Hoot Hoot!

Happy Halloween!!!

There are just no words! If this doesn't make you smile inside, there is something wrong. I love this picture, I love my owl, I love my Shelby Pie!! I bought a "Groupon" online, specifically for Halloween photos and I couldn't be happier. I got a ton, so chances are, you'll have your very own copy!

Happy Halloween from the Schenk Family!

6 Months!

Goodness. Baby girl is a half a year old! As cliche as it might be - time really does go quickly, especially since returning to work. She is 6 months full of love, giggles, slobber and snuggles.

I would say the biggest update from 5 to 6 months is her food. She is really enjoying (and getting the hang of) eating solids. It has just been in the last 10 or so days that I introduced food other than cereal, and it has been a hit. Thus far she has sampled peas and sweet potatoes. I grabbed some squash and some oatmeal to give a try this week. As for the order....people will tell you call kinds of things. My pedi told me to start with peas and then my mom thought it was a bad idea. I don't know....I am just following Shelby's lead. So far, so good. Consistent with her history, she is a chow hound. At the moment, she's eating jar food. I have intentions of making her food from scratch, but I just haven't been able to get a grove. Plus, I have some questions for her (new) doctor. I'll be taking her in Friday for her 6 month well check. I digress....

• She sucks on her toes whenever possible
• Actually - she sucks on everything whenever possible
• She can *almost* sit up on her own. I recently had some photos taken of her and she managed for a moment or two
• She will likely greet you by grabbing your nose
• She loves watching the Dallas Cowboys on Daddy's lap...normally while mom is at the grocery store
• She loves motoring around in her car/bouncer. She is better at reverse than drive
• She is entertained by anything: colorful, noisey or moving.

These were snapped on 6 months to the day. I love my little pumpkin and yes, I have already started to plan her 1st birthday party :)

If You Want Something...

....you have to go get it! Can you see that bottom pop up in the air? I can't believe crawling will be next!

Fall is Upon Us

The Pumpkin Patch

Where I grew up, fall is just about the most wonderful time of the year. The air is crisp, yet still warm and a local attraction called Apple Hill is in full swing. Apple Hill is a seasonal destination. For lack of a better word, there are a couple dozen family-owned ranches that have all kind of goodies to offer. Obviously apples are the main attraction, but there is other produce, pumpkins, Christmas trees, pony rides, crafts, fishing - all kinds of stuff.

In the middle of the desert here, we are Apple Hill-less, but we did mange to find a cute little autum -inspired destination called McKee Ranch. Full of livestock, pumpkins and photo opps, this is a toddlers' heaven. Shelby was a little young to take in all the fun, but we went with some friends and still had a very nice time!

Shelby and her friend Maddy

One with the pumpkins....and yes, I realize her hands got dirty - whoops

 

All Done!!!!

Yeah! We have a table! All of Jack's hard work has paid off. We finally have a beautiful outdoor table. After being in our house nearly 3 years, we can at last take advantage of our outdoor space!

To celebrate the completion of this fabulous project, we opened a bottle of wine that we've been holding onto for months! This was a special gift from Jack to me from when we had Shelby. Nice time, at a nice table with very nice company. Cheers!

With Just a Click!

With Just a Click!

We're tall. As a result, we have tall counters, tall shower heads, long beds, long pants, cars with extra headroom, etc. Well, we have no reason to believe Shelby won't be tall. She is certainly on the long side, but not outrageously tall and/or off the charts. If you ask me, she's just perfect! Mentally though, I am already thinking that purchases we make for her should accommodate longer/taller kids.

Well, we're in luck. I just found the most amazing car seat. I wish I found it 6 months ago, but we can only look forward, right? I present to you the Graco SnugRide Click Connect40.

Why is this so fabulous you may ask? Well, it's currently the only car seat on the market that goes from newborn to 40 pounds....or by most standards the weight of  2 year old. A typical car seat goes to about 30 pounds  and from there you have to advance your child to a front facing child seat.  That is all fine and dandy, but according to the American Academy of Pediatrics "toddlers are more than five times safer riding rear facing in a car seat." With that, it's fab that this one can go rear facing for the extending period of time. Plus, Shelby will be traveling in first-class comfort, it has EIGHT recline positions for her comfort. I am pretty sure no sitting arrangement available to Jack or I has that many levels of comfort.

