E (and Mama) Loves: nearly 16 month edition

I've done a few other posts like this, newborn, at 3 months, and 10 months, and it's so handy to have a list to look back on whenever I'm asked what are must have items for a baby registry.  Granted, different babies like different things, but here are some of our "can't live withouts" at almost 16 months.

1. Baby Bjorn Bib- $11.95

Already posted about this one, but we still LOVE it. Yes, this is an expensive bib, but it's the ONLY one we use.  We used to use a variety of bibs, but I got sick of doing bib laundry, plus lots of food ended up on E anyway.  We just wash this bib after every use and it's good to go for the next time.  Also, the pouch catches extra food and she loves reaching in there and getting the food she's "saved" for later.

2. Baby Proofing Items- Various prices
Safety First Magnetic Locking System- we use this only on our under the sink cabinet which holds all of our cleaners.  We wanted something extra secure for that area, so we were willing to splurge a bit on these.
KidCo Spring Action Cabinet Lock- we use these on all of our other cabinets.  They're actually easier for us to get into, and so far they keep Emersyn out, but I'm guessing she'll figure them out eventually, which is why we went with something uber difficult for the cleaning products.
Mommy's Helper Toilet Lock- E likes to play in water.  There is water in a toilet bowl.  We don't want her playing in that water.  Duh.
Prince Lionhart Fireplace Guard- Because I don't need E falling into our fireplace and gouging her eye out.

3. Britax Marathon 70 Convertible Carseat- $289.99, but it's often on sale for $75 cheaper

This carseat is really highly rated for safety, plus I had several friends recommend it, so when it was time to upgrade E, this is the one we chose.

3. Fisher Price Peek-a-blocks- $15.94

These were actually a hand me down from Emersyn's cousins, the oldest of which is 8 years old, so I know these have held up really well over the years.  She loves them, and gets to practice taking things out of a box and putting them back, and stacking.  These are actually the first toys  E learned to put away.

4. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop- $19.99

Emersyn loves electronics.  Seriously, she can already unlock my iPhone.  She's obsessed with our phones, computers, and remotes.  Now, we definitely try to encourage books and more educational toys, but right now E likes anything that makes noise, and maybe someday she's destined to be the next Steve Jobs.

5. Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Say Please Tea Set- $18.99

When Emersyn started playing with this is was a big "I love having a girl" moment for me.  It's her first real playing pretend toy, and I love seeing her use her imagination.

6. Stride- to- Ride Learning Walker- $63.95

Full disclosure- my Mom bought this at a garage sale for E for $4.  I would have a hard time paying full price for this, now that I see what it cost, but she really does love it.  I do think it helped her learn to walk, and she is now starting to ride it.  Can't steer worth a darn, but we're getting there.

7. Step 2 Easy Turn Coupe- $59.99

Emersyn's is pink, but this is one of those toys we've had to remove from the house and only play with at certain times because she drives me crazy wanting to play with it all.the.time.  Which would be fine if she was big enough to get in and out of it and use it herself, which she is not, yet.

8. Puzzles, books, and anything that makes noise.  Extra points for puzzles and books that make noise.

So obviously we're moving a lot more into toys than gear as must haves.  E's just a lot more into playing these days, which I do not mind one bit!  What are your toddler must haves?

Thankful for this child.

We play pretend, and she twirls around in her red tutu.  She hands me a pink tutu and I happily oblige.  We dance, we play ring-around-the-rosy, and we both fall down.  Every moment is not a happy one, but the good outweighs the bad.  By far.

A Day In The Life: 15 Months

Tuesday August 13, 2013.  Emersyn is 15 months 9 days old.

7:34am- I wake up.  Hubs is in the shower, so I check the monitor.  E is awake and playing in her crib. I ADORE the fact that she has finally learned how awesome sleep is and it is normal for her to sleep until 7-7:30am.  She's happy, so I use the restroom and let the dog out before going into her room.

