Baby Products
Edible Play Dough and Edible Finger Paint
Mar 15th
The weather has taken a wonderful (and hopefully NOT temporary) turn for the better! But since it wasn’t so the last couple weeks before (and I had no where fun to take Levi), I decided we needed some new activities. I googled homemade edible play dough and homemade edible finger paint, and the recipes below where what I found! I wanted edible versions just in case DS decided to munch on some… and he didn’t try the paint but he did lick the play dough! He liked the finger paint, but it didn’t seem to hold his interest way too long. That turned out to be ok, because the paint was sort of jelly-like and was not good to keep long. Easy clean up, though. The play dough, on the other hand, was a BIG hit and is keeping VERY well. I do have to add a tip to the recipe, though. If you have cuts and scrapes on your hand, wear gloves to roll the warm dough and mix the food coloring/koolaide in! Otherwise, that salt STINGS BADLY. Here are the recipes, have fun!
Edible Play Dough
Ingredients:
1) 1 cup flour
2) 1 cup water
3) 1/2 cup salt
4) 3 tsp cream of tartar
5) Kool-Aid or Jello Mix (as many packets, colors, flavors, varieties as you wish)
6) 1 TBSP cooking oil
Directions:
1) Mix dry ingredients (minus kool-aid or jello) in a large sauce pan.
2) Mix water and oil separately and slowly add to sauce pan.
3) Stir over medium heat until mix thickens to dough.
4) Separate evenly into different bowls (one bowl for each color play dough). Pour 1/4-1/2 packet of kool-aid or jello mix over dough in bowl. Mix and kneed until dough is evenly colored, a smooth consistency, and cool enough for kids to use. Be careful- the dough will be hot, the salt will sting cuts, and the kool-aid will stain your hands as you mix it! I found the kool-aid didn’t stain my sons hands after I handled it, though. Just don’t let the kids pour water over it.
Edible Finger Paint
Ingredients:
1) 1/3 cup flour
2) salt
3) 2 TBSP sugar
4) 2 cups water
5) food coloring
6) plastic cups
Directions:
1) Mix dry ingredients in a sauce pan.
2) Whisk in water until smooth.
3) Turn heat on low, stir continually until mixture thickens.
4) Pour evenly into cups, add food coloring to make individual colors.
Baby Foods, Baby Developements, Monthly Shots, and Teething (oh my!)
Sep 22nd
Last week Levi had a few shots at the doctor’s. We decided to split his shots up, which means we’ll have to go monthly now. I know that I am the adult, and I should know that the doctor is helping him, but I still feel like the doctor is the bad guy for giving those shots. 
Levi still smiles at her and all the nurses, though. 
The shots were hard on me and I lost sleep the night before just thinking about them; I had to hold his arms across his chest this time, to make it worse. However, he didn’t cry nearly as hard as the first time and once I picked him up, the cries instantly transformed to soft whimpers. He nursed himself to comfort, and then woke up when I was making his next appointment, and smiled at all the nurses! He was quiet on the way home, and playful when we got home. Thankfully, his behavior was entirely normal after those shots!
Levi has been doing some pretty hilarious stuff lately. When I was nursing him the other day, he moved to bit me so I looked him in the eyes and sternly said, “No.” He stuck out his lower lip and whined and reached up to the corner of his eye with his index finger as if to wipe away a tear! Ah, so cute! I had to turn away to laugh! Earlier the day before, at the close of praying for over our dinner I said, “Amen,” and Levi stuck out that little lower lip and whimpered, so I told him, “Its ok, you can talk to God any time you want,” and instantly he was smiling and was a-okay! Its beyond me why Tim and I were laughing at this, but last night Levi pooped- A BIG NASTY LOT- in his bathtub. We had to get him out, clean out the tub, re-wash him, and clean out the tub and his toys some more. At one point I left the bathroom to get some cleaning supplies while Tim held our poopy little boy. I didn’t explain what I was doing and as soon as I was through the door-way, Tim called desperately, “Where are you going??? Don’t leave me!” Lol, like I said, we were laughing, but its supposed to be one of those stories that’s only funny later. I guess I have a twisted sense of humor.
On the development front: Levi rolls over and over and over. I can’t keep him on his back at all- especially when I’m trying to change him! He also likes to grab and play with his little toes! He also likes to play peek-aboo! He really likes it when I put the receiving blanket on his face, and then quickly pull it off and surprise him! I love hearing his cute giggles when we do that! Levi can also just about kick his way out of his swing now! Its low to the ground, and he couldn’t get out of it, so I never bothered strapping him in before, but while I was doing my make-up the other day, he kicked his little butt all the way to the edge of the swing and his little feet were flailing in the air!
