50 Books for Babies

If you know us at all, you know we LOVE books! I've been reading to Ry pretty much since he was born, and now that he's almost ready to start preschool, I thought it was high time I posted a list of our favorite books.

This is a list of books Ry loved to look at from birth until about 18 months of age. There are a few we occasionally still flip through, but they're not as 'favorite' now as they were during his first year and a half. There are SO many books we could have chosen to list, but these books are the ones we've read over and over.

A note about our book choices:  we prefer to focus on books that are rooted in reality, as children don't develop the ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality until they're about 3 years old. As a result, they're aren't many books on this list featuring animals that talk or wear clothing, fairy tails, monsters, superheroes or other fantastical situations.

I also prefer to choose books for babies that have beautiful illustrations or photography or are visually stimulating.  We borrowed many of these books from our local library and purchased our very favorites or received several as gifts. 

Critters

1. Wild Animals (Baby touch and feel) by DK Publishing
2. Animals (Baby Touch and Feel) by DK Publishing
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
4. Knut the Baby Polar Bear by Juliana Hatkoff
5. My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy
6. I Went Walking by Sue Williams
7. Who Says Quack? by Jerry Smith
8. Baby's Animal Friends by Phoebe Dunn
9. Look at the Animals by Peter Linenthal

   10. Baby's Very First Noisy Book by Usborne

Ry is just in love with animals. We've had so much fun naming animals (both vocal and ASL), and learning their sounds. My in-laws gave Ry this Usborne noisy book when he was just a few months old. The illustrations are very simple, but Ry enjoyed turning the pages and pushing the buttons to hear the animal noises. It's one of the few books we had out constantly for almost 2 years. (Note, Usborne doesn't sell this particular book anymore, but they have several other very first noisy book variations, such as farm, train, zoo, etc.)

Ry also loves the Baby Touch and Feel animal books. He enjoys feeling the different textures on each page and actually still flips through these ones from time to time.

The Ry Guy Report: 16 Months

Weight 21 lbs

Height 28.75 inches

Milestones

• Can turn pages of a book unassisted
• Is attached to a stuffed animal (Fluffy Frog!!)
• Likes to sing
• 'Kids Bops" (tries to dance to upbeat music)
• Gets upset when frustrated
• Climbs and explores
• Is choosy about his food
• Initiates and displays affection (loves to give mommy hugs and sloppy kisses)
• Signs "Book", "Car", "Bath", "Eat", "Blanket", "Sleep", and "Fly"

Likes

• Helping Mom around the house (tries to sweep and fold towels)
• Scribbling with a pen/paper
• Stacking/unstacking everything!
• To imitate (words, actions)
• Playing peekaboo
• Being the center of attention
• High fives!
• Mommy's phone

Dislikes

• Bad dreams
• Walking (crawling is WAY faster)

The Quotable Ry Guy "Go!" and "Up!"

Happy Birthday, Little Man

So, I really meant to post this back in June after Ry Guy's birthday party, but life happened and I never did. So this is me catching you up.  Here's the original post:

Where has my life gone? Hard to believe that my little man is one! He has grown and changed so much this year. I still can't believe I'm a mom sometimes, let alone a mom of a busy one year old.

Crazy.

 We had a small-ish party to celebrate Ry Guy's big milestone. I wanted to keep it pretty simple, with just friends and family that Ry is comfortable with, since he tends to get fussy and clingy when he's overstimulated.

The Ry Guy Report: 14 Months

Ry helping Mom Pinterest.... He loves the computer already!

Weight  19.6 lbs

Height  28.5 inches

Milestones

• Took a few steps, but prefers crawling
• Signs "Dog", "More", "All Done", "Potty"(we use the same sign for both potty and diaper)
• Waves bye-bye
• Tries to imitate words
• Babbles with inflection
• Looks at the correct picture when image is named
• Assists when being dressed
• Climbs up stairs
• Climbs down stairs
• Demonstrates preferences, points at what he wants
• First sentence!

Fun in the sun!

Likes

• Climbing on top of boxes, stools, storage bins, etc.
• Playing with Daddy's computer and computer chair
• Feeding himself with a spoon
• Putting objects back into larger containers
• Sorting and stacking....anything.....
• His Baby Einstein radio (Thanks, Aunt Beka!)

