Petit Punkin...

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click product and purchase, I may receive a small commission*

Our petit punkin is 9 months old today!  It is hard to believe Vivian will be a year old this fall!  I never knew what a thief time was, until I had a second child.  She is still a baby, sure...but she is no longer an infant who needs to be cradled and wrapped in a blanket all the time.  She no longer stays still in my arms, and instead crawls all over me.  She is starting to eat chunkier foods, against her will.  She is not a fan of the textures right now, but loves her cereal puffs.  This past month has been a fun and exhausting one with Miss Vivian.  

She puts the RE back in sleep regression as she still gets up once at night.  She did so good sleeping through the night months 3-7...Praying she is able to start sleeping through the night again soon!  This past month also brought a monster called separation anxiety.  If mama is in sight, bebe demands to be in her arms only.  She will hardly let anyone else hold her when I am around and has also started crying when I drop her off at daycare...with teachers she truly adores and that adore her.  She is in a high maintenance stage right now, but one grin flashing her one and only tooth and we forget about the demanding babe she can be.  She is a babbling, moving almost 9 month old that is full of personality and has opinions about...well errything!

A gal with this much personality needs a wardrobe to match her spunk.   I am looking forward to putting more style in her wardrobe for the early fall.  I have gone back on my word about two things I swore I would never do...Dress Vivian in tulle and big bows.  I totally get why so many mamas dress their baby girls in tulle and I plan to make sure Vivian has these dresses (that are available in long sleeves for fall!) until she graduates from college.

Shop Vivian's early fall style below!

Happy Monday, y'all!  Only three more sleeps for us until we are at the beach celebrating big brother Bubba's 6th birthday!

float away

Y'all, pool season is just around the corner!  I am nowhere near "swimsuit ready" and honestly I don't care.  I just want to have a good time with my kids and husband making memories.  We are lucky in that my mother-in-law has the most amazing pool that overlooks the large pond on the property.  Sometimes when we are down there I have to pinch myself to make sure it's real.  It is just so pretty there. 

This summer will be quite different than it has been the past couple of summers because we will have petit bebe with us!  I am looking forward to introducing her to the water and to our family's summer happy place!  Babies require a few items for a successful pool day and if you have a girl, those items need to be cute!  Here is what will be going in our pool bag for Vivian!

sunscreen // balls // penguin toy // round pool towel // baby sunglasses // cover up // baby bonnet // swim suit // flamingo baby float

I have a thing for bonnets and mermaids. So, I am glad to see that mermaids are the new unicorn of the season.  We already have the swimsuit/rashguard and it is darling!  Viv has a few other swim suits, but I see her living in the mermaid rashguard.  I love that it has UPF 40 to protect her gorgeous skin.  We will also be piling on the SPF 50 sunscreen.  Hubs had a little scare with a place on his head that had to be removed, so we will all be taking extra caution in the sun from here on out.

While summers in Georgia are unforgiving and can feel close to what you would imagine hell feeling like...and hopefully none of us will have to find out what hell truly feels like...It is still one of my favorite times of the year because of how much time will be spent with family at the pool.  I am also pumped to NOT be pregnant this summer.  Sheesh, I will never know how I have survived two summer pregnancies.

What are the must have pool items for your babes?

Happy Hump Day, y'all!

**This post contains affiliate links.  I may earn a small commission if you click and purchase items**
 

How to prevent a huge mess...

So I have no tips on how to prevent your baby from creating messes.  If you solve that issue, please let me know ASAP.  I have, however, had a couple of people ask me about how I have made some of Vivian's baby food and how I store it, so i thought I would share a recipe as well as my go-to products.

PS-There is a really awesome giveaway at the bottom!

*Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a doctor...please speak with your pediatrician before introducing foods to your baby.*

One of Bubba's first foods was sweet potatoes and to this day they are one of his favorite veggies.  So in true form, Vivian is following in her beloved big brother's footsteps.  Like a true southern girl, she loves sweet potatoes just like her brother did.  The great thing about using sweet potatoes as baby's first food, besides being a superfood, they are extremely easy to prepare, store and freeze.  Right now, Vivian eats a very small portion of food 2-3 times a day so she is still drinking formula and breastmilk for all of her other meals. 

| H E L P F U L   T O O L S |

 | I N G R E D I E N T S |

Sweet Potatoes
Water

That's it. Nothing else!  No sugar, no spice.  This is your chance to be in control of your children's taste buds.  Help them to appreciate vegetables in their purest states.  Introduce them to all the veggies and fruits, even the ones you don't care for.

| M E T H O D |

Pre-heat oven to 425, Wash and scrub sweet potatoes, pat dry

Place sweet potatoes on foil lined baking pan and bake for 45 minutes or until completely soft

Let cool then begin removing skin ( I do this by cutting sweet potatoes in half, then peel the skin off)

Use whatever processing tool you are using and blend until completely smooth, I prefer an immersion blender simply because I already had one and it has a really handy food processor attachment to it.

