Ready to Ride

About a month or two ago, we decided it would be nice to eventually get a bike trailer. We weren't really looking too hard for one, but then found one on clearance. Of all places to find one, Wal-Mart of course! We decided it was worth a shot because it was a good value for the price, and would probably have regretted not buying it later on. When we brought it home we looked for reviews online and it got really good ones which made us even more excited to see what kind of quality it is. ...........so we decided to put it together last week.
All the parts were packed very neatly. It wasn't too bad to put together. Couldn't have been any worse than the Ikea dresser in Macyn's room! We used the instructions as a guide, but mostly put it together on our own.It didn't take long to put together, and we were quite impressed with the features. It can seat 2 kids at a time, it also has a screen on the front and back along with plastic in case it rains (because we all go biking in the rain). It also has a 3 point harness and storage cubbies on the inside.Macyn seems to enjoy it already! She needs to learn how to sit up better and we need to find a helmet that fits. I think maybe during the middle of the summer she will be ready to go for a bike ride. All in all, it was a simple assembly.........now all we gotta do is hook it to a bike (lets see how that goes)!

A Little Comparison

I thought Macyn looked big in her bouncy seat napping today. Here is a side-by-side comparison. It's amazing how fast they grow in 5 short months!

New Gear

A couple of weeks ago we decided to go buy some new baby gear with our free rewards gift cards that my DH earns at work - so pretty much all of this stuff (and then some) was free! Can't beat that! Our first purchase was a high chair. We currently have a Bumbo seat with a tray, so we weren't quite sure if we even needed a high chair right now, but we decided to go with it. It also helps her get used to sitting in a chair at the table when it is time to eat. We went with the space-saver high chair and we love it so far! It doesn't take up much space at all, the inner tray is dishwasher safe, it reclines, and the back also comes off so you can use it as a booster seat when she is older. I was always kinda worried about how secure it is since all you do is strap it to a chair - and this one doesn't budge at all. It gets super tight. You can also adjust the height of the high chair which is a nice added feature. and the best part? Its pretty dang cheap because you don't have one of those massive ones..(cheap anyways, its free)!!
We also decided to go for a pack-n-play. We thought maybe when she starts to get mobile it would be nice to put her into a playpen. We found the cheapest one with no bells and whistles and I honestly don't know what I did without one! It is nice to put her in it while I am doing chores and don't have to worry about the dog messing around with her. She seems to like it too. When we were picking one out, we just found one that was inside the box that wasn't on display. We thought it had monkeys on it from the microscopic picture on the front. Boy were we wrong. Turns out to be a cat, no a leopard? a giraffe? a hippo? and a turtle on it. If there were something called Baby Wrecks instead of Cake Wrecks, this would definitely make the cut.Our other free purchase was a rear-facing convertible car seat. Ours that we have now is certified for up to 29" long and 22 lbs. The problem is, Macyn is already 26" at 5 months so we think she might outgrow this one before she turns 1. The car seat we got is certified from 5-80 lbs. Like the high chair, it grows with your baby and turns into a booster seat for the car.We also bought some other things - a few clothes for summer and some pants. We still have quite a bit of money from gift cards to use up. But its awesome to get such good and useful things...for free!!

1 In the Bed, and the Little One Said...

....Roll Over!Macyn has figured out how to roll from her back to tummy now. She has the arm tuck down and ends up like the above picture. However, since she has figured this out, it seems she has "forgotten" how to roll from her tummy to her back. Last night she was crying in her crib so I went in to check on her, and she was stuck in this position. Lets hope she remembers how to roll the other way and doesn't wake us up every night!

Short Pants and Spit'n

I picked up Macyn on Friday from daycare and realized her pants were just a little too short. No, that isn't a one piece outfit with capris, its supposed to be pants. I suppose its time to put that into the big bin too. She is starting to out grow other pants too - maybe I should just keep them out and use them as capris for the summer! While I was taking some pictures, she started with her spitting, which brings me to my next point - her spitting face:
She has been on this spitting kick recently which is pretty funny. She takes a super deep breath and spits it all out until her face turns red. She then keeps on repeating this. After this event I decided to pick her up, where she took spitting to a whole new level.Yep, I got soaked. First time for everything, right?

Out with the old, in with the new

Since Macyn has been growing like a weed lately, and because I have to dig to find clothes that fit, I thought it would be a good time to pack away her old clothes and add some new ones to her wardrobe. She seemed to skip the entire 3-6 month clothes and jump to 6 month ones instead. First, go buy a massive 50 gallon tub and start filling it up with items that don't fit anymore. Its hard to pack things away when you see them and reminisce about when she wore them, and awwwing at how little she was.

Exhibit A: Clothes/items that no longer fit (including a couple of size 1 diapers)Next, re-organize the closet and hang up clothes according to outfits, jackets/shirts, dresses, and clothes that are a little too big but still need to be hung up. (I have NO idea she had this many clothes)!

Exhibit B: A well stocked closetNext, reorganize dresser drawers because now she needs a bin for shoes and accessories

Exhibit C: From top left: Accessories (headbands, sunglasses, etc.), bloomers and swimsuit, socks, shoes, short sleeved onesies and long sleeved onesiesAnd last but not least, reorganize the second drawer of jammies and pants.

