Hampton is THREE
Pinch me! My baby boy is three years old today. In some ways it feels like it has been every bit of three years and in some ways it feels like I had him yesterday. Looking back at photos of him seems like it all just happened, and yet, here we are. Motherhood is funny like that, I guess.
Five on Friday
ONE.
Hampton and I went on 2 playdates this week. It has been so nice to get out and enjoy the weather. We go on walks almost every day, but it was fun to do something different. Tuesday we went to the zoo and Wednesday we had a picnic at the park. Did you catch my toddler playdate ideas I shared yesterday? Get out and enjoy the weather!
TWO.
I am giving away a pair of Ralph Lauren Sunglasses from Sunglasses Shop! Be sure to stop by and enter. Everyone needs a new pair of sunnies for the summer!
THREE.
My baby turned 17 months old earlier this week. I can’t believe how grown he is. He is talking so much more and acting so much older. He is still very into Thomas the train and I am so excited to surprise him with tickets to ride Thomas and meet Sir Topham Hatt next month.
FOUR.
I will be 35 weeks pregnant tomorrow. What? I literally can’t believe it. It feels like yesterday that I told Ryan I was 30 weeks and we only had 10 more to go. Now, we are down to 5 weeks. I still have so much to buy. I don’t know if it’s the 2nd child or what, but I have not been as prepared this time. PLEASE help me out and list all of your baby gear you couldn’t live without! Specifically for a baby girl. Any Etsy shop recommendations? Must have items?
FIVE.
SC Johnson is holding a sweepstakes where you can win a $200 Visa Gift Card, Bose System and Tons of cleaning supplies. All you have to do is take this quick quiz! You also get free coupons at the end of the quiz! It’s definitely worth checking out! Click here to take the quiz!
I hope you all have a great weekend! Don’t forget to tell me what your favorite baby gear and shops are in the comments!
Playdate Ideas for Toddlers
Planning activities for toddlers can be stressful. Playdates are awesome for toddlers. All kids, really, but toddlers are tough. They are learning how to play and interact with others and what better way to learn than on a playdate? Hampton and I love playdates because it gives him time to play with other kids and gives me time to socialize with other adults. I love that time with friends because it is our time to swap stories about our kids as well as feeding off of each other for advice. It is so nice to have that support all while Hampton is being socialized. 😉 I wrote down a list of spring activities for toddlers the other day so that we could start checking some off of our list. These are also great ideas for playdates.
We love to host playdates at our house or go to other friend’s houses, but sometimes it is nice to get out and about and do something a little different. We have been out on two playdates just this week and it has been really wonderful. Here are a few playdate ideas to get you out of the house and out on the town.
Playdate Ideas:
- Park
- Picnic
- Zoo Day
- Make a Craft
- Building Blocks
- Playing Ball
- Swimming at your neighborhood or local YMCA pool
- Play in the sprinkler
- Children’s Museum
- Aquarium
- Play center (like Pump it Up)
- Pizza Restaurant or Chuck E Cheese’s
- Host a Toddler Olympics (with races, toss game etc.)
- Reading play date at your library (or someone’s home if you’re nervous about noise)
- Sensory activities (sand boxes, boxes of beans, rice, etc. that they can play in)
- Take them to a ball game
- Slip ‘N’ Slide
- Play with Chalk
What other ideas do you have for a toddler playdate? What was your favorite playdate?
One of Those Days
I received product and compensation from Gerber and Mom Select, however, all experiences and opinions are 100% my own.
Saturday was one of those days. You know the ones I’m talking about? Where nothing seems to be going right? You think you have it all together and then all of a sudden, you realize how far behind you are? I had that moment on Saturday afternoon. I saw Hampton’s Easter basket, and while I have all of these wonderful Easter basket ideas for him, the only thing I have actually purchased is his Big Brother shirt. That’s it. Poor baby. So this is what his basket looked like at this moment:
Kind of sad. I also realized after he woke up from his nap that he had no snacks. He was completely out of snacks and I really really needed to go grocery shopping. So, what did I do? I loaded a fussy hungry toddler into the car and we drove to Target because Target is the cure-all.
Now for the happy part of the story. I had a win-win moment standing in the middle of Target. I went straight to the baby section to find all of his favorite Gerber Graduates snacks and hit the mother load. He was literally cheering as I picked out his favorite snacks. Happy baby, happy mommy. Then it hit me, I bought extra snacks to fill his Easter basket with! Genius! Now, he has lots of snacks that will get us through at least a couple of weeks and he also has more snacks that he will get in his Easter basket and be super excited about. I even bought a couple of their little entrees to keep around for lunch on the go when we are at play dates or grandma’s house!
Guess what? Gerber is giving away a free gift set when you purchase 10 Gerber Graduates products and upload your receipt to their site! How awesome is that? I uploaded my receipt and can’t wait to receive Hampton’s goodies! It doesn’t get any sweeter than free food and baby products for your little one.
Thank you, Gerber, for saving the day and Easter and for giving this weary mother her win-win moment of the week!
Have you had a win-win moment recently?