One of the most exciting changes: MEAL TIMES! He now eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Breakfast and lunch are just baby oat meal with applesauce mixed in, for the moment. For dinner, he is eating wet stage-1 baby foods! I gave him squash the first week for dinner, and his reaction was pretty funny. He ate it, but apon tasting it, you could just see the words behind his expression: “Ew, mom. Ew.” Then he started crying pretty hard, and I thought he just didn’t like his food so I didn’t do anything about it. I felt bad when he burped and I realized he just got gassy. I don’t know if it was from the food or not. This week, we are eating sweet potatoes- which he LOVES. I like them better, too. I make it a habit to know how my baby’s food taste. I know, weird.
With great food comes great poop… like in the bathtub….
Levi has also been teething badly. Poor baby started crying really hard the other day and shoving toys in his mouth. I had to use the baby Ora-jell a few times. I’ve been told the teething tablets (you put it on their gums) work very well, but wouldn’t he end up swallowing them? I’m not sure I want to put those in his mouth- at his age, that screams to me: “CHOKING HAZARD!” Any opinions on that, readers?
Happy Babies and Poison at Table Twelve!
Aug 7th
Tim took me out to Chili’s the other day. It was really nice because Levi behaved perfectly and therefore, Tim and I got some quality time together. We sat next to the kitchen, so we got to hear everything the staff was saying. We knew the waitress needed help with table nine and the dishwasher was probably close to being fired. We joked about overhearing the chef saying he accidentally poisoned table twelve! Don’t know which table number we were…
I went shopping the other day at Target and Hy-Vee. I had some important things to pick up and some ingredients I needed for my stuffed-onion dinner (which turned out good- but make sure you cook those onions all the way!). I brought my baby carrier, since Levi tends to get fussy after being in his car seat for a while. He didn’t cry AT ALL! I think the carrier gave him the feeling of being held, and it gave me the feeling of “Omigosh I do have two hands!” Made my shopping blissfully easy.
Lately, I think I’m figuring my son out better. I know being a mom comes naturally, but your baby is a different person and you do have to get to know that person in a way. I lately am getting to know him better and I can seem to better understand what he wants and needs and when. In retrospect, he seems to be an even happier baby than before. What I don’t understand is why, at three months old, has he stopped taking naps unless I am asleep or reading under him??? Some days (24-hour periods) the boy only gets in 12 hours of sleep total with two-three 20-minute cat-naps. Oh well. It would be a lie to say that I don’t enjoy when his little head falls asleep on my chest and I can just read while he sleeps peacefully cuddled up on me.
I did start up nursing again. For two days, I pumped and I missed nursing him badly. Then on the third day he WOULD NOT take his bottle for anything, so I’ve been nursing him since and he’s only bit me once since! Yeah! I really missed nursing him those two days and my milk production went down right away when I stopped (yes, even though I was pumping).
Now that Levi is 15 lbs, and in size-two diapers, I am once again finding that some diaper brands are totally different than others. I would say that in the time of size-one, the Target brand, UP and UP, were my favorite. Now, they are my least favorite. Perhaps I have a faulty package because these ones are too thin in the middle (poop comes out the sides) and they don’t seem to absorb the liquid from the poop (so it also comes out the top if he’s sitting up). No fun. I REALLY hope its just this package…
Don’t forget about the MDA Give-away contest!!! Its the last blog before this one!
Pampers, Cars, Houses, and MORE Weddings!
Jul 2nd
I tried the Pampers Diapers and at first look, I thought, “These are too thin to hold anything in.” Then I used them and I realized that the thinness is more comfortable for baby, and they are very absorbent- much more so than they look. However, I did have one leak with them- which isn’t bad considering the amount of pee I think my son loaded that diaper with during his nap! I also tried Up and Up diapers (I believe this is the Target Brand) and they were SO MUCH CHEAPER and work just as well as any of the diapers I have had so far. I am definitely going with those from now on because they are so cost effective.
The only new diaper wipes I have tried are Pampers Sensitive Care Diaper Wipes and I think its safe to say I like them. They smell weird, but are so silky feeling and soft and they really “clean up the crud.”
So, I got a Van! I am mom-official! Her name is Stacey. If any one is interested, I am selling my old car, Gretchen, for $495- she is a 1999 Chevy Cavalier.
