Oh, the many benefits

Realized the benefit today of the wide shopping carts at Costco.

Dang is this handy…

Tush-less.

Yup.  That’s my kid.  She has NO hips and NO behind.

Which explains why she still (comfortably) wears a size 1 diaper. 

The only thing she’s outgrown in size 3 months is her sleepers.  Her 3 month dresses and tights still work great.  But now that she is getting longer (but not really wider), I’m starting to have issues with her pants.  Her 0-3s have been working fine, but I’m finding myself having to make the decision of having a 50’s girl in high waters, or an 80’s look with the baggy pants (that don’t stay on). 

Case in point:  6 month pants.

Going…

…going…

…almost…

GONE.  Piper finally got tired of them impeding her mobility, and made the executive decision to take them off.  Not that I blame her- walking around with pants around your ankles would be a tall feat for me…

And there they stayed- on the floor, unused, and my kid in bare feet and bare legs (but I get credit for the sweatshirt, right???).

So, long story short, I’m not really quite sure what I’m going to do with the string bean between now and shorts season (can’t WAIT for shorts season- no length issues!!!)  I did happen to find a couple pair of corduroy pants from Carter’s that are cuffed on he bottoms, so they’re about 3” longer- these are working GREAT, and about the only pants that will 100% stay up.  But I like to, you know, wash her clothes, soooo… 

I love the idea of Dapper Snappers, but they aren’t recommended until 9 months, which means that, I’m guessing, anyway, they’d be too big to do any good.  And once she gets into the size 2T at a lot of stores they have adjustable waists, but that’s a looooong way away. 

So, I guess in the meantime, we’ll just laugh at Piper’s inability to keep pants up, and continue following behind her pulling them up so she doesn’t trip. 

Who knew that walking could be such an occupational hazard???

Caught!

One of Piper’s all-time favorite treats are freeze-dried fruits.  They sell a big box of them at Costco, and they’re individually packaged, so they make for great diaper bag treats on the go.  Especially since they’re mess-free!

Anyway, Piper found a bag this morning.  She’s smart, and knows when I’m not paying 100% attention to her (especially days like the last couple when I’ve been working a lot).  So, she got into the bag, not so cleanly, and was munching down where she thought I couldn’t see her. 

Stinker.

She may have gotten away with it, too, if she weren’t sharing it with the dogs.

…this is the face I got flashed when she realized I was laughing at her.  Notice the bag under her leg?  As soon as she saw me, she (literally) jumped, and then tried hiding it beneath her. 

I’m sure I’m not ready for the ornery/creative combination…

You’ll never believe it!

Today, Piper is 20 months old.  She’s been home with us for 18 of those months.

And you know what?  Today, for the first time in those 18 months, Piper has made it the FULL time between well-child visits.  No weight checks (which used to be as frequent as once a week), no funny sicknesses (coughs, petechiae, etc., etc., etc.), no follow-up for something else…

Three.  Whole.  Months.

I’ve been afraid to say anything for fear of jinxing the whole thing, but there we were, three months later.  Holy mackerel. 

It was so fun to show off everything Piper’s doing now.  A lot has changed since the beginning of October, and her doctor could tell!  She was shocked to see her walking, and couldn’t believe all of her signs.  (That’s my girl!)

When she showed me her growth chart, I thought it looked like she was pushing the 25% for height (and barely holding onto the 5% for weight, but we won’t go there…), until I got home and realized it must have been the 10% line…  Whoops.  Either way, the kid has made up some MAJOR ground in the height department.  She’s never been that high on the chart (which is really sad when we’re talking approaching the 10%- we’re still a good 1/2” away…)- woohoo! 

And the the best news?  We don’t have to go back until she’s TWO (which, in and of itself is kinda weirding me out- how can I have a TWO year old???), which is FOUR months away.  FOUR!!! 

She told us not to make an appointment, though, because we can just call her when the baby is born and bring both girls in at the same time.  THAT sent me into heart palpitations- are we really that close to having another kid???

Of all the toys in her diaper bag, Piper chose car keys as her distracter-of-choice while we waited for the dread “S” word- her last immunization until she’s FOUR!  YAY!

And then she figured out there was a hole in the bed- it made for really fun kicking.  And a perfect place to play “in” with the car keys.  At least she’s easily entertained.

Mmmm… Donut.

I was totally craving donuts today (which, for those of you who know me, know how totally bizarre this is- I usually HATE donuts), so I was going to make Luke go to Krispy Kreme on the way to church.  Unfortunately, it was snowy, cold, and the roads were a mess, so I decided the most direct route (to church, not the Krispy Kreme) would probably be the best.

