What's In My Diaper Bag (for my 9-10 month old)

Happy Friday friends!

Today, I thought I would give you all a little peak into my diaper bag and what I carry around on a day to day basis for Lincoln.

As a first time mom, I know that I like to see what other mamas are doing to get some ideas for myself. Unfortunately, babies don't come with instruction manuals... so I love getting advice and tips from other moms.

I remember the days when I used to leave the house with my little crossbody purse that contained my wallet, phone, chapstick, and keys. Ahhhh... those were the days.

Well, a lot has changed since then. Now, I have to lug around a tote full of all kinds of fun things to keep my little guy happy and taken care of!

So, here is everything I like to bring with me on a typical day! 

(Left to right, top to bottom)

1. Diapers and wipes - Obviously. You don't want to leave the house without these!

2. Snacks for Lincoln - I have some teething crackers and a spoon. I will also throw a jar of baby food in there if we will be out for awhile.

3. Change of clothes - Accidents happen. 

4. Hat - We do live in sunny San Diego! If you follow me on Instagram, you probably see Lincoln wearing this hat in a lot of my pictures. Now you know why! It is the one I keep in my diaper bag.

5. Sippy cup - Lincoln loves water! And it has been HOT lately.

6. Nursing cover - We are still nursing every 3-4 hours in between meals. I HIGHLY recommend the Covered Goods nursing cover for all the breastfeeding moms out there! It  is super soft, lightweight, and provides 360 coverage. Now that he is bigger, I just use it as a nursing scarf instead of a full cover. I love this thing!

7. Bib - For drool, mainly. Lincoln is currently cutting his top two teeth. My friend made me a few bibs in different patterns, and this is one of the ones she gave me! Adorable right?!

8. Lysol and hand sanitizer - Who wants a sick baby? Not me.

9. Diaper rash cream - In my opinion, this brand works wayyyy better than Desitin.

10. Snack for me - I don't like being hungry.

11. Lincoln's toothbrush - See previous post. Lincoln likes to carry this thing around 24/7.

12. Lotion and sunscreen - I like the Aveeno brand.

13. Diaper disposal bags - I use these for dirty diapers, soiled clothes, dirty spoons/bottles. They keep the mess contained until I get home. 

14. Lipgloss, chapstick, and mascara - They help me look put together in a hurry!

15. Wet wipes - For wiping down dirty surfaces and hands.

16. Sunglasses

17. "Portable" tote bag - I like to keep this in my diaper bag for quick errands. For instance, if I am just running in the mall to make a return or something, I won't bring my whole diaper bag. I will just throw my wallet, a diaper, and wipes in this small bag and head inside.

18.  My planner - I would be lost without it. It goes everywhere with me.

19. Phone - With a LifeProof case. 

20. Tiny mirror - to check myself.

21. Unpictured items - Wallet (with credit card, ID, etc..) I accidentally left it in the pocket of my bag when I took the picture. And toys, I always throw a few toys in before we leave the house. 

And thats it! Of course, the items in this bag change all of the time. When Lincoln was a newborn, I would have made sure I had like three extra outfits and 10 pacifiers. And in a few months, hopefully we won't need to be carrying around his toothbrush anymore. 

But, this is what works for us for now... until things change again.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Nine Month Baby Update

Good morning, Happy Tuesday!

Lincoln just had his 9 month wellness check last week, so I wanted to give a quick update!  We are a few weeks late because his pediatrician was out of town, but better late than never. He is doing great and is growing up so fast! 



One thing we are having trouble with this month is eating. Lincoln HATES textures. Even if his food is slightly chunky, he throws it up or just holds it in his mouth and gags. I have a baby bullet, so I try to puree things as smooth as I can... but he is going to have to eat real food eventually, right?!

We have tried cottage cheese, blending chicken with a softer veggie, etc. Any tips from other mamas out there? Did anyone have the same problem?

Weight on 7/21/16:

20 lbs. 11.5 oz (62nd percentile) 

Height on 7/21/16:

31 inches (99th percentile, he is still very tall!)

Head circumference:

18.25 inches (80th percentile)

Hair/eyes:

His hair has lightened a lot since he was born, and he still has a blonde streak in the back. He MUST be related to Elsa and Ana from Frozen... :)

His eyes are still blue, and I think they are going to stay blue.

Sleep:

He is a great sleeper. He sleeps 10-12 hours straight in his crib at night. He is teething, so over the past week or two, he has had a few nights where he woke up crying. He usually just needs to be held for a bit, then he will go right back down. 

Lincoln likes...

• His toothbrush. Maybe we have a little dentist on our hands! He loves to hold it and bring it everywhere.
• Being chased. Now that he can crawl, he loves it when you get on your hands and knees and chase after him. He especially loves it when you pop around the corner and surprise him!
• Baths and swimming... he's a little water baby.
• Pulling himself up on all of the furniture
• Dancing. He flaps his arms and kicks his legs. Its quite adorable!!
• Rattles. He loves to shake them so hard that his face turns red. He gets really into it.

