Baby 2: Our Favorite Baby Products (5-9 Months)

When it comes to baby products we love for our second child, the long and short of it is, pretty much everything we used for Jack we basically use for Isaac. 

So the good news is, if you are expecting baby #2, you already have all of the gear you need (and you have probably figured out the stuff you didn't really need in the first place). Since we have two boys, this philosophy extends to clothes too. Isaac gets mostly hand-me-downs, but really if your stuff is still in good shape, there is no reason to get something new. You can read my 0-4 month product recap here.

During the 5-9 month range, here are the products we still love, even four years later:

IKEA SUNDVIK crib – yep still using. At 4 months old, we moved Isaac from our Rock N Play in our room to Jack's old crib in the nursery upstairs. Our IKEA crib has served us well and I still love that it meets our criteria for form and function. We still haven't really decorated a nursery, but one of these days...

AngelCare Movement and Sound Monitor – check. When we moved Isaac upstairs, we started using Isaac's old baby monitor again. The biggest negative is that the battery doesn't hold a charge very well any more. So it mostly has to sit in it's cradle at this point. But it still works.

Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair – still useful. I wrote about this in my 0-4 month post but really it has become even more useful as Isaac is now eating every meal with us at the table.

Recaro ProRide Carseat – thank goodness we already had this. We had to upgrade Isaac to Jack's old convertible carseat at 5 months (he was too big for his baby carrier). With baby number two, it is much easier to move through each new stage because we have already done the research and purchased the products and we know we like them.

Graco Pack 'N Play – continues to come in handy for traveling once Isaac outgrew the Rock N Play.

Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper – a fave. This has become a huge hit with Isaac in the last 3 months. It is about the only thing that allows me to get supper ready and on the table.

Cloth Diapers – four years later we are still using our original cloth diapers about 80% of the time. We have had to get rid of some of the originals and buy some new ones, but we continue to be fans of cloth diapers.

The best part of our current stage is that Isaac has finally discovered a love for toys, and we already have lots of them in stock.

One thing I want to get better at doing with Isaac is reading more regularly, one on one (we already have a ton of books). We always read to our boys at bedtime, but I find that I don't read as often to Isaac as I did Jack. Isaac loves our bedtime story routine, but he is also in a phase where he mostly wants to chew on the books.

One item that we now own that we didn't when Jack was a baby is our Thule Chariot Chariot 1 bike trailer. We have taken Isaac on several bike rides in it and he loves it! 

Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag – has been retired (it's in the closet as a back up). This time around I decided to use a striped bag from Target that I love. I get so many compliments on it and I like that I don't look like I'm hauling around a diaper bag (plus I love stripes!).

Things we are not really using this time: 
Pacifiers – Isaac has no interest.
Bibs – Isaac somehow stays much cleaner than Jack ever did.
Baby Bjorn carrier – we went with an Ergo carrier this time (though Isaac is now too big to be carried on my chest, he can still ride on my back).
Neat Solutions disposable placemats – we have talked about getting these again, but really aren't super paranoid this go round).
Safety 1st Fever Light Ear Thermometer – we ended up purchasing a Braun Thermoscan Ear Thermometer (now discontinued) instead.

That wraps it up for the edition of products we like (and are still using).

A Look Back at products we used the most when Jack was a baby:
0-3 months  |  3-6 months  |  6-9 months  |  9-12 months

Baby 2: Our Favorite Baby Products (0-4 Months)

Isaac is four months now and I thought I would do a quick recap of the products we are using this time around. 

Most of the things we own are from Jack (second kids get all hand-me-downs, #amiright). We had two showers for Jack (a family one and a work one) and many of those items continue to serve us well.

Isaac sleeps in the same Fisher-Price Rock 'N Play Newborn Sleeper that Jack did. Though he has about outgrown it. We love it because it keeps his head elevated and it is great for traveling (and keeping in our bedroom). We will move him upstairs to his crib soon.

We still have the same Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag. Almost four years later, some of the mesh material is starting to rip on the travel diaper changing pad, but overall this has been a great bag for us. It's not too big and Daniel doesn't mind carrying it. I also use a striped bag I picked up at Target earlier this year. It is technically my purse, but is big enough to basic throw baby necessities in (diaper, wipes, changing pad and one change of clothes).

Our second-hand BOB Revolution stroller is still a favorite. This summer it came in handy for loading up gear to take to the pool. Since Jack is 3.5 and a good walker, we decided that we didn't really need a double stroller.

I no longer have the Baby Bjorn baby carrier – it really dug into my shoulders and I didn't like it once Jack was over 12 pounds, BUT I have really liked having an Ergo carrier that I am borrowing from a friend. It doesn't dig into my shoulders and since Isaac is already 20-ish pounds, it is a better fit. I wear Isaac a lot in the Ergo when we are running around. I really like that it keeps my hands free so that I can engage with Jack. Also, it is perfect for grocery shopping (Jack just stands on the cart).

Our baby gym is still a favorite with Isaac. I lay him on it in the mornings and he loves to grab at the mobile and kick at the hanging toys. We also use a baby rocker for naps and Isaac enjoys swatting at the hanging toys.

