Monday, September 26, 2011

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?

4 comments:

Leisel said...

ha, ha! he is 23 pounds? my youngest, who is 3, weighs 26 pounds. glad you are enjoying your new surroundings.

leisel

Roxanne said...

we really are twins (minus I dont have a baby or hubby)--that foster the people song is catchy and one of my favs currently!

You are so hot! And jack-o is just precious!

Paige Taylor Evans said...

I love that first picture with the huge grin and the blurry legs cuz he's moving so fast. Boys will be boys :)

Leandra said...

I like that comment above about the 3 year old weighing 26 lbs. I hope Sophie is at 23 lbs at 3 :). I gotta try feeding Soph's waffles! More ideas please :)