of baby products out there….and lots of them are a waste of time and money.  It can be really hard to navigate which ones are worth it!  (yes….everyone’s “worth it” is different!)  We didn’t have anyone to tell us what was a good buy and a pointless buy the 1st time around.  This time…I’m keeping track for our future and for any friends, family or strangers who stumble onto our blog! These are the items we love for infants age 0-3 months… ** I was not paid or incentivized to give any of these opinions….these are just things I like 🙂 . 0-3 favs Feeding:

1.  Bottle feeding is our choice.  I know there are many people who judge me, but that is ok…this is our choice for our family and it works for us.  With Miss A we tried just about every bottle on the market.  We preferred Born Free.  Incredibly, our bottles (and some other infant things) were something that survived the flood (thanks attic!), so we didn’t even have to replace them!  We did replace the nipples!  We used the small 5oz size first…now we use the larger ones.  There is a glass option if you feel that is for you.  We thought about it but the cons outweighed the pros. bottle 2.  We got the Avent sterilizer when Miss A was born & it has served Miss A, our cousin CJ, and now Baby D.  I know I could boil the bottles and pieces too, but this is super quick (about 5 minutes) and all of the pieces for 6 bottles fit nicely inside…and then they come out sterilized!  I’m all for things that save me time!  They don’t make this model anymore, so the link is to the newer version

3.  Bibs.  Miss A was a spit up girl.  Thankfully, so far, Baby D only spits up on occasion….HOWEVER….he can rival a St. Bernard in the drool department!  We love the Silly Billyz bibs.  The front gets wet, and the back stays dry.  We used Mum2mum with Miss A but I like the Silly Billyz a little better since they have a tighter seal at the neck! BibPlay:

4.  Baby D spends a lot of time traveling around, as most 2nd children do!  When he gets into the carseat, he isn’t too thrilled!  This small Tiny Love travel mobile has a detachable arm that allows you to use it on a crib (like a pack and play or travel crib or bassinet of the stroller etc) or velcro to attach it to the car seat so it can entertain him while we drive.  Both of my kids loved this mobile! travel mobile 5.  Another thing that Baby D has to deal with is being put down in his crib for periods of time while I attend to his big sis’.  We like this bigger Tiny Love mobile to keep his attention off the fact that we left him in there!  Its colorful and the music is soothing, and when he starts to stand and pull on the top, we’ll probably keep the music box attached like we did with Miss A!

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6.  Our original playmat didn’t make it through Sandy.  Our friend AG gave us her son’s playmat when they came up to visit, and we also got this Fischer Price Piano playmat that we saw our cousin J play with, as a gift from our friends.  This has been amazing for us.  I have put him down on this mat and he’s played independently for over an hour.  He’s been doing tummy time and playtime on this mat since basically he came home from the hospital!  The only thing this is missing is a gate surrounding it to keep T from making out with Baby D!

playmat

Diapers, etc:

7.  Honest Diapers.  I love them.  They are about the same, if not a little cheaper than if I were buying Pampers diapers and Huggies wipes (which is my chosen combo when not ordering from honest.com).  The best benefit I’ve seen is that we’ve had basically NO diaper rash since we stopped using the Pampers/Huggies.  I will say that I prefer the Huggies wipes for my wipe warmer, because the Honest wipes can’t be used with our warmer…it’s the way they’re folded in the package that doesn’t work…oh well!  Bonus…they are fun looking!  Seriously….check out the patterns!  I also have bought their shampoo/body wash, conditioner, lotion, lip balm, and a bunch of other products from them for Miss A and our house.  I’ve enjoyed them all.

diapers

Sleep:

8.  I started my love affair with Aden & Anais when Miss A came into our lives.  It was ridiculously hot that spring and we were living in a house with window A/C’s.  I used their swaddling blankets with her until she fit into the Miracle Blanket.  Baby D will never get to wear the miracle blanket, because you can’t swaddle a thumb sucker!  You also don’t have to go into their room 50 times a night to put their bobo’s back in when they spit them out!  This go-round, our friends bought us a package of Bamboo swaddling blankets.  Unreal.  The softest, lightest, but still warm, great for swaddling (with his arms out), perfect for covering the carseat or stroller to protect him from the sun while still letting him breathe!