Plastic Bathtub with sling insert. This is a basic plastic tub we were given when Jack was born and we are still using it for Isaac. Isaac is almost too big for the sling, so I will be glad when he can sit up on his own without the sling.

We still use our Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. In the reclined position (without the tray), Isaac can sit with us at the dinner table. Isaac is very social and cries if he gets left out. It won't be long until we are using it for giving Isaac food – we will be doing baby-led weaning again this time around.

Cloth Diapers – we are still using our cloth diapers. We had 30 that we used with Jack, and about 10 of them leak now. After 3.5 years we were just thankful that most of them are still good. We ordered 10 new diapers and are back to 30. This allows me to wash a load every other day.

Overall, we are still using most of the same products as we did for Jack. I did lose a box of Jack's 0-6 month clothes, so we had to hit up the consignment sales to supplement, but he is already wearing many of Jack's old clothes. Burp cloths get a lot of use and I'm glad we had a big stash from before.

Toys - at this stage Isaac is minimally interested in toys. But he really enjoys when we read books to Jack.

Things we are not currently using this time around:
Baby Monitor – we will use this once we move Isaac to his bedroom upstairs, but have used it minimally since Isaac sleeps in our room.

Sound Machine – we haven't used this at all.

Bibs – Isaac spits up a lot, but not quite as bad as Jack did. Once he starts drooling more, we may reconsider the bibs. It's a good thing we have a huge stack from 3 years ago!

Pacifiers – we have tried to give Isaac a paci, but he isn't interested. He likes to chew it but rarely sucks on it.

Pin It: Crayon Monogram

This week I had to bail on craft day since Jack wasn't feeling great, but I did manage to squeeze in a Pinterest craft earlier that I thought I would share.

 {via}

I came across this Crayon Monogram Artwork a while back and thought it would be cute for a nursery. My sister's baby shower was this past Sunday and I decided to make her an "L" to hang in her little one's room. Her baby, Levi, is due in about a week. 

She loved the gift and laughed that I had made sure to get her some artwork for the nursery {when I was preparing for Jack to arrive, I had my nursery art done before we did anything else in that room!}.

The best tip I can share for this project is to use an exacto knife to score around the entire crayon and then snap it in half. First I tried cutting the crayons with scissors. Then I tried a chef's knife and then wire cutters. All failed. Daniel thought I should try softening the crayons in the toaster oven first, but I had visions of melted crayons that I would have to clean! Scoring the crayon is definitely the way to go!

My Sister's Baby Shower

Sunday morning Jack and I made the two-hour drive over to Nashville to attend my sister's baby shower. Her due date is in two weeks, so not very long until Jack has a little boy cousin. I think it will be so much fun to see these two little boys grow up together. Of course, Izzy will be a great big sister/older cousin – she is already smitten by Jack.

The shower was lovely. Our Aunt Becky and cousin Moriah drove over for the event. They enjoyed holding Jack while I attempted to take photos during the shower.

I surprised Izzy with a jealousy gift – a cooking outfit complete with chef's hat. I think it is safe to say she loved it.

After the shower my brother met up with us and we went to Chili's for dinner. Our waitress did a fantastic job and didn't seemed phased at all when Izzy knocked over a bowl of salsa – life with a two-year-old.

It was nice catching up with my siblings. I am definitely enjoying living closer to them.

Jack and I drove home that night in the rain. Rain and dark and mountains are my least favorite combination of driving conditions, but we made it home safely. Thankfully Sunday night's storms didn't hit our area too badly, though there is a mangled trampoline that was unceremoniously dumped in the field across the street by the wind...

Surprise Baby Shower

Last Thursday I received a call from Myra, the secretary in Daniel's office. My first thought was that something had happened to Daniel {if you know our track record with ER visits, you will understand my initial concern}. 

 

Myra quickly put my fears to rest and told me that the engineering department was throwing Daniel a surprise baby shower and that they would love it if I could come by the plant after lunch to be a part of the surprise.

This was actually my very first visit inside the gates. I walked in to security to check in and told them I was there for a baby shower – the security guard gave me a funny look and asked if someone was supposed to escort me in. Thankfully Jeremy, one of Daniel's co-workers, was already standing behind the counter and I was able to point to him as my escort.

They had me arrive early since Daniel was off campus all morning giving a presentation at a local school. They didn't want us to run into each other in the parking lot. So I hung out with several of Daniel's co-workers until he arrived.

Once he got to the conference room for the "meeting" we all learned that he had been intending to go home after his presentation and several of his co-workers had to lie to get him to come to the last-minute meeting that he didn't know about. Daniel can be stubborn, but thankfully he came.

His reaction was pretty funny when he walked in the door. Especially when he saw me standing there – he definitely wasn't expecting to see his wife at work!

The engineering department at TVA did well with our shower. Thank you to Imani and Myra for organizing/spearheading the little party. We really appreciate all of the goodies including the diaper cake, boppy, changing pad, wipes, wipes warmer, frames for hand and foot prints and car mirror.

