Nuby Medical Kit & Nail Care Set {Nuby Product Review}

When Connor was a baby, heck all the way until he was almost two, he had to take medicine a couple times a day. Because of this, I quickly learned the easiest way to give him medicine. It came in the form of a little medicine bottle. Thankfully with Isla, she has rarely ever had to take medicine. With her two year molars coming in a little early, I have given her medicine a time or two to help calm things down a bit. And let me tell you, the girl does not like taking medicine. Come at her with one of those medicine syringe things and chaos ensues. That is when I broke out the Nuby medi-nurser from the Nuby medical kit. She loved it. It gave her the control and makes giving her some pain relief so much easier. 

The medical kit also contains a medicine dropper, nasal aspirator, ear syringe, and medicine dispenser. I don't know about you, but as a mom I always think it is smart to have extra medicine dispensers handy because I always seem to loose the ones that come with the medicine! Plus, this one is way nicer and sturdier than the free ones you get with medicine. 

Another thing I cannot have too many of as a mom are baby nail clippers. I kid you not, I have so many pairs of them. The honest reason is because I lose them all the time, but also because I like to have them in the kids rooms, as well as the bathroom and I have a pair in my room for good measure! I told you I can't have too many! Nuby has a nail care set that includes not only baby nail clippers, but also little scissors and emery boards. 

Now I will be honest, as obsessed with baby nail clippers as I am, I have yet to ever use anything else on my kids nails, no scissors or emery boards for me, though I know people who prefer those methods to nail clippers. But about the nail clippers, I love the fun designs on them as well as the little safety cover that comes with them. That may have been my favorite part. I have never seen a cover before. So cute! 

You can purchase the Nuby medical kit at BuyBabyDirect.com for $6.99, as well as from Amazon. And you can purchase the Nuby nail care set at BuyBabyDirect.com for $6.99.

I am writing this post as part of the NUBY Mommy Blogger Program. I did not receive compensation for this post, although as part of the program I may receive items to sample or review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Lately {in photos}

1. Riding on a mini carousel

2. Figuring out his new scooter

3. Isla trying out chopsticks

4. And Connor sleeping thru our entire sushi dinner

5. Connor climbed onto the counter by himself 

6. Isla know where the good stuff is

7. Another day, another mini carousel

8. Connor likes those carousels too

9. Ian enlightening us with his coffee knowledge

10. Connor checking out our neighbor's snowman

11. Isla helping me clean

12. Connor just being cute

What I Wore {thirteen}

There is something about it being cold, but not too cold. You know, when you can wear long sleeves and look cute...and not bundle the heck up. It's kind of like being warm, but not too warm. When you can we are jeans and a t-shirt and not have to bring a sweater. Both non-extreme forms of weather are bliss to me. I guess you could call me a non-extremeist.

Sweater: Made Well

Tank Top: Michael Stars

Jeans: Made Well

Scarf: gift

Shoes: Old Navy

There is also something about my colored jeans. I really believe them to be my best clothing purchase in years. I love them. I love the pop of fun they add to my outfits. I love that they are like wearing jeans, yet not (especially how much they show stains!). I love how I feel when I wear them. I just love them.

Christmas?

I'm having a really hard time believing Christmas is well on its way to us. And that's weird for me. I am usually the one decorating for Christmas the evening of Thanksgiving and all about the Christmas music. But something is different this year and I am thinking it is the weather affecting me. The leaves are barely falling from our trees. The weather is still in the high 60's. It's just weird. I feel like fall is just coming, not Christmas. And what's with Thanksgiving being so early this year?! Everything feels off. But I will get there. I am getting ready to wrap the kids advent presents and I have our 12 dates of Christmas all planned out. I even ordered our Christmas cards today. It seems in action I am there, but in my head, I am not quite. I will get there though.

Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for this year...
First and foremost these two adorable little people. They may cause loss of sleep and make me feel like I am a full time referee, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
And my hubby, who is such an amazing man. Always there to take over the parenting duties when I need a little more sleep or need to get out with some friends. Not to mention, he always rubs my feet when I ask!
We have our health and for that I am infinitely thankful. There may have been some hiccups lately (hello, double ear infection!) but nothing major and for that I am thankful.
I am thankful for my little house that I love. Our street may have its share of crime, ok more than its share, but we have some great neighbors and live in a great neighborhood.
Then there are our families. Both equally amazing in their own ways. We really were blessed to be born into such great families (and marry into great ones too)!

The list could go on and on. For some reason, this year I have really reveled in thankfulness. Maybe I am just getting old growing up maturing, but I really feel thankful for this life I have been given.


And just so you know life isn't all peachy keen over here, here is the first photo we took. Isla is getting her two year molars at THIRTEEN MONTHS! She has been an awful mess. Two are mostly in and a third one broke through today. Hopefully she will get some relief soon and we will have a little more peace again soon as well.