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9.  We are sound machine lovers in this house.  I refuse to tell Miss A to “SHHHHH” a zillion times a day, nor will I tell our dog not to bark while the baby is sleeping!  We used the sleep sheep for Miss A, and that worked great, but now that there’s an older sister running around, sometimes the 45 minutes of ocean sounds aren’t quite enough!  My Aunt R gave the Sound Machine Projector to us as a gift for Baby D and we have loved it.  You can set it to a timer, or leave it on all night.  I can’t speak much to the projector side, although I think it is a cool feature, since this baby is a belly sleeper, he doesn’t see much of those lights!

sound machine

10.  The next one is something that helps Mister LK and I sleep soundly.  Our Summer Baby Monitor.  We had an older model before the storm, but we needed a new one..since…well…it is NOT waterproof!  It is a really nice thing to be able to put the baby to bed and check on him without getting up in the middle of the night to go into his room!  We are blessed with a sleepyhead and when I take Miss A to wait for the bus, it is nice to be able to keep an eye on the baby and make sure he’s not screaming!  This new version makes adjustments easier!  The camera can be moved on the touchscreen.  That should be helpful once he moves around the crib more!

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Other:

11.  Finally…the item that 2nd time parents often find “so-so” useful the 1st time around and “SO….SOOOOOOO” useful the 2nd time around!  Our baby carrier!  With Miss A I had the Baby Bjorn.  I put her in it once and she came out with her whole leg red and bruised after 10 minutes from broken capillaries, a result of the carrier and her thighs not really working together!  At that point I was too nervous to use another one…so it wasn’t until she was about 8-9 months old that I got the Moby Wrap.  I loved it, and still do, but it’s pretty heavy fabric and since it is being lent to our friend right now to wrangle her 1 year old, I got myself a Solly Baby Wrap.  It is so lightweight, perfect for the summer, so soft and keeps Baby D close to me, upright and my hands are free to do everything I need to do!

So those are my favorites so far!  We’ll be spending the next 3months figuring out what things we need to add & the stuff we can pack up!

2 Months…2 Kids…No Time…

I’m back.  I know I know…I’ve slacked.  Completely.  For a month.  Can a girl get a break around here?!?!  Baby D is 2 months old now…well…truth he’s been 2 months for almost a week, but that’s how it is 2nd child!  I don’t love you less, I just have less time to write about it!

We had his 2 month check up and he’s a BIG boy!  Weighing in at 12.5lbs, measuring 24″ we’re at the 75th% for weight and 90th% for height!  Look at him….because he’ll melt your heart!

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He’s got that shocked look on his face because it has been quite some time since he’s seen the good camera come out!  I capture everything on my iphone these days.  I simply don’t have free hands to carry the big one around!

So…about my 2 month old.

You know those kids who are really really good sleepers?  Yea…we have one of those!  He sleeps 12+ hours a night.  (knock on wood)  I wish I could enjoy his sleeping in till 10am.  Miss A makes sure that doesn’t happen!  At least I’m able to get up and get things done before he’s up….yay bright side.

But.

You know those kids who love the car, and when they are fussy you can drive them around and they sleep peacefully which the engine is running?  We do NOT have one of those!  He thinks that car seat is the perfect place to dirty his diaper…and since he absolutely HATES a dirty diaper, he’ll then scream.  Bloody murder.  Until you pull over and change him in the trunk.

Oh well….you can’t have it all!

He’s eating 5oz every 3 hours, but I think that will change to 6oz within the next week.  He is strong and has no trouble lifting his head when he’s on his belly.  He is otherwise enjoying his life while swinging in his lamb swing, watching Miss A dance and sing & Mommy unpack & clean.  Ahh the life of a 2 month old!

