Mommy Minute: Kason's Daily Routine - 9 Months Old

Hey ya'll!!

I have a new Mommy Minute for you today, and it's an update on Kason's daily routine. Now that Kason's a little older, his routine has changed and he's doing more than just sitting in a swing or playing in a bouncer. I'm going to go over what he does on a normal day, what he eats, his napping and bedtime routines, and what he does for entertainment throughout the day. I also am going to talk about how we handle running errands and getting out of the house.

Now that Lexi is back in school, Kason gets his day going a little earlier than he was in the summer time. Lexi and I are up and starting our day about 7:15 every morning (Thursday's are great because she has late arrival, so we get an extra hour). Lucky for me, Kason isn't the type to cry as soon as he wakes up. He usually wakes up and plays with his stuffed animals for a while before I go and get him up. I like to focus on Lexi first thing, and get her ready and out the door before getting Kason's day started. After Kason is up and out of bed, he gets a fresh diaper and has his first bottle of the day. He has three 8 ounce bottles a day, for a total of 24 ounces.

After he has his first bottle, he plays in the living room and watches Disney Jr. for about an hour. I keep most of his toys in the living room at all times because that's where he spends most of his time. After he plays for a little while, he's ready for breakfast about 10:00. He has oatmeal for breakfast pretty much every morning. I make 4 ounces of formula and mix it with Gerber's Instant Oatmeal. It's my favorite thing to give him because he meets his daily iron requirement plus extra vitamins and nutrition, he gets that extra formula in case he decides not to drink one of his bottles during the day, plus it's really filling and holds him off until lunch.

After breakfast he's free to play and do what he wants. He literally started scooting around the day after I posted his 9 month update. He's not scooting in the crawling position and instead is hobbling around in a sitting position. I'm so happy he's finally moving around because it's really impacted his overall mood throughout the day. He still gets fussy here and there, but for the most part he has been so much more content. It's opened up a whole new world for him and he is steady exploring around the house and making his way to all the different rooms. After breakfast is also when we will go shopping or run any necessary errands. I like to go after breakfast because he's got some energy and his belly is nice and full, so he's more likely to be content for a longer period of time.

If we aren't leaving the house, he is usually ready to take a nap around 11:00. If we are out and about, he just takes a nap when we get back or will sleep in the car. If he takes this nap, it usually lasts about an hour and a half. When he wakes up, he's ready for lunch. We've been experimenting with different foods, and have been incorporating table food with his baby food. As far as baby food goes, he is on Level 3 (but I still get Level 2 in some flavors because he likes them). He used to only eat Gerber, but once we changed to the Level 3, he no longer would eat it. He's really picky when it comes to textures. It's weird, because he will pretty much each any table food we give him, but if it's baby food with chunks in it, all bets are off. I think he gets confused because he's used to his baby food being really soft and smooth, so when he tastes the same flavor but has to now chew it, it throws him off. Right now he's been trying different brands and types. One's that have worked so far are People's Choice, Beechnut, and Plum Organics. I give him either water, or water mixed with a little apple juice, to wash down his lunch. He continues to sip on that cup of water, or juice, throughout the whole day.

After lunch, he has another little burst of energy to roam around and play. He also has been really loving our dog lately. Ariel, thankfully, has been loving him too. Kason is constantly trying to steal her toys, but she's no push over. She is really gentle and careful with him, but has zero problem taking her toy back from him! About 2:00 in the afternoon, he's ready for his second bottle of the day.

He's ready for another nap around 3:00-4:00. If he had a morning nap then he will sleep for about an hour and a half to two hours. If he hasn't napped all day he will take a really good nap that lasts about three hours. His naps really depend on the day so I don't have a strict napping schedule. If we are running errands in the morning, he may be ready to go down at 1:00 or 2:00, and will eat his lunch when he wakes up. Depending on how hungry he is, he will have a snack before or after nap. He likes the little dissolvable puffs, Goldfish crackers, and frozen fruit in his mesh feeder. His favorite snack is sting cheese. Funny right? I break off little pieces and he loves it. He eats the entire thing, too. 

I cook dinner around 6:00-6:30 most nights, and that's about the time he gets hungry. I feed him a pouch, or jar, of baby food, and then he gets a little bit of what we eat. We had pot roast last night, so he had some beef, veggies, and mashed potatoes, and did great with all of it. Other things he has had and done well with are chicken and pasta. When we go out to eat, we are steadily giving him new things to try. The facial expressions and reactions to different foods are priceless!