And what does this have to do with being tall? Well, obviously with length comes height, but more directly, this thing has a clever base that actually allows you to slide the car seat forward and backwards as the child grows - a major coo for parents with a lanky baby.  But what about those fancy leather seats in my new(ish) car? Greco is a step ahead with a kick plate that you can opt to use once it becomes relevant. Brilliant, uh? And of course, it's convenient. It's called the "Click Connect' because with one simple "click," it'll come right in/out of any Graco compatible product. Bravo!

Finally, our car seat is in Shelby's favorite color "Mena," aka pink! You can find it at my new home-away-from-home Babies R Us. You can see from the below photo that Shelby is already a fan!

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The Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 – the first and only newborn to two-year infant car seat that actually grows with your baby from four pounds all the way up to 40 pounds. The car seat is designed for a parent on the go. The infant car seat can be easily removed from the base and used as a carrier when the infant is small, providing portability and convenience so you can easily move your infant in and out of the car without disturbing them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently made the recommendation to keep all children in rear-facing car seats until the age of 2. Graco set out to make this product so parents can keep infants rear facing longer while still keeping them comfortable.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

The F Word, 12 Months and Baby Foot

Phew, a few moments to sit down. You may have obseved a dip in my posting. It's not for lack of activity, but rather, we have been soooo busy it has been a challenge to find the time. Last weekend I had a very special visit from my Aunt and Cousin. We were out and about doing all kinds of stuff; a nice departure from the typically weekend chores!

As for my Little Miss, she is growing and discovering new things about the world around her each day. I'll update on some of the most recent happenings around here.


The F Word.
Formula. Uggg. I have been avoiding it like the plague and have shared with a few of my friends that it actually scares me for some reason. I don't know why and I know millions of babies thrive on it daily, but it freaks me out. Well, I decided it was time to let Shelby try a little bit. And by a little bit, I mean adding 1 to 1.5 oz to her 8 ouch bottles. I have no plans to stop nursing or even cut back on pumping anytime soon, but my reserves are dwindling and we have a trip to Napa coming up where I can't exactly bring my freezer with me. I figured it would be easier to inoculate her to the stuff, rather than shoving 8 oz down her at once. As everyone advised, she did fine. Her BM's are a tiny bit different, but that is to be expected. The ladies at school are very conscientious about providing me updates in regards to her liking it, BM, spitting up, etc. For me, I guess it's a little bit of pressure lifted. Like I said, I have no plans to ween, cut back etc, but I guess it's nice to know I have a back up. I can see why most moms do not nurse, it is a FULL time job, especially with work and not having a private office. That said, I wouldn't change it for the world and find peace in knowing I can provide my baby with what she deserves, the very best!!

12 Months.
My long, lean baby needs 12 month pajamas. When I wake her in the morning and she's wearing 9 month jammies, she has often burst a snap and I find her helpless little baby foot poking out into her sleep sack. Well, apparently the retail world feels 12 month babies no longer need PJ's because they are near impossible to find! Oye. I guess I should rephrase, Carter's PJ's and the 2-piece sets are all over the place, but a reasonably sized, snuggly PJ is near impossible. I have no issue with Carter's, in fact - I love the brand. My issue is that the 12 month PJ's are like 5 inches longer than the 9 month size, so Shelby just gets lost in them. I suppose I should just suck it up and buy the Carter's, knowing she'll fit into them one day, but they seem HUGE on here. I think the reasoning being that most 12 month babies are walking around and such, so perhaps the full body jammies are not as safe....I have no clue. I have 1 set of "Little Wonder" jammies in 12 month and 1 set of "Jumping Bean" jammies in 12 month and both fit perfectly BUT I can't find more sets - anywhere! The other day I ran to Kohls, Sears and JC Penny on my lunch break and came away with one set. I tell ya, it is the strangest thing!

Yum, Baby Foot!!
A baby shoving their foot in their mouth to suck on their toe has got to be one of the cutest things of all time! Shelby started playing with her feet a couple of months ago, but just recently she started chowing down on them. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I need to snap some photos. Apparently they look most appetizing in the morning because that is when she does it most. So adorable!!

Watch Out - She's Hittin' the Road!

This is her latest toy of interest and my latest way of getting five minutes to myself  to clean up the kitchen!

