Jett may be too young to participate in trick-or-treating, but there’s no way I would pass up an opportunity to dress him up for his first Halloween!
I knew that costumes could be pricey, so, on a tip from my sister, I ventured to oldnavy.com. Who knew Old Navy had Halloween costumes?!
Not only are they adorable, they’re cheap and made well!
As to which costume we got for Jett… You’ll have to come back next week to find out! :)
New BFFs!
Now that I’ve let TB (the cat) hang out upstairs with Jett more often, he seems to be obsessed! Pushing his way through the baby gate, head-butting the nursery door (OK, maybe I’m being a tad dramatic there)… He’ll do anything to get to where Jett is. And Jett’s the same… He can often be found at the baby gate, reaching his hand through to pet the furry creature on the other side.
I stumbled upon this sight at the end of naptime the other day… So cute.
A little Friday cuteness for y’all…
Ryan snapped this yesterday when they went to Old Navy to attempt to exchange the (slightly damaged) Halloween costume that I ordered for Jett online. Can you believe they sent me a less than perfect one?! I mean, this is his first Halloween - don’t they know?!?!
Anyway, they didn’t have a single boys costume in the store, and this particular one is sold out online, so we might just have to make due. Argh.
Album of the week: One Step Closer by The Doobie Brothers.
Music is essential, which is one of the many reasons I’m happy that Ryan is able to stay at home with Jett on the weekdays… He’s so good about taking time out to listen. Often times, I forget, or am lazy (And therefore will just switch to a Sirius/XM channel on the TV… Which counts, I suppose). Ryan is good about exposing Jett to some good ol’ vinyl, though.
Nice.
Whole wheat pancakes!
Since Jett is starting to eat more “big boy” foods, I’ve been on the lookout for simple, healthy and tasty recipes. I knew whole wheat pancakes would be great, since he could eat the by themselves (cut into tiny pieces, of course), or I could top them with a little applesauce or mashed banana.
These can be frozen and taken out one (or two) at a time for breakfast, lunch or dinner (for baby or his parents!).
Here’s a super simple recipe I found on cooks.com:
QUICK MIX WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened (batter may be lumpy). Cook on preheated griddle until bubbles form and edges start to dry. Flip and cook until lightly browned.
Enjoy!
Yesterday we had an adventure of the pumpkin patch variety…
We headed out to Lebanon for farm animals, a hay ride, some good ol’ country air… And pumpkins!
I’m not going to lie… As we pulled up and noticed there was only one other family at the farm, I wondered if we were going to be victims of vampires or zombies (Too many scary movies, perhaps?)… But alas, we survived. And not only did we survive, we had a good time, too!
I remember going to a pumpkin patch when I was a kid and having a blast, so I always knew that when I had children, I’d like to make it a tradition. And even though Jett might not remember this trip to the pumpkin patch when he’s older, he sure had fun seeing the animals and touching the pumpkins! Plus, it’s always nice for us city kids to take a trip out to the country every now and then.
So, if you’re thinking about taking a trip out to a pumpkin patch this year, do it! So fun and fall festive!
Nine months!
Now Jett is…
Crawling like a madman…
Laughing 24/7 (Srsly. Ryan brought him to his vision exam, and apparently Jett was cracking up as he read the letters!)…
Eating lots of “big boy” food (Like the lasagna he had last night!)…
Sleeping 11-12 hours, with maybe a quick wake-up sometime in the wee hours…
Taking 2 naps, ranging in length from 1/2 - 2 hours…
Loving his blocks and balls…
Splish-splashing in the sink during bath time…
Loving the dog and cat…
Making his mommy and daddy fall more in love with him each day!
We had some fun times this weekend!
Ryan and I went to Margot on Friday to celebrate our anniversary. It was fabulous, as we expected it would be!
On Saturday, Jett and I met some friends at the library for the Ellingtown puppet show. It was quite different than the mother goose puppet show, but Jett seemed to like all the sounds, puppets and shadows. After the show, we ran over to East Park to let the boys swing for a bit, which they loved!
On Sunday, we watched the sad Titans game, and then met Aunt Linny (pictured) at Dragon Park for some fun times with Crosby (the 3-year-old Linny watches). We hit up the swings again, and I’m starting to think Jett would just swing forever if I’d let him!
:)
I finally decided I was ready to let Jett sleep with a blanket last week. I bet he’s so comfy!
They say to keep blankets, etc., out of the crib until 1 year, but since Jett’s a pro at rolling/crawling/getting around in general, AND since we are still using the Angel Care motion sensor, I feel okay with it.
Plus it gets kinda cold at night these days!
Oh, and yes… He often sleeps with his head agains the side of the crib. Why does he do that?!
I’ve made a goal for myself… Cook four nights a week. And by “cook”, I mean “anything requiring more effort than opening a box of frozen pizza”.
So, on Saturday I came up with my meal plan… Chicken Parmesan, turkey tacos, burgers, and spaghetti with sausages… We can eat out or have leftovers the other three nights.
After making my shopping list, I decided what I could get at TJ’s, and what we’d need to get at Kroger. I absolutely love shopping at TJ’s - I find it more of a pleasure than a chore - but I also love using coupons at Kroger.
