Nuby Silicone Squeeze Feeder {Nuby Product Review}

From the first time I used the Nuby Silicone Squeeze Feeder, it instantly went onto my list of must have baby products. Is it necessary for raising a child? No. Does it make life a heck of a lot easier? Yes. In case you aren't familiar with a squeeze feeder, basically you fill it up with the baby food of your choice, and feed baby with the attached spoon. It is that easy. I am not sure why, but for some reason I have a lot less of a mess to clean up when I use the silicone squeeze feeder. I don't know if it has to do with me normally trying to feel Isla too much in one bite, but I don't seem to have to constantly wipe her face and end up with a mess all over. 

The other thing I love is that I can pre-fill it with food and take it with me on the go. It has a cover for the spoon that keeps the food in. So far, in the 3 months I have been using the spoon, I have yet to have it leak on me while on the go. Also, it cleans super easily. The packaging said to expect for staining or discoloration. My spoon is still pretty dang clean. You can see in the video that there hasn't really be discoloration of my spoon. And I clean it by just popping it in the dishwasher. As with most of my small baby gadgets, I throw it in the bottle basket so I don't loose anything in the dishwasher. 

If you care to see a little demonstration, check out my video. You will get the opportunity to hear me overuse the word "literally". Aww, it's so fun to see one's self on video and then critique to no end.  

You can purchase the Nuby Silicone Squeeze Feeder online at diapers.com or the infant version meant for first foods and cereal - Softflex Infafeeder at www.BuyBabyDirect.com.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of the Nuby Mommy Blogger program I may receive items to sample or review. 

If you are a mom of a little one, or a soon to be mom on a little one, here are a couple Nuby giveaways to check out:

• Rockerbybaby is giving away a bunch of Nuby newborn care products
• Fabulous Finds is giving away some Nuby feeding products
• Diapers and Mascara is giving away a Nuby Bug-a-loop Teether

A Miracle Has Occurred

While I was getting Isla out of the car tonight, Ian says "Uh Jess, you are going to want to see this." I walk up, thinking I am once again going to see something gross (we have been finding a lot of grossness covered in ants lately), but instead I saw this:

Yep folks, that is MY GNOME back on my front porch!!! I looked around for a note...I really did. There wasn't one. I am just going to assume he went on an adventure. Or perhaps the punk teenager's parents saw him and forced them to return him. Either way, I am so freaking happy!

Guilty

This mama is guilty of giving her 9 month old, yes, 9 month old, a lolly pop. Wowsers. Judge away. 

Aww, I remember the days...back when I made all the food that Connor consumed. There were no added salts or sugars. All fresh and natural. Then something happened. The baby food maker broke. I then broke the blender. And then I lost my motivation. 

Then the other day, I found myself in a store. Connor was happily sucking away on a lolly pop, Isla turned around and snatched that lolly pop from him like her life depended on it. It made her happy. She didn't choke. She enjoyed every last suck of that lolly pop. 

Yep. I now give my 9 month old lolly pops. Like I said, judge away. Just remember, I will be here to judge right back once you have two little ones and are trying to get some errands done. 

How I Met Your Father {two}

It's been a while, so if you want to refresh your memory on where we were, feel free to here. 

Like I said, Ian kissed me for the first time, then the next night went to prom with another girl named Jessica. If I was older, I so wouldn't have allowed that. But, I was young and smitten, so it wasn't a big deal. And that other Jessica, she wasn't even a hiccup in our love story. Moving on...

That first summer was a good one. We stayed up to all hours of the night...at his house, of course, given that his curfew was so early. Sorry Grimbleby's, we will probably never let this one go! You can torture us once our kids are teenagers! I can remember sitting on the couch watching a movie at his house, holding hands. Ian's mom walked in the room and he instantly let my hand go. Then we progressed to cuddling (another night) and Ian practically pushed me across the room when his mom walked in. Aww, young love and learning to deal with it all in front of the parents! 

School started again. Ian played football. I went to the games with our friends. I didn't really pay attention. Sorry Ian, football isn't really my thing. After the games, I would usually go back to his house and watch a movie. For Christmas, Ian got me a heart shaped necklace. A necklace I still have today. He wrapped it in a piñata. A piñata I still have today. I actually thought about throwing out the piñata a couple months ago, but just wasn't ready to let go. 

Then there was new years. It was Y2K people. That was kind of a big deal. Ian decided to have a bunch of friends over and we would all spend the night. Given that it would be inappropriate for me to sleep anywhere near Ian, I had to sleep across the house in Ian's little brother's room, while everyone else (a couple girls included) got to sleep in the living room. Oh, the hard life of the girlfriend. Apparently I was one that couldn't be trusted! 

