Glow in the Dark Easter Eggs: Egglo Eggs {a review}

by Meghan // April 16, 2019 // Comments off

This post was written 5 years ago, and still these eggs are a joyous tradition in our home! While you can no longer find these specific eggs for Resurrection Sunday, you can purchase the scrolls to go inside any glow in the dark egg HERE.

In our home, we have never done Easter egg hunts, or Easter baskets. In the spring, the kids get a spring basket, that is completely separate from Easter itself.

For the Resurrection, we read scripture leading up to that Sunday, learn about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, and have a nice family dinner. We avoid Easter bunnies and chocolate- Everything is pretty low key.

I had the chance to review Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs and the book, The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure by Egglo Entertainment.

About The Program

Egglo Eggs are different; they aren’t just another egg you stuff full of candy for your children to hunt on Easter morning. This program is based on John 1:5, “The Light shines in the dark and the darkness has not overcome it.” This entire set encourages your children to learn, love, and truly enjoy the real meaning of Easter. Though it is designed for children ages 4-13, it can be adapted for all ages. I used it with my three year old and 18 month old.

Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs and The Great Easter Adventure book are fun and Christ centered. The eggs either have a beautiful cross on them or are plain. There are 12 in a box, consisting of four colors- blue, green, yellow, and pink.

What I received

A box (12 eggs) Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs ($11.99)
The book The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure ($12.99)
The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure audio download ($2.99)
Egglo Treasures Scripture Scrolls ($4.29)
The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide ($14.99)

How we use the Program

Lexie and Max are both obsessed with eggs in general- Max likes to eat them, Lexie likes to crack them when we bake. We have one little play egg, I am not even sure where it came from, but they both obsessively play with it. Now that we have the entire set of glow in the dark Egglo Eggs, they like to go in the closet and watch them glow; we charge them several times a day! haha

I overheard big sister telling the tot, “Now, this light is just like the light Jesus.”

I wasn’t really sure if they would be into hunting the eggs, but I laid them on the counter and let them “charge” under the light so they would glow really well. The directions say to let them charge for about 30 minutes in direct sunlight, or 45 minutes under in-home lights.

So, we looked through the book (which in many ways was over Lexie’s 3 year old head, but was valuable non the less. Then I hid the eggs in her room (we have blackout shades in there so it was nice and dark) while they waited in the hall.

*I cannot tell you how much fun they had hunting for these glow-in-the-dark eggs!* But then, Lexie also understood the lesson of the glowing eggs, what they represent, and how they tie into Easter. It was a win-win for us all!

hunting egglo glow in the dark easter eggs

(it was dark in her room, but the flash on my camera is on)

We may have hidden and found the eggs a dozen times the first day. Quite possibly more. She has asked to do them once a day ever since. They are such a joy and I feel good about using them in our home.

After we tired out from the excitement of hunting the eggs, the kids enjoyed coloring some of the pages from The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide. There was something in there for both the kids to enjoy. The program guide includes lots of valuable activities, fun snack recipes, and items to print to add to your Egglo Eggs. It is also set up for both schools/churches and families. I highly recommend purchasing it to accompany your eggs.

As part of my review, I received the scripture scrolls as well- we love these! They take the eggs to a whole new level. We put the scrolls inside our eggs before hiding them, and then after the kids found all the eggs, we opened each one. Lexie thought it would be fun to choose a few scriptures as our memory verses for the coming weeks. Max just liked to shake them inside the eggs and make music. =)

Overall Experience

Our experience with the Glow In The Dark Egglo Eggs and The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure has been a positive one. It was a great way to add a little more fun into our Easter celebration, and keep Christ in the center of it all. Lexie understands the real meaning of Easter, and the little Mister is on his way to understanding too. That is what this program is about- and that is why I can gladly suggest this program to anyone interested in doing an Easter egg hunt or celebration with their children.

Connect with Egglo Entertainment

Maestro Classics: Stories In Music {a review}

by Meghan // May 6, 2014 // Comments off

We love music in our home. We also love classic books on CD or MP3- Maestro Classics has combined the two to bring us their collection of Stories in Music. Maestro offers several titles, but we were able to review Casey At the Bat CD and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel CD. We’re always listening to something, whether we’re sitting outside enjoying the sun or having a dance party in the kitchen. We appreciate the creativity and passion that goes into the music and it would be rude not to enjoy it whenever possible! We’re thinking of investing in a new speaker, something similar to the polk audio t15, so that no matter which room of the house we’re in, we get to listen to our favorite songs.

Maestro Classics has combined wonderful narration with the music of Stephen Simon and the London Philharmonic Orchestra to bring these stories to life. I reviewed the physical CDs, but you can also purchase the MP3s (see links at bottom of post). Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is recommended for ages 4+, while Casey At The Bat is recommended for all ages; my oldest is 3.5 and loved them. They are definitely appropriate (and fun) for any child that likes to listen to stories and/or music. Both stories in music can be purchased in the MP3 version, for $9.98; the CD version is $16.98.

