Tag Archives: g-ma

Another “BLW” Fail and Avery Meets our Turtle

05/19/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Yep, baby-led weaning was another no-go today. After our first attempt with a fussy baby just the day before, we were sure trying mid-morning the next day would yield success.

I could feel the excitement run through my veins as she grasped the green bean as I thought “This is it!” Is it sad to get so excited over our baby gripping a flimsy green bean? C’mon, I know other parents are the same! But the excitement quickly dissipated as she hastily tossed it aside.

You can see it in the corner just barely hanging on to the tray. We sat and stared with cameras in hand a while longer, but finally gave up as Avery’s mood worsened. Another tasty meal for our box turtle, Tash, was served; compliments of Avery.

At least Tash is enjoying the whole baby-led weaning experience thus far. Thanks to several of you for your comments on your own BLW experiences we will keep trying and have patience with Avery. In time, our girl will “pick up” on what to do with her food and she’ll be eating like a champ in no time. So we hope!!

G-Ma came over in the afternoon to stay with us for the night and she was excited to see and play with Avery. Going Mom and I took care of things around the house while G-Ma kept Avery occupied which was extremely helpful!

All four of us wound up outside and I thought it would be the perfect time to take Tash out of her outside pen and introduce her to Avery. At first, Avery didn’t notice the Terrapene walking under her nose; maybe those puffy cheeks blocked her view!

But it wasn’t long before she noticed Tash trying to distance herself from us humans.

She became very interested in this new hard-shelled creature and tried to reach and feel for herself.

It’s definitely not soft and fluffy like the cat and dog she already knows, and it was great watching her reaction. With Avery’s attention solely on our pet reptile, I explained their unique shell and anatomy to her as if she was taking notes.

Did you know turtles have feelings in their shells? Yep, their shells are a part of their body and they cannot leave them like certain crabs can. There’s a little turtle info for the day; you’re welcome.

Poor Tash kept trying to get away, but we made sure to safely keep her around us. Intrigued, Avery continued to reach for Tash as she walked away and would just miss making contact. Probably for the best because baby fingers look awfully similar to plump grubs or worms!

We all enjoyed watching Avery witness something new in her world and it’s awesome how interested she can get!

I know as Avery gets older, she’ll be able to see and learn more about our turtle and the species as a whole since her dad is such a reptile fanatic. Yep, mainly snakes and turtles, but they all interest me. Maybe the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have something to do with? Hmmmm.

It was a great Sunday that went by too fast, but luckily Going Mom only has a four day work week ahead! Yay, the weekend starts early and lasts longer! Oh, wait, it’s Avery’s 6 month shots and check-up on the first day Kelley is off, but hopefully that won’t dampen Avery’s spirits the whole time!

Do you have any other pets besides a dog and cat that your children loves or hates or is scared of?

Are you a reptile lover or can’t stand the critters?

Going Reviews, Parenting

Going Reviews and My Mother’s Day Gift: Casting Keepsakes Clay Print and Photo Kit

05/11/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Well hello and Happy Mother’s Day to all of you kind, caring, and loving mothers out there!

I hope you’re being treated to kind words and smiles from your children along with everything you really want for your day. I sure hope Going Mom wasn’t expecting diamonds; that would be a disappointment.

Plus, with my annual salary of zero dollars as a stay-at-home dad, I don’t think I could find a really good diamond. Unlesssssss, I found a really good diamond. Hmm….

Anyway, not happening, but I have something I think the both of us prefer over materialistic items; our daughter’s impressions! Lori from Casting Keepsakes was kind enough to send one of their air-dry clay and photo kits for me to review and give to Kelley for Mother’s Day.

This is an exciting day in our house since it’s the first official Mother’s Day we are celebrating. Last year we celebrated since Kelley was pregnant with Avery, but it means so much more now that she’s actually here!

Kelley’s love for Avery radiates through her every day, non-stop, and she is and always will be the best mother she can be. And what’s more, she’s a wonderful wife who always fills me with love and happiness!

