4 & 5 month baby essentials

 

The 4th & 5th month brought big changes for Logan! The gas & colic he struggled with in the months prior disappeared! He became a happier and more easy-going baby. He started laughing and doing things more independently. His little personality really came to life during this stage and it was honestly the most amazing thing to watch. He melts our hearts more and more each day. Towards the 5 month mark we ended up sleep training which was by far the best decision EVER!!!!! I was so resistant at first and then after I saw such a big change in him it was worth those 2 hard days of starting it!!

**4 months** Logan weighed over 17lbs (was in 6-9 month clothing, size 3 diaper). He started babbling alot more and wanting to have conversations with us. He was getting better at grabbing things (especially mommy & daddys faces :)) and he was really starting to notice the world around him. He started to get alot better during our outings because he just wanted to look around and watch everything. He was and still is a curious little boy.

**5 months** he weighed almost 21lbs (was in 6-12 month clothing, size 3 diaper) he mastered jumping, grabbing with two hands rolling side to side. He started sleeping through the night (generally 6pm – 7am, with one nursing session in between there). We were also able to start putting him down awake, and he would just babble until he fell asleep. Napping also got alot better! He would have 3-4 naps a day (usually only awake for 2 hours at a time) and his naps would last anywhere between 45 mins and 2 hours. We also transitioned him from swaddle to sleep sack at this point (and also used the Merlin suit for 2 weeks in between that – see below). We also tried solids for a couple days (rice cereal) however, he became quite constipated, so the doctor said to wait closer to 6 months and skip the cereals.

 

TOYS & GEAR

Jolly Jumper – Logan is OBSESSED! He is seriously obsessed, I think maybe since he has spent most his life so far bouncing on a stability ball he just loves bounce! It’s great entertainment and exercise for our little man… He’s the happiest when he’s in it and we play nursery rhymes by Hooplakidz on our laptop and sing along 🙂 haha

Exersaucer: this is also great entertainment for him… Especially closer to 5 months, when he could grab and gnaw on the toys lol.. Which is always his main objective!

We have this one by EVENFLO… It’s got lots of lights & music.. And he likes to grab the Tucan & dragon fly the best…

 http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/evenflo-triple-fun-exersaucer-animal-planet/6000161802950

The bumbo chair – lots of people told me not to get this… However, we are really glad we have it! But I would suggest buying it second-hand because you can get them so much cheaper and they are easy to wash 🙂 We got ours off VARAGE for only $15. This chair is great for when we are having dinner or just need to plop him somewhere real quick (like bathroom breaks for mommy)… He doesn’t like to be in it long, but it definitely helps.

http://www.toysrus.com/buy/infant-positioners/bumbo-floor-seat-blue-b10056-15591546

Around 4.5 months, Logan discovered his feet and would love to just lay on the playmat and grab them. This is also a great skill for them when learning to roll. As he would grab his feet he would topple over from side to side. They also love to just be in their diaper or onesie so they can move easier.

BEDTIME

Transitioned from Swaddle to Sleep Sack… Now we did this transition the same time we sleep trained Logan (the weeek he turned 5 months) because there was no way we were able to put him down without swaddling, it was a nightmare. But really it only took about two days until he got the hang of things and was able to self soothe! Definitely the best decision we ever made!!!! He is a COMPLETELY different baby!

I love the Aden & Anais sleep sacks! I managed to score some from Winners however, you can pay full price on numerous websites including diapers.com

http://www.diapers.com/p/aden-anais-100-cotton-muslin-cozy-sleeping-bag-609772?qid=960480522096948674&sr=1-17

During desperate times before we sleep trained I had ordered “Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit” – but decided to sleep train before we got it. Even though he was sleeping and napping so much better by the time we got it I still thought I would give it a try to see if it would help him last longer for naps because he was only napping for 30-45 mins at a time. I also thought his arms and hands were so cold in the sleep sack at night so I hoped that this would keep him warmer (which it did) he absolutely loved it! And although he looks like a giant marshmallow man, it really did help. His naps started to last a lot longer and he started to go straight to sleep in it. We only ended up using it for a couple of weeks and then when we transitioned back to the sleep sack he was still sleeping long stretches and would go down without a fuss!!

<I know it looks like he can’t reach his hands to his mouth, but he can! it’s just a little more work for him hehe>

and doesn’t he look adorable? 🙂

http://www.magicsleepsuit.com/

 

Logan at 5 months also started loving blankies, which is really helpful when he sleeps in the car seat!

TEETHING!!!!!

