Review: Huggies Slip-on Diapers

Okay sorry it is sideways but my computer did an auto correct and wont put it back. lol. Darn technology.  Anyway, Huggies has a great product here.  My daughter loves Little Movers diapers already but she likes the slip ons even more.  Now that we are out of them every time I go to change her diaper she outs both feet together and sticks them straight out so I can slip the diaper on.  Then she gets mad when I don't.  Slip-on diapers are a great lead into potty training and pull ups and I plan to use them as we really start potty training too.  They do get saggy when she pees in it and if not caught after the 1st pee can cause leakage, but I noticed that she was more inclined to tell me when she had gone when she wore these as she didn't like the sag.  They also are pretty tough even with the rip away sides. I was careful at first but after watching her pull on the sides and not popping it apart I felt comfortable being a little more firm. Speaking of the sides, they are very similar to the pull ups in that they can be pulled apart on the side but you can also put these back together as they are the soft Velcro used in the normal diaper closures.  The sides make it very easy to change the diaper when she has gone #2 and make it capable of being rolled up after being used too.  Also they carry on with Winnie the Pooh as the art work on them just like the regular little movers.  I think these diapers are just great and have been very happy to use Huggies diapers and wipes for both my little ones.

If you have a wiggly toddler and are wanting something for either quick changes or for the beginning of potty training I would say get these.  They work either way just like the regular diaper but can be pulled down and pulled back up like the pull ups but with the padding of the diaper.  Check them out and try them out.  The product speaks for itself for sure.

I recommend this product and any Huggies products, they just have a good quality to them.

My Shutterfly Book...Great Quality like the rest of their products.

I am so happy that this came in the mail early.  I wasn't expecting it until next week and it just happened to be in my mailbox today.  I love Shutterfly products. They hold true to what you make and I have never had something show up at my door that I wasn't 100% happy with the final product.  It is always exactly what I expected or something even better.  This time it was even better than expected. It is perfectly split between the 2 kids and shows Gabes 1st month and a half of life as well as Makenzi's during this time.  I love these books because they make the perfect photo album, where the photos don't come out and get lost.  The best part for me on this is that every page besides the decorative 1st and last page have photos on them even the outside cover and back.  If you haven't been to shutterfly.com you should go and check out their products.  Often they will send special offers for free books like this one or soft cover, as well as free prints, 50% off of products or even just gifts like $10 of a $10 or more purchase.  The only thing you have to spring for when they do the free offers is shipping which will run you from $4 to $10.  I do not believe I have ever paid more than $10 for shipping.  Anyway, check it out sign up for emails and get some of those pictures printed you have been wanting to print.  www.shutterfly.com  There is the link to make it a little easier to check it out.

On Going Project: Makenzi Art

Over the next months, I am not sure how many but it'll be at least 6 if not a whole year, I am going to be having Makenzi color me a picture while she is having fun coloring in her books and making Daddy pictures. I am going to be doing this and putting them up on my way as unique art work plus it will display her progress in hand eye coordination and her artistic style.  The only part of this picture I helped with is writing her name through the middle of the page and the month and year on the bottom(eventually I will have her do that part too) but she did all the rest.  I love that she is grabbing different colors and actually pushing down hard enough to make a mark.  This to me is beautiful and I can't wait to share her art with you all.  The other thing I am doing is writing a quick blurb on the back of these, since they are done on card stock, that tells a little about the project and how old she was and what actual day she colored it on. I got this idea from HGTV, they were constantly talking about having your kids make unique are for your walls before they think they can't draw, I just put my spin on it.  Plus its something that she has fun doing can't wait to get frames for her work of art!

I'll make sure to post each months addition so you all can watch her grow in her art as well.

Project: recycled t-shirts into burp cloths

I had a bunch of scraps left over from another project and was thinking about what to do with them.  While debating turning them into dust rags I was spit up on and watched my t-shirt I was wear absorb the spit up instantly, didn't run thru or dribble down to my pants. It instantly hit me that all the colored shirt scraps I had were "boy" colors and realized that the scraps were large enough to make some double sided burp cloths.  So I went to work and played around with the different size scrap and came up with a bunch of different shapes and mix and matched colors too.  The one on the left has a neck cut out with one side larger than the other because I feed Gabe on his side and he always dribbles a little out of the side he is laying on so I thought why not have one side larger and that way I would not have to bunch up the cloth on that side making him and me more comfortable when feeding.  The second is your basic rectangle burp cloth both are navy blue on one side and the I have olive green on the other side of the bib style and white on the rectangle.

