Visits & Deals

This afternoon I went over to Alison's to help her register for baby stuff!  It was so much fun to be with her and look at all sorts of fun stuff.  I also got a couple things for Cole with a gift card he received including this diaper organizer. 



I also got these new pacifiers.  I wanted to wait a couple days to post about them to see what Cole would do with them, and I think we just might have a winner!!  We have tried Nuks, Mams, and Gumdrops (like a Soothie) but he just prefers me!  If he continues to like this paci, I might just have to go out and get a Tommee Tippee bottle, too.  (We've tried the standard Gerber, Dr. Brown's, Born Free and Soothie bottles and he doesn't like any of them.)



I got a really cute new bag (purse/diaper bag) a couple weeks ago for $5 (clearance at Meijer), but it is all open inside, so it is hard to keep organized.  I have two little bags organized inside and wanted something for the wipes and diapers (and changing pad) to keep together, too, so I picked this out.  It is super cute and will be really nice for when I'm out and about and just need to change a diaper. 

Here is my new bag.  It is reversible to the solid orange side.  There is one little zipper pocket inside (holds my quick find items- extra keys, phone, etc.)  It came with the matching zipper bag (doy , holds my mints, gum, chapsticks).  Ellee's new pillowcases came in the pink cloth bag and it was perfect to throw into my bag since I was looking to find another little bag (holds my pens, nail file, etc).  Then you also see my new diaper oranizer (holds diapers, wipes, and the changing pad- I it!)  The rest of my stuff (sling, wallet, camera case, bag of crayons, treats, are "loose" in the bag.  I do have a "diaper bag" with all sorts of pockets that I could use, but I wanted a change.  I also like that with this size, I can throw Cole's blanket in on top, or a change of clothes, and everything still fits and fits over my arm nicely. 

 

I also stopped at Walgreens on my way home to pick up a few things.  Caid has a bad cough and sore throat again (and has thrown up twice today, too, yuck) so I got some cough medicine for him.  My purchases came to $8.63 with coupons, but I got back $5 in Register Rewards, and a $2 Pampers coupon.  So, that's kinda like getting all this stuff for $1.63.  Pretty sweet.  (Oh yeah, and I saved $16.56.)



My parents had some business to take care of regarding their Kalamazoo house over the weekend, so we got to visit with them on Saturday.  I am so glad they got to see some of Cole's smiles and play trains, puzzles, playdough, and with the new cars they brought, with Caiden and Ellee.  They will be back up again in a few weeks, so I look forward to visiting again.  Please continue to keep them in your prayers- for the house(s) to sell and that they will find jobs.  Thanks!

  



Tony and Alison also came over to say hi.  I'm sure my sweet nephew is getting cuter and cuter by the second.  Isn't Alison carrying him so well?  She is sooo cute!



I've been keeping my eyes out for an inexpensive double umbrella stroller, specifically for our trip out to DC at the end of April.  Our double stroller is great but it takes up half the trunk space in our car, so for traveling for a week with a family of 5, we thought it would be nice to have more room.  I was looking for something with a weight limit that would work for any 2 of our 3 kids and backs that recline specifically for the baby, but also convenient for a sleepy big kid.  Anyway, I found one similar to this.  It is missing a foot rest, but I contacted the company about a replacement part.  The seats have a 35 lb weight limit, so I hope Caiden doesn't start packing on the pounds before our trip.  (I'm really not concerned about that.  )  In the pictures below, you can see that the seats recline and the sun shades can be used independently of each other.  That tan pillow unfolds to cover up the mesh back for warmth if wanted.  I'm happy with it.

  

And just because he's cute... err... adorable...

     

And in other exciting news...  Ellee peed on the potty for the first (and second) time this morning!!!  She has pooped on the potty a few times in the past, but it appears she is finally figuring this potty thing out!!!

2.24.2010 - 2 months

Cole has been smiling a lot more often these days and cooing a little bit, too.  He sleeps 7-8ish hours at night between feedings- which works out really well for me.  I feed him around 10 or 11 before I go to bed for his final feeding, and then he sleeps til 5 or 6, and then goes back to sleep until 9 or 10 or so.  He has been wanting to eat a lot during the day.  I think some of it is for comfort (he wants to be held, wants me to help him fall asleep, etc.) but he still doesn't really like the paci, but it could be a growth spurt.  I tried giving him a bottle again yesterday.  He fought it at first, then sucked down 2 oz, and then wanted nothing else to do with it, so I nursed him.  Thankfully, I love cuddling and nursing my baby boy, so I don't mind. 

