Our Favorite Things: Birth - Six Months

Since Owen's 6 month doctors appointment is not until Tuesday where we will learn his weight and height, I thought I would make a post about our favorite things. I still can't get over the fact that he is 6 months old -- that is just crazy!!

These are the top 10 things that we wouldn't have been able to live without over the past 6 months:

Summer Infant Video Monitor -- I am not sure what we would do without it. It is so comforting to know what Owen is doing in his crib!

Play mat -- We used this a lot from birth - 3 and a half months. He loved the music, lights and all of the toys hanging down that he could bat and play with.

Little Einstein's Bouncer -- once he could touch his feet down which was a little after he was 4 months old this became his new favorite toy. He can get out so much energy and just loves to jump, run and play with all of the toys. It is great because the lowest setting is a lot lower then the other bouncers out there eliminating the need for an exersaucer.

Sophie -- I never understood all of the hype around this rubber giraffe but Owen sure does like to chew on it and it has been very helpful during teething. I think Owen and Sophie are going to be forever friends.

Madella Pump -- This has been one of my toys that I wouldn't have survived without it -- from birth when I needed to build up my supply after every feeding because Owen was having trouble latching to now since Owen has decided he just wants to eat from bottles. I like that you can pump both breasts at the same time and that you can either plug it in or have it run on batteries. I think there is a new one out that is also hands free which I am sure it AWESOME.

To go along with the Pump, Eric found me a great hands free pumping bra by Simple Wishes which allows me to actually be able to do things other then pumping which is wonderful!

Eddy Bauer Travel System -- Talk about having an all in one system. The car seat it great (a bit heavy)  and is little larger then most car seats which allows Owen to have a little more room, especially now that he is bigger. Plus it clips right into his stroller which rides great and collapses so easily! Owen is just starting to use the stroller without the car seat and the straps have added support which is has been great while he gains the strength to sit up by himself.

Baby Bjorn -- This has been our favorite since birth. When Owen was really little he would face us and automatically fall asleep on every walk we took. Now that he is bigger, he faces out and loves it. He loves to people watch and be able to kick his legs. It is used daily during our walks with Lexi!

Bright Stars Comfort Bouncer -- This has come in very handy. When he was an infant we could put him down in it and vibrate him to sooth him while we ate or needed to get something done around the house (or when we were desperate to get him to sleep). As he got a little older, we have kept it in the kitchen and use it while I cook lunch/dinner or clean bottles or just need to put him down for a couple of minutes. I also used this while I showered and knew he would be safe. He has really come to love this little chair.

Bassinet -- For the first 8 weeks of his life, this little bassinet resided right by our bed and was a godsend.  It made it super easy during all of the night time wake up feedings and diaper changes and made it an easier transition to fall back asleep. Plus, it is on wheels and when he was little he didn't like to lay flat on his back so we put the bassinet on an incline which helped tremendously. On top of that, it has a light and the ability to vibrate which really came in handy to get him back to sleep -- sometimes we would have to make it vibrate all night to keep him asleep --- thank goodness that stage is over!

Baby Mirror -- Owen has been fascinated with this mirror since birth. At first he loved to look in the mirror and watch the lights light up around the frame and listen to the music, it was like an instant soother. Now, he loves to grab it, chew on the strings on the top, play with all of the little animals on the front and look at the pictures on the back. This has been a great toy!!

And we also have loved these during the past 6 months:

Baby Bullet -- You already know why we love this!!

Raspberry Teether -- Owen loves to chew on this

Sassy Toys -- Owen loves this brand of toys. They travel with him where ever we go.

Fleece Sleep Sacks -- These were awesome for our little winter baby! 

Mittens -- Owen's hands always got so cold at night so we put mittens on him every night and he loved them. We have ones with little duckies on them and we would always say "put on your duckies" and he would give us his hands ... he was ready for them!