These are super easy to make since it is almost all straight edge sewing.

1.Take your desired colored material line up 2 pieces of T-shirt material back to back so that the inside of the material is facing out and the outside is facing in. 
2.Trim to the same size,
3.pin together to keep from slipping as you sew them up,
4.sew 1/2 inch in(this will keep your cloths from coming apart since t-shirt material is stretchy if you get too close to the edge you run the possibility of its pulling apart) leave about 2 inches open on one end ( for the bib style make sure you leave this opening on a straight edge)
5.through the opening, you will flip the cloth right side out
6.then sew up the opening either with a straight stitch across with the sewing machine or with a ghost stitch by hand.

I hope all of you with little ones will try these out they are great and when your little one has grown you have perfect cleaning rags. Just make sure you wash the burp cloths before using in the baby friendly detergent. Enjoy and let me know if you make them or if you have any questions on how I made mine. I would love to see your version of these great pieces.

Enjoy

Deployment: 2 months done, oh how we miss him

So today marks 2 months that Ty has been deployed and so far I have not burned the house down, pulled my hair out or killed any animals.  I would say we are doing pretty good despite missing him like crazy.  Its hard to be on 24/7 but I would be lost if I didn't have the kids to make the days fly bye.  This last month was full of us just hanging out around the house and enjoying some spring and almost summery type weather.  We went to the park a few times and walked around the little mall here in town too. But mainly we have just been here at the house.  Its easier to just stay home and let the kids play and do their own thing than to fight them to calm down at the store or out.  Kenzi has cut her bottom k9s and is working on getting the top ones through which has put her in a grumpy mood and Gabe follows her so when ever she cries he cries. On top of all that Gabe has also started to teethe which leaves him a little grumpy too.  It also makes for a very tired mommy as I am constantly on the move with them needing changing, food, water, love, or just playing on the floor.  The very best part of this month has been video chatting 2 times with Ty. and also finding out my mom gets to come visit this next month.  I can't wait to see her and introduce her to Gabe.  It was the best surprise after so many plans fell threw.  I'm also working out every night which is helping pass the time too.

Ty is doing better now.  He was having a rough time and still some days are better than others with being away from me and the kids.  He has been enjoying getting mail and loves seeing pictures and is trying to stay connected as best he can. 

Next month promises to be fun and I am hoping for it to fly bye as well. with my mom's visit right in the middle and hopefully nice weather so we can get back into going to the park in the mornings when it is nice out.  I will also be sharing more reviews and so crafting ideas as the month goes on so stay tuned.  Next update will be a Gabe special for his turning 3 months.

Makenzi at 20 months!

Wow! Where did the time go.  My little girl is already 20 months old, she is almost 2.  It is amazing to look back at all the things she has already learned, from rolling over to sitting up and all the way to feeding herself and now talking. I know I will probably repeat all this with her 2 year old shout out but I just can't believe in a matter of months she will be 2 years old.

So the update with her currently she is starting to pick up new words every day, a hear it once and she is running around saying it for the day.  Today she was trying to say monkey but for some reason everything she was saying today began with a b.  It was cute and by the end of the day she actually said monkey and knew what it was as I showed her a picture and she said "mumbey"  I  love her mispronunciations and can't wait to hear her clear it up.  She also is singing and dancing to blues clues songs with hand movements.  She can count to 14 and does every day, she also counts whenever any thing is counted on her favorite shows. She is saying mom and dada, thank you, bye bye, hello, hi ya, mama, baby, cat, kitty, pup, bunny, bubba, oh no, please, yes, no, and see you, and I see you. She has also said "what have I done" and "I love you".  She is also slowly coming away from crying at me and now is trying to communicate with me with pointing at what she wants and saying please and then thank you when I give her whatever she was after.  I am working on getting her to vocalize what she wants and not just point by telling her what she is point at and really making sure I am giving everything names as I give it to her.  We are also working on being more polite when out in public which isn't often but she is doing really well and since she is Gabe is as well.

