So you're going to a baby shower: What to buy

I feel like ever since having a baby, I've been asked a lot of questions about my favorite baby products, what I'd bring to a shower, what are some solid gift ideas, what are the things new moms actually NEED, etc.

So I've come to share some favorites!

Obviously, people register for showers ... so you could just go the safe route, and buy something off the registry. Easy enough! I like to do a combo gift -- maybe a little something the couple asked for, and pair it with a personal touch. At my shower, it seemed like hardly anyone picked from our registry (and that was fine!), so I figured it was acceptable to do your own thing. Also, I liked getting the tried-and-true gifts from other moms, which came with specific recommendations like, "oh yeah, just give that to her in the carseat, she'll be preoccupied for an hour!"

Or like, maybe you just want to bring a gift to a new mom, but you're not sure what. Or you don't know where she's registered. (Bring food).

Orrrrr that'll bring us to the first recco! And the rest of the list, for that matter --

Baby crack, as it's known in our house. My cousin Jenny got this for us when Ana was born and said Molly LOVED it as a baby. Then Candace came over within a few weeks, spotted it, and was like, "yeah, that thing is MAGICAL." Apparently the little boy she was nannying for at the time also was obsessed! Our batteries are just about dead (although it's been 11 months, so that's understandable), but Analisa remains pretty captivated by it. Even when she was a teeny baby, we'd hand her the toy, and she'd just like, FOCUS on it. James and I used to be all, "what in the world is this sorcery?" It's made by Baby Einstein, there's something about it with healing, attention-grabbing powers, and the song isn't even annoying. Plus, at $5.99, you could just like, attach this to your card for the shower. (Assuming you do cards. Our family does not).

Hanna Andersson PJs -- (if you're shopping online, look under Baby --> Sleeper Outfits). K, I just discovered these a few months ago! They are everything. The prints are adorable, they get softer with every wash, and they seem to sort of stretch and grow with the baby. Ana only has the Dr. Seuss pair, but I probably visit Hanna's website three times a week, scoping for sales. They're normally like, $38 a pair, which is pretty expensive in my book, but I got Ana's half-off when I finally bit the bullet and purchased. I'm dying to get her a holiday pair, but ... #savingforthehouse. Also, note that HA does NOT provide free shipping, but you can get around that by having your order shipped to a store, if you happen to live near one. (Detroit-area friends, there's a store at Twelve Oaks!)  So, gifters: these are great PJs for a newborn, also super cute outfits (and PJs) if you want to give a mom something for when her baby gets a bit bigger. Really high quality stuff, really classic and cute.

Aden and Anais bamboo swaddles -- Hey all you other swaddles, go home. You just cannot compete with these. They are SO SOFT (like, unbelievably!) and so silky. Ana's blue one is kind of "her blanket." I bought three boxes of these for baby showers this summer (they run $45 for a box of three swaddles), but you can pick your prints, and I just think these are theeeeee best present. Swaddles are NOT just for swaddling your baby (although we swore by swaddling). They can also be used as covers to breastfeed (if you're into that sort of thing), burp cloths, carseat blankets, covers for your changing table, and just like, good staples for your diaper bag. I swear we have probably 12-15 swaddles. But nothing stacks up against the A&A bamboo.

Driving home from the hospital! Ana's blue blankie has been there since day one : )

Parasol diapers or an Honest Company subscription. OK, admittedly, a diaper subscription is probably something you'd only consider if you're like, the grandparents to this baby, or insanely generous. But I thought the idea was worth mentioning! Also, at my work shower, someone made a diaper cake AND the group pitched in for a huge box of Honest diaps (the anchor/nautical kind, which matched our theme!)  We appreciated both gifts immensely. It probably goes without saying that diapers are an essential, and sure, they might seem kind of boring, but trust me when I say they'll be valued and USED! You can buy a pack of Parasols online (see the link above), and these are my favorite diaps in the world. They're a little pricy to buy regularly, but I've splurged once or twice. The prints are really pretty and they are so so so incredibly soft (do you see a theme here? I'm into soft things). But yeah, I've never felt anything like them. Also, although I'm not thrilled with The Honest Company -- really cute prints but a little scratchy -- the bundles are convenient and easy. Just a little something to consider! Nice diaps are fun, but you could always crutch on a box of Target Up&Ups too (our value-brand of choice).*

*You'll just want to make sure you know for a fact that the family is doing disposables, over cloth diapers.

Parasols!

A Bumbo seat.  LOVE! Honestly, I've been really surprised to see the Bumbo pop up on several lists online titled shit like, "stuff you really don't need for your baby." Sorry, but a Bumbo is NOT a wipe-warmer! (Yes, I'm judging you for that one). I fully credit the Bumbo for helping teach Ana how to sit independently. It just kind of props the baby into the correct position, so that she gets a feel for it. From probably five months on -- yes, even to current day -- we've used our Bumbo a ton. Some examples: need to get dinner going? Pop the baby into the Bumbo on the counter and let her bang a spoon up against the cupboard.*

*Just make sure you're able to keep a good eye on her if the Bumbo's off the floor, plz. (Ana can get out of hers, but she won't do it if she's entertained).

