Category Archives: Parenting

Week in Review: Crawling and A Homemade Activity Board

06/29/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

This week seemed to drag on yet fly by at the same time. How does that work?

I consider “dragging on” and “flying by” as mutually exclusive, but I figure this occurrence has something to do with being a parent. Parents of the world, is this a familiar thing to you?

For the past few weeks, Avery had been showing signs of a soon-to-be crawler. This week she has graduated from rolling as if practicing what to do if caught on fire to being an official crawler! Now when we set her down to get something in the next room, she simply crawls to us.

Leave the room, huh? I'll find you wherever you go!! — Leave the room, huh? I’ll find you wherever you go!!

Yeah, guess we should probably get around to that whole baby-proofing thing, huh?

This is sturdy enough to pull down on, right?

I’m fairly certain our nights spent playing with the laser and our cat helped her progress into the crawler she is now. So many benefits from that little red dot emitting tool; cheap entertainment, exercise for cat and baby, and good for learning to crawl!

Don't move, you might scare it off! — One day, cat, I’ll crawl and even the playing field….

I have been wanting to build an activity board like the many ones I found on Pinterest, and finally had the chance early this week. On Tuesday, Avery was sleeping a little longer than usual, so I took advantage and went to the garage to put it together.

I am far from a great craftsman, but thankfully it didn’t have to be pretty! I grabbed several wood floor and carpet samples at the Home Depot, bought a chain lock, smiley face push light, light switch (not connected!), plastic chain, and several door stops. I figured the door stops would be her favorite just going off of her use of the ones around our home.

Turns out, my assumptions proved accurate!

I also bought a bell for bicycles that attaches to the handlebars, but don’t have a way to attach it to the board. I need to get another bell like those you see at a bank teller’s window that you just hit, but she seems happy with it as it for the time being.

Yep, I'm happy. Seeeeee? — Yep, I’m happy. Seeeeee?

This week was reasonably productive and busy with having a crawler to watch over, and I can only imagine what adventures we’ll have in the coming week. Whatever they are, I’ll be sure to document them all right here. She’s already bumping her head more, so that will be fun…

Now it’s time to enjoy our Sunday before the looming workweek starts again; it’s a vicious cycle!

Do you ever have those long weeks that somehow also seem to go by? Do I even make sense?

Ever make or want to make an activity board for your little one?

Life, Parenting

5 Pet Products You Can Use for Babies

06/28/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

We have a full blown crawler on the loose! Geez, once they catch on to something, they waste no time doing that something for-ev-ER!

I know we asked for it, but of course we weren’t actually prepared. Avery is crawling everywhere and anywhere she can.

Before, we could set her on a blanket after changing her diaper as we go wash our hands in the bathroom next to the nursery, now she just crawls to us while in the bathroom!

Guess I’ll be vacuuming and mopping a lot more now!

Yep, I love watching our little girl being so proud to move around more, but that means I really have to watch her. It used to be fairly easy when all she could do was roll and maybe thrust, but now if I take my eyes off of her for a second, she might be across the room or climbing something dangerous.

The other day I was vacuuming in another room while she was on her blanket playing in the living room when all of the sudden the vacuum just turned off. I went back in the living room to see she had crawled and yanked on the cord. She was nowhere near the socket (thankfully!), but needless to say, no more cords around when she’s down!

We have a gate for babies ordered and on the way, but I’ve been wanting something else that’s portable to bring into the garage for when I work out or when we go to G-Ma’s. In my search, I kept seeing pet playpens show up, and at first I just waived them off, but then I started thinking; maybe that would work for babies too!

This mode of thought led me on a search for other pet products that could double as baby products too. The only downside might be that you’ll have a jealous pup to deal with. Here are my top 5 “baby” items that might have you heading to your nearest pet store.

1. Pet Gate – I know, this one is obvious, and most are even marketed with “for baby/pet” wording, but it’s in pet stores and is highly recommended for both baby and/or pet. I’m sure many use these gates to keep their babies and pets separate…..for their pets’ safety!

2. Chew Toys – Teething baby? No problem! Of course, make sure the material is safe and not coated in anything toxic to babies. Here’s a great rope chew toy made with all natural materials and dyes, and the product description even mentions it’s great for teething puppies. Hey, puppies are babies too! Plus, your child is sure to love having a cute snowman to chew on.