Dislikes

• Not having his way
• Daddy leaving for work
• Sitting still
• Bed time

The Quotable Ry Guy:  "All Done", "Kitty", "Dog", "I want Mommy", and "Did it!"

The Ry Guy Report: 13 Months

 

 

Weight  19 lb

 

Height  28.5 inches

 

Milestones

• Balances on his own while standing still
• Walks with a little help
• Follows simple directions
• Pulls himself up easily
• Climbs (crawls) up stairs (scary for mom!)
• Crawls very quickly
• Signs "baby" and "all done"
• Sorts objects

 

Likes

• Splashing in the pool
• Blueberries
• Squash
• His "Walker Wagon"
• Toy trucks/cars/helicopter/submarine (he moves them all back and forth and says vroom) 
• Cats
• Baby Signing Time DVDs

 

Dislikes

• Either Mom or Dad leaving
• Falling down
• Mosquitos
• More than 2 cats at the same time

 

The Quotable Ry Guy  "Kitty" and "Vroom"

The Ry Guy Report: 12 Months

 

Weight 19 lbs

Length 27.5 inches

Milestones

• Pulls himself to standing
• Crawls really well
• Cruises around the furniture
• Feeds himself chunks of solid food
• Follows simple directions (like, "come here")
• Got his 6th tooth

Likes

• Watching kids
• Sitting up at the table with the adults
• "Helping" Mom empty the dishwasher and fold the towels
• "Playing" piano
• Books

Dislikes

• "No"
• Wearing hats
• Sunburn!

The Quotable Ry Guy  "Mama, Dada, Banana"

The Ry Guy Report: 11 Months

Happy Mother's Day!

Weight  19.5 lb

Length  28 inches

Milestones

• Pulls himself up on furniture without assistance
• Feeds himself almost all finger foods
• Feeds himself soft foods with a spoon (if food is placed on the spoon for him)
• Drinks a small amount from a cup with assistance
• Got his 5th tooth!
• Demonstrates preferences (toys, foods, etc.)
• Army crawls (on his belly - but, forward motion at least! Finally!)
• Can pick up the tiniest object using his pincer grasp.
• Independent wrist/hand action

Ry loves his daddy!

Likes

• To explore independently
• Feeding himself
• Music (tries to "sing" along)
• Walks in the stroller
• Routine!

Dislikes

• Socks
• Hats
• Sunglasses
• Being away from Mommy
• "No"
• Eczema

The Quotable Ry Guy:  No new words yet. Just Mama and Dada and a whole lot of gibberish.

My intrepid explorer, off to see the world...

The Ry Guy Report: 5 Months

Ry Guy celebrating pumpkin season (thanks to my aunt for the adorable hat!)

Weight 17 lbs (got the scale fixed... looks like I over estimated last month)

Length  25 inches

Milestones 

• Rolls halfway over (from back to side, but can't quite make it all the way over yet).
• Sits up with support.
• Grasps and shakes objects (he's got a good grip!!).
• Sleeps "through the night" (by clinical definition - more than 6 hours at a time.  But, since he goes to bed around 7:30, this still means I get up to feed him in the early morning, then he goes back to bed until around 7 a.m.).  But, this is a vast improvement.
• Is increasingly interested in eating (loves to watch Mom and Dad at the dinner table).
• Starting to exhibit teething symptoms.
• Mimics Mommy's funny faces (sticking tongue out, etc.)

Likes 

• Chewing/sucking on his fingers... preferably as many at a time as he can cram in his mouth.
• Seeing what's going on.  All the time.
• His toes.
• Sitting up.
• Drooling... puddles.  On everything.
• Burrowing his face in Mommy's neck when he's tired.

Dislikes 

• Napping.  He is doing better with falling asleep at night, but daytime naps are still a real struggle.
• His carseat (or anything that requires him to be strapped in and reclining).

The Quotable Ry Guy  "[belly laugh] or [scream]".  Depends on his mood. :)

Top 10 Pregnancy Must-Haves for the Budget Conscious

I've seen several "must-have" posts around the web, so I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in and let you know about a few things I couldn't live without!

1. Ponytail Holders.  Multi-purpose!  Great for keeping my hair out of my way when exercising, cooking, etc.  Also great for looping through my skirt buttonhole and hooking on to the button, thus giving me a little more time in my regular clothes while looking for maternity clothes.  Ghetto?  Yes. Cheap? Yes. But, hey... you do what you gotta do.  I refer to these as waistband extenders in public so people don't think I'm wacko.  But now you know the truth. 

