15 months with Miles

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I can't believe we're already a quarter of the way through Miles's second year ... is it even possible that this one goes faster than the first??? I truly love this little man more and more every day. He has such a vibrant personality, is sweet as pure honey, and is just a really, really good child. We seriously hit the kiddie lottery with this one.

Here's a little update on what he's been up to for the last three months:

Knows lots of animal sounds: cow, horse, fish, chicken, bee, sheep, dog, cat, duck, mouse

Went through a brief picky phase, but is now into all kinds of foods - I credit this at least partially to implementing the meals-in-courses method in Bringing Up Bebé. Officially never wants our help at mealtimes and insists on using spoons and pouches himself. New things that he loves include artichokes, soba noodles, and pasta with truffle oil. Also, eats as much as a teenage boy.

Keeps us laughing all the time. For example, Josh was reading him a book with a chicken in it, and Miles said "mmmm" like he does when he's eating something yummy, but when I say he's having chicken for lunch, he makes a clucking sound. He's the best, y'all.

Walks, or more often, runs everywhere! This has unfortunately resulted in several falls, bumps on the head, and scratches to the face. I guess that's life with a boy.

Loves playing with his soccer ball, hugging Elmo, and swinging and sliding at the park.

Still obsessed with books - favorites right now are The Pout Pout Fish, all of his Sandra Boynton books, and a couple of random books (specifically Night Night Forest Friends and Bubbles, Bubbles) he's received through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Randomly bows (which he learned from the book Barnyard Dance) and loves doing Patty-Cake, especially the "mark it with a B." Will spin in circles to make himself dizzy and say "weeeeeee." Loves throwing and kicking his soccer ball around the house. Holds my phone up to his ear and say "hello?" and then proceed to have a "conversation." Basically will imitate anything we do.

Lets you know when he wants to go outside by trying to put his jacket on and get in his stroller. Enjoys being outdoors and especially loves going to the park to swing and slide.

Knows 15+ words (other than animal sounds): Dada, bye-bye, night-night, Bubba, cheese, banana, Mama, please, pout-pout, bubbles, eye, shoes, hat, bath, keys, Gigi, and more literally every day.

Has recently become obsessed with daddy after being a real mama's boy for the first year. Loves sitting in the rocker with him to read and seeing him off to work every morning. 

Is fascinated by the way things work - locks and latches (which he's learned to use from this toy), screw-on caps, door hinges, and anythings with working parts.

In the past three months, has traveled to Paris and Florence bringing his count up to a total of five countries.

Aside from some mean molars and a cold, is overall sleeping much better. Usually 9-11 hours completely through the night. Still takes two naps, but has started having a random one nap day from time to time.

And last but not least, we are officially completely weaned from nursing. Hallelujah!

We have so many fun adventures planned for the next few months, including a trip to North Carolina, Spain with friends, and visitors from the U.S., so I'm hoping this big boy who's always on the move handles the upcoming plane rides and roadtrips like a champ. If you have any tips for keeping a very active toddler entertained on a transatlantic flight, leave them in the comments below. I'm desperate for a meltdown free flight :)

Next update coming at you in another three months... I can only imagine what crazy things our Miles man will be up to by then!

my favorite (easy + effortless) photo tool for parents

As most everyone reading this probably knows, my career before this hiatus for raising a baby and an international move was that of a wedding photographer. So to say photos are important to me would probably be the understatement of the century, but, like everyone else, the majority of my photos are not taken with a professional camera. They're taken with my phone and posted to Facebook or Instagram.

Despite so many of my photos being online, I still prefer to have hard copies. Assuming that one day, the social media of our time is replaced by things that are newer and shinier, I'd like to still have those memories. Enter Chatbooks. This awesome album service allows you to enter a hashtag (for instance, all Miles's photos are tagged on Insta as #milesalexanderglessner) or simply select favorite photos in your phone's camera roll, connect those accounts to their website, and subscribe to have albums printed once you reach 60 pages. It literally only requires the effort it takes to download the app and set up your account, and then, you have volumes of your own photo books delivered to your door. It seriously doesn't get any easier!

Even better, when you use my referral link, you get your first book free: http://invite.chatbooks.com/elizabeth8p7

I love the idea of Miles eventually having his own little collection of photo books that basically tell the story of his childhood :) Don't have kids? You can literally use these books for anything... vacations, a pet, or just everyday life!

