14-month-olds have lots of needs

now that jack is becoming less baby, more toddler, i feel like the game is changing. i've been learning and adapting my day-to-day and thought i'd share a few of my new favorite things.

a. the proper care & feeding of self-eaters

[this one's for you, leandra ;) ]

jack's pretty much only interested in food he can feed himself. usually i just give him small cut-up pieces of whatever i'm eating, minus the 8 cookies i eat daily of course. he loves blueberries, cheese, cheerios, broccoli, waffles, the typical stuff. one thing he has started to LOVE is something i would not have expected -- dr praeger's california veggie burgers. i buy them at trader joe's but you can probably find them elsewhere. the kid can eat a whole patty on his own -- they're pretty soft if you cook them in the microwave, so no choking -- and it makes me feel good that he's getting his veggies. plus i think they are sooo good. lunch for both of us!

i also love to give him annie's organic fruit snacks. they're not made with any gelatin or corn syrup or anything gross -- and every pack has 100% of daily value of vitamin c. pretty sure they're just a sugary treat, but at least they're sort of healthy. jack goes nuts when i pull out a pack.

b. transportation, via stroller

i had three strollers: cheap umbrella, snap n go car seat carrier, jogging stroller. the cheap umbrella is CHEAP and also made for short people [i am not short]. now that jack is 1, he's getting too big for the snap n go. the jogging stroller is way too heavy to carry up & down 3 flights of stairs all the time, and has a hard time fitting in the trunk of my accord. what to do? upgrade.

i did some research [i.e. read amazon reviews and put out a few facebook queries] and the verdict came back clear: i can't afford a BOB stroller. haha. no, really, the consensus was that maclaren strollers are the front-runner. i found an awesome one on craigslist and snatched that puppy up -- and i LOVE it. it's super lightweight, i can steer with one hand, it folds easy & fits in my trunk. everyone needs a maclaren.

c. transportation, via self

i'm a non-zealous baby-wearer -- i liked toting jack around in a sling or the baby bjorn when he was tiny, but i was never obsessed or anything. now that he's pushing 23 lbs that's definitely no longer an option. no big deal, since he prefers to walk on his own anyway [most of the time he'll reach for my hand when we're walking and i melt on the spot, so cute!] -- but this is washington. there are trails everywhere and plenty of hiking opportunities, and i'm not going to pass those up because of the kid.

enter my kelty child carrier. i was given this product to review for blogher, so i can't say for sure i'd have bought it on my own because i never really did any research -- but we LOVE it. both brandon and i can wear it comfortably, jack seems to like riding in it, and it definitely makes it easy to tote around a squirmy kiddo. i prefer to let b strap it on [i threw my back out in august and am still feeling the effects] but i've worn it on a hike and had no problem. i highly HIGHLY recommend this child carrier if you're in the market.

d. mommy entertainment

lately, i can't get enough of this song [seriously weirdo lyrics but it is SO freaking catchy]. i've also been spending some time shopping online -- cheap shoes! baby rain boots! -- and reading blogs that make me snort out loud like this one. and now that i'm working less hours, i have more time to hang with b -- we've newly discovered the middle and i love it. [parks & rec is back!!!]

there you go! a few of my favorite things. anything to add?