a few of my favorite things - baby edition

Following the recent birth of sweet munchkins from several of my dearest friends, I started thinking about all of the wonderful support, advice and tips that I was given in those first few months of motherhood (we'll not ponder on the un-wonderful, un-solicited, horrendous advice that was also thrown our way by any stranger, by-stander or fellow shopper in those days).  Thankfully, we received some great information from loved ones and even made a few fantastic choices on our own.  So I thought today I'd list some of the great products that we found or were referred to...those "cant-live-without", "life-saving" staples of parenthood that we will definitely not fail to use with our second child (years and years from now when we decide to have one- haha).  Anyway, hopefully this will be helpful/enlightening/interesting to someone.

1. The Bouncer (by Baby Bjorn) - $99

We searched far and wide for just the right one of these.  We didn't want anything too mechanized with flashing lights, endless battery requirements or cheesy music.  We also wanted something monochromatic, modern and void of any cartoon animals or geometric patterns.  It was a large bill to fit, but we finally found it in the Baby Bjorn Babysitter.  This fit all of our needs, including the ability to provide a more natural, kinesthetic experience in bouncing for Caz- something self-propelled that would encourage coordination and balance.  The biggest bonus: he STILL uses it at almost 17 months.  It's the coolest recliner, bouncy jungle gym, ball catcher ever!

2. The Carrier (by Baby Bjorn) - $99

Again, a pricier item from Baby Bjorn, but WELL worth the ticket.  We made sure to get something "Daddy-friendly" sans colorful patterns or gender-specific wearability (i.e. slings).  I've put Caz in it as recently as two weeks ago (it has a 30 pound weight limit)!  It took some getting used to, as the straps and buckles seemed overwhelmingly complicated at first.  But, a little gusto and a few practices later, we were in good shape.  During the first 6 months (before grabbing, reaching and flailing really set in), this thing helped me reclaim my sanity and get housework done.  Almost every night, I strapped Boogs in, picked up toys, did the dishes, danced to music and lulled him to sleep with this carrier.  A true gem!

3. The Playmat (by Tiny Love) - $45

Once more, we looked everywhere to find something that fit all of our needs- including aesthetic, pattern and color requirements.  We didn't want a lot of sound, toys or colors, which can be over-stimulating for newborns (and annoying for parents).  So, we found something in red, black and white- the colors proven to be most-distinguishable by tiny babies and better for vision development and shape recognition.  This one did the trick.  And the great news again?  He still uses it.  Lying on his back, pulling at hangy toys?  No.  But add a blanket on top and you have a rockin' tent!

Other notable items: Munckin teething bags (thank you Amy Hyatt) to put frozen fruit or even ice cubes in, the Chicco playyard and California Baby All Natural Shampoo and Body Wash (concentrated- one $20 bottle lasted us 7 months).

cazisms

Quickly- I've added a new feature to the blog: "Cazisms" (you'll notice it in the left margin).  It's just a copy of the handwritten log I keep of all of Bubba's little milestones.  Actually, it's an abbreviated copy.  I've been keeping it since birth, but decided posting from February on would be sufficient, and I didn't include every single entry...especially since it's mostly seemingly insignificant occurences (at least to the average onlooker).  But to Mommy, these are serious steps here, folks.  I mean, the first time he "pretended" to do something, you would've thought he'd won an Olympic gold medal.  We were very excited to say the least.  So...highly-anticipated, enthralling script or not, there they are...Cazisms.  I know the grandmommies will be excited! 

Oh, and as a screen-prize* for reading this far, here's a cute picture from my friend Sarah.  This is our trip to the feed store a few weeks ago and Caz's first look at baby chicks.  You can just feel the excitement from the look on his face, can't you?  :)
(*Get it?  Screen-prize?  Like door prize, but you're on a computer instead of at my house.  Ha!  Where do I come up with this stuff?!?)

a sign of the times

Somehow it's already Wednesday, but here I sit still relishing in the wonderful weekend we had.  Our dear Mama Nelly came to visit and we had oodles of fun with her!  We tried to make good use of every moment we had together, so we packed in quite an event-load.  We took her to the pool and showed off our swimming skills (we're now jumping in all by ourself- belly-flopping and fully submerging with a smile).  We went to the Arts Festival and saw giant Lego creations and danced to live music.  We went to Daddy's convocation for his Architecture Scholarship (which is why we were blessed with Mama Nelly's presence in the first place). *See picture below of Caz's smashing convocation ensemble- I thought he looked quite debonair...and convocational. 

Sidenote: By "we went" to the convocation, I should really clarify.  Although all four of us went to it, Caz and Mommy didn't actually attend the ceremony.  You see, we're experiencing a marvelous stage of exploration, wonderment, independence and general busy-bodiness at present.  So, sitting in a lap or chair for an hour is ABSOLUTELY out of the question, regardless of fancy iPhone Baby Einstein antics or the availability of any other piece of handheld entertainment, for that matter.  Nonetheless, we had a lot of fun playing around Jones Stadium with dandelions and then crashing the convocation's reception afterward...and boy did we crash it.  A wise mother once told me to always smile and laugh in public as a reaction to any and every behavior displayed by your child.  It shows a sense of confidence and control that makes people think you know exactly what you're doing and that you're not the least bit embarassed or stressed....I'm still working on it.