And when Ana was about 6-7 months, I used to put the Bumbo on the bathroom floor and take a shower while she sat just outside the curtain. We'd play peekaboo. It was a thing. Even at 11 months, we'll use it as a high chair if we're out and about, or we don't want to lug our full-sized version to a relative's for Thanksgiving. You CAN buy a tray for your Bumbo (which we never did but probably should have), but we're also known to just put the seat up on the table or on a chair, so Ana can eat like one of us. Bumbos are so small and easy to travel with. Also great for photo shoots!

Five-month baby.

Clothes for when they're older. I know, everything in the newborn size is like, ridiculously teeny and cute. So tempting, right? But I will say, we were gifted a few items in the 3-6 months size (which fit Analisa like, three weeks after birth, ha), and even an adorable outfit from a Northern California boutique in the 12-18 months size. We were just able to put Ana in that for the first time on Thanksgiving! It's fun to have clothes to look forward to. Plus, you realize every few months (if you have a ginormous baby like we do) that you need to buy (what feels like) a whole new wardrobe, so ... buying big is always appreciated! And buying for when they're older is an added bonus. My favorite brands are H&M, baby Ralph Lauren (don't scoff; there are actually REALLY good deals online and at Macy's), Old Navy, Hanna Andersson and Cat&Jack (relatively new at Target).

I remember thinking this looked HUGE!

Bigger-ticket items: Again, if you're like, a grandparent or a close friend or a sibling, and you're looking to do something really nice for the mom-to-be/expecting parents: check the registry. I'd recommend a baby carrier -- if the family wants one of course -- a stroller, or a baby monitor. Sure, you CAN find cheap-ish versions of all three, but if you're going to splurge, make sure you're getting something off the actual wish-list.

Books. Can't go wrong! No matter how old the baby is, it's safe to say the parents could use more books. I used to think we had a TON, but now that Ana is almost 1, I think it's time for us to upgrade, as well. Some of our favorites up until this point have included:

--The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen (and there are a few cute PP spinoffs, too).
--Where is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz (OK, there's something about her illustrations that Ana lovvvvvves. All Karen Katz books are a win in our house, tbh).
--Pajama Time! by Sandra Boynton (again, same deal with Sandra. We love all her stuff!)
--Brown Bear/Polar Bear/Panda Bear ... (samesies on Eric Carle -- he must know what captivates babies).
--Elmer by David McKee
--Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
--More, More, More, Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
--Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
--I'd Know You Anywhere, My Love by Nancy Tillman
--Global Babies by The Global Fund for Children (this is mostly faces, but as it turns out, babies love faces).

Reading is so important.

Or, I recently saw this on Buzzfeed -- 13 Children's Books that Encourage Kindness Toward Others   (Seems appropriate based on the current political climate).

Also, I put this together for ClickOnDetroit this summer -- some really great suggestions!

And whenever possible, buy board books! Babies are freaking animals who want to rip out the pages and destroy all literature. RIP, half the books in our collection.

#ovaries

For my final few suggestions ...

A Rock n Play. We got SO MUCH USE out of this thing. It was so valuable. Ana wasn't into it for the first month, so I got discouraged ... I thought those soothing vibrations would solve anything. But then around month two, it just started working. It clicked! She loved it. For most moms, I think we feel like, physically attached to the baby for the first 10-12 weeks (Ana wouldn't sleep without me, wouldn't get set down, wouldn't nap anywhere but my chest), but this thing helped. Sometimes you just need somewhere safe to set her while you pee. Or pump! She spent many a 25-minute pump sesh in here, swatting at the mobile or jamming out to the music. I've heard of some babies sleeping in their Rock n Plays, too (Fisher Price makes a sleeper version). Ana never did that, but I wish she would have. Regardless, we endorse this thing!

Baby boo.

V-Tech learning table or sit-to-stand learning walker. Again, something the mom won't pull out until at least six-ish months in ... but we got the table on loan from our friend Heather, and the walker from my mother-in-law. I swear by both items! Ana flocks to each one often. At some point, the baby's going to start pulling up on EVERYTHING -- your coffee table, drawers in the kitchen, etc. Having the learning table and the walker at least help grow her skills. The song on the table is a liiiiittle annoying, but not awful.

Bumkins bibs. Another inexpensive item! I've blogged about these before, but it's so helpful to just wipe 'em clean during and after meals. I don't know why anyone would use cloth bibs once the baby's eating solids. Plus, the prints are ADORBS. Dr. Seuss, Disney, DC Comics, the list goes on. I'm browsing the website now and could probably use another pack. Washing machine friendly, too!

What a little model.

OK, I think that's where I'll cap it. I could write about baby products all day!

Good luck out there : )

11 months!

How am I writing the 11-month post?

How did I just send out e-vites for Analisa's first birthday party?

Ugh I'm tearing up again. So cliche.

Hi smiles!

Welllllllllll, developmentally, Ana is pretty similar to where she was last month ... that, or I wrote her 10-month post so late that it was like, only a couple weeks ago. (Didn't even put it on FB). But yeah -- still a lot of "almosts." Almost walking, almost solo standing; connecting more and more sounds and words with meaning, etc. She's babbling so much that we have these little pretend conversations, and it's adorable. There's no better sound than that little voice. Except maybe her laugh! James and I are pretty obsessed. Today he got up to grab her from her nap, and I was like, "NO I WANNA DO ITTTTTT!"