I got a pack of Goody brand elastics at the dollar store, but you may already have some on hand.

2. Belly Band.  Also know as a BeBand, or shirt extender.  You can get them in a million different colors, it seems, but I recommend getting one in white or black.  Great for holding up unbuttoned or unzipped bottoms, or covering up really awesome elastic waistbands.  You can wear it doubled over, under your belly when it's small.  Or, wear it full length when your belly starts to get huge (like mine did toward the end). As long as your hips don't change size much, you can pretty much stay in your pre-pregnancy clothes with this puppy.  Also great for transitioning back into your pre-pregnancy clothes after the baby's born.  

Note, this is not a pic of me... I only wish I was this thin when I was pregnant.  I got my band at Target on sale for around $12.

The Ry Guy Report: 4 Months

 

Weight Not sure, my scale is dead... I estimate 17 lbs.

Length  24.5 inches

Milestones 

• Reaches for and grasps objects  (especially Mommy's hair)
• Hands work together to hold and shake toys, rattles, etc.
• Rolls halfway over (from back to side, but can't quite make it all the way over yet)
• Puts EVERYTHING in his mouth
• Has great head control when he sits up with support; only bobbles a little bit!
• Prefers to sit up instead of recline
• Loves to look around; can see across the room

Likes  His froggy toy and noisy book

Dislikes  Sleeping... sigh... still gets up twice a night to eat most nights and has trouble falling asleep on his own

The Quotable Ry Guy  "Gurgle, squeal, laugh"

DIY: Baby Shower Beverage Carrier Gift

A friend of mine had a baby and I gave her this gift at her shower.  I got the idea on Pinterest (where else!?) and just adapted it to fit.

You start with a beverage carrier - I used a six pack of IBC root beer.  I decided to make the carrier dual purpose - 1 side for baby bath stuff and the other side for mommy spa stuff.

It was a huge hit at the shower... here's how you can make your own version!

Materials:

• 1 beverage carrier (could use any 6-pack soda carrier or Starbucks frap 4-pack)
• 4 + sheets coordinating scrapbook paper (I used 12x12)
• stencil or die cut machine and another sheet of paper, or sticker letters
• ribbon (I used 1 [12-in] piece of ribbon, mainly just to attach the tag, since it was for a baby boy. If it were for a girl, I would have used a lot more ribbon to make it girlie)
• Glue, photo sticker squares, or double sided tape
• pencil
• paper cutter or scissors

What's Inside:

For Mom...

• 3 pairs colorful socks (you could also do slipper socks or exfoliating gloves)
• nail polish
• good smelling foot scrub
• soothing foot lotion
• lip gloss (shimmery!)
• lip balm
• buttermilk bath soak
• pummice stone

For Baby...

• 4 washcloths
• baby comb
• baby bath wash/shampoo
• baby oil
• baby lotion
• 3 pairs cute baby socks
• baby buttermilk bath soak
• diaper ointment

The Ry Guy Report: 3 Months

Smiley little guy!

Weight  15 lbs

Length 24 inches

Milestones

• Bats at and touches toys dangled above his head... his favorite is the blue monkey that came with his vibrating infant seat (thanks, Grandma and Poppa!). 
• Holds his head up without support.
• Follows people with his eyes (and turns his head to watch them). 
• Knows when Mom is (or isn't) nearby.

Likes to play with Daddy.

Dislikes wet diapers and being away from Mom.

The Quotable Ry Guy  [Giggle], hummmm (makes humming noises when he's eating or happy).

Introducing...

Here he is.... after much ado, my little man entered the world on Saturday, June 15 at 4:21 a.m.

He was due June 24, but because of my ridiculously high blood pressure, we had to induce at 38 weeks, 5 days (which is why I didn't do a prenatal journal post for week 38... we never actually made it to the end of the week!).

The decision to induce was difficult for me.  I so wanted a natural childbirth with a labor that started on it's own, because I believe that in most cases, labor will begin when the baby is ready to come.  On the other hand though, with my blood pressure sky high and pre-eclampsia looming, the risks of organ damage and seizures for me and the placenta breaking down for him was just too great a risk.

