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!!