Cause seriously, this picture about sums up my life the last few days.

Connor's Birthday Celebration

I am not a big party person, but I still wanted to do something to celebrate Connor's birthday and make him feel special. So what I decided to do was take him and a friend out for a couple hours of fun.

I took them to Funworks and first let them play in the soft play area. That was fun and easy. I could basically sit there and watch them run around. It was funny to see their differences in personalities come out as they would both want to play with different things and would be yelling for each other to come with them.

Next up was games! I thought this would be easy, but I was wrong. Two three-year-olds running in opposite directions is anything but easy! And once I would get them to settle on a game and put a token in, then would both take off, leaving me there to play the game by myself. In the end, I found the older kid games were easier and better for them. They both got a kick out of this helicopter game...the car games were too hard because I had to press the pedals the whole time! And though skiball was entertaining, it was dangerous for anyone around us, as they threw the balls at the targets. And good 'ole ride on cars are always a hit!

After the kids were done playing I was worn out and ready to sit for a bit, we headed to In-n-Out. Both boys were super into the stickers they give you and sat there quietly playing with the stickers while we waited for our food.

On the way to take Connor's friend home, Connor zonked out in the car. That rarely happens so early in the day anymore, but he was obviously tired and I was happy to let him catch some shut eye so he would be ready to go that evening.

Ian's parents, his brother and my brother came over for cake and to sing Connor happy birthday. Before we even got around to lighting the candle, Connor stuck his car in the cake.

And apparently Connor takes after me...about halfway through us singing to him, he covered his face in embarrassment.

Connor blowing out his candle turned in to quite the debacle. He wouldn't get close enough to blow out the candle. After going at it for a couple minutes (NO exaggeration!), he finally got close enough to blow the candle out. And he then didn't waste any time and went in for a bite of cake!

I hope my little birthday boy felt loved and celebrated and enjoyed his third birthday.



Unfortunately it appears I have hit my photo limit on my little blog. So, until I get that sorted, no more pictures of Connor and his cake! Hopefully I can get it sorted tonight so I can add the rest of the pictures.

Update: Picture debacle sorted!

Family Pictures

Since having kids, family pictures around the holidays has turned in to a bit of a tradition. We had ours taken a week ago and I was excited to see how they turned out. As you may or may not know, family photos involving children are always an adventure. There is always someone who doesn't want to look at the camera, or perhaps someone who doesn't even want to be in the photo!

By the looks of these pictures, all those fruit snacks used to bribe my kids paid off. The pictures are beautiful.

 

I can't wait to get these up on my walls! And all over my Christmas cards! Aww, I love em!


In case you are local and looking for a photographer, we use Kori & Jared and they always blow me away with their amazing photos.

Clifford - The Big Red Dog

A friend of mine read my last post and noticed that Connor likes Clifford, so informed me that he would be at the library this weekend. See, if it weren't for blogging, I never would have known about this! I thought it would be a fun little outing for Connor. But I was also afraid how it would go. He is so unpredictable at times and I was afraid he would hate Clifford, after all he hates parades (goes phycho until we leave them). But to the library we went.

There was a long line and those lines are never easy with toddlers. But I managed...by giving him my iPhone. Those iPhones, one of the best inventions for parents. And there I go again, getting side tracked. As soon as it was Connor's turn to see Clifford, he immediately ran up to him. He was definitely excited. He was grabbing Clifford's arms and forcing Clifford to hug him. It was cute.

Despite how hard the adorable old lady volunteers and I tried, Connor refused to look at the camera. And what happened next, well it was so Connor. He dropped to the floor and decided to crawl under Clifford.

The librarian laughed and said in all Clifford's years of visiting the library, that was the first time she had seen that happen. Leave it to Connor! She also was laughing at how active he was and said he was "all boy". And we all know that is the truth!

After getting a book, the Clifford craze line had died down, so I decided to try one more time to get Connor to pose with Clifford. Thankfully he obliged.

That little boy. I love him so much and was glad I was able to take him to do something he loved. And maybe, just maybe he will remember meeting Clifford in real life the next time we read one of his books.

Connor {3 years}

Weight: 31 lbs, 6oz

Height: 37.5 inches

Accomplishments:

Talks up a storm...and surprises me with the words he knows

Knows his abc's & recognizes many letters

Can count to 15 and recognizes numbers

Fully potty trained - day & night

This little man turned three today. He was way more interested in playing with his fireman hat than posing for pictures. At first I wasn't happy about this, then I realized these photos really do represent where he is at in life right now and that made me smile.

Some of Connor's current favorites in life right now are Fireman Sam, all things train (Thomas, Chuggington, real trains, etc.),  cars, cheese, candy, soda (when he manages to steal it from people), going though the car wash. Connor still has a great interest in books and will "read" them. It is really cute to hear him "read" the story. His current favorite book is Dr. Seuss's Are You My Mother, followed closely by any Thomas the Train books, Clifford books and Maisy books.