Quick back story: Each day my children have independent play (IP) in the mornings. We get up, snuggle and have breakfast, play and do learning time, and then at 9am they go to their rooms for IP. While in IP, I always turn on “Jesus songs” for Lexie (children’s hymns). Max doesn’t have a cd player in his room, because soon they will share a room and he will just use hers. (So for now he plays with a key board that has songs on it in his room.)

Casey At the Bat

When we received our books on CD, Lexie immediately wanted to listen to the books in her room during IP. She climbed up in her bed with her “writing book” and pen, and doodled while listening to Casey At The Bat. The first time I joined her so we could listen closely for the different instruments in the music. We pointed out where the songs got LOUD, and where they were quiet. She really enjoyed the book itself, and of course listening to the orchestra. While listening to the story, you feel like you are really at a baseball game- there are cheering crowds, spectators, and the sound of the game itself that all bring the story to life, right in your home. When we listened to it with Max, he really enjoyed the cheering and clapping, and wanted to join in. =)

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

In our home, we love Virginia Lee Burton books. I think we have all of them now! Maestro Classics has taken one of her great stories, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and paired it with classical music, including bag pipes (which aren’t as annoying in the story as they may sound). This musical CD won a Parents’ Choice GOLD award and is beautifully done. The story is about friendship and loyalty, which are always valuable life lessons for little ones. All the titles from Maestro looks wonderful! I can’t wait to purchase more of them as gifts.

What I Thought

I think it is pretty clear that we are still enjoying both of these stories in music. The sound was clear and the narrator was easy to understand; the music of course was lovely, and the background additions were great at bringing the story to life. I love that they offer the CDs and also MP3 versions.

What I also found very exciting is that Maestro Classics has and entire educational materials page for activities and lessons that you can pair with their books on CD. They have FREE homeschool curriculum guides to go with the audio CDs-these include all areas of study! And, they have teamed up with A Journey Through Learning to bring you lapbooks that go with the CDs! This is awesome, and I think we may do some this summer for fun. Definitely check out the entire Maestro Classics website!

Where to Purchase:

Directly through website– there are links for both the MP3 and CD versions

Connect with Maestro Music at:

Facebook
Pinterest
All their titles here

Read more reviews from other Crew members:

KinderBach: Online Piano Lessons for Children {a review}

by Meghan // February 26, 2014 // Comments off

In recent weeks we have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to try and use a beginner piano program for our three year old daughter. The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner, is a wonderful program for young children to learn the basics of playing piano (whether they’re learning on the Amidio piano VST or an organ). Each lesson is set up to be only a few minutes (perfect for young children). Lexie loved it so much, we couldn’t only do one lesson. We did several lessons at a time.

Now, I actually have something to compare this with as well, as we recently enrolled Billy through private piano lessons san francisco. I’m interested to see what he preferred the best.

All About KinderBach Membership with Teacher Corner:

One of the great things about the KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner is the ease of use for parents and children. It is ideal for ages 3-7, but I can see using this with older children as well, because you can skip some of the lessons, and go at your own pace! You will receive:

Access to all web lessons (over 240 sessions) by computer, iPad, Android Tablet, Kindle Fire, or Nook.
Accompanying downloaded PDF activity pages- these are great!
Access to all Teacher Corner materials for Levels 1 to 6 PDFs and Audio MP3s
Download all story books, coloring pages and song books

So, what is the Teacher Corner? The Teacher Corner membership gives you everything needed to teach group music lessons and more in convenient digital downloads. You can have your books right now (and they’re included in the price!). Choose from over $400 worth of books in the Teacher’s Corner and more will be added soon. You never have to pay more for a new edition. Membership gives you the opportunity to download all updates.

You will get all of that for $95.88/year which is $7.99 a month. There is no way you can find a piano teacher for $7.99 a month, plus purchase any necessary books and music. All of that will be included in your membership!

What You Need

There are a few things you will need for KinderBach online piano lessons:

A piano or keyboard- yes, you can use a regular ole keyboard! If you need help finding a good one to use then check out this yamaha p115 review
A few things from around the house- wooden spoons, empty cartons, plastic lids- anything really. No need to get fancy!
A printer is helpful- with a printer, you can print your digital books and activity sheets.