Twins.

Lately, she's loving:

--Her mama and daddy
--Crawling as fast as she can around the apartment, stopping to sit down and laugh every so often
--Blueberries
--String cheese
--Her blue blankie (more than ever)
--Snuggling her stuffed animals   <--- this is real
--Standing up in high chairs and grocery carts (naughty)
--"It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse!" by Laura Numeroff (she DGAFs that Halloween is over)
--Talking
--Trying to get strangers' attention
--Bouncing up and down on the couch while standing
--Dancing
--Getting into the one spot where we don't want her (like, into James' diabetes supplies, the corner of the bathroom where the plunger sits, etc).
--Sticking her tongue out
--Sleeping in (she might be having a growth spurt. She's slept from 8p till about 10a the past two mornings! WHAT. #blessed)
--Giving "kisses"

My smart bear.

Lately, she's NOT into:

--Socks (or anything on her feet)
--Getting her diaper changed if it takes longer than 15 seconds
--Foods that aren't blueberries or string cheese
--Pooping (the constipation struggle is real; TMI, I know)
--When she doesn't get her way (read: when we won't hand her a cellphone)*
*And we try to keep them hidden
--My hair dryer (bursts into tears when she sees me using it ... luckily, that's not often)
--Her afternoon nap (might be a thing of the past, although it hadn't been a constant anyway)
--Cuddles  :(
--Staying confined to just one room
--Her teeth (did I tell you we're up to 4? Two tops, two bottoms. They're hurting).
--Letting me rinse the shampoo out of her hair
--Letting me clip her nails

Ana and Uncle Robby

What else ... Jenny and Jared had their baby -- a boy, Oliver! -- so Ana has a new second-cousin. Amanda and Ous are due at the end of January, and we also can't wait to meet Colette (Katie and Kyle's daughter, due on Ana's due date, Dec. 5!)  So many baby friends await.

Insane baby

Ana was a lamb for Halloween. I got her a Minnie Mouse tiny kitchen on one of my Facebook moms groups. (She loves it!) James is winning the popularity contest between the two of us. I still wish we had a backyard, especially now that it's solidly fall and the leaves look like so much fun to play in. But she remains a happy little boops and we love her to absolute pieces. My mom looks forward to RO Tuesdays, Emily and Ana are having more fun than ever, we visited Uncle Robby in Petoskey two weekends ago ... we love life with this tiny bear! We're having a little brunch thing at my parents' the Saturday after her birthday, and we're really looking forward to it. I have a special onesie (1-sie?) for her from Old Navy and everything : )

And yes, we'll let her eat cake. We won't let her smash the cake (James' nightmare), but she can def have a tiny piece. We're not monsters, after all.

But that is a monster of cuteness.

10 months!

Ana is 10 months old!

(OK, she's about to be 11 months old, because it's 10/28 and I'm super late to the party with this post).

(But I wrote this one if you're one of the many people who are curious about what she's eating!)

So. I LOVE THIS AGE. Did I say that last time? The past two times? I swear I love it more and more every day. She's such my little friend. I swear she understand us. She's so giggly and happy and more like a real person every moment. I get a little sad to leave her, like on Tuesdays when I actually have to go in to work.  : (  But I feel a little better knowing she loves it with my parents.

Huge baby!

Unrelated: I was imitating her tonight while we ate dinner and she was CRACKING up.

But yeah, outside of Tuesdays, I do feel like I still get to spend a ton of time with her! The best part of my work day is when I get to take my dinner break, and I swing my door open (and she usually has no idea I've been in the other room the whole time), and she spots me, and she's like, flapping her little wings, SO excited to play for the next hour!  My heart.

We read, or crawl around, or eat dinner together, or play in her castle, and it gives Emily time to eat or pee or do whatever ... or watch us and laugh because we're crazy.

James and I brought Ana to Natalie's fall BBQ in Paw Paw a few weeks ago and she was so sweet and fun. I thought she'd be shy -- and she is a LITTLE reluctant to go to new people lately -- but she was the best. Babbling, and right now she loves to go "oh!", crawling all over the house, playing with the cats, sitting with Natalie and Candace and Joe ... I love that baby. I'm so happy when other people get to see how much fun she can be.

We took her to Rochester the weekend before Paw Paw (Analisa turned 10 months that Saturday), and she was just as adaptable and happy. She lovvvvved the basement stairs, which are lined with super plush carpeting, and did really well with the trip and James' family. We did both drives (to and from) overnight, so that Ana would sleep the whole time, and I think that's what we'll do from now on. It's just so much easier. Even if one of us is a little tired the next day. #worthit

Rochester fam!

She's still making progress toward solo-standing and walking, although she's definitely not there yet. Still talking a bunch, and I swear, JUST the other morning, I was asking her, "where's mama? Where's dada?" and she was pointing at me for mom and James for dad! We continue to get closer to connecting words with meaning.

Ana is such a little cuddle bear when we read, or when she wakes up from a nap. She's still sleeping really well. I just got her a ton of fall clothes from Old Navy, so it's been cute to dress her up in new stuff. She's so smiley and interactive; just hates getting her diaper or her outfit changed. Sometimes that can be a two-person job!