Lincoln does NOT like...

• Being set down
• When we take things away from him
• When he can't hold something he wants
• Chicken. He spits it up every single time. The doctor said to just keep trying it every week, so we will see. The other day, he ate a few bites and right when he was about to throw it up, I reached out and caught it in my hands! #momlife #itssoglamorous 

Other fun facts:

• He can say both dada and mama. He doesn't know what they mean, but its still fun to hear!
• He had his first eye doctor appointment yesterday. 
• He is in size 3 diapers and size 12 month clothes.
• I am starting to plan his first birthday party... I can't even believe it!

I have had three people ask me how old he was this week, and they all replied "Ohhhh, you're just getting to the fun part!" I totally have to agree with them. He is FUN. He is laughing, playing, and interacting more and more every day.

Thats all for today! XOXO!!

Simply, Chelsea



A Day in the Life

Welcome to a day in the life of us!

I thought it would be fun to document a random day in the life of us! These are the days I am definitely going to want to look back on and remember because I am loving this precious quality time that I have with Lincoln.

I decided to just pick a random day when we didn't have anything crazy or eventful planned. I wanted get a snapshot of a perfectly normal and simple day! 

So here it is... Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

GOOD MORNING! 

I woke up around 7:15am to Lincoln babbling into the baby monitor. I got out of bed and went to get him. Going into his room in the morning is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love seeing his smiling little face!

After I changed and fed him, I made myself some coffee.

As my coffee was brewing, Landon got home from his morning walk with Kimber. He was super excited to show me that one of his Pokemon evolved (or something like that). I'm not playing Pokemon Go yet, but it seems like the rest of the WORLD is. 

I made Landon and I some oatmeal for breakfast, and when I went to put the milk away, I noticed I put the brown sugar in there by accident! Oops! #tiredmama

Lincoln and I headed to Stroller Strides class after breakfast and got a great workout in!

We stayed after class for playgroup and made chicken handprint pictures!

On the way home, I stopped by Starbucks and sat in the car for about 30 minutes while the baby slept! Does anyone else do this?! Sometimes I feel like it is the only time I can drink my coffee and have some quiet time to myself. 

(Ignore my post-workout appearance)

I made this DELICIOUS yogurt bowl for a snack. Vanilla Greek yogurt, apple, and vanilla granola with pumpkin seeds. YUM!

Then, Lincoln and I played for a bit.

Eventually both of the babies (Kimber and Lincoln) went down for a nap, so I did some laundry and picked up the house.

I also shopped the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Oops.

When Lincoln woke up, he cruised around in his walker while I did the dishes.

Landon got home from work, and we decided to head down to the beach and let Kimber run around for a bit.

And, we ended the day with some Mexican food! It doesn't get any better than that! (Yes, I wiped down/disinfected the table. Don't worry everyone.)

After dinner, we put Lincoln to bed, watched TV, ate some ice cream, then went to bed!

There's an average, typical Wednesday in the Erickson house!  I know to some of you, this may seem like a pretty boring, uneventful day. But, I can honestly say, there is nothing I would rather be doing than spending time with my little fam. This was a PERFECT day to me :)

See you all next week with a 9 month baby update!

Friday Favorites

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Well, technically, Happy Thursday! I'm aware that it is not Friday yet! Haha. But I am posting a little early because we have a big weekend planned...  and by big, I mean HUGE.

MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED! 

I am so excited to spend the weekend celebrating! But, for today, I am linking up with some of my favorite bloggers, and sharing some of the things I have been loving lately. 

So let's get right into it!

1. Graze Snack Box

Since staying home with Lincoln, I have been snacking A LOT. I don't know if its because nursing makes me extra hungry, or if I just get bored during his nap time, but it seems like I eat non-stop. I also have no self control. If I buy a pack of cookies, I eat them all. Anyone else have this problem?

Recently, I saw a commercial for Graze, which is a snack delivery company. They had a coupon for a free box, so I decided to give it a try and fell in LOVE. 



Here's how it works. You pick your snack preferences, inform them if you have any allergies, and they send 8 pre-packaged, portioned snacks to your door every week. If you don't want them weekly, or if you are going on vacation, NO PROBLEM. You can manage your subscription online and customize it to fit your needs.

They are super convenient, easy to grab, and keep my snacking to a minimum. My favorite snack so far was the pack of Wholegrain Banana Caramel Dippers. Seriously, they were insane. I meant to take a picture, but I ate them too fast. Oops.

2. Gevalia Coffee

All coffee lovers, run to the store now and give this brand a try!

Landon was out of town in the beginning of June, and I stayed the night at my dad's house. He made me this coffee in the morning and I was HOOKED. I don't love bitter coffee, and this brand is mild, smooth, and just perfect.

We even went on vacation a few weeks ago, and I had to have my mother in law pick me up some from Wal Mart because I forgot my bag at home.

