Baby Music Class

If you are in the Midwest, look outside. What do you see? GRAY! GRAY! GRAY! It is February and it is gross and gray most days lately. In talking with a lot of other stay-at-home-moms, the grayness and cold means staying inside more often than not, and it drives us absolutely INSANE! Most of my mom friends, including myself, have spoken of a day recently where you just hit your limit and it is absolutely imperative that you get out of the house and do something…NOW! My day hit me a couple of weeks ago and I scoured the Internet for baby classes. To be honest, I am a huge fan of MTV’s Teen Mom series, and after watching a particular episode where Farrah takes Sophia to a music class, I thought that it sounded like fun!

First up, Gymboree Play & Music. We got to try out a class for free and it started out in the colorful gym-type room with other babies all around Lillian’s age. Perhaps we started out on a bad note because all of these other kids were crawling around like crazy and my little girl could not. No matter how many times I read the phrase, ‘Your baby is an individual’, in the baby development books, I get freaked out when Lillian isn’t doing what other kids her age are doing. Anyway, the class had a lot going on, with singing, dancing, mom sharing time, play gym things, and bubbles. Great variety, but perhaps a little too much. Lillian got cranky by the end of class and didn’t want anything to do with the giant parachute activity. I was hopeful for the mom sharing time, but some of the women came off a little too competitive when it came to their babies. Perhaps I was being sensitive due to the crawling issues, but even so, these moms also seemed to be the types that wanted to talk about their baby 24/7. I love Lillian, but I just can’t talk baby all day! Can a girl get some quality discussion on the latest Bachelor episode, please?! After the class, I got the awkward sales pitch and had to push them away. One, because I had a cranky over-stimulated baby, and two, because $59/month seems like A LOT of money for four classes a month. Granted, you also can attend the open gym times when your baby is mobile…did I mention that we still have a non-mobile baby? The package may have been a bit more attractive if that price included the music and art classes, but no, that was an additional $16/month.

Luckily, I had found a back-up baby class! We have a local independent children’s book store, Blue Manatee, that is the cutest place EVER! Add to it an attached coffee bar and cafe, and the fact that it is within walking distance from our house (when it’s not gray out, of course), and it is pretty much perfect. I had received an email communication from them that mentioned their music class for only $8/class and signed up. The class was for children 17 months and under, and there was a good mix of kids at, above, and below Lillian’s age. It was a nice half hour of singing activities with Miss Meghan who wore the cutest pair of toe socks with little smiley faces on them. Lillian LOVED it! She was shaking the musical eggs, waving, bobbing her head, and laughing! The moms in attendance (and one dad!) were much more laid back! On our way out, we signed up for the remaining classes in February and March! I am looking forward to class next week!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Valentine’s Day!

We have been spending the weekend in Sylvania visiting with family and friends. Lillian has begun crawling in her own special way, clapping, and cutting her second tooth! As you can see, we are nice and cozy up here but I am a bit sad to be missing yet another snow storm in Cincinnati.

9 Month Old Baby Check Up

Lillian turned nine months old last week and today we visited the doctor for her check up. She is good. Average. Average is good. Her statistics:

Length: 27.5 inches

Weight: 19.5 pounds

We discussed her short naps during the day (30 minutes max in her crib) and since she’s sleeping so well  at night, we just deal with the not-so-great naps. Doc said to move forward with more table food in tiny tiny pieces, kinda makes me nervous but I know she can’t eat pureed food for the rest of her life. Finally, I had him diagnose what an urgent care doctor called eczema over the holidays and Dr. Manfroy agreed. His treatment plan calls for daily baths (only two per week with soap, and the soap has to be Dove), twice daily lotion rub downs with Aquaphor or Eucerin, and a heavier cream (Cortaid) if it flares up. Even though Lillian loves her baths, I see them as an extra hassle (probably because I have issues with water) so I’m not too thrilled about the daily bathing, but I’ll have to get over it.

These days, our little nine month old is on the verge of crawling, she gets up on all fours and inches forward without moving her knees. Any day now! She is self feeding using her thumb and index finger (apparently using those fingers are a big deal). Still only has one bottom front tooth, but we see the white of the one next to it about to poke through. Waves at EVERYTHING! If you are lucky, you get the double handed wave that looks more like jazz hands. Says baba, wawa, mama and still loves to scream! She continues to be a source of joy in our lives and we can’t wait to see what she is up to next!

Wordless Wednesday

What Rhymes with Loop?!

It has been awhile since we have discussed one of our favorite topics here at macdonaldbaby…POOP EXPLOSIONS! Yahoo! I think Lillian has more of these explosions now than when she had the loud scary sounding poos of a newborn. We really have to keep an eye on her lately. Especially when she is jumping in her bouncer – oh man, that can get messy. Just ask Grandma McAtee, she got to experience it first hand quite a few times during our Christmas visit!

Baby Playing in Snow

In anticipation of ‘significant snowfall’ here in Cincinnati, I think that it is appropriate to show you Lillian’s first outing in the snow. This occurred up in Sylvania during our Christmas vacation and lasted for all of about five minutes. So short, that we were headed back inside by the time Uncle Brandon got suited up to join us. Sorry Uncle Brandon, it was cold out! And, as you can see, Lillian wasn’t too amused by the snow…maybe next winter.

Baby Hooded Towels

One of Lillian’s favorite things to do is take a bath. She splashes in the water, hits the side of the tub, chews on her bath toys, and screams at the top of her lungs in delight! She could stay in the tub for hours, I think! My favorite part about bath time is wrapping her up in cute hooded towels after her bath has ended.

Wordless Wednesday

Growing Pains

Big changes this weekend at the MacDonald household! Grandma and Grandpa MacDonald delivered the rest of Lillian’s toys from Christmas that wouldn’t fit in the car and we were overflowing with baby stuff. We decided to finally put away stuff that she just didn’t use anymore or was too big for…and yes, this process included some tears! We stored away tiny bottles, pumping stuff, the bumbo seat, play mats, Bobby pillows, and her swing. So many memories from these items! We are a few shirts away from filling a giant bin of clothes that no longer fit our tiny little girl. *sigh* The only way that I was able to overcome the sadness of my baby growing up is that it provided a little more organizational efficiency in our family room. I found a giant basket to hold all of her smaller toys. I found it at TJ Maxx today, and on the other end it reads ‘My Stuff’ with dog paws all around it. Seriously, who needs a basket this large for dog toys? (Aunt Kristin, you get a free pass on that question!)

Other changes include a new car seat for Lillian. I still think that the whole needing multiple car seat thing is a scam, but whatev. We decided on the Britax Roundabout 50. Did you know that one of my favorite online baby sites, diapers.com, price matches? I found a great deal on a competitors site, and was able to order it through my account on diapers.com! Woohoo! If you are new to that site, feel free to use my referral code, Lisa&Lily , to receive a discount on your first order! Anyway, the car seat will arrive on Wednesday, along with a big girl coat for Lillian since she will no longer be carried around in her warm seat. Big changes. Big changes.