7:45- Play peekaboo with E in her crib, then get her out and change her diaper.  Get her a sippy of milk and start the coffee.  Snuggle with E on the couch with Good Morning America.  Get kisses from Blake as he heads out the door.  Check blogs, Facebook, and instagram.

8:25- Breakfast time.  I made omelets for breakfast yesterday so today is something easy.  Cheerios!  E's favorite.  I ask her if she wants Cheerios and she grins and says "Cheee!".  Pour us cereal, and add Cheerios to my grocery list as we're almost out.  Start a load of laundry.

9:00- Finishing up breakfast (E had three small bowls of cereal) and checking emails.  Our proofs from our big family photoshoot the past weekend are ready.  Yay!  Forward the link to the fam, and check them out.  Love them.

9:10- Get Emersyn dressed for the day since we're heading to the library for Baby Bookworms today.  Head to my bathroom to take a quick shower.  Love that I can now take showers with E awake as long as they aren't too long.  Our bathroom is fairly childproofed, but obviously if I can't hear her for very long I'll check on her.  Thankfully, she's pretty vocal today, so we sing together while I shower, and I hear her playing with her toys.  When she gets bored, she's wants me to play with her, so we interact thru the shower door.

9:20- Put on some makeup and get dressed- Emersyn is looking at a book in my closet.  And playing with the aloe bottle.

9:35- Put on E's shoes, change her diaper, pack her diaper bag, load some stuff in the Tahoe for errands, switch laundry over to dryer and head out.

9:55- Get to the Library.  Walk in and realize that Baby Bookworms is over for the summer and resumes in September.  Mom fail.  Oh well.  E plays with their train table with some other kiddos, we check out a few books, then load up to run the rest of our errands.

10:20- Call Blake at work to make sure I'm on track with where I think the tire shop is (we got a nail on the way up to my parents's house and Walmart had said the tired was ruined, but I thought it might be under warranty since we had replaced them in the last year).  Good thing I called because he wants me to get the tires rotated too.

10:30- Stop by Hobby Lobby first and return some curtains.  Browse for a little while checking to see if there's anything that would work for my nephew's nursery since my sis-in-law and I talked decor ideas last night.  Find nothing for them, but find some material I really like for curtains in the living room.  Pretty sure the hubs will veto them, but take a pic to show him later.  E starts to fuss a bit so I pull out a snack.

11:15- Tire shop stop.  They can fix the tire (yay!)  E explores the shop while they work.  We talk about the different shapes we see and the different colors of cars on their poster.  She can say black (baak), and blue (booo).  Granted, she's not really identifying them correctly, but hey, it's progress.

11:45- Still at the tire shop.  E's kinda over it, so I give her another snack, and pull out the kindle with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  We snuggle until the Tahoe is ready.  Someone is tired!  So proud of my little trooper tho- such a huge difference from a few months ago when any deviation from her schedule meant major meltdowns.

Noon- Tahoe is done!  Load up E and sing songs all the way home to keep her awake so I can give her some lunch before nap.

12:15pm- Quick lunch of turkey, cheese, and applesauce.

12:30- Diaper change and down for a nap.  Sleepy sleepy girl.

12:45- Grab some cookies, sit down and start this post.  Read over our DITL post from when E was 8 months old for reference.  Marvel at how much she's changed and say a prayer of thanks that she finally sleeps!  Also browse online for a replacement wedding ring for the hubs, as his is at the bottom of Lake Ozark after this weekend.

1:45- Pick up around the house, do dishes, vacuum.  Start thawing chicken for dinner.

2:30- Chat with my friend, Rebecca, on the phone.  I'm a bridesmaid and Emersyn is a flowergirl in her wedding next January, so we talk dresses and bachelorette party.

3:15- E is awake, and happy. Gosh she's cute:)  Another diaper change and ask her if she wants a snack.  She leads me to the pantry and I get her a graham cracker.  Girlfriend loves graham crackers.

