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?

Going Reviews

Grow With Me Tee: A Fun Way to Photo Journal Your Baby’s Growth

06/27/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

On average, a baby born at full-term will most likely double their birth weight at 4 months, and triple it by the time they reach 1 year old. Most babies have about 5 growth spurts within their first year which is when most of their growing will take place. If it seems like one day your baby fits perfectly in their onesie and the next day it can’t go over their head, that’s because most of their growth occurs in very short, intense bursts.

What does all of this mean? It means we need to savor every second, minute, hour, day, etc. that we have with our constantly growing babies before they grow right out of our arms! And don’t forget the only way to keep them from growing is by capturing them in pictures and on video. So while your baby may continue growing, you will always be able to relive their “tiny moments” whenever you want.

As new parents, Going Mom and I have no problem taking pictures and recording videos of Avery every day. 7 months into it and I’m pretty sure we have enough media of our daughter to fill a hard drive! Okay, not one of those monster drives, but we have A LOT!

We have been capturing Avery’s growth month-by-month by sitting her beside a stuffed teddy bear to take a picture, but she’s not always cooperative…

This was our 7 month session.... — This was our 7 month session….

Thankfully, the two moms behind Grow With Me Tee, sent us their “age ruler” tee to help our photo-journaling efforts.

They give you a fabric marker to color in the ruler with each birthday and half birthday to record how much they’ve grown each time.

As you can see, Avery still doesn’t make it easy, but I guess that’s just the age.

Eeeks! I'm getting old!! — Eeeks! I’m getting old!!

I love having this tee as we will be able to watch her grow into and out of it as time goes by. Like most things with your growing baby, it’s bittersweet to see how much they grow!

Grow With Me Tee also offers a onesie with an “age clock” for your baby’s first year, as well as a customizable collegiate-style tee to document your kid’s growth from pre-school all the way to high school. This will be the next shirt we get after Avery’s 5 year ruler is all colored in. Oh geez, that’s scary to think about; we’ll be half-way to 40 years old!!

These Grow With Me Tee’s are such a great idea and a perfect gift for anyone expecting or who recently had a baby. They are inexpensive but will provide priceless memories for years down the road.

As a bonus for being a Going Dad reader, the “Chief Moms” behind Grow With Me Tee, Nicole and Bethany, have agreed to give you 15% off of their products! Just use coupon code GOINGDAD15 after shopping for your favorite tee on their website and the discount will be applied. This code will be valid through the end of July 2014.

How sweet is that?! Get something that literally will last for years and can be enjoyed by you and your loved ones. What are you waiting for, get to shopping now!

Make sure to show Grow With Me Tee some love and check them out Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! When you snap a photo of your little one in their tee, they’d love to see and showcase the pic on their pages!

Do you enjoy photo-journaling your baby/toddler/adolescent to document their growth?

Which style of tee do you like most from Grow With Me Tee?