Mama & Munchkin Must Haves | Months 3-6

The three month blur is behind us and it feels so good! I always heard that after the first 12 weeks, things just get so much easier, and that really is true! It seems like nursing just got 10x easier, we found a good schedule that works for us which is awesome. Cooper started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks.. however, that only last until he was 16 weeks old.. and then his awesome sleeping habits went down the drain. Part of me feels like I have a newborn again, with the lack of sleep. Thankfully we are still on a good nursing schedule, except at night which could range from only 2 feedings, to feeding every 30 minutes. I am praying to the sleep gods that he works his way through this, and pronto! With Cooper rolling over, and sitting up on his own, he is much more interactive with toys now. Our must-have list is kind of small because we're using a lot of what we used for months 1-3, bottles, pacis etc.

Imaginarium Alphabet and Number Foam Mat: We have this set up as a flat play mat for Cooper to roll around on and play on.
Jumper: We have three different jumpers, one for each house. We have the Sassy Bouncer, the Baby Einstein Neighborhood Friends Activity Jumper, and the Baby Einstein Neptune Activity Saucer 
Teething toys: Cooper's teething is in full swing, so we have loads of teething toys from ones that go in the freezer, to fresh food feeders that we put ice cubes or frozen fruit in.
Organic teething pods: These are a must-have for teething babes. We use BabyGanics benzocaine free gel teething pods. They have cloves in them which make Cooper smell like a little ham, adorable. But seriously, they really do help his teething pain.
Oatmeal: We got the go-ahead at Cooper's 4 month check-up to start him on oatmeal cereal. I was totally against it, because there really is no nutritional value to it and it really only fills them up with empty calories.. however.. Everyone was telling me to give it to him before bed to help him sleep, so I tried it, and I got an extra hour or so out of him before his first wake-up.. but it did nothing after that. So, I figured if it gives me at least an extra hour, then I'll go with it. I made sure to get the Gerber oatmeal that has the "vita blocks" so he's getting extra vitamins from it. I also justify it by adding at least 3 ounces of pumped breast milk into the bowl with the cereal.
Bowls/spoons: We were advised by our pediatrician to not give Cooper his oatmeal in his bottle as this can lead to choking, so we just give it to him in a bowl with a spoon. He did pretty well with it from the get-go. We use the Babies R Us Reusables Bowls with Lids and Munchkin Reusable Infant Spoons He obviously can't use them himself yet, so we just picked something that was easily washable, reusable and cheap.

Easily accessible snacks and water/gatorade bottles are also a must for breast feeding mamas.

Happy 6 Month Birthday Baby Boy!

Happy six month birthday to the little love of my life. You have grown so much in these past six months, it still amazes me. I am so glad that you finally cut your first tooth, and hope that the rest will not be as painful for you. I wish I could take all of that pain away from you. We cannot wait to see if you walk or crawl first!! Daddy is certainly ready for you to get up and go so you two can start playing more interactively, while Mama on the other hand would love for you to stay this little forever. 

How old: 6 months

Looks like: A bit more balanced

Weight: 18 lbs 10 oz

Height: 27 inches

Likes: Going on the swings at the park, sitting up on his own, screaming at the dog for not playing with him, screaming at his toys for whatever reason, pretty much just screaming in general

Dislikes: Sleeping still

Milestones: Fully sits up on his own, is becoming quite the rolling machine, starting to balance himself on all fours & hold himself up on the edge of the couch.. I wonder if walking or crawling will come first?! On October 4th Cooper officially cut his first tooth! YAY!! We were also given the go-ahead to start him on purees! We are so excited! 

In preparation of our move to the islands, we starting cloth diapering, as bringing that many disposables is not feasible and shipping to St. Kits cost an arm and a leg, and buying disposables there costs even more. Thus far we have been using BumGenius 4.0 pocket cloth diapers and I love them. I currently have only snaps but am looking to get some velcro ones too.. easier for Daddy to put on a squirmy baby. I certainly need to build my stash so I'm not doing laundry every or every other day to keep up with him. I'm thinking about putting an Alva Baby order in for just at home diapers/play diapers since they're really cheap when you buy in bulk. I also want to get some GroVia hybrids for when he's with the grandparents or when we're traveling.. that disposable insert will really come in handy.

We love our lunch dates with Auntie Zib

Waiting for Daddy while he checks out his tree stand on the hunting grounds 

Uncle Andrew <3 

How I get laundry done.

We finally transitioned Cooper into his crib, in hopes of solving his sleeping issues.. fingers crossed.

Look at the first tooth!! 

Siegel's Cottonwood Farm Pumpkin Patch

We took Cooper to his first pumpkin patch with AJ's parents this week. They had some pretty cool petting zoo areas, and some nice pumpkins to pick from. However, many of their attractions that we were looking forward to doing were closed due to it being a weekday. Even all of their food places were closed! We were somewhat disappointed but, we did get some nice (huge) pumpkins. 

Feeding the goats! 

That cow kept trying to push its horns through the gate to get at us! 

He REALLY loves pumpkins. 

Jump Jump Jump! 

Cooper & Daddy

Pure excitement