Toddler Tuesday: Sloane's Choreography

I nearly forgot to write another Toddler Tuesday post until Sloane made me fall in love with her all over again.

Sloane loves watching YouTube videos, just like her mommy, and I think she knows how to navigate better than I do. She has a handful of videos she gravitates towards whenever she get her hands on my phone. To top the lists are Just Dance Kids videos and Mother Goose Club videos. I thought it was just the music she enjoyed but recently I have noticed that she is remembering the dance moves as well.



Her favorite dance video is I'm Gonna Catch You on the Kids Music YouTube channel. She has watched this video probably over 100 times and she really does know all the dance moves. Now of course she doesn't have the coordination to do them perfectly by any means but she knows them and does them in her own special way along with the song. She does the running motion with her arms, jumps when it says jump, she spins when it says turn around, she really loves doing the baseball batter dance move.

Other honorable mentions from that channel (Kids Music) are Just Dance Kids is Five Little Monkeys and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Now the video that inspired me to write this post was Mother Goose Clubs "Peek-A-Boo"



This morning Sloane was playing the video, after getting into YouTube and finding it all on her own, and she was dancing around and playing Peek a Boo with her baby doll. It was just so sweet. She knew not only the peek a boo parts but also the I love you part. Of course she can't do it perfectly but she knows to point with her fingers to say "You" like in the video. I wish I could capture this cuteness on video to save forever but she always gets distracted when I pull out the phone to record.

Mother Goose Club on YouTube is just awesome and there are so many different videos that it doesn't get too annoying listening to it ALL DAY LONG.

What kind of music does your child listen to?

Mommy Monday: We have a walker!

OK well Sloane isn't exactly a full blown walker yet but I know those days are right around the corner!

Saturday afternoon, right before I went off to work Sloane took her first steps! She took the first 4 steps to Mat. He has been trying to get her to walk for probably over a week pretty consistently and Saturday she decided to do it!

I sat there watching in complete amazement. I can't believe this is happening already, and she isn't even 9 months old. I was nearly in tears. Then I realized I needed to catch this on camera so I quickly grabbed my phone and caught the second time she walked.

 

She is just adorable and so proud of herself in the video.

She has been walking while holding on to things for quite a while and for the last month or so she has been standing up without holding on. We knew the walking was coming but I didn't really think it would be so soon, I thought for sure it would be after 9 months.

Now I will say she hasn't done much more walking after that. My mom said she took two steps on Sunday while she was watching her. I know we will be working with her each day to see if we can get her to walk just cause it's too adorable!!

Also just a note, Sloane has three (almost 4) teeth now and her smile is just too cute!

I can't wait to see what the next mile stones we will have in store!

Mommy Monday: Colors of the rainbow tag

Hello and happy Mommy Monday!!!

My dear friend Kristin over at Cupcakes and Cosmos tagged me in this fun tag. All the blogs/vlogs that I have seen have done this on beauty and fashion things, but I thought I would switch it up and do a mommy version by high lighting things for Sloane.


Red: Sloane's Cat in the Hat quilt given to her at my first baby shower from a family member, Melody.

 

 

Orange: It's a beach blanket roll up with a pillow. I'll be honest I haven't brought it to the beach yet but we use in to prop up Sloane while she is having a bottle. It's a great thing to have while she learns to feed herself.

Yellow: Fisher Price Rock and Play, given to us by a friend. This is an amazing thing we have used continually since she was born. It was the first bed she would sleep in and now I use it to keep her contained while I shower.

 

Green:  The doll Sloane was given at Kells in Seattle. She loves this doll and I just think it is so special because they gave it to her, made our day in Seattle that much better.

Blue: My keys, I swear these are Sloane absolutely favorite toy. When ever she is being a bit fussy I can give her my keys and she's nearly instantly happy. It's funny too cause she prefers my keys over all others.

 

Indigo: So.... I'm not really sure what color indigo is and I don't really think I have anything that is indigo so I chose her favorite actual toy. This is her singing monkey. We put my old iPhone in there and it has an app on it where she touches the screen and it goes through the alphabet and counting and colors and shapes and sings. She just loves it some much and it amazes me that she has learned to touch the screen to make it change.

Violet: Her very first Care Bear she got for Easter from her Auntie's Tara and Kristin. she plays with this thing all the time and loves to suck on it's ears.

Pink: Fisher Price Night light Sea Horse. This is the first item I bought for her that wasn't very necessary but I had heard that babies sleep well with it so I quickly purchased it when Sloane was probably under 2 months old.

Multi-Color: Her Baby Einstein bouncer, she loves this thing. We have added a bunch of things on it for her to play with. She still only likes if for 15-20 minutes max but it is a great thing while we are trying to do dishes or pick up a little bit.

 

 

Mommy Monday: Sloane's first trip to the zoo

Sorry this blog is a day late. We had so much fun in the sun yesterday at the zoo that I just had no energy to blog about it when we got home. My co-worker asked to switch shifts so I had the day off and it looked like the day with the best weather this week so I had to take advantage!