He really likes the swing and seems to tolerate the bumbo seat, which is nice when the kids and I are doing a project (cooking, etc) in the kitchen.  The bouncy seat is alright, too.  I started going through Cole's dresser to pull out things that are too small.  I bought 3-6 month long sleeved onesies since the other ones are too small (lengthwise).  He is getting a little long for some of his pajamas and 1 piece 0-3 month outfits, so I think it's time for me to look through the 3-6 month clothing bin.

Phil moved the crib mattress up last night.  I had been thinking about doing that the other day, but never got around to it nor mentioned it to him, so it was a nice surprise for me to see when I got home from shopping last night.  I need to wash the bumper pad and wash and switch sheets and then Cole might get a chance to sleep in the crib soon!!  (Not sure how soon...  I like having him close to me and am concerned about his siblings bugging him/waking him up when they wake up in the morning, or me waking them up when Cole wakes up at 6 to eat...)  But he is resting in there for a little nap right now.  Sooo different from seeing my big girl, Ellee, sleeping in there.  He looks so tiny, but also so big, compared to seeing my other newborn babies in there for the first time.  Guess that makes sense since he is already 2 months old!!

Cole just goes with the flow for the most part.  He usually only cries to let us know he wants or needs something, although lately part of what he wants is to just be held.    I love bringing him shopping with me- when it's just me and him.  He cuddles up in the sling and falls asleep or just looks at me.  People comment about how sweet he is or what a good baby he is and it makes me feel so proud. 

And now for the stats:  At 2 months, Cole weighs 11 lbs (17 %) and is 23 inches long (31 %), per my measurements.  Tomorrow is his 2 month well check, so we will see what they say then!



He was so happy that I wanted to take his picture!  He heard me talking to him, looked up, and started grinning.  Perfect!

Cole is 7 weeks old today. It feels like Christmas was wayyyy longer ago than 7 weeks, doesn't it?

The kids and I made snow cream today. I had never made it before, but saw a recipe on someone's blog a couple days ago and thought it would be a fun activity. If you have never made any, and want a fun and yummy activity to do with your kids (or your friends, or by yourself) you should totally give this a try! Guess there is one good reason for all this snow...

Get a mixing bowl full of snow. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar, 1.5 teaspoons vanilla, and 1-2 cups of milk (recipe calls for condensed or whole milk- I used Vitamin D) together. Then mix that into the snow until you get an ice-creamy consistency. Finally, mix in or top with whatever you want- choc syrup, sprinkles, strawberry jelly, honey, cinnamon, choc/butterscotch chips, etc. The kids had fun choosing their toppings and mixing them in. I just mixed in a little chocolate syrup in mine. It was pretty good and we all had a good time.

After our snow cream, we turned on some loud music and danced around and laughed a lot. We had a great time. I really should do that daily with the kids because it was a good work out.

Cole laid on the couch and watched us.

Then we had to relax on the couch next to Cole and take turns holding him.

(Except we don't like it when our big brother pulls on the back of our shirt. )

The other day Ellee helped me with the dishes. Both of the kids love helping with the dishes and it always cracks me up when Ellee helps. (Yes, she just grabs the silverware and throws it up into the drawer.)

Last night, Phil came home with beautiful roses and the new super mario brothers game for Wii for an early surprise valentine's day gift for me. It was a very thoughtful surprise and made me smile. I love him. (We had rented the game over the weekend, and though I'm normally not at all into video games, I really had fun playing this one. Maybe it's because it makes me think about playing Super Mario with my cousins when I was young. Good times. )

(The kids aren't normally allowed to sit on the table, but they really wanted me to take their picture with the gifts. Silly kiddos. )

Finally, remember back when I made the fleece sling for Cole? Then I had to fix it because I thought it was a little too short, so I added some more material (from the sleeves of the fleece) to make it longer. But then it was not fitting right and seemed too long, so yesterday I cut it again and sewed it a little shorter. Anyway, now Cole seems to think it's just perfect for sleeping in. Which is great because he really likes to be snuggled up close to me. I've also been using the snugli and Ellee's sling (because Ellee can't seem to get enough mommy time either.)

(Yes, I was wearing a tank top. I get really warm very easily these days.)

I love my sweet little blessings.

Happy Thursday!