Baby gear

Babies need a lot of stuff; this we knew from Hayden. We also learned how quickly they grow and change, and don't need some of that gear anymore. Luckily, we kept almost all of his big stuff, and Lila is enjoying all the worn-in toys that Hayden enjoyed as a baby.

The bouncy seat, or spider chair as we call it, was a source of comfort for Hayden, lulling him into nap after nap as a baby. Lila has napped in it, but didn't really care for it as a newborn. Now that she's bigger, she loves to sit in it and try to reach the spiders to put them in her mouth. She's a pro.

The exersaucer is another piece full of toys that Lila wants to put in her mouth. This is most useful in the kitchen, where she can watch me cook and clean but be a safe distance from anything that can hurt her...and still be entertained. The dogs don't quite know what to make of it when it's in the kitchen.

WHERE would we be without the bumbo seat?? Since she wants to be mobile, she doesn't like to be on her back for very long. She can't see everything that way! So we put her in the bumbo in the middle of the bed, or in the bathroom floor while I'm getting ready. Or, when we're blow drying her hair. Yes, you read that right. She gets the crazy hair which can easily be tamed with a round brush and the warm setting.

Recently we started putting the bumbo in the playpen so she can use this cool toy, a gift from my friend Jordan. It attaches to the playpen and adds a little stimulation to the prison-like mesh walls. But since she can't sit up yet, playpen + toy + bumbo = more stuff to entertain (read: more stuff to put in her mouth).

Last but not least, our friend the jumperoo. Some of you will remember the hours of fun this was for Hayden, and so far it seems like it will be no different for Lila. She's not quite tall enough for it yet, so we put her baby quilt under her feet for a little more length and she goes to town! She likes the ducks that spin and the book that flips but her favorite is the little tomato that's attached because (you guessed it) she can put it in her mouth.

Exploring

Now that she has a little more motor control, Lila is enjoying some of her other toys!

The exersaucer is a ton of fun for all of us! Mom and dad get some hands-free time in the kitchen or living room, and Hayden loves to help her play with all the parts. Lila loves to grab all the add-ons, and of course everything goes straight to her mouth.

This is Sophie the giraffe. She's a teething toy, that's soft and squishy and also squeaks! I think Hayden may like this one a bit more than Lila so far, and it absolutely puts the dogs in a frenzy. But it feels good on those little gums!

We can feel our time with the swing drawing to a close, but what a wonderful soothing place it's been for our sleepy girl. She still catches a good nap or two in it on the weekends, with her pup-pup, but soon it will go to the attic to wait for another baby that needs it!

We've been busy!

I just realized how long it's been since we've blogged! Life gets busy when we're back to normal. We're back to our routine of Jay working during the week, family time on the weekends, scrapbooking and new adventures!

Food has become a lot of fun these days. Hayden is getting better at using his teeth and jaws, so he's enjoying a variety of food these days. He is also in LOVE with YoBaby yogurt. I can't feed it to him fast enough! He's finally started eating his oatmeal, but only if I mix it with his fruit. I read a great article on food a few weeks ago, and it solved our dilemma of sudden dislike of certain foods. Apparently he needed a little more flavor to those bland green beans and chicken noodle dinner. So we added a little garlic, sometimes some paprika and he loves it! Since he's getting stronger motor skills, we've added Yogurt Melts and Lil' Crunchies from Gerber, and he gobbles those up as well. We're still fighting the cup (Hayden just wants to bang on his high chair with it) but we're making a little progress when we put formula in it. He's also getting better with the spoon, but we aren't brave enough yet to let him feed himself fully. We have started to feed him little bits of what we're eating, and he's much more interested in those than what comes from a jar. I'm amazed at how quickly he changes, and how much he looks like a little boy instead of a baby!

We've been BBQing and celebrating with friends for the past few weeks and it keeps us on the go. Hayden is a champ, napping in his stroller and playing with the other kids. He's also very agreeable to being passed around to our friends; he's such a social baby! Wonder where he gets that from...

Life is completely different with a crawler! He wants to explore everything and doesn't care for being "restrained" in the playpen or his jumperoo. He'll allow it for about 15 minutes, but after that he wants to get out! Hayden's friend Gavin is 2 now, so he gave us lots of his old toys since he's a big boy. Hayden has tested most of them out, and loves them, but his current favorite toy is a racquetball. It's so bouncy, so all he has to do is drop it and it's a fun game for several minutes. He loves for mommy and daddy to get down on the floor to play with him, and we're happy to oblige! He's starting to be more interested in his books as well, and loves his photo album with pictures of him with mommy and daddy. He has a ton of fun "cruising" around, using the furniture to help him walk. His legs and back are getting so strong, and I think standing on his own is just around the corner!