I Simply Remember My Favorite Things...

And then I don't feeeEEL....SOOooo baaaaad...

Well, Ben feels bad, so we are looking at a few of his favorite things. Before he was born, I was pacing up and down the aisles of baby stores, trying to push my mind into this future place and figure out what we would really, really use. Just yesterday I realized- hey! This is all his stuff! We are using it! I won't take credit and say that my above average shopping skills and my friend's brilliant gift-giving skills just both happened to be on fire. But the truth is, I can't remember returning one single thing to the store after Ben was born. I love it all.

Myth: That you can have too many cushy, soft baby blankets.
False. Who would ever want less cushy cuddly blankets? I am looking at four right now, just from my spot on the couch and we use all of them to death. Special mention: A satin edged blanket that Auntie added the letters of his name onto by hand, along with a cute little patch that says "Made with Love". Also this soft, luxurious, suede-ey number from Steve and Anna, embroidered: Benjamin 2010.




Myth: You will only use the bouncer for three months and the baby swing for much longer. (These myths were mine, by the way, made up in my head).
False! (Sometimes): Observe, above, our naptime tools, at seven months with no sign of letting up.
1) Bright Starts Bouncer (thanks, Guggias!) sans cozy infant insert, and now regularly using all the buckles the sweet thing offers (sadly, only two) to try to pin down the writhing little beast so he doesn't plop out the side like a wriggling fish. He will nap in his crib sometimes, but not for as long as he will in the living room.
2) Pacifier (I'm such a sucker --ooo fun with puns!--for wanting his name on everything). We are getting our -well, Grandma's- money's worth out of that thing. Around his birthday we will work on weaning. Ugh, not looking forward to that.
3) Puppy, whose face and ears get eaten and petted as part of the winding down portion of this event. SO CUTE. Currently shopping for a backup as apparently this will be The Lovey. Numero Uno. The One Most Wanted. You know.

Baby swing. Sadly, he was over it before four months old. I took it really hard.

I'm out of myths for now. Sorry. I may come up with more later.

Another favorite: Our borrowed Infantino carrier. I loved the Moby when he was little, and used it all the time, but now that he is bigger, this is definitely faster and easier to use. Dad also used the Moby when it was in full effect, but here we are trekking to BevMo and Costco with baby in tow Sunday afternoon. Looking back at this photo, I can see he was getting sick already. Poor kid. We were stalking this other family (not on purpose) who apparently had the same to-do list that we did. Awk...ward...

The Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. Not for everybody, but I love that I can turn it into a booster seat and pull him right up to the table when he starts eating with us. It doesn't take up a lot of room (hence the name, it sits on a chair) and... well, whatever. It's great, we use it three times a day, yada yada. It is, predictably, the favorite place to experiment with tossing things onto the ground.

This is where we hang out like five or six times a day, so it's a big deal. We hang our diaper covers on those hooks, with Tina the Tiger. In the beginning, that snowflake was a really big deal. Now the airplane that hangs above him is the big attraction. Our cloth diapers are stacked in the top drawer. Nail clippers, nose sucker guy, butt spray, hand sanitizer, baby acetaminophen (generic), and lotion. We love it, it's a great system, that works for us and makes it all feel really easy and centrally located. His clothes are just to the left out of the picture in another dresser.

He loves his crib, and always smiles when we put him in it. He loves his mobile, and we take it with us when we travel. He also has a starlight turtle thing, that shines stars on the ceiling at night, we travel with that, too. We got the breathable bumper, and he sleeps in a sleepsack, but its always a strange temperature in that room, and early on we started putting a blanket over his feet. Now that he can grab the blanket and roll around (even though he really doesn't) we only use this beautiful knit blanket from his great-aunt Sherri. I can't believe she handmade it, it's gorgeous. He loves that and it looks so cozy in there.

Bathtime! Scott (or Grandma and Grandpa when they are visiting) gives him a bath every night. We have been using this really cute whale tub since he was about two months old (before that I brought him into my bath and held and washed him). The jury is still out on how long he will stay in this thing. I am all for sticking him in a real bath as soon as possible, but a face plant into the water really makes you want to put that off. So we might wait until he can crawl. Not pictured: a gorgeous, roomy, cushy towel that our friend Jessica gave us that we use every. night. Yes, we get all "ugh!" every time we realize we have to pull out a flat, thin back up out of the drawer because the beloved is being washed. It's made by Tourance. I should really find out if they make them for grownups...

And in other news...I just wanted a photo of his cute little clothes hanging in the closet. Woops, unedited gray-ish photo, oh well...I'm pretty much obsessed with one-piece things, although I try not to depend too much on them. They are a really easy backup outfit for the diaper bag, because you don't have to feel around for multiple pieces.

Summer swim clothes! Scott is trying to get signed up for swim lessons, he wants to take Ben as soon as he can. I am just so excited to take photos of he and his Dad in these cute swim trunks! He has three pairs. Ya. Accidental. But it makes for a cute photo!

Finally got the baptism outfit! I just wanted to find something appropriate and affordable. At first I was looking for more of a knit one-piece number, but ya. A bit pricey. So he is going with Spring/Little Boy Church type attire. Pretty cute if you ask me. Plus I know what size he wears in Carter's brand, so it's easier to plan ahead.


Okay, fun times! It will be fun to show Ben all the things he used when he was a baby. I wonder which ones will stick around in his memory. I have a stuffed frog I loved as a child (named: Froggo, pronounced "Frog Oh") and I have a photo of me holding him as a baby. Up until I saw that photo, I never realized how long he had been around. It did really explain the chewed eyes he had.

What is the long cherished thing you still have from childhood? The One Most Wanted, that kind of thing. Ready.... GO!