Christmas cards part 2

Can you guess which one of these pictures I used on our Christmas card?

I made my Christmas cards the other day. I was going to look into having them done on Shutterfly or Tinyprints and I couldn't find anything i liked or a price i liked. So i decided to bring out my creative side and I made my own. It took me a couple tries to make what i wanted. I am not super computer smart but i know how to do some things. I got on Microsoft Publisher and used the template for a 5X7 flier and basically changed everything on it. You can use your own color scheme, add borders, 1 or more pictures and add in whatever caption you want to use. It was very simple and it saves me about $30 cause now I can print them off at home on photo paper and it will be a nice surprise for people to get in the mail. All I have to do is get the envelopes to mail them in and the stamps. I am all about doing things the easiest way and this was definitely it. It took me about 20 minutes to do on my lunch break 1 day. Maybe this will inspire me to do more things like this instead of ordering them, say for instance.....Kendall's first birthday invitations :) As much as I don't want her to be growing up this fast, I cant wait to celebrate her 1st birthday with her and all our friends.

Christmas Cards

I finally got my pictures from out little photo shoot we did for Halloween and I LOVE how all the pictures turned out. The one above is my absolute favorite!!! I love everything about it. When I decided to get her pictures taken and had an ulterior motive as well. I am going to get some printed off for Christmas cards. Yes they are Halloween pictures, but they are so cute. I try to cut costs as much as possible to save money and having professional pictures taken all the time for every occasion just is not possible for me right now. I try to take a lot of pictures of her myself and I know I am bad at posting them, it just takes time and that is not something I have a lot of these days. I was thinking things would slow down come winter and boy was I wrong. Since I have a long weekend this week I will try to get some of the ones I have on the camera posted. I only posted a few from the photo shoot on FB cause I want the rest of them to be a surprise. Have a happy Tuesday and if anyone is travelling for the holiday I hope you have safe travels :)

2nd Hand

I encourage everyone to buy a lot of their baby needs at second hand stores or from other people. When you start looking and realizing how expensive stuff is you will highly consider it. Things I bought used are:

~Crib: It was never used the lady didn't like what her parents picked out i got it for $20! I saved over $100.

~Changing Table: From one of my moms coworkers for $30! Again I saved over $100.

~Highchair: Jason got this at the second hand store in town but I have no idea what he paid for it, but again save at least $75!

~Jogging stroller: Again Jason picked this up so I don't know how much he pair for it but they cost about $150 brand new for a good one.

~Walkers: I had 2 for a while and spent a total of $15 ($5 for one, $10 on the other) Brand new they are $50 each. I gave one away to a family friend after Kendall started daycare.

~Clothes: I have only bought a few articles of clothing used cause she is at an age right now where they are more worn from crawling. Plus she has SO many outfits to choose from. Also brand new baby clothes are really not that expensive.

~Backpacks: I have 3 of these all used, one is the little front baby pack that I got for $12 and it is regularly $75. One of the hiking packs i got was $15, regularly probably $50 (it was a cheaper one), the third one is a heavy duty for long hikes Kelty brand pack. We got it for $20 regularly well over $100.

Just by buying a few things used we have saved so much money. Everyone tells you babies are expensive and they are, but you don't really realize how expensive. Above is at least $500 dollars we have saved so I have been able to buy other things for Kendall. One of the second hand stores we have in town is called Little Britches and is specifically aimed towards pregnant women and kids age 0-5ish. I called them and said I was looking for a crib and they had one and held it for me. The same goes for one of the walkers, my mom went in and said we were looking for a walker and when they got one it they called her and she had first dibs on it. Most places will do this if you are looking for something specific, so don't hesitate to call.

Things you need

I was thinking today and I remembered I was going to make a post about things you do and don't need for a baby, these are all things I did/didn't use:

Must Haves:

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  Changing table: I use this every single day, I have a couple different pads so I can alternate between them and wash them. Also it has shelves for storage (which i put baskets on). They are designed to be a good height so you don't strain your back.

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  Crib: This is obviously a given. You cant live without it.

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  Swing: This is a lifesaver, K didn't like it when she was really but once she hit about 2-3 months she loved it. I would put her in and she would fall right to sleep and then i could take her out and put her in bed. Saved me a lot of rocking and walking.

• Bouncy Chair: This is great for when you are the only one home and need to get things done. I would stick her in the bathroom while I was taking a shower or in the kitchen, very handy to have. I almost wish they had a bigger size for when she grew out of it.



• Bassinet: We didn't have one of these at first and so the first few nights home K slept in a laundry basket in my bed with me. The crib is just to big for them, when they are that little and plus its almost like having separation anxiety when they are that far from you.