What I Love About It

First and foremost, my favorite part of KinderBach is that is truly is child friendly! My 3.5 year old did great doing these lessons on her own. She was even able to tell her violin teacher a thing or two about the piano! She especially enjoyed the rhythmic exercises, and so did her 18 month old brother. It was something they were able to enjoy doing together, and learn at the same time. Obviously the tot didn’t get as much from it, but hey- he can now hit sticks together in rhythm! =)

We used the website on our iPad, which made it very easy to set up right in front of our keyboard (after doing some research and using sites like https://www.revitalizingdowntowns.net/, we did settle on getting a keyboard rather than a piano, it’s absolutely the best fit for us). Because KinderBach accommodates all formats, chances are you own a device it is compatible with. The lessons include songs and music your family is probably familiar with, which help teach parts of music such as: different kinds of notes, different keys on the keyboard, and how to keep rhythm. It is very developmentally appropriate for children, as it allows them to move about and does not require they sit at a piano the entire time (or at all, really).

For me the parent, I can pick and choose what books we use, how fast we go, and how often we do it. This was something we used about 3 times a week, and often did 2-3 lessons at a time, because Lexie enjoyed it so much. We will continue using it in this way. Just before we began these lessons, my husband mentioned putting her in piano lessons, along with the violin lessons she already loves. Lexie loves music, and loves instruments. KinderBach has turned out to be the perfect combination of fun, easy (for the teacher), and developmentally appropriate, for our family!

Connect with KinderBach:

Handmade Doll Clothing Review and Giveaway!

by Meghan // June 8, 2013 // Comments off

****Winner!!***
Miranda B., you are the winner of this Giveaway! Please contact me at: MegsWLifeIsGood at gmail dot com or on Facebook! Congratulations!

I have an awesome product review for you today!

As you may know, Lexie has a few waldorf style dolls. We don’t have extra clothes for them. However, I have had an opportunity to review some precious handmade doll clothes by Sue at Emma’s Doll Shop on Etsy.

Her precious clothes are made to fit American Girl dolls, or 18″ dolls. Lexie will be getting my American Girl doll when she is a bit older, but for now we used Sue’s clothes on our waldorf dolls and they fit great.

First a little about Sue and her shop. A little background on how this grandma began making quality doll clothes:

“‘Gramma, will you make me more doll clothes the next time we have, uhmmm, like… a Christmas?’ That was Emma at age 5. Thus began my love for making doll clothes!”

Oh the things we will do for the children we love. =)

I was so excited when we received this set in the mail; it was packaged so nicely, no wrinkles and very professional.

When Lexie opened it, she immediately knew which doll would get to wear the “pretty nightgown like Lexie has. Ooooh- and panties!”

Lexie putting Lilly to “night night” with her quilt

She quickly sought out Lilly from her room, and began changing the doll’s clothes.

I am most impressed with the quality of Sue’s workmanship. As a girl who enjoys sewing, I know how tedious serging, top stitching, and placing fine details on your work can be.

But to do it on such a small piece of work, like a doll dress and panties?! That’s quality!

Her choices of fabric, patterns, and attention to detail are perfect, and even better she is reasonably priced.

I also want to mention, that the nightgown has a Velcro closure, which makes it so much easier for Lexie to dress her dolls. It also protects against the risk of her accidentally tearing the nightgown while taking it on and off of Lilly (our fluffiest waldorf doll).

Also note, my pictures are not professional photographs, they do not do Sue’s work justice. Check our her shop, Emma’s Doll Shop for more items and details!

From panty sets to dress sets, she offers all the accessories your child’s American Girl doll could need. If you’re looking for a pram for your child’s doll, you can find a great selection at PlayLikeMum.com.

Here is a little detail from one of Sue’s etsy listings:

“This doll dress features:
* Preshrunk cotton fabric
* Fully lined bodice for smoother lines and long lasting use
* Velcro closing in the back of bodice
* A yellow ribbon around her waist which ties between the front and the side
* The ribbon ends have been sealed.
* Finished seams for durability
* Machine wash and dry
* Made in my smoke free studio

My Personal Guarantee: I am extremely confident you will love this outfit. If you don’t, I am happy to offer a full refund, no questions asked.”

You cannot beat that! These clothes are made to last, and beautiful!

She has a precious blog here: http://www.seamstressy.blogspot.com/, I hope you will check it out.

***Sue has graciously offered a nightgown and quilt set, along with a pair of doll panties for me to review, and the best part? One lucky reader will also receive a nightgown and quilt for the American Girl (or 18″) doll in their child’s life!

HOW WINNING WORKS: I will announce the winner June 16, 2013 on this post and Facebook, so be looking for your name on June 16th! Winner will have 24 hours to contact me (whether via facebook, twitter, or email to: MegsWLifeIsGood at gmail dot com), before I move on to the next person. Open to 48 continental US residents only.

Please use the Rafflecopter tool below to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received these items free of charge for my personal, honest opinion. I was not paid or asked to write a positive review on this product. These are my personal views and opinions; neither myself or the shop owner are affiliated with American Girl. Pictures courtesy myself, and Emma’s Doll Shop listings on etsy.

{BIG} Magnet Fun!

by Meghan // May 13, 2013 // Comments off

Oh the magnet fun has began! I remember in elementary school, the kids who took the circle magnets off the chalk tray were envied by all the good kids, too scared to do it themselves.