5 month’s brought Logan two bottom teeth! He was teething on and off for about a month, but the week they came through he was really fussy, his cheeks were bright red and he just wanted to chomp on anything he could get his hands on.

Check out these bad boys 😉

I honestly thought I would have stopped breastfeeding as soon as his teeth came in however, having them only on the bottom wasn’t as bad as I had thought. Luckily his tongue covers them while I am nursing (although don’t get me wrong I still feel those razor blades, but luckily they have only grazed me so far lol). I also give him 2-3 bottles a day now, so don’t nurse him as often.

Here are a couple of things that seemed to help while he was in the midst of teething:

Sophie is also a lifesaver – Now I know some people shake their head at this expensive little giraffe, but the company who came up with this sure was genius. Not only do babies love her, but she has so many great features for such a little toy.

PRODUCT DETAILS: “The contrasting spots are easy for baby to see, even from birth. After a while, Sophie becomes a familiar, comforting sight, and a regular pal. Sophie has a playful squeaker which is pleasant to your baby’s ears. Your baby can safely chew and taste Sophie from every angle. The giraffe’s soft, pliable legs, ears, and horns are easy on the mouth and perfect for soothing your baby’s sore gums. Sophie is long, lanky and stretchy, so your baby can easily grip her neck and legs from any angle, improving their dexterity and building motor skills without harm. Plus, her skin is soft, smooth, and comforting for your baby.  Sophie is made with Hevea tree sap, a 100 percent natural rubber, which gives the giraffe her special smell. This teether is made from all-natural rubber and food paint, so it’s completely baby safe.”

http://www.diapers.com/p/vulli-sophie-the-giraffe-teether-in-natural-rubber-15640

He mostly loves to chew on her face though! (Poor Soph lol)

Breastmilk Popsicles 🙂  I just pumped and put the milk into an ice-cube tray and covered it with tin foil, and whenever he was really fussy and grabbing his teeth during the day I would put a milk cube in a mesh feeder and he would chomp down on it!

Other things that helped were:

• Cold Cloth – he loved to just suck on it over my finger… and really liked it when I would put pressure on his gums
• his pacifier was also a huge help, I think the sucking motion would relieve the pain for him
• Tylenol at bed time

BATH TIME

We moved from bathing Logan in the sink with the blooming bath around 3 months, into the  SUMMER INFANT right Height bath tub. This bath is great because it has a step stool underneath so it’s the perfect height for bathing the baby! and saves your back!!! (the stool can also be used when they are a toddler which is great)

Now the one thing I didn’t like about it was the mesh insert that clipped around the tub, because I felt like it kept him above the water so he was always cold. I ended up putting my blooming bath in it to keep him comfortable until he was big enough to support himself a little more.

Blooming bath link: https://www.bloomingbath.com/blooming-bath-baby-bath.html/

In this picture below, he was finally big enough for me to unclip the bottom so that it would just float, yet his body was heavy enough to keep him in the water more

Now just as I went to grab a link for you guys, I noticed that they have changed the bath tub 🙂 must not have been just me that felt that way!! the seat they have in the bath now is WAYYY better, long that it is on an angle.

check it out: http://www.toysrus.com/buy/bath-tubs-more/summer-infant-right-height-bath-tub-08970-3680336

http://www.toysrus.com/buy/bath-tubs-more/summer-infant-right-height-bath-tub-08970-3680336

 

I also have this bath stool by summer infant for Adam & I to use when we bath him, and I LOVE it!

https://www.babyhaven.com/summer-infant-tubside-seat.html?utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cse

https://www.babyhaven.com/summer-infant-tubside-seat.html?utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cse

Walking with baby in the winter time is never easy – but it feels so good to get some fresh air and get of the house! Unfortunately I didn’t realize to later in the winter that I could use the rain cover that came with our UPPA BABY stroller to block the wind out. It was a lifesaver and truly brilliant! It would block the wind, keep him toasty warm and he could still see me and everything around him (which obviously makes him happy).

Logan loved to just talk and make tooting noises with his mouth – he thought it was so funny 🙂 we did too hehe

Zip up Fleece Jacket: Carters

 

Logan really started to notice our dog more during this phase, which was adorable. He also started to grab his hair, which was not so fun for our dog Griffin 🙂 But luckily he is really good about it and just let’s him do whatever.

Here are some pictures I captured during the 4 & 5 month phase 🙂 I can’t help it – he’s just so dam cute!!!!

Irish Onesie: Zulily

Anchor Collared Shirt: Carters / Pants with Suspenders: H&M

Onesie: Chapters Indigo / Pants: H&M

Pants: GAP / Shirt: H&M / Hat: H&M

Pants: GAP/ Shirt: H&M / Hat: H&M

Onesie: Zulily

Thanks for Stopping by!!!