• What to Expect when you're Expecting: The book. Now a days you can just look something up online real quick. I liked having the book cause it was month by month with all sorts of questions that you might have and it was easier then running to the computer to look something up.



• Cloth Diapers: and not for the purpose of diapering. K spit up a lot, every single time she ate and sometimes in between. She stopped when she was about 6 months old. These are so absorbent and can clean up big or little messes.



• Robeez: These shoes are amazing, they are super comfy for babies and they make it so socks don't fall off.



• Breast Pump: It was hard with this at first cause K didn't like bottles and it took a while for her to get used to them, but this makes it so you can leave her for longer then a couple hours and know that she will be able to eat. I don't use it anymore. But very good to have.



• Highchair: Good place for them to play while you are busy in the kitchen. Also it makes feeding so much easier.



• Walker: Helps strengthen their leg muscles and if your child is very independent like mine it is a must. She wants to do everything on her own.



• Baby Gates: If you have stairs or rooms baby cant go or want to block off a safe area for them to play, these are a must.

Must NOT Have:

• Wipe Warmer: I had one of these I got at a garage sale so I didn't spend a lot of money on it. It was such a pain you keep having to soak the little pad in warm water and if you didn't do it, it would ruin the wipes on the bottom of the stack turning them brown. Just hold the wipe in your hand for a few seconds or blow warm air on it.



• Diaper Gene: I started off with one of these and it is great i do recommend it. But I was trying to cut costs any way I could and I didn't want to keep having to buy refills. I now just have a garbage with a lid and i would suggest using odor blocking garbage bags.



• Boppy Pillow: Not necessary at all! Use a regular pillow. There is absolutely no point in spending $35 for a pillow and $10/each for extra covers. Save your money.



• What to Expect the First Year: The Book, pointless, every baby that first year does things at their own pace. I didn't even read the whole thing. I liked the What to Expect When your Expecting so i bought this one thinking it would be just as good.



• Bumbo: Again save your money. I didn't really need one of these since K could sit up on her own since she was 5 months old and from then on she sat in a highchair or a walker.



• Jumper: I would rather have the walker. A jumper is a lot of fun for them but they cant go anywhere. I think it is more geared to babies who cant figure out the walking motion yet. But they do eventually get to that point, so I think the walker would be the way to go.

• Baby Monitor: I have mixed feelings about this. I did use it A LOT and still use it from time to time. But at the same time i don't really NEED it. I can hear her crying down the hall without having the monitor on. Its not a necessity but it does come in handy. I also use it at night occasionally. But the batteries die easily and its a pain to constantly be replacing them.

All of the things listed above are things i found helpful or not helpful at all. Every baby has different likes and dislikes. All the things on the Not list are things i thought i would need (some of them i didn't buy cause i couldn't afford them) mostly i thought i would need them cause "Everyone" had them and i thought i should have them too. That is not the case. I try to be as reasonably as possible with my money and have a hard time spending $100 on something that is only used for a couple months. It might helps some of you out in the future when you are looking to buy things for a baby.

Stats

The little monster went to her 9 month Doctor appointment today. Yes I said monster, she kept me up for 3 hours last night walking around the house because that's what she wanted to do between the hours of 11pm and 2 am.

She is off the charts for the percentile for her age group. She is just a bigger baby, the size of a 1 year old. Since she has started crawling the weight gain has slowed down a little.

Weight: 24lbs 2oz

Height: 30 Inches

I asked the Doctor what to do about night time since she is a horrible sleeper and by this age she should be able to sleep through the night. But however that is not Kendalls plan she still wakes up 3-5 times a night depending on her mood. 2 of those times are to eat, another thing which she doesn't need to do but it has become a habit for her. So starting tonight I will be sleeping in my parents room (they are going out of town for a week) and just letting her cry it out. I tried this last night but it didn't work. Instead of giving her a bottle full of formula I will be giving her a bottle with water in it. I know she wont be starving and she really can wait until morning but I will still feel bad making her cry. These habits need to be broken if we are ever going to get any sleep.

I am not looking forward to it at all but I realize I have been a bit of an enabler letting her do these things. She knows at night time it is bedtime and she goes to sleep fine around 8pm and she usually wakes for the day between 6:30 and 7:30 am. Its all the time in between that is the problem. It will be hard listening to her cry but she needs to learn. I will step in if she gets to hysterical but other then that she is going to stay in her bed and cry :(

Learning week

Some really good family friends of ours have a daughter who is extremely talented with drawing and painting and creative things. She has been doing a lot of pencil work lately and sketching pictures she has taken. She also makes jewelry. She took this picture and for my birthday her parents "hired" her to do a pencil drawing of it. It is perfect and looks exactly like Kendall her attention to detail is amazing and I love the picture. She did an awesome job.