I store these as pure sweet potatoes, but when I serve them to Vivian I add a splash of water or breast milk as sweet potatoes are pretty thick for a stage 1 eater.

For storage, I prefer Kiinde breast milk and Foodii storage bags.  Vivian is eating a little food, but is also still drinking formula and breast milk.  All of my breast milk is stored in Kiinde bags.  I was able to pump directly into the Kiinde bags and avoid messy transfers.  I can even feed Vivian my thawed milk directly from the bag I pumped into as they have handy bottles you can put the bags in to feed your baby.  These bags are just perfect because they handle everything!  I love that I only need to buy ONE product to store everything.  I love that the bags are inter-compatible with one another, so I am able to use my remaining stash of Kiinde breast milk storage bags to store sweet potatoes and other pureed foods in.  These bags hold up really well in the freezer and are completely recyclable.  

I used 5 medium sweet potatoes for this batch and ended up with about 6 cups of baby food.  That will last a while, so most of the stash is in the freezer.


The kind people at Kiinde (see what i did there?) are offering one lucky Red Velvet Rooster mama a free starter set. The starter set includes: 20 storage bags, 14 breast pump adapters (these are what allow you to directly pump into the bags from whatever pump you use), storage bag keeper, feeding bottle, slow-flow, medium-flow, and fast-flow nipple with cases and nipple cleaning brushes.  I am telling you, YOU want this.  Even if you are not bottle feeding this is a great starter set for those looking to store homemade baby foods.  Enter the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Monday, Y'all!

 

The first taste...

Over the past week we have begun introducing food to Vivian, per our pediatrician's approval.  I felt very strongly about making as much of her baby food as possible, I think in large part because I was unable to breastfeed for as long as I had hoped.  This is my way of overcompensating because of the mom guilt I feel for my inability to breastfeed for a year.  I know, I shouldn't feel any guilt...but I do, so I have harnessed all of that guilt and put it towards something that is in my control and is much more productive than moping.  I am very new on this journey of homemade baby food, but I thought I would share my must-haves for that first month of introducing new foods. 

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.*

Immersion blender // Re-Play Bowls // Kiinde Storage Bags // Training Sippy Cup // Copper Pearl Bibs // Baby spoons // Re-Play Divided Plates

I have not purchased a special processor for Vivian's baby food because, so far, there has not been a need to.  Currently, I am using our immersion stick blender that we received as a wedding gift over 6 years ago.  I have heard great things about the Baby Bullet.  I, personally, am just trying to avoid buying a specialized kitchen appliance (I have enough of those) that will take up space in my cabinet.  The Re-Play bowls and plates are made from recycled milk jugs which I find so cool and the Nuby spoons change colors to let you know if the food is too hot.  I just love baby products.

One of my absolute favorite things on this list are the Copper Pearl bandana drool bibs.  They may say drool bibs, but I use them as general bibs to catch all the things that can possibly dribble out of baby's face...from spit up and drool to food to snot...They are just great for everyday use and wash really well...Plus they are stylish, which is the most important part here, obvi!

Copper Pearl is offering 10% discount exclusively for Red Velvet Rooster readers! I have a ton of mama's out there that I know will love these...some of you already use them!  Use code REDVELVET10 here to receive 10% off. Code is good for 1 week!

Happy Friday sweet friends!  Thank you for reading and supporting my blog.  It is greatly appreciated!

*This post contains affiliate links*

Linking up with some of my favorite friday blogs!!

Karli | Jennie |Andrea |  Tif  | April | Amanda

Achieving Zen...

Until recently, we have been using breathable, muslin blankets to swaddle Vivian before laying her down in her crib.  That was the only thing that helped to keep her asleep.  Yes, I realize that is not what is recommended...You handle the decisions for your children and we will handle the decisions regarding our children...#kthanks.  We decided that we would have to ditch the swaddling once she became more mobile and could roll over. 

