Kid

Baby Finger Paint

Hello artists! Today I had an awesome afternoon of being outside, creating and sitting by the pool. It was just a baby pool and I mostly watched my daughter finger paint eat finger paint, but it was still really awesome. My friend, Kristy, (and next door neighbor) had her baby a few days after I had Soph and they’ve been doing awesome at playing together lately. Kristy saw edible finger paints for kids on Pinterest, naturally, we were curious if the girls would be interested in baby finger paint.

Baby Finger PaintAll in all the painting project was a success. No crying or staining!

Baby Finger PaintTo make the paint, dollop greek yogurt into a muffin tin and add a pinch of Kool-Aid powder. Stir to get the desired color.

Baby Finger PaintBaby Finger PaintThe girls both liked dipping their fingers in the paint and we would rub them on the paper to get them used to the feeling. It was an exercise of getting the girls to have the feeling of the paint on their fingers and seeing it transfer onto the paper rather than watching them paint by themselves (because they’re too young).

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Andy (Sophie’s friend) wasn’t too into the painting because she really wanted to swim. All the while, Sophie was shoving her face with beautiful yogurt and trying to get hugs.

Baby Finger PaintSoph wanted to join Andy in the pool which we loved because it was an easy and fun clean up method! The yogurt came off easily and there was no staining on their skin.

Baby Finger PaintSoph was really digging the yogurt and was eying it from the pool so I let her out to have more. She ate it ALL. By the end she had every color all over her body. She was the prettiest pallet I’ve ever seen. ๐Ÿ™‚ When was the earliest you tried finger painting with your kids? Was it a success? Anyone else use pools as a easy clean method? Fail proof.

1st Birthday Party Ideas

Happy Happy Friday! I’m super pumped about this Friday Finds post because I got to do it around 1st Birthday Party Ideas for Sophie’s Birthday in two months. Pinterest is INSANE with making it look like you have to do a super massive party for a child’s first birthday. The ideas I saw on there were overwhelming! I decided I wanted to try to DiY her party using supplies we already have. Once I got a better idea of what I wanted her party to look like, I realized I will have to buy a few lot of balloons and some floral pins but I’d say that’s pretty good for me (usually I spend a bit too much on birthday decorations.) I decided I wanted Sophie’s theme to be happy/fun/colorful just like she is. She has the biggest personality to match her larger than life smile. I thought a ‘confetti/sprinkles’ type party would suit her perfectly.

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  1. Confetti Balloons are SO fun and I knew I had to try my hand at them for her party. I love the huge round balloons but those are pretty pricey so I thought I’d get more bang for my buck by using regular, clear balloons. Kristen wrote an awesome tutorial at KojoDesigns when she made them for her little girl’s party.
  2. Cake. Duh. Very important part of every party but especially a little girl’s first birthday party. I love the whimsical 1 on this birthday cake by Kristine at Kristine’s Kitchen. Her cake sounds phenomenal too but I think I’ll have enough stuff going on that I’ll probably buy a mix.
  3. I’m a big garland fanatic. I make a new garland for every party we have. I have a Sophia bunting that hangs over her crib that I’ll use somewhere but I also wanted to make some pompom garland that can go in her room once the party’s over! I just got a clover pompom maker and Tara at One Stylish Party has a great tutorial on how to use the pompom maker.
  4. Big Ole Welcome Wreath! I wanted to make a wreath that I could use every year for birthday parties. I thought this balloon wreath made by Erin at Just Two More Seconds screamed ‘birthday party and fun to be had inside!’
  5. Finally, I MUST show a year of photos of my baby girl. There will probably be a slide show or video playing but I thought this 1 display of photos shared by Emily at Babble was seriously cute. I only have about 3,000 photos to go through from this past year…nbd.

I’m just tickled to be thinking about celebrating our little girl with our immediate family and some of her favorite friends! I wanted her gift from us to be fairly small but meaningful and I’d seen Tamara post a personalized children’s book called The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name. She’s obviously too young to read this book but we can start reading it to her now  while she looks at the beautifully illustrated pages. What did you do for your child’s first birthdays? What did you learn from that party that you will remember for all future parties? Now I want cake.

How to Help a New Mom

Hello friends!! This past weekend I went to see my 3 day old niece Lyla and swooned over her for a couple of days! I was also able to help out her family with a few chores that were super simple for me but was one more thing off their list that they didn’t have to do. I had a lot of pain after giving birth and we had my husband’s parents come into town for a few days to help us out as well. I wanted to give some ideas on things that are helpful to a new mom or a mom who’s already knows the drill but has another child to care for as well. Knowing how to help a new mom is tough because it’ll be different for every mom but being there to offer a hand will be greatly appreciated no matter how you help.

