Thursday Things: 10 Products We Regularly Used for Jack (3-6 Months)

About the time Jack turned 3 months, I wrote a post outlining our top 3 things we needed for an infant. Basically our little guy needed a place in our room to sleep, warm clothes to wear, cloth diapers, a good carseat and mama's milk to thrive {ironically I don't think I included any of those things in my original list}.

As a follow up, here are the top items we used for Jack during the 3-6 month phase of his life on planet Earth.

1. Crib – we moved him to his crib around 4 months. We were thrilled to be able to get a good, modern crib at a steal of a price from IKEA {we chose the SUNDVIK and painted and stenciled the ends}.

2. Bibs/Burp Cloths – our little one spit up A LOT for the first 6 months of his life. Bibs were a life saver once I started using them regularly. Our favorites were the Just One You by Carter's cloth bibs with a snap {instead of velcro} from Target.

3. Play Gym – Jack loves the mobile on his play mat/gym. He especially loved it once he could grab the little birds that were circling above his head. I liked having a place I could lay him where he could be entertained while I caught up on work.

4. iPhone – I finally upgraded to a smart phone {for work reasons} around the time Jack turned 3 months old. The iPhone was easier to use than my Kindle {one handed} when I was nursing Jack. Talk about improving my life. I could read books, surf the internet, and track our little guy's nursing/diapers/sleeping habits with the Baby Nursing app.

5. Books.Books.Books. – we read a lot of books to our little guy. As the months passed he has become more and more engaged in what we are reading. By 6 months he was reaching out to help turn pages and/or trying to eat the pages.

6. BOB Revolution Jogging Stroller – we decided to skip out on a regular stroller and picked up a used BOB Revolution via Craigslist {retail is $399, we paid a fraction of that price}. We LOVE this stroller. We use it regularly for running/walking. It fits our lifestyle to a tee. We do not own another stroller and are glad that we didn't go with a typical travel stroller system.

7. Baby Bjorn – for the first 6 months of Jack's life I used the Baby Bjorn carrier specifically for grocery shopping and doing chores around the house. It kept Jack close to me and safe. I liked that he could interact with people {especially as he got bigger and we faced him outward} but I still had control over this interaction with strangers. We picked up a used carrier at Unclaimed Baggage for $8 {this carrier generally retails for $74+ on Amazon}.

 

8. Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag – Daniel actually picked out the diaper bag we carry for Jack. Since Jack is a boy and Daniel didn't want to have to carry anything that looked overly feminine, he won this battle. We agreed on the Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag in black/gray. We really like the sleek look, durable material and the portable changing pad that comes with it. On the rare occasion I have changed Jack on a changing table in a restroom at a restaurant, I really liked being able to 1) lay our changing pad down for Jack to lay on and 2) being able to access things within the diaper bag without laying it on the ground. It is just big enough to carry several cloth diapers, a couple of changes of clothes, a couple of bibs and burp cloths, a toy or two and my phone and wallet. There is an insulated pocket for bottles, but it is not something we have used.

9. Baby Monitor – This item made the transition from bassinet in our downstair's bedroom to nursery on the second floor easier. It took us a while to get the sensitiviy settings correct. I had many a panicked moment in the first few days where I thought Jack must have stopped breathing due to our monitor going off. This item gives me a sense of security. Though having it go off due to a power outage in the middle of the night is not a lot of fun. We own an AngelCare Movement and Sound Monitor. We chose to skip on the video monitor so that we won't be tempted to always be watching him. Though we can totally see the merit in owning the video, we just didn't think it was right for us.

10. Sound Machine – When Jack slept in our room he didn't need a sound machine. He probably still doesn't actually need one since he is fine without it when we travel. However it is nice to turn it on when he is sleeping and know it will block out some of our noises and probably help him to sleep a bit longer.

That is about it. We don't have a lot of extra stuff for Jack. We haven't found it necessary to have extras. No Pack N Play. No bottles. No excessive amounts of toys everywhere. Jack's needs are met and we don't feel overwhelmed by stuff. Which for us works.

One thing I have learned since becoming a parent is that everyone does it differently. Everyone has different needs and different ways of handling this thing called parenthood. This is just what works for us... we know the days are coming where the stuff will probably take over, but we are enjoying having a limited amount of stuff at this time.

*Update: I don't want to give the impression that this is all we own for baby. Of course we have changing stations {two in fact, one upstairs and one down}. A bathtub for bathing – the one we have has a sling that held Jack when he couldn't sit up. That sling would stink to high heaven though, no matter how often we washed it!!! We own some toys and there are a handful of pacis on hand throughout the house. Teething rings and blankets are all important staples. I just wanted to focus on our top items.

Jack's First Trip to the Park

This past weekend we were visiting with my family and my brother suggested we go to the park – he is all about getting out of the house. I guess he gets bored sitting around holding babies all day :)

With two babies in the family, this can be a challenge. However 2-year-old Izzy definitely benefits from running around to expel energy, so we all bundled up and headed out {Robert stayed home with Levi and Daniel and Sophie took a nap}.