I realized her first top tooth broke through when we were out grocery shopping two Sundays ago. I almost started crying, like, HOW did she get to be such a big girl? I swear, the past 10 months have just zipped by.

Hammy sammy

Lately she just wants all the grown-up stuff that we try to keep out of reach. It's like she knows! Cellphones, glasses, beers, hot coffees, etc.  Or she'll want to go to the one area of the apartment where we DON'T want her (like the kitchen, or the yucky bathroom floor). The floors are kinda meh in the kitchen too, and it's the only spot in our place that isn't carpeted, but she's just like, "let me in those cupboards, and I'd like to pull myself up on the fridge please!" And climb in the dishwasher ... which happened! ... but that thing's stronger than it looks, as it turns out.  ;)

Playgroup is still going well; she mostly just loves climbing around the gross-motor room. It's ginormous in there with a ton of places to play. When we have to go in the other room, our main area, she gravitates toward these scary-looking naked dolls. James and I are always like, "of all the cool stuff in here ... why?" Haha.

What else ...

She hates socks. Which is fun because we look like parents of the year, letting our daughter go out in public in bare feet. But she still fights shoes, then she pulls her socks off in the car, and there's no getting them back on.  :/   We saw another barefoot baby in the grocery store recently and the mom was like, "no luck getting them to stay on with you guys either?" So ... we're not alone!

Bad transition/funny story: I get these emails from Scary Mommy every week, like, "it's 46 weeks, here's what your baby is up to!" and they're scary accurate, actually. I usually read them and I'm like, yep yep and yep. That's Ana! But a week or so ago, the email was like, "babies need to know their place in the family structure. They feel secure when they understand that you're the parents, you make the rules, you say no sometimes, you're in charge. And they're the babies and they're protected by you. You keep them safe. So don't be scared to lay down the law and assert yourselves, parents!" ... Or something.

I told James what I had read, and I was like, "so when she stands up in her high chair, don't feel bad when you say no or you redirect. She WANTS to know we're her parents and we set the boundaries, and she feels confident when we stop her from doing things like that."

He was just like, "k I want to talk to whatever baby they interviewed for this piece, because that's bullshit."

I was dying laughing! He so funnyyyyy.

Precious face.

It's true -- Ana definitely asserts her will and lets us know when she's not down with our plans. You can usually distract her out of it but ... she throws little fits and is constantly trying to test us and gauge our reactions. We act like most stuff is NBD. Don't feel like eating? Cool. Gonna throw your peas at the wall? I'm unfazed by you (you little monster).  She's just trying to see the effect she has on us and the world, I've been reading!

She's gonna be a LAMB for Halloween. Swoon! (Her deadbeat procrastinator parents didn't get on an appropriately sized bear costume fast enough). Shame.

And yeah, the hair's still awkward. She has so much of it now! But she remains our little boy. Especially because so many of her outfits are gender-neutral. Haha. We love our son.

Until next time!

Baby-led weaning: Our experience

Gimme dat!

Ana is more than 10 months old (!!!), and I've started to write this post a few times now, so let's just bite the bullet and do ittttt.

In no way do I consider myself a reliable source on feeding a baby. I only have one, so I'll just discuss what works and doesn't work for us. I think I was reluctant to blog about the topic for that very reason ... I'm no expert. But you know what, I never claimed to be. So let's dive in, shall we?

Baby-led weaning. BLW! It's been our jam for the past four months now.

This girl loves her high chair!

I get a lot of questions about it. Here's how we got there: I think I've mentioned, I do a lot of self-teaching/studying up on Google. Well, or I should say, the sites Google leads me to. I just type in things, read a bunch of different sources, and make an informed opinion. My doctor even likes for her patients to do stuff like this, and thinks it's important for parents to be involved -- so it's not like I'm crazy, or reading anti-vax blogs and siding with the Jenny McCarthy of 10 years ago. I'm just curious about a lot of baby-related topics, and I like to see what info is floating around out there. Having access to the Internet while raising a tiny human is incredible. You can learn so much! (But also, you can get freaked out over the slightest ailment too, so you kinda gotta proceed with caution).

ANYWAY. Around the time Ana was nearly 4 months, our pediatrician gave us the go-ahead to start introducing solids. But Dr. L largely left it up to us, just saying she'd approve any time past the 4-month mark. We had a hunch Analisa wasn't ready. She wasn't really showing any interest in the things James and I were eating, she still seemed more than fulfilled off her bottles alone, and I just thought, why rush it? Also I was nervous about choking.  A blogger who I follow had written previously about baby-led weaning, and she mentioned she and her husband hadn't given their son any solids until he turned 6 months old (which is recommended with BLW), so I just figured we'd play it by ear and possibly follow suit. I liked what I read from her about their experience.

And then we did it. Ana was just a few days short of her 6-month birthday, and we had another routine checkup, and I mentioned to the doc we hadn't started her yet on solids. Dr. L now told us to hop to it -- this baby needed some iron! I spoke to her a little bit about my BLW plans, and she was just like, "Sure, honestly, most people are doing it at this point, it's easier for everyone, she'll just eat what you guys eat, and you can even do a modified version of BLW, etc."

