More pictures from Feb 2011

I looked back on my photo files from February and it looks like things were easier in Feb.  Harper was still having a difficult time but there were more smiles...

 

Still fussy but not screaming!

 

 

She even let us put her down in the morning!!!

 

Of course she preferred being held.  I love seeing Matt hold this pink bundle.

 

Ethan enjoyed helping entertain her while she relaxed on her changing table - one of the few places she was happy to be.

 

Reading a book to her.

 

And being a typical big brother - he thought it was funny to put it on her face.

 

We still watched Wheel of Fortune before bed together some nights.  Ethan always called out "W" and one day when I asked him what he was drawing he said "W".  

 

I was still wearing her for hours every day ... walking and listening to the hairdryer.

 

She was swaddled often too.

 

I adore this picture of Ethan.  He seems so little here, especially compared to now.

 

Yes, Harper is napping in the bathroom.  This was the one nap a day (in the morning) that I was able to get her to nap in her chair with the bathroom fan on .

 

Two months old here and her heat rash had cleared and she wasn't as red faced.  One of my favorite outfits too.  

 

She even tolerated her playmat for a few minutes at a time!  She enjoyed looking in the mirror.

 

Ethan liked to help.

 

Harper asking him to please back up.

 

That's better.  And it melts my heart.  

 

She was NOT a fan of tummy time and still doesn't like to be on her stomach.  I remember taking this picture before getting set up to sleep -- so we were still sleeping on the sofa together at this point (mid Feb).

 

Documenting another cute outfit and unhappy girl.

 

Talking to herself in the mirror was a daily activity.

 

Ethan's first lollipop.  He was in love.

 

Breakfast with Ethan - tractor spoon, playdough, and toys at the table.

 

Welcoming SPRING!

 

By this point we graduated from sleeping propped up on the sofa with Harper on my chest to cosleeping in the bed.

Ethan loved coming into our bed in the morning to say good morning to Harper.  I was a little surprised that he never questioned why she was in our bed and not her crib.  He never asked to sleep in there too.

 

I loved these pants!

 

Harper and I made a daytrip to Ikea with our friend Kasey (Hi Kasey!).  Harper was a great traveler that day!  We can't wait to go back.  We picked up fun treats for Ethan such as this easel. 

 

Harper's first bottle of breastmilk.  Ethan was a big helper.  

 

And then Ethan insisted on having his milk while he helped :)

 

She took some of it but took the rest while resting on the boppy.  It turned out that Harper was quite particular about bottles (shocker).  She preferred them to be perfectly warm (we never figured out the right temp).  We were able to skip bottles altogether (more on this later).  She's 7.5 months now and we have introduced cold breastmilk in a sippy cup because that is what Ethan took while I was away from him and it was SO easy!

 

I saw this mobile on Amazon's daily deals for $11.  One of the best things we bought for Harper.  No, it's not pretty but it was a lifesaver!  She actually let us put her down in her crib because of it!  It's perfect for younger babies with the black and white and contrasting patterns.

The greatest thing we bought for Harper was a WubbaNub.  So great that it probably deserves a post of it's own but I'll include it here.  It's like a light weight Beanie Baby attached to a Soothie pacifier.  It prevents the pacifier from rolling down when the baby lets it fall out of her mouth.  It was a HUGE help.  Harper could sit in her seat with her pacifier and I didn't have to run over every 5 seconds when she lost it.  It would lay on her chest and she could root around to get the pacifier back in her mouth.  This was especially helpful when I was tending to Ethan and didn't have to get up and run to Harper quite as much.  It also made the pacifier easier to find in any room and saved us from buying a ton of pacifiers.  Harper became attached to this little guy.  She holds onto his legs, chews on the tag, plays with the tag, and just loves her froggy!  The frog is sewn on to the pacifier so at first we were just washing the pacifier but the frog started to look dirty too so we put the whole thing in with clothes in the washing machine and it turned out just fine.  I thought about putting it in a mesh bag before washing but didn't and still, it came out fine.  

 

I think it looks so funny hanging from her mouth!

    

 

 

 

  

Waiting for snow

We saw this sled on sale at Target. We thought that we would put it away until we had enough snow to pull Ethan around in but once we got it home we decided to let him try it out inside first. Well, now it's his new favorite toy. He LOVES when we pull him around the house in it.



He also loves to sit in, play with the strap, play with his toys while he's sitting in it, and pull himself up on it.




I'm sitting here laughing as I post these pictures. This kid cracks me up!

Moved to the convertible carseat

Ethan graduated to the convertible car seat. We needed to buy a new seat since his was in our car when we were hit. Some people don't know this but any time a car seat is in a car involved in an accident, even if the baby isn't in the seat, it's recommended that you buy a new seat. Car insurance will cover the cost of a comparable new seat. Ethan was nearing the 22lb weight limit on his infant seat anyway so we moved to a convertible seat. We decided on a Britax Maraton and ordered it from traveling tikes. They had an issue with their Britax shipment when we ordered so it unfortunately took about 4 weeks for Ethan's seat to arrive. They have the lowest prices on Marathon's that I've found & free shipping so if you aren't in a hurry, I'd recommend ordering from them to save some cash.

Here is Ethan the first time he was in his infant seat at just 2 days old. We were getting ready to leave the hospital. I remember feeling so excited to take him home and some anxiety about leaving the wonderful care of the hospital nurses.


And here he is the last time he was in his seat. I can't get over how big he is, how fast the time has gone by, and just how much has happened over the past 9+ months. Life is beautiful!!

toys, toys, toys

We noticed that Ethan was becoming bored with his baby toys. Rattles were only entertaining him for so long. He's graduated from the exersaucer and jumparoo. Of course anything around our house becomes a toy and he still loves books, but we had fun toy shopping.

Here are some that have been Ethan's favorites over the past month or so...

Penguin These photos make me laugh!



Drums. Well, really, he makes just about anything a drum these days. He also enjoys when we put it together so that it rolls.


Busy Ball Popper is am occasional toy b/c it's loud. It was a gift. It scared him at first but now he's interested in how it works. He likes when the air blows in his face.




Activity Table
What we liked about this table is that you can use it w/o the legs if you choose. We started out this way. He loves music so this has been a hit!


We added the legs to work on pulling up and standing. A mixing bowl makes a nice seat (and drum).



This simple Little Tikes piano is his favorite. I picked it up at a consignment sale for $2. Perfect! They have a few at his daycare and he loves them! His face lit up when he saw we had one at home.




With his piano and mixing bowl drum. He loves music & to make noise!

Melissa and Doug have some cute toys like this one. Another consignment sale find!


Stacking cups and nesting boxes are fun too!



Next post will be his favorite things around the house that make great toys. I've love watching him explore at this stage. It's amazing to watch his mind work!