3:30- Blake's off work, heading to the DMV to get his new truck licensed.  E and I play for awhile.  She's really into twirling these days, so we play Ring-Around-The-Rosy.  We also play with her giant pink ball, puzzles, and every remote in the house.

5:00- Blake's home!  Snuggles with E, chat for a bit about our days.

5:30- Hubs changes to go mow the yard while I get started on dinner, with my helper.

5:45- After stumbling over Emersyn several times, and her whining to be held I turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for her to watch.

6:30- Dinner!  Grilled chicken, mashed Ranch potatoes, and broccoli with parmesan.  Love having dinner as a family.  Emersyn is a little ham and impresses us with her cutlery skills and funny faces.  Girlfriend has some gas and her highchair rumbles quite a bit while she sighs and grins.  Blake mentions wanting ice cream and I say I'm way too full.

7:15- Bathtime for Emerbaby!  I start her water then come get her out of her chair and ask if she's ready for bath.  She toddles into the bathroom and attempts to climb in fully clothed.  Once in, she splashes and plays.  I brush her teeth and let her brush them too.  She's getting pretty good!

7:30- Out of the bath, dry time.  Quick towel dry, then it's naked baby time.  She toddles around the house in her birthday suit.  I stuff a nighttime diaper then hand her of to Blake and take a phone call from a friend.  Come back in and E has her jammies on and is ready for bed.  Kisses and down for the night with her white noise and binky.

7:32- Take a fresh sippy of water in to E and give her one last kiss.

7:35- Clean up the kitchen from dinner.  Plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Clean up some toys in the family room.

8:00- Chill on the couch.  Watching "Who Do You Think You Are" with Zooey Deschanel and continue working on this post.  Ask Blake about that ice cream.  Read a bit of one of my library books.

10:50- Head to bed!

Vacation to Mexico!

Since Emersyn was born, Blake and have taken her on vacation with us to Maine, and I took her with me to Florida.  While both of these trips were great, we figured out something important on them- for us to have a true, relaxing vacation, it would need to be without E.  We look forward to the day that we take more trips with her (and future kiddos, God willing), but we also want to make sure we continue to take time to enjoy our relationship without kids.  Hence, our vacation to Mexico, without Emersyn.  My parents came to our house to watch E, and Blake and I jetted off for 5 days and 4 nights at Secrets Capri on the Riviera Maya.

Our past vacations have been jam packed with lots of sightseeing, but on our first day there we talked about what we really hoped to accomplish on this trip, and our main goal was relaxation.  So, we nixed excursions in favor of massages (plural), ate ourselves into a stupor, and enjoyed lots of time at the pool and the beach.  I read three books, we ordered room service, and we participated in a few activities around the resort.

We booked a couple's massage package, and had two 80 minute massages.  The first was at the spa (which I have no pictures of because we locked our cameras in the lockers), and we did their hydrotherapy circuit first, then had our massages, then had wine and chocolate covered strawberries in the jacuzzi.  The second massage was on the beach.  Fabulous.

The food was the main reason we picked this resort- it's a "gourmet" all inclusive.  Overall we were extremely impressed.  I seriously gained abut 7 lbs, and all of our meals were multiple courses, then supplemented with snacks like ceviche and calamari by the pool.  Mmmm.  There's a reason that food made up the majority of my pictures.

We played giant chess (we're nerds), Blake participated in a wing eating challenge (he had to eat 6 Habenero wings, and 4 Ghost pepper wings) and won another massage (so he had 3 total), and there were a few shows put on by the resort.

We also took a cab into Playa Del Carmen and did some shopping.

We stopped to pick up some aloe and I had to get a pic of the hubs in a Mexican pharmacy.

We love Emersyn, but we love each other too, and it was great to enjoy time for just us.  I was super nervous to leave Emersyn, but she did awesome with my parents, and I definitely see a few more kid free trips in our future.