Us at Ian's winter formal:

Sometime in the middle of those winter months, I wrote Ian a card telling him all the reasons why I loved him, ending it with saying (okay, writing...I took the wussy easy lame way out) I love you. That was a first. Ian didn't say anything about the card. I was dying with uncomfortableness. Finally, one night we were sitting in my car out in front of his house. It was raining...I always loved how my car sounded like being in a tent in the rain (it was a convertible). My head was laying against Ian. We were sitting there quietly and he just says "I love you". I remember being so excited. I was so glad he wasn't looking at me in the face because I had the worlds biggest smile on my face. 

I went to Ian's prom again with him that year. My hair had glitter in it and it ended up all over Ian. I remember Ian's mom making jokes about it. A suggestion to you Isla, don't put glitter in your hair. That way you won't get harassed when your boyfriend ends up with it all over his shoulders. 

Like a week before Ian's high school graduation, he came down with mono. Everyone seemed to wait for me to get it, but I never did. I have a super good immune system...or something like that. It sucked while Ian had mono. His parents practically didn't want me visiting Ian because he needed to rest. It sucked. That is one of the biggest things I remember about that summer. Ian being stuck at home recovering and me going out with friends every night because, lets face it, a girl's still gotta have fun! 

But big changes were right around the corner. We were both headed off to college...3.5 hours apart. 

P.S. Its funny to look back at old times and think about how annoying parents were. Now we are well on our way to being those over-bearing, strict parents ourselves. Scary. 

Goodbye, My Dear Gnome

I know many of you will think I am a crazy person after reading this. I already realize I have a weird attachment to certain inanimate objects. Its just how I am. 

Last night when I opened the front door to take out the trash, I immediately realized something looked different. My gnome was gone. My friendly little gnome from Scotland was gone. Its not like he was expensive, but to me he was special. Before you go all crazy on me telling me that I shouldn't have something that important in my front yard, lesson learned. But still, shouldn't I be able to have something on my front porch, on my property, and not have to worry about it?! Stupid society! 

What makes me sad is some punk teenager probably stole him and is just going to smash him for fun. I'm going to miss you little fellow. Thank you for serving my doorsteps well over the years. 

P.S. I am still holding out hope that someone took my gnome to travel the world 

Scotland is My Homeland

I found this cheesy tourist Scotland t-shirt while thrifting the other day. For a dollar, I just couldn't pass it up. I took it home and showed it to Connor. I told him that was Scotland on the shirt and had him say Scotland.

This morning I decided to dress Connor in his new Scotland shirt. I held it up to him and asked what was on the shirt. He responded with "tot-land".  Such a cute (and smart) kid! I put it on him and proceeded to make him say "Scotland is my homeland". It was pretty dang cute.

I realize that right now Connor doesn't understand the significance of Scotland to him, but someday he will. And I couldn't help but smile a bit when I pulled out his passport the other day and under place of birth it said United Kingdom. That's a pretty fun thing to be able to say little buddy. You are a man with two countries.

When Did This Happen?

First I looked at the date and was all thrown off thinking something was wrong. Certainly it can't be the end of JULY already. Seriously people. Why is life flying by so freaking quickly?!

And then this adorable little person is now standing up in her crib. We only lowered it from the top setting last month. Now we need to lower it to the bottom. That makes me feel like Isla is so grown up...and also makes it so much harder for me to lay her down when she is sleeping. But I guess I will take one for the team all in the name of safety.

You should have seen Isla when I walked in this morning. I was freaking shocked to see her standing in her crib and she was just totally proud of herself. And she was loving bouncing up and down on her bed. And then tonight, I was reminded of a new phase of life. The I-can-stand-in-my-crib-and-scream-instead-of-sleep phase of life. Awww, it seems like we were just there with Connor...

What I Wore {eleven}

This dress is the epitome of versatility. I have worn it through pregnancy, through postpartum horribleness and back again. When I bought it SIX YEARS AGO, I don't think I really understood how well this $20 investment would be to me. Seriously, a dress that can fit a full term pregnant woman and back again and still look good?! That just be crazy! To top it off, the top is super stretchy, thus making it the perfect nursing top.* Loves it!

Dress: Forever 21

Necklace: PacSun

Shoes: H&M

I know its a good thing to get a lot of use out of clothes, but sometimes I think I am a bit cheap  of a loser fashionably handicap because I wear the same clothes for so long. Just saying.