That meant, per Dr. L's recommendation, we still started Ana off with rice cereal, which is a pretty common first food. ... But Ana was never that into it (can you blame her?)  And I got a little frustrated. Not like, FRUSTRATED frustrated, but I just kept thinking, "don't all babies love rice cereal?!?!? Why doesn't mine?"

No, I learned. No babies do not.

Do any babies really love RC?, should have been my real question. I had so many people message me and tell me on FB alone that their babies also hated rice cereal. Thank god!

Next we attempted baby oatmeal, thinking there's just as much iron in there, plus, we can mix in some bananas or something else delicious. Oatmeal and bananas are pretty good together, right?

Ana was into it for like, 48 hours tops, then started rejecting the oatmeal too.

So, that's really when we were like, back to square one! Let's go BLW all the way. Which meant, letting her attempt to self-feed pretty early on (well, immediately), and letting her try different things, and eat what we're eating (modified versions at times, but pretty close).

Someone loves real food.

One of the first things we gave her was (you'll laugh), PESTO PASTA. James and I sometimes cook this lunch or dinner where we'll boil noodles, throw in some quartered cherry tomatoes, a little parm, a big scoop of store-bought pesto and some pine nuts (if I've stolen any from my mom's Costco bag in awhile).

Anyway, I had the pesto pasta out, and Ana was grabbing in its general direction, so I tossed some on her tray and I was like, here ya go! She couldn't quite get the hang of self-feeding for a few more weeks, so I put the little pieces in her mouth -- the noodles were tiny -- and she was scarfing them down. Her faces, btw ... were so funny. She was like, shocked to try real food, but loving it, but looked scared at the same time. I made sure to brush off any pine nuts, but she was officially eating as of pesto pasta day.

And from there, we did ... other random noodles (sometimes in a light sauce, or sometimes plain), soft toast (sometimes with butter or jam, other times plain), shredded meat, egg yolks, almost every kind of fruit or vegetable you could imagine (usually soft-boiled on the veggies), pancakes, waffles, cereal, cheese -- you name it.

We were slow to introduce peanut butter, and egg yolks, but the doctor said sometimes when you wait too long, it can become an even bigger problem (re: allergens. I was reading mixed info online). So probably around the 9-month mark, we threw those once-forbidden foods into her rotation, as well.

She's never showed an allergy to anything, knock on wood.

The only things she hasn't loved? Salmon on her first try. Black beans for awhile. Watermelon (weird, right? Not that strong of a taste. Maybe it's a texture thing?), and broccoli (I understand this one; even the tiniest of pieces seem kind of hard to gum and swallow when you don't have any/or just a few teeth).

Right now, her favorites are ... any kind of meat + potato combo (a Midwest girl indeed). String cheese. (Any cheese, really). Cheese quesadilla. Scrambled eggs/small omelettes. Peas. Strawberries. Hard pretzel rods (which are really amazing for teething, as well!)  Thanks to my friend Heather and her mother-in-law for the idea.

What Ana really loves, is to be in control. She self-feeds most of her meals, but if it's particularly messy or something like yogurt or applesauce, we'll obviously use a spoon with her. Still, I can tell she doesn't like that she has to wait for me to dole out bites ... so we'll sometimes give HER a spoon, just to bang on her high chair and feel in control with. (Thanks Aunt Gere for this tip!)  It truly takes a village.

Out to eat at Round Bar.

And if she doesn't seem to LOVE something, but she's still tolerating it, we'll give her a spoon or a pretzel rod to keep busy, and sneak bites in her mouth/the side of her cheek. Works like a charm!

The only actual baby food we use are those packets -- you've probably seen them in the grocery store, they're like, organic packets of pureed food. Spinach-peas-kale-mango, or chickpeas-beets-strawberries. Well, every time we go to Target, we completely buy out their supply of prunes.

Our only real problem we've ever had with solids has been some constipation. At first, we thought it was the rice cereal (which can cause issues). And then we thought it was the fact that we'd been adding bananas (which also don't exactly help things along). And then it was like, EVERYTHING, and constant painful poops, despite the fact that she was eating so much fresh food ... like, it was driving me crazy.

Finally, Dr. L just said to stick with the prunes, which I had been crutching on from time to time. She said to feed her an entire packet every day, and see if that helped.

Boy, did it ever. <--- Did I ever think I'd be discussing baby poop online? (I'm now that person).

The good news is, she loves prunes. We usually give them to her with breakfast, and she does really well. It sucks that they're like, $2/pouch, meaning my last Target receipt revealed I had spent like, $60 in prune packets. But at this point, it's like, whatever works. A constipated baby is NOT a happy baby. Those screams when she would finally go -- broke my heart.

So these days, the only thing we avoid is honey, for obvious reasons. Spicy food is even fine, seasonings are fine, I've even let her have some dessert bites (oh, and Uncle Robby helps with that!)

She's never liked juice, which is kind of weird, right? She makes the grossest face when I'll try to sneak some into a sippy cup. (Oh, we're also weaning off the bottle slowly. She's gotta be done with those around her first birthday, which is in less than two months).

But yeah, she loves sippy cups with a straw, and will POUND water like it's beer. Then she throws her bottle at the window, like when we're driving. And I laugh so hard. It just reminds me of like, slamming a beer and throwing the empty can on the ground in celebration.

BAM.