The Day Care (Photo) Diaries

Time to Say Bye Bye

The time has come to retire the baby swing. More accurately, the time came about 7 weeks ago, but it's not until now that we'll be packing it away.  Shelby has really lost interest in it and more importantly, she should be doing more engaging things to achieve her various milestones.

The swing was good to us though. It was one of the few items that we got as a hand-me-down from a friend, but it was perfect. I feel like it's one of those items that in the phase you need it, you really need it - even if the phase is short.

The swing was one of the first "contraptions/babysitting devices" that Shelby took to. Most morning while I was on maternity leave I could plop her in there in the morning for 15 minutes or so while I enjoyed my cup of coffee and, 'ahem, got her some milk. It also came in handy in the evenings when I was trying to put dinner together. Occasionally, if she fell asleep in my arms, I could transfer her to the swing and she'd keep on snoozin'.

When I reflect of the memories of Shelby swaying front to back in our kitchen, I think of the photo below: the first time I captured Shelby's smile on camera (taken May 16). No, it's not a crystal clear photo, but it's a special one to me.

Till next time baby swing! Because this was a previously used item, it's super girly so baby #2, boy or girl, will be swaying in pink and brown.

Art In The Park

This past Saturday the three of us drove to Boulder City to experience "Art in the Park." As a result of our fun weekend I finished half my laundry and my house still needs to be cleaned, but it was worth it! Art in the Park is an annual community event in a small town about 15 miles away (on the way to the damn). There are dozen and dozen and dozens of vendors - everything from fine art, to crafts, to artisan foods and carnival yummies. I knew this was a heavily attended event, but I had no idea how well attended. We strolled through the booths for 90 minutes or so, then took a quick break for some lemonade, milk for the little one, some fresh britches and a couple cute photos.  It was a really nice day - I would love to go back next year! 

Here are a couple of shots from our little break. I LOVE the middle shot of Shelbly!

After our pit stop we strolled around for another 90 minutes or so. Did you buy anything you ask? Yes, just one thing: a handmade Dallas Cowboys outfit for Shelby. It was just so cute, I couldn't pass it up! Now there will be now questions as to what Shelby will be wearing come Sunday morning.

http://www.bouldercityhospital.org/art-in-the-park/

Shelby's First Art Project

On Friday I had to call Shelby's teacher to tell her Jack would be picking her up early. It's not required that we call, but it just makes it easier to have her packed and ready to go, especially on a Friday. When I was speaking with her, she told me that Shelby did her first art project! What? I was so excited I could hardly wait!

What did this 5+ month little bundle create? Well, the most magnificent pieces of art I have ever seen of course. Behold...

"Daddy, High Five"

"Daddy & Me"

5 Months of Cuteness

I am a little late in posting these. Sprinkle just a little bit of fun into our daily work/home routine and my whole day/week is zapped!

This past week my sweet Shelby Pie turned five months! I can't believe she is on her way to being half a year old! I am thinking by her 6 month photos she'll be sitting pretty on her own and not need the Boppy any longer!

Here are some fun 5 month Shelby tidbits....

• She is in 12 month Jammies, 9 month clothes in most other things
• She still prefers stage ONE nipples on her bottles.....the ones for newborns! I have tried to sneak 2's and 3's but the day care ladies say she doesn't do as well every time!
• She's eating cereal twice a day, has three 7.5 oz bottles, and nurses twice a day
• She takes 3 naps a day. Normally a 45 min one around 9 am, a 2 hour nap mid-day, and then another 45 minute nap in the late afternoon.
• She is sleeping again (ooooo, ahhhh). She winds down around 7p and  wakes up at 4am ish. I normally feed her and then she sleeps again until 6:30. This schedule is actually ok because it allows me some time to get ready!
• She'll talk your ear off in the mornings
• She loves going on walks around the neighborhood in the stroller
• She has officially been to dinner with mom & dad and got an A+ for good behavior
• I have yet to see her roll with my eyes, but just Saturday I left her in her crib on her back and returned to her on her stomach - so she has it in her!
• She looooves making slobbery raspberries
• Those little slobber bibs that come with outfits are rather handy these days
• She is very into colorful things. She gets very interested in all the clothes hanging in my closet!

We love you sweet pea!