4 and 5 Month Must Haves

Sorry this post is so over due! Life gets busy with a little one :). Below are our must haves for a 4-5 month old!

1. Aden and Anais Security Blanket: We are really a fan of these blankets or loveys. I was very hesitant on giving her a blanket but with the breathable material these are made out of, it eased my mind. They are soft and come in a pack of two! Since we are trying to move past swaddling Kinley likes having something in her hand when falling asleep. 

2. Earths Best Oatmeal:  I knew I wanted an organic oatmeal to give her. We have been very happy with earths best and Kinley loves it! Win win. *We did not give this to her until she was almost 6 months old and this was at the request of the pediatrician to help her gain some weight. 

3. Tommee Tippee bottles: With being back at work Kinley is getting the bottle more often than not. I really like the tommee tippee bottles and she has never had a problem with them. 

4. Sophie the Giraffe: I can not say enough good things about this toy. People asked me if it was really worth the money. At first I didn't think it was any more than a glorified dog toy to be honest, but now that we are in the middle of teething Sophie goes everywhere with us! Kinley loves this toy! 

5. Jumperoo: I love all the bright colors and music this jumperoo offers. Kinley especially loves it because she can watch everything going on. She hasn't quite figured out how to bounce up and down yet, but I'm sure as soon as she does she will be loving it more!

6. Munchkin Spoons: We are really liking these spoons for feeding. We are following BLW but still giving oatmeal. Kinley likes to chew on them too ;)

7. Teething Rings: These are great to stick in the fridge to chill. Kinley loves chewing on them while they are cold. They make her gums feel good and keeps her from getting mad while I try to make dinner. 

8. Graco Slim Space High Chair: There are a lot of high chairs out there but this one works for us. Our kitchen is really small so I like that it folds up and we can put it against the wall when we aren't using it. 

9. MAM Pacifiers: For the longest time we loved the wubbanubs, though I found Kinley had a difficult time keeping the soothie in her mouth. We had tried many binks over and over and she always preferred the wubbanub. One day she took the MAM and loved it. They are much easier for her to keep in her mouth. They also make awesome glow in the dark ones! 

Other Must Have Posts:

3 Month Must Haves

1 & 2 Month Must Haves

Happy Hump Day!! I am so glad it's hump day but wishing it was Friday!

This post contains affiliated links. 

My 1st Mother's Day

Hey everyone! Hope everyone had a great weekend and a happy Mother's Day! We had a great weekend! My first Mother's Day could not have been more perfect! I have always dreamed of being a mom but never fully understood how awesome it is until November 27, 2013, when Kinley Reese picked me to be her mama! I love this girl more than words!

Saturday was beautiful. I actually made it out for a run. I have to be honest I've really been slacking in the workout department! I need to get back in gear but I'm lacking motivation! What motivates you to workout? It felt great to go out and run. Then I came home and made a green smoothie! It was yummy! 

The rest of Saturday consisted of lots of errands! We went to SAMs club to stock up on household essentials like coffee hehe. Man that place will make you broke! After that it was nap time for the little ms. I loved her outfit but didn't have a matching headband! Minor problem. So I made her one. I loved it. She looked so cute all weekend! 

She's starting to sit on her own and growing way too fast! It's almost her half birthday! Eeekkkk!!! Saturday night we hung out and did some things around the house! I love being at home with the family! We had some yummy turkey burgers for dinner with sweet potatoes. Of course we shared the sweet potatoes with Kinley. I can't wait til I can give her any of our meals, but right now we are introducing foods slowly. 

Sunday came so fast! I hate how fast the weekends fly by!! I started my morning by waking up to the happiest little girl talking away! She's very content laying in her bed talking in the morning. It's the cutest thing! Her and daddy made me the best Mother's Day gift! 

Yes that blob is her handprint. Go daddy!! I love it and will cherish it forever! We had brunch at Cheesecake Factory, one of my favorite places! I have to say I've been a little disappointed with their service the past two times I've been there! It makes me upset when you spend a lot of money to eat out and the service is terrible. Good thing we had good company and a happy baby!

