DAYS and WEEKS

Dear Huntley,

These days and weeks are going by way too fast! Huntley you are five and a half months now...and I'm at a standstill seeing you as a newborn, but watching you crawl, stand and eat real food. I'm coming to realize that you're no longer a newborn anymore. And then when it's time to breastfeed you, you look like a newborn again to me, I really hope we can keep this bond for another six months. Your daddy and I love you so much, and we know how strong your willpower is to quickly learn and grow, but remember you'll have time to do all those things, just enjoy being our new little baby as long as you can. 

Love,
Mommy

WOODEN TOYS vs PLASTIC TOYS

There are many obvious reasons as to why we choose wooden toys over plastic toys. First off it no surprise that "durability" is a key reason. Let me tell you about my antique rocking horse - I don't know how far back it dates, since I bought this rocking horse at my favorite thrift store a few months ago and although the wood looks worn it is still in perfect rideable condition. I don't worry about leaving it on the front porch as decor right now because I know it can withstand the changing temperatures (not too much change here in California) and it will still stay covered until baby girl can actually play with it. I debate whether to paint it one day for her or keep it in it's natural wooden state, but that will be another story. 

As for plastic, I lived in Arizona for six years, and to leave anything plastic out in the summer would usually have it end up in melted form. Even out here in California, our pool toys would have very hot surfaces and usually end up fading or breaking, so I can imagine what it would be like to have a plastic rocking horse. Another indicator of durability is the fact that you never really see "vintage" or "antique" plastic toys unless they were preserved like a vintage Barbie in box. It is far more prominent to find wooden toys rather than plastic. Again, proof the rocking horse. 

I've mentioned already that we love wooden toys and have quite a collection! And if you've read or seen the photos in our last post you would know that baby girl is currently teething on her Little Sapling Toys wooden CA state teether. Huntley already knows how to crawl and is also learning to stand unassisted. In the process of doing so, she will be holding onto a toy while in seated position and will usually end up dropping and/or throwing the toy(s) she had been holding in order to start moving. I feel far more confident that as her strength continues to grow with her, I know her toys will remain intake and stay the same as wood is less likely to crack or break. 

(With cousin Ezekiel Kingston)

Like the wooden rocking horse I have been so lucky to find, there are many stories that wooden toys can hold for a child, and that child's child, and so on. Even though I don't have the memories from our rocking horse, I am sure that it holds in it someone else's memories. I hope to keep some of Huntley's wooden toys in hopes that she'll appreciate the memories that come with them and can hand them onto her children. 

(Cousin Kaitlyn Irene)

Before we even had Huntley, I had knew that if I were to buy toys, I would love to invest in wood toys! I've always like the wholesomeness and pureness of wooden toys. As with Little Sapling Toys, most wooden toys are handcrafted with creative ingenuity and quality meant to last a lifetime and beyond making plastic toys an inferior choice by far.

Another reason I had for wanting to invest in wooden toys for my children was the fact that plastic toys tend to end up in landfills. Growing up I've always heard of landfills and never quite grasped the terrors of what landfills were actually like, until Tanner had been building a French drain in our Arizona home and asked whether I'd like to go with him to drop off the dirt and rocks he had dug up to create the trench on the side of our house. I hadn't any idea where we'd actually be taking the dirt until we were driving through to the landfill...it was perhaps one the most "real" experiences I've had with pollution and actually depicted how poorly we treat our environment... Families were throwing old mattress, lots of trash, many of which included tons and tons of broken plastic toys! 

Wooden toys are by far the most environmentally friendly option for toys. They are generally made of sustainable sources of wood and can withstand years and years of use and are a great alternative to endlessly replacing plastic toys. I've always been a great advocate buying secondhand, not just because of quality of items that withstand the test of time, but also for costs. Buying secondhand tends to be a cheaper alternative when you want to purchase items that are generally more expensive when purchased new - say wooden toys for instance! And thanks to the recession, many high end consignment shops have emerged and sell tons of our favorite beloved products for half the cost. Still not sold on wooden toys, I would still suggest buying secondhand for those expensive battery-operated toys that could have you spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to "help fine tune your baby's motor skills" as many of them promise. 

This brings us to my last reason, "battery-operated" plastic toys, and I would be a hypocrite to say we don't use/play with these toys...I still try to keep them to a minimum. Do you know how much batteries cost these days?! It's insane! I can spend $15 on a battery-operated toy and then spend $11 on batteries to operate that toy...that's $26 spent to actually make that toy work, until the batteries run out (which they probably will, since chances are your kid will leave the toy on for days until it's played with again and it needs new batteries)! Where as you can invest in this wooden toy set, or this from another one of our favorite wooden toy brands, or these which can muster up some imagination!  