After dinner it's bath time. I was bathing him in the kitchen sink, but recently moved him to the real bath tub and he absolutely loves it. He has two rubber ducks and an octopus that he plays with. I fill the tub up about two inches deep with water and bubbles, and he splashes and plays while I scrub the day away. After bath, I lotion him up and put his PJ's on. Sometimes he plays, and sometimes we read a book. He loves it when I read to him. He has a lot of fun looking at all the pictures, and touching all the pages. Right before he goes down for the night he has his third and final bottle. After his bottle, we all give him lots of love and put him in his crib. He is a very good sleeper, and sleeps through the night until morning. Very rarely does he wake up at night. If he does, it's usually a bad dream and he is back asleep in a few minutes. I've only ever had to go in there and comfort him a handful of times since he started sleeping through the night.

I hope you enjoyed today's post! If you have any questions, or video/blog requests, please leave them in the comments below.


xoxo,
Casey

Skin Care Routine: A.M. & P.M.

Over the past year I have been really into skin care. I've been trying a bunch of different products and trying to figure out what works for me. I've found some really great products, and feel comfortable with a routine that works for me. I'm going to go through my morning routine, along with my night time routine, and discuss all the different products I use.

I don't like to use a ton of products in the morning. I like my skin to feel clean, fresh, and awake without feeling heavy with product. I start by washing my face with the Murad Refreshing Cleanser. It smells really great and has a soft creamy consistency. Depending on how my skin is acting, and looking, I sometimes use my Clarasonic Mia with the Luxe brush head. This brush head is really soft and gentle, making it perfect for morning use. After I've cleansed my face, I moisturize. I absolutely love the Maracuja line from Tarte. I've been using it since I was pregnant with Kason. I start with the Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment. It's a thick eye cream, but it's not heavy. I have really dry under eyes, and this eye cream really hydrates and plumps my under eye area. It really helps moisturize and prep my under eyes for concealer. The Olay Complete moisturizer is my favorite and I've been using it for years. It's light weight and does a great job at keeping my skin moisturized. The Maracuja Oil is like hydration in a bottle. Some people cringe at the thought of putting oil on their face. This oil sinks into my skin without leaving a greasy residue, and leaves my skin glowing and plump. I mix in two drops of the Pure Maracuja Oil with a dime sized amount of Olay. The two work really great together and my skin loves it. Together they keep my skin moisturized without leaving me greasy. It leaves my skin with a nice glow, and makes my makeup go on so much smoother.

To remove my makeup at night I've really been liking the Garnier Cleansing Oil. It removes all my makeup and leaves my skin really soft and smooth. It's really great for dry skin. The only thing I don't like about it is the packaging. The pump leaks and creates an oily mess over the whole bottle. After I've removed my makeup I use the Philosophy Purity Cleanser with my Clarasonic Mia and Deep Pore brush head. This brush head does a great job of exfoliating my face without over stripping it. I've purchased the Purity cleanser multiple times. I started using it during my pregnancy, it was the only cleanser that didn't irritate my face. After cleansing, I take one of the Philosophy Miracle Worker Retinoid Pad's and apply it all over my face, avoiding the eyes, and down my neck and on my chest. You can also use it on the backs of your hands, since the hands are also one of the first things on the body to show signs of aging. I let that sink in for about a minute before I apply my moisturizers. I've been using the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus eye cream for a while and am almost out, I will be repurchasing it again. I honestly haven't seen a huge difference in my smile lines, but I don't think anything will really repair those completely. One I am always smiling, and two I think it's just part of who I am and is more prominent because of my high cheek bones. It has repaired the tiny fine lines I was starting to get around and under my eyes though. For my night time moisturizer I am obsessed with the Origins Starting Over moisturizer. It's really thick and moisturizing, and smells divine. I tried something different after purchasing this the first time, only to realize how much I loved and missed it. I'm so happy to have it back because my skin adores it.

As you can see, I use quite a bit of anti-aging products. Sometimes when I purchase them, the people behind the counter question me on why I'm buying them. I started using anti-aging products right before I got pregnant, so I was 24. When I got pregnant, I had to stop using some of them because they were unsafe. After my pregnancy and once I was done breastfeeding, I started using them again. I am all about prevention and starting an anti-aging routine at a young age. I'm hoping that by starting early, I won't have as much work to do as I get older.