#highmaintenance #coffeesnob #youwillunderstandwhenyoutryit

3. Bath Visor

My MIL told me about this when I was complaining about washing Lincoln's hair, and it has made bath time much easier! I just strap it on Lincoln's head, and I can wash his hair or pour water over his head without having to worry about it running in his eyes or getting in his ears. Amazing!

4. Lush Maxi Dress

I love these dresses! I got this one (Blue/Cream Stripe) on sale recently and I have been wearing it everywhere. They are so comfy, very flattering, and easy to wear. They fit true to size in my opinion, and can be dressed up or down. 

5. Clarisonic

I've owned my Clarisonic for awhile now, but for some reason, I stopped using it. A few weeks ago,  I watched a QVC presentation on the new Clarisonic Mia Fit, and it inspired me to whip mine out again. Its only been a few weeks since I have been using it consistently, but I forgot how much I love it! It makes my skin so smooth and soft, and I feel like my skincare works better when my face is clean.

6. Baby Gate

Now that my little guy has started crawling, this thing has saved my life. I haven't fully baby-proofed the house yet, so it is nice to have an area fenced off where he can play safely and I know he won't get into anything! 



It is also great for husbands and dogs ;)

Well, that wraps up my Friday Favorites for the week!!

Have a great weekend!

Simply, Chelsea

Baby Update: Three Months - Eight Months

Time for a baby update! I haven't done one since my little guy was TWO months old... and now he is NINE months old! Seriously, where has the time gone?!

I think I say this on every baby update post... but time goes by so fast! It seems like just yesterday, he was a teeny, tiny newborn. Now, he is starting to look and act like a little boy, and his sweet personality is really shining through.

Since I missed so many baby update posts due to website complications, I am just going to give a little overview of months 3 to 8. I will do a 9 month baby update after our wellness check with his pediatrician next week! 
_________________________________________________

THREE MONTHS:

Height: Didn't measure this month Weight: 16 lbs.

Sleep: 
Lincoln sleeps 7-9 hours at night consistently. He is still in the bassinet in our room.

Likes: 
Lincoln loves chewing on his hands, sitting in his frog chair, looking at mirrors, smiling, and watching the baby channel on TV.

Dislikes: 
Being ignored and tummy time (still working on it)


FOUR MONTHS:

Height: 27 inches Weight: 16 lbs. 12 oz.

Sleep: 
Lincoln started waking up once during the night to eat. He is still in the bassinet in our room.

Likes: 
Lincoln loves being outside, swinging in the hammock, groaning, squeaking, pulling hair, and touching his toes.

Dislikes: 
Being ignored


FIVE MONTHS:

Height: Didn't measure this month Weight: 18 lbs. 2 oz.

Sleep: 
We moved Lincoln to his own crib this month, and he sleeps 7-10 hours at night. He goes down around 10:00pm.

Likes: 
Lincoln loves rice cereal, screaming (happy screams), grabbing faces, being outside, and cruising around in his walker.

Dislikes: 
Doing one activity for too long (He gets bored pretty easily)


SIX MONTHS:

Height: 29.4 inches Weight: 18 lbs. 8 oz.

Sleep: 
Lincoln is sleeping through the night in the crib in his room. He goes down around 9:30/10:00pm and sleeps until at least 6:00am.

Likes: 
Lincoln loves sucking on two fingers, jumping in his jumper, and putting everything in his mouth.

Dislikes: 
Not getting what he wants. He loves to throw little tantrums when he can't hold the tv remote or my cell phone.

Lincoln started rolling from his back to his tummy this month! He also sits up on his own. 


SEVEN MONTHS:

Height: Didn't measure this month Weight: 20 lbs. 

Sleep: 
Lincoln is still sleeping through the night (about 8-11 hours)

Likes: 
Lincoln loves sucking on two fingers, riding in the shopping cart, teething wafers, rolling around on the floor, smiling, being worn, and clapping.

Dislikes: 
Long naps

EIGHT MONTHS:

Height: Didn't measure this month Weight: 20 lbs. 4 oz.

Sleep: 
Still sleeping about 8-11 hours at night. He likes the sound of his air purifier when he sleeps, so we bring it whenever we travel overnight!

Likes: 
Lincoln loves kitchen utensils, dog bones, crawling, sucking on two fingers, and flapping his arms when he's excited.

Dislikes:
Lincoln HATES having things taken away, being set down, and getting his nose picked.

Lincoln got his first tooth this month and he started saying "dada" He also went swimming for the first time and LOVED it!

  _________________________________________________

Overall, he is just AMAZING. He has been such an easy baby and we are just having a blast together.  Every day gets more and more fun, and I can't believe he is going to be ONE in just a few months!

That's it for now! Come back at the end of the week for a new FRIDAY FAVORITES post!

Simply, Chelsea

You can see the past two updates here:
One Month Baby Update
Two Month Baby Update