* When I bought this dress, pregnancy and nursing were about the farthest things from my mind. Way to go 2006 me for picking up a dress that has served me so well!

Sibling Love

There is something about seeing Connor and Isla together that melts my heart. I think it has to do with me thinking of my childhood and the built in buddies I was raised with. It just makes me happy that they have each other.

I love watching Isla smile huge when Connor is doing something funny...which to her is ALL THE TIME.

Or seeing both of them needing to play with what the other person has...or for that matter, eating what the other person has! Or perhaps even sitting in mom's lap at the same time!

And just so you know, my kids are totally normal. Just like the relationship I had with my brothers, one zillion times a day, I have to stop Connor from stepping on Isla's little hands, pinching her, hitting her over the head, poking her cheeks with a little too much excitement...yet somehow, through it all, she still thinks her brother is the best.

Sleep

Isla has never been what I would consider a stellar sleeper. She has been in with us...in our bed that is...since she was a wee little one. I was a sucker and wanted some sleep. And it kept going from there. I didn't tell too many people because, after all, I didn't want to deal with the judgement. A baby, in my bed. I know the judgement is washing over you just reading that. But allowing her to lay next to me all night and have marathon nursing sessions allowed me to get some sleep. But I knew this was going to change. It needed to change. And change it did after our little trip to Napa. The first night we were gone, Isla woke up three times for my mom and only took a bottle one of those times. The second night, she only woke once. Her first night back with us, she woke a whopping seven times. Exhausting, right? I would like to say that was out of the norm, but it wasn't completely. Anyway, after that, Ian decided we had to get her out of our room. So, I kindly explained to him that he needed to get up with her because when I did, she would smell my milk and go postal until I fed her. 

After two nights of Ian getting up with Isla, she was much better. I would like to say some grand thing like she sleeps for twelve hour stretches, but that is just so not true. But still anything is an improvement. Isla is sleeping in her bed every night and wakes about two times a night to feed. It is a commitment on my part to drag my sleepy butt into her room and feed her back to sleep, but I am not into letting her cry it out, so it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. Even with that willingness, teething/the 9 month regression or whatever else you want to call it, still can take a toll on me. And I still don't understand how after a crazy night, Isla can wake up with a smile on her face and I can wake up not knowing what way is up. Seriously, there was a day last week that I felt awful. Worse than ever. But thankfully, Isla does throw me a bone every once in a while and slept all the way through until 5:30am on Tuesday night. Of course, I had to pay for it on Wednesday night, but thats another story. And I won't even get into Connor's new habit of waking at night. 

After the past nine months that I have had (plus those restless months while pregnant), I am convinced that sleep deprivation is the way to go in terms of torturing people. Forget that illegal water boarding, just sick some crazy babies on those fools and they will crack in no time! Come on, most war criminals are men. And we know men aren't cut out for this stuff. Insert evil laughter here. 

Isla {9 Months}

Weight:  lbs

Length: 28 inches

Accomplishments:

Crawling everywhere

Clapping

4 teeth (2 on top and bottom)

This past month I have definitely seen the most change in Isla. She seems to have gone from a baby to a toddler overnight. I really think it is the moving around. Once they are fully mobile, life changes. Isla can entertain herself for long periods of time now because she will crawl and grab new toys once she gets bored. And it is oh-so-cute when she crawls from one room to another after me. Given that it is summertime, those little knees aren't covered and are getting quite the workout. They get dirty rather quickly. 

Isla loves to eat and loves putting those teeth she has to use chomping down on food. She loves her some bread, pretty much any fruit (cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, banana, apple, mango, peach), veggies (celery, red pepper) and cheerios. Now that I think about it, she really hasn't found a food she doesn't like. Connor was the same way. It sure makes my life easy! Isla is pretty much eating three meals a day with numerous nursing sessions thrown in there. And she is still waking about every three hours at night to feed. What?! She is a growing girl! And I am a sucker. I can't help it. 

Isla is becoming more and more a mommy's girl. She usually would prefer being with me than with someone else. If I am not in the room, she is fine. But if she can see me, she wants to be with me. And, she is making people work harder and harder at getting her to smile. Basically this means she has stopped smiling for any random person who decides to stop and talk to her in a high-pitched voice. My kid is mean. I can't help it. 

Isla is getting to the point that she has a pretty full head of hair. Its to the point that random people compliment her mane. People especially make comments about her having brown hair and blue eyes. And they make comments about her adorable chubby little legs...its the only time in her life she will appreciate those comments, so we will enjoy them while we can! 