Next week is my big brother’s wedding! I am sooo excited for him and my new sister-to-be! Its hard to believe my brother is moving out on his own. He is still very young, but mature beyond his years (like me ).All of our relatives (whom live very far away and I haven’t seen since my wedding in June of 2009) are coming for a few days! Most of them will only stay two days, but some are going to stay a week and I am ecstatic to see them! Tim and I took some pictures of Levi that he is going to Photo shop and print out for our family when they come. We actually got pictures of Levi smiling! It was so cute! When he stopped smiling after a while, I got out a mirror for him to see himself and he started smiling again! Its like he knows how cute he is!
Tim and are looking to buy a house in about a year and we are getting very excited about it! It will be so nice to have so much more space and a yard for our little boy! I am going to get him a kitty pool, those awesome turtle sandboxes that Tim and I both had when we were kids, and hopefully we’ll have a nice tree that my dad can help me put up a swing in. When I was young, my grandfather and daddy built a swing from a tree in our yard for us kids. It was really nice and the best swing ever. Sadly, when my grandpa passed away, my father cut it down and said that he wanted the grass to grow in that spot (it had worn out from us kicking our feet as the swing came close to the ground). At any rate, I’d like to have one like it for my children. Another exciting thing about getting a house- I will finally get to have my dog, Cindy, living with me! But Tim’s cat will still be outside. No kitty litter will ever again litter my house and counter tops. Gross.
Well not much else to say as of now. I will hopefully be posting more often as I am trying to get myself in a routine. Wake up before baby, eat breakfast and do Bible study, shower, attempt to exercise (Mom- keep me committed to this please!), blog, take care of house a little… by that time Levi will have woken up usually. So, hopefully I can commit to this- the only problem is it means getting up at 7:30 am- which is not always ideal.
Diapers, Wipes, Creams, and Babysitters
Jun 24th
As I said in my last post, I am going to quit apologizing when its been a while. So, I am NOT sorry. Really, I’m not and I won’t say that I am so don’t even try…
Levi is 7 weeks now and he is definitely a morning baby. He smiles so much in the morning. This morning he gave a short, cute laugh before letting out a huge smile! Little did I know this was baby body language for, “Remember how cute I am now because I am going to be a pain in the butt later today.” I had to take him to an appointment and he screamed the whole 25-minute car ride there… yah, good times.
My babysitter died Tuesday. But, Tim got me a new one at Target on Wednesday after work. This one plays music (which is great because I was getting tired of winding up that musical giraffe) and is a lot smaller- and PORTABLE! Yep, my new Fisher-Price baby swing is portable, so I can take it to Grandma and Grandpa’s! Don’t know how I survived Wednesday before Tim brought the new swing home… I had to actually tie a rope to the tray of the broken babysitter swing (the motor died) and bring the other end of the rope IN THE SHOWER WITH ME! I had to pull the rope every minute or so to keep the swing going! Made for a longer shower than was needed. Any way, I liked the old swing, but digging the new one more!
Being cheap I tried using Pure n Gentle Fragrance-free baby wipes and wow, they are NOT cheaper. You end up using THREE times the amount of those as you would Huggies diaper wipes. That adds up faster than the most expensive wipes I think. Honestly, these wipes were no thicker than two sheets of paper. I have come to REALLY like the cucumber Huggies wipes- they have Pooh Bear on the box! I’m saving the boxes. And, they are not overly moist so they pick up the poo.
Speaking of Huggies, since Levi has outgrown the newborn diapers (he is 11 lbs and 6 oz now!) I have had NO leaking problems from Huggies diapers. I guess the cool cut they make to allow room for the umbilical cord is the leaking flaw. I have Pampers diapers, but haven’t used them yet. Once I have, I’ll let you know my comparisons for them.
Comparing diaper rash creams, I have used Destin, Butt Paste, and A+D. I used Triple Paste lotion, but haven’t tried the diaper rash cream yet (on a side note, the Triple Paste lotion cleared up the flaky skin on Levi’s ears quite noticeably within two uses). Back to the butt creams- Destin, although its like number one, was my least favorite. It would hardly wash off any material it got on, and I didn’t feel that it was any more effective than A+D. Butt Paste works best and A+D and Destin are pretty much tied for second. As long as the cream is effective, washes out of clothes and out from under fingernails, and isn’t too pasty or too thin, its ok by me.
Well, hope to be back soon. I am considering getting a Van… I should find out about that within the next couple days- will let you know!
