Babywise
I knowwww I've attempted to sell Babywise to you before, but I'm here to try it again. Maverick was not a 'by the book' Babywise child and there were many times it was so frustrating that he wouldn't just SLEEP like the book said he would by 12 weeks because I did everything right! BUT...I'm here to tell you, Mav now sleeps 11-12.5 hours every night and takes a 2-3.5 hour nap each day. I can look back on those days and thank Past Mollie for helping Future Mollie tremendously by doing the hard work so we can have happy, easy bedtimes, a schedule that runs like a well-oiled machine, and a happy, well-rested, healthy toddler. I LOVE the predictability the Babywise routine and schedule provides for our family and I will never try anything else. This was something we implemented right away and consistently for the past two years, and are now enjoying the benefits.
Crayola Triangular Crayons
Maverick has started to show some interest in drawing and coloring, especially when I'm at the table working on my Bible study or my list for the day. He sits in his high chair (yep, still in that...it's the one place I can put him where he can't escape until I'm ready to move on to the next thing) with a piece of paper taped down and plays for 20 minutes or more. He's had a lot of luck figuring these crayons out so we'll keep buying them.
Chick-Fil-A
I don't even know how to be a mom without Chick-Fil-A. I am so thankful I only spent the first month of Maverick's life without it (though, at the time, I didn't realize what a life-changing thing CFA would be) and now we have a love story that I don't see ending anytime soon. It's where we meet friends for lunch dates; where we run if we need to do breakfast on the run; and where we go for supper if Mom and Mav have had a crabby day of teething and mom just can't even with supper.
Munchkin Miracle 360 Cups
Maverick went from a bottle to drinking his water and milk from these cups and we love them. I think he might be ready for more of a water-bottle now that he's getting older...but for the past year and a half these have been our fave! Apparently they're better for toddler-mouths/teeth and I like how easy they are to clean (no gross straws!). I like this one for the pool or road trips so Mav's ice water stays colder, longer.
Chester the Raccoon
I did not think I would be the kind of parent to like stuffed animals (I spent the better part of my childhood with far too many dusty stuffed animals stored in a 'pet net' hanging from the ceiling of our bedroom...all gifted by well-meaning, loving relatives...but WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO WITH STUFFED ANIMALS. Jamie and I NEVER needed that many and we never really played with them or even slept with them. Maybe we each had a special ONE. For Maverick, that's his Chester. He calls him 'CHACHAAAA' and loves on him all day, every day. This summer Maverick has been putting Chester to bed, giving him drinks, sharing his after-nap-snack, taking him for rides on the combine, reading him books, and taking him in the car whenever we go on trips. I've limited the stuffed animal intake, and because of that, Mav has fallen more in love with what he has. I am really glad we keep a few around for him to cuddle.
Crib + Sleep Sacks + Sound Machine
More tricks from my favorite Babywise-mom-friends...Maverick is a two-year-old and is still in his crib, in a sleep sack, and listening to a sound machine at every nap and for every night. That might sound weird to some mom's but he's never once climbed out of his crib or pack and play, and finally sleeps through sirens, company, and other traffic noises at our house. There's no real reason to switch him to a twin bed or put an end to any of these parts in his bedtime routine...and he's sleeping like a champ, so why would I mess with a good thing? At this point, I'm thinking he will probably be in a crib until he's three if I can help it and I have plans to order bigger sleep sacks as well.
The Biggest Story ABC
Risen Motherhood mentioned this book in their Instagram stories the other day and I flipped right over to my Amazon app to order it without another word. It came a couple days ago and we've been reading it every night. I LOVE that it's something we can read until Mav is ready for The Jesus Storybook Bible (which we've tried but Mav lasted about 30 seconds) and it presents the Bible as one big story, instead of learning individual stories like kiddos typically do from books and movies and Sunday School.
Bath Toy Holder
You know how I feel about organization...when Mav switched to taking his bath in the real tub, the toy situation was gross and out of control. I pitched the ones that were more than a year old, pulled out the fresh ones we had been gifted, and bought this mesh, suction, bath toy holder for my shower. It holds all of Mav's bath toys, let's them dry out as much as possible, and keeps everything off the floor of the tub. Ours is the Munchkin brand from Target, but the one I linked above is almost the exact same thing!
Water Table
Maverick has three toys outside on our deck...a slide, a pool, and this water table (along with a few balls, pails, shovels, etc.) But he spends the majority of his time pouring, stirring, and emptying his water table. I'm so glad this was one of the things we 'assigned' to his grandparents to buy last year instead of having everyone go crazy getting him clothes and toys and lots of things he doesn't really need. This is something he's spent hours using. I would recommend finding a model with a lid (ours takes daily emptying/cleaning, which doesn't bother me because I love an excuse to be on the deck) but there are millions to choose from on Amazon.
SkipHop Backpack + Insulated Lunch Box
These are just cute as crap. They tons of animals and colors to pick from, so naturally we picked the raccoon. I switched from a diaper bag to this backpack in January (with intentions of it being Mav's 2nd birthday gift...oops) and I like that it holds a few diapers, wipes, and plenty of snacks...and can also hold the iPad, sleepsack, an outfit change, and small blanket if we're taking a day-trip somewhere or doing a quick overnight. I wanted to be able to leave a small bag with Mav in his church classroom, without having to leave the whole diaper bag/purse...meaning I didn't have my pen, notes, wallet for coffee while I was in church and needed them. This has been a great solution and the next thing we're working on is getting Mav to wear it to haul his own crap around.
Things that make the list for big purchases I'm thankful we made and are still using two years later:
IKEA Dresser
Rocker
Baby Bjron Travel Crib
Graco Click-Connect Travel System (still love this stroller! it's the ONLY ONE we have!)
Graco Convertible High Chair
My favorite brands are Nike (usually on deals found at TJ Maxx), GAP (Factory), and Cat and Jack at Target.
That's the rundown! I think everything is linked to either Amazon or Target...let me know if you have questions on what we like. :)
MmB
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