Just like when we offer milk bottles (which is still often -- this young, babies still get SO much nutrition from breastmilk or formula), Ana decides when she's done. I don't really track or watch how much she eats; I just make sure to offer real food three to five-ish times a day, depending on what our schedule looks like or how much she ate at the last meal.

Usually like, when she wakes up, or she's STARVING, we won't make her mess with solids. She'll be too crabby to figure it all out. Plus, she's a slow eater. I usually do a bottle first, then offer solids maybe an hour or so later. But yeah, I'd never rush her, and I read somewhere that even if it's kind of an unproductive meal, right now, it's more about the experience. She's learning about food -- the textures, the tastes, what she likes and doesn't like, etc. Even when she throws her meal all over the ground and laughs (haha FRUSTRATING), that's something. The nutrition from solids is great, but Dr. L said she's still gaining (more than) enough weight, so we should never worry about making her nom her final bites or anything like that.

And that's great to hear. I mean, just like any other human, she has days when she's ravenous, and days when she's just not feeling it. But that's all of us, right?

Two things we swear by are these teethers, and Bumkins bibs.

Ana lovvvves the teethers (they're less sticky than other brands), and they serve as an awesome distraction when like, we're waiting for our food at a restaurant, for example. They keep her busy. And the bibs are just great because I'm not having to wash cloth all the time. You just wipe these clean, or you give the thing a rinse and turn it inside out, and you're good. Would absolutely recommend to any and every mom. (Also they're so cute!)

Eating yogurt, watching dad on FBL, wearing a Bumkin!

When we go out to eat, we just make sure to order things Ana can share. She's really a flexible eater so far. We even ordered a tiny meat and cheese platter last weekend, and guess who downed most of it?

The bear.

Really, there isn't much you can't feed a baby. I recognize that the baby food industry is thriving for a reason -- people think they need that shit. But you don't! It's so much easier to do BLW.

Plus, I also read it teaches babies to have a really healthy relationship with food.

So, if you're considering doing something similar: there is no right or wrong way. For fruits, we started with bananas, peaches, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, plums, pluots, tomatoes and pineapple (those are just a bunch off the top of my head!)  And for vegetables, we did sweet potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, peas, asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, squash and zucchini.

Pulled pork, shredded chicken, beans, eggs, peanut butter: you have quite a few options for protein. And she really does eat whatever we're eating -- we had Mexican quinoa last week for dinner, and she gobbled it up. Teeny pieces of hamburger, little bits of rice, grilled cheese torn into small chunks ... she loves food! (Have you seen that belly?)  And when she doesn't love it, she'll either spit it out immediately, or store it in her cheek, then just when you think she's done, dribble a whole meal's worth of food down her bib. And I'm like, "cool Ana!"  Ya little hamster.

Keep in mind too, teething makes babies NOT hungry. So if she's not eating much, we're quick to throw her some Motrin and try again in a bit.

As far as seating goes, we use the cheap af IKEA high chair, or whatever a restaurant has on hand, or a Bumbo. Ana's pretty easy in that regard!

Until next time ...

Out to eat with my main gal.

9 months!

Ana is 9 months old as of last week, and we have a lot of changes underway in the Ganley house!

Ana looking so regal on my parents' porch couch : )

For starters ... I went back to work!

I always knew I would, if the right opportunity were to come along, and it finally did. There were a lot of twists, turns and offers on the table leading up to this point ... and I kept feeling like, "eeek, am I doing the right thing?"

But I really think we nailed it.

The bummer is, James and I are now both back in local news, working nightside   :(   (Although, at one point, with that marketing job, I was going to work mornings so that James could do nights, and therefore we'd require no child care. However, the arrangement would have meant sacrificing time with each other, so I suppose there's always a trade-off).

Anyway, we're both nights and news. Butttttt I do get to work from home! Which is great, considering how long a drive to Detroit would have taken me every day. So there's no commute, no showering or drying my hair, no work clothes, YES yes and yes. The position isn't quite like my last one -- as some of you know, I was already part-time contracting for WDIV -- because well, this job can't be done on my own schedule. When I'm on, I'm ON. I have to be glued to my computer, doing things on the quick. (I mean, it's not really NEWS at some point if you can do it leisurely, or finish up tomorrow, ya feel?)

Therefore, we now have a nanny to help me with Analisa while I'll be in the other room working! Her name is Emily, and right now she's taking a few community college classes in the mornings. Then she comes to our place and keeps AG entertained from 3:30-9, puts her to bed, and bounces. We'll do this four days a week, then Grandma Leese gets to do Tuesdays. Perf, right? I do imagine it'll be tough if Ana's like, sick, or whimpering from the next room and I can hear her ... but I think being one room over will make me feel better about the deal, too. Then once Ana is asleep, she stays asleep. So I'll be winging it, hoping she remains down from the time Emily leaves until I wrap up at 12:30a, or the time James gets home (also around 12:30 if we're lucky). Holidays and weekends are back on the table, so that's a bummer, but I don't have to deal with either scenario at the moment. Subject to change. Again, news sucks and isn't really glamorous at all when you consider shit like that.