She kept grabbing at that glass of water in the corner of the picture. Does anyone have any good sippy cup suggestions? I think we need to start one soon. She's so intrigued by drinks and food! 

After we got home and she took a nap we had a picnic in our backyard. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to enjoy it. We made some sandwiches and cut up some watermelons...which leads me to the next food Kinley had. Watermelon. She was completely unsure at first and made quite the face but then seemed to enjoy it. We were going to do broccoli but Matt and I were eating watermelon and wanted to share! I have to say I'm LOVING BLW! 

We ended the night with some quiet time on the couch watching Parenthood. Anyone watch that show? I've been in tears a few times! Hope everyone had as good of a weekend as us! Happy late Mother's Day to all the mothers!

Weekend Highlights

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Ours was mellow now that my family is gone it's back to just us. I miss them tons!

We have officially decided we are doing BLW. I'm so excited and just want to give her everything at once. She took a decent nap yesterday so it gave me some time to browse Pinterest and get some recipe ideas. BLW seems like it's going to work great for our family. We started this weekend with bananas. She loved them! We also did try a cucumber and I think she loved that because it felt good on her teething gums! 

We made a family trip to lowes, where I could spend a lot of money! We are going to give our bathroom a makeover. It really needs it. Ideally we'd like to purchase a new house but right now use staying put is what's best for us. So we are going to do a little upgrading and go with it! Anyone have any upgrading/remodeling tips??

Of course we went grocery shopping! Next on the list for Kinley is sweet potatoes! 

We are tackling the no swaddle also! We tried cold turkey Friday night and it was quite the mess. So Saturday we stuck to one arm and that seemed much better. She looks like such an angel. I love her tons! 

Don't let her fool you..it didn't last long! But I still love her! Does anyone else's little one LOVE their toes? She literally eats them! 

Happy Monday! Hope everyone has a great week!

5 Months

I know I say this every month, but where has it gone! Our little girl is growing so fast. She has mastered so many new skills this month! It has been tough all around but amazing to watch her grow and learn new skills each day. Good old leap 4 was very hard!

Sleep: We are SLOWLY making progress with her sleep getting better. From what I've been told sleeping through the night for a baby is more than 5 hours. If that is true she sleeps through the night, but I am calling BS on 5 hours. Who only sleeps 5 hours! That is really crazy to me. But anyways, she is usually in bed and asleep by 7-715pm. We start our bedtime routine between 6-630 depending on if she napped and for how long. We are still dealing with the 45 minute intruder, but she is getting easier to get back to sleep, usually just give her bink back and she falls right asleep again. Naps are still up in the air and sometimes she naps for 2 hours, most days are 30 minutes. I do believe we will get there with naps too. We tried to unswaddle this past month and it was a fail after a few nights. Kinley sleeps so much better swaddled. She is still sleeping in the rock and play next to our bed, with hopes to transition to the crib soon. Again I thought she would be in her crib by now but with the reflux and her flopping around like a fish it has been a complete fail. We will get there! When she is ready! So overall sleep has gotten better this past month but still not great. She is getting up 1-2 times a night, most nights once which is wonderful! Some nights she thinks it is party time from 2-5am which is very difficult. Poor girl is just not a good sleeper...but hey we are making progress and that is all that matters :)

Eating: We started oatmeal this month which has been so fun! She loves it! From the first bite this girl has been a fan. She reminds me of a baby bird..too cute! She is still getting breast milk and I'm not totally sure how many ounces she is eating in a 24 hour period. I am sure it is on the lower end. She is getting more consistent with eating about 4-5oz in a sitting but again has times she only eats 2-3oz. She is not a good morning eater at all. I am still pumping two times at work and 1-2 times at home. I really am unsure how long I will continue pumping and or breast feeding, just taking it one day at at time. After we see the dr for her 6 month appointment we are going to start more solids and venture into the adventures of BLW. I am so excited to start this with her! If her loving the oatmeal is any indication of how solids are going to go it is going to be awesome!