She is growing like a weed as well and is fully wearing her 18 months clothing and some 24 month/2T clothing as well.  We have also used a few of her 12 month dresses as tank tops with shorts since they are just too short to wear as dresses, though she is almost to big for them now.  She is still wearing size 6 shoes but I've bought her a pair of size 7 sandals so she can wear them until it gets cold again, hopefully.  I just can't believe how much she has already grown and yes I will have a wonderful blog post for her come 2 years.  Stay tuned for more about the kids throughout the months.

Holidays without him...St Patrick's Day

So, St. Patrick's Day is here and luckily almost over.  Though its not a really big holiday, like Christmas or Halloween, but its still a holiday and this year I had to pass on really celebrating it.  We did the whole wear green thing but that is about it.  I didn't get to go all out and make some Irish food since I didn't want to just cook it for me, I forgot to get some beer.  Plus sitting here in the quiet house, kids are asleep, it just sucks.  Today during the day to keep my mind off it being the 1st holiday he has really missed with us.  I had the kids play and let them watch their favorite shows on TV and gave Kenzi new foods all day which she liked so that was fun. For me I just cleaned house and did laundry as well as did some crafting.  Nothing over the top special, just treated the day like any other.  The big thing I am worrying about is how Easter will go.  This will be my first Easter celebration completely on my own.  I guess I should start planning what to do now so that it doesn't get forgotten and I end up feeling this same way.  Anyway, at the very least, we did do a little celebration with wearing green but like I said nothing super special.  I hope that everyone who has gone out to celebrate make it home safe and sound.  For those of us who stayed in I hope you get to do a little something special. 

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

Watching my kids bond

I love watching moments like that depicted above. It reminds me that my children are slowly bonding. My Daughter who is just about 20 months old is talking to my 2 month old who is sitting in her old Bumbo seat.  Shortly after I took this pictures she got down on his level and gave him a kiss, I wish I could have gotten that in a picture but she does it so unexpectedly that I am never ready to catch it.  I also wish I knew what was being said to him because she is always so serious when talking to him but ends it with love. 

Makenzi is such a great big sister to Gabriel. She talks to him when he cries and when he doesn't cry she shares her toys with him for a little while.  She shows him how to use her toys too, the way I introduce her to new toy. Its so heart warming I just had to share.  Watching them interact is truly a blessing.  Gabriel watches Makenzi like a hawk throughout the day, even when I am holding him he is trying to watch what she is doing. I feel that he is going to be an early walker just because he is going to try and keep up with her. 

Even today while I was playing on the floor with both of them so that Gabriel could have some tummy time, Makenzi walked up and bent down and gave him a kiss. I told her he didn't feel good today and she patted his head and said, "It otay."  You see, whenever she falls down or runs into anything and it hurts her for a second but she is fine I tell her your okay give her a hug and pat her on the head.  So she has picked up on this and I hear her say it to him from time to time and to her toys when she drops them.  She is so loving to all her pets and to her baby brother, who she calls baby or bubba, and is loving to me of course. At any given moment she will come running up just to hug me or give me a kiss and then run off just as quickly to go and play more, she also does this to our cat, Sammie, and to her brother. 

I really hope that their relationship continues to grow and I will do everything I can to nurture that relationship and the importance of family being part of their life too.  I would not be where I am today without my supportive family and hope I can instill that sense of support they will always have from us and hopefully from each other as they grow up. I honestly believe that success means nothing if you have no one to share it with. 

Anyway, I look forward to writing about how their relationship blossoms over the coming months and years. I know I'll have my hands full as Makenzi starts teaching Gabriel all the things she already knows and buttons to push on both me and their daddy but it'll be worth it to see them grow up together.

