Scrummy Mummy's Top Picks

Scrummy (yummy + scrumptious) Mummy is what Dear Husbie calls me. Has a nice ring to it, I think :)

Anyway, this nick name set me thinking about the fact that I'm a new mom and am learning so much. Going into motherhood, with all the gifts you get, books you read, showers you have and general getting-readyness, you really have no idea what is going to work well and what's not. You think you're prepared and then once the baby comes, discover that actually, no, you don't need that many washcloths, yes, you do need that many diapers (!), and, incidentally, the cute little overalls you thought would be so useful are a right royal pain to dress him in.

Amazing the things you learn.

So, in an effort to perhaps be slightly helpful to anyone who is a new mom (I've never been able to give mommy advice before since most of my friends have had babies before me, so bear with me as I revel in this new role!), I thought that every now and then, I'd jot down a few things that have made an impression on me. I'll call them my "Scrummy Mummy" Posts :)

So here goes. This one's about my top picks for great baby items:

1. Video Monitor


We LOVE our video monitor. You may think it's silly we want to see our child when he's asleep, (especially since we live in a 1200 sq. ft condo) but let me tell you, it's fab having a view of his doings at all times! This is probably our very favorite baby item to date. Definitely puts one's mind at ease. We have the Summer Day and Night Video Monitor which works very well, holds a charge for a good long time, doesn't get interference and you can add additional cameras as more babies come along.

2. Stroller



Another item we love and highly recommend is our City Mini Stroller by Baby Jogger (no it's not specifically a jogging stroller). We chose this one because we didn't have room for several different strollers (snap and go, umbrella, full stroller) and this functions as all three. It has an adapter for the car seat, and Jack could actually sit in the stroller comfortably at three months old. But...drum roll please...the fold is what sold it for me. It is AMAZING!! Go to a store near you to try it out. In fact, we have been stopped a grand total of 5 times at IKEA by people asking to see the stroller and every one of them is speechless when we proudly show them the fold. Too funny!

3. Zip Front Sleepers



These zip front sleepers by Gerber (I especially like the Gerber brand ones as they are a bit longer and slimmer, since our child is a string bean) made life, and bedtime, SO much easier. Since dressing a new baby is sometimes like trying to put clothes on an octopus, the zip front is a must (as opposed to snaps). Gerber brand are soft, wash well and keep their shape. A small thing, but infinitely helpful!

So there you have it, Scrummy Mummy's favs. Super exciting, I know. Ha!

Home

"Home! The place where all man's best and happiest hours are passed."
Sarah Hayle

Although Jack was very well behaved during the car ride back from Chattanooga on Saturday...

...he was so excited when we walked in the door!
I put him in his cradle and he immediately started smiling and cooing...

A very sweet friend has lent us an exer-saucer (thanks Monica!!) and as soon as we got unpacked...

...the little mister got right down to the serious business of playing...

...and hanging with Daddy...

No matter how much fun we've had somewhere else, it's always great to come home again. Home is just the most comfortable spot in the world!

Chattanooga

Much fun was had by all on our quick trip to Chattanooga. We didn't have much time there and so weren't able to see most of our friends we would love to catch up with. However, we did get to spend some special time with Jack and Carolyn who we stayed with. They're Nonee and Doodan to little Jack and he got lots of cuddles!

The two Jacks

Little Jack with Nonee

LOVE this photo!

Jack and Andre grilling some delicious pork tenderloin for us on Thursday night

We spent some time by the pool which was SO relaxing

Jack wielding the master remote!

On Friday night we met up with Andre's cousin Yuliya and her husband John, at Provinos. They now live in Philadelphia but were down in TN for a wedding. It was so good to see them after more than a year and they enjoyed meeting Jack too.

Enjoying a YUMMY dinner at Provinos

Jack with Aunty Yuliya and Uncle John

On Saturday morning we said our goodbyes to Jack and Carolyn and headed up Lookout Mountain to a baby shower for our friends Roman and Shannon. They're expecting their second child, a little boy, and we were so excited to celebrate with them!

