Moving to Phone-Blogging and an Update
I think I'm going to start updating this blog via my cellphone. Towards the end of the summer, I finally "caved" and got a smartphone (LG Stylo - I like it! I mean, I miss actual buttons, but the stylus is a good compromise), so now I can do internet-y things while I'm nursing or rocking Walden. But I still don't like typing on the phone and can't do the stylus-thing one-handed, so my updates will probably have more pictures and fewer words. Probably not a bad thing for me to write less and for you to get to see more of the baby, haha!
But...while I'm here...an update on the boy!
Walden turned 10 months old last Friday! It seems like he is learning new things every day. I'm amazed at how quickly he is changing and growing. For the first 4-5 months or so, it seemed like everything happened very slowly. Now things are picking up and we love the little boy our baby is turning into! Wally can crawl and pull himself up to a standing position. His favorite place to pull up is on the baby gate that separates him from Wanda. Wally likes playing with any "real people" things (i.e. not baby toys), so I let him sort through the recycling or play with some bowls and spoons while I do things around the house. He likes to tear up newspaper/advertisements and sort through the crumpled up paper. He loves noise-making toys and anything fuzzy!
With Christmas coming up, we've been thinking about how to not let our house get over-run with baby stuff. We'd love to get Wally hundreds of presents, but think it's probably best to get just a few presents and then let him go wild with all the wrapping paper. Some people I know base their present-giving to their kids on this rhyme: "Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read." We are sort of following that idea this year.
This is what we decided to get for him; I'm so excited for Wally to have his first Christmas presents!
-Play Tunnel as a "want". I think he'll really enjoy crawling through it! He likes to crawl under tables and chairs and such, so I think this will be a hit! I like that it folds up for easy storage, too. (this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GLCWFOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
-A tactile puzzle as another "want" (it is fuzzy underneath the pieces! We got him one that is similar to this, but I can't find a link to the specific one we got: https://www.amazon.com/Janod-Tactile-Animals-Puzzle-Piece/dp/B01GBYG7UK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512967666&sr=8-3&keywords=janod+tactile+puzzle)
-A fuzzy jacket as both his "need" and "to wear". He had one when he was first born, but quickly outgrew it. We thought it was so cute! I think he will like this for going on walks in the stroller or baby-carrier. We got it on a super sale too, so that was a bonus!! (http://www.carters.com/s/Carters/carters-baby-girl-sale-tops/190795646641.html?cm_mmc=ip_Carters-_-Google-_-Baby_Girl_10-14_-_-190795646641&cvosrc=cse.google.43671597114&cvo_crid=186487618485&cvo_cid=778424335&scid=scplp190795646641&sc_intid=190795646641&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAiA07PRBRBJEiwAS20SINcnoQqqKJrkbrCYjoeaPC7877soflGNQG--JEfgeUKrA-Wqo845BBoC5p0QAvD_BwE)
-A German/English storybook as his "to read". I try to talk to Wally in German at least a little bit every day and this book will be a good reinforcement. I also like that it is about a wolf, since we call Wally our little wolf-pup! (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3739901322/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
But...while I'm here...an update on the boy!
Walden turned 10 months old last Friday! It seems like he is learning new things every day. I'm amazed at how quickly he is changing and growing. For the first 4-5 months or so, it seemed like everything happened very slowly. Now things are picking up and we love the little boy our baby is turning into! Wally can crawl and pull himself up to a standing position. His favorite place to pull up is on the baby gate that separates him from Wanda. Wally likes playing with any "real people" things (i.e. not baby toys), so I let him sort through the recycling or play with some bowls and spoons while I do things around the house. He likes to tear up newspaper/advertisements and sort through the crumpled up paper. He loves noise-making toys and anything fuzzy!
With Christmas coming up, we've been thinking about how to not let our house get over-run with baby stuff. We'd love to get Wally hundreds of presents, but think it's probably best to get just a few presents and then let him go wild with all the wrapping paper. Some people I know base their present-giving to their kids on this rhyme: "Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read." We are sort of following that idea this year.