We went to TJ’s on Saturday morning, which is becoming quite a popular thing for us, and I figured we could pick up what we needed from Kroger sometime on Sunday.
But then it was so nice outside on Sunday, we decided to take a walk instead (see pic).
The end.
It was impossible for me to not post this pic today! Ryan snapped it at Centennial Park yesterday… Jett is one happy baby!
It’s funny… You take a million photos of your baby - most of them a little blurry, or lacking smiles - just to get that ONE pic. But when you do get that pic, it’s so worth it!
:)
On Saturday, we went to a Mother Goose puppet show at the library. I knew the library offered lots of wonderful (and free!) programs for children, but had yet to experience them because (a) everything is a little daunting the first time, especially with a baby, and (b) we do so much running around on weekends, so it’s a little stressful to plan something that’s at a specific time.
Since we happened to be out and about a little before 10:30 (the time of the puppet show), I figured, why not? I’m so glad I did, since Jett had a good time, and now I feel confident enough to go to library events with the little guy!
The children’s theater was packed, so we just took a seat on the floor in the back. I figured it was good to be near the back, anyway, in case we had to make a quick exit.
The actual puppet show was great, but I think Jett might’ve liked the people-watching more than the show. There were kids of all ages, along with their parents (and grandparents) of all ages… So, yeah - fun people-watching for a little dude who loves to people watch!
Can’t wait ‘till next time!
We’ve entered the time of shopping cart rides and restaurant high chairs! It may not sound totally exciting, but let me tell you… It is!
At Trader Joe’s, it was nice to not have to put the bulky carrier in the cart… It allowed for much more room for my goodies. It was also much more exciting for Jett, it seemed. I’m a take-my-time shopper, so it’s nice that he seems to like riding in the cart enough to allow a somewhat lengthy shopping trip. Again, maybe something that doesn’t sound fun for everyone, but what can I say? I love to shop for groceries, especially at fun places like TJ’s!
As far as the high chair thing goes… After a rough time at Starbucks a couple weekends ago, I think it’s safe to say that Jett is now a fan! We went to Chuy’s on Sunday and Monday (Yes, two days in a row, but with different people…) and he really had a good time on both occasions!
Since we are just about to eight (EIGHT!?) months, I thought I’d list a few other recent milestones…
He’s now quite stable while sitting…
Doing a modified pre-crawling side-scoot…
Eating quite large meals (Cereal and/or a fruit and/or veggie) twice a day…
Pet the dog and cat for the first time…
Grabbing objects quite well with both hands…
Recognizes his name…
Looking forward to the fun things month eight has in store!
Friends!
One of my new favorite things: introducing Jett to other babies!
That’s Jett with Auggie yesterday at Chuy’s… They had so much fun! At first they were a little shy, but soon enough, Jett was grabbing the tag on Auggie’s high chair cover and trying to put it in his mouth!
He also met another little guy - Carter - last Thursday! While he was even more shy on that occasion, I’m guessing he is just warming up to this whole “socializing” thing at his own pace.
Carter and Auggie are such cute babies… I can’t wait ‘till our next play date with each of them! I don’t know who has more fun, though… The babies, or their moms?
Floor time is obviously important for babies, and - for mommas - learning to let your baby explore is also quite important.
This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about a couple things…
First of all, I’m really encouraging floor play, since Jett’s sitting quite well, and he’s learning to get from one place to another (primarily by using this side-scoot-squirm that he seems to have mastered)…
I’ve also started to tell myself that it’s ok for him to be on the floor (especially the upstairs carpeted floor) without a blanket underneath him. I mean, I guess I should get used to it now, because when he’s able to crawl, I’m sure he’s not going to stay put on a tiny blanket)…
So fun! And it’s so exciting to see his eyes light up when he’s seeing things from a different perspective!
We spent the weekend in coffee shops.
No, really. We were in coffee shops at least a couple hours each day. Which is quite a large ratio of coffee-shop time to non-coffee-shop time, compared to most weekends.
We met our friend Tim and his girlfriend at Fido on Saturday… We had a lot of fun catching up and Jett loved meeting some new friends.
On Sunday, we met a group of people who were taking their daughters to Vandy at Starbucks. One of the moms is a friend from Arkansas, so it was so fun to see them and chat about college. What a fun time! It’s hard to believe that it was 13 years ago when my parents dropped me off for college… Sheesh.
So yeah… Lots of coffee shop time this weekend. Which got me to thinking about how great coffee shops are. Great atmospheres, and such an inviting atmosphere, which definitely encourages lingering. Aren’t they just the best?
The pic above is of Jett at Starbucks… His first time in a highchair (outside of home), actually! And let’s just say he wasn’t quite fond of it. We’ll just try again next time!
He’s at that stage where he’s not so tiny that we feel the need to bring his carrier everywhere, yet barely big enough for restaurant highchairs… So we’re just winging it. Plus, his carrier is getting quite heavy!
Happy Monday!
We’re sitting pretty well these days… :)
He can’t sit for like an hour or anything, but maybe a few minutes if he puts his mind to it.
Oh, and I just got back from lunch with my lovelies… We went to Arnold’s again, and I just have to say that the baked chicken is delish!
And so are the new chocolate chip cookies at McDonald’s.
Dangerous stuff.