Play: The exersaucer wasn't doing the trick for her. The Easter bunny brought her a jumperoo that she loves! She hasn't quite figured out how to jump in it but she loves the music and playing with the toys. She really discovered her feet this month and next to Sophie they are the best chew toy. She has started rolling this month as well. She does much better at going from back to tummy but has gone from tummy to back a few times. She just isn't a fan of tummy time. We try though! She continues to love Sophie. She is so happy for walks in the ergo. 

Likes:
Visits with her auntie and cousin
Oatmeal
Playing peak-a-boo
Sucking on her toes

There's not much she dislikes besides nap time

She is one happy 5 month old! I love this girl to the moon and back! She changes every day and it has been such and adventure to watch her everyday!

4 and 5 month must haves coming!

Other blog updates in this series
3 months
4 months

So excited I just won the Mamma Chia giveaway with Ashley!

4 Months

Here we are at 4 months already. I think we all have adjusted to me being back at work and are trying to get on a schedule. Matt is home with her during the day and on leave so he gets to be with us at night. That is nice! And I am loving the extra help and having my husband home at night.

Here are other blog updates in this series:
 3 Months

We are going to the dr later today so I will add in her stats when we get back. She is getting her 4 month shots :(. It just breaks my heart. I cried last time and I am sure I will again. I hate seeing her in pain. She got a slight fever last time and was cranky but other than that she did great. Hoping for the same this time!

Sleep: She still isn't the best sleep and we have definitely been hit with the 4 month sleep regression this past month. Holy moly it is killing us! It makes it super difficult to be up all night and then have to function at work and not bite people's heads off! I think I am doing pretty well! We are still dealing with the 45 minute intruder every time she goes down. I have done endless research and we have tried so many different things nothing seems to work. I keep telling myself we will get there and some day she will sleep better. She started going to bed earlier this past month, between 7 and 8, usually closer to 7. But then the 45 minute intruder hits and we are at 8:00 working on bedtime again. I feel so bad for her she just can't seem to settle down. After settling she sleeps until about 1 then feds and goes back down. Then sleeps until about 5 or 6 and feeds again. I try to push it closer to 6 or 630 because she seems to be ready to get up for the day. Well at least she thinks she's ready and doesn't go back to sleep. We are still really trying hard to figure out a nap schedule during the day. The only thing that is consistent is she goes down for a nap about an hour after she gets up. She usually only sleeps 45-60 minutes. Then throughout the rest of the day naps are sporadic and we just go with her cues. We haven't gotten to her crib yet because she has been sleeping so poorly, though we have been talking about getting her in the crib and trying a wedge. Maybe it is just what she needs. I will keep you all posted on when we try the crib. Hopefully soon.

Eating: Oh my has she been all over the place with eating. During the day she usually takes 5 oz at a time and eats twice while I am gone. I still nurse her before I go to work and when I get home or before bedtime. She goes about 4 hours in between feeds. She has days where she only eats 2-3 oz at a time also. I have been struggling with her nursing well lately. She wants to latch and unlatch so many times while nursing. She has become so curious with what else is going on she forgets she is eating. I have been contemplating going exclusively to the bottle and just pumping because I feel she gets more from a bottle. Again something I have been thinking about, though not sure I am ready to give up nursing her. I love that time with her so much and bottle feeding her won't be the same!

I am still pumping two times during the day at work. It has gotten easier and doesn't feel so much as an inconvenience or as I am being rushed. It has become part of my day and I am happy when I get to pump. It gives me a chance to look at pictures of my little munchkin.

Play: She has really started to play with lots of her toys and enjoy them. We took out the exersaucer earlier this month for something new. She is still a little unsure about it, but seems to enjoy being upright and looking around at everything. She has started laughing more consistently and it is the cutest thing ever!! It really makes my day when I come home and we play and she starts laughing! I sure do love her! The weather has gotten nicer so we have been able to get outside more. She loves to be in her stroller just enjoying the fresh air. Sophie has become a favorite toy this month. She also loves her toy keys. Of course everything she can get her hands on goes in her mouth.

I love how serious she is. 

Likes:
Walks in the stroller or the carrier so she can see everything
Petti the Peacock
Sophie
Enjoying tummy time more (not loving it yet)
Talking with Mommy and Daddy
Bath-time

Dislikes:
Getting into her pjs after bath
Sleep