Avery is 6 months this month, and to capture imprints of her tiny hands and a feet is a must. Casting Keepsakes provides everything you need to roll the clay out and make impressions of your precious child. A simple task that took a total of 30 minutes for a gift that will last forever!

The hardest part was getting Avery’s handprint without her making a fist in the clay, but once we got passed that part, the rest was fairly easy. I sat Avery in her Mama’s & Papas booster chair for the foot imprint and finished within minutes.

One area where I goofed was choosing a picture for the middle. I spent forever going through my portfolio of Avery pictures (every parent has one, right?) and finally ordered several prints. The problem? They were all landscape when I needed to use a portrait orientation!

I think Homer Simpson says it best; “Doh!”

Thankfully, I did order one portrait orientation, and although it’s not what I originally planned, it’s still an adorable pic.

This is the photo I planned on using; mother and daughter together.

But that’s my issue and I am completely happy with the kit from Casting Keepsakes. Check out their website to see more great items to capture your child’s current size before they grow up! They even offer belly casting kits and baby ink kits if you don’t want to deal with clay. They even have an Amazon store to purchase their items and read more reviews.

I can’t thank Casting Keepsakes enough for sending me what I think is the perfect gift for any loving mother and I know Kelley will enjoy looking at these tiny prints for years to come.

If you’re wondering if I forgot about my mom (G-Ma), I didn’t, but I won’t see her until later today and can’t disclose what I got her before giving it to her. Where’s the fun in that? But I will say, Mom, I love you very much and can’t express how much I appreciate all you’ve done and still do. You deserve the world, but all I could give you is a globe; Happy Mother’s Day!

For all who care, I’ll share pictures of her gift in an upcoming post. There’s also more to Going Mom’s gift that I can’t let her know about yet, but I’ll tell you soon enough.

Kelley did get treated to one of her favorite snacks that I make for her, goat cheez-its! I’ll share the recipe eventually, I promise.

I wrote a separate review that I sent to Casting Keepsakes a few days ago, and you can see it below.

Hi there! I’m a stay-at-home dad to one beautiful girl, Avery, who was born in November 2013. She means the world to my wife and I, and I try my best to capture her in photos every day. It was a very long and hard journey for us to have our darling girl and we will never take having her for granted.

When Casting Keepsakes sent me their No Bake Clay Print and Photo Kit, I was a little hesitant at first for fear that I’d mess it up. I wanted to make this a Mother’s Day gift for my wife since Avery will be right at 6 months in May. Since I know my wife misses her so much when at work, I wanted to give her something more to go along with the countless pictures I take.

The kit arrived well packaged and everything appeared to be of high quality. Thankfully, the clay was not as hard to work with as I had imagined and it easily rolled out into the frame space provided with the included rolling pin. I was unsure how well my baby would co-operate, but she did great! It helps that the clay is soft enough so you don’t have to mash the baby’s hand and foot really hard to make an impression.

The entire process form kneading and rolling out the clay to making the impressions only took a total of 30 minute. Not bad for something that is priceless to any parent; capturing your baby’s tiny prints before they grow up and move out!

I’m not one to purchase lavish gifts for my wife and she doesn’t enjoy them anyway. Plus, as a stay-at-home parent, it’s not like I’m raking in the dough! The Casting Keepsake’s clay print and photo kit is the best quality and inexpensive gift I can think of for a loving mother, and I’m happy I have one to give to my wife on Mother’s Day. Thank you, Casting Keepsakes!

What are your thoughts on clay prints as gifts or just to capture little hands and feet before they grow too much?

What’s the best Mother’s Day gift to give/get in your opinion?

Life, Parenting

Active at G-Ma’s and I Almost Forgot Something!

04/14/2014 R.C. Liley 12 Comments

For the past few times we made the trip to my mom’s, Avery’s G-ma, to stay the night, Avery didn’t do much. I mean, the hightlight of our last trip was doing Ninja Turtle puzzles…..without her! Then again, she didn’t do much anywhere because she’s under six months! But, for our trip this past weekend, Avery was more active and full of smiles. For the most part, she’s still a baby and she still cried.

