MERRY CHRISTMAS & OUR GROWING NEWS!

As always - I'm a bit MIA from the blogging world. Still spending more time "doing" than "blogging/journaling" but I guess that's how life is when you become a mom with a very active baby and another one on the way! 

My husband and I always knew we wanted more than one child, we just didn't know that we'd become a family of four so quickly! As unplanned as this new addition is, we are beyond thrilled and are feeling very blessed this holiday season as we finally got to announce our big news to all our close family and friends with our early Christmas card! 

 

A BIT CRUNCHY

Before having a baby, I never thought I'd become one of those crunchy-hippie mamas, but here I am amber teething necklaces, co-sleeping, cloth diapering, baby wearing, and baby-led weaning. Did I mention? Breastfeeding! Of course, nothing is wrong with formula-feeding and I understand not everyone can/does breastfeed. I was lucky enough to be able to bond with my daughter in this way and love it. However, not sure if I could ever be one of those attachment-parenting kinda mamas, but I commend them for sticking it out for so long - more power to you! 

My goal for breastfeeding is to last a year at least, but lately with a decline in production, or maybe I'm just not producing fast enough for baby girl anymore, I've started supplementing with formula. Luckily it's been a very easy transition since HW hasn't ever been very picky about anything. We still BF about three times a day/night, sometimes both, switching from bf to formula or likewise. We've tried Enfamil ready-made, but she still likes Similac the best, so as for now, this is what we will be sticking to. 

I also find myself changing over to other things more often than not these days since all of baby girl's changes - cutting teeth, walking, and sleeping more. I bought disposable diapers! For the past nine months, I think I've only bought/received about five boxes and only used them when we went out, traveled, or sometimes out of pure laziness. We use Honest Co. diapers and I usually stock up when I see them on sale! We also use Pampers, but I've had a "issue" with them after an incident that included my long-haired chihuahua and one of HW's used diapers when she was just a newborn...but I've come back around to them (or you can say I didn't have much of choice) now that I've run out of my Honest Co. diapers and Target had a sale on Pampers.

IN MY BAG

Here is my list of what I carry in my diaper bag (well, at least on good/prepared/restocked days). My go to diaper bag, because if you know me, I love all things nautical and this one was just perfect! 

(1) The BAG: Kate Spade Southport Avenue Mariner Stevie Baby Bag Navy Cream - I love every detail about this bag, including the easy to clean fabric that doesn't absorb liquids like most of the other Stevie bags in nylon do, mainly because I tend to always have a coffee and am always spilling things in and on my bag... 

(2) The PACIFIER - We are admittedly WubbaNub-ba ADDICTS. And I know it's a terrible addiction, I mean spending $15-$20 on a single pacifier sounds ridiculous right? And we can't go anywhere without one, especially in the newborn months (we would freak out, like really freak out!) I tend to make things a little worse than needed, because I always want to spend the few extra dollars to get the Mary Meyer ones. Here is our collection so far and I not sure if I should be bragging about these or hide in embarrassment and shame for all the wasted dollars on pacifiers. Sadly, caterpillar was lost in Target and teddy was lost at Ikea... 

I do like the idea of cutting off the Soothie-paci part when it comes time to weening. This way HW can still have her little beanie stuffed animal toys she's already grown so fond of. I highly recommend the Wubbanub and is always one of the first baby gifts I give new mamas!

 

(3) The DISPOSABLE DIAPERS - I'm still an avid cloth diapering mama, but with traveling and going out, I don't mind leaving the big bulky FLUFF diapers at home. When we do go out, I tend not to be too picky about the brands and types of diapers that I carry, after all, they do end up in the trash. My favorites include Honest Company and Babyganics, both are eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, free of chlorine processing and additives which can be irritating for baby, and Honest Co. has the by far the cutest little prints! But in all "honesty" they can be pricey, so I really stock up when I see them on sale! Otherwise, Pampers Sensitive is my jam, despite the smell it makes to let you know that there's a dirty diaper waiting to be changed... (Always a good deal at Target, currently buy two large boxes and get a FREE $20 GC!)  

Also try Costco's Kirkland diapers, I hear they're pretty amazing for the price!