Although some may argue that wooden usually cost more than plastic, which I totally agree with - I would argue that the wooden toy will usually last longer and the cost over longer term will be far less than the plastic toy. 

WOODEN TEETHER

Anyone that knows us knows the that we love wooden toys! Why is this? Well the answer is simple - wood is far better than plastic in my opinion! 

If you have a teething baby like me you would know that everything, I mean "everything" your baby touches will most likely end up in her mouth! Whether it be the dust/grass/dirt on the floor, the hair she pulled from atop your head or the dog's fur, or even her own cousin's little hands or face - she will find a way to put it in her mouth. So when Little Sapling Toys gave us this California teether to try out, it became our new favorite on-the-go toy! The fact that it has a hole in the center big enough for little babies to grab makes it easier for not only them, but you as well! When we take it out and about I can easily use a secure-a-toy strap to attach it to the carseat/stroller/shopping cart so that we don't lose it. I would highly recommend these teethers! Go check out all the awesome products over at Little Sapling Toys and follow us on Instagram for your chance to win something awesome from their shop! 

Stay tuned to learn the differences on "wood" vs "plastic" toys and why we love Little Sapling Toys aside from their awesome teether toys! 

PLAYING

Most days I love just playing with my baby girl - whether it be helping her along as she tries to stand, reading her favorite books (over and over again),  rattling/shaking/tapping/pushing around all her toys, or just being plain silly by doing mini airplanes and having tickle--me-Huntley-fests. But then there are those moments... I'm not talking about those moments when you just want to get away. No, I'm just talking about those moments when you need to get something done and you just want her to sit and play by herself (next to you), or have her be entertained in her jumper/baby walker (next to you) - so that you can finally get to make/prep TiedinTwine headband orders, check/respond to emails, pay/file bills & other important mail things that are now cluttering the countertops, or do the dishes, or laundry, or mopping, or scrubbing the toilet, or dusting, or any other household chore for that matter... However, I know this is just a phase and I am very lucky to have one great happy bouncy baby who may sometimes struggle when I'm not there, but otherwise is already so well-behaved. Huntley is newly a six month baby, and although she seems more advanced/taller/bigger she is still an infant that needs my constant attention, love and affection. I always have to remind myself that I am needed and enjoy being needed, it won't always be like this and she won't always be a baby.  So for now, I will wait 'til everyone is asleep to tidy up the house, even if that means I only sleep for an average of five hours so that I may straighten up the house, fold/iron laundry, wash the dishes, etc., etc. all in preparation for another day of play with my baby girl! 

FIVE DAYS OLD

Here I am playing catch-up on all our parenting endeavors and I didn't even share with you our "first" newborn photos, shot by a talented photographer friend of mine Nila Rose. Nila also shot our "gender reveal" photos from my previous post. 

Huntley was only 5 days old during this shoot and almost 9 lbs (she was 8.11 lbs when she was born). 

IT'S A GIRL!

When I was about 13-14 weeks pregnant Tanner and I decided that we would try to find out the sex of our baby, I know this is a bit early, but both of our sisters were able to find out the sex of their babies during this time so we thought we'd give it a try. We went to one of those peak-a-boo imaging centers at the mall and we were so excited anticipating the sex of our baby!

But before I tell you the story, I must add, we both had gut feelings that I had a little girl in my belly... but were told numerous times that we were having a boy from family members to random strangers because of how I was carrying or whatnot - so we were very prepared to here - it's a boy!

We get into the imaging center at the mall and after 15 minutes of circling my belly, we learn... that the tech was only 80% positive that it was a girl, because baby was very shy and kept covering all her private parts from the ultrasound machine. Now 80% was not enough of a solid answer for us and left us questioning the whole experience... we both went home wondering whether this 80% actually meant we were actually having a girl and instead of being excited, we were both left confused. 

By the 15th week I had found myself buying all girl stuff and felt pretty solid about us having a girl. At this point I was counting on having a girl going into the imaging center this second time, until we got there and baby was still covering her private parts. I spent 30 minutes in the room doing yoga, jumping jacks, dancing for my husband and tech, only to find out that the tech was still not 100% certain....at that point Tanner and I just called it - baby has to be a girl!

I think about all the gender reveal parties, ideas (balloons coming out of boxes, cutting into cakes, etc.) and sometimes regret not doing those things, but in the end I'm glad that I experienced the moment with just my husband. I don't know if I could've gotten over the shock with people around us.

Here I leave you with our photos we took (when we had an 80% idea that we were having a girl)... the fact that we shot these photos just proves how solid we were about having a girl. (first photo shows my baby blanket and my husband's)