Review: Fisher Price Apptivity Case

So I found this at Babies R Us, Baby Expo and thought what a great idea, I had my old iPhone 3G that was my just in case I screwed up my 4G back up phone so I updated it and download the apps that go along with this case and let my daughter play. She is just about 20 months now and loves this. I am for sure going to have to get one for my son when he gets to 6 or 7 months, though we may get him one for christmas or his birthday instead of just giving it to him.  This is so easy for her to use and she loves the ability of playing with the different apps, I did cut the internet and there was no phone service to it either but just to be on the safe side I put it to airplane mode.  I also put all the apps you cannot delete from the iphone into "folder" on the last page to get them out of the way.  She loves to listen to music on this and look at the pictures I added to it for her.  She has tons of fun just playing the games

Fisher Prices has 4 apps you can download for free plus there are other apps that are kid games and learning games that you can upload to the iphone for free and let them have fun.  This case is very durable as well. My daughter has dropped it over our baby gate into the kitchen where it bounced 2 times before landing on the floor flat, no damage to the case or iphone, she has kissed it, licked it, chewed on the handles and blue sides, stood on it, still no damage.

I highly recommend this toy for any baby to toddler for a learning aid as well as something easy for them to use while you are doing your errands.  You could even hook it into the internet and download netflix on it and let your child what their favorite shows while you are out and about.  This is yet another great product by Fisher Price, and one I plan to buy a duplicate of too.

Try it for yourself, its a great price, $15, at Babies R Us, as well as being sold at Target, Walmart, and a few other places.

Gabe's 2 month Check up

So we had Gabe's 2 month check up today and man has he grown in a month.  He is now 2 inches longer at 24.5 inches long/tall, he has gained 2 pounds at 12 pounds 6 ounces, and his head is 15 and 3/4 inches round, I'm not sure what it was but I know its bigger.  His weight was in the 50th percentile while his head and height was in the 75th percent.  All in all he is growing beautifully and very healthy. I love going to the doctor to get this information since I also get a little pat on the back saying I am doing a good job with my kids.  Kenzi was well behaved with all the toys I brought for her to play with, I am learning pretty fast to pick and choose when to limit her number of toys brought and when to let her bring whatever.  Doctor's visit not for her, let her bring a back pack full of toys.  Gabe did really well with his shots only cried for a few seconds, pretty much how long it took me to get his pants on after the 2 shots were given was how long he cried as soon as I had him in my arms he was fine.  He did act like he was getting sick as I put him in his car seat but that subsided when I gave him a pacifier to help get his mind off his tummy, sucking on a pacifier actually helps a baby's tummy calm down because they stop thinking about either what happened or what is making them sick. 

I also remembered my questions about him turning red which he demonstrated and was told it was normal, asked about his belly button, that the inside was a darker color, that was normal and would lighten and probably disappear as he got older, his colic which has gotten worse since he was born but is now kinda relaxing a little thank the Lord, I was given some other techniques for burping him if he fights burping again.  I also had some questions with his going potty and was told all was normal. So yay! Gabe is healthy and doing great though he was a grumpy butt all afternoon.

Kenzi was rewarded for being good at the doctor's office with a little trip to the park where she got to climb on a jungle gym, go down the slides, and swing.  Then we came home and the kids napped and then it was time for dinner. 

Our next doctors appointment will be when he is 4 months old which I will have to set up next month, but will update you before that, I promise.

Stay tuned later this month I will be doing a special birthday shout out as well as a quick update on Kenzi and a quick anniversary shout out. 

Brownies, spruced up

What a great way to spruce up some ordinary brownies.  I added chopped walnuts to the top and to cut back on the calories and make this have a little deeper flavor I took out the oil and replaced it with zero calorie hazelnut flavoring.  By switching it out the brownies turned out a little more cake like but they are super tasty and would go perfectly with a scoop of ice cream but I am just going to stick with my non fat milk to accompany my piece. 

Most of my baking I replace the oil with something better, be that zero calorie flavoring or even baby food.  It is so much fun to play with ingredients.  This one is a basic box brownie mix that called for 1/2 cup of oil and after looking at how many calories are  in a serving and then seeing the serving for oil being a table spoon I decided this one needed to be replaced.  I happened to have some hazelnut oil with no calories so I happily replaced the oil with that and then followed the rest of the ingredients to a T and it turned out delicious.  I even let my daughter have a little taste and she liked it (she doesn't like sweets so her liking this was a big plus for me.) I normally don't give my daughter a whole lot of sweets but from time to time I like to give her a treat and this was hers. 