Parents Choice vs Huggies and Bath Time
May 28th
I know it has been quite some time since I’ve been on here… hope you can all be understanding when I say, “I am busy!”
Well the doctor was right, Levi’s umbilical cord fell off the day after his last doctor’s visit! So, naturally I just HAD to give him his first bath! My brother and sister-in-law got a cute blue Whale baby bathtub for Tim and I for Christmas, and I was really excited to use it! I filled it up with luke-warm water and Huggies Soft Skin Shea Butter (with Oatmeal) body and hair wash. That stuff smells really good, by the way. I got Levi ready to go in, and began to lower him into the tub. As soon as his toes touched the water, he pulled his little legs and feet up to his belly- it was sooo cute! I guess the water was a little too warm for him still, so I added more cold water. After that, he LOVED it. And why wouldn’t he? What could feel more natural to a baby than submersion into water? I wish I’d had my camera to take pictures of his first bath, but I left the camera in the living room and was not about to chance leaving him alone in the tub. Especially when kicking his little feet nearly makes him slide under the water. I loved sprinkling the water over his head and chest and just watching those cute little facial expressions! Of course, when Dad got home from work, we had to give him another bath. And then we found out the Huggies Wash is definitely tear free, but that doesn’t stop the whites of babies’ eyes from getting a little red if you get some suds in there!
Speaking of cameras, I dropped my phone later that same day and thought I broke it! Which would have been a HUGE bummer because I have 86 pictures of Levi on there already and I don’t have them saved to a chip (which I will remedy very soon). Thankfully, it was just shut off, and my husband had to point that out!
So, on the subject of diapers and wipes- WOW I’ve never used so much of one thing in my life, let alone two things! I was using Huggies newborn diapers shaped for umbilical cord care and those leaked all the time. I thought maybe he was just out-growing the newborn size at first. Then I opened a package of Parent’s Choice newborn diapers, given to us at our baby shower. They NEVER leaked and they fit him just fine! I finished that package off the other day and am now working on a package of Huggies Snugglers size 1. So far no leaks, but if I don’t get more coupons for Huggies (or rather if I run out of coupons), I may just stick with the Parent’s Choice. I’m all for cheap if it performs as well as or better than expensive. And on that note, I definitely prefer Huggies wipes to Equate diaper wipes, seeing as Equate wipes lack a good amount of moisture. BUT the equate wipes help get the yellow tint (how does breast milk turn to mustard any way?) off baby’s skin better than Huggies… why is that? You’d think the wetter wipe would wipe better…
Mail, magazines, mail, and MORE mail!
Apr 9th
Got home from Branson a few hours ago! The drive was nice- not too hot unless in direct sun and not cold at all! However, we still had to get some ice cream on the way home to cool down. We just HAD to. Yes, it was chocolate. Are there other flavors?
On our way home we stopped by my father-in-law’s house to collect our mail. If you’ve ever been gone on a two-week vacation, you know that mail can really build up! I received MORE baby magazines- these things come in like CRAZY! I don’t even pay for them so I’m not sure why they treat me as though I’ve subscribed! The two main ones I get are “American Baby” and “Baby Talk.” I usually just flip through and search for all the coupons, then throw them in the stack of baby magazines I’ve built up. This still can take a while because I do get caught up reading an article here and there, or looking at the pictures thinking, “Oooh, I would really like one of those for my baby,” or “I REALLY want a house.”
On the topic of magazines, I would like to ask anyone reading some questions. My first: If you have or read baby or motherhood magazines, what are your favorite ones? What do you mainly do with them (ie- I look for coupons)? What do you do with them AFTER you’re done with them? Would just like some feed back on that… you don’t have to sign up to comment either! I know signing up stops a lot of people, it sure does me.
Also in my mail was a card from my “mumsie” (as I like to call her), sent to the wrong address. The front of the card had a funny (but not inappropriate) joke about thongs… the inside of the card mentioned something about how the thong joke made her think of me… What does that say about me? Well if you were wondering, she didn’t send the card just to let me know thongs remind her of me, but to tell me how much she loves me and Tim and is happy we are part of her life. Considering she lives about 30 minutes away, it meant a lot that she went through the trouble to send that to us (to the wrong address ). I plan to do such things for my kids as they get older. I feel that I’d be lucky to be half as good of a mom as mine is. LOVE YOU MOM!
Speaking of mom, Mother’s Day is May 9th- ONE day after my due date! I’m still getting my hopes up that Levi comes a few weeks before that, though. Only one week from term today!