Before leaving on Saturday, we had our usual routine of coffee and protein pancakes while Avery played with her Skwish Stix from the Manhattan Toy Co. Kelley put Avery down for a nap before our drive, and then we did a workout together in the garage.

The Skwish Stix are meant to help introduce the concept of cause and effect as your baby pulls the beads and watches them spring back. They are meant for ages 6 months and up, so I’m giving it awhile before a full review. But, Avery is interested and will grab at them when nearby.

Once at G-Ma’s, we sat Avery in the middle of the kitchen counter to let her read a recent magazine article.

We asked if it was an interesting story, but she just flashed smiles.

I figured it couldn’t be bad with those smiles, but then she just ripped the pages out and tried to eat them.

Hmmm, time to go roll on the floor with Mommy and G-ma!

We spent a lot of time with Avery rolling around and trying to keep her on the blanket. She’s not even crawling yet and she can really get “around”! Too cheesy? Good, the more cheesy the better! Anyway, you could tell Avery was enjoying her time playing with G-Ma, and they both loved every second of it.

Avery has been laughing a little bit, but we’re still waiting for a real outburst coming deep within her stomach. I’ve been able to get the little laughs by crawling around and “attacking” her belly, but she won’t do it for many others yet. That didn’t stop G-ma from trying though…

Avery was going strong and moving around for quite a while when all of the sudden, I think tiredness set in.

Even Abby, not allowed in the room but as close as possible to the “boundary”, seemed worn out.

When a baby is tired, fussiness is sure to follow, and it did. Nothing too bad, but it was time for a little power nap. I brought along our new Ergobaby Ventus carrier that Ergobaby kindly sent me to review, so I figured we’d go for a walk/nap to test it out.

The wind was gusting at high speeds so I utilized the built-in hood for Avery. She didn’t fuss for the whole hour we walked and I know she slept at least 40 minutes. When we returned, I asked Avery how she liked the walk, but she was still too sleepy to answer.

The Ergo was pretty nice and it is smaller than the Onya that we have, but you have to expect a carrier with a built-in child seat will be bigger. I will be wearing the Ergo more before a full review, but one thing I wish it had were extra storage pockets. These are very handy for carrying a phone, keys, wallet, or a doggie bag for our walks with the dog.

Sleep is always up in the air with a baby, and she didn’t do the best at G-Ma’s. Going Mom was up several times trying to feed and console her while my lazy self just laid in bed. Sorry, Kelley. Kelley was exhausted and Avery was still wide awake and very active, so I finally did something took Avery to the recliner in the living room. I rocked and reclined her and she eventually fell asleep on me. She’s not as small as last time we slept together, and it wasn’t the most comfortable, but I know I should still cherish it while I can.

The next day we sipped multiple cups of coffee and Avery rolled around more. My little brother, Uncle Preston, worked late the night before but was home now and he got to hold a happy Avery for bit.

It was good to see, and hopefully they’ll get to hang out more as she gets older. I can see these two becoming best buds, besides her and her Daddy, of course.

The day drew on and it was time for us to head home. Ugh, time goes too fast! G-Ma spent a little longer with Avery showing her some window ornaments and then said our goodbyes.

It usually takes us a month or more before making our next trip to G-Ma’s; I wonder what Avery will be doing then. Maybe crawling?

Oh yeah, I almost forget to say what I almost forgot. It’s nothing big to you I’m sure, but being self-motivated and anal-retentive about fitness (amongst other things in life), this would’ve bothered me had I forgot. What was it? 30 burpees!

Since the day we brought Avery home on 11/17/13, I have committed to doing 30 burpees a day and haven’t missed a day yet. Sunday night, as I had the water and was about to step in the shower, I suddenly realized I forgot. So, what’s an OCD guy to do? I knocked them out right there before getting in the shower!

Phew, close call, and sorry for sharing the details. Now you all know me a little bit better.

Do you have anything that you have to do every day? Every week?

How was your weekend?

Disclosure: The Manhattan Toy Co. and Ergobaby sent me the products I mentioned free of charge to be reviewed on my blog. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.