So, instead, I made Luke make donuts tonight.  Yummmm…  And since Piper hadn’t gone to bed yet, she got her first taste of fried-and-covered-in-sugar-and-horrible-for-you goodness.  Piper’s “sweet” in her diet usually consists of fruit and Gerber puffs, with an occasional baby cookie or bite of ice cream, so this was a real treat!

Not so sure…..

Maybe.  But not so brave.  Especially the eating messy food on the floor part…

I think I would like some more, please. 

(She’s staring down the plate here, about ready to pounce, and sticky from head to toe, therefore ending my ability to take pictures…  She hasn’t quite gotten the idea of waiting for permission after she asks with “please”.  We had a mini-meltdown when I took the plate away.  Apparently I’m mean like that.)

New Favs

A slight bloggy-intermission…

It’s no secret that I love shoes.  LOVE shoes. 

When Luke deployed to Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003, my parents and father-in-law came to San Diego to help me pack up our apartment and move be back to Colorado while Luke was gone.  Jerry, my father-in-law, groaned when he picked up a heavy box.  He groaned even louder when I told him it was shoes (which, mind you, did not include all my favorites that were moving with me…).

But if someone had told me how much MORE fun it is to buy little girl shoes, we (ahem, I) may have pursued this baby thing a whole lot sooner.

And now that Piper’s feet are approaching the non-newborn sizes, the world of shopping opportunities is beginning to open.  I couldn’t be more thrilled (and my husband more terrified). 

I’ll preface this with saying that I know there are two big schools of thought with shoes- hard-soled for support or soft-soles for ease of movement; we’ve been in the middle of the debate, too, and I know it’s a “to each his own” kinda thing.  I’m choosing the ease of movement route…  I know I was talking to someone a few months ago about finding really soft-soled shoes (but I can’t remember who), and I figured there are probably others, so I wanted to share.

These are my new favorite shoes for Piper.  See Kai Run infant shoes are very similar to Pedipeds, except for they have little rubber grippers on the bottom for traction (which is my big beef with Pedipeds).  They are exceptionally flexible (more than her Stride Rite or Umi leather-soles), and cute to boot.  I bought these this fall when I was desperately trying to find black dress shoes, which apparently didn’t exist at the time (even online).  I’ve since bought a few other styles for next fall, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not buying them in her size for now.

Their bigger kid shoes (starting at 3) are “hard” soled.  These are, bar none, the softest hard-soled shoes I’ve ever seen.  They very easily bend and are made of really nice, soft leather uppers.  If they made them in my size, I’m sure I’d be game.  The 3s are, regrettably (heartbreakingly), too big for Piper, but I bought a pair anyway because I couldn’t resist.  She’ll get there eventually, right??? 

And their little boy shoes?  Just as cute as their girl shoes.  LOVE them!!! 

My other pair of favorites, which I REALLY like, but am having a hard time finding in her size (which is why I got turned on to the See Kai Runs instead) are these from Stride Rite:

Absolutely 100% flexible (and thin) soles and easy to move uppers.  And they’re light and flexible enough that I can put her down for a nap in them without a flinch.  Just wish they made them in 2s still! 

I know this sounds like an ad; it really isn’t, I promise.  Just like to share my finds…  So, as a bonus, and to get it all out of my system, I’ll share one of my new favorite websites to buy shoes from (including for me!!!)- 6pm.com is Zappos clearance outlet, so it’s reliable.  And if you catch their sales right, dang cheap.  I bought $142 worth of shoes a couple weeks ago for about $45, including shipping. 

I wonder if it’s coincidental that Piper’s decided to start signing “shoes” lately???

This photo shoot brought to you by…

…a very ornery aunt and a very ornery uncle. 

And in order to understand why this is funny, you’d have to understand the underwear/boxer short competitions we have every year at Christmas.  But in order for you to understand that, I’d risk making my entire family sound a little…  odd?…

So, suffice to say that anything that involves a pun wins double points (the worst pair I’ve ever seen had a bunch of antlers/“horns” on them—), and if it’s a pun that involves the wearer’s profession, hobbies, etc., you win. 

Problem is that in recent years, the “boxer short” rule has been…  ahem…  expanded.  And now anything that comes in underwear-related packaging just brings a chuckle.

So, please don’t think that my family exchanges gifts from this (or anything in the realm of THIS) particular vender.  And I guarantee that Piper has no idea what she’s into here.  Nor is she going to find out any time in the next century, I assure you.

But when she found the sack, and it kept her entertained for a good half hour or forty-five minutes, I figured it was as good a toy as any to play with.

After all- there has never been any doubt that kid fits in just fine with our family.