The LK house is adjusting well to this boy & we can’t imagine life without him!

Baby D…we love you!!!!

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We Survived 1 Month!

Our baby boy is 1 month old today.

He is still eating 4oz every 3 hours…except at night when he is getting his long stretch from about 9pm until 2am, and 2:30am to 6am.  Other than that, he’s an angel.  He whimpers when he’s hungry, and if you take too long he’ll work out his lungs and really let you know…but other than that and a little whimpering when he’s got a dirty diaper…he’s pretty quiet.  His favorite time of day is bath time.  He’s getting bigger and bigger every day.  He was 10lbs 4oz at his last Dr visit at 3 weeks old, and I’d be pretty surprised if he isn’t at least 1lb more now!

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We are all shocked at how quickly this month flew by….even Baby D!

Surprised at 1 Month

 

Wishing time would slow down a little….We love you little man.

 

Trauma & Tradition…

This whole being Jewish thing sure has its ups and downs.  Although, aside from the need to starve for 1 day a year which isn’t exactly as tough as it may seem, I’ve never really experienced the down until now.  My baby had a bris.  His Mommy didn’t like it.

Here’s the deal Baby D…you will not remember this trauma, but I will.  You will probably just take for granted that this is your body and not think about how it came to be until you, gd willing, have a son one day, but if you ever want to thank me for putting you through torture, I’ll say you’re welcome.

I took the day off from taking the photos and I left it up to someone else, but I got a few before shots so here you are little man…before your initiation into the Jewish boys club…

D on the bed before the bris

 

Auntie S & D

Poor kid … didn’t have a clue what was comin’…. I love you little boy….I promise not to put you through that type of torture ever again.

 

 

Coming Home-ish…

We have been home for a few days…and by home, I don’t mean back in our house, I mean we took this new little man out of the hospital to get him settled in with our new little family!  Miss A came with Mister LK to pick us up and she was a great big sister helper!  We had a nice quiet morning, got all checked out, took a ride on a wheelchair & into the car!  We came home and were greeted by Grandma, Auntie S, Cousin H, Auntie H, Cousins S & A, our fantastic Nurse C, and as always, our fur siblings T & M.

It was a full house to say the least!

D morning sleep in Mommy's bed

Hiding his face

A & D on bed

Getting D Dressed 1

D sleeping in take me home outfit

A sweet smile

D in his outfit

A with silly mouth face

A silly face

A kissing D

A & D smiling

A & D in the carBeing home has been wonderful!  Miss A is adjusting & we’re getting more and more settled every day!  Next goal is to get home, home.  Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes 🙂

B is for Boy…

We have a boy!  I never imagined I would ever have a boy…except for T…but I do!  And he pees a lot, just like T 🙂

Up until now, T was the cutest boy around, but Baby D is giving him a run for his money!

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We had a lot of fun in the hospital, which I know sounds silly, but it is true!  We had visitors and Miss A got lots of presents from Baby D, and she gave dance lessons to all the nurses!  Now…I’m sure that anyone who was outside in the 70+ weather enjoyed their days as much as I did, but they didn’t get to spend their whole day with my children….so…..I win!  Tantrums and all 🙂

A giving PD a checkup

DD laughing

Dr A

H & E

H & HCan we just discuss what a happy and chilled out baby my nephew is.  I hope for my sister’s sake that he keeps this disposition (which he inherited from his Auntie LK)…and I hope for myself that Baby D is as happy and content as this little one!  His smile and laugh are really the best!

H & D

Grandma & D

Auntie S, H, Grandma & D

Miss A, Cousin S, Auntie H & Baby D

Cousin S & D

Miss A silly face

Cousin's hanging out in bed

Mommy and her babiesWe’re settling in now that we’re home.  Adjusting to life with 2.  Miss A is getting more and more used to this arrangement every day.  Hoping to get some more photos up tomorrow!