The question I get most often is, "when will you sleep?" But I suppose you could say I've already been living this schedule for quite some time. Typically, James gets home around 12:30-1a, we watch a show, then are up with Ana around 9a. We alternate who gets up with her, if the other person is exhausted. Or we all just grin and bear it; I mean, sleeping from 2a-9a is still seven hours. And we take a whole-house nap with the little bear almost every day, from 11a-1p-ish. I mean, she sleeps in her crib, but we all PTFO.

ANYWAY.

I'm so deep into Ana's 9-month update and I haven't even talked about the bear yet!

Squish face!

Or the job. I just provided alllllllll those logistical details and failed to mention my new role. It's whatever. Maybe I'll type out a post about it soon, just like my baby-led weaning blog that's in the works. The long and the short of it is, I'm a glorified web writer/editor, and I'm working for all the Graham Media sites, not just WDIV. It's OK! I'll just say, the opportunity was finally there, and it will definitely be worth my time. If James becomes a news director some day (I'll have to scrub my blog of all references calling local news a hell hole), I'd love to stay at home with our babies forever! (Assuming we'll have more someday, haha, not trying to drop any hints). But I think it's really important for moms to be around the house, especially in the first few years if possible, although I realize that's not as easy for some as it is for others. My past nine months have had their challenging moments, but at the same time, they've been an absolute dream. I'd never change them, and lovvvvved all the precious time with Ana. I'll cherish those mems forevz.

Ana, slightly overwhelmed at the MSU season opener tailgate 2 weeks ago : )

SO SO SO. Back to the baby.

In the past week or so, Ana has finally started "cruising," as our pediatrician called it. For a long time, she has known how to pull herself up on the furniture, but it wasn't till just recently that she kind of started experimenting with "walking" alongside of it. (God, all these quotes make me feel like some kind of Chinese restaurant or cheap diner. Our special today is "eggs benedict" with "hash browns." I wish people knew how concerning those quotes seem to potential customers. I want chicken fried rice, not "chicken fried rice").

So she's cruising! And still crawling up a storm. Aggressive-crawling, I like to call it. I swear, she doesn't put both knees down; she uses one foot to push off, like a real live bear. James and I think it's the funniest. She is determined to fling herself off the bed, or the couch, or any furniture, really. She gets so pissed when I'll grab a leg or random limb to keep her alive ... it's like, "no, you would be MORE PISSED if you plummeted to your death right now or got concussed, ya filthy animal."

She's the same happy little boops as always. Such a joy, every day!

The #goat    <-- not a typo, mom

We started this playgroup thing at our local elementary school! So far, we've only gone to two classes (it started Monday -- but we missed, due to our 9-month checkup), but she's like, just taking it allllllllll in. There's gross-motor day, and art, and music, and story time -- a lot of it is for toddlers who are a little older. It seems like there are a bunch of 3-year-olds, a few tiny babies, and Ana. So, bummer that there aren't more kids her age, but today we met a 6-month-old, so maybe he'll become a regular. The toddlers love Anzie, and she's just like, very intrigued. She obviously can't do everything (haha, music day was lol), but we adapt! I think it's cool just for her to be around other babies and kids. Maybe it'll prepare her for preschool. People who do day care are always like, SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE ... I have my own opinions on that concept that I won't get into here. But like, it's another chance for James and I to meet other parents, and Ana's doing really well so far! She's definitely one of the best-behaved, listening so intently and holding my hand during story time. Melts my heart. I'm sure she'll be one of the difficult 2- or 3-year-olds someday but ... until then! I'm enjoying my little wide-eyed babbler.

Speaking of babbling, there's definitely even MORE ma-ma-ma-ma-ma and da-da-da-da-da than ever before. I'm still not entirely convinced she's associating ME with mama and James with dada, but it's all a process, right? She makes a lot of noise and wants to have conversations with the people around her. Lately, she's been saying something that sounds like BOB. So funny. I'll repeat it back to her and she loves it.

Dr. Jenn says too often, we ask babies to do something ("Ana, can you wave?" or "Ana, can you say mama?"), and like, when they don't do it immediately, we move onto the next thing. But it's like when you're talking with a baby, even really early on. You need to give them time to respond. You go back and forth, just like the cadence of a real convo, to teach them what a conversation is like. But yeah, Dr. Jenn says sometimes parents will miss a baby's first intentional "dada" or first word, because we're so busy peppering him or her with questions or requests. And we're not giving babies time to do what we're asking them to do. So, when you say, "Ana, can you do patty cake?" You have to give her up to like, 30 seconds for her brain to process it. I love Dr. Jenn (not our real doctor). I pick up SuperBaby at least once or twice a week and read a random chapter or section. I'm doing a lot right now to encourage speech, as well. We continue to learn a little bit of ASL together. And Dr. Jenn says it's important to ask Ana questions and give her choices, even if she doesn't really know or care. For example! "What shirt would you like to wear today? The pink or the green?" (then I hold up one in each hand and let her choose). "You chose pink! I was hoping you would -- you look so pretty in pink."  Or, "what would you prefer for your snack? Avocado or sweet potato?" (point to each, set a dollop of each on her tray). "Avocado sounds delicious to me, too! Let's share."  I'm big on respecting the baby, and letting her know what's happening at pretty much every point in the day. "I'm going to change your diaper now. I know you don't love it, but I'll go fast so we can get back to playing!"