So my toddler gives it her seal of approval and I urge you all to try it.  I bet you will never use oil again.

6 weeks done....6 weeks closer to seeing my love

Quick blurb, we now have survived for 6 weeks of this deployment and are finally getting into a good groove/cruising speed. Now to survive another 5 and a half months and we will be golden.  What I have planned for the next few months include a few visits with friends, whether via video chat or actually in person, though they are still up in the air.  Some visits with family. Some play dates as well as some play in the park and at the beach if the gas prices don't get too high.  We will also be hanging out at home working on vocabulary and potty training. 

Stay tuned each Friday I will update on how many weeks we have put behind us and once we get that all powerful homecoming date I will let you all know.  Until then stay tuned for the fun things we will do with and saving money all the way. 

This week we spent a lot of time at home due to rainy weather but were able to get out Thursday to the park and play.  It was nice to get some fresh air and Kenzi enjoyed running around with other kids.  She is such a social butterfly.  Today we will be spending indoors again as its suppose to rain.  Check in with us next Friday for an update on what we got to do. 

Sneak peak: I think its time for some arts and crafts as well as some more great outdoors.

From 1 to 2 under 2, Kids that is

I have been asked a lot how I manage to take care of 2 under 2 and both in diapers, and I can't take all the credit because my daughter who is almost 20 months old is an amazing helper.   I think the hardest part about have 2 under 2 is the attention each wants and needs.  The older they get the more independent they become but until they get the vocabulary and understanding to talk to you instead of crying or screaming at you can be a challenge.  I have found myself giving into the first time mom syndrome when my daughter starts whining or screaming at me where I just want her to tell me what she wants, as she is normally standing at the entrance to our kitchen doing this, and end up yelling over her loud yells.  I almost instantly realize I am doing this and back off and either turn my back to her to let us both calm down or take a deep breath and start the guessing game.  I think all 1st time moms do this at least once a week if not more but curbing it can be a hard thing when you are going on less sleep than you have been getting and stress from other areas of your life that your young kids would not understand.  Something I have learned since adding our second child to our happy little household is that keeping cool under pressure is an absolute must if I want to have a calm house I must be calm and not let myself get upset.

I know that is easier said than done because I am very hot blooded and tend to let people get under my skin way to easily, which in turn leads me to getting upset while on the phone and then my household erupts with kids screaming.  Once it erupts I then have to take a step back and remind myself to calm down and then work even harder to get the kids settled down.  I end up holding my 2 month old son or switching his activity and getting my daughter a snack or some juice or milk depending on the time of day.  Its normally a process that takes about an hour or 2 to get the house back to a calm peaceful place. 

Going out is a completely different experience and often ends with the kids dragging the attention of the people around us as I hurry to get my grocery shopping done or bills paid.  For some reason these are both very stressful events for me and it transpires over to the kids which makes them fussy as well.  It is hard to take care of both of them at the same time, but when you need to get things done its sometime easier to apologize to those around you and just get out of there than to stop and fuss with the kids knowing that they are just going to start up again.  Now by all means this is not saying I just ignore them.  I do try a few times to get them calmed down. I do the normal checks: diapers, hungry, burp, some other form of discomfort, for Gabe he hates his car seat but when going into places like the grocery store I don't have much of a choice but to have him in his car seat so often I will loosen straps to try and get him calmed down.  Its not a fun guessing game but once I strike all those out of the list and the kids are still at it I tend to knuckle down and just get the things I absolutely need and get out of the store and get home.  I think because I am up tight with these outings that it badly effects the kids to act up.  However, I have found, like today, that when I am relaxed and just going into places with a having fun attitude that the kids don't scream at me or any one else for that matter and relax as well.  Lesson, relax and just have fun and so will the kids. 