Well a couple of weeks ago she began rolling over and moving around in her crib, so it was time for us to say goodbye to swaddling.  We were not sure what our next move was.  We knew it would most likely be a sleep sack of some kind, but were worried that it would not give her the comfort she craved in the form of being swaddled or held.

Around the time we were looking for sleep sacks to try, Nested Bean reached out to me to see if I would be interested in trying out their product. I began researching their product to see what sets them a part from the millions of other sleep sacks out there.  I quickly found that they offer very unique and thoughtful products for parents and their babies.  Here are a few things I love about the Zen Sleep Sack for our daughter, Vivian.

| W E I G H T E D   P A T C H |

Weighted patch on the front chest of sleep sack helps to simulate touch.  Babies crave contact and are comforted by it.  The weighted patch helps to comfort Vivian and allows for her to be put down in her crib easier.

| 1 0 0 %   C O T T O N |

I am picky about this as I really try to only dress my kids in 100% cotton.  The material used for the Zen Sleep Sack is incredibly soft.  I love that they offer a warmer sack for the winter months and a lighter one for the warmer months.

| T W O - W A Y   Z I P P E R |

This makes it really easy to change Vivian's diapers at night without having to get her all the way out of her sleep sack, which would cause her to become fully awake and in turn harder to put back down after a late night bottle.

| M A C H I N E   W A S H A B L E |

I do not need to elaborate much on this.  I do not have time for fancy materials that require special care.  I need cotton items that can be thrown in a washer and dryer with all the rest of our clothes.  The Zen Sleep Sack holds up well in the washer and dryer.

| A D J U S T A B L E   S H O U L D E R   T A B S |

These shoulder tabs are great for accommodating your growing babe.  They are easy to snap together and are smooth and sewn into the material very well so as to not irritate your baby's neck. The sacks come in 3 -6 month and 6-12 month sizes.

I am thrilled to be able to offer a discount to my readers.  Use code REDVELVET10 to receive 10% off of your order at Nested Bean.  I know I have several mamas out there who are expecting or have recently had a baby.  I cannot recommend this sleep sack enough.  It is one of the best baby products we have used with Vivian and I plan to purchase another one soon.

Happy Monday, friends!!

* This post is sponsored by Nested Bean. All opinions are my very own *

how to survive a grizzly bear...

Our daughter, the grizzly bear, went through bouts of severe colic for the first couple months of her life.  Her colic has mostly subsided now that she is three months old, but for about two months we dreaded the hours of 6-9pm.  It was during these colicky hours that she turned into something reminiscent of a grizzly bear whose cubs had been taken from her.  She just became angry at the world. We would do all the proper checks to ensure she was not uncomfortable or in pain.  Once we had checked everything, all we could do was take a hint from Hootie & the Blowfish, hold her and let her cry...

Ways to survive a grizzly bear, otherwise known as Vivian...

| 1 |

Feed it...Just throw food at it...whether it's salmon and honey or formula and breastmilk... (OK, please don't feed your baby salmon and honey...) Feed the thing!  Even if they are off schedule and are not due to have a bottle for another hour, screw it...just feed them! Honestly, that will not mess up their schedule that much.

| 2 |

Swaddle it...So this would probably be pretty impossible to do to a grizzly bear, but swaddle the babe.  Swaddling has really helped us with Viv's bedtime routine and with getting her calm.  We have tried several swaddles, but one of the best ones we tried has been the Ollie Swaddle by The Ollie World. The material is so soft and stretchy and is designed to keep your baby from overheating.  It has velcro fasteners and a tie at the bottom for you to tie off the swaddle, making it tailored to your baby's height and allowing you to change their diaper without un-swaddling them! Genius, right!?