How the magnets attracted each other, rolled across the desk, how they felt in your hands. Aah. Magnets were. So. Cool. (or was it just me?)

My dad mailed us some magnets from his shop.

Saying Lexie (who will be 3 in September) is obsessed is an under statement! As she excitedly opened the box and unwrapped the magnets, she kept saying, “ooh, what is it? Its for Essie? What did Payne send, do you think?”

We spent 2 hours playing with these magnets the day she got them in the mail. They come out of truck parts (engines, transmissions, oil things, and what not? I don’t really remember all the things my dad said they come out of ..). But Payne is a mechanic, and a build-it fix-it guy to boot.

These magnets are so strong, even I have a hard time pulling them apart sometimes. Seriously.

You can tell all those little plasticized, weak, kiddie magnets we won’t be buying them, because we have awesome magnets to play with!

We decided to set the bigger magnets up across her table and predict which one the smaller magnets would roll towards. Then she would flick the small, cylinder shaped magnets towards the row of bigger magnets and see where it went.

Sometimes the magnetism just made them all crazily attract to each other, and we would suddenly have a huge clump of magnets!

I had as much fun as she did. Very cool. So thanks Payne. 🙂

Here is a video of her playing with them- she can’t get enough!

How do you use magnets for learning fun with your children? Let me know in the comments!

Light Table Fun and Magna Tiles

by Meghan // April 23, 2013 // Comments off

Well, there was a big day in our house a few weeks ago. It took J.Tom several nights, and a couple of weekends to complete, but he built the kids (well, just Lexie for now…) a light table! I had seen them over at Play At Home Mom. We used several of her tips for building your own light table, found on her site here.

For months I drooled over the light table and all the fun activities it provided. I couldn’t wait for JTom to get some free time to make her one. As you probably know, we try to keep the house free of toys that don’t encourage learning or using the imagination. The light table was a definite YES item! It is awesome. A light table can be used to learn about shadow, light, contrast, color, size, shape, and many sensory activities can be done using it. So, after much hard work and me splurging on a few things to use with the table, here it is

The box, with hardwire outlet for lights

J.Tom working

laying out the lights. He lined the bottom inside of the table with foil to reflect more light

the table top, upside down. The bottom is hinged, so the bulbs can be changed
(for when they go out AND to black lights! FUN!)

Building with Magnatiles- GREAT investment!

Let’s line them up!

“I will build you a house mommy!”

Her church and coins

The transparent Magna Tiles are a must have, whether you have a light table or not! They really are so much fun, but I think they are one of those things- either a kid has the personality that loves them, or they could care less. I would (but probably shouldn’t) say that most boys are going to love them, and some girls may not be very interested in them. Lexie happens to really enjoy playing with them; she has a huge imagination, can focus on one thing for quite some time, and loves to build. They are a learning tool (which is the only reason I was okay with spending so much money on them) I was going to put away and only pull out at certain times, but she enjoys them so much, we keep them out at all times! J.Tom and I both play with them at least once a day with her. And we all share with Max; at 7.5 months old he is learning about shapes too! =)

Right now, Amazon has the 100 piece set for 20 free shipping! I really wish when I’d bought her 38 piece set that they’d had this deal! Apparently, they sell very quickly, and since they are such a hot item, the price sky rockets when you purchase from anyone other than Valtech (through Amazon) because they aren’t always available through them (yes… I did that much research on them before I purchased haha). I paid $50 for the 38 piece set, and would have gotten the 100 piece for $120 if it had been offered at the time; you really need more than 38 pieces to construct really fun, elaborate shapes and “buildings.”

Valtech, the company that makes and sells Magna-Tiles , is also having a promotion through Amazon right now. When you buy the 100 piece set above, you get the Magna Tiles Manipulative Guide free! Just be sure to follow the instructions on how to get it. Rather than show the Guide as “free” and $0 in your cart, it will take a few dollars off everything in your cart until it totals $10 off (which is the cost of the book). The book is a great resource, because there are so many ways to use and create with the Magna-Tiles, you couldn’t possibly think of them all. So the guide helps you be even more creative and intentional during learning.

When you make a purchase following the links in this post, I earn a small amount of money back on your purchase (sometimes only pennies); but this is much appreciated and helps support this blog.

I got the counters (little transparent circles) here.

She enjoys using these with the Magna Tiles. She sorts them by color, puts them inside the boxes and buildings she makes, etc.

I plan on doing many more posts on our fun with the light table. So stay tuned! Also, what kind of fun would you like to see using the light table?