In no way do I think EVERYONE should do things like this. I'm just a big Dr. Jenn fan, and everything she does and recommends makes so much sense. And I've been taking her advice since the beginning (well, I'm not making Ana bilingual, but I've been following a lot of Dr. Jenn's recommendations!), so you could say it's been working for our family.

I swore I'd never post a pic of my baby with food on her face. I was wrong. Also, Ana is watching James on Facebook Live and I found this too sweet for words.

Analisa is such a good eater. Again, the post on BLW is underway! In a nutshell, it's just like, let her eat what we're eating. And it helps that Ana loves ... most things I put in front of her. Meat and potatoes, fruit, most veggies, even a bite of Robby's ice cream cone last week. You should have seen her face. It was Ray's Ice Cream, for reference, so at least she got the good stuff! I was going to hold off until her first birthday before she had any dessert, but you know what, YOLO. Her face! Was hilar. It was on Snapchat, and I probably should have saved the clip.

Uncle Rob

Robby's between jobs right now, which means he's home! Ana lovvvvvvves Uncle Robby, and adores riding on his shoulders. She's definitely never been up that high -- she has the biggest smile on her face whenever he tosses her up there. They are so cute together.

Our tooth count is up to TWO, and they're both on the lower bottom. Derpy af and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sparty babes

She still goes with the flow better than probably any baby in existence (biased, I realize). We took her out for the Lions game last Sunday and she sat in a bar with us for ... 4 1/2 hours? I mean, I had her up and about, and reading and playing and crawling (cough, on the pool table), but she loved it! I mean, in our defense, it was more of a bar/restaurant than just a bar. <Insert baby-in-a-bar movie line>   But still -- whenever people count us out or assume James and I just want to sit at home based on Ana ... we're like NAH. Will travel anywhere or do anything. I wonder what Dr. Jenn would say about a baby in a bar ... ;) Also, everyone thought she was a boy, all because of that Honolulu blue T. Lame! 

Our son, nervous about the game

She also ...

Gives kisses -- which just means, she smiles really big, knows what you're asking for, and leans into your lips with her mouth open. James MELTS into a pile of love; it's honestly my favorite thing to witness. He just goes, "ohhhhhmygod" and laughs, then adds, "I love that so much!"  And I LOVE THAT SO MUCH.

Stands up, even in places where she shouldn't -- haha, which means we'll be at Target (this was the other day), and she'll be happy as a clam, riding in the cart, then I'll stop to pick up face wash, look over at her, and she's like, steadying herself with the cart handle, STANDING. Just balancing in the sitting area. She's so proud of herself, and I'm like, mortified/shocked. It happened as I was paying, too! The cashier was like, "you've got a jumper!" Haha luckily I haven't lost her yet, or faced too much fellow-mom scrutiny. Time to start buckling that bear in TIGHT. Oh, and same deal in the bathtub. She's all, "Why the heck do you want me to sit here for my scrub-down? Didn't you hear I could stand?" Anddddd then she tries to grab the sides of the tub and pull herself up. She'll get like, obsessed with the idea. Talk about a one-track mind. We have one of those mats on the bottom, which make it harder for her to slip, but still. I have to distract her hard with either her bath book, or her plastic fish.

#myovaries

Laughs -- (well, she's been laughing for quite some time), but she wants to get in on the joke if everyone else is laughing. It takes her a second, but she'll realize something funny is happening and then chime in with a giggle of her own. #CUTESTEVER  Or, on a rare occasion, James will make fun of me, "is Mommy the most irresponsible person ever for losing her car registration slip in the first place?" And Ana will cackle. Yep, that happened. James was deeeeelighted!

Was so cute at Can's wedding! And I love that she got to meet all my friends who were in from out of town, who hadn't seen her yet.

Loves books -- which just makes my heart ooze with love. I swear you guys, she sits by herself and thumbs through her board books. (We're trying to hide her non-board books ... she's destroyed Corduroy and Olive My Love in the past week. Verdict is out on Jamberry, and Lucy and Tom). She also points to things in said board books, tries to follow the words with her pointer finger, and brings me the books she wants to read! My life is complete. Oh wait, the "Dada" book by Jimmy Fallon -- you guys, she turns the page and goes "DADA!" and points! Overload of adorable-ness. OK, I'll do it because I do it every month: "Is there EVEN a cuter age than 9 months? No? I didn't think so!"

And because people are far too obsessed with such things (WHAT PERCENTILE IS SHE OMG OMG OMG), our doctor finally showed us on the chart at our last appointment ... and the answer is, pretty average! Average height, average weight (well, closer to chunky on the weight front, but not by much). She's 20 pounds! The next thing you know, she'll be walking and fully talking and going to college and getting married. WAH

See you back here the week of Oct. 8! Also, brainstorm on this for me, will ya? What kind of bear should Ana be for Halloween? I'm leaning toward polar. I told James that and he was like, "or panda or koala!" THESE, my friends, are the tough life choices.

(Still haven't given up on my doula dream. I swear I'll talk about it soon, in case anyone actually cares).

All the shit I say every single month: Ana's ...

• 8-month update
• 7-month update
• 6-month
• 5-month
• 4-month
• 3-month
• 2-month
• 1-month
• Birth story

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• All the shit I thought when I was pregz (lol)
• A random post on mascara (WHO IS STILL READING GO TO BED)