Getting out the door took a little while... Izzy needed her tutu to wear over her pants. Then she needed shoes {and socks}. Also a hat and scarf. Then I had to bundle up Jack, make sure his diaper was clean, and grab the Baby Bjorn and a warm hat and a blanket and the camera.

The first order of business at the park was the swings.

Then we went over to the slides. This playground had a double slide, so we took turns racing Izzy down. 

She also insisted that we ride down the big slide as well {the swirly kind}.

As usual, Jack was totally laid back. 

In the end, everyone got too cold and we had to leave. Everyone that is except for Izzy. Angela bribed her with Dunkin Donuts to get her to go home! Thank you Angela for getting us all donuts!

Jack is Two Months Old

Can I please hit the pause button? My baby boy is growing way too fast.

I never thought I would be the type of person who would be over the moon about a baby, but I am. And so is Daniel. It makes us wonder why we waited so long! Just kidding, the timing for baby Jack was perfect and we adore everything about him.

Shortly after he turned one month old, we had a pediatrician visit where we discovered he was gaining 2 oz a day {average is 1 oz}. Now at 2 months old he is already 13 lbs. No wonder my back hurts at the end of everyday!

Besides growing, in the last month Jack has continued to develop in all areas. He holds his head up fairly well {though he still has the bobble head at times}. He now coos and tries to talk back to us when we talk or sing to him. He loves bath time and I think he has learned bladder control {no more peeing the second we set him in the water during bath time and rarely peeing on us during diaper changes}.

Jack has improved in his eating habits – he no longer acts like a little pig who believes that each feeding time will be his last. This has tremendously helped with his volume of spit up.

Jack is such a happy baby. He rarely cries for the sake of crying and is easily calmed... especially when we implement the " cuddle cure." He wakes up at 3am and 5am like clockwork to be fed. He is a speedy eater so I can feed him and do a diaper change in 15 minutes flat. It is awesome.

This month Jack experienced his first Christmas, his first New Years and his first ride on a four wheeler.

We love doing new things with him. We have also traveled quite a bit and had plenty of visitors. Our son is truly loved.

We have made an effort to get out with him as much as possible. We eat out at least once a week and he is a doll. Early on he would just sleep. Now he is sometimes awake and he loves for us to hold him while we eat – he wants to watch and be involved in the meal. I also started taking him to yoga and kickboxing. He is a big hit and is content to watch me workout. Jack also made his debut at the grocery store – I carry him strapped to my chest in a Moby or Bjorn.

Jack smiles intentionally and laughs. Sometimes he does it in his sleep and it melts my heart. He watches me intently and will follow me with his eyes. He is still not a fan of tummy time, but loves to watch his mobile and hit the rattle that hangs over his play mat.

We are now almost exclusively using cloth diapers and they have been great.

We still don't use Jack's nursery – mostly because we have been busy traveling or entertaining visitors. We are planning to make the transition to the nursery in the coming weeks.

We can't wait to see how Jack grows and changes next month. For now we try to spend lots of time cuddling and loving on him.

*I will be writing monthly updates of Jack with pictures of Jack and the Tonka truck on the 11th of each month. One Month Old.

Life in the Slow Lane

People in the south take things a little slower. Especially if you happen to live in a small town. Sometimes this can be a source of frustration. Other times it can truly be a blessing.

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Friday night, Daniel's dad came for a quick overnight visit. He wanted to go eat at The Docks. I have mixed feelings about The Docks. The atmosphere is amazing – you can sit on a deck overlooking the lake at sunset. But the service is incredibly slow. If you eat here, you need to plan on staying for at least an hour, probably 1.5 hours. The food is good, but a little pricey for a small town, after all you are paying for the lake experience. Last night was a great time to go. We arrived just before sunset and the temperature was perfect. It did get a little cool as we sat there {thankfully I had grabbed a sweater}. As usual it was a drawn-out meal, but we enjoyed our visit with Wesley.

Daniel had the Sea Bass with Rice and Asparagus, I had the Petite Sirloin with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Veggies and Wesley had the Fettuccine Alfredo. We all had a starter of soup and bread.

Today we took Wesley on a mini tour of the Hollywood/Scottsboro area. Showing him the sites... like downtown Hollywood {hah}. Then on to Scottsboro to see Unclaimed Baggage. I didn't find any books today, but Daniel and I did find a used BabyBjorn for $8 and plan to go back to get it later.

 
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After driving around the court square we decided to have lunch at Geno's Pizza. This is one of a handful of places that Daniel and I frequent. The pizza is decent, but again you pretty much better be prepared to wait. We were one of two tables in the ENTIRE restaurant and it took over 10 minutes to place our order. Like I said, things are slower in these parts. Our pizza was good – typical pizza sports bar fare. And we waited for our check while watching the Arkansas/Texas A&M game.

We split a large Meaty pizza.