Exhibit D: Fleece sleepers, non-fleece sleepers and gowns, and pantsWhew! This should last us, oh, I don't - maybe a month? ;)

Cereal & Sippy Cups

Macyn had her first try at some rice cereal a couple of nights ago. The instant we set the bowl on her new high chair, she decided it would be fun to spill it all over (see bottom left photo). Lesson learned! We now hold onto the bowl to prevent spillage. She didn't know what to think of the cereal, but started to get used to it pretty quickly. She started opening her mouth and would voice her opinion if you weren't shoveling it in quick enough! She hasn't eaten a whole bowl yet, but what can you expect? She's only tried a couple of times. I am sure she will be eating more very, very, soon!We thought we would try a sippy cup too - with some juice. Her doctor said she could have an ounce or two of apple juice, so we thought, why not? All the literature I have read says you are supposed to start introducing a sippy cup - the earlier the better. She suprisingly figured out how to hold onto it pretty quickly and put it up to her mouth. Not so much for tipping it up. The "funny face" photos was when she got a little taste of apple juice - I think its a little sour/sweet for her liking!

5 Months Old

Macyn is 5 months today! She gained a little over 1 lb this past month so she now weighs 14 lbs 1 oz. She also grew another 1/2 inch so she is now 26" long! She is a happy baby and we are well on the way to having a 100% healthy baby, too. She had another appointment in Sioux Falls and her liver enzyme numbers were better. One (the more serious one) was completely normal. The other was still elevated, but it is up to us whether we want to check it one last time for piece of mind. The pediatric gastroenterologist said she wasn't concerned and confident that the last number will come down yet. At Macyn's 6 month appointment we were going to discuss this with her doctor and see what she thinks. But other than that, we are very grateful that everything else is normal.Now back to the "fun" stuff - Macyn likes to play with her feet, mostly when you try and change her diaper (turns into a great challenge!). She also likes to slide down in her bouncy seat and grab her feeties. Another thing she likes to do in her bouncy seat? Fall asleep! (I have caught her do this a few times already this weekend) We have also noticed that she is starting to be very verbal - if you take a toy away she gets mad! Or if she drops one off her Bumbo tray or something is slightly out of reach, trust me, you will hear it!
She can sit supported but completely falls over once you let go. But, she has started to make a "Razzing" sound when she blows spit bubbles all over - that's what she's doing in the picture above. Its cute, really. She has a habit of sucking her thumb too. She LOVES baths (see my previous post) and also started on cereal. (I will post another blog about that later), but here is a "sneak peak" of how that went:
so its been a pretty great month! She is starting to get to the "fun" stage!

Thumb-Sucker

Macyn just cannot seem to keep those darned thumbs out of her mouth. I take them out, and right back in they go. *sigh* Oh well...after all, it is kinda cute!

Snow Bunny

Last week Macyn's auntie was on spring break - and decided to watch her a couple of days! They had a lot of fun and Macyn got to experience her first time out in the snow. By the looks of the pictures, it looks like she had quite a good time! I can't wait until more snow melts and it gets a little warmer so we can go on more frequent stroller rides.

My new work (space)!

So after a few years of being sick and tired of our kitchen table being a place where everything gets thrown such as bills, we had this grand idea to make a new built-in desk. We also thought this would be a good spot if we were to ever get a new iMac (one can only dream)!My dad took the dimensions, made the leg, and built the counter top for us - which was an adventure in itself! We had looked at pre-made counter tops and also plain sheets of laminate. The pre-made ones were around $20, but you had to cut it, and buy the ends for the counter. The sheets were more expensive for about $50. As we did some more searching, we found a sheet of high-definition laminate counter top (the kind I always wanted in our kitchen) for $15! Usually it retails for $100 +, but it had a huge chunk cut out of it. We didn't need the whole sheet, so it didn't really matter that it was damaged.

So we buy this thing - its about 8 feet wide 1 way, and all we have is the Intrepid. So we decide to put it in through the trunk and fold down the seat. All was going smoothly until we bent it a little too much and it snaps in half! It was pretty funny, but we weren't sure it would work anymore. We did some quick measurements to make sure there was still a piece large enough to make our desk - and thank goodness, there was!If you aren't familiar with high-definition laminate, it is a regular counter top made to look like stone. It is glossy/shiny and gives the look of granite. I have used this new desk already and I love it....and I also love the counter top. The only bad thing is, now I want to redo my kitchen!

Double DOOZIES

mmmmmmmmm......its been probably a year since I last made these. I got the idea from The Great American Cookie Co. and came up with my own version. Whats better than two moist M&M cookies with frosting in between? Not many things I can think of. These are super easy to make too. I have been looking for a copycat recipe but could never find one on the internet. This one is the closest I have came to matching. So here is the recipe - enjoy! I actually think I will go have one right now!

Double Doozies

Cookies
1 c. Crisco
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 package mini M&Ms

Cream together shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add flour, salt, and baking soda - mix. Stir in M&Ms. Drop by Tbsp onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 T. butter
1/2 c. shortening
2 T. milk
2 T. hot water
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract

While cookies are baking, make frosting. Mix together all ingredients. Apply layer of icing between two cooled cookies to form a sandwich.