Max Baby Summary: Week 31

by Meghan // April 18, 2013 // Comments off

Max has been very clingy this week. His second tooth is here, and he is chewing like crazy with his side gums, so I am wondering if he is getting more teeth?! But I’m not sure. For the most part this last week was good. Minus the screaming. Oh my! The screaming. And it isn’t screaming like, “Oh, I’m mad so I’m screaming.” Or “feed me now!” (though he does that sometimes while I get a bottle ready.) No, it is just screaming. For FUN. A high pitched “Wheeee!” sounding scream. He was doing this while we ate lunch the other day. Lexie leaned over, put her hand on my forearm and said, “Mama. I do not like that sound.” Oh sweet girl, neither do I! Hopefully he will grow out of it before long.

He is signing milk all the time now. While I make his bottle, that little hand is just going to town signing for “milk.” It’s so sweet. He has been eating okay, but not great. Since the first tooth broke through he has good days and bad; he usually is only taking 4-5ounces, but will finish the rest mixed into cereal. However, because his new meds are working for his reflux, he is able to eat lots of real foods he couldn’t eat before, and now protests plain oatmeal! The boy wants real food. haha So we have been doing lots of avacado, carrots, peas, green beans, pears, apples and blueberries, etc.

His sleep has been better this past week, with only a few short naps. This weekend he had *perfect* sleep. All. Weekend. Long. It was amazing, really. I also found the activity table; it was hidden in the garage. We started using it this past weekend, and he did really well. For a baby who doesn’t seem the least bit interested in crawling or moving around at all, really, he stood up on his own for a long time playing at the table. He hasn’t mastered the art of bending his legs when he falls; so rather than fall onto his bottom … he just topples over like a stiff log. haha He doesn’t think it’s very funny, and usually gets really scared when it happens, so I try to avoid it… but the boy needs to learn how to fall onto his booty. So we are working on bending his knees and bouncing while standing, but those feet are firmly planted; I just don’t think he’s ready for all that yet really.

Considering Mister has been having such good sleep as of late, it is fitting that Lexie has been a little hit or miss. A few weeks ago, she went from not wanting to go to bed at night (read: saying she is tired, wanting to sleep, but also wanting us to pat her or rock her, which we don’t do because she has always gone right to sleep) to sleeping in her rocking chair. For some strange reason she has decided she wants to fall asleep in her rocking chair; and despite our attempts at keeping her in the bed, she gets up. But we have been going in and putting her back in the bed. The craziest part about all of this is she has been NAPPING. Consistently. For an entire week! I think this is partially because she is done teething. All her two year molars are in, and now she is back to eating and sleeping well. We considered taking the rocking chair out of the room, but I think we will just wait and see how long this phase lasts. Maybe she is just ready for a big bed… I am not sure. The 2.5 year mark usually is a developmental milestone for children when you generally see added clinginess, sleep disruptions, and new fears develop. She is definitely more clingy to both JTom and me, and has mentioned being afraid a few different story characters were going to “get me.” We have reassured her nothing is going to get her; she doesn’t mention this at bed time or anything, just sometimes while playing alone in her room.

Moni, Shelby, and Lilly watching us play doll house

Her imagination is wild! We still have engines that are beyond wearing out their welcome. haha I think I tell them things 200 times a day. “Will you tell me engines what I am eating? Will you tell my engines they need to sleep at nap time? Will you tell my engines they need to stay on the swing set and leave Scarlet alone?…..” Oh my. Then, the other night we had dinosaurs. On the ceiling. The engines go everywhere with us; she even includes them in her stories during stretching at gymnastics. They really like the museum. As long as I don’t have to feed them, I guess they can stay. 😉

Right now, Lexie is really into reading her devotional and Bible. I mean … like they are attached at her hip. As a matter of fact, the devotional is falling apart, and she can read every day, word for word, from January until today. Not kidding. That’s what we read for every nap and bedtime. It is her favorite. She is now acting like a little Mama to Max and her dolls. When Max cries she says, “Oh! Let me go see what is wrong to Max. Max, what is wrong to you? Tell me why.” haha I am not sure why she says “to” instead of “what,” but I’m sure she will figure it out soon enough. Her new favorite words are “fantastic!” and “earlier.” Hearing her say earlier is hilarious.

chewing on a pear

dyeing Easter eggs … a week late =/

painting her fingernails

We visited a church this past Sunday. It was really nice; it reminded me of my church growing up, which was a Full Gospel church. This is a non denominational church, it is small but has many young families. I am excited to maybe visit it again this coming Sunday. J.Tom was raised Presbyterian, so it is different than he is used to. But I actually felt like I was in church. For the past 5 years in Hot Springs I just didn’t get what I needed from our church; provided I didn’t give much back to them in way of serving. I never felt like it was home. The sermons were more like the new school way of thinking-motivational sermons or get people involved in serving the church, but let’s not talk about sin, salvation, the devil, or how to grow in Christ. That’s how I felt, anyway. The church we visited Sunday had an amazing sermon, though a little long, and a great worship service. Lexie walked into children’s church like she owned the place. haha She enjoyed herself (although she was supposed to be in the nursery since she isn’t 3 yet..) I don’t know if we will visit a different church this week or try this one again. We will just pray about it and see. We just hope to find a church that gives us what we both need, and that we can be a serve as well.