I should also mention that daddy has definitely become Connor's favorite. Connor always wants Ian to put him to bed and literally won't even say goodnight to me unless Ian forces him. But I must say, it isn't all bad because he now also prefers Ian if he wakes up at night. And that, well it is pure bliss for me.

Connor's latest trend in sleeping has been him coming into our bed in the middle of the night. I both love it and dislike it. I love it because I do love the cuddles...I grew up sneaking into my parents bed every night and cuddling with my dad. And well, he seems to sleep in longer in the morning if he is in our bed. I dislike it because somehow I end up literally falling out of the bed as Connor and Ian take over. Last night I actually slept at the foot of the bed once Connor joined us. And speaking of sleep, Connor really doesn't nap anymore. On the days that he does, it usually is very hard to put him to bed that night. But I do try to always give him some quiet time every day.

As I mentioned above, Connor is fully potty trained. Boy was that a battle of the wills. But once I figured out what worked for him, we haven't had a problem since. He rarely ever has an accident, including at night. And I have to say, it is so nice not having to change those extra diapers every day. Not to mention, teeny-tiny underwear are just about the cutest thing ever! Did you know they even make boxer briefs for little boys?! So freaking cute.

Ever since having my own babies, I have been shocked how engrained in us our gender is. And Connor is all boy. It makes me laugh to see how into trains, cars and tractors he is. That doesn't mean that he doesn't like helping me in the kitchen or push around Isla's doll stroller from time to time, but this boy would certainly prefer lining up his dinosaurs on the train track and ramming them with his trains any day of the week!

Connor has been so excited about his birthday. He kept saying "I will be three on my birthday". And yesterday when I told him the special things we had planned for his birthday, he said "That sounds AMAZING...my birthday" It was so cute. His only request for his birthday has been cake and cake we will have tonight when we celebrate this adorable little boy turning three.

My Little Ham

This little girl of mine is such a ham and already knows how to work it for the camera. As soon as she spots the lens on her, this is her signature face. Too funny.

Reminds me of a time not so long ago when Connor would flash a smile every time he noticed the camera on him. Then it makes me wonder if she too will quickly loathe her mom-a-razzi. I sure hope not.

The Ups and Downs of Parenting {three}

This whole parenting of two toddlers thing is exhausting. It makes the days long and torturous. When they are separated, they are great. Put them together and chaos ensues. Yelling, screaming, crying, pushing, kicking, stepping on...it is brutal.

Everyone seems to have suggestions for us - more discipline, more alone time, more quiet time, Connor having toys that Isla can't touch, blah, blah, blah. And those in the exact same position as me? Well they seem to offer a knowing smile. It helps to know I am not alone in this. That my children are not the only sibling abusers out there. Actually, I should be clear, there is really one abuser and a victim. The victim is slowly learning to defend herself. But it has been a long process.

Connor can actually get his foot up in Isla's car seat and kick her when we are driving. Sometimes I think about driving myself to the nearest car dealership and buying an 15 passenger van to give them more space!

All of this is also making me take pity on my mom. My brothers and I fought growing up. Brutally. We fought for bruises and blood. I remember how upset my mom would be about the whole situation. I now feel her pain. I also fear it lasting as long as it did with my brothers and I. We stopped around the beginning of high school.

And the thing is, when there is that moment in the day when my kids are playing together, it is oh-so-freaking-cute. Melts my heart. Why can't they be like that all the time?

Lately {in photos}

 

1. Isla in one of her new birthday outfits

2. Connor fell asleep in the middle of the playroom

3. Isla ate chalk

4. My first eggnog latte of the season

5. Help, a monster is attacking the city!

6. Chasing trains

7. This girl likes her some jewelry

8. Jamba Juice!

9. An Elmo balloon from Papa

10. Chores...starting him young!

11. It appears I have another climber on my hands

12. Bath time

Awkward/Awesome {ten}

Awkward: Plopping myself down on a public toilet only to find it wet

Awkward x2: I don't use toilet seat covers 

Awesome: Spending time with a friend I haven't seen in a while...like almost a year

Awesome x2: There is never any awkwardness between us no matter how long we go between visits

Awesome: The most amazing taco truck tacos that are just blocks from my parents home

Awkward: The jealousy I have toward my parents for living so close to said tacos

Awkward: Being thrown up on by my child

Awesome: Laughing hysterically about it, cause what else can you do?

Awkward: Ian was also hit and didn't think it was as funny as I did

Awkward: Crossing the picket line to go grocery shopping

Awesome: All the free stuff and deals they use to entice you in!

Awesome: Going to In-n-Out super early for lunch

Awesome x2: No line and open tables

Awkward: Being the youngest people there by like 50 years