Time for a passport

We got Elliott a passport so we could adventure to Cozumel and meet up with our Chicago friends.   It turns out that Hurricane Rina ruined our dreams of relaxing in paradise, so we re-routed to Puerto Vallarta- thank God for Chris and his awesome ability to follow up with travel agents, airlines, and hotels.  We are just going with the flow on this trip and hope to get a lot of R and R in!   Stay tuned for the update of our adventures!

Mum's the word

Since living in Dallas, I found out that there is a homecoming tradition built around "mums".  I thought this was just a fall flower, or a British term for mom, but there is a whole new meaning of "mum" here in Dallas.  I heard about this tradition at work, saw it in person at Michael's, and then confirmed it with our babysitter.... it is true.  Basically, if you live in Dallas and attend homecoming, you will get a "mum".  The mum is a gigantic flower and it has little trinkets on it like teddy bears, lights, beads, glitter, words, streamers.  It might weigh at least 10-15 pounds and is the size of a small person.  Ladies wear these around thier neck.  Men wear a slightly small version around thier arm.  Apparently, the bigger the bettter- after all everythings's bigger in Texas.  The boys mom's usually make them for thier dates- wow, this is what Elliott and I have to look forward to in the next 15 years!

Here's a Dallasite wearing her mum- WOW

Alright, enough about Mum's.... what's happening with Elliott?  He went to a friend's first birthday party this weekend and then a playdate with our neighbors at the pumpkin patch- what a popular guy!

Having fun at the party

Bootcut or skinny?  Who's jeans are cooler?

Tiny swing for a tiny guy!

The Other UT

This past weekend we visited Aunt Lisa and the Gross family in Knoxville!  We had a lot of fun and went to a UT game (Tennessee, not Texas!)   Elliott did so well traveling, we were kind of surprised.  Knoxville is gorgeous area of the country- I forgot how pretty the scenery is.  Here are a few pictures... 

Outside at a picnic with Nan

Mommy and Aunt Lisa

Having fun with Nan

Happy 29th Aunt Lisa (this will be the first of many more 29th birthdays!)

Elliott's first tailgate

11 Months old

Who let the dogs out?!

This was a big week at daycare...  Elliott had picture day.  He did not smile I was with him to get his pictures- he just stood there with a blank stare.  I told his teacher to try again later- we shall see what kind of pictures we end up with.   Chris took Elliott to daycare this week a little later than I do.   They always play music and on this day, they were playing "Who let the dogs out!".  Upon arrival, Elliott crawled closer to the speakers and stood and started dancing.  All the teachers were cheering him on.  So now, we are all about dance parties.  Here are a few clips of the dance party at our house!

Getting started...

Welcome to the dance party!

Keep it up!

Learning Curve- baby products!

Elliott is almost a year old, I can't believe it!  I realized that I was clueless when it comes to buying baby products.  For things like clothes, travel, or decorating I have a general knowledge of what is quality, what is cheap, and where you can cut corners.  You can always ask other mom's advice and search the web, but inevitably, you always get conflicting information!  So here is a re-cap of what I learned about baby stuff, for any of you new moms or dads out there that are curious! 

Gear:
Chico 30 Key Fit car seat- great product!  We really like this car seat.  It has a stroller that goes with it, which has an easy one-hand open and close mechanism.  The downside is the stroller is very big and takes up most of the trunk.

Pack 'N Play - We chose the Carter's Bumble Bee set. It worked great for us. We used it as a bassinet early on, traveling to the grandparent's house and as a play-pen when we needed Elliott to be contained. It had a lot of bells and whistles; I'm sure a cheaper one would work just fine!