Sloane and I visited the grandparents in the morning until Mat got off work. It's so nice to have them around and they so love having her over at their place. I have to admit I was a bit worried about having her over at their place because of *personal reasons but so far it seems to be going OK, they watch her a couple of times a month when we need someone.

Once Mat got home from work I gathered a lunch for us and we headed our way to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Sloane had already had two naps for the day but she still fell asleep on the car
ride to the zoo so we ended up having to bring in her car seat instead of just putting her in the stroller.

 

This is something I won't be at future visits. Sloane had to pull herself forward in the seat to be able to see anything and she didn't like that.

We arrived at the zoo and went straight for the elephants because we read that it was time to feed them. It cost $5 per person to feed so we opted out of that since Sloane was probably too young and might get too freaked out. We then decided we wanted to eat our lunch first thing so we headed to find a place to sit and eat.

 

We found a concession stand with tables which was perfect cause we needed something to drink. It was nice cause they had high chairs for us to use so Sloane was happy she was able to sit at the table with us. After eating, putting on a sun hat and sun screen and getting Sloane's diaper change it was time to take on the zoo.

First stop was the penguins! Sloane was able to stand right up to the glass and see under the water as the penguins swam by. She was especially interested in the waves the enclosure created. There was also a fountain of water that Sloane was a little frightened of at first but then decided it was pretty fun after figuring it out.


The rest of the zoo was a blast. We tried out best to get Sloane to see all the animals but there were some she just couldn't see or wasn't interested in looking at. Her favorite two animals she saw I think were the fruit bats (gross) and the kangaroo.

She also enjoyed seeing all the animal sculptures and other toys she could play with. It was also nice that she can stand up while holding onto things cause I think that made she enjoy the zoo that much more.

 

Unfortunately we didn't get a membership this trip cause Mat wasn't sure if we would be back but I think it would be nice to have a membership cause Sloane and I could go just anytime we wanted to get outside.

*this part I has been changed to protect privacy. 

Mommy Monday: Alphabet Wall Help Wanted

So, I'm just a bit too excited to plan Sloane's first birthday. I think I have been thinking about it since the day she was born. So far I know that I want it to be alphabet themed. Why may you ask? I love singing her the alphabet, her favorite toy is a monkey who teaches her the alphabet (and shapes/colors/numbers too) and finally is have a great plan to redecorate her room and to do so I'm going to need every one's help!

I saw on pintrest the idea for an alphabet wall that is made up of the letters of the alphabet designed by family and friends. How will this work? I will be asking everyone I know if they would like to contribute to the wall, those who would like to will sign up for a specific letter and then design it in any fashion they desire. I have seen so many different ways to design these letter, big or small, a painted wooden letter or painted on paper and framed, I also like the Letter O that is made out of a round object like a life preserver or a clock! Finally once they have designed the letter they bring to to Sloane's first birthday party and we reveal all the letters together!

 

The fun part is that even people who can't make it to Sloane's party can join in the fun! Just design the letter and the mail it to us. Everyone who participates will get a picture of Sloane in front of the finished wall. 

 

I'm super excited about this idea and I really hope I get enough people to have participate that all the numbers will be original!

Along with the alphabet wall I have a few other birthday plans already. I have recruited my dear friend Kristin to design and make the cake and Mat will be compiling a video of Sloane's first year!

 

The next thing I am trying to decide on is the location of her party. Our apartment is just too small to house any size of party and it's in the winter so an out door party is pretty much out of the question. I like the idea of having it at either the children's museum or something like that. I'd prefer to stay away from things that are too crazy like Chuckie Cheese till she is a bit older. Do you guys have any good ideas on where to host a birthday party, indoors? 

Oh and finally I know for a fact that I will be having the party around lunch time, hopefully Sloane won't get too tired or cranky at that time. 

So yeah, I know I'm about 4 months early for planning this thing but I'm just too excited!!!

 

Sloane is 6 months old today!!!

To Our Darling Daughter

You are officially half a year old today and that means we survived being parents for 6 whole months. Lucky for us being your parents has been nothing but a joy. Looking over the past 6 months it is amazing how things change and how much you have grown.

We remember bringing you home when you barely moved, had a good amount of crying fits, and were pretty much just a ball of jello. You are now so strong and we can't dream of keeping you still. You crawl all over the house these days and even try and crawl over anything that is in your way.

You also have started using language (well baby language) to communicate what you want rather than just crying. It is amazing how happy you are all the time, we must have hundreds of pictures of your beautiful smile.

You have interacted with so many new people this month and you have done absolutely fabulous. You just hold every ones attention in the palm of your hand. I'm sure you will grow up to be quite the social butterfly. We can't wait to see what the next month brings in your growing.

Lot You Lots
Mommy and Daddy

Mommy Monday... Swingin Sloane

Sloane has grown so much in the past few months. She can officially sit up all on her own which in turn has opened a whole new world of fun.

 

She can sit in her stroller, without the car seat attachment.

 

 

She can sit in some of the toys at the park,

 

 

her favorite being the swing.

 

 

And bath time is a whole new experience now that she can sit up in her tub.