help-new-momFor me, as a first time mom, I’d gone to all the classes, read all the books was extremely confident once we had Sophie but was physically unable to care for her for the first week. We also struggled during breastfeeding with countless hours of in-home lactation consultant visits and trips to visit the ears/noes/throat doctor. There is nothing that can prepare a mom for breastfeeding. Every baby is different, every mom is different and if you’re successful with breastfeeding from the beginning, count your blessings. One never feels as frustrated and inadequate as a mom who is unable to feed her new baby. The urgency you feel to help your baby stop crying so she can eat, so she can sleep, so she can grow and LIVE is immeasurable. The BIGGEST help was having Theresa come into our home. Being patient, calm, soft spoken and encouraging to me and Sophie through our first several weeks of trying to breast feed was exactly what we needed. I strongly encourage women to have an in-home lactation consultant come into their environment once to critique how you are feeding. The smallest adjustments can make a world of difference in the breastfeeding experience. If you’re trying to help out a new mom who you know is sleep deprived and frustrated about breastfeeding, suggest helping to pay for an in-home lactation consultant.

lowesTaking care of other children in the home is another huge help to mom and dad. Keeping them quiet for mom to rest can be difficult, so take them to the grocery to pick up dinner or to the park to get some playground time in. Have them help you water the flowers or fold the laundry. Helping with meals, baths and naps is very helpful so mom and dad don’t have to keep track of routines with their sleep deprived brains.

flowersAnother super helpful chore is outdoor work. No matter the time of year, there is always something that needs to be taken care of outside. Mowing the lawn, weeding, watering flowers, raking leaves, picking up sticks and shoveling snow are all completely off limits to a mom who’s just had a baby and it’s very likely that dad is pretty worn out as well. You could also fill bird feeders, clean bird baths, or cut a bouquet so mom can enjoy her flowers inside.

dog-walkTaking care of pets is a chore that can easily go unnoticed when you’re a new parent. Having my friend come over to walk our dog Lexi was a huge help in relaxing her and I. She was able to see a friend, get some energy out and be more calm around the baby. It is also helpful to make sure they get their food/water, brush them or give them a bath to help with the amount of hair. I get anxious with clutter and dog hair and everything was heightened when I’d just had Sophie so keeping our house clean meant a lot to me.

sophie-sunSnuggle their new baby if they say you can! I needed people to hold Sophie because it was uncomfortable for me to do so. She was happiest when walking around, which gets really tiring when you’re not sleeping. Being able to go to the bathroom, take a shower, get a snack when you need to is something that you take for granted when you don’t have a baby who needs to be held all the time. lyla-outsideGive tips on what worked for your baby if tips are welcome. Some moms don’t want you to even give them suggestions because it makes them feel like you’re trying to tell them what to do or what they’re doing wrong. In other cases, there are moms that want all the help they can get and are happy to receive suggestions. I had the mentality that if something didn’t work, we’d try something else and then something else until it worked–all suggestions were welcome.

There are numerous things you can do besides bringing lasagna and baby clothes to a family with a new baby. Whether they’re a new mom or a mom that has a few kids already, everyone could use help. No matter how small or large the task, every little bit is helpful. Depending on how close you are with the new parents, cleaning their kitchen, making dinner, cleaning bathrooms or doing their laundry are things that are non-stop and can weigh them down with necessary stress. Know your boundaries and if you don’t, just ask!  What are some ways that you’ve helped a new parent? Was there something that was particularly helpful for when you had a child?

Yesterday I was guest posting over at Dana’s site, This Silly Girl’s Life on how I made a Scrapbook of Love Letters! Go check it out!

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Roadtrippin’ With Baby

Howdy ya’ll! You’ll never hear those words out of my mouth but we recently returned from Oklahoma and I felt it appropriate. ๐Ÿ˜‰ We took our 9mo baby girl with us on a road trip to visit our family in Tulsa two weeks ago. Now that things have settled down, I thought it would be helpful, to other brave souls who may try road tripping with their lil ones, to put together a little post on what things worked and didn’t work on our trip.

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The most important thing we learned while vacationing with our little bean is to not worry. Don’t be afraid to go places. If things don’t work out you can always go back to the car or hotel for food or a nap. We made sure to max out this vacation with ‘firsts’ for Sophie. We drove on a Saturday thinking it would take 8 hours…it took 12. Of those 12 hours, only two were bad though so I think it was extremely successful! We had a few spots mapped out to stop in case she was awake. She was awake for the safari but missed out on the fire breathing dragon so Mommy and Daddy ran out to take a quick pic. It’s ok though, giraffes and dragons are pretty much the same. ๐Ÿ˜‰

dragon-giraffeAnother thing we learned fairly quickly is to take it easy at rest spots. When we let Sophie out of the car to look around in the gas station, watch the kids play on the swing set or pretend to drive, she did a much better job of eating and going back to sleep when we got back on the road. When we rushed her stops, she couldn’t be consoled and we’d just end up stopping again soon. Sometimes she was happy pretending to be George Washington by playing with random stuff in the car (does she not look like GW with the diaper on her head?!) other times she’d need to be thrown really high outside with Daddy. She LOVED captaining her ship with her cape too (we were listening to The Princess Bride and she thought she was Dread Pirate Sophie.) I wish we would have taken a blanket to lay on the grass so she could crawl around a bit at rest stops. Next time!

