King's Corner

Monday, October 27, 2014

Three Little "Pump-kings"

We took time for a little photo shoot this morning, in our new fall shirts. Andrew was napping for the first part, so the sisters had a little time together. We started with our big three year old.

Kathryn's three year old updates - she loves "cooking" and "reading" recipes. She is very into pretend right now, and read aloud to her classroom of students. She loves to be read to and cuddle up with her bunny. Potty training is officially over! Her favorite colors are pink and purple. It's hard to convince her to go to bed at night, so naps may become a thing of the past. She loves her big sister and little brother.

Audrey at 5 - Most of the time, she's happy with a notebook and some markers or crayons. She loves to write letters and is learning to spell. She's beginning to read and can't wait to be able to fly through a book. She and Kathryn love to spend time together, and they play a lot of pretend and a new favorite after dinner is hide and seek. She's still a sensitive little girl and loves her group of girl friends. She loves adults and had a fabulous time this weekend when we went to a party of David's co-workers where she was introduced to pistachios and pineapple on skewers. She's very sociable!

Andrew woke up and joined in the party. I made sure to put him on the grass with the girls, because he is a wild man and wouldn't last long up on a bench! He wasn't thrilled by the feel of the grass, so we didn't get a ton of pictures, but just enough. His third tooth is starting to poke through on the top!

He loves his sisters and squeals when they come into a room.

They love him too. We always say, he has three mothers.

We love our little tribe!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Andrew 10 months

Showing off his cute mobile skills at 10 months...cruising, crawling, climbing. We love our wild man! Can't believe it's only 2 months until his first birthday!

Baby Needs...Help or Hype?

I decided to compile a list of baby items that we have loved to help me remember for friends that ask and to remember what to give for expectant parents in the future. These are a few of our favorites:

1) Snap and Go Stroller
I have several strollers, but this one has been the best during the infant car seat stage. I love being able to snap the car seat so easily and go. It's especially helpful when you have more than one child to get around.

2) Contigo straw cups
These are cups more for the 3-5 age range, but we just discovered them and love them! No more leaky sippy cups. We found 3 for $20 at Costco which is the best deal I've seen. A little pricey but worth it!

3) Bum Genuis diapers
If you are going the cloth diaper route, these are the ones we have loved. For disposables, I would say Luvs for a medium price range, Pampers if you can afford them. Target is good for a generic, but don't waste your money on CVS, Walgreens or Wal Mart brands.

3) Diaper sprayer
Invest in one if you are going with cloth diapers. You will need it.

4) Baby swing
We have gone through several of these, but they were crucial in the early days! All of mine spent many hours, day and night in these. If you have a new baby and this is the only place they will sleep, use it and don't feel guilty. They grow out of it eventually.

5) Pack 'n Play
We've used the same Graco one for all three kids and loved them. It's coming in especially handy to contain Andrew when I have to leave the room for a while these days, and teaches him to entertain himself a bit sometimes.

6) Avent bottles
We love this brand. Remember, that the nipple size can change, so keep increasing it as your baby can keep up. I always get stuck on number 2 and it takes forever for them to take the whole bottle, then I remember to move up to size 3, and it's so much faster!

7) Miracle Blanket
Maybe I should've listed this one first. Love this for the early days. Best blanket ever until they can break out of swaddle!

8) Sound Machine
Turn it up loud and often. It keeps the baby comfortable and allows you to not have to tiptoe around while he/she is sleeping. I still use one for all of my kids (and yes, they can still go to sleep when it's not on.)

9) Ergo carrier
I've had a Baby Bjorn with my first, but a friend passed down her Ergo carrier for the third, and it is a huge difference. There is so much more support.

10) Humidifier
Invest in one and Vicks Baby Vapo Rub. They will need it.

11) First Aid/Meds
Simple white baby clippers for fingernails, Desitin for bottoms, Infant Tylenol drops, baby saline - keep all on hand. One tip a friend gave me is to clip nails while baby is nursing and on nursing pillow which frees up both your hands. So helpful.

12) My Breast Friend nursing pillow - I know some people swear by the Boppy pillow, but I really prefer this one. Love the clasp and much easier to keep the baby on it.

A few things that we never really used....

1) Boppy pillow - really just used it to prop up baby before she/he could sit

2) Bumbo seat - again, a very brief stage where you will need this. Borrow one or buy secondhand.

3) Wipes warmer - no time for that.

4) Walker/jumpy seat

5) Fancy baby food makers - just steam it in regular pots/pans and puree with your blender, freeze in ice cube trays. The period for baby food is so brief, it's really unnecessary to spend much money here.

Hope these are helpful tips! Enjoy your baby!

Andrew 8 and 9 months

I know I am so far in the blogging world! What can I say? Three kids, a boy that never stops, and a new hometown make for a busy life! Andrew is growing like crazy. What is he up to now? He is a very fast crawler, pulls up on everything, cruises around on furniture, and is able to stand by himself for a few seconds. He loves to eat - no more baby food for him! His favorites include carrots, green beans, chicken sticks, bread, hummus, black beans and peas. He likes applesauce and yogurt too, but I think he mostly prefers throwing the spoon around.

He still only has two bottom teeth, but he seems to constantly be teething, so there must be some more up there. There will not be any awards given out for all star sleeper, as he is still not consistent in that area. We finally had to resort to "cry it out" for a few nights, which seemed to help things, but after his recent (and first) ear infection, we have gone backwards in that department. I have a feeling he is way too active to be able to rest for too long.

His personality is very sweet and loving. He loves to cuddle and "wrestle". Kisses on his tummy and chin are his favorite. Words include "da da", "ma ma" and what seems to be "Au-dee". Chasing him during diaper and outfit changes are a favorite activity for him, though not for the person changing him. At least twenty minutes should be allotted for a full change. WILD!

Love that sweet, crazy boy!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

"Let It Go!" Frozen Birthday August 2014

It's a big birthday time in our household right. Kathryn turned 3 on Aug. 22 and Audrey turned 5 on Aug. 26, so we celebrated with a Frozen party this past weekend. We had five families that we have met in our neighborhood, dance class and a local moms' group. Mimi and Pops joined us, and we had a great time. Above, K is opening one of her presents the morning of her birthday.