Big Brother
Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of the little things. Hampton’s sleepy smile when he first wakes up in the mornings. The way he watches everything we do with such intent and interest. The fact that there is peanut butter on my window sills and spilled milk on my floor should bother me, right? But I love it! I love all of the evidence of my child learning, touching everything, exploring and playing. It makes me so happy when I see him discover something new. In the last couple of weeks he has started playing peekaboo – legit peekaboo, not the baby version of the game. He runs from me when I call him. He hides from me when he has done something wrong. He lays his head on my shoulder when I tell him “no” for whatever thing he has done in apology. He is growing up and changing so quickly. Most days I want him to still be my baby boy, but others, I realize how lucky I am that he is healthy enough to run, play, spill things, eat Pippa’s food, throw (and break) my bathroom scale, make messes and laugh. He is growing up, and while it breaks my heart in some ways, it makes me smile.
A couple of weeks ago, he came up to me holding a frame with a picture of a baby in it. He pointed and said “baby, baby” over and over. It made me smile, and cry a little (blame the hormones). It was comforting to know that just maybe he does understand more than we think he does. I know he has got this. He is going to be a great big brother to our little girl and I can’t wait!
Easter Basket Ideas For Your Toddler
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Coming up with Easter Basket ideas for kids can be tough. Sure, toys are always fun, but if you’re practical like me, you won’t want to waste a lot of money on silly toys that they won’t ever pay attention to. I like to find useful and educational things to mix in with the fun things. That way, you don’t feel like you are wasting money or space in your home.
Easter Basket Ideas:
- Bath Toys
- Children’s First Bible
- Balls
- Bunny Slippers
- Board Books
- Beach Toys
- PJs
- Toy Cars
- Toddler’s First Crayons
- Little People Toys
- Puzzles
- Tickets to the Zoo
- Coloring Books
- Play Phone
- Brush
- Mirror
- Play-Doh Eggs
- Their favorite snacks ie. Goldfish, puffs, etc.
- DVD
- Summer hat (or baseball cap)
- Sippy Cups
- Clothes
- Blocks
- Swimsuit
- Bubbles
- Sunglasses
- Magnetic Letters for the Fridge
- Doll
- Monogrammed Basket Liner
- Plates/Bowls
- Rain Boots
- Chalk
- Thomas the Train Shaving Kit
- Reef Flip Flops
- Tickets to see Thomas the Train (locally)
What are you putting in your little one’s Easter basket?
Hampton’s First Haircut
My baby boy is growing up so fast. It seems like I JUST had him, but I blinked and here we are ,16 months later getting his first haircut. His hair has been getting pretty long, but I wasn’t ready to cut it until last weekend. We went on a walk like we do every Saturday and two different neighbors stopped us and said “awe she is so cute.” SHE. Umm… no, he is a boy and is wearing blue, but okay, I get the picture. So, I made an appointment with a childhood friend of mine to cut his hair. I actually didn’t cry, but I had so many mixed emotions. I was excited, sad, and sort of in disbelief that he is old enough to have his hair cut. It is crazy how fast time flies.
My handsome little boy!
Did you cry when your child got his/her first haircut?
Weekend Update
This weekend was equally crazy, scary, exciting, fun and about a million other emotions. At my doctor appointment on Thursday, we found out that when our insurance policy changed, so did the amount of money we will owe the hospital after baby. Let’s just say that number grew by an extra zero. So there was that. Even better? We had just purchased brand new furniture the day before and it was literally being delivered to our house while I was at the doctor. To say that news stressed me out is an understatement.
We are absolutely thrilled about our new couch and chairs. It is so exciting and terrifying to make a big purchase like that, but I’m so thankful we did and our house finally feels like it is coming together a bit more. I even caught Hampton enjoying his bible stories book on one of our new chairs. As soon as he spotted me with the camera, he began showing off. haha He is a mess.
Friday and Saturday, Hampton stayed with his grandparents while Ryan and I attended a marriage conference. It was such a blessing to gather with other Christians and refocus our marriage on God and putting Him in the middle of our relationship. We learned a lot about how to deal with conflict and decisions which was really interesting and definitely encouraged us.
All in all it was a great weekend. New furniture, working on our love, and a baby-free night! While I did miss Hampton terribly, it was so nice to have a night off. We haven’t had that in a very long time.
How was your weekend?
Hampton at 15 Months
My baby boy is growing up so fast. He turned 15 months this past Saturday. He has turned into such a stud. Hampton is saying so many new words this month like “no, yeah, milk, fish, and duck.” He is still totally obsessed with Thomas except now, he prefers to watch it on my phone or iPad. He loves being outside and would literally sleep out there if we let him. He loves to slide and swing at the park and ride his Gator (that he got for Christmas). He has 8 teeth and his hair is getting so much longer and a little lighter. His favorite time of day is when we read books together. He loves story time. His favorite book, I am proud to say, is his bible stories board book.
This month, I am looking forward to celebrating your second Valentine’s Day, reading you some new books, watching you discover new things and hearing the new words you will say. I love watching you grow and change every day. You are the sweetest little boy and I am so blessed to be your mommy. I love you, bubbie!
P.S. Vote on our baby girl’s name on my right sidebar! >>