When sitting in chairs, Isla loves to throw herself back as hard as possible. She can even make her highchair move while doing this. Ian is always afraid she is going to hurt her head. I think it is kind of funny. She also has taken to stealing her brother's toys. It causes friction between them, but it is a good lesson in sharing! 

My sweet mama's girl, we are enjoying having you light up our lives. You are so easy going and love your brother so much. And its fun having a little shadow crawl after me! 

Nuby in the Community {two}

A few days ago, I was able to participate in my second Nuby in the Community event. I was able to give out product to Families like us, a local adoption support group through Bethany Christian Services. Both families that have already adopted and families waiting for placement are a part of the group. And everyone was able to take home some Nuby loot!

Getting the product in the mail for these events is exciting because you never know what you will get. When I opened up the box and saw it filled with colorful section plates, I was excited. What a great product to give out at a BBQ! And, section plates are something no family can have enough of. One of the moms in the group even said that and talked about how great these plates are. 

My helper wasn't much of a help that day. He was more interested in checking out the product. I even tried numerous times to get pictures of us together and eventually gave up, ditched the camera and decided to just enjoy myself. Sometimes the photographer in me gets stressed out trying to capture the moment and it is then I realize I need to set the camera down and enjoy myself. So, sorry for the lack of pictures. 

Feel free to read about my first Nuby in the Community event here. 

If you have babies, or are expecting one, be sure to like Nuby USA on Facebook. They do weekly giveaways where they give away massive amounts of product at a time. A few of my friends have already won things. Exciting! 


And if you are a mom and on twitter, be sure to check out Nuby's ver first twitter party on July 24th. I am not an active one on twitter, and a twitter party seems way over my head, but I think I may try to figure it out...and perhaps win a prize ;) 

Awkward/Awesome {eight}

Awkward: It's been so long, you thought I forgot about awkward/awesome posts

Awesome: Thankfully, I haven't and am feeling inspired to write one

Awkward: Having a cashier point out to me that Isla was eating paper

Awesome: I gave it to her because HELLO, it was keeping her quiet

Awkward: Making plans, then realizing we already had plans with someone else

Awkward: Cat vomit (or something of the sort) on our driveway

Awesome: Connor pointing at it and saying "yucky"

Awesome: Connor being back in his room

Awesome x2: Connor saying "Mommy fix my room, daddy put door on"

*** That's right buddy, I did fix your room all by myself...hahaha!

Awkward & Awesome: Daily inappropriate text messages from my brother

Awesome: Said brother's new app that randomly gives pictures captions

Yes, that is my toddler drinking some red bull. Thats what uncles are for! 

Awesome: Being told by my friend's 9 year old that my bathing suit is "so cute"

Awkward: Finding myself fixing a display at Starbucks

Awkward & Awesome: I've taken 5000 pictures in the past 2.5 months. Yes, you read that correctly. 

Anything awkward or awesome happen to you lately?

And if you are my brother, you can't respond back with innaprooriate text messages from my sister! Even if it is true. 

Guess Who...

Guess who got her passport and is now free to leave the country as she pleases?! Well, accompanied by her parents. But still, this little tyke is rather excited.

After checking it out and the passport passing the taste test, Isla is ready for her first international travel...even if we will still be on the same continent. Canada here we come! Well, in another 5ish weeks. 


P.S. Here is the post of when Connor got his first passport. Seems like just yesterday, but a lifetime ago at the same time.

Mini Mushroom Pizzas

I saw this picture on pinterest for mini mushroom pizzas. Me, being the person that I am, didn't even bother to click on the link for instructions. I just took the idea and ran with it. 


At the store I debated between portobello mushrooms and normal. I went with normal because, well, they were less than half the price and I am cheap. On a side note, if I find a great deal on some protobello mushrooms, I may try them just because they are much bigger and would be fun. 


I washed the mushrooms and pulled the stems out. I dumped some pizza sauce in there (that wasn't actually pizza sauce, but whatever) and threw some grated mozzarella on top. For Ian and mine, I decided to add basil and tomato (home grown, oh yeah!) on top. At the last second, I decided to throw some balsamic vinegar on top of a few of them. Then I baked them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. 

Loved them! So tasty and so easy to do. They would make a great finger food at a party. You just have to be careful because they are really juicy. The balsamic vinegar pointless because you couldn't even taste it. 

I am thinking next time, I may try it with a pepperoni on top. I love the idea of easily adding veggies to our diet without compromising taste.