Do you use Chatbooks? If not, what are your favorite services for printing and preserving those non-pro photos on your phone? I'd love to hear!

six baby basics that got us through the first months with a newborn

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The Internet - namely Pinterest - is flooded with "must-haves" for baby, but babies don't actually don't NEED a whole lot to get through the newborn phase - diapers, milk, and mama and they're pretty much good to go. For that very reason, I won't call these items "essentials," but they have definitely made life easier. Now that we've survived the early days and have the benefit of hindsight, these are a few things that would definitely be on my personal must-have list if we ever decide to embark on this parenting adventure for a second time (many, MANY years from now).

Teeny, tiny baby Miles - the day we brought him home from the hospital. *Cue the tears*

Penaten Creme

We recently discovered this miracle of a diaper cream here in Germany, and it is THE BEST. Having tried Desitin, Aveeno, and a few others we had samples of, I can definitely say that this one does the best job at keeping baby's bottom rash free. Technically, the translation is "wound creme," and you can supposedly use it for eczema, blemishes, etc., too! We've even used it to help clear up a mean drool rash on baby G's chin. Though it can't be found in U.S. stores, you can get it on Amazon. Bonus points that the easy open tin is way simpler to maneuver one-handed than the tubes most diaper cremes come in.

Cloth Diapers

We literally use these for EVERYTHING (except diapering, of course, because WHO HAS THE TIME AND ENERGY FOR REUSABLE DIAPERS. Seriously though, you mamas who've committed to cloth diapering, I applaud you. We'll be keeping Pampers in business for the next couple of years, thankyouverymuch.) These magical little squares work as burp cloths, clean up messes, can be tucked under the chin to catch dribbles while feeding, and even for play (I swear - all the toys and this kid LOVES playing with a cheap piece of cloth). We have two packs of them, and I can just throw them all in the wash in hot water to get nice and clean. 

Changing Pad Liners

Whoever invented these is a true genius. No one tells you when you buy the cute changing cover from Land of Nod that it's only going to be on said changing pad for approximately two diaperings (if you're lucky) before you have to wash it again. Babies have a tendency to pee (and poop) at the exact moment when the diaper is off - not to mention the oh so fun up-the-backers that result in an immediately soiled changing pad cover as soon as you lay the kid down. Poopsplosions are real, people. These liners save the day and (usually) keep the cute cover from getting dirty!

Puj Baby Tub

I have to admit, this is a bit of a splurge for a glorified piece of foam, but boy do I love it! Being able to put baby in the sink has saved my back, and I'm a huge fan of not having a baby tub take up precious space when not in use. Just get a suction hook for your shower and voila! - out of the way. Also note: if you think the Puj isn't fitting your sink properly, try only folding one side of it - most of our sinks are too shallow to fold both sides, but it fits like a dream with just one side. We just moved Miles to an inflatable in the real bath tub at 6.5 months, and boy, do I miss the days of the Puj.

Snuza Sleep Monitor

Since we saved a whole bunch of money by opting for a security camera and iPhone app instead of the traditional baby monitor, we felt pretty good about splurging on this breathing monitor, and I honestly believe I would not have slept those first three months without it. With all of Miles's grunts and noises and random breathing patterns in those early weeks, I thought I might lose my new mama mind. We've only had a handful of false alarms (mostly due to a loose diaper), and personally, I'd rather be woken up by a false alarm than living with the very real anxiety of ohmygodismynewborngoingtojustrandomlydecidenottobreatheinthemiddleofthenight. Is it entirely necessary for a new baby? No. But it sure did give me the peace of mind to get some much needed rest.

Baby Massage

So I realize this isn't a product, but it is a basic skill that truly kept me from going crazy a few times. Miles was an incredibly gassy baby, and up until about 4 or 5 months when he figured out how to get rid of it himself, he would get so fussy with gas pains. Having little luck with the other tricks, I learned about the "I love you" stomach massage through a desperate Google search. I would start it, and he would almost immediately pass gas and be so much happier! We tried so many things, including diet changes, gas drops, bicycle legs, and football holds, but this one was definitely the winner. 

If you're expecting or just embarking on the crazy ride of parenting a newborn, maybe you'll find some of these things to be your favorites, too. If you've already been there and done that, what are your essentials?