I was just wondering how to give all of our new and soon-to-be Moms some Mom-tested ideas, for what they're worth ... and then I thought, aha, why not blog it - and then other Moms can add their agreement, disagreement, or alternate suggestions if they are so inclined!! So here are some things I didn't know the first thing about 3 years ago ... I admit that the list will have a 6 month to 2 years slant to it (I don't remember much before that!!!)
1) Bouncy Seat (Toriana didn't like swinging and didn't really like rocking, but loved to bounce or be walked ... so this was a lifesaver for me!)
2) Chicco hippo travel seat - our "only" highchair until very recently - very portable, works nearly everywhere. Washable. Love it.
3) The BOB. With the Infant attachment. For any active Mom who plans on putting lots of miles on her stroller with Green Lake laps (or who anticipates off-roading on gravel and grass such as at convention), this stroller's for you. Easy maneuvering (2008 model and newer) means independently getting in and out of stores and bathroom doors, even. =)
4) Stainless steel child-sized silverware - a thousand times easier to use than the little plastic spoons once they hit age one and start to get some coordination
5) SecureTech Cabinet Lock from One Step Ahead - $5.95 ... so get a few of these for cabinets you're constantly using. Otherwise use a 5 pack of cheapos from Target and every time you wrestle one open, feel thankful that they are not securing the cabinet that gets used 3 times/day!
6) Keekaroo chair from Overstock ... comparable to the Tripp Trapp chair but at less than half the price ... only one color option but holds up to 250 lbs and is a GREAT way for Toriana to help me in the kitchen - she's counter high without sitting on it (which we tried ... I didn't like having to anticipate a tumble every second!) Perfect "grow with me" chair for using at the table once your toddler starts outgrowing the Chicco travel seat.
7) Backing up: from age 0 until 1 year, I was so glad we had the baby bath tub - the kind with netting for babies ... made this first time mama breathe much easier when it came time to bathe the itty bitty slippery baby bear! As time went on, she laid in it w/o the net and then eventually sat and splashed very happily in the whole tub ... thanks to Tyson's birth we graduated to the big tub and loaned ours out, but that was a sad day for Toriana - she loved it!
And then there is the Moby Wrap. I don't have a strong opinion to post regarding carriers - the Moby came in handy early on. The Baby Bjorn was easier to operate, more supportive, but the least comfortable for Toriana - seemed like it made her hips or legs hurt? Now, I love our loaner Ergo Carrier with Toriana on my back. I've heard that it has an infant attachment - so maybe with that it could be your "one" piece of equipment? I am SO much in favor of less instead of more when it comes to filling our house with soon-to-be-outgrown baby gear!!
So otherwise, for you local moms ... you should know that there is a daily 11:00 story time at Mockingbird Books by Green Lake. They have great music classes with Katy at the Green Lake community center for 6 months plus. I hear good things about the Mountlake Terrace swim classes - we'll start our first one on Friday (and the Waterbabies ones on the East Side). And my current fave consignment shop is Childish Things in Greenwood ... If you're wanting to go mall shopping, Southcenter's remodel yielded the coolest "family room" I've ever seen at a mall - check it out!
So, far from exhaustive, but nevertheless perhaps exhausting to read, there is my list! Ta ta!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Playing catch up
So too much time has elapsed since the last post and now ... where do I start!? I think I'll just do an abbreviated photo documentary. To mention a 21 month milestone, Toriana can now climb into the car and into her carseat completely on her own. Ok, so with no further ado:
First, here we are in Virginia, at "Mt. Tabor" where Toriana is playing with a toy that my generation all fondly remembers in this same living room at my grandparents!
Great Grandma Ramona reading a story to Toriana on the back porch ... 
While we play croquet for old time's sake!
At a pumpkin patch near my parent's house - the weather went from HOT and humid to COLD and rainy, windy in just 2 days!
Kimberly's daughter Lilian played in this box with Toriana for a long time - Toriana loved it!!
Another day, some different weather ... a day at Claytor Lake State Park
Playing in the sand with Nana
Somebody caught a fish!
Sitting on the stoop with Papa ... 
My Dad's 60th birthday - a Cat in the Hat party! (he's always loved goofy hats!)Toriana is 20 months here and Dad is 720 months, he figured out!
Kara made an awesome duo of theme cakes! (And created a doozy of a hat!)
I borrowed a hat from my Dad's closet
Back in WA - at the Imagine Children's museum in Everett - a fun place! Toriana with Jonathan in the construction room - their favorite spot.
Trevan and I ran a marathon relay (with 4 others) in Leavenworth - here Toriana sports our medal and looks like she, too, had a hard run!
Off to a picnic lunch at the pumpkin patch, with some other runners
Fun times with cousin Jakob the following weekend when they stayed over the night of the exciting Husky last minute miracle win
Down to Maple Valley to meet the 8 labradoodle puppies - and to see the cousins - fun!
Jonathan gets a puppy cuddle
And then we got to help celebrate Danny hitting the big TWO! Next up for our field: Alex in Nov., then Jonathan in Dec., then Toriana in Jan.- wow! 
And Toriana's good buddy Gwyndolyn and her Mommy just came for a visit so here are 2 pics of the little munchkins when they were actually sitting still for a change! They had SO much fun together - it's neat to watch this little friendship blossom and to look forward to seeing them grow up together (too bad they live 5 hrs away but at least we can see them when we visit Grandpa and Grandma Z)
This picture just makes me melt! =)
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