Alas, I've gotten far off-course- back to our weekend activities.  We also paid a visit to the park and practiced our monkey skills- running, climbing, swinging, yelling at others and picking up poo (actually that was last week).  We watched "Up" (thank you Joanne Baumgardner, silent "j") AND part of "Planet Earth".  We went to the grocery store for a big shop.  And what visit wouldn't be complete without not one, but TWO, trips to Wally World- fantastic!  So all in all, it was a grand ole time and we can't wait to do it again soon.

Other exciting updates: we very intentionally repeated "Guck, guck" today when we visited Auntie Joli's duck.  And we're also signing more words: "outside" and "book" are recent additions.  A recent read has actually encouraged me to really continue with the sign language even as verbal language begins to develop.  Apparently signing will not only continue to advance cognitive learning abilities, but it will also be a big help to Mommy and Daddy during the terrible twos (I gather that signs are often displayed during tantrums when words have ceased to be sufficient or audible).  So, onward we go! 

the face of fear

Tonight evoked all kinds of emotions for our family: worry, guilt, regret and sadness for Mommy and Daddy, and for Caz- fear.  Okay perhaps I'm being a bit melodramatic.  But we did witness something significant.  So what happened, you ask?  I know I've really built up some anticipation here.  Well, we found out that Caz is afraid of.....Jim Carrey.  Jim Carrey, as the Grinch, to be exact.  And actually, it's more complex than that. 

We were watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and were well into the movie, after the Grinch had already been introduced and on screen for sometime, when Caz let out the saddest little scream and began to cry.  It was absolutely heartwrenching.  His little face was all red and tears were streaming down his cheeks.  But he obviously wasn't just afraid of how the Grinch looked- he started crying during a scene where the Grinch acted angry and threatening.  So he was reacting to the emotional climate of the movie, and was afraid.  Oh...it's breaking my heart all over again to describe it!  You can imagine how terrible we felt, along with being surprised and in awe at the same time.  Earth to Mommy and Daddy: Caz now has a keen understanding of human emotion!  Boy, do we have to be mindful of this!  And how hard it was to watch him be afraid :( 

*Source: www.imdb..com

I know, I know- this is only the beginning.  But he's only 16 months old!  I mean, I thought I had a couple of years to prepare for things like this.  Nonetheless, obviously we ended the night on a much happier note...watching the best Christmas movie of all time.  Correction, the best movie of all time- Elf!  And Michael and I danced side-by-side with Caz as he cheered along with the celebration in Santa's workshop and partook in other joyous, elvish behaviors.  So, another day, another lesson learned. 

a bit of this and a bite of that

Nope, not a typo in the subject line...a bite, indeed.  Caz got bit today by a little playmate in the Kids' Club at the gym.  It was our first real encounter with assault.  Okay, maybe second....Michael saw a big kid pushing Bubs a few months ago.  However, today was real combat.  I mean...a bite!  But all is well.  His little friend didn't break the skin and apparently Caz cried more out of shock than actual pain.  He's a pretty tough boy. 


So, thus began the roller coaster of emotion for Mommy and Daddy.  Do we hire a bodyguard?  Begin monitoring his out-of-parent-sight time with things like NannyCam and private investigators?  End all public interaction until he's at a level of maturity that can better handle confrontation (i.e. he can fight back)?  Yes, of course, we actually considered each of these scenarios...at least for a moment.  But alas, we shall return to the Kids' Club as early as tomorrow- emotions in check.  And if you know my husband, you know I heard an earful of how Caz will receive extensive lessons in self-defense as soon as possible :)  So the Franks family has taken another big step into parenting.  We've taken a hit with some toddler violence and we're better prepared for next time...and yes, there will be a next time.


I also thought today I'd share one of our favorite games with you..."Pass the Crayon".  I think I've played several hours of this over the last few weeks.  It started with other, random small objects that fit between the railings on Boog's crib.  But his gamepiece of choice is by far- the crayon.  So, almost every time he gets one into his hand (before and after scribbling sessions), he heads straight to the bed to partake in a match of "Pass the Crayon".  For the next 5, 10, 45 minutes, we begin creatively passing the crayon(s) back and forth in any crib slot we can find.  It's pretty awesome.

And, he's pretty good at it.  He's found the smallest of openings, like above his hanging mirror.  If you visit soon, he'll probably challenge you to a game.  Mind you, he's quick! 

the beginning

And so it begins...
I've entered the world of Blogger...a path previously uncharted by myself or any of my kin and, might I add...a daunting path at that.  However, this move was made entirely out of necessity as our own personal website, http://www.thefranksfam.com/, has sadly been victim of not only administrative absence and neglect these last five months, but some malicious hacking over the past year and now, corporate sabotage (thank you, Flickr).  Thus, a new chapter begins here. 

Again, we plan to chronicle our adventures in parenting- including our own soap-box-studded dialogues over the oh-so-taboo vaccine debate, nursing past socially-accepted (and into medically suggested) time frames and good ole physical discipline.  Saddle up!  We may live in the flatlands, but our lives ride rockier than a 10-speed through the Grand Canyon :)  We're honored you've read this far.