This is what we decided to get for him; I'm so excited for Wally to have his first Christmas presents!
-Play Tunnel as a "want". I think he'll really enjoy crawling through it! He likes to crawl under tables and chairs and such, so I think this will be a hit! I like that it folds up for easy storage, too. (this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GLCWFOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
-A tactile puzzle as another "want" (it is fuzzy underneath the pieces! We got him one that is similar to this, but I can't find a link to the specific one we got: https://www.amazon.com/Janod-Tactile-Animals-Puzzle-Piece/dp/B01GBYG7UK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512967666&sr=8-3&keywords=janod+tactile+puzzle)
-A fuzzy jacket as both his "need" and "to wear". He had one when he was first born, but quickly outgrew it. We thought it was so cute! I think he will like this for going on walks in the stroller or baby-carrier. We got it on a super sale too, so that was a bonus!! (http://www.carters.com/s/Carters/carters-baby-girl-sale-tops/190795646641.html?cm_mmc=ip_Carters-_-Google-_-Baby_Girl_10-14_-_-190795646641&cvosrc=cse.google.43671597114&cvo_crid=186487618485&cvo_cid=778424335&scid=scplp190795646641&sc_intid=190795646641&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAiA07PRBRBJEiwAS20SINcnoQqqKJrkbrCYjoeaPC7877soflGNQG--JEfgeUKrA-Wqo845BBoC5p0QAvD_BwE)
-A German/English storybook as his "to read". I try to talk to Wally in German at least a little bit every day and this book will be a good reinforcement. I also like that it is about a wolf, since we call Wally our little wolf-pup! (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3739901322/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
You're so smart to do that with the gifts! I wish I had stuck with something like that, but usually you don't think so far ahead when you have one baby...I did enjoy our "big" Christmases, each kid got 10 presents, haha. I know, I know, that sounds crazy, but we just wrapped up everything. I probably told you already that every year our kids got a ream of paper each and they loved being able to just draw and draw and not worry about running out of paper. I used to get Michael index cards and also sticky-tack, because he always had to be squishing something with his fingers, and he made the index cards into his own Pokemon cards since we took his away (long story, haha). We would also wrap up a box of sugar-cereal for each kid -- this worked out great because it was special and sugary, and also because nobody hogged all the cereal, each kid put his/her name on their own box. Then there was a clothes item, plus the requisite new socks/underwear...so 10 presents sounds like a lot, but usually they just had one big present. One thing I always made sure they did was give a present to us -- that's something you could do if you like this year, give Jon a present "from Wally" and then the older they get the more they get involved in that -- I know some parents who don't have siblings give to each other or to the parents and Christmas gets super one-sided for them! I can't wait for Wally to spend his first Santa's Secret Shop money haha...on a paper-weight for you, an all-in-one screwdriver for Jon and a bunch of super balls for himself -- I have amazing predictive powers when it comes to Santa's Secret Shop at school!! But that's years ahead. I hope you don't mind I'm using your comment section to write you a letter (apparently). But I wanted to tell you that this year, because of not living in our "home" and spending all of our money on the house and tuition, Michael is hosting Christmas in his new house. We're all going there Christmas Eve and spending the night, I can't wait! He told me that he will be "mad" if I buy presents for everybody, and said that he is taking care of the presents, and that I am responsible for pajamas and stockings. I love it. It's going to be a smaller Christmas, but I know he is getting his siblings some "big" gifts so I don't have to worry about affording Christmas, or about choosing just the right thing for my adult kids. Okay, in case I don't get around to wishing you a Merry Christmas....Merry Christmas!!! Love you!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! Merry Christmas to you! And love to all of the Kulagas! :) I can't WAIT to get the little Santa Shop paperweight present, haha! Those are great ideas too - about the sugar cereal and ream of paper. And just wrapping everything, haha!
ReplyDeleteAnd that is so sweet about Michael wanting to get all the presents! What a thoughtful brother! I bet it is fun for him to host you all in his new house, too!