Opening presents

Roman is from Slovakia and he speaks only Slovak to their daughter Ellie (I keep telling him to encourage Andre to speak Russian to Jack!)

Shannon and I were room-mates in college and it's such fun to share our lives as wives and mommies now. Can't wait to meet her little man soon!

For Laughs

Just had to post that photo for a laugh...isn't he funny?!

So today was interesting. We were headed up to Chattanooga this weekend for a friend's baby shower and decided to come up a day early so I could have a dentist appointment (Andre LOVES his dentist up here and persuaded me to come to him too). Anyway, the only available appointment was today at 9 am, so we thought we'd come up Thursday instead. Jack is usually awake by 5:30 am to eat an early morning bottle and then he goes back to bed, so we figured this would work well, as we could feed him and then begin our trip with him asleep in the car seat. BUT...(as my Mum says, the only predictable thing about babies is that they're NOT predictable), the little munchkin was still asleep at 7 am, when we were desperate to head out the door, so we had to wake him up! A first, that's for sure. Of course, he would decide to sleep for 12 hours straight when we actually need him to wake up early. Oh well.

So then he fussed on and off all the way up there (2 hours)...and pretty much the entire time I was in with the dentist, which ended up being a 4 hour appointment. Yes, you read that right...FOUR HOURS!! (paper work, broken x-ray machines, VERY thorough examination, panoramic x-rays...don't ask). Anyway, all I can say is that Andre was a trooper and did a great job with him. Needless to say, Jack slept for three hours this afternoon into the evening and so, consequently, only wanted to go to bed at 9 pm (he's usually struggling to keep his eyes open at 7:30!). I'm usually pretty flexible with his schedule during the day but bedtime and the bedtime routine are SACRED. So it really bugs me when he goes to bed late. Ah well, the joys of traveling with an infant.

This is a really boring post, but that was our day.

On a brighter note, we did spend much of the afternoon by the pool here at Jack and Carolyn's. It was such fun and I even got into my bathing suit and caught a bit of sun (I felt young again. Except for the fact that the aforementioned bathing suit didn't quite fit like it used to. Ha!). Photos to come. But not of me in the bathing suit :)

Cousin Love

Not too much new going on with us. We had a relaxed July 4th weekend. Date night in on Friday night, visiting friends Saturday afternoon, a friend's birthday party Saturday night and then church and the pool on Sunday. Yesterday was laundry and cleaning for me and today I got my hair cut and glazed. Yes, I know, it sounds like what happens to a cake, but it's really just a trick to cover up all the grey!! Going to the hair dresser is always such a treat for me. I LOVE it! Tonight we have friends for dinner and then on Thursday morning early, we head to Chattanooga until Saturday afternoon. We're going to visit friends and for a baby shower; should be fun.

So I forgot we even had this video until I was sorting through our photos this morning. It's one of the first times that Jack and his little 'cousin twin' Alexis started noticing each other. As you can see, Jack thinks she's great fun, but then starts kicking her in the crotch...we'll have to work on manners :)

Giggles

4 Months Old Today!

It's like Christmas every morning, waking up to a baby (even when he's crying!) who is all my own. What a joy! Can't believe we've had him for four months already.




Jack is getting so big and each week seems to learn just a little bit more. This week he started pushing off with one foot to roll over. Not quite there yet, but showing signs of it. He constantly wants to "walk" with us holding his hands and loves to sit up in his Bumbo. He "talks" to us all the time and can hold his toys well now.

Eating is still a challenge as he has bad reflux even now and at his 4 month check this week he weighs 12.9 (only the 15 percentile!) and is 26 inches long(the 90th percentile of course). The doc said he was still within normal range for weight but we're not to give him any solids yet as he still doesn't do that well with milk even.

His eyes are still very blue (hooray!) and the bum fluff on his head is light brown. We can make a mohawk in the bath now! Speaking of baths, he LOVES the water, pool or bath, and splashes happily with his feet. He is generally a much happier baby these days.

Thank you Lord for our sweet baby blessing!