My biggest advice to anyone who is about to or has just entered the realm of 2 under 2 is to relax and try to see the light side of everything.  After the last month and a half of outings ending with me high tailing it home because I couldn't handle the kids acting up in public I finally discovered that it was me not them.  I had forgotten what I had always told my husband about going out with our daughter, if you are calm she is calm but when you get up tight and worry that she is going to make a scene she will, because you are up tight so she is up tight and irritable. 

Also make sure when you are doing any activity with your kids that you make it fun.  Today I went into Bath and Body Works to look around and spot out some new scents for the house.  I found a few that are really nice and when my daughter started to whine because I was taking to long smelling candles I turned and let her smell it too.  Her tune changed and though I don't think she was actually smelling the candle, the simple act of including her on what I was enjoying relaxed her and made it easier to do what I wanted and let me spend more time smelling candles and looking at the store than I ever have before.  Also because we were relaxed Gabe relaxed to the point that he fell asleep in the car seat he hates so much.  Since he was asleep and my daughter was enjoying herself I was also able to do a little window shopping in my favorite clothing store and have a decent conversation with the sales associate on future sales the store would be hosting, and the current cute new arrivals, no screaming kids to talk over or interrupt.  It was pleasant.  Finally we left and got in the car though Gabe woke up at this point and decided to scream at me for a while he calmed right down once I got him out at the park.  We had a good time out side at the park and downtown in general and again no screaming kids which made for a relaxing outing.  I made the day fun for all of us and made it so we all got to do something fun.  Yes even Gabe as I took him out of his car seat at the park and put him in a front carrier to carry him around then I put him in the back seat of the stroller so he got to look around at the world as we walked.

So to reiterate the whole how do I do it.  I figure out how to stay relaxed during outings and at home, this means taking one thing at a time and when the kids do act up take a deep breath and steady yourself then check everything before chalking it up to them just wanting attention.

Learning how to control your own emotions is probably the hardest thing to do when taking care of 2 under 2 but its not impossible to do.  It will make your life raising kids so close in age much easier.  Another benefit to gaining control is that you don't lose it so easily and tend to get better responses from people when you do have to deal with less than pleasing situations.

You know, we chose to have our children close together so that they could be friends, though if they are anything like my sister's and my relationship then they will fight like crazy but be good friends as they get older.  For us the timing was right to have both kids and plus we wanted to be able to be younger parents and really be able to be active as they grow up.  Having a plan in place when you decide to have a second child so close to the first is a must however if you are military like we are those plans get changed for you here and there.  Such that when we got pregnant this second time we were not expecting to find out that my husband would be deploying the same month that we were do.  I didn't plan to have to be an acting single parent to 2 under 2 and really thought that he wouldn't be deployed that quickly after moving to a new duty station.  It was a shock to say the least and even though we did our best to plan everything out for while he was gone. Things have of course changed but as they finally settle down I can relax a little and like I said enjoy the outings and play time. 

Its a stressful job and I would highly recommend thinking hard and long before having kids so close together but at the same time, for me, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love my 2 beautiful kids and wouldn't trade this stressful but fun life.  I love watching them grow and learn and figure out what this crazy world is all about. 

Well, I hope that this shines a little light on having 2 under 2 and the stress levels that go along with them as well as the fun times you can have if you just take a deep breath and go with the flow.  This doesn't all happen over night and often finding that relaxed pace or emotional control is a trial and error and then finally finding it type of situation.  So take a deep breath and enjoy their little years because, as I am sure you all know, they grow up entirely too fast.

If you have any questions on things to do with 2 under 2, or are just looking for some quick advice feel free to email me at akayda1014@mac.com or better yet leave a comment here, who knows, maybe there is someone else out there who has the same question but doesn't know how to ask.

I'm here to help.

Gabe at 2 months

Gabe is 2 months old.  He is learning so much by leaps and bounds and his big sister is one of the biggest factors there.  He watches all she does throughout the day and gets mad when he does not get to interact with her.  I have one of those feelings that he is going to be an early walker.  He coos at us and of course screams at us and watches both me and Makenzi as we go about doing things in the room. 