Onto the learning. This past week, more like the past couple days, Kendall has learned a few new things. Tuesday night she started shaking her head no, she doesn't know that is means no she just thinks its funny and smiles when she does it. She can now wave, she used to do it randomly but now if you wave to her she will wave back. When you get excited at her for waving and clap and smile at her she will do the same and clap her hands (although it makes no sound when she does it). Its really cute. We have not pushed her to do it, but we play patty cake and clap her hands but now she can do it herself and she LOVES it.

She really likes going to school as we call it, but it is more of a day care. At first she wasn't so sure when i would drop her off in the morning and it would take her a few minutes to warm up to everyone else. Now that she is familiar with everyone she has such a good time. I take her in and set her on the floor and she just takes off and will stop for a split second when i get her attention and wave at me. She is excited to see me at the end of the day. I am so glad she likes it and has such a fun time playing with the other kids.

Pinterest!!!

A while back Prairie Princess talked me into getting a Pinterest account cause it was so amazing according to her. I thought differently, i didn't get how to use it. I kept seeing and hearing people talk about how addicting and awesome it was and i was like eh, its not my thing and i ignored it. Until today, I decided it was worth it to get back on and check things out and boy am I glad I did. I LOVE IT!!! It may be an understatement. There are so many good ideas on everything and its all so easy to do. All the DIY toys and kids activities are going to be perfect for Kendall next summer when she is old enough to run outside and play in the sprinklers on a hot day. Or when its cold outside and we can make reindeer cookies together. The DIY gift ideas are perfect too. For Bunco this Christmas we are doing a homemade gift, gift exchange and I have found some really neat ideas for that. Needless to say my hesitation at from not knowing how to use it is long gone and i am now going to be addicted!

Bumps and Bonks

Kendall has reached the stage where she has bruises and scratches and is constantly running into things. In the picture you can kind of see the end stage of rug burn on her nose from when she decided to crawl off on Auntie Danielle's bed, oopsies! (OK so maybe you cant see if very well at all).

Wednesday at school she got bit by one of the other kids cause she had a toy he wanted to play with. So I had to sign an accident report and she has a spot on her arm which kind of just looks like a little pinch mark.

Yesterday Danielle picked her up from school and when I got home from work I noticed she had a nice bruise smack dab in the middle of her forehead. I brushed it off cause i figured it had happened the night before when she hit her head on the TV twice or when she lost her balance holding on to the couch and hit her head on the side of it. But when I dropped her off this morning I had to sign another paper cause apparently she got the bruise from standing at the shelf in her classroom and losing her balance and hitting her head on the corner of it.

I know its going to happen. She is at the age where she is SO curious about everything and can crawl and try to get it. She just runs into everything and loses her balance a lot. It does bother me a little that she got bit, but i know that's going to happen too and it will probably only worry me if the biting becomes a regular occurrence. I cant prevent her from falling and hitting her head, she will have to learn the hard way.

Monday Night Football

Almost every Monday night we go to our friends (Kurt and Chrissy's) house for dinner and football. This Monday Chrissy wasn't there (she had to work) so Kurt cooked us dinner. We had fried eggs, hash browns and sausage links. I love having breakfast for dinner. Kendall got to have some of the hash browns so she really like it too. We all take turns cooking dinner. Usually Chrissy and I do most of it while the guys are yelling at the TV and playing with Kendall. But there are times they cook for us too (dinner seems to take longer on those days between cooking and trying to watch football).

Since this Monday we were there was Halloween we had a bowl of candy to give out to the trick-or-treaters who stopped by. Kendall was being whiny since she didn't get a good nap and it was almost her bedtime so hey lets give her a sucker before bedtime. Thank goodness the sugar didn't seem to effect her but sitting there on Jason's lap playing with it made her pretty happy. I had taken her clothes off and she was just in her diaper and there was green drool running down her stomach getting all over the place.

We have been going to dinner there once a week (sometimes twice) for at least the last year so Kurt and Chrissy have kind of become extended family. Since Kendall was a mess i had to give her a bath there. There was no i was going to get all the sticky goo off her with just wipes. After words she cuddles up with Jason and had her bottle and fell asleep laying with him. I didn't get any pictures of her asleep but the one above is right before. The only time she really likes to cuddle is right before bed.

I have been bowling on Monday nights so I haven't been able to go to as many of our dinners as I would like, but Jason takes Kendall and then I meet them when I am done so I can take her home. Bowling has been fun but I have to many other things going on Monday nights (I also have bunko once a month) and it is also a 26 week long season and I just cant make that long of a commitment right now so I have a replacement and will fill in for her if she needs a night off. I really enjoy our dinners its a fun thing for all of us to do after work we just get to relax and hang out.