This is a swaddle that is really great for babies that like a tighter swaddle, but it is adjustable and made for babies to grow in.  It stays secure and is made of breathable material.  It comes in beautiful delicate colors and can be used to swaddle with babies arms in or out.  Vivian did not care to be swaddled with her arms inside the Ollie swaddle, but she loves being swaddled with her arms out. She really enjoys being in it while doing tummy time.  All in all, this is a really great swaddle that I highly recommend in your quest to tame the grizzly bear...

| 3 |

Bounce it...no, not like a basketball.  Take your swaddled cub around the house and add an extra bounce in your step.  Try sitting on the washing machine with your baby so they feel the vibration.  A friend of mine swears by bouncing on an exercise ball while holding the baby during their colic episodes.  Babies seem to like vibration and movement, I guess because that is what they were used to in utero...maybe the movement is to help calm ourselves down when all you want to do is rock back and forth in a dark corner because you are so traumatized by the colicky screams... 

| 4 |

Fetal Position...When all else fails, just go to the fetal position and remember: "this too shall pass."  At three months old, Vivian's colic is phasing itself out.  In the thick of it, it feels like it is never going to end and you are asking yourself how in the hell are you going to survive? Trust me, you will!  Just do everything you can to make your baby feel loved while they cry...

***This post is sponsored by The Ollie Swaddle, but all opinions are my own***


Here's hoping y'alls babies don't have colic, but whether they do or not you need to try the Ollie Swaddle!

Sweet Buddha Baby

Cat // Find Here!

Vivian Rose: 3 months

99th percentile for height, 95th percentile for weight

In 6 month clothes and almost in size 2 diapers

Very close to belly laughing, but for now coos and squeals with delight

Had her first ear infection :-(

Loves to "talk" back and forth with mama and daddy

Loves to watch ceiling fans and loves to kick

Favorite things: owl chime that hangs on her car seat carrier and these fluffy muslin blankets

Big bro Bubba is her absolute favorite person

Called Viv, Vivi, Sissy, Schnookums, Buddha Baby

Likes listening to John Mayer in her swing while we work in the kitchen

Sleeps about 9 hours at night in her Dock-A-Tot in the crib. Either sleeps through the night or wakes up once to eat

Loves bath time...This bath is amazing!

Drooling like crazy, but rarely takes a pacy..prefers her fingers!

Sits up well with support

Colic is on it's way out the door

Mama went back to work and Viv started day care.  

She loves her teachers, but is not so fond of louder babies

Went to her first livestock show and was mesmerized by the cows

This past month has been a fun one.  The newborn fragility has faded a little and her personality is really starting to come out.  Not nearly as gassy as first two months. The colic is starting to fade out as well, which has allowed us to enjoy her more!  Looking forward to what this next month will bring.

*This post contains affiliate links*

She screamed like a mandrake...until this!

A Harry Potter reference for all of my muggle friends!

For the first two months of Vivian's life she absolutely hated her car seat carrier.  Even her car ride home from the hospital, which was all of 5 minutes, she screamed just about the whole way home.  We adjusted everything in the seat to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable, but we determined she just hated being in the car seat carrier. She would scream like the mandrake plant in Harry Potter the entire time she was in it...which was awful considering the car rider pick-up line at Bubba's elementary school takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.  It was pure hell...

Image via Pinterest

Her hatred for the car seat carrier made it difficult to take her with me to run errands or even put her in the stroller for a walk.  Besides her car seat carrier, the only other place she can sit is on my hip.  She cannot support her head and body enough to sit in a seat on her own, so putting her in the grocery cart seat isn't an option yet.  Well, any mama of 2 and wife of 1 will tell you that grocery shopping is never an option.  Whether you feel like it or not, it has to get done.

During my grocery shopping trips I had started carrying Viv around the store while pushing a shopping cart with one hand, or wearing her in my Baby Bjorn, because I knew she needed a break from being in her carrier.  She likes to be able to stretch and move.  The carrier restricts her, as it is supposed to.  Grocery shopping was becoming extremely difficult and tiring...Then I discovered something that has changed my grocery shopping experiences entirely...

The Binxy Baby.  This thing is awesome, y'all!  It is like a little hammock for babies that fits most standard grocery carts.  It straps on to either side of the grocery cart and provides a comfortable space for your baby.  There are also straps inside so that you can buckle in your little one.  Viv really enjoys it as it gives her a break from being in the car seat carrier.  You can also put the car seat carrier on the Binxy Baby if your babe is already asleep in it, which keeps space free in the cart.  The Binxy Baby will support the car seat carrier up to 50 lbs and is meant to use until babies are able to sit up on their own.  This product is super cool and I really recommend all of my mama friends and readers purchase one ASAP.

No more stacking groceries on top of the baby in the car seat carrier...Binxy Baby has made grocery shopping with a babe and boy much easier!

**I received this product in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my very own!**