How did you find your church home? Is it one you grew up in or one you found after marriage, college, children…?

Max Baby Summary: 29/30 weeks

by Meghan // April 9, 2013 // Comments off

Wow, I know. I’m behind… Max is now 7 months old/31 weeks. This is the update for his last (month) week, which was 30weeks old/the week he turned 7 months.

We have two teeth! The first one was his bottom center right, and it came in about a week ago. 3 days later the left tooth came through. The left one seems to really be bothering him today; he’s been pulling on his ears and chewing his fingers … but of course he hurts himself now when he chews them because there are teeth in there! Haha! It won’t be long before we will have to make a dentist appointment for him; he’s growing up so fast. I want to make sure that for his first dentist visit, we go somewhere who offer Children’s Dentistry as at least that way they know how to properly treat young children so that they are used to going to the dentist and not scared, (like I am). My friend takes her children to this Dentist in Sarasota, which is where they live, and they are supposed to be very good in treating children. So, I think I may look for a dentist local to us that offers a similar service so that his first visit is a good one.

He is sitting up all the time by himself (that actually started about a month ago). He is much more balanced. I noticed when Lexie was his age, in the middle of April she was pulling up on things and turning herself around while sitting. I’m wondering if it is harder for him because we have carpet now? Lexie had hardwood floors to spin on. If Max were sitting on hardwood floors, then everytime he leans over or reaches for something he would realize, ‘Hey, I can move!” haha I may get the foam ABC mat out that Lexie used and put it down instead of the quilt they play on.. But I’m not sure how well it will work on carpet.

He is babbling a LOT! Lexie taught him to say “dadadadadada” a few weeks ago. I’ve been working with him to say “dada” when JTom comes home or is holding him. Two days ago, the boy looked at his daddy and said, “dada,” then when JTom didn’t say anything back Max said, “dada,” until his daddy replied. Then he just beamed! JTom was very proud. =) So we are pretty well convinced he knows JTom is DaDa. He has a few other babble sounds he makes and is so proud of himself. Max is also signing for milk. He signs it when he is waiting for me to make his bottle, when I sign it to him, while he is drinking his bottle… so next we are going to do “more” and “please.”

He is wearing 12 month clothes (he has a few 9mo that he can wear). About 5 days ago, he woke up and had a head full of hair?! Prior to that he had a “mohawk.” Then 2 days ago he woke up with lighter hair! It’s crazy how babies literally change over night! His eyes … well I am going to let you decide from the pictures. I really don’t know. The centers look light green, but overall they’re just really blue.

Max’s 6 month dr apt went well. He started a new medicine, I think it is prilosec for babies. They compound it at the pharmacy. The taste is terrible so he has a hard time swallowing it (even with added flavoring) but it has helped tremendously! He went from barely eating and taking bottles to eating a LOT more! I think he has gained 5 lbs in the last 3 weeks. haha He has been eating peas, green beans, carrots, apples, apples w blueberries, and avacado with no problems. Bananas constipated him for a day or so, so he hasn’t had them anymore. But there have been no problems with anything else as far as reflux goes! What a blessing and answered prayer.

His sleep has finally gotten a little better for naps, and here is what his routine looks like:
6:45/7:15 wake
7:00/7:15 up, medicine, eat
7:45 independent play in pack n play
8:00/8:15 go downstairs to do calendar and activities with Lexie
8:50 wind down for nap
8:55-9 asleep (usually a 1hr10min-1.5hr nap)
10:15-10:45 wake up
11:00/11:15 eat, play
12:30-1:00 down for nap; we do 12:30 if he was SUPER tired from a short first nap, but 1:00 if not
2:00-3:00 wake up; time depends on what time he went down for second nap. (Usually a 1hr10min-1.5hr nap)
3:00 eat, play
sometimes he takes a cat nap (he is in the process of dropping this nap)
Ideally, his dinner is 6:00, bedtime is 7pm
On days he doesn’t get good sleep (usually if naps are interrupted it’s with a poopy diaper, or we go to the library for story time…) then we do bedtime an hour early, so asleep at 6pm. That helps his catch up on sleep, and keeps him from getting in an over tired cycle which can take weeks for a small child to get out of.