So, after doing some research on induction methods, my midwife and I worked out a plan, and I breathed a sigh of relief that they would allow me to try for a vaginal delivery first and keep C-section a last resort. I requested to be induced using a natural induction method, a Foley bulb catheter.  This method is rarely used, although it has about a 60% success rate.  Compared with a Pitocin induction, which has a slightly lower success rate, it boggles my mind why the Foley isn't used more often since it's less expensive for the hospital and less invasive for the mother while giving comparable results. While this wasn't my midwife's first choice of a method, she has experience using a Foley and respected my wishes.

Baby Update

Some of you are aware already that we welcomed our baby boy last Saturday, June 15th.  It's been a crazy week since then... he's spent some time in the NICU being monitored for bradycardia (slow heartbeat) and apnea (breathing issue...sort of like forgetting to breathe).  He's been doing well the last few days and we're told we can take him home today, as soon as the dr. gets around to seeing him and writing the discharge order.

I plan to write up his birth story and upload some pics this coming week, so all of you can see him, but until then, just wanted to say thank you for praying for us through this challenging and scary time.  God has been so good to us.

Week 37

Not the most flattering view...

How far along? 37 weeks.

Baby is the size of: A quarter of a watermelon.

Maternity clothes?  Will I ever wear normal sized clothes again???? I'm starting to wonder.

Rings on or off?  Off, but I got them cleaned, so when I'm ready to wear them again, they'll be all nice and sparkly.

Sleep:  It's ok, at least I'm in a pattern of sleeping, waking, bathroom, sleeping... etc.

Belly Button:  Way out there.  Kind of like my dreams lately.

Week 36

Just got back from the pool!

How far along?  36 weeks.

Baby is the size of:  A honeydew melon.

Maternity clothes?  Yep... sleeveless = happiness right now.

Rings on or off?  Off...

Sleep:  As M would say, "meh".  I never realized how hard it would be to turn over in bed with a bowling ball attached to your abdomen. Sort of.  You get the idea. And why is it that I'm always turned the wrong way when the alarm goes off?  It sort of annoys me that it takes so long for me to turn over and turn the alarm clock off. Beat it into submission is more like it some mornings.

Belly Button:  Really outie.

Exercise: Does intent to exercise count?  I'm still sad I missed my swim on Monday!  At least I got to swim today.

Food cravings: Cinnamon coffee cake. Popcorn.  Basically, carbs... the things I'm not supposed to be eating right now.  Sigh.  Where's my peanut butter?  Oh, and grapes!

Movement: I think he's part kangaroo.

Best moment of the week:  Had a relaxing day off on Memorial Day!!

Fun fact:  In ancient Rome, there was a tradition that babies with dark eyes were caused by the moms eating mice.  The one time it's totally ok to not do as the Romans do, regardless of where you are.  Unless of course, you're a momma cat.

Symptoms:  Stretch marks... I think they're breeding... like mice... I find a new little one every day.  Feet are still puffy-ish and my blood pressure was the same this week as it was last week.  Not getting worse, but not getting better either.

Mood?  I'm tired of people.  Some days, I just want to close the office early and hang a sign on the door that says, "Happy employees, welcome.  Disgruntled employees, try back in a few months."

Blessings of the week: I didn't gain any weight this week!  Total weight gain so far = 32 pounds.  Also, I was able to find a great deal on brand new cloth diapers and other baby stuff on Craigs List - got about $600 or so worth of gear for $250!

I learned ...  So much practical information during my childbirth classes!  I'm sad they're over!

Looking forward to:  Being able to sleep on my tummy again.

Week 35

How far along? 35 Weeks

Baby is the size of:  A large zucchini

Maternity clothes?  I had an issue with "Bubba Belly" this week.  That's when you have your 'gut' lopping over your waistband and your shirt doesn't quite cover it.  LOL I need longer tank tops. :)

Rings on or off?  Off

Sleep: Ok, but still snoring.

Belly Button: Outie

Exercise: Pool twice this week, yay!  I've been advised not to get too sweaty and be out in the heat because of my blood pressure, so looks like I'm down to just pilates inside with the AC cranked, and swimming.

Food cravings:  Mexican food.  Butter.  STRAWBERRIES. Grapes.

It is SO hot here!