KT, XOX

Man Cave Progress

Happy Sunday! I just wanted to give you guys a little update on our basement, it is really coming together! Finally almost everything is done except a few little touches. But I am going to share it with you anyways…. 🙂

So I would just like to take you back first to where we started….

So since my last post of ideas for the basement, there has been a bit of a change. Although we went to IKEA and got some slipcovers to go over our old couch and chair, unfortunately they did not fit. So, that being said we kept the IKEA futon, and thought we would use that as a couch instead. Our basement is pretty small, so it actually worked out better. We went back to IKEA, and bought a new grey chair that is super comfy with the money from the returned covers!! We also have a coffee table that will be coming down here shortly….

Here is our new grey chair from IKEA… it’s called the KIVIK for $250 (The pillow is Ralph Lauren from Homsense, and the blanket is Hudson Bay)

We moved the bar fridge beside the futon (now Adam doesn’t even need to get up lol). We still need to get some photos for the picture frames – Going to try and find some great group shots of our friends (I’m sure that won’t be too hard).

We were finally able to hang Adam’s draft Jersey!! That was a pretty big moment in his life, so I think it is great we get to display it finally.  We bought the white bench from IKEA and the pillows are from Homsense. The picture to the left is of team Canada, Adam’s parents gave that to him.

Here is our Chalk Board wall 🙂 I think it turned out so awesome!!! You can kind of see in the pic we actually got a piece of cork board and also painted it with the chalk board paint, just so we don’t have TOO many holes in the walls. Adam also had this idea to take an old hockey stick and hang some of his old Jerseys.

Adam has played for a lot of teams over his career, so we had to keep it limited to 6 jerseys… lol.. a girl can only look at so many jerseys ya know? The picture at the end is actually something the Blackhawks gave him from his first NHL game – It’s the game sheet & the puck… pretty cool.

We just put up this bar area today. We got a super old piece of barn wood from a little shop downtown and got the supports from Homedepot. I am going to paint the supports but leave the wood, I think it looks so rustic and awesome.

Just need some bar stools and we are ready to party!

This little area is where we are keeping all the booze! Still needs an old rustic mirror to go on the wall, don’t ya think?

I got this rustic bowl from Homesense and I just love it!!

So there you have it, Adam’s little man cave. We are both so happy with it – and I think we found the perfect balance of manly and still flowing with the rest of the house! Now we just need to have a party 🙂

KT, XO

Post – Christmas

Wow – I cannot even believe Christmas is over already!! I feel like I blinked an the Christmas holidays were over. We are so blessed and had such a great few days with family and friends. Adam & I held our first Christmas dinner this year – and it went off without a hitch thanks to our family that pitched in!! We held 13 people in our little house and although it was cozy – it was so nice to have everyone here to celebrate the season!

here is a little glimpse into our Christmas holiday ……

Can’t wait for Next year!!! 🙂

KT, XO

O Christmas Tree….

I have a confession…. I am a TERRIBLE Christmas tree decorator.

 

It’s awful, I am so embarrassed to say it, but it’s true. However, this year I have vowed to become better! I took a trip to places that had gorgeously decorated trees: The Bay, Sheridan Nursery, Van Belle’s etc…. After looking at all them I realized that you really need to fill the tree. Fill the holes with flowers, sparkly branches and leaves – and use lots of lights!!!

 

As you saw in my last post Adam & I went with our family to chop down a real tree this year! Although the tree seemed perfect at the farm – once we got it home it was a LITTLE big, and didn’t fit in the spot I had envisioned. So right off the bat, we were not off to a good start. But we made room behind the sectional for it, and now atleast it won’t be in the way when I have Christmas dinner at my house.

 

Here are some photos that I used for inspiration:

http://www.dearlillieblog.blogspot.ca/2012/11/gift-wrapping-our-tree-joy-and-reindeer.html

http://www.styleathome.com/homes/interiors/interior-debbie-travis-s-rustic-christmas-charm/a/44149/2

Now here is our tree 🙂

I got ornaments this year from all over the place. The Bay, Crate & Barrel, Homesense, Canadian Tire, my mom, as wedding gifts and of course ones that I have gotten over the last few years we have lived together. I really want to have meaningful and important things on my tree. My main ornaments have to do with birdies 🙂 of course (birds, bird houses, nests etc)… but I also have skates, a lucky pickle and then just beautiful white, gold & silver pieces.

It’s still not great…. But I feel like I am making progress!! 🙂

KT, XOX