Lexie is doing great. She still enjoys gymnastics, and has all her “imaginary” friends. We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, along with Billy Goats Gruff and the Three Little Pigs recently … now everything is a “daddy fill in the blank” “mommy fill in the blank,” or a “baby/Lexie fill in the blank.” Obviously this goes according to size of said object. =)

reading

She started letting me wash her hair in the kitchen sink, so hair washing and bath time are no longer a fight. She was doing great, and then about 4(?) or so weeks ago, it became an absolute screaming, tearful battle to get her in the tub so I could wash her hair. She doesn’t like teh water to get in her ears or eyes. Of course we did EVERYTHING to prevent this, but when
she is screaming and moving around, it becomes impossible to keep the water only on her hair …. After I convinced her the kitchen sink would be fun, and that my Memaw washed my hair in the kitchen sink, she was okay with it. =)

Two weekends ago, Spring hit Nebraska. Although this coming week is supposed to be stormy and cold, the last two weeks have been warm and sunny. We don’t do the Easter Bunny, so Lexie got a spring basket with some new learning toys and a few necessities. We gave her a Thomas the Engine (electric) toothbrush, some new PJs, new dry erase markers for her dry erase board, a pair of fiskar kid’s scissors, and some accessories for her light table. (The light table is a whole other post! Look for it later this week or next!)

She also got her first real kite! In Nebraska it is very windy, and out where we live used to be cornfields, so there are no big trees around the house, they are all a street over at the park and school. So it’s the perfect place to fly a kite. She had so much fun!

In many of the pictures I am posting, the grass was just barely turning green, now it is all green and trees have started budding and blooming(?). Our garden season is off from the south by about a month, so we don’t need to get anything in the ground for a few more weeks, at the latest May 1st.

JTom has been traveling some with work. He went to Milan, Italy last week. He brought back three bottles of Italian wine and some parmesean cheese. I still haven’t tasted the Italian wine, but I am sure it will be great. The cheese … well it’s good! =) In Italy they put (very expensive) balsamic vinegar on a little piece (like a cube) or parmesean cheese and eat it. So when we went to Grand Island last weekend we got some of the good, “gourmet” (though no expensive…) balsamic vinegar and tried it on the cheese. YUM! New favorite snack, for sure.
He brought back some “monies from Italy” for Lexie and she was beyond pleased. haha I got a beautiful rosary, and the wine.

Turkey season in Nebraska has opened, so JTom may be hunting Saturday. He joined a hunting lease here, that covers hunting land all over Nebraska, and in other states as well. I told him if he brings home meat so I don’t have to buy nasty store meat, it will be worth it. He said “it’s called hunting, not killing. I can’t promise I will bring anything home.” So, we will see if we end up w a turkey in the freezer. =)

We have started planning our garden. We know we are going to get in tomatoes and maybe a few other things. We have to get the fence done soon, hopefully in the next few weeks. All of the pictures below are from March, so they are actually a few weeks old, or older. You will notice Max’s hair isn’t very thick. Look at his hair and fat rolls in the next posts with pictures! It’s crazy how quickly they change.

reading to Bubby

Mister Bear playing in the bath

reading her Bible to Max

I love to be upside down

new outfit

playing outside in the dirt

Happy Bear

Angel Baby

just minding my own business…..

Until now ….

picnic outside

happy bear

Mister outside in the exersaucer

Hi Mama- look at me!

17/18 weeks old baby summary

by Meghan // January 7, 2013 // Comments off

Mister has finished his 17th week of life, but wasnt 4 months old until the 2nd. So, his weeks are a litttle off from his monthly age. He is really starting to come into his own; last weekend we had a play date and we were talking about how quiet and laid back he is. Then that evening, he just suddenly started squealing, yelling, and growling non stop! Now, if he is awake and in a familiar place w familiar people, he is talking!

Eating
This boy is devouring solids! He watches me while i get everything ready and then sits there with his mouth open like a little bird. Its funny; he loves sweet peas, green beans, apples, and pears. Oh, and he likes oatmeal mixed into any of those. Those two bottom teeth? Yea, theyre trying to cut through. Some days they bother him more than others, but mistly he is doing okay with them. His little cheeks stay red (due to the teething) and he drools a lot. I have also started signing with him, when i think about it. I do the sign for “milk” right now, but should probably start doing, “please,” “more,” and “eat” as well. L was signing “milk” at about 7 months i believe.

Development
He isn’t really rolling over much anymore. He doesn’t like to be on his tummy, and after a few minutes he cries and fusses, like Lexie did. I need to start making him push back over, because i know he can, since he used to do it. He does like rolling side to side on his back, though. Lady makes him laugh a lot a lot. He likes this rattle ball his aunt gave him for Christmas, and loves the wooden squish toy; it was L’s favorite too.

His hand movements have gotten smoother, he reaches for and grabs whatever he wants, and he has found his feet a few times, but isnt really interested in them. Im wondering if this is because he always has a toy to play with, thanks to his big sister, Lexie. Haha. She makes sure he has plenty of toys, at all times. He really enjoys sitting, and standing up these days. He is very strong, and is so proud of himself while standing.

Lady is a big help. When we get him ready for nap, she sits in the glider while i stand and hold M, and we sing “Jesus Loves Me,” then I put him down in the crib, and Lady e sneaks out past me. She loves to “help” put him to sleep. I cant remember if I mentioned it in his last update, but he is in his sleep sack now, no more swaddle.