 

Next up is her actually being able to put herself into the seating position. She changes everyday!

Mommy Monday: Babies Day Out

Saturday, my dear friends had the great idea to head up north to go to the Tulip Festival. I was so excited to not only be able to spend the day with my two bestest friends but I also got to introduce Sloane to some outdoor fun.

We started the day off by hitting the Seattle Premium outlet mall. We packed Sloane into her stroller and we made our way around the mall. It was so nice to have Sloane at a point that she isn't fussy. She was all smiles while at the mall. The girls grabbed a bite to eat at the mall so I took Sloane out of her stroller and let her play around. She was just a bundle of laughs, I can't wait till I can start giving her real food and seeing her reaction.

After the mall we headed up to Tulip Town. Sloane caught a quick nap on the drive up and that put her in a great mood upon arrival. I strapped her on in her sling. She was so excited because it was her first time out of the house in her sling. I wrapped her blanket around her outside her sling to keep her dangling legs warm and flipped on her hood to keep her head warm. Once in Tulip Town Sloane couldn't contain her excitement. She flapped her arms and kicked her legs and did her best to bounce. She was mesmerized by all the colors.

 She breathed in the fresh air with delight. Her first real day out and about experiencing the world out of the confines of her car seat and stroller. I let her see and feel the flowers. She loved watching all the people. Her aunties made her smile all day long.

Once in the car and heading home Sloane couldn't stop talking and blowing raspberries. She recounted the day to us, I'm sure, over and over again. I love how well she did all day, not a bit of crying or fussing. My friends captured some really cute pictures so that we can remember this day forever.

 

 

 

Mommy Monday: Sloane is 5 months old!

 

 

To Our Darling Daughter,

     You are 5 months old now and have grown and changed in so many ways. You have started eating solid food almost once daily. So far you have had sweet potatoes, apples and peas. You started out not really knowing what to do with these crazy flavors and textures but you have really grown to enjoy solid foods and and almost all of it actually gets eaten.
     You have figured out how to army crawl this month and that has opened up a whole new world for you. You crawl all over the floor going from toy to toy. Your favorite toy is actually your jumper. you love bouncing around in there and playing the music.
     This month we also celebrated your first Easter. We had our family and friends over for the day and you were all dressed up in your Easter dress you got from your Aunt Brenda. This holiday you did really well, laughing and playing with everyone until it was your nap time.
     Sloane you have become such a strong a beautiful little lady. Daddy and I know you are going to do so many amazing things in your life and we can't wait to be right there supporting you.

Love you Lots
Mommy and Daddy

Mommy Monday: Sloane's First Easter

Yesterday was Easter and Sloane third holiday that we celebrate with my extended family. The first was Thanksgiving when she was only a couple weeks old.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents house and Sloane did simply fabulous, Besides peeing and pooing in front of everyone during a diaper change, she pretty much slept the entire time.

Second holiday we celebrated with my family was Christmas. She was a almost two months old and I'm pretty sure she was completely overwhelmed by all the people that she basically cried the entire time. This was the time when I basically reverted to the boob to sooth her so we didn't get much socializing with my family for that holiday.

Easter, however, Sloane was nearly 4 months and 3 weeks and she was a perfect angel. She did so good socializing with everyone. I actually think she completely loved all the attention she was getting because Mat and I will leave her to play by herself sometimes while we do dishes or what not. She looked absolutely stunning in her Easter dress we got from Mat's aunt.

Also later in the day after she awoke from her nap after everyone went home I spent sometime playing with her on the floor and she was a crawling machine! I'm excited that I was able to capture it on video.

It is so awesome to see Sloane grow and develop everyday and the milestones like these really remind me just how much she is growing.

Sloane is 4 months old!!!

To Our Darling Daughter,

You are now four months old and you are continuing to change everyday. You did so great at your 4 month check up. You weigh 14lbs 11oz and you are 26 1/4 inches long which is taller than 98% of babies your age. You're going to be tall like your daddy.

You discovered your feet this month! You always have them in your hands, until you roll onto your tummy of course. It's just the cutest thing to see you holding your feet.

We also went on your first full day outing this month. I took you for a girls day at the NW Women's Show with your aunties. You did so amazing all day, not fussing once. Everyone there said you were the cutest baby and couldn't believe you weren't already 6 months because you are so big.

We fall in love with your every time we look at you and can't believe how big your getting! Let's see what the next month brings us!

Love you lots

Mommy and Daddy

Mommy Monday; Sloane's first play date

Almost a year ago Mat reunited with a friend from high school, Travis. We went on a double date on St Patricks Day, which was actually only about a week after found out were we pregnant. we didn't reveal we were pregnant to them however till a couple months later. Believe it or not Travis and his wife were pregnant also!

Sarah and Travis gave birth about three weeks after we did to their darling daughter Delilah (Lilah). We had gotten together once since the babies were born but they were still very young and so had no real interest in being social.

Last night was pretty exciting cause they were both in pretty good moods so we were able to get some cute pictures of the two girls together. I just can't wait until they are old enough to actually play together. I know that they will get Mat and Travis to come to many tea parties in the years to come.