Greeting Cards: Baby Showers

Thank you to my sister and best friend for throwing me an amazing baby shower.

*This is the ninth in my series of twelve "I Love You More" cards   
that I have designed and will be posting throughout the year.
 
© Cheree Moore

Baby Shower

Saturday was our baby shower for Jack. My sister did a great job of hosting. I love that I have such a creative family... I wonder where those genes came from {kidding, thank you mom and dad for passing along your creativity to us}.

While Angela was busy decorating on Friday night, Robert wandered downstairs and said, "I thought we weren't decorating the whole house?" I don't think Angela is capable of throwing a party without going all out. Of course, it looked great and I appreciate all of her trouble.

We had a potluck style BBQ. Many thanks to all of our family members for bringing such wonderful dishes. Everything tasted superb. 

Thank you to my best friend, Kristalynne, for coming up with the games. The trivia was hilarious.

Examples: 

What was the best way to calm Daniel as a baby?
A) Take the car apart
B) Build a deck
C) Read a calculus book
D) Hold him and rock him

What was Cheree's first word?
A) Yoga
B) Dada
C) Mountain
D) Daniel

We had such a fun time and enjoyed seeing everyone who was able to make it while missing those who couldn't come. We are looking forward to introducing Baby Jack to all of our loved ones in the very near future.

Sharing the Pregnancy Experience

This weekend I had the privilege of attending one of my closest friend's baby showers...

Kristalynne and I have been friends for almost two decades {wow} and we are both expecting our first babies this fall {one month apart}. It has been such a joy to be able to keep up with her via the internet and I am looking forward to learning {alongside Kristalynne} how to be a parent.

I spent Saturday morning running errands before meeting up with Kristalynne for lunch and a pedicure session. Kristalynne's mom and mimi were there, so it was extra nice to catch up with them as well. 

During our pedicure, we discussed all things pregnancy related. Kristalynne is 4 weeks ahead of me and has decided not to find out her baby's sex. The guy doing my pedicure asked me if I was having a boy. Surprised that he guessed right, I said "yes." Then he looked at Kristalynne and asked if she was having a girl. She laughed and said that she didn't know. It will be interesting to find out if the pedicure guy was right or not.

 

Today was Kristalynne's shower and I enjoyed visiting with everyone. One of these days I am going to have to face registering for our baby so that I can join the shower circuit ;)

I had a wonderful weekend, but I am glad to be home with Daniel and Sophie again. Sophie was beside herself when I got home – which made me feel loved {Daniel missed me too}.

Update

You may have noticed that I haven’t written many notes lately. Chalk it up to not having much to say, but I really haven’t been sure what to write about… Should I write about life with an unemployed spouse? Should I write about how I feel about my own work? Should I post about my general restlessness or my thankfulness for spring (even with the onslaught of allergies).

Here is a quick recap of my trip to Memphis...
Last week/weekend I was able to spend a lovely five days with my (very pregnant) sister and her husband. Also saw my parents, grandma, great aunt and uncle and my sister’s in-laws. However, I did miss that my little brother couldn’t come visit, but that is life these days, you take what you can get…

Besides visiting with family, the highlight of the weekend was attending my sister's baby shower and surprising her with my gift... Five years ago, when Daniel and I went to Papua New Guinea, we bought a bilum for carrying babies. We figured someday, we would either use this bilum ourselves or we would share it with my siblings. To be truthful, I had forgotten about it until a few days before my flight to Memphis. I am so happy I remembered because when my sister opened it, she started crying because it was such an unexpected and special gift because she was actually born in PNG.

Angela with the bilum

And now a brief update on the unemployment status...
I figured that it is about time to give an update on how things are going with Daniel and the job search. To be truthful, we agreed that he should put off serious job hunting to allow time to study for his Professional Engineering (PE) licensure test, which thankfully he took last Friday. He feels good about the test, but we won’t know the results for a couple of months.

Now that he has extra time on his hands, he is focusing on finishing our house renovations. This week he is actually working on a house project for a friend, but I am anxious to get our basement and master bathroom finished.

At this point, we are taking life one week at a time. The job market continues to look bad in the Charlotte area, last I saw, unemployment is hovering around 12% and civil engineering job openings are practically non existent.

He has passed the one-month mark for unemployment and we are finding that we are able to live within our means and even save a bit. This is encouraging. It would be nice for Daniel to get a job, but this gives us some leeway for him to find a good job, hopefully in a good location. We are not really sure what the future holds for us, but in the mean time, we are not stressing about it.

Baby Showers

I know it is the natural order of life, but it sometimes feels odd that current get-togethers seem to revolve around babies. High school parties were replaced by college shin digs which were replaced by wedding showers which was followed by work gatherings and now we are to the baby shower phase of life. Not that I mind too much as I will take any excuse to get together with old friends.

I just got back from a shower of one of my friends from my last job. I hadn't seen some of the girls who were there in over a year. I think that only 2 of us were baby-less... where did the time go? I wish that I saw these girls more often, but I love that we can get together and it still feels natural.