3. Portable Pet Playpen – The reason I started looking for other baby products posing as pet items, some of these look and transport better than ones specifically for babies.

This one on Amazon costs about $45 after shipping, but the Summer Infant Portable Playard is $99.95.

Both have carrying cases and setup in seconds, but the pet playpen weights less than half of the Summer Infant one. Just saying…

4. Toy Ball – Every baby should have a toy ball; they’re great for developing motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Why not a ball made for dogs? This one I found online from Only Natural Pet is eco-friendly with all recyclable materials, mint-scented, and easily washes clean. Plus, there is a glow-in-the-dark option which I think a baby would enjoy more than a pet and it’s made in the U-S of A!

5. Pet Beds – C’mon, you can’t say you’ve never looked at those cozy beds with plush side bolsters and seriously considered trying to curl up in one. How cool would this be for your baby and/or toddler? They would love it! This one from Only Natural Pet is eco-friendly, resistant to liquid, dirt, and oil, and reduces the spread of bacteria and allergens. I think it’s better than our mattress!

Of course there are other pet items that might work for babies like leashes and harnesses, but I’m not sure how safe that would be.

So, next time you’re looking to get something for your growing baby, consider perusing the aisles of the nearest PetSmart before heading to Toys ‘R Us. If you have a pet and what you buy doesn’t work out for your baby, at least you know it won’t go to waste.

Have you ever let your baby play with or use a pet product?

If not, would you ever consider doing so?

Life, Parenting

The Morning Phases of Our Baby: Wake Up, Smile, Fart, Crawl, Cry, Happy

06/24/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

As all parents know, babies are not predictable as they are constantly changing physically and mentally. But, there’s usually some sort of routine you have established which helps ease the mind at least a little.

Right now, at 7 months, we are usually greeted with a smile upon entering Avery’s room first thing in the morning. Even if she is already awake and crying, she’ll stop and flash her pearly whites rosy gums at us. The smiles may quickly turn to screams and cries as we try to feed her or set her down after changing her diaper, but those smiles are priceless.

Yesterday morning I captured what a typical morning for Avery and me is like during the workweek, when Going Mom is at work.

Starting with smiles upon seeing one of her parents, I then try to feed her a bottle, which 9 times out of 10 proves unsuccessful. Then I’ll change her into a new cloth diaper, set her down on a blanket to put the dirty diaper away and wash my hands, listen to her cry as I leave the room, and then stop and act like all is well once I re-enter.

She’s become very clingy and will let the whole neighborhood know she’s not getting enough attention; it’s fun! After she’s changed, we will play on the floor for a while to release some energy and work on crawling. Eventually, I’ll bring her to the kitchen and set her in her jumper while I clean whatever dishes are in the sink. I am OCD about dishes in the sink and feel that I must clean them immediately!

Once that’s done, we go into the garage and I’ll workout while she’s next to me in her jumper. Not sure why, but for whatever reason, Avery is usually happier in her jumper when it’s in the garage as opposed to in the kitchen area. It’s great since trying to focus on lifting heavy is difficult when you have a screaming baby to contend with, but I wish she’d be good inside too! After working out, we’ll go back inside where I clean myself and try to stop sweating so much before feeding Avery.

She’s better about taking the bottle at this point, and sometimes even falls asleep while eating. If she does, we’ll go to the nursery to change her and lay her down to sleep. If she’s still awake, we’ll either play a little more or she will watch me make something in the kitchen. Not much longer and she’ll be yawning, rubbing her face, and most likely getting fussy; all signs it’s time for a nap!

I don’t eat my first meal of the day until after she’s asleep, which is typically around 1 or 2 pm after factoring in the time it takes to cook my meal. It works thus far, and I usually have 1.5 – 2.5 hours before she wakes. But this post is about the morning, so I’ll stop there.

To help you better visualize Avery’s morning phases, I will share the video with you here:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cc65AAukQw&w=560&h=315]

Our daughter’s morning phases at 7 months. She’s learning to crawl and even lets out a nice fart. She’s going to resent me in a few years…

Does your baby have any particular morning “phases”?

Have you established a daily routine with your kid(s) or at least tried?