(4) The WIPES - here's one that I love, Honest Company is hands down my favorite kind of wipes! They hold best, wipe best, and don't leave any weird residue and smell. I've also bought the Kirkland brand at Costco that many of my mommy friends rave about and they really do last forever and are a great price and value! I will tell you however, I really dislike the Huggies Natural Care wipes...although I do like that it's soft and silky, they REALLY don't hold well, especially in a wipe warmer - always ripping into little pieces as I try to pull one sheet out at a time.

(5) The BIB - Long Sleeved Bib from Bumkins especially the Disney collection ones! Protects all the cute baby OOTDs and saves me an extra outfit to clean, especially if they're long sleeves. If your babe is anything like mine, she loves to eat and feed herself! Which usually means food everywhere! It drops in her pocket of the bib, on the floors, everywhere, at least for the most part her outfits can be saved with her bib! They are also super easy to shake off, clean, and dries fast! We have the Beauty and Beast Belle one and area ready to purchase more! I think Minnie is next!

(6) The PLACEMAT - Best deal found is on Amazon for the Neat Solutions Neat-Ware Table Topper 60ct. There are also a bunch of other brands and cute designs, but I tend to get the cheapest, since they too get used and thrown away. With baby-led weaning, it's a must! HW eats off the table and this makes it easy for mommy and daddy to have a meal without having to stop and feed her spoonfuls of baby puree. We simply peel and stick and feed her whatever we're eating by placing it on her placemat. Messy, but it works for us! 

(7) The SNACK - Happy Baby Organic Puffs are a must-have in the Wall house since they are GF and with a family history of Celiac, we naturally gravitate towards these! Another GF snack that quickly became a family favorite after a cousin introduced us to them are Snapea Crisps!

 

As HW is getting older, everything in our bag seems to change. I'm sure I'll be updating the bag soon with our new introduction to formula-feeding, but here are a few things that I'm starting to carry a little more often already.

(8) The FORMULA - Similac Advance Complete Nutrition. No problems with it yet and haven't got a dispenser for it since we only use maybe one bottle each time we go out, otherwise she's still a breastfed baby. 

(9) The BOTTLE - The only one that she would really take when she was little was the COMOTOMO Natural Feel Baby Bottle since it really does feel the closest to an actual boob/nipple. 

(1) The TEETHER - Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether

BABY BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Huntley is now nine months and counting. And with all the birthdays rolling by for the babies in our mommy group, it's no wonder when people start asking, "have you been planning Huntley's birthday yet?" I have two months to plan, since really, I have no idea and "no, I have not started planning." Huntley doesn't have any prominent favorites yet. She still doesn't like tv, and could care less about cartoons and movies. She squeals at all her toys and any toy that you wave in her face. She just started liking tambourines and anything she can wave or hit to make noise, but honestly, I wouldn't constitute that as a liking for music... at least not until she started wanting to dance. I love the idea of the Western Country theme, but seems to have done a lot, especially within our own group of baby friends and even our gender reveal pictures. Pinterest is full of elaborate ideas and I'm not quite sure if I can manage to put everything together as well as I use to, but I'm sure going to pin ideas! 

Here I leave you with a mini photo session I shot with my own camera showcasing one of the awesome instagram shops that Huntley is a brand rep for. Outfit details:
(1) floral headband - @TiedinTwine 
(2) chambray top - Baby Gap
(3) knit vest - H&M baby
(4) Aztec leggings - @LittleBigHornBaby
(5) amber necklaces - gifts, but find similar on Amazon
(6) horse necklace - borrowed from mama's jewelry 
(7) moccasins - our favorite @FreshlyPicked 

THE BAD BLOGGER

This blog was started in June of this year. It's only October and I've realized that I've posted so little within the past few months. That has been my problem with blogging... I can never keep up with my own life, let alone blog about it. I think back to the high school and college days, before Instagram, when I still had to take photos on my camera to upload my daily OOTD's to blog about. Yes, fashion blogging! Even then I was still more of a "follower" than one to be followed. I loved reading about others and how they'd put together outfits from our favorite stores Anthropologie and J.Crew. Now and days, my daughter is more fashionable than I am, if I ever were. I've let Pinterest be my inspiration outlet, which really seems uninspiring, as I pin away on other people's ideas... so here I am. Starting anew. I've realized that I use blogging, Instagramming, FB'ing, Pinning, etc. as more of a library of my life, for myself to reflect on. Categorizing the days that seem to pass by so fast and the memories that I love scrolling back to in photos and thoughts. This blog is for myself. This blog is one my "life libraries" - and this is what I intend to use it as.  

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.