High Chair - We chose the Carter's Bumble Bee chair to match the Pack N' Play. It is a nice chair, but I almost wish I would have gotten a smaller "space saver" chair. I discovered this during a visit to Nan's house, as she got a small one from Wal-Mart - good thinking!
Chico Baby Strap Carrier- Hmm, I don't even know how to describe this one.  It seems the idea of putting the baby on your chest and carrying him around would be uncomfortable.   I would say this is a good product, but you have to have the right moment to use it- parties- yes,  just walking around the house- yes.... I understand it is also really helpful if using for your 2nd, while trying to manage your 1st!
Diapers:
I'd like to preface this section by saying I think I have tried them all!  Pampers, Huggies, Luvs, Target, Costco, Sam's, Diaper.com brand

Overall, I think it is a tie between Costco, Sam's and Target brand.  All these diapers work well and are cheap.  It just depends on what my schedule is and where is a more convenient place to go.  I'm a huge fan of ordering diapers online...this is just simpler because they arrive at your door and you don't have to have all that wasted energy of dragging them through the parking lot, taking up all the space in your car and then unloading the car!

Formula / Bottles:
My goal was to breast-feed for 6 months- Wow, was the difficult!!  It was everything I could do to make it to 4.5 months.  I guess all I can say about this is that formula is great and it is fine to use formula! 

I have tried all formulas as well, Similac, Enfamil, Costco, Sam's, Target brand.  I was nervous that the "off-brands" would not work well.  Elliott drank all of the brands; Target and Sam's are the cheapest.  I would recommend buying once and seeing how your baby reacts, then buy more.  Again, online is amazing!   The Enfamil to-go pack's are really great for traveling and make 4 oz bottles.   The 2 oz pre-made bottles are really great for on-the-go time when they are really young.

For bottles, I used Dr. Brown and Playtex drop-ins.  Elliott likes both of these bottles.  The Dr. Brown's bottles have a lot parts to them, but there is plenty of space to add formula when making an 8 ounce bottle.  The Drop-ins are great for traveling, because you can just throw away the liner; it is hard to make an 8 ounce bottle in them, because there is not the much room in the bottle.

Baby Food - Elliott seems to like everything.  I found the Happy Tot or Plum brands are great because they offer unique flavors with lots of healthy fruits and veggies and are in pouch, great for travel!

Toys / Clothes:
Elliott seems to love playing with stuff that is not "toys" the best.  Top toys include: Cell phones, TV remotes, Tupperware bowls and lids, anything on the coffee table!  He likes books and anything with music or sound.  You can't go wrong with ball- this is hours of entertainment!  Elliott has fun with anything, just taking a blanket and playing peek-a-boo makes his day.   

It's easy to go crazy with clothes.  I bought a bunch of new jammies for Elliott only to realize even though they were 12 months, he was almost too big for them.  The point here is to just buy a little at a time.  You have to buy some kind of outfit just for a picture that is totally impractical... note sweater vests, infant sandals (before he can walk), button downs, "rocker" jeans... yes, we have all of these!  I have also found a few deals from nice used clothes places too, which can be a great value.

529 Fund:
This is something that not everyone thinks of.  This is super important and although he has no clue now,  Elliott will learn to appreciate it!  A 529 fund is a type of fund that is for education.  It is like a mutual fund and earns dividends on the money you invest.  You can contribute pre-tax dollars to it and designate a person who will use it for education.  We set up Elliott's through Fidelity.  We can change the beneficiary at any time.  If Elliott is a super-star and gets a scholarship and does not need the fund, we can change the beneficiary to ourselves, a grandchild or another sibling.


Our little man is almost a walker.... check out the standing moves
                           

Return to Chi-Town

Chris has returned to Chi-Town for the next 5 days... that leaves lots of quality time with Elliott here in Dallas.  I haven't checked the weather for Chicago, but I'm guessing it's cold!  We got in our pool today and I think it hit at least 90.  While I love the warm weather, it does seem odd not to at least even need a jacket in October.    We had a fun day, visiting Stride Rite to get Elliott some shoes that will help him walk better.  I stopped by daycare last week during lunch and noticed he was struggling to walk in the grass- looked like his shoes were getting in the way.   I found out that Elliott has a very wide foot and also that shoes for babies need to be flexible- note, do not cheap out on the Target shoes if you are thinking- bad idea!    We stopped for some yogurt on the way home.... what a great idea, they have every kind of soft serve frozen yogurt imaginable .... hello, birthday cake and red velvet cake.... with loads of toppings, fresh fruit, chocolate covered pretzels and reese cups- YUM!  Elliott didn't really like it, I think it was too cold, maybe next time.   Here are some videos of Elliott with his pop-ball toy.