I hope you enjoyed getting a look into my skin care routine! I do use masks occasionally as well, but I rotate a few different ones depending on what my skin needs, so I will probably save that for another post. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite skin care products are. I love discovering and trying new products so I'd love to know what you guys are currently using.


xoxo,
Casey

Mommy Miniute: My Baby's Daily Routine

Hey ya'll!!

Today I wanted to share with you Kason's daily routine. The things we do, and the times we do it,  vary from day to day, but for the most part this is how his daily routine usually goes. I'm not a huge stickler on doing everything at the same time every single day, or setting strict time limits for naps and play time because I want him to be flexible.

Before I get him up I make his bottle and get his medicine ready. He has acid reflux so he takes Zantac three times a day. His day starts between 8:00-8:30AM. First thing I do is sing our "Good Morning" song while he shakes the sleepiness out of his eyes, and gets in a few smiles and giggles. I change his diaper and leave his PJ's on. He gets distracted easily when eating, so to get him to eat in a reasonable amount of time I lay him on his Boppy and prop his bottle until he's done.

After his first feed he sits in his chair and watches cartoons for about 30 minutes. His favorites are all on Disney Jr: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake & The Neverland Pirates, and Doc McStuffin's, just to name a few. He gets bored really easily, so we rotate "stations" every half hour. After a little couch time he plays in his bouncer. Ours is The Little Einstein's bouncer I found at Target. He loves it! It's really helped him gain balance and control. After spending time in his bouncer we have play time on the floor. I lay down a blanket and he does Tummy Time and practices rolling over and sitting up. This is really good one on one time for us as well. He gets lots of kisses and tickles, and I get lots of good giggles and baby sugar from him. At about 10:00AM he gets tired and takes a morning nap for about an hour.

At 11:00 he gets up from his morning nap. This is normally when I change him out of his PJ's and it's time for his second feeding. He has a 6oz bottle every 3 hours, and has solids twice a day, the first being oatmeal and the second is a fruit or veggie. We started with Rice Cereal at 4 months. He never got constipated, but it gave him bad gas so we had to switch to Oatmeal. Ever since we made the switch he's done just fine. His first solid is usually given on the second feed of the day. I mix 2oz of water, with 1 scoop of his formula, and spoon in his oatmeal until it's the consistency of jarred baby food. After he's finished his oatmeal he has his bottle and we start our "station" rotations again. If I need to run any errands I usually do it around this time of day.

Between 2:00-3:00PM he has his third feeding, and his second round of medicine. Afterwards he is ready for his longest nap of the day which is normally 3 hours. When he wakes it's time for his fourth feeding and second solid of the day. I rotate between veggies and fruits every two days, so for two days he gets the same veggie and the next two days the same fruit. He hasn't really shown any signs of favoritism between the fruits and veggies which I think is great. The only flavors that haven't worked for him so far are Squash and Banana's. Both gave his bad tummy aches and lots of gas. After his solid he has his fourth bottle and then watches cartoons or plays in his bouncer while I get dinner ready. It's really important to me that our family has dinner together, so every night we all sit at the table together and eat, even if my husband is out of town for work. Kason joins us too! We have a tall dining room table so instead of a regular high chair I purchased just the seat. It straps onto our kitchen chairs so he sits at the same height as us.

After dinner it's bath time. He only has a bath every other night. He has really sensitive skin so if I bathe him every night, he gets really dry and breaks out. If it's not a bath night, he just hangs out with my husband and I until it's time for his fifth, and final, feeding of the day. Bed time is between 8:00-8:30PM. Me, my husband, and our daughter Lexi normally tuck him in together. He sleeps with stuffed animals, they are like his security blanket. He LOVES them and can't sleep without them! He hugs and suckles them until he falls asleep. It's the cutest, sweetest thing ever. He's a really good sleeper, and has been since he was two months old. He will wake up around 6:30AM but 95% of the time he never cries. He just plays with his toys for a little bit, falls back asleep until 8:00-8:30, and our daily routine starts all over again.

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Let me know in the comments below if you like to keep your baby on a schedule and what works for you!


xoxo,
Casey