So far in his life he has rolled from tummy to back, is starting to sleep through the night, he can sit with support and holds his head up.  He can also lift his chest off the ground and burp like a pro.  He has a smile that is contagious, that not only is just at his mouth but you see the happiness in his eyes as well.  We still have not gotten him to sleep in his crib for longer than a half hour but over the next month I will have him taking his naps up there, and who knows maybe I will get him sleeping through the night up there by 3 months.  I am looking forward to his doctor visit on the 12th that will give us his weight and length which I know he had grown tremendously since his one month check up.  Oh an I guess I chose the wrong car seat for my kids as Gabe hates the car seat as much as Kenzi did, and I have tried to make it comfortable for him with no avail so we just try to stay out of it as much as possible. I am looking forward to him controlling his head so that we can leave the car seat in the car and just use the stroller but until then we will just keep working on keeping him calm/out of it as much as possible. Also over the last month I have decided to switch him fully over to formula as he had lost interest in breastfeeding and was using me more to just chew on over anything else.  He is doing great with the formula now that I have found a good bottle to help prevent his spit up.

All in all Gabe is growing by leaps and bounds.  I wish he would slow down but its so much fun to watch him explore his hands and stare his nose down.  He has found his thumb from time to time but has a pacifier that he likes normally in the afternoon or while we are out.  I think he gets car sick or something because he normally will take it after we get out of the car.  The best part of my days lately is watching Kenzi and Gabe interact.  She had a whole conversation with him and he just stared her down the whole time it was so cute.  She loves him so much and likes to give him a kiss on his head every night before I put him in his bed and then she says "awe" but she will only do it if I do not ask her to do it which makes me smile even more when she does because she is showing her love.

Well, that is the update of Gabe for now I will update one more time for his 2 month appointment and then Kenzi will have her spotlight later this month.  So keep an eye out for her special blog post around the 20th. 

Thanks for reading!

Review: Disney Princess Bedtime Story Book

So, my daughter was given this story book as a Christmas present and we finally started reading it the last few nights. The stories in this book are really wonderful with the classic Disney Princesses as the stars of new stories. The stories carry with them small lessons for girls about being nice, using their imagination, among other things.  My daughter, who also doesn't always like to sit still, will lay in bed and listen to me read her the stories, just as long as she can see the pictures.  The art in this book is also beautifully done.  This is one book that I think she will have fun reading from as she learns to read a few years down the road and I know will be one of her treasured childhood books.  I hope to get the other Disney Princess books for her too. 

My recommendation is that if you have a little girl who enjoys good stories or who you want to start getting them to read this is a good book.  It has many small stories in it and the words are not overly complicated and between the stories and the pictures will make an easy reader, with help from mom or dad, for a beginner. 

Check this and other Disney Princess Books out at your local Micheal's Arts and Crafts store, or any book store for that matter.  Worth the purchase.

Review: Disney My First Princess Toddler Dolls

Above are three of the Disney's My First Princess Toddler Dolls.  These are actually the three that we got our daughter for Christmas this last year. Even though they are not recommended for under 3s, our daughter had seen and fallen in love with the Cinderella doll, so like a good mom I got it for her for Christmas (yes I made her wait and open it at Christmas even though she was with me when I bought it).  After seeing her hold tight to the box with Cinderella we decided to get her Aurora and Rapunzel.  I have to say that I am very impressed with these dolls.  The crowns are tacked on with thick thread and though she has started to get them off now they hold up very well to her rough play.  The other cool part is that there are accessories you can buy for the dolls and the shoes come off too.  Needless to say I have put all the small parts up, which include a comb from each and their shoes, everything else is either attached or too big for her to swallow.  The dolls themselves are well made and after putting each through some tugging tests found them to be very well made. Each year we have gotten Makenzi a few Disney dolls, first we got her the Disney Princess Baby Dolls and this year we got her the Toddler Dolls and have just been blown away with the quality of all of the Disney Dolls we have gotten.  If you have a little girl into the Disney Princesses check out these dolls. I don't think you or your child will be disappointed with them.  The next step from here is to get her the My First Disney Princess Doll but I think we will wait a few years for that one.

To wrap up this review my daughter loves her dolls and all the accessories Disney has put out with them and actually plays with them like baby dolls too.  So check them out, you can find any of these dolls are Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target.