Summer Infant Swaddleme Cotton Knit, Pink, Large

One thing that we used most with our baby E was her swaddlers. Pretty much as soon as we brought E home from the hospital we started swaddling her to sleep at naps and night. We had two of these to start with, but maybe could have even used more with a newborn because I feel like there were lots that got messed up with blowouts and we didn’t do laundry that quickly. We used these because we had heard that babies like to be swaddled because it reminds them of being in the womb. Whatever it is, I don’t know, but E liked it! And she was a good sleeper! Aside from the various points where it has been hard to get her to nap or to stay asleep or whatever, she has overall been a good sleeper and we have always used swaddles.

(two weeks old)

Basically you tuck the feet in and then wrap it around her arms. It is possible to swaddle with a regular blanket but I was never very good at that and she always came out really quickly. It would help her arms not flail around and wake herself up when she was little. When she got bigger, we would put an arm out so she could retrieve and reinsert her paci. Some of them even have a slot in the bottom so that you can put them in the car seat swaddled and the car seat buckle can poke through to be fastened. There have definitely been times when she could wriggle out of it, but often it would keep her somewhat still long enough to fall asleep so it was fine if she got out by morning. It is also added warmth, a blanket that is safe to use when they are little and when “they” say not to put blankets in the crib with your baby.

We have just kept buying the next size right up until…well….still using one! Yes we still swaddle our big girl, but really it is more just a blanket that stays on. It is not tight and we leave an arm out and she usually gets the other one out pretty fast. In my opinion, this helps buy time before she stands up in the crib, meaning she lays down longer, thereby falling asleep faster. It is also a blanket she can’t kick off. She has always been petite so we use the large size and I guess before too long she will outgrow it or we will just transition to a blanket, but right now it works! Other than the past week or so, she was napping twice a day and sleeping 12+ hours at night without waking up. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Look how happy she is to be swaddled?

First birthday, partially escaped, but still cozy and warm!

My rating: five out of five stars! (Can I give it six?)

One of the most fun parts of E getting big is watching her begin to play. I love to watch her! She obviously has something going on and some plan about what she is doing because she is so purposeful.

She is a good little momma! Here she is, trying to put her hat on her bear which she had me swaddle so it could go “night night”. Yes, the bear is already wearing a hat.  She also pats their back and hugs them. (Please ignore the cobwebs in my corner!)

She is loving her little nativity set. She has transported them to the tile and set them up. Gracie is watching skeptically.

This is her spot in the living room where she plays. This suede ottoman has been so great for kids, whether as a trampoline at home group or as E’s table.

Aren’t her pj’s cute? Gotta love carter’s! When we are home all day, she stays in her pjs til after her first nap. Gotta get some use out of the Christmas jammies!

You might recall that last fall when E was just a couple of months old, her daddy had to leave the country and so we went to the grandparents. Well that happened again this fall and here are some pictures of our week!

They got me a wagon!

Got to go to a family reunion!

Got to play with Mommy’s old doll!

Daddy, we wish you could have been there!

Last year, E was only a couple of months old, but I was sad to miss out on going to Baylor homecoming. This year I really wanted to go! There were a few bumps along the way and maybe my expectations about what all we could do with a fifteen month old weren’t quite what they should have been, but it was fun!

We went to the pre-bonfire festivities. She liked meeting Bruiser the bear.

 

We went to the parade and got to watch it with some friends.

She waved at all the bears she saw on floats.

 

Maybe in a few years she can go to a game!

E got to go on her first plane ride in August. It was only an hour long flight and she did great.

She also got to make a friend and ride a baby train.

She met a horse for the first time. (The horse liked her so much, she thought she was a carrot and nibbled on her leg a little!)

And got to sit on her.

Then she got to go feed ducks.

She also got to ride around the zoo in her wagon!

She’s clapping for that guy!

First time eating corn on the cob!

Isn’t it so fun to explore your world!?

We visited a local pumpkin patch with some friends. E hadn’t napped too well that day, of course, so she foiled some of my great plans for pumpkin pictures. We did manage to get a few.