Lady has been out of Mother’s Day Out for the last two weeks, but starts back Monday (the 7th). Last friday we started back at gymnastics after a holiday break. It was much needed, and she enjoyed it. Her backbends are amazing, and now she can do hand stands! She doesn’t really know shes doing them, it just sorta happens during her donkey kicks, but none the less, she is so strong!

Comparing schedules

by Meghan // October 26, 2012 // Comments off

Ive been going back and looking over my blogs from when L was Mister’s age. Turns out they are so much alike it’s unreal. On my Nov 12th post, when Lady was 2.5 months old, she was sleeping exactly as long as Mister is, about the same size, and eating about the same amount. The biggest difference is with her, I didn’t start meds for her reflux, and I didn’t have her napping quite as well as M does. I think that just has to do with A) him being no meds and B) me knowing what to look for as far as him being sleepy.

However, I’m worried his Zantac isn’t working anymore … The last two days have been horrible. He’s been in a lot of pain and only naps well in his swing. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on but I’m going to give it the weekend before I call the dr about upping dosage (for weight increase) or changing meds; he has started pulling off while nursing again, and after eating he will cry out and then gulp/choke/gasp for breath. So I know the reflux is hurting him; and I don’t think the rice is helping. I can’t make it any thicker and it go through the nipple, so I’d have to spoon feed it to him, and I think he’s just too young for all that. Anyway, after the weekend we will see. The Coliccalm doesn’t seem to be doing anything for the reflux, not sure about his gas?

My days now are a bit more structured, mainly because I understand what baby whisperer and baby wise are saying and also because I have a 2 year old smack dab in the middle of her terrible-ness. At that time, I had L on a great routine, but looking back she was definitely way over tired by the time I was putting her down for naps, and therefore wasn’t napping well. But she always had good night time sleep (thank goodness!). So that was an okay trade off!

But, at almost 8 weeks old, here is what Mister’s routine looks like:

5:00-6:00- Wakes, Zantac, small feed, goe back to sleep (either in crib or with Mama in chair)
7:00- wake for the day, regular feeding, nurse then 3-4oz bottle
8:05- Down for nap- rests on and off depending on gas/reflux until
10:00- Eat, nurse 3-4 oz
11:05- down for nap- rests on and off depending on gas/reflux until
1:00pm- Eat
2:05- down for nap (however he usually has not slept well at this mid morning nap, and therefore goes to sleep closer to 1:30pm, sleeping until about 3:30 in the swing if necessary)
4:00 Eat
5:30pm Cluster feed
7:00pm last feeding of day
7:35 asleep in crib

SO, that is typically what our routine looks like, but with him being so young and having the reflux and gas, it tends to be more flexible in the naps department. Eating, however is always the same. After his 10:00 feeding, we usually go for a walk and/or play outside. If it is a day we plan to go grocery shopping or run errands, we do this about 8:30, home by 10:00 for him to eat and L to have a snack. At 25 months, her routine looks like this:

6:40-7:00- wake, daddy gets her from crib, she demands milk
then snuggle time with Mommy and “my Max” while mommy nurses and daddy gets ready for work
7:30- breakfast (yogurt, toast, oatmeal, fruit, etc)
play time
11:30-12:00- lunch depending on am wake time
12:00-12:30- down for nap depending on am wake time (here is when she usually poopies in her pullup (this whole potty training thing has us all out of whack), I have to go change her, then put her back down for nap… but because this interrupts her getting ready for sleep, I’ve been going back in at the hour mark and rocking her to sleep.)
2:30- if she didn’t nap I get her out of bed at the 2 hour mark
3:00- if he napped, she is awake by 3:00
play outside, crafts, etc if napped… relax and keep it low key if she didn’t
5:45pm- dinner
6:30-7:00- bedtime depending on morning wake time

Right now, L needs a total of about 12 hours of sleep. Her naps are usually 1.5 hours, which leaves 11.5 hours of night sleep on days she naps. If she does’t nap, she has a very early bed time to prevent over tiredness the next day. It’s all a numbers game..

So, big plans for the next few weeks. This weekend we are going to a family reunion in LA. Then next weekend my dad comes to visit, the next weekend my mom comes, then a few weeks later we have Thanksgiving! ALREADY! That’s insane. I think we are going to Memphis for Thanksgiving… that should be a fun challenge. Our first overnight trip wrangling two! Fun Fun! Of course halloween is this coming week. Ew. I’m not a fan of halloween, and until my kids are old enough to stay up late enough, we aren’t celebrating. And yes, I will be one of the moms that takes the candy and exchanges it for something cool, a toy or new clothes, etc… like the tooth fairy only for crappy, overpriced junk food. =)

OK, well I am going to bed now. It;s 9:17pm, that’s about 20 minutes past my bed time!