Movement: It's funny when he gets the hiccups.  Kind of feels like a heartbeat, since the hiccups are so regular.

Best moment of the week: Hearing my midwife tell me that my Group B Strep culture came back negative.  Whew!

Fun fact:  He's just about as long now as he's going to be before he's born. He's just plumping up from here on out.

Symptoms:  Puffy feet, hot and sweaty, fatigue.

Mood?  Kind of stressed - trying to stay calm!

Blessings of the week: Went out on a double date with some friends... for Mexican food.  Yay!

I learned ...  That the U.S. is one of the few countries in the world that treats positive Group B Strep with intravenous antibiotics. Hmmmmm.....

Looking forward to:  An extra day off this coming week.  Yay for Memorial Day!

Week 34

How far along? 34 weeks

Baby is the size of:  a bunch of carrots

Maternity clothes?  Stretch.... anything that stretches is happy.... Random thought:  do they make maternity shoes?  If not, they should.

Rings on or off? Off... :-(

Sleep:  Ok, but M says I've started snoring.  Sorry, honey!

Belly Button: Outie

Exercise: Finally got to go swimming!  They changed the pool schedule, so I'm able to go more often.

Food cravings: Dill pickles; chocolate; ice cream cone (think McDonalds...)

Movement: Finally flipped head down!  So, now he's kicking my side, and my ribs.

Best moment of the week: Swimming on Friday.

Fun fact:  According to a Harvard study, first time moms give birth (on average) at 41 weeks and 1 day.  Thank goodness my midwife won't talk induction until 42 weeks.

Symptoms:  Weepy! I cried several times this week.

Mood? Did I mention weepy?  And oversensitive?

Blessings of the week: The sense of relief and thankfulness after finding out the baby had flipped to a head-down position.  Now, if he'll just stay that way.

I learned ...  That high blood pressure is no laughing matter.  My midwife was pretty concerned about my BP at this week's appointment.  It was fine at the end of the appointment when they re-took it, but she's wanting to be cautions and has booked me for once a week appointments from here on out to keep an eye on it.  In the meantime, she's advised me to drink plenty of water, keep my feet up, and REDUCE STRESS!  Pray for me, would you?  I'd appreciate it.

Looking forward to:  Being done with work.  I just need to hold out a few more weeks.

Week 33

How far along? 33 Weeks

Baby is the size of:  A large bunch of kale.

Maternity clothes?  Found a cute t-shirt today on clearance and picked up a couple of nursing bras.

Rings on or off?  Still off :-(

Sleep: Had my first round of heartburn/reflux last night.  Yuck.  Otherwise, not much change or improvement in sleep.

Belly Button: Outie!

Exercise: Got up early and walked on the treadmill a few mornings before work. Still want to go swimming, but it rained every night the pool was open.  Bummer!

Food cravings: Potato chips and onion dip; pickles.

Movement: Lots of sloshing side to side and "barrel rolling".

Best moment of the week:  Cookout with friends Friday night!

Fun fact:  His bones are hardening.

Symptoms:  Heat rash, back pain, heartburn/reflex, puffy feet.

Mood?  Cranky and oversensitive, I hate to admit.

Week 32

How far along? 32 weeks

Weight gain so far:  26 lbs.  

Baby is the size of:  A butternut squash

Maternity clothes?  Formalwear was a no-go for the play we went to this week... that's ok, though. Thankfully, I had a black dress that still fit.

Rings on or off?  Ugh.  Off. I've been a bit puffy this week. 

Sleep: Not so great, but I'm getting through it.  I wake up a lot.

Belly Button: Pretty much an outie.

Exercise:  Pilates twice, walked once.  And walked/hefted/sorted/arranged for 6 hours at my yard sale!

Food cravings:  Peanut Butter... and Chocolate... and Steak.

Movement: Bouncy, as per usual.

Going all cowgirl on you...

Best moment of the week:  After paying for breakfast, lunch, and a dinner date out, we still made over $100 at the yard sale.  Woohoo! 

Symptoms:  Sore back, knots in my neck and shoulders.  Puffy feet.

Mood?  Somewhat oversensitive.  

Blessings of the week: Great date night with my man!  Steakhouse and a Rodeo!

I learned ...  Tone matters!!!  That goes for conversation, as well as muscles...

Looking forward to: Hair appointment this week.