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reststop2One thing that we did very successfully was her diaper bag. We packed a ridiculous amount of crap stuff for her when we should have just bought all of her diapers, wipes and food once we got there. The diaper bag was clutch though. It had a gallon ziplock bag for ‘wardrobe change accidents’, wipes, two extra pairs of comfy driving clothes, tons of toys, (book, teethers, rattles, stuffed animals etc.) ready-made Enfamils, baby food jars, and TONS of diapers and bibs. We were extremely thankful we laid a towel down on the back seat next to her car seat in case she had a bad accident and we weren’t near an exit (we’ve learned from experience.)

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We also made sure she got enough sleep but we didn’t plan our vacation around her naps. She got good naps in the morning and at night but we tried to keep her awake a bit longer during the middle of the day to do something fun and she was completely fine. Did not cry once from hunger or being tired. She LOVED watching every person, animal and dinosaur we saw! We took her to the Driller’s baseball game, Tulsa Zoo, Oklahoma Aquarium, City Museum in St. Louis and the 4th of July Festival to see the fireworks. She seriously loved every single thing and we loved watching her. We were only about 15 min. from home/hotel from all of these places so we knew if she was too tired or scared we could easily take her back.

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zoo

aquarium

funI was worried before we left that our ‘quiet, relaxing, peaceful trip to visit our family’ would end up being a ‘cryfest, headache filled, sleep deprived’ trip. I was very wrong. We couldn’t have had a better time and I’m so thankful our family let us come visit them and showed us a wonderful time in OK! We won’t be afraid to travel with her again until she’s in her terrible two’s. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Have any of you taken a road trip with a little one? What did you learn that you want passed on to other parents to keep their vacations a happy memory? Mmmm that funnel cake was amazing by the way.

Top Toys for 7-8 Month

Hiya Friends! Now that Soph’s more mobile, I’ll be doing toy posts more often. She has a pretty shore attention span when it comes to playing with toys. Watching Frozen, on the other hand, can be done in it’s entirety now. Crazy! I wanted to list some of her very favorite toys that she plays with every day. 8 month toys
  1.  You’ve probably all at least seen Sophie la Giraffe, if you don’t currently have one. Sophie now has 8 teeth and has never really gotten into any of her teethers. She LOVES this giraffe for teething though. She’ll play with it without teething as well.
  2. The Bright Starts Activity Table has been her longest toy in rotation. She got tall pretty quickly so was able to sit in the saucer at an early age. She can now pull herself up to play with the table while standing wobbly for a minute. I also still love this toy because it will keep her attention just long enough for me to clean the kitchen or my husband and I to eat dinner together!
  3. Stacking rings are a big hit with Soph. She loves knocking them over, chewing on the rings and even playing fetch (I know that sounds terrible but she really enjoys throwing them and chasing them all over the room!)
  4. Now that it’s sunny and warm at least one day of the week, we like pool time for a little bit. She only lasts about 10 minutes in the pool, so it’s not much for all the hassle of slathering in SPF and peeling off a wet swim suit but she LOVES it! I throw in a bath book, a cup and rings and she splashes and smiles the whole time. This pool is smaller than I thought it would be based on the picture but I like the high walls and the fact that it was only $15.
  5. Puffs have been a fun adventure! I’ve really enjoyed watching her get a little better at eating them every day. We don’t get them as a snack or food replacement but as practice for her hand-eye coordination.
  6. The Laugh and Learn Stride-to-Ride Puppy is a toy that Sophie has loved from the start. We brought it out when she was too young to use the shapes, push the dog or ride on it while holding on. She’s always loved watching the lights and listening to him sing. She now likes to play with the shapes, can hold on to ride and can use him to stand up. She’ll eventually be able to scoot herself on him, push him around and put the shapes in the holes. This is another great toy that will last a long time
  7. The Indestructibles books are amazing. Sophie loves when we read to her with the board books because she can turn the pages but the Indestructibles books are…well…indestructible. They will survive literally everything a child can do to them.
  8. This cute cloud/octopus (we don’t know what it is) has been one of lil bean’s favorite toys for a long time. She will just stare at him until you make her stop. She really likes to hold him and move him around while watching the stars dance along the ceiling and walls.
  9. Sophie’s newest favorite toy is her Little Tikes swing. She lights up when she gets pushed in this swing. The rhythmic motion also calms her down for nap time!

pool-babyWhat were your baby’s favorite toys at this age? What are their favorite toys now that I need to look into for the future?! The choices for toys are so extensive now that she’s crawling and can sit up on her own! Some of her favorite free toys are pampers boxes, ice